of the Central Part of British North America. 267 
whites and half-breeds at Red River, the population of which 
is now about 8000 souls, such a line of railway might pass 
westward through the ‘Fertile Belt”? without encountering any 
serious engineering difficulties. It has been frequently stated 
that in the Prairie country nothing would be required but 
he mere laying of the rails; but this is a total misconception 
of the physical features of the region. The prairies are very 
rarely level, except over small areas. They have undulations 
that often swell to the height of several hundred feet, or for 
miles the traveller winds among abrupt conical eminences ; 
and it is only the general absence of timber, and the sameness 
of the scenery, that deceive the eye, and give the appear- 
ance of flatness. Moreover, throughout the greater part of 
the Prairie country, not only all the large rivers, but even 
small and insignificant streams, flow in valleys, with steep 
sides, deeply depressed below the general level; and these 
valleys would require the construction of bridges, and often 
in districts far distant from a supply of any proper building 
materials. Nevertheless, I believe I can safely state, that in 
proportion to the extent of mileage, small engineering expenses 
would be incurred until the Rocky Mountains are reached. 
We now know that this chain does not present any bar to 
the construction of a railway, as there are several passes which 
will admit of easy gradients through valleys so wide as to afford 
great variety in the choice of ground for locating the line. 
The mountains proper are not more than 50 to 60 miles 
broad in the latitude that would be most probably chosen for 
the line of route, namely between 50° and 52°, when, on cross- 
ing them to the west, the gold-bearing valleys of British 
Columbia are reached. Indeed, within the last few weeks I 
have received letters from the Saskatchewan stating that gold 
has been discovered in the bed of that river at the Rocky 
Mountain House, which is 40 miles to the east of the moun- 
tains, and quite in the plain country. Two hundred miles 
further down that river I have seen a few specimens of gold 
washed out, but I doubt much if it will ever be worked with 
profit on the east side of the Rocky Mountains within the 
British territories, as there is no trace on that side of the axis 
of the ancient rocks from which it must have been derived. 
