2i^ THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. vil. 



tor which slie was desiuned. Towino- flat-boats or baraes, as 

 jtracticoJ on Red River would, I think, bs impracticable ou the 

 Saskatchewan for the reasons that in many parts the current is 

 too strong, while in others the available channel between the 

 islands and sand-banks and shoals are too narrow and tortuous. 

 The only really insurmountable obstruction to steam navigation, 

 from Fort Garry to Rocky Mountain House is the Grand Rapid. 

 It appears to have b2en carefully measured and examined by' 

 Professor Hind, who states it to be 2J miles in length with a 

 total fjill of 43J feet. Whether the outlay requisite for a canal 

 and locks to surmount this would be repaid by the result, is a 

 matter for consideration. Between the head of the Grand Rapid 

 and the confluence of the two Saskatchewans, there are only two^ 

 jilaccs where, especially during the latter pirt of the season when^ 

 the water is low, steamboats might experience some difficulty and 

 would possibly require to be warped against the current, these 

 are the Cross I^ake Rapids and Tobin's or Thoboo's Rapid, the 

 one between Cedar Lake and Grand Rapid and the other between. 

 Cumberland or Pine Island Lake and Fort a la Corne. Imme- 

 diately above the confluence of the North and South Branches 

 are the Coal or Cole's Falls. Next to the Grand Rapid these 

 falls afipear to me to constitute the most serious impediment to 

 the navigation. They extend over a lengthy according to my 

 e^tin^ate, of rather more than twelve miles, I am not able to 

 say exactly what the total fall is, but my two barometers gave 

 a difference of 0.44 and 0.45 respectively, between the junction 

 and the upper end of the falls. This would indicate a fill in 

 that distance of from 4(1-45 feet. 'J' lie width of the river is 

 from 150 to 170 or 200 yards, and the rapids vary in length 

 from one hundred yards to about a quarter of a mile. The bed 

 of the river is evervwhere filled with larue, rounded boulders of 

 gneiss, granite and limestone, and when we passed, many of 

 these were shewing above the water, while more were covered 

 only a few inches deep. This was on the 4th of October, and then 

 no steamboat could have passed cither up or down with safety. 

 Our boat, an ordinary Hudson's Bay batteau^ drawing only 

 Mbout eighteen inches, touched the rocks several times, notwith- 

 jstanding that we had a careful and experienced steersman, well 

 acquainted with the deepest channel. With two or three feet 

 more water in the river, of course the appearance of these rapids 

 •would be greatly altered, and as there is no solid rock, the- 



