4 ROYAL SOCIKTY OF CANADA 



These rivers mid l;ikc.< have Ijcen the most important factors in tlie 

 settlement of the country, as they formed the earliest lines of approach 

 for the penetration and exploration of the interior, and for the exploi- 

 tation of our forests. The luiuherman followed the trapjier and the fur 

 trader, the axe supplanted the rillo, and tlius the country was opened up 

 by men who knew not only where to bi'gin, but, by their calling, were 

 best equipped as pioneers. 



The frontier, where not already occupied by the French, was neces- 

 sarily rai)idly settled in the first place by the Loyalists of 177G,.who 

 could not stand upon the order of their departure after their homes 

 were confiscated. These found the rivers their earliest friends from 

 whence they obtained the means of shelter and of employment in the 

 only industry by which money could then be obtained, viz., the floating 

 of timber and potash to Montreal and Quebec. 



Over a length of several thousand miles between Labrador and 

 Alaska and over a width of several hundred miles, there is an almost 

 continuous distribution of lakes, lakelets and rivers; — the lakes of varied 

 outlines, dimensions and elevations above sea level, and many possessing 

 facilities for the storage of their flood waters. This power of storage has 

 been largely taken advantage of by lumbermen to retain the needed 

 supply for their spring "drive" into the main stream. In many places 

 the outlet from the lake, or the connection between a chain of lakes, is 

 a narrow cleft in rock where an inexpensive dam will hold back the water 

 supplied by the winter's accumulation of snow. 



With the exception of her prairie region, the rivers of Canada differ 

 from the ^lississippi, Missouri and Ohio, and the larger part of their tribu- 

 taries, in that they are not naturally navigal)le from their mouths, or above 

 tidal influence to any considerable extent, except in detached sections; 

 while the former are navigable for thousands of miles and are therefore 

 without water i)ower. 'L'hose great western rivers flow upon a nearly 

 uniform grade of a few inches per mile, whilst the St. Lawrence and 

 its tributaries are interrupted by rapids, chutes and cataracts, altording 

 a great variety, quantity and quality of water power. 



Jn the United States, between the Atlantic coast and the ivocky 

 Mountains, as far south as the Gulf of Mexico, and as far north as the 

 Uakotas, (with the excejjtion of part of New York and New England) 

 there is an entire absence of lakes; while throughout Canada, north of 

 the St. Lawrence and stretching northwest toward the Mackenzie liiver 

 Basin, these are innumerable, in fact have never been numbered, and 

 thousands of the smaller ones have uever been represented on any map. 



The upper sections or sources of most of the Canadian rivers are 

 chains of lakes, occupying in many instances the greater portion of the 



