258 Topographical Notices » 



at the Grand Calumet rapid, which is lined on both sides 

 by high rocky shores. To the south of the portage, 

 however, in the island, there is a hollow extending the 

 whole way to the still water above, along which it appears 

 practicable to effect a lockage. The chief rock about here 

 is still the white coarse limestone, admitting, I think, of 

 being easily quarried ; this species of stone is seen no 

 farther up the river. With the exception of some detached 

 masses of the granite kind, it appears to form the channel 

 of the various rapids from the Chats thus far — its character, 

 however, varies much along this extent : commonly it is 

 large-grained and brittle; in a few places 1 observed it 

 forming almost a complete flint, and in others its nature is 

 that of a coarse marble, weU adapted for any purpose of 

 building. 



In comparing this route, by the Ottawa, with that of the 

 Musk-rat lake, in point of distance, we shall find no very 

 essential difference in favor of the latter, if we extend our 

 view to the head of the great island, des Allnmettes, and 

 consider the channel to the north of it, called the Quelle Butte 

 Snigh (che)i(il), as a part of the Ottawa route. A strong 

 reason in favor of keeping by the Grand river seems this : 

 — ^Were the Musk-rat lake and river chosen as the line of 

 improvement, the Mhole of the north channels of the 

 Ottawa, from Portage duFort to the head of Quelle Butte 

 Snigh {chenal), a distance of fifty miles and upwards, along 

 which there arc many fine tracts of land, which would be 

 left entirely in the back ground, and little benefitted, being 

 shut up at every point by rapids, from what would then be 

 the navigable channel. Whereas, were the thoroughfare 

 established along the northern runs of the Ottawa, (tliesc 

 rapids being necessarily improved) the country along the 



