﻿1864.] 
  HIND 
  GLACIAL 
  DRIFT. 
  123 
  

  

  which 
  once 
  covered 
  them 
  with 
  a 
  uniform 
  mantle 
  of 
  green, 
  had 
  been 
  

   burnt 
  ; 
  and 
  occasionally, 
  before 
  reaching 
  the 
  sandy 
  area 
  which 
  is 
  

   sometimes 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  danger 
  

   of 
  slipping 
  through 
  the 
  crevices 
  between 
  the 
  boulders, 
  which 
  were 
  

   concealed 
  by 
  mosses, 
  a 
  foot 
  and 
  more 
  deep, 
  both 
  before 
  and 
  after 
  

   passing 
  through 
  the 
  " 
  Burnt 
  Country," 
  which 
  has 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  about 
  

   30 
  miles 
  where 
  I 
  crossed 
  it. 
  I 
  extract 
  the 
  following 
  note 
  from 
  my 
  

   journal 
  of 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  these 
  travelled 
  rocks 
  in 
  the 
  " 
  Burnt 
  

   Country" 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  Huge 
  blocks 
  of 
  gneiss 
  and 
  labradorite 
  lie 
  in 
  the 
  channel 
  of 
  the 
  

   river, 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  gneissoid 
  domes 
  which 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  pierce 
  the 
  

   sandy 
  tract 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  river 
  flows. 
  On 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  

   mountains, 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  hill-ranges, 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  off 
  on 
  

   either 
  side, 
  they 
  seem 
  as 
  if 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  dropped 
  like 
  hail. 
  It 
  is 
  

   not 
  difficult 
  to 
  see 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  rock-fragments 
  are 
  of 
  local 
  

   origin, 
  but 
  others 
  have 
  evidently 
  travelled 
  far, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  their 
  

   smooth 
  outline. 
  From 
  a 
  gneissoid 
  dome, 
  I 
  see 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  piled 
  to 
  

   a 
  considerable 
  height 
  between 
  hills 
  300 
  and 
  400 
  feet 
  high 
  ; 
  and 
  

   from 
  the 
  comparatively 
  sharp 
  edges 
  of 
  many 
  around 
  me, 
  the 
  parent 
  

   rock 
  cannot 
  be 
  far 
  distant." 
  

  

  On 
  all 
  sides 
  of 
  Cariboo 
  Lake, 
  110 
  miles 
  in 
  an 
  air-line 
  from 
  the 
  

   Gulf, 
  and 
  1870 
  feet 
  above 
  it, 
  a 
  conflagration 
  had 
  swept 
  away 
  trees, 
  

   grasses, 
  and 
  mosses, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  a 
  point 
  of 
  forest 
  which 
  

   came 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  water's 
  edge 
  and 
  formed 
  the 
  western 
  limit 
  of 
  the 
  

   living 
  woods. 
  The 
  long 
  lines 
  of 
  enormous 
  unworn 
  boulders, 
  or 
  

   fragments 
  of 
  rocks, 
  skirting 
  the 
  east 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  Moisie 
  at 
  this 
  

   point 
  were 
  no 
  doubt 
  lateral 
  glacial 
  moraines. 
  The 
  coarse 
  sand 
  in 
  

   the 
  broad 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  was 
  blown 
  into 
  low 
  dunes, 
  and 
  the 
  

   surrounding 
  hills 
  were 
  covered 
  with 
  millions 
  of 
  erratics. 
  No 
  glacial 
  

   striae 
  were 
  observed 
  here, 
  but 
  the 
  gneissoid 
  hills 
  were 
  rounded 
  and 
  

   smoothed 
  at 
  their 
  summit 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  flanks 
  were 
  frequently 
  seen 
  to 
  

   present 
  a 
  rough 
  surface, 
  as 
  if 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  recently 
  exposed 
  by 
  

   land-slides, 
  which 
  were 
  frequently 
  observed, 
  and 
  the 
  cause 
  which 
  

   produced 
  them, 
  namely, 
  frozen 
  waterfalls. 
  

  

  Fig. 
  1. 
  — 
  Section 
  of 
  the 
  Valley 
  of 
  the 
  East 
  Branch 
  of 
  the 
  Moisie, 
  — 
  in 
  

   the 
  Burnt 
  Country 
  (3 
  miles). 
  

  

  Gneissoid 
  rocks. 
  Gneissoid 
  rocks. 
  

  

  a. 
  Boulders 
  of 
  Gneiss 
  and 
  Labradorite. 
  b. 
  Coarse 
  sand. 
  

  

  No 
  clay 
  or 
  gravel 
  was 
  seen 
  after 
  passing 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Cold-water 
  

   River, 
  40 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  Gulf, 
  and 
  320 
  feet 
  above 
  it. 
  The 
  soil, 
  

   where 
  trees 
  grew, 
  was 
  always 
  shallow 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  observed; 
  and 
  

   although 
  a 
  very 
  luxuriant 
  vegetation 
  existed 
  in 
  secluded 
  valleys, 
  yet 
  

   it 
  appeared 
  to 
  depend 
  upon 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  labradorite 
  -rock 
  or 
  a 
  

  

  