The Canadian; Sportsman and Npp 



No. 6. 



MONTREAL, JUNE 15th, 





We wish to publish the Game Laws <if 

 New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Cor- 

 respondents in the above Provinces would di> 

 us a favour by addressing authentic copies to 

 806 Craig Street, Montreal. 



THE NATASHQUAN. 



The river bearing the above name, meaning 



" where the seals laid," enters the sea on the 

 north shore of the Lower St. Lawrence, some 

 distance below the settlement of Esquimaux 



Point, and almost opposite the oorth-easl end 

 of the Island of Anticosti. The harbour Of 

 Natashquan is 244 marine miles from Gaspe 

 Basin, and 372 from Quebec. The entrance to 

 the river is about four and a half miles east 

 from the settlement, and the whole of the coast 

 at this place consists of sand. Iron sand also 

 occurs in many places in abundance. It appears 

 to us that the Natashquan has been during 

 early ages, a great drift outlet from the far in- 

 terior, as on its banks for twenty miles inland, 

 the iron sand can be found at this day. The 

 Chief of the Mountain Indians informed us that 

 this river decreases in width and depth as one 

 proceeds north; it branches off into a number 

 of small rivulets, and that iron sand is seen 

 far in the interior. Its estuary has doubtless 

 undergone many early changes, and we are 

 told they still continue. The channels of the 

 river are greatly encumbered by sand, making 

 it difficult for an ordinary keeled boat to reach 

 the camp near the falls. This was the case in 

 1867, when two men were required to pole the 

 tortuous stream. Half way between the estuary 

 and the fall, the river is blocked up by three 

 long islands, producing a strong current on the 

 eastern channel. The fall is not more than nine 

 feet, but on account of an almost squarely 

 formed island above it, the force of water is 

 great. It was the daring attempt to leap this 



nine feel fall in a canoe, thai 

 his life last summer. During the year 

 onlyone- salmon netting station wasallowi 

 Government, and it placed in -alt water 

 mile weal of the Hudson i:.i\ Poet. W< 

 now informed that there are nini . mon 



nets placed in the estuary; two from tin 

 sand island in the centre "t the river outlet; 

 one a short distance west of the Poet, and I 



above it on the same side, and tour from the 



opposite hank. Now we believe thic 

 doing a river, which was always COnsidt 

 good surface fishing one. It is therefore no 

 wonder that Salmo salar is becoming scarce in 

 this wholesale dry-salting, smoking and tin- 

 canning age. The Natashquan from its. 

 arenaceup situation, and wide extent of estuary 

 will always be a good salmon river, hut many 

 agencies arc at work to destroy its prolific pr>>- 

 ticiency ; for instance, during our visit we made 

 a charge before Commander Fortin against the 

 Indians then camping near the Poet, to the 

 effect that when they depart for the north in 

 August or September, up the Natashquan, 

 they reside close to the salmon spawning 

 grounds, and spear the fish indiscriminately. 

 The speared salmon are spread open, dried, 

 smoked, or formed into heaps in the h 

 for future use in case of want, or not being 

 successful in the capture of caribou ; but should 

 they be fortunate in obtaining plenty of the 

 latter, these heaps of speared salmon are not 

 required, hut are allowed to rot or become food 

 for Labradorian quadrupeds. The Chief on 

 being asked it' the charge was true, answered 

 that it was perfectly true; that he had no 

 trol over his people at this time, lie honestly 

 stated they speared the salmon to revenge the 

 Government for taking from them the Liberty 

 o( fishing the rivers when visiting the mission. 

 What is to prevent these Mountain Indians, 

 who range the coast from the Saguenay to 



