256 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



12. St. John- Rest igouc he. 



A.— Grand Rivcr-Wagan. Tliis wius the mont travcllod of ail routop acrops the 

 riuviiici'. Thr tirand River is eiujy *>f navigation up to the Wagansis (i. e., 

 Little Wagan), up wliich canoes could be taken for some two miles. A 

 level portage of two or three miles leads into the Wagan (Micmac 0-wok-un, 

 "a jiortage") a muddy, winding brook, which Hows into the Resti- 

 gouche, wiiich to its mouth is a swift but smootli-Howing stream, unbroken 

 by a fall, and almost without rapid«J. The total fall from the portage is not 

 over 500 feet, and hence it is far easier to :L«cend than the Nepisiguit, and 

 consequently was the main route across from Bay Chaleur to the St. John. 

 For the upper waters of the St. Jolin a route from the mouth of the Nej)isi- 

 guit by Bay Chaleur to the Restigouche and thence to the St. John would 

 be both considerably shorter and much easier than by the Nepisiguit- 

 Tobique route. 



This portage is marki'd on Bouchette, 1815, Bonner, 1820, Lockwood, 

 1S2G, Wilkinson, 1850, and the Geological Survey Map. On Van Velden's 

 original survey map of the Restigouche, 1786, a " Carrying-place across the 

 highlands." about nine miles, is given, doubtless a portage ilirectly from 

 Wiigan to Grand River. This route was taken by Plessis in 1812, (Journal, 

 267), by Gordon (p. 23), who fully describes it, and by many others. It is 

 said in McGregor's British America, 1833 (II., 66), that the courier then 

 travelled up this river with mails for New Brunswick and Canada, evidently 

 by this route. Formerly the alders which blocked the AVagan and AVagansis 

 were kept cut out by travellers, and even by workmen paid by the Provincial 

 Government (as I have been told), but since a road has been cut within 

 a few years from the St. John directly through to the Restigouche at the 

 mouth of the Wagan, this route is no longer used, and probably is now 

 I)ractically impassable. 



B. — Green River-Kedgwick. This portage is marked, an old and new path, 

 on the maps of the Geological Survey, running from the Pemouit branch of 

 Green River, six miles across to the southwest branch of the Kedgwick. 

 Both rivers are difficult of navigation because of their swift currents and 

 rapids. The route must have been used only by hunters, as it is too diflBcult 

 and roundabout to be used as a through route. It is referred to obscurely 

 by Munro in 1783. 



There is said to be a portage path from the northwest branch of Upsal- 

 quitch directly across to the Nictor branch of Tobique, but I have been able 

 to obtain no information about it. It must be long, difficult and very rarely 

 used. The Restigouche can also be reached from the St. John by the 

 Nictor-Nepisiguit route (10 A) and the Nepisiguit-Upsalquitch route, to be 

 described below (13 B), but this would not be used as a direct route. 



IS. Nepisiguit- Restigouche. 



A.— Along the Sea-coast. This route is safe for canoes, for landing is every- 

 where easy, and doubtless it was greatly used. 



B. — Nopisiguit-Upsalquitch. Though not a part of a through route, this 

 portage was no doubt much u.«ed by liunting parties. Up to Portage Brook 

 the Nepisiguit is very difficult of navigation ; Portage Brook is fairly easy up 



