SUEVEY OF TIDES AND CUKKENTS. 



This survey, under the charge of Dr. W. B. Dawson, has made 

 continuous progress. The periods of observation on which the tide 

 tables are based are being continually augmented, to improve their 

 accuracy. Much is also being done to enhance the accuracy of the tidal 

 data for the St. Lawrence, by further observations and by working up 

 tidal information secured incidentally by other surveys. In this way, 

 special tide tables are prepared for the points in the river which, ore still 

 the shallowest, until the dredging operations, now in pTogress, are 

 completed. 



The chief advance this year, has been in British Columbia; and as 

 several points of general interest present themselves, we may confine our 

 review to that coast. 



Owing to the planning and directing of tidal work on the St. Law- 

 rence and the Atlantic coast, and the investigations of currents, during 

 the -earlier years of this survey, it has not been possible for Dr. Dawson 

 to visit the Pacific coast until the summer of this year. Some headway 

 has already been made, however, in the publication of tide tables foT 

 ports in British Columbia and the commencement of tidal observations. 



There is still a large part of the coast of British Columbia which 

 is dependent upon the United States tide tables, which is far from 

 satisfactory; as it is thus necessary to compute our tides and currents 

 from some distant port in Alaska, or from a harbour where the tide 

 is of a distinctly different type, such as Port Townsend. Hence oui' 

 Canadian tide tables already meet with much appreciation. 



It is very evident that a large number of the industries on this coast 

 will always be dependent upon water transport, as it would not be pos- 

 sible for a raibvay to compete with water carriage where the choice 

 exists. This coast has a greater advantage than almost any other in the 

 world for coastal trade, with its series of sheltered inlets and channels 

 jforming gigantic natural canals which extend the whole length of the 

 seaboard and cut deeply in toward the interior, for the admission of 

 trafhc and supplies, and return freight. 



To take advantage of all this, the tides and currents must be 

 known. This is indeed of more importance to navigation than anything 

 else, when once the coasts themselves are charted; as no other aids to 

 navigation can make up to a captain for not knowing which way the cur- 

 rent is setting his vessel. 



On a coast of such extent and with so many local complications in 

 its tides, it is necessary to devise a comprehensive scheme which will 



