288 Topographical Notices. 



beaver meadow. The stream is only about fifteen feet in 

 breadth, excessively winding, and so overgrown with alder 

 bushes, as to require almost constant exertion to force a 

 canoe through them. From this stream, a portage of 

 about a mile, over a nearly barren hill of solid granite, 

 brings us fairly to the top of the ridge, and to the first 

 •waters of the Nesswabic, which are not more than tea 

 miles distant from the Ottawa, It occupied us, however, 

 nearly three days to reach this point; such was the diffi- 

 culty both of finding and following this almost trackless 

 route. 



From this to the main channel of the Nesswabic, the course 

 of the water is very direct, about fifteen miles, consisting 

 of a succession of small lakes and ponds, with short swift 

 channels between them, there being ten portages altogether 

 from the Ottawa, all little tracked, and most of them with 

 rough and dangerous footing. The appearance of some of 

 these lakes is pretty enough, but all around denotes 

 barrenness. The route continues from the Ottawa, closely 

 along the ridge of the highlands, to the Nesswabic, which 

 is entered at an oval extension of its channel, near three 

 miles long and one and a half broad, called the Trout 

 Lake. Still no good land is in view ; but near the verge 

 of a moderate rise, along the west side of the lake, the 

 hard-woods commence, and continue inland with little 

 interruption. The immediate shores, however, of the 

 river, are barren for some miles farther. 



The Trout lake lays about thirty-five miles, nearly west 

 from the head of the lake des Allumettes. By the river, 

 the distance appears to be about fifty miles, in which there 

 cannot be less much less than six hundred feet of fall. — 

 Canoes can easily descend from the Trout lake to the des 



