550 GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. 
although very valuable, cannot be the main object of explorers, who have to run 
through a great number of districts in a comparatively very short time, and who 
must give us the general features of the country; moreover, as here a great 
number of such fixed points already exist, a careful survey of routes by dead 
reckoning is perfectly sufficient. The reproach that the country had been much 
better explored by Thompson is most unjust. Thompson’s reports where undoubt- 
edly as little accessible to the members of the Canadian expeditiou as they were 
to the rest of the world; besides, if we compare Thompson’s chart with that of the 
exnedition of 1858, we perceive that our knowledye of the country bétween Lake 
Winnipeg and Bow river is more accurate and more complete than Thompson’s, 
The expe lition has achieved much. They made very comprehensive levellings, 
effected numerous measurements of width, depth and rapidity of rivers and lakes, 
made geological observations, inquired into the climate, forests, quality of soil, 
ete, made surveys and discoveries between Lake of the Woods and the Red 
River, between the Assiniboine river the U.S. boundary, along the upper Assi- 
niboine and Qu’ Appelle rivers, in the district of the great lakes etc. A compa- 
rison of their charts with the older ones of these distzicts will at once show that 
the money was not thrown away. 
This expedition has moreover excited the curiosity of the people more thin that 
of Capt. Palliser. Thus a society was formed at St. Pautin Minnesota, who, 
under the direction of Col. Nobles, left this city in June, 1859, with the object to 
explore the valleys and sources of the Saskatchewan and Columbia rivers. Their 
plan was, to start from the elbow of Bow river toward the Rocky Mountains, to 
explore carefully the region of their eastern foot up tothe Edmonton House, 
thence to go over Arihabaska Portage between Mount Hooker and Mount Brown 
toward the sourees of Thompson’s river, and here to disperse in different direc- 
tions. Col. Nobles intended to start for the souree of Columbia river, and to 
return over Lewis and Clarke’s Passage, the Missouri Falls, the valley of the 
Milk river, Fort Mandan, Big Stone Lake, and Fort Ridgley to St. Paul. Dr. 
Goodrich accompanies them as physician, and the Smithsonian Institution sent Dr. 
C. L. Anderson, of Minneapolis, to make scientific observations and eyllections. 
The “ Board of Trade” in St. Panl offered a reward of $1000 for the first 
steamer that should ply on or before the first of June on the Red river, und the 
“ Anson Northup” really commenced her voyages in June. She earties, besides 
passengers, 100 to 150 tons of eargo, and is intended to do the post service between 
the mouth of the Shagerme river and Fort Garry, and thus to eonncet St. Paul, 
(which sustains a post wagon up to the Shagerme River) directly with the Red 
River. 
Another company in Canada intend to put four steamers on Rainy Inke, Red 
River and Lake Winnipeg. Even the settlers on the Red River themselves show 
an active spirit of progress. 
