468 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. 



the great river systems of -the continent, to be unsurpassed 

 (as a rapid) in magnificence and extent, as well as in 

 volume of water. It is certainly a formidable barrier to 

 the navigation of the Saskatchewan. 



The following are the dimensions of the leading fea- 

 tures of the Grand Eapid : — 



1. Its Length. — The portage path is nearly straight, 

 with a magnetic course from the upper to the lower end, 

 of S. 60° E. ; it is 87 chains 40 links in length ; the 



The Grand Eapid of Saskatchewan. 



distance between its extremes by the river is a little 

 more than this, as the river describes an arc of which the 

 portage is the chord, but as the head of the rapid is a 

 little below the west end of the portage, this distance 

 may be adopted as the length of the upper or most pre- 

 cipitous portion of the rapid. The distance from the east 

 end of the portage to the foot of the rapid by our track 

 is 129 chains. This would make the whole length of the 

 rapid 216 chains 40 links, or nearly 2 J miles. ' 



2. Its Descent — By leveling carefully along the por- 



