88 Entrance to the Gtvpps Land Lakes. 



either rounding Cape Howe or making Corner Inlet, for 

 anchoring or lying-to would be out of the question. 



1 8. Owing to the monotonous character of the coast over 

 such a large extent of its length, and which is only broken 

 by a low bluff, which, when viewed from seawards must be 

 merged generally in the sombre tone of the high lands 

 behind, the entrance would at all times be an uncertain one 

 to make, but more especially so, when obscured by the 

 loom which is so common an accompaniment to a low sea 

 beach and shore ; and it is such a circumstance as this, which 

 would necessitate hugging the land more or less, even by 

 the most careful shipmasters, and so lead them into a trap 

 from which there would be no escape. 



19. The above are some of the difficulties which present 

 themselves to my mind, in connection with this question, 

 but I can only submit them for what they are worth, seeing 

 that I am no seaman, and have no knowledge of nautical 

 matters other than what falls within the province of my 

 profession as an engineer. 



20. In my ignorance of maritime affairs I may have over- 

 rated the above difficulties, but even at the risk of being 

 judged harshly on this matter, I have deemed it better to 

 point them out, as I believe them to exist, seeing that en- 

 gineering science is impotent in reference thereto. It must 

 not be forgotten that, unless a reasonable amount of con- 

 fidence is established in the practicability of the entrance, 

 Lloyds' will not insure, nor will shippers risk, on such a 

 passage, unless under very exceptional circumstances, 



21. Having so far considered that which I conceived to 

 be the primary question, namely, the natural but irremovable 

 difficulties presented, I now propose to consider, in so far as 

 it can be done at present, the question of improving and 

 giving permanency to the entrance, should the above stated 

 difficulties not be deemed insuperable. 



22. With reference to the scheme submitted some time 

 back for deepening and securing the entrance by a system 

 of sluicing, and for that purpose impounding the waters for 

 a time, I can only say, that if the proposer can successfully 



ferform such an operation in such a locality by such means, 

 must most respectfully bow to him as a master in the 

 science, for I believe it to be an operation that no other 

 engineer can perform under such circumstances. The sluic- 

 ing scheme is based on a violation of one of the first laws of 

 hydrostatics, namely, that fluids seek the line of least resist- 



