No. 4.] SELWYN — THE NORTH-WEST TERRITORY. 205- 



oats, rye, peas, beans (French and broad), potatoes, onions, car- 

 rots, swedes, turnips, mangolds, cabbages and timothy grass, would,. 

 I believe, compare favourably with the best crops of the same 

 description, 'grown on the highest cultivated farms in any part of 

 Canada or even in Britain. The returns given me by Mr. McKenzie 

 of the following crops were, per acre, wheat, 30-40 bushels, oats,. 

 50 bushels, barley, 35-40 bushels, potatoes 300-400 bushels, tur- 

 nips, 600-700, and peas, 20-25. Mr. McKenzie has 40 acres 

 under cultivation, and no better or more practical illustration 

 could be desired than is afforded by this farm, of what the soil 

 of these magnificent prairie lands is capable of when cultivated, 

 with intelligence and enterprise. 



I now propose to make some brief remarks in connection with, 

 the incidents of our homeward journey, and upon the facts which 

 were observed relating to the general character of the valley of 

 the Saskatchewan and to the geological features displayed along- 

 its course. The homeward journey or voyage, which, as I have 

 already stated, was performed entirely by water, was commenced 

 on the 13th September from Rocky Mountain House and termi- 

 nated at Fort Garry on the 2nd of October. During this inter- 

 val we accomplished about eleven hundred miles of river, and 

 three hundred miles of lake navigation ; from Rocky Mountain 

 House to Carlton in a half-sized, and from Carlton to Fort 

 Grarry in a full-sized, Hudson Bay batteau. Between Edmonton 

 and Carlton, a distance by the river of about 400 miles, our party- 

 consisted of only five persons besides myself, and as none of the 

 party had ever before descended the river, we had to find our 

 way as best we could through the dangers and difficulties of the 

 navisfation. consistins- of intricate channels, sand banks, shoals and 

 rapids, none of which are, however, of a very formidable nature.. 

 Four of the party worked at the oars, the fifth took the helm, and 

 I acted as bowsman, and by noting the bearing and distances of' 

 every bend, succeeded in making a tolerably accurate plan of the 

 course of the river, sketching it in my note book to scale as we 

 went along. Sometimes we were tempted by the prospect of a 

 more direct course, to leave the main channel, and in almost 

 every instance were landed on shoals or sand-bars, obliging us to 

 retrace our steps at the expense of much laborious pulling, and 

 poling against the current. Notwithstanding these mishaps, how- 

 ever, we made a prosperous and tolerably rapid passage, reaching 

 Carlton on the thirteenth day after our departure from Edmon- 



