159 
' the Island of Newfoundland. 
barren and nearly destitute of wood ; but the mountains here do 
not lie in ridges, nor in any particular direction, and the lakes 
and rivers are much larger than to the eastward. 
The most extensive lake in Newfoundland is called the Bay 
of Islands Lake, said by the Indians to be 60 miles long. The 
second is called the Lake of the Red Indians. 
The largest river is Exploit River. The river of East Bay, 
in the Bay of Despair, admits of the Micmac Indians taking up 
their birch-bark canoes from the sea coast to Serpentine Lake. 
After that, they go on their hunting excursions, from lake to 
lake, in skin canoes, by means of the rivers, and, occasionally, by 
portages. From St George’s Bay there is a portage of upwards 
of twenty miles to George the Fourth’s Lake, before the Indians 
enter upon ihe great lakes of the interior. 
Roads, or rather paths, which would admit of horses and 
cattle passing in summer, could be made across any part of the 
interior. The chief labour and expence attending their forma- 
tion, would consist, in surveying the routes, to avoid lakes, and, 
in general, woods ; the latter frequently covering very rocky dis- 
tricts. With proper and seasonable care, considerable quanti- 
ties of wild hay could be procured from the marshes. Were 
Government to countenance the facilitating a communication 
overland, between St John’s and the neighbouring bays, the in- 
tercourse would become more frequent and less dangerous than 
it has been, particularly in winter. 
In a botanical point of view, the interior does not appear to 
be particularly interesting, after having examined the country - 
near the sea coast. The Island altogether, however, affords a 
wide field for research to the botanist, particularly as to shrubs. 
The naked parts of the country, in general, including the 
marshes, exhibit appearances of having been once wooded. 
Roots and trunks of trees are generally found under the surface. 
Many are of larger dimensions than any now growing in their 
vicinity. They have evidently been destroyed by fire ; and from 
the poor soil in this cold region several centuries seem necessary 
to produce a forest of any magnitude. A thin v/iry grass, with 
lichens and mosses, cover the marshes ; and these, with whortle- 
berry bushes, and several diminutive shrubs, predominate on 
the higher un wooded districts. Spruces, Inarch, and Birches, 
