THE FOREST REGION OF THE TEMPERATE ZONE. 1 09 



mander. The Garrison Awaiting the Indian Signal of Attack. Pontiac's 

 Speech. The Signal. The Plot Fails. Military Questions involved in 

 the Defence of a Forest Frontier. Wild Fowl and Fish in the Great 

 Lakes. The Liquid Highways of the Forest. Canoe Paths. Frontier 

 Towns and the Indian Trade. Two Celebrated Frontier Posts Forts 

 Duquesne and Oswego. British Operations against Fort Duquesne. 

 Braddock's Defeat. The Place Captured at last. Oswego and the 

 French Operations against it. Political Importance of the British Northern 

 Line of Frontier Posts in the French War in America. The British. 

 Indians. "The Six Nations." How their Loyalty to Great Britain was 

 maintained. The Military Importance of Internal Water Communications 

 in a Great Forest Country. 



r pHE Great Forest Region of the Temperate Zone 

 -L constitutes the fifth in order, counting from the 

 equator, of the terrestrial zones into which we have 

 ventured to divide the earth. 



This region is however practically extinguished in 

 the Southern Hemisphere by the vast preponderance 

 of ocean existing there; moreover a glance at the 

 map shows us that the great continents are, almost 

 without exception, drawn out to a point at their 

 southern extremities. Why this should be so is perhaps 

 beyond our province to enquire; and yet there must 

 be a reason for it, for the work of creation has not 

 proceeded haphazard: of that, at all events, we may 

 at least feel sure. Probably the forces which at a 

 remote period of geological time, upheaved the land 

 from beneath the billows of the ancient sea, operated 

 with greater intensity in the northern, than in the 

 southern half of the globe, and so it comes to pass 

 that the proportion of land is there much greater. But 

 this must probably always remain a matter of con- 

 jecture. It is sufficient at present for us to note the 

 fact, that this is so. 



The southern limits of this great zone we venture 

 to locate at about the 5oth parallel of North Latitude, 



