GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. 547 
London, 1859.” Three charts by Hind (one a reprint of Thompson’s) and a sketch 
of the regions which Dawson travelled through, by himself, appeared at the same 
time. 
The members of the Canadian expedition landed July 21, 1857, at Fort William, 
and started in boats along the usual route of the Hudson’s Bay Company for Lake 
Winnipeg. in order to ascertain the practicability of the route. To this end 
surveys of rivers were made and a very minute determination of levels. Napier 
estimates the whole length of the route to be 747 miles, viz: from Lake Supvrior 
to Riiny Lake 335 miles; thence to Rat Portage at the northern extremity of 
Lake of the Woods 176 miles; from this point to Fort Garry on the Red River 
236 miles, Of these three portions only the middle one, upon Rainy Lake, which 
is at an average 460 feet wide and 6 feet deep, forms a continuous water road. Its 
falls (Chiudiéve falls near Fort Francis, 22 feet,) may, according to Dawson, easily 
be mide harmless by two water gates. The two remaining portions of the route 
can only be travelled by land, unless one prefers the tedious transport from one 
little river to another. The Kaministiquoria on the first portion of the route can- 
not be navigated, as its rapids, shallow water places, and falls (Kakabeke falls. 119 
feet,) are too numerous, From Little to Great Dog Lake,a distance not over a 
mile, this iver falls 348 feet, and yet the portage in this place has still an elevation 
of 142 feet over Great Dog Lake. This is the steepest descent on the while route. 
The passage upon Dog River is partially obstructed by rocks and sandbanks, and 
ou Prairie Portage, between Lake Superior and Lake Winnipeg, it leads mostly 
through swamps. The difference of elevation between Lake Superior and Prairie 
Port we, 54 miles distant from one another, is, after Dawson, 879 feet, according 
to Napier 887 feet; that between Prairie Portage and Lake Winnipey (325 miles) 
is calculated by Dawson 892, by Napier 870 feet. Thus the descent towards the 
east, is much more rapid than towards the west. The canoe route from Savannah 
River to Rainy Lake has too many portages, and the Riviére la Seine is, by reason 
of the numerous difficulties in its course, entirely objectionable. But the Winni- 
peg River, from Lake of the Woods to Lake Winnipeg, was by all declared to be 
the most difficult and impracticable on the whole route. The canoe route on the 
Pigeon River, from Lake Superior to Rainy Lake along the boundary, is the short- 
est, but iv has 29 portages, of which many lead through United States territory. 
Another route to the Red River, which is still used by the Hudson Buy Company, 
commences from Fort York, near Hudson’s Bay, and goes up Hays River, through 
Kuee and Holy Lake, Wepinapanis River, White Water Lake and Sea River, down. 
to Lake Winnipeg; but it requires three weeks of hard work to travel it; besides, 
the access to Fort York through Hudson's Bay, is only open about two months 
during the year. But the most commodious and most frequented road to the Red 
River over St. Paul and Crow Wing leads entirely through United States territory, 
In the English possessions the best conection between Lake Superior and the Red 
River would be established by country (?) roads, the one from Lake Superior to 
Rainy Lake, the other from Lake of the Woods to the Red River. In regard to 
the first, however, nothing has as yet been done, and only in the latter district 
have explorations been made with this view. When Gladman had arrived at Fort 
Garry (September, 1857,) he sent out engineers Napier and Dawson to reconnoitre- 
Vou. V. 2a 
