The Labrador Area. 209 



Having crossed the height-6"f-land, a north-west course was fol- 

 lowed sixty miles through three large lakes to Lake Mistassini. 

 This great lake was navigated for sixty miles to the Rupert 

 River, its outlet on the north-west side. This portion of the 

 route had been previously explored from Lake St. John to Mis- 

 tassini by J. Richardson in 1870* and Lake Mistassini by myself 

 in 1885.* 



The Rupert River, a short distance below where it leaves 

 Lake Mistassini, is divided into two nearly equal channels by a 

 large island ; these channels do not again unite for nearly 

 one hundred miles. Our way followed the east channel in a 

 northerly direction for fifty miles, when the stream makes a sharp 

 bend to the westward, and continues in that direction until it 

 joins the other channel. The Rupert River was left at this 

 bend and passing still northward for fiftj^ miles, over a portage 

 route of small lakes and streams connected by long portages, 

 either of a swampy character or formed of packed boulders, 

 the East Main River was reached about three hundred miles 

 above its mouth. This stream was ascended about thirty miles to 

 where it was joined by the Tichagami branch, and then turning 

 westward its course was followed to its mouth on the east side 

 of James Bay. The return trip was made by skirting James 

 Bay to the mouth of the Moose River, which flows into its south- 

 west corner. The Moose River was ascended to Missinaibie 

 Station on the C. P. Ry., and so Ottawa was reached in October. 



The results of this exploration, besides the survey of the 

 route from Lake Mistassini to James Bay, include the discovery 

 of large areas of Huronian rocks along the East Main River, and 

 as these rocks have a close resemblance to the gold-bearing 

 rocks of the Lake of the Woods area, the precious metal will 

 probably be found in them. Other important observations on 

 the climate, forests, plants, animals and fisheries were made, 

 which go to show that this northern region is not nearly so barren 



*Geol. Surv. Canada, Report 1870-71. -f-Geol. Surv. Canada, Report 1885. 



