356 Our North Land. 



people. It consists of a series of lakes, and streams lying to the 

 south of the Nelson, and is a much shorter line of travel. 



Lake Winnipeg has been ascertained to be seven hundred and ten 

 feet above the sea. Notwithstanding this considerable amount of fall 

 in going from Norway House to York Factory, the difficulties of boat 

 navigation in descending are not great, but are more serious in return- 

 ing. In the downward journey it is necessary t© haul the boat over 

 dry ground only three times : namely, at the water-shed of the Echim- 

 amish, the Robinson Portage and the Trout Fall. These portages 

 measure twenty-eight, one thousand three hundred and fifteen, and 

 twenty-four yards respectively. All the other rapids are run by 

 York boats, and mostly with a full cargo ; but at some of them, more 

 or less of the load requires to be carried past by land. In the 

 upward journey there are in all about twenty demi- charges, or 

 hauling places ; and in addition to the three complete portages which 

 require to be made in going down, there is a fourth, the Island 

 Portage, about forty yards in length. 



The boat-route leaves the east channel of the Nelson River 

 twenty-five miles below Norway House, and turns up a small, 

 swampy and marshy stream called Echimamish. In the interval the 

 river is full of islands, and would average about a mile in width, 

 including them. The shores are rather low, but not often swampy. 

 The banks consist of a light-coloured clay with gneiss frequently 

 appearing underneath it, and forming the points and smaller islands. 

 The timber consists of spruce, tamarac, Banksian pine, white birch, 

 aspen, balm of Gilead and willows, with a little balsam fir. 



A chute with a descent of about four feet, called Sea-river Fall, 

 occurs in the east channel at seventeen miles below Norway House, 

 or thirty-seven from Lake Winnipeg. Loaded boats run down this 

 chute, but it is necessary to unload and track them up the current. 



The Cree word " Echimamish " signifies a channel in which the 

 water flows each way. Its course is eastward ; and, at twenty-eight 

 miles in a straight line from the east channel, we come to an abrupt 

 termination of the western part, at a low rock called the Painted 

 Stone, twenty-eight yards in width, which forms the watershed of 

 the channel. Hairy Lake and two dams, with a rise of about 



