NATURAL HISTORY AND PHYSIOGRAPHY OF NEW BRUNSWICK 
465 
99. On the Physiographic Characteristics of the North 
Pole Branch of the Little Southwest Miramichi 
River. 
Read in abstract January 2 1906. 
The Little Southwest Miramichi, one of the largest, and 
certainly the most typical, of the wilderness rivers of New Bruns- 
wick, is formed by the confluence of five great branches. The 
two most important of these, the Tuadook and Walkemik 
Branches, are somewhat fully described and mapped in earlier 
Notes (Nos. 55, 86, 87) j while a third, morphologically the main 
stream, has been also mapped in part (Note 87).* Last summer 
I was able to observe the larger part of a fourth of the great 
branches, the North Pole Branch, on which I wish here to offer 
some comments, illustrated by 'the accompanying rnap.f I also 
saw something of the fifth branch, the Lower North Branch, 
but must make another visit to it before attempting any descrip- 
tion. J 
We note first the development of our knowledge of this little- 
known stream. Because of its remoteness from all settlement, 
especially at its source, which lies in the very heart of the central 
watershed in a wilderness still unbroken even by lumbermen and 
hunters, it has been rarely visited, not at all studied scientifically, 
and mapped very imperfectly. It makes a first, but naturally 
crude, appearance in records, however, as early as 1686, on the 
*This summer I was able to see also its extreme source, in the two 
little plateau ponds beside the portage 'road between Pontage and Gover 
Lakes. 
fThe map of this branch is compiled from the timber-line surveys in 
the Crown Land Office, from observations made byi us, and from sketches 
supplied to me by Henry Biiaithwaite. I hope later toi offer the Society a 
much larger scale and more accurate map of its head waters. 
$1 was accompanied by my friend, Professor A. H. Pierce. We were 
taken by team to Gover Lake via Portage Lake (Tobique) over the 
poitage road. From Gover Lake we went alone on foot, carrying pro- 
visions and outfit in packs, and making occasional side-excursiions, to 
Hough Lake and Skunk Lake, Half Moon Lake, Malone Pond, down 
the outlet of the latter to Cave 'Brook and the North Pole Branch, down 
this to near its mouth,' across by portage road to* the Lower North Branch, 
up this to the source of the eastern b'tanch, north over the watershed to 
South Branch Nepisiguit and Kagoot. and down the South Branch 
Sevogle to Miramichi. 
