THE SEINE RIVER. 



63 



they taken by travellers during their first voyage for the 

 sails of distant boats. The name "sail rock," given to 

 them by the voyageurs, is derived from this erroneous im- 

 pression. Where the lake narrows on approaching Baril 

 Portage, gneissoid hills and islands about 100 feet high 

 show a well defined stratification dipping north, at an 

 angle of about 15°, and on that side smooth, and some- 

 times roughly polished ; on the south side they are pre- 

 cipitous and abrupt. The same character was noticed at 

 the Baril Portage, which has a length of sixteen chains 

 eighty-five links, with an altitude of 72^ feet, and an 

 ascent of 1*86 feet. The north-eastern exposure of the 

 rocks here was smooth, the southern rugged and often 

 precipitous. 



Baril Lake is seven and a half miles long, and is the 

 counterpart of the western extremity of Milles Lacs, but 

 it belongs to a different water system, being 1 ft. 10 in. 

 higher than Milles Lacs. It is terminated by the Brule or 

 Side Hill Path Portage twenty-one chains long, leading to 

 Brule Lake forty-seven feet below Baril Lake. At Brule 

 Portage I ascended a steep hill bordering a small rapid 

 stream called Brule River, and from an altitude of fully 

 200 feet, had a fine view of the surrounding country. The 

 vegetation upon the hill side and summit was truly aston- 

 ishing, and the term Brule Portage received an unex- 

 pected interpretation on finding hidden by a rich profu- 

 sion of brushwood, the dead trunks of many noble pines. 

 Throughout the day the tall trunks of white pine, branch- 

 less and dead, rising in clumps or in single loneliness far 

 above the forest, had attracted attention, and on the side 

 of the Brule Hill we observed many prostrate half-burnt 

 trees of the largest size. One dead trunk was measured, 

 and found to be twelve feet in circumference, five 

 feet from the ground. A living tree, tall, clean, and 



