44 JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS. . 



reaching Shoal lake," Dr. Bell reports, " nor for nearly five miles 

 beyond its northern outlet ; so that we passed the height of land 

 with the greatest possible ease, having had about seventeen miles of 

 uninterrupted canoe navigation from the time we made the last 

 portage on the southern side till we came to the first in going down 

 on the northern."* Lake Temagami, which lies about thirty miles 

 north of the west end of Lake Nipissing, is remarkable for having 

 had at one time four outlets ; but since its level has fallen the num- 

 ber is reduced to two — the Metabechawan river to the Ottawa, and 

 the Sturgeon to lake Nipissing By these lakes along the northern 

 divide and the streams which discharge their waters, Ontario is 

 found to be cut up into a number of islands, the largest of which is 

 the one we occupy. 



The portion of the Province west of the north and south water- 

 shed, near the 90th meridian^ lies within the basin of the Nelson river, 

 which, next to that of the Mississippi, is the largest river basin on 

 the continent. Lake Seul in the north. Rainy lake in the south, and 

 Lake of the Woods in the west collect the Ontario waters of this 

 basin to discharge them through Winnipeg river into the lake of that 

 name, there to mingle with the waters of Red river from the highlands 

 of Minnesota and of the Saskatchewan from the Rocky mountains, 

 and be borne by the mighty Nelson into Hudson bay. 



In the closing period of the glacial age, as the ice field slowly 

 retreated towards the arctic circle, the region towards which those 

 streams from the eastern, southern and western slopes converge 

 became the bed of what was no doubt the largest fresh water lake 

 ever formed upon this earth. Lake Agassiz, for that is the name by 

 which it is now known, is traced as to its shore lines by well defined 

 gravel and sand beaches from the height of land in Minnesota north- 

 ward to the 55th parallel, and at least from Rainy lake, if not from 

 lake Seul, west to the Souris river. The area of this lake is computed 

 to have been 110,000 square miles, or about 15,000 square miles 

 larger than the combined areasof the lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, 

 Erie and Ontario.! The valley of Rainy river, as well as the plains 

 of Minnesota, Dakota and Manitoba, owe their fertility to the silt 

 deposited in this ancient lake ; and it is not unlikely that we owe to 



* Geol. Sur. Can., 1871-2, p. 107. 



t Warren Upham in Can. Geol. Sur., 18S8-9, p. He. 



