CHURCIITLL AND NELSON UIVERS. 21 C 



capping of moditiod clay,) (.•oiitimuHl, with the sanu' characloi-s, lor a 



long (listaiu'o up stream, I liuve no doubt tlu^ shells may be found at :i 



greater distanee inland than that at whieh they were observed by 



myself. The sj)ecie8 notieed at this loeality were Mya arcnaria, M. 



tnoicdfa, Saj'fcava ru</os.i, and Tellina proxima. Among the islands 



furtiiei' down, where the banks have diminished to about seventy feet 



in height and the bed of the rivei- has descended to within 100 I'eet ^>1 shells in clay 



the sea-level, P<v'^'n I slandicus and Cardiion Islandicuin we i-e found in :it sea-ievel. 



addition to the foregoing species. Tliese shells, together with Rhynclw- 



lU'Ua psittacea, were very abundant in the clay forming tlie bed of the 



lagoon at Port (Miurchill. 



The c»>m])arativelv rai)id elevation of the land, or retiring of the sea. Apparent luw- 



^ " -^ n 1 ^ erinsf ol tliesea. 



around James Bay and at York Factory was referred to in my reports 

 tor 1S77 and 187S. The same phenomenon is also noticeable at Fort 

 fhurchill. From various circumstances connected with the history of 

 okl Fort Prince of Wales, at the mouth of the river, and other data, I 

 conclude that the relative level of the sea and land in this vicinity is 

 changing at the rale of about seven feet in a century. This recession 

 of the sea may be due to a general lowering of its level relatively to 

 the land, and partly to the silting up of portions of Hudson's Ba}', in- 

 terrupting the free flow of the tides. 



Spruce and tamarac timber are found growing near the sea coast in Timber ot the 

 favourable situations as far as Seal River, beyond which their north- ^''^"''^^'^*' 

 eastern limit curves inland. The spruce, although not growing as a 

 continuous forest quite as far north as Fort Churchill, is still found of 

 sutiicient size in the neighbourhood of this post to be used for building 

 houses, boats, &c. The balsam pojjiar is rare and of small size at Fort 

 Churchill. White birch, which was found on the main river, eighteen 

 miles above the forks, is said to occur at about sixty or seventy miles 

 west of the mouth of the river. Along the direct overland route from 

 Fort Churchill to York Factory the timber is reported to be generally 

 small, and large prairie-like openings are said to occur, in which the 

 ground is diy and covered with grass or other herbage. 



I saw ver>' good potatoes and turnips growing in the garden at Fort Potatoes rown 

 Churchill. Previous to the advent of Mr. and Mrs. Spencer, the culti- churetiii 

 vat ion of potatoes had not been attempted, and the possibilit}^ of rais- 

 ing them at Churchill, when suggested by Mrs. Spencer, was ridiculed 

 by the oldest inhabitants. However, in spite of predictions of certain 

 failure, ground was prepared, seed planted, and a good crop harvested. 

 The experiment has been repeated successfully for seven consecutive 

 years, so that the question of the practicability of cultivating the potat(» 

 on the shore of Hudson's Ba}- in this latitude has been pretty well 

 solved. 



