SOURCE OP ST. Peter's river. 135 



which place we reached on the 13th. Our course from the 

 height of land to Lake Superior was through Cold Water, 

 Muddy, and White-fish Lakes, Cats-tail river, Dog river 

 and lake, and the Kamanatekvvoya river. There were along 

 this part of the route many portages, and these were both 

 long and difficult. The first day we passed through the 

 several lakes, descended Cats-tail river, and proceeded 

 about fifteen miles down Dog's river, where we with dif- 

 ficulty found an encamping ground. Cats-tail river has a 

 very circuitous course through a valley about three miles 

 wide, which is embanked by hills rising to at least one 

 hundred and fifty feet. The valley partakes of an alluvial 

 character, and consists principally of sand. The stream 

 runs through it, being incased but a small depth below its 

 level. The hills which bound the valley are chiefly gra- 

 nitic; at one place where we passed near to their base, we 

 saw a beautiful pink granite, which extended for about half 

 a mile. It was divided into large masses, showing no signs 

 of stratification. There are no material obstructions to the 

 navigation of the two rivers, so that we proceeded with 

 much speed, until we reached on the 11th the Dog Por- 

 tage, which divides Dog Lake from the Kamanatekwoya 

 or river of Fort William. la the lake, which may perhaps 

 be considered as a mere expansion of the same stream, 

 which receives two different names above and below that 

 place, we observed a recurrence of granitic islands, simi- 

 lar to those west of the height of land. We were shown, 

 in this lake, an arm of it which extends to the south-west, 

 and which, as we were informed, connects the lake by an 

 uninterrupted water communication with the Thousand 

 lakes, west of the Prairie Portage. This route is shorter 

 than that which we travelled, but is filled with rapids. If 

 this be reallv the case, and we have reason to believe that 



