The Canadian Sportsp and Njit^^i.! 



No. 4. 



MONTREAL, APRIL 15th, 1881. 



' 



OTJi: SUCCESS. 

 When this journal was issued in January,!) 

 was with a sanguine anticipation thai it would 

 be well received by our Canadian people, 

 among whom are many true sportsmen and 

 students of Natural Science. We have nol 

 been disappointed ; .the lisf of subscribers has 

 steadily increased, and we have now several ol 

 the most intelligenl men in the Dominion sup- 

 porting it. The periodica] is therefore asuccess. 

 We have a clear path before us, and our pro- 

 mises will be fulfilled. 



THE MING AN RIVER. 

 Mingan is an old Hudson Bay trading posl 

 in bye-gone days the most important and re- 

 munerative belonging to the Hudson Bay Com- 

 pany. A short distance cast from the store 

 houses, the good old river enters saltwater; 

 one may say almost opposite the west point of 

 the Island of Aoticosii. Correctly speaking, 

 the river has but two pools; yet, when there 

 is a good run of fish, with proper management, 

 three rods ma)' be employed with comfort. 

 There is no house near the pools ; the sur- 

 roundings have, therefore, wild charms to a 

 stranger, and these arise principally from its 

 historic associations as a camping-ground and 

 retreat of British military officers from the 

 Garrison of Quebec. Between the coast and 

 the falls, the river takes the form ot'a crescent. 

 A tributary enters it on the left, called the 

 " Manitou," having a pool and fall o\' ten feet. 

 Doubtless, salmon pass through this branch 

 to their spawning-beds. At the base of the 

 "Manitou" tails, we caught sea and brook 

 trout, and it was here that we obtained the 

 knowledge that Salmo fontmalis visited the 

 sea. When Mingan was visited by us in 

 1868, the river was leased by Sir Greville 

 Smyth, of England. The following occurs in 

 our note-book : — 



Arrived on July I6th, and wa* 1 

 received by Peter Mackenzie, V.-\ . in cl 

 of the post. The river, although 

 pretty a-^ one follows it inland. It ha- abun- 

 dance of sand-banks a( its mouth 1 

 estuary where the best of sea trout I 

 he had at this season. A tributary 

 " Manitou " enters ii about hall'-wa 

 entrance to the sea, and the fishing-pooh 

 of easy access. 



The gentlemen then fishing it, were ahi 

 daily tormented by Indian- representing that 

 they had nothing to eat, consequent!) they 



were supplied with a- much food 

 Smyth and his party could spare. Bui 

 supply of salmon given to them by theai 2 

 was not considered sutricieui to satisfy the 

 Indians in camp at Mingan. One of the crafty 

 ahorigenes circulated a report among the tribe 

 that he had seen a white man gafl a salmon in 



the whirl [ 1 at the ha-e of the falls. The 



report took well among the hungry fad 

 and they at once determined to follow the 

 white man's example. They notified the fish- 

 ery guardian oi' their intention, ami, on the 

 following Sunday, a number of Indians entered 

 their canoes to proceed to the tails where they 



speared several fish before the guardian could 



prevent them. The whirlpool o\ the Mingan 

 is an extraordinary pot or round hole at the 

 base ot the tall, where a great force of water is 

 kept in a continual circular motion. In this 

 pot or whirlpool, in duly, innumerable salmon 

 circle, each awaiting its chance to leap to the 

 first lodge. Here then, with spear in hand. 

 did the Indians take their sweet re 

 curing all the fish they required. The Mingan 

 Indians should not then go to the pool for 

 salmon, they were allowed by the Government 

 the privilege to net trout near the mouth of the 

 river. However, this -rant appears to have 

 been disregarded by them. They hail trout 



