Bibliographical Notices. 175 



Narrative of the Canadian Red River Exploring Expedition q/' 1 857, 

 and of the Assinniboine and Saskatchewan Exploring Expedition 

 0/1858. By Henry Youle Hind, M.A., F.R.G.S. 2 vols. 8vo. 

 Longmans : London, 1860. 



In these two handsome volumes we have an account of the expe- 

 ditions sent forth by the Canadian Government for the exploration 

 of the vast tract of country intervening between Lake Superior and 

 the Rocky Mountains, partly >vith the view of ascertaining what 

 portions of this region are adapted for the establishment of colonies, 

 and partly to determine the most practicable route for an overland 

 communication with the colony of British Columbia, planted on the 

 shores of the Pacific. The latter object has been most served by 

 Captain Palliser's investigation of the passes of the Rocky Mountains 

 leading into British territory on the eastern side of that chain ; and it 

 is also to the researches of that gentleman that we are indebted for 

 the knowledge of that remarkable belt of fertile country which stretches 

 from Red River in the east to the foot of the Rocky Mountains in 

 the west, and must be of the highest importance in any future scheme 

 of communication between the shores of the Atlantic and Pacific 

 within British territory in North America. 



We have, however, little to do here- with the portions of the nar- 

 rative bearing directly upon these questions, although, of course, all 

 the natural-historv- information acquired by the gentlemen of the 

 expeditions is of more or less importance in arriving at sound con- 

 clusions upon such subjects. Mr. Hind's descriptions of his canoe- 

 voyages through the almost interminable chain of rivers and lakes 

 which occupy so large a portion of the surface of the country ex- 

 plored will be found exceedingly interesting, as are also his accounts 

 of the beauty of much of the scenery through which he passed, and 

 especially of the numerous cataracts occurring in the rivers — the 

 latter far more welcome to the lovers of the picturesque than to the 

 voyageurs, who have to carry their canoes and cargoes over a con- 

 siderable space of ground at every interruption of this nature. Several 

 of these falls form the subjects of some of the illustrations of the 

 book, and are of great beauty. 



Storms of great violence frequently occur in the country traversed 

 by the expeditions, and the hailstones appear to attain a most ex- 

 traordinary size. They fall with such force as to batter and almost 

 disable the hands of the voyageurs engaged in paddhng the canoes, 

 and occasionally even break through the birch bark of which these 

 frail vessels are made, or the still tougher buffalo-skins under which 

 the travellers seek for shelter. 



A vast extent of countr)' appears to be quite inapplicable to the 

 purpose of colonization ; but many spots of great fertility are found 

 along the course of the rivers. One of these is the Selkirk set- 

 tlement on Red River, which, however, occupies a part of the 

 eastern extremity of the fertile belt above referred to, stretching from 

 Lake Winnipeg to the foot of the Rocky Mountains. This little 

 settlement appears to be a perfect agricultural paradise, its only 



