PHYSlOmtAPIIY. 20 



Tliero are other minor ranges and detached hills, such as that 

 running along the south shore of Conception Bay by Portugal 

 Cove to CajDe St. Francis ; Sawyer's Hills south of Placentia ; 

 South-side Hills running from Torbay to the Bay of Bulls, of 

 which Signal Hill (520 feet) is a summit ; Branscombe's Hill, 

 near St. Jolin's (870 feet) ; and Chisel Hill, St. Mary's Bay. 

 Tliese numerous mountain and hill ranges show that the country 

 has undergone many disturbances and dislocations of strata, dur- 

 ing the geological ages. 



RIVERS. 



It is a common mistake to suppose that the island contains no 

 large rivers. It is true that, compared with its size, large rivers 

 are few, Init the want of these is amply compensated for by the 

 numerous bays which pierce the land in all directions. One 

 cause of the scarcity of large streams is the Ijroken hilly character 

 of many portions of t!ie country. Down the small valleys flow 

 the streams from tlie pond or set of ponds in their neighbour- 

 hood, forming numerous brooks which thus find the nearest course 

 to the sea. Still there are three large and important rivers — the 

 Gander, the Exploits and the Humber — and a nundjer of others 

 whose drainage and size fairly entitle them to be classed as rivers. 



EXPLOITS RIVER. 



The liighest land is on the west coast ; and the Long Eange 

 chain forms there the watershed, causing most of the rivers to 

 How north-easterly or easterly towards the east coast. The largest 

 river is the Exploits which rises in the extreme south-western 

 angle of the island near the .southern extremity of the Long Eange 

 and after a course of more than 200 miles falls into Exploits Bay, 

 in Notre Dame Bay. It drains an area of l;etween 3,000 and 4,000 

 square miles. At its month it is a mile wide and gradually nar- 

 rows to an average of lialf a mile which it maintains for ten miles. 

 For this distance from its mouth it is studded with islands, the 

 largest being Tliwait Island, nine miles in lengtn. Fouiteen 

 miles foom the mouth are Bishop's Falls, a succession of cascades, 

 the total height being about twenty feet. Some twenty miles 



