RESULTS OF CAPTAIN TALLISER's EXPEDITION. 223 



westward, still north of the 49th parallel, until he arrived 

 at the camp of the United States Boundary Commissioners 

 in longitude 119° 30' west. 



Captain Palliser describes the region drained by the 

 Saskatchewan in the following words * : — 



" The extent of surface drained by the Saskatchewan, 

 and other tributaries to Lake Winnipeg, which we had an 

 opportunity of examining, amounts in round numbers to 

 150,000 square miles. This region is bounded to the 

 north by what is known as the 6 strong woods,' or the 

 southern limit of the great circum-arctic zone of forest, 

 which occupies these latitudes in the northern hemi- 

 sphere. This line, which is indicated in the map, sweeps 

 to the north-west from the shore of Lake Winnipeg, and 

 reaches its most northerly limit about 54° 30' K, and longi- 

 tude 119° W., from where it again passes to south-west, 

 meeting the Eocky Mountains in latitude 51° N., longitude 

 115° W. Between this line of the ' strong woods' and the 

 northern limit of the true prairie country there is a belt 

 of land varying in width, which at one period must have 

 been covered by an extension of the northern forests, 

 but which has been gradually cleared by successive fires. 



" It is now a partially wooded country, abounding in 

 lakes and rich natural pasturage, in some parts rivaling 

 the finest park scenery of our own country. Throughout 

 this region of country the climate seems to preserve the 

 same character, although it passes through very different 

 latitudes, its form being doubtless determined by the 

 curves of the isothermal line. Its superficial extent 

 embraces about 65,000 square miles, of which more than 

 one-third may be considered as at once available for the 

 purposes of the agriculturist. Its elevation increases 



* Papers relative to the Exploration of British North America, Aug. 18th, 

 I860, page 21. 



