Topographical Notices. 251 



peculiarly well adapted for it, there being a small island 

 near the north shore, to which the boom is attached, and 

 between this and the main, there is a good channel for 

 boats in the driest season, which is sufliciently ont of the 

 current not to admit of the timber escaping. Formerly 

 the raftsmen were under the necessity of putting their 

 timber together several times between this place and the 

 Grand Calumet rapid, aljout foiu'teen miles above ; but it 

 is now allowed to drift along that space, the only trouble 

 being to push it out from the eddies and shores. Beyond 

 the Grand Calumet, rafts may be floated for eighty miles 

 without breaking uj), so that this simple improvement of 

 the boom has proved a most essential benefit to the whole 

 trade. 



There are several situations where booms of a durable 

 nature would greatly assist the labours of the raftsmen ; 

 and in other places, in the smaller rivers particularly, 

 a few pounds might be most beneficially expended in 

 removing projecting rocks, against which the timber is apt 

 to lodge, and so bar the passage for all that is behind, 

 sometimes until the season is entirely lost, as occurred last 

 year with some hundred thousand feet. lint it can hardly 

 be expected that improvements, even of this partial kind, 

 will be accomplished by the lumberers, without the inter- 

 ference and assistance of Government. 



it is now only four years since the procuring of lumber 

 from the crown lands along the Ottawa, has been rendered 

 a legal occupation. This branch of the timber trade has 

 incrpa<;ed rapidly, and now forms a principal support of 

 the Canada shipping. The stock of red pine in the upper 

 Ottawa countries is probably inexhaustible ; it begins to 

 be a comiuon groulh about the head of the Chals lukQ^ and 



