
274 Be N. A. BOUNDARY COMMISSIQN. 
the current becomes much stronger, though not assuming anything of 
the character of a rapid. For about two and a half miles from the begin- 
ning of the narrow portion of the river, in a general south-westerly course, 
the banks rise several feet above the water, and support a moderately 
good growth of aspen and balsam poplar, with some oaks, and a few 
tamaracks. Most of this higher ground has, however, been burned over 
years ago, and the greater part of the timber thus destroyed. The soil 
is rather retentive, being composed of a fine, grey, sandy clay. Beyond 
this, and to its source, the stream is fringed by grassy swamps, bordered 
at a short distance by a dense growth of tamarack, scarcely, if at all above 
the level of the water. The current, however, is still strong, and the 
stream, though very narrow and tortuous, remains ditch-like and deep. 
631. On approaching the east end of the Portage the tamarack first 
retreats further from the stream, and the latter remains merely as ‘a 
narrow rut among the reeds. The bottom of the swamp, though here 
covered by a few inches of water and decayed vegetable matter, is hard, 
and firm, and consists of fine whitish arenaceous clay, of such a nature as 
to be almost completely impermiable to water. It here becomes necessary 
to track the canoe with ropes, and for a few hundred yards the swamp 
was found so shallow, that it was best to lighten the canoe, and portage 
the stuff by hand. On thus entering the Muskeg Portage Swamp, the 
tamarack trees become small and scattered, and soon remain only in 
isolated groves, standing out like islands in the grassy expanse. After 
passing the shallow edge of the swamp, above described, which may be 
about half a mile in width, it becomes softer and deeper, and is entirely 
composed of peaty matter and soft swamp muck, in which in some places 
one sinks from knee to waist deep, and often no firm bottom exists for a 
depth of five or six feet, and probably much more. In some spots small 
fishes were seen among the grass. In the softer parts, gas arising from 
the decomposing vegetable matter, buoys up portions of the sod, which, 
however, easily sink under any weight. 
The surface of the swamp is usually grassy, but some extensive 
patches of Spirwa bushes occur. Ledum latifolium, or Labrador tea, 
Sarracenia purpurea, the pitcher plant, and Andromeda polifolia, also occur 
abundantly ; Lobelia Kalimi, Parnassia Caroliniana, and Drosera longifolia, 
were found in flower. ; 
632. The source of the North-east Roseau River, is six and three 
quarter miles from that of the Reed River, in a south-westerly direction ; 
but the track through the muskeg deviates considerably in some places, 
