2 
Paleozoic measures. Coal-bearing Tertiary strata occupy an area border- 
ing Eclipse sound. 
The southern and eastern coasts are exceedingly irregular, in many 
places are fringed by numerous islands, and in most places are indented 
by deep, narrow fiords and wider bays. The whole east coast is high and 
rugged. The mountains rise directly from the sea, springing upward in 
many places, in cliffs a thousand feet high. Inland the upward rise is 
much more gentle. The mountains attain their greatest development in 
the Penny highlands north of Cumberland sound where the general eleva- 
tion is 3,000 to 4,000 feet and individual peaks and ranges rise to between 
5,000 and 8,000 feet above sea-level. The high, rugged country extends 
north into Bylot island where, in the southern interior, the mountains 
exceed 5,000 feet in height. South of Cumberland sound, the general 
elevation is lower, between 2,000 and 3,000 feet, and the country is a 
tableland, gradually sloping down to the northwest to the plains of the 
interior region. The southern coast, along Hudson strait, is high in the 
east, but though still rugged, is considerably lower over the western part 
and inland falls away to the level of the low interior plain. 
The high land of the northeast coast extends inland south of Eclipse 
sound and, probably, Cockburn land, still unexplored, is a deeply dissected 
region with a general elevation of 1,500 to 2,000 feet. To the south- 
west the land falls away and along the north shore of Foxe basin is 
believed to be very low and to merge in the south into the great plain 
which extends from the east shore of Foxe basin, eastward past Nettilling 
lake to not far from the head of Cumberland sound, and southward to 
within 60 miles of Hudson strait. 
The highlands referred to in the preceding paragraphs and the low- 
lands into which they merge and which border the north coast of Foxe 
basin, are underlain by Precambrian rocks. The plains that form the 
southern interior are occupied by flat-lying Palaeozoic limestones buried in 
most places beneath a thick cover of drift. This plain stretches east from 
Foxe basin, occupies all the country w T est of Nettilling lake, extends south 
past Amadjuak lake to Mingo lake, and west into Foxe land. The area 
of the lowland is about 16,000 square miles. Directly west of Nettilling 
lake, it is a level, swampy tundra of about 3,000 square miles. In the 
south the plain rises somewhat and becomes gently rolling. Amadjuak 
lake drains to Nettilling lake which discharges west through Koukjuak 
river into Foxe basin. Koukjuak river is 48 miles long, flows northwest, 
and falls If feet a mile; the current in the upper part is fast but smooth, 
whereas the lower part, so the Eskimo report, is swifter and is broken by 
slight rapids. Nettilling lake measures 56 miles east and west, and 72 
miles north and south. The eastern part lies within the low edge of the 
Precambrian region of the east coast, and holds very many low islands. 
The elevation of Nettilling lake is 85 feet above sea-level. Amadjuak 
lake, of about equal size, lies 300 feet above sea-level and drains northward 
into the south end of Nettilling lake, by way of the rapid Amadjuak river, 
52 miles long. The natives report low, rolling land east of Amadjuak 
lake, a continuation of the plains that sweep around the lake and past 
Mingo lake on the south. Mingo lake, much smaller than the others, lies 
at an elevation of 300 feet and drains to Amadjuak lake. North of Net- 
tilling lake, the Eskimo report the existence of a large lake, Tessilukdjuak, 
said to drain west to Foxe basin by way of Kukcljitariak river. 
