88 " HEIGHT OF LAND. 



wild, fit region only for the Indian and trapper, where the otter, 

 beaver, and martin form the staple productions, and the flesh 

 of deer and bear the staple consumption. 



About two hundred miles from the sea the "Height of Land," 

 as it is called, presents itself as a series of high hills, and really a 

 part of that great chain of mountains which one strikes directly 

 north from Quebec and which follow the country across the Labra- 

 dor peninsula to above Cape Charles on the eastern part of the 

 coast. 



As this series of hills runs along the country at varying distances 

 of from two to five hundred miles from the coast, the intervening 

 region consists of a descending series of elevations, until directly 

 on the coast line itself it assumes a height of from three to seven 

 hundred feet. The ''Height of Land," often contains hills from 

 looo to 2000 feet in height, and while few are over that, Mt. Bache 

 was found by the U. S. Coast Survey to be some 2160 feet high. 

 According to Packard, "Its watershed" (that of Labrador) "is 

 said by Kohlmeister and Knoch, to be a chain of high mountains 

 which terminate in the lofty peaks of syenite at Aulezavic island and 

 Cape Chudleigh, which are the highest mountains in Labrador, and 

 rise probably over 3000 feet in height." 



The river system of the peninsula is restricted to one or two 

 principal rivers ; while the stream system is ample, nearly every small 

 bay having for its head a body of running water — and the numerous 

 streamlets all along the coast fully support the view that there is 

 an abundance of water inland. Let us return, now, to our descrip- 

 tion of Old Fort bay, and having chosen this, of the many similar 

 places along the coast, see what beauties it possesses and what nat- 

 ural attractions it yields. 



The outline of Old Fort bay, is, as I have said, a row of hills 

 three to five hundred feet in height on the left, and another and 

 smaller series of elevations scarce one hundred feet upon the right 

 of the entrance of the bay. Directly across the ridge to the right, 

 which is in fact a much twisted, contorted, and irregularly cut up pe- 

 ninsula, lies the western arm of Esquimaux river, whose mouth you 



