CHURCHILL AND NELSON RIVERS. 33 C 



places. On the nortli-west side of Swampy Lake, bolow Knoe Lake, 

 there is a bed of good peat of considerable extent, which shows a per- 

 pendicular face of four or live feet al)Ove the level of the water. Peat 

 of fine quality occurs at Clearwater Lake and Swampy Portage Lake. 

 As already mentioned, rocky banks prevail along the Island Lake 

 River, although, at the wider parts, clay and other soils are met with. 



Around Island Lake, although the action of the water has, in the Island Lake, 

 course of time, washed away the loose materials and earth, leaving the 

 underlying rocks exposed along a great part of the immediate banks, 

 yet on going back a short distance, a covering of good soil is generally 

 met with. After Mr. Cochrane had completed the circuit of Island 

 Lake, and when he was at the Hudson's Bay Company's post near the 

 outlet, I find that he has made the following note in his field-book, 

 under date of 31st August: *'The soil I have seen in passing round the E^^^ct from 

 lake is very good indeed, being generally clay of a light brownish 

 color, mixed, in most places, with a little fine gravel. In nearly every 

 case where I went inland for any distance, the rock seen along the lake 

 shore disappeared or was covered with soil, and the trees were of a 

 larger and better growth than near the water. There is a very good 

 garden at this post, and certainly I have never seen potatoes look 

 better than the}' do here." The other varieties of soil which Mr. Varieties of 



-^ soil. 



Cochrane noticed around this lake include clay, sand, vegetable 

 loam, and sandy and gravel 1}^ loam. 



Timber of the District. Spruce is the most abundant wood every- -jjyj,_jgj. 

 where in this region. Xext in order comes aspen, white birch, 

 tamarac, balsam-poplar and Banksian pine. In many places the spruce 

 attains a very good size, and is used in the form of logs and beams for 

 building purposes. It is also sawn into planks and boards for all sorts 

 of carpenter work. The tamarac and Banksian pine sometimes have 

 a diameter of about twenty inches. Balsam-fir is common and of 

 good size around Island Lake, some of the trees measuring nearl}- four 

 feet in circumference, but it is scarce at God's Lake, and only rarel}'' 

 seen and of small size as far north as Knee Lake. In going southward 

 the rowan or mountain ash was first seen on Island Lake. Ground 

 maple was met with only on the south side of this Jake. I may here 

 mention that on the eastern side of Lake Winnipeg, George's Island, 

 oft" Poplar Island, is the most northern locality at which I have seen 

 this species. 



Geological Features of the Region Explored by Mr. Cochrane. 



LaurentiaiL gneiss is the prevailing rock throughout the whole district Oeolofo* of the 

 between Knee and Island Lakes. It presents little variety, and no in- ^=^'"'^^- 



