SOURCE OP ST. Peter's river. 337 



nexion with the Riviere de Corbeau of the Mississippi, 

 and the Medicine-Bark of the St. Peter, The Wild-rice 

 river and the Red Fork are connected in tiie same man- 

 ner with other sources of the Mississippi, affording navi- 

 gable communications between the subsidiary lakes at their 

 respective heads, and others tributary to that great river. 

 Reed Grass river has a two-fold connexion with other wa- 

 ters, serving as a channel of intercourse between Red ri- 

 ver and the source of the Mississippi, as also that of one of 

 the tributaries of Rainy river. Rat river also affords a 

 communication between Red river and the Lake of the 

 Woods. These several communications are only practica- 

 ble in very wet seasons, and the transition from their sum- 

 mits into other waters, is interrupted by portages of greater 

 or less extent, but in no instances by ridges of any consi- 

 derable height. 



The Goose and Turtle rivers, both of which take their 

 rise in Devil Lake, are navigable to that place, and the 

 lake itself, which is said to be made up of a multiplicity of 

 small pools, connected by navigable channels, affords an 

 extent of navigation of about one hundred miles. 



The Assiniboin river is the largest of all the tributaries 

 of Red river, and in point of magnitude and extent, vies 

 even with the principal. Their point of junction is in 

 north latitude 49° 53' 35" and west longitude 97° 00' 50". 

 Its sources mingle with the waters of the Saskatchawan, 

 north-westwardly from the point just mentioned. In its 

 progress downward, it forms an extensive curve with a 

 convexity to the south-west, and receives numerous subsi- 

 diaries, among which is a stream of respectable size, called 

 Mouse river, that is said to receive some of its waters from 

 a point within one mile of the Missouri river. The As- 

 siniboin is navigable at all stages of the water to a great 

 distance, and is the channel of continual intercourse be- 



