[ganong] historic SITES IN NEW BRUNSWICK 235 



the Eivière du Sud to Port Eoyal in eight days, which is easier to believe 

 when we recall the swift current of the ât. John in spring.' 



The different rivers of the Province differ considerably in the 

 amount of descent from their heads to the sea, and in the freedom of their 

 channels from falls and rapids. Thus the St. John, from every point of 

 view the most important of our ancient routes of travel, although it has 

 a considerable descent, and hence usually a rapid current, is remarkably 

 free from obstructions, the Grand Falls and some rapids above the Alla- 

 gash being the only real impediments to continuous canoe navigation. Of 

 the other rivers, all of those in the more level parts of the province, particu- 

 larly those in the great central and eastern carboniferous area, have but 

 little descent and have cut smooth channels from the soft sandstone rock. 

 Such are the Kennebecasis, Petitcodiac, Washademoak, Salmon Eiver, 

 Oromocto, Eichibucto, and the Lower Miramichi. Again, the Eesti- 

 gouche, though flowing in a hilly country, has not a great descent, less 

 than 500 feet, and has cut for itself a smooth channel in the soft limestone 

 rocks. On the other hand, the rivers of Charlotte, flowing with consider- 

 able descent over hard rocks in shallow valleys obstructed by glacial 

 drift, have rough channels, with many rapids and falls. This is yet better 

 marked in the south branch of Tobique, the Nepisiguit, Upsalquitch, and 

 Little South West Miramichi, which rise in an elevated region of hard 

 rocks, and thus have a large descent usually much obstructed by falls and 

 rapids. In these respects the hardest of all of our rivers for navigation 

 is the Little South West Miramichi, which fails twelve hundi-ed feet, and 

 has several bad falls and very numerous rapids. The Nepisiguit is also 

 a rough river. Green Eiver is continuously rapid, though with a few 

 small falls, while the Madawaska is very smooth and the St. Francis is 

 intermediate. It is plain that in selecting their routes of travel, other 

 things being equal, the rivers of least descent and fewest obstructions 

 would be chosen, even in preference to those somewhat shorter. For 

 this reason, no doubt, the Eestigouche has been a favourite from early 

 times. 



Another difficulty which the canoemen on all of these rivers must 

 face is the low level to which they often fall in summer. Low water, 

 when it cannot be avoided, is met by the Indian in the way already men- 

 tioned ; he protects the bottom of his canoe by wooden splints and drags 

 it unhurt over the wet stones. But this method is not only slow and 

 laborious, but there are times in exceptionally dry seasons when some of 

 our rivers usually navigable become quite impassable. We cannot, how- 



^ John Allan, in a report of 1793, (Kidder, 307), says : " The Indians have told 

 me, when the stream was rapid they have delivered letters to the French command- 

 ing Officer at the mouth of St. John, in four days from Quebec." In May, 1888, 

 Messrs, A. W. and R. B. Straton, of Fredericton, ran in a birch canoe from Grand 

 Falls to Fredericton in one day, covering the 130 miles in less than 15 hours, includ- 

 ing all stops. Newspaper accounts published at the time. 



