The Barren Lands. 203 



than that, having arrived at a knowledge of the more promising 

 regions in each case, to institute more comprehensive and exact 

 surveys of these, of such a kind as to enable their resources, 

 whatever they may be, to be utilized. If some of them are at 

 present too remote to be profitably employed, it is still well to 

 know that they exist and lie in reserve until it may be practi- 

 cable or necessary to draw upon them. 



The Barren Lands. 



By J. B. Tyrrell, M.A., F.G.S. 



Dr. Dawson has asked me to give you a brief account of 

 the explorations carried through the unexplored regions west of 

 the northern part of Hudson Bay. The more southern of the 

 two districts explored has an area of rather more than 60,000 

 square miles, which is somewhat larger than the Province of 

 New Brunswick and the State of Maine put together, or than 

 England and Wales. 



In 1892 Dr. Selwyn, then director of the Geological Survey, 

 instructed me to explore this country as far as could possibly be 

 done in one season, and Mr. Dowling was detailed to act as my 

 assistant. As the district is large and there were no trading 

 posts in its interior from which supplies could be obtained, it 

 was necessary to divide the party in order to carry sufficient 

 provisions ior the journey. 



Mr. Dowling proceeded to Edmonton and thence to i\tha- 

 basca Landing, and from there, with a canoe and small sail-boat 

 carrying supplies for the greater part of the season, he decended 

 Athabasca river, which had previously been surveyed by Mr. 

 Ogilvie, and thence made a compass and boat-log survey of the 

 south shore of Lake Athabasca as far east as Fond du Lac, a 

 little outpost of the Hudson Bay Company. 



I proceeded by rail to Prince Albert, thence north-west- 

 ward to Green Lake, and in two canoes descended Beaver 

 River to lie a la Crosse Lake, carrying the supplies that 

 would be needed until a union with Mr. Dowling was affected. 



