30 



RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. 



the Ojibway language with much energy, and seemingly 

 with the greatest fluency. After the ordinary service of 

 the day was over, being before requested by one of our 

 party, he delivered an admirable sermon in French. His 

 style, language, and manner, were of a very superior order, 

 and the drift of his words seemed to go far in shadowing 

 forth the philanthropic impulses which sustained him in 

 his solitary work of love, so remote from society, comfort, 

 and civilisation. 



In the afternoon I visited the mouth of Current 

 Eiver, six miles from Fort William. The river reaches 

 the Lake by a succession of sloping falls over an argilla- 

 ceous rock, which in the aggregate exceed forty feet in 

 height within half a mile from the Lake. The common 

 chive was found occupying in abundance the cracks and 

 fissures of the shale on the banks of the river. 



I visited during the day the garden of the fort ; its area 

 is about If acres. The shallots were small, but the po- 

 tatoes looked well, being at the time in flower, and Mr. 

 Mclntyre thinks that varieties may be found which will 

 ripen well near the fort. Tomatoes do not ripen here ; 

 turnips and cabbages are very liable to be destroyed by 

 the cut- worm or grub ; currant bushes procured from the 

 forest flourish admirably, and produce a very large berry ; 

 the red currant was just beginning to ripen. This part 

 of the country appears to abound in currants, raspberries, 

 strawberries and gooseberries ; they were seen growing 

 in the woods in every direction, where direct light 

 penetrated. A patch of oats in the garden showed a most 

 remarkable development of stalk and leaf, and the ears 

 were beginning to show themselves. The soil of the 

 garden was brought from the foot of the Ka-ka-beka falls 

 in the time of the North West Company's glory. 



The average period when the Kaministiquia freezes, is 



