284 



ON THE HYDROLOGY OF THE BASIN 



Taking Chicago and Montreal as common points, and comparing both with the Wel- 

 land Canal, the following would be the position of affairs : 





DISTANCES FRdM CHICAGO. 



LOCKAGE. 



Miles. 



Miles 



Miles. 



Miles. 



Up. 



Down. 



Total. 



Lake. 



River, 



Canal. 



Total. 



No. 1. Welland Canal, Lake, and River, 

 " 2. Toronto and Georgian l?ay, .... 

 " 3. French River and Ottawa, .... 



1,145 



775 

 575 



132 

 155 

 347 



71 



120 



58 



1,348 



1,050 



980 



130 



87? 



535 



675 

 619? 



535 



805 

 706 



From which figures it appears that in point of distance No. 8, namely, by the Ottawa, 

 holds a very wide advantage over both the rival routes, and is also superior, in point of 

 lockage, to the Georgian Bay route. And if constructed, it would be yet more important 

 in a sense which just now would seem to be of the greatest consequence, namely, the 

 national consideration. For a glance will show that the communication with the West 

 would no longer occupy almost the very line of the frontier between the United States 

 and Canada, through a considerable portion of the route ; and where the locks of the 

 (•anal, which are such important and vulnerable points, approach so near to American 

 territory. 



CANALS OP CANADA. 



The system of canals which were exclusively undertaken, or are controlled, by the Pro- 

 vincial Government of Canada, consists of a series of works for overcoming the Rapids, on 

 the line of the main discharge of the waters of the upper lakes through the St. Lawrence 

 Valley; secondly, in improvements of the same nature applied to the Ottawa River; 

 thirdly, in a connection effected by a cross canal between the Ottawa River and the city 

 of that name, with the River St. Lawrence, at Kingston, which is at the outlet of Lake 

 Ontario ; fourthly, of improvements on the Chambly, or Richelieu River, which is the 

 outlet of Lake Champlain. There is, also, a series of minor improvements in the form of 

 locks, or very short canals, in the district occupied by the line of lakes extending almost 

 parallel with the north shore of Lake Ontario, from Lake Scugog by way of Peterboro' 

 and the Trent River to Trenton, at which place the Trent discharges into the lake. 



As for the purposes contemplated in the present contribution to the information of the 

 Society, it would far surpass any reasonable limits, to describe with the requisite full 

 engineering details, each canal with its peculiarities. An attempt has been made to tabu- 



