IMPORTANCE OF CENTRAL BRITISH AMERICA. 423 
Garry is to the western extremity of Lake Superior. The passage 
from Norway House, at the northern extremity of Lake Winnipeg, 
to Hudson’s Bay is made in nine days with loaded boats. It is not 
unreasonable to suppose that by the introduction of tramways over 
the portages, the journey may be made in four days, thus bringing 
Lake Winnipeg within four days of the Sea, yet the nature of the 
communication now followed is such that it would not admit of ves- 
sels much larger than freighter’s boats being employed. The naviga- ' 
tion of Hudson’s Bay for sailing vessels is safe for a period not ex- 
ceeding six weeks—for steamers it may be double that time. Hitherto 
the mode of communication adopted by the fur traders between Nor- 
way House and Hudson’s Bay has been sufficient for the exigencies 
of the fur trade; it is not at all improbable that more easy means of 
communication with the sea board exists than those which are now 
pursued. Under any circumstance it is a fact of the highest im- 
portance that Lake Winnipeg is actually within a week’s journey 
of the ocean, over a natural road by which troops have already 
entered and departed from Central British America. It is more 
than probable that whenever the necessity arises, the communica- 
tion between Lake Winnipeg and Hudson’s Bay, and thence to 
the Atlantic, by the aid of steamers, will be made easy and speedy 
for at least three months in the year. 
The outlet by which the waters of the Saskatchewan and Lake 
Winnipeg reach the sea, is Nelson River. The chief reason which 
induces the Hudson’s Bay Company to send their cargoes of furs to 
York Factory by Hayes River, is stated to be the difficulties and 
dangers of the tracking ground on the banks of Nelson River, 
arising from impending masses of ice on the precipitous banks. The 
head of tide-water in Nelson River may yet become the seat of the 
Archangel of Central British America, and the great and ancient 
Russian northern port—at one time the sole outlet of that vast 
empire—find its parallel in Hudson’s Bay. 
It has been shown that the natural resources of Central British 
America are amply sufficient to sustain a large population. The 
existence of gold over wide areas in the Drift which covers the coun- 
try, will ensure a rapidly increasing immigrant population, which, 
from the nature of their occupation, will necessarily be consumers 
of agricultural and manufactured products, so that there will be, for 
some years to come, a home market for whatever the soil can pro- 
