SULMMJiMENT 



TO TIIK 



KKPORTS OX THE COUNTIE.-; OK RlMOUrfKI AND MATAXE. 



IIoxoup.AiiLE Mr. Meucif/r. 



Proiiier of the iiovinredf (^luher, 



Sir. 



Tho ii(lv;iiic«'d state uf th soiisoii, thii fr.Hjui'ul raiii'; or premature 

 oold^weather, aceoiiipaiiicd by heavy tog's, vvhieli spread ovi-r the eoiiutry, 

 hidiui" it from view, prevented uie IVoui coiiipleiiiig thi.s year the study 

 \vhi/h I had uudertaki'ii oi' ihe counties oi' i^imouski and Mataue. 



I set out three limes to visit the upper portion orilimouski, in rear 

 of the parishi's off^t. Simon and St. Fabi<Mi, and three times I was com- 

 pelh'd to retra( e my step,s ovviny to the impratieable couditiou oi' the 

 roads and to the I'aet that the bad weather made it impossible for me to 

 examine the localities. 



Nevertheless, these ihree altemi")ts,however disagreable and rather ex- 

 pensive tlicy may havi' b. 'en, were far iVoni useless and ha» e aflbrded me still 

 further information. Our country is so little known, especially to o\ir- 

 selves, that places which are comparalivelly near seem to be so maiiy dis- 

 coveries uuide at each step we take. This is inevitable in a young country 

 where new parishes, new missions and new groups of settlenieuts are 

 founded every year, but it is none the less true that we are wanting in 

 the essejitiul elements, the necessary geographical basis for guiding the 

 traveller \vho wishes to study and examine with advantage the regions 

 which he visits. He is obliged to rely upon the information, mostly of a 

 very vague nature, frequently incorrect and contradictory, which he 

 gathers as he passes. 



The surface of the country having as yet been only imperfectly 

 studied, there being no monographic maps, he finds himself without a 

 comi)ass and without a l)ase. lie has to cu-ate everything tV)r himself as 

 he advances, correct even the inlbrmation he obtains and make a personal 

 map, which has the great defect tiial it c;innot be followed by the reader. 

 Expeditions such as thosi' I undertake should be condu(;ted to a certain 

 extent in a scitaitific manner, so as to present as many distinct and accur- 

 ate monographs of each region and each county, but it is im])ossible 

 with our present resources to think of carrying out so extensive and perfect 



