30 J GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



tinues across the open bay on a N.E. course and runs between the 

 Strutton islands, and from these follows on the same course to near the 

 mouth of the East Main Eiver, where it turns northward and is lost 

 along the coast. The channel between the Struttons is one-third of a 

 mile wide, and is obstructed at its south entrance by a small low boulder 

 island one-half mile in circumferance. The current, owing to the con- 

 fined limits of the channel, rushes through at a higher rate of speed 

 than in the Charleton sound, varying from four to six miles an hour. 



The channel, between the Strutton Islands, has been tried as a 

 wintering ground for a ship by the Hudson Bay Company, but it was 

 found that the ice carried along on the strong current caused great 

 damage to the vessel; the crew also suffered greatly from the ravages 

 of scurvy, brought on it is said by the use of the stagnant water in the 

 small lakes on the islands, where no running streams exist. 



On all sides of these islands, with the exception of the above narrow 

 deep channel, the water is very shoal, with an uneven bottom covered 

 with sand and boulder shoals, some of which are bare at low water, but 

 the greater number coming within a few feet of the surface, only show 

 their presence by the breakers upon them during gales. 



The highest point of the interior of the larger island is seventy-five 

 feet above the sea. On the south side the slope from the highest level 

 is very gradual and is broken by low rounded hills of boulders lying 

 transverse to the shore line, where the} 7 terminate in short points : to 

 Kaised boulder the westward a raised beach twenty- five feet high, formed chiefly of 

 boulders thickly packed in clay with sandy patches, extends back 

 about one-quarter of a mile to a second abrupt bank of packed boulders 

 thirty feet higher. On the lower beach is an immense rounded boulder 

 of red Laurentian gneiss fully ten feet cube, and consequently weighing 

 over eighty tons. 



On the east side along the sound and partly on the north side tightly 

 packed boulder banks rise almost perpendicularly ten to forty feet from 

 deep water and resemble, when examined closely,' a built, dry stone 

 wall, while at a short distance they have the appearance of an ex- 

 posure of solid rock. Along the remainder of the shore and inland are 

 immense numbers of boulders in sandy clay, showing that the greater 

 part of the island is made up of them. 



The smaller island is low, being formed chiefly of boulder clay with 

 sandy shores covered with boulders on all the points. Both islands are 

 scantily wooded on their lower parts with small white and black spruce 

 and willows; numerous fresh and brackish ponds are situated on these 

 parts also. 

 Little Char- Bearing JST.ISr.W. fifteen miles from the western point of the Strut- 



ton island. ton , g is the eastern end of another small island, at present called Little 



