76 EEPOET OF THE JTo. 3 



as far as Kennedy Lake, where I established a main cache. The point of com- 

 mencement specified in your instructions was reached on August the eighth and 

 the work started the following morning and continued without interruption until 

 completed. 



Your instructions were rigidly adhered to throughout the work and well- 

 opened lines cut, particular attention being paid to blazing. The base lines were 

 cut east (or west) astronomically in sir mile chords and the meridians astronomi- 

 cally north (or south). During the progress of the survey a very great deal of 

 rainy and unsettled weather was encountered, making it difficult to obtain obser- 

 vations at regular intervals. The greatest amount of line cut between observa- 

 tions was six miles and the greatest departure from the line astronomic course 

 that was discovered was four minutes, this occurring only in two cases. 



No great fluctuation of the magnetic variation was noticed, the needle reading 

 from ten to eleven degrees. 



The return trip was made in four inches of snow, arriving at the railway on 

 October 25th. 



General Features. 



The country comprising the twelve new townships outlined presents a consid- 

 erable variety of topography. Eoughly speaking, the westerly six townships are 

 slightly rolling, sand or clay country, with the former predominating and with 

 occasional outcroppings of rock in the form of well-rounded mounds or humps, 

 usually quite steep and sometimes precipitous near the bottom, and varying 

 in height from fifty to one hundred feet. The easterly six townships cover a 

 more rugged formation, rock being in evidence nearly all the time and the line 

 being so rough in many places that it was necessary to make considerable detours 

 in moving camp. 



EOCK. 



All the rock encountered was identical in texture, being a barren Keewatin 

 schist with no indication of any mineral of any kind. No quartz was encountered. 



Soil. 



Sandy loam and sand largely predominates on the outlines of Morrisette, 

 Arnold, Bisley and Clifford. A few swamps of small extent were encountered in 

 this area and a number of small lakes. On the west limit and the easterly part 

 of the south limit of the township of Elliott, as well as on the east limit 

 of Tannahill a good clay loam predominates, apparently continuing down into Ben 

 Nevis, Pontiac, Katrine and Ossian. 



Timber. 



In general the timber is poor from a commercial standpoint. Of white or red 

 pine there is practically none. In the sandy soil jack pine occurs in thick groves, 

 but rarely of any size ; birch and poplar of course predominate on the hills, being 

 small and thick on the sand and rock hills. In the clay are good areas of spruce 

 which grows to twenty-four and thirty inches and balsam to eighteen and twenty 

 inches. All the tamarac is dead. Very little brul6 was met with. 



Water. 



The whole area seems to be dotted with small lakes and ponds, containing pure, 

 clear water. These are mostly quite small. A feature frequently noticed was that 



