:-» mm mffimm 9Nu BMnMHMMlMMjyilDitMilittKl — ■HI HH nHamrafti BfflR9iEESKflnJ&m Hi BHI8111 all flHli9 illllllii CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY FROM u,~...,-,.. Cornel1 University Library HC117.M15 A5 1888 "^HiniiSLimSiiiSfilS,?.', Committee of the Se olin ll'«"'"i iiniiiiiiiiiiiillilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllHH 3 1924 030 046 308 Overs [Uj REPORT OF THE dmuxdc^ iY't«fcv- r SELECT COMMITTEE OE THll SENATE APPOINTED TO ENQUIRE INTO THE RESOURCES OP THE GREAT MACKENZIE BASIN. SESSION 1888. FEINTED BY ORDER OF PARLIAMENT. y- OTTAWA: PEINTED BY BEOWN CHAMBEELtST, QUEEN'S PRINTER AND CONTROLLER OE STATIONERY. 1888. ■>■ UNlVEftgi'iY J-ij/y? \ LIBRARY^ Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924030046308 4-17/7? V UBRARV^- THIED EEPOET OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE OF THE "SENATE CONSISTING OF HONORABLE MESSIEURS: ALMON, BOLDUC, BOTSFORD, CARVELL, CHAFFERS, FERRIER, DICKEY, GIRARD, GOWAN, HOWLAN, HARDISTY, KAULBACH, LEONARD, McCALLUM, McCLELAN, McINNES, (B.C.) MACDONALD, (B.C.) MACDONALD, (Midland) MACPHERSON, (SirD.L.) MERGER, MILLER, O'DONOHOE, OGLLVTE, PELLETIER, APPOINTED TO INQUIRE INTO POWER, REESOR, ROBITAILLE, SANFORD, ' SCHULTZ, SUTHERLAND, THIBAUDEAU, TURNER. The resources of that part of the Dominion lying north of the Saskatchewan watershed, east of the Rocky Mountains and west of Hudson's Bay, and comprising the G-reat Mackenzie Basin — its extent of navigable rivers, lakes and sea coast, of arable and pastoral land, its fisheries, forests and mines, , and to report upon its possible com- mercial and agiicultural value. INDEX Page. Eeport. , 9 Names of persons who have given evidence 15 Names of persons to whom questions have been sent 16 List of questions 19 Evidence of Captain Craig 24,41 do Hugh Bain, M.D 34,38 do James Anderson 46, 56, 60 do Maloolm MoLeod, Q.0 53,107 Letter from John Tilton, Deputy Minister of Fisheries, to the Chairman 56 do W. J. McLean, Lower Port Garry, Man 56 do. Alfred E. C. Selwyn to the Chairman , 60 do Prof. Saunders to the Chairman 60, 63 Evidence of Prof. Saunders ., 63 Letter from J. Lowe to the Chairman 65 Evidence of Prof. Macoun 66,229, 260 Letter from Alfred E. C. Selwyn to the Chairman 75 Evidence of Hon. William Christie 75, 86, 99 Letter from W. H. Griffin, Deputy Postmaster General, to the Chairman 85 do Eobt. Hamilton to the Chairman « 105 do T. P. Wadsworth to the Chairman 105 do Prof. Saunders to the Chairman 106 Letter to Prof. Saunders by the Chairman 106 Letter to Joseph Wrigley, Chief Commissioner Hudson Bay Co., Winnipeg, by the Secretary 106 Letter from His Lordship Bishop Clut , 122 do His Lordship Bishop of Three Eivers 122 Evidence of Hon. Edgar Dewdney .,... ....122, 128 Letter from His Lordship Bishop Clut to the Chairman 126 do Hon. M. Bowell, Minister of Customs, to the Chairman 126 Evidence of Isadore Clut, O.M.I., Bishop of Arendele 135, 156, 160, 182 do Frank Oliver, Edmonton, N.W.T 145 do Donald Eoss, Edmonton, N.W.T 147 Letter from Ed. A. Wild, Port Arthur 149 do The Bishop of Eupert's Land, to the Chairman 149 Page. Letter from G. J. McTavish to the Chairman 149 Evidence of Hon. James W. Taylor, U. S. Consul, Winnipeg 150 do Stuart D. Mulkins 155 Letter from Arthur Eobertson to the Secretary 159 do Prof. Saunders to the Chairman 159 do Hon. M. Bowell, Minister of Customs, to the Chairman 160 Telegram irom John Martin to the Chairman. 160 Fac-simile letter in syllabic character received by Bishop Clut from a Mac- kenzie Biver Indian 164 Evidence of Bobert Bell, M.D., LL.D., B. A. So 170, 176, 282 Letter to Bobert Bell, M.D., LL.D., by the Chairman 175 Letter from J. Wrigley to the Secretary 182 do A. E. Forget to the Chairman ,. 183 Letter from Charles Carpmael, Director Meteorological Service, Toronto, with Meteorological Tables , , 183 Evidence of J. Gough Brick , 194 do George M. Dawson, M.D., LL.D 195, 216, 225 Map showiDg limits of pack ice in the Arctic Ocean and Behring Sea 196 Letter from M. McLeod, enclosing newspaper extract headed " In Par Lafoden" „ 226 Newspaper extract re Half-breed Buffalo 227 Evidence of L. P. Lafleche, Bishop of Three Bivers 228 Letter from Jas. A. Grahame to the Chairman 252 do Bobt. Campbell to the Chairman,.. 252 do L. Vankoughnet to the Chairman 253 Census of white population in the Athabasca Biver District 253 Census of white population in the Mackenzie Biver District 254 Communication from the Bishop of Athabasca 254 Evidence of William James McLean 256 List of mammals found within the basin of the Mackenzie Biver, submitted by Prof. Macoun 262 List of fishes found within the basin of the Mackenzie Biver, submitted by Prof. Macoun 264 List of birds found within the basin of the Mackenzie Biver, submitted by Prof, Macoun 265 List of trees found within the basin of the Mackenzie Biver, submitted by Prof. Macoun 269 Letter to J. B. Hurlbert, Esq., LL.D., by the Chairman 270 Evidence of J. B. Hurlbert, M.D., LL.D 270 275 279 Letter from B. Finlayson to the Chairman 282 do Lieut. Governor Nelson 282 Page. List of mammals, compiled by Dr. Bell 286 Communication from E. Petitot, Ptre, to Dr. Bell 286 Letter from D. A. Boss to the Chairman 298 Evidence of Donald Melvor , 298 Letter from S. P. Langley, Washington, to the Chairman 302 do John Martin to the Chairman 302 Letter to Bev. Father Seguin by the Secretary 303 Letter from Bishop Glut, O.M.I,, to the Secretary 303 Letter to the Minister of the Interior, by the Chairman 304 Extracts from different records having reference to map showing Sea Coast of Alaska and North-West Territories : 304 Map showing Alaska and the Coast line between Alaska and the mouth of the Mackenzie Biver 304 Extracts from " Chemical Contributions to the Geology of Canada re Bitumin- ous sand-rock and mineral tar or Maltha " 308 Map showing Petroleum and Auriferous Territory. do Navigable Biver Stretches and Shore-lines of Lakes. do Geographical distribution of the principal Canadian Mammals. Map showing the Barren Grounds, Arable and Pasture Lands, Northern Limits of Trees and of the possible Cultivation of Potatoes, Barley and Wheat. REPORT. The Select Committee appointed by your Honorable House to enquire into the resources of the Great Mackenzie Basin and the country eastward to Hudson's Bay, have the honor to make their Third Eeport as follows : — Your Committee desire that this report be considered an interim one and the estimates given to be approximate, inasmuch as they are based upon evidence received up to this date, and a final report can only be made when answers shall have been received to questions sent to officers of the Hudson's Bay Company, Mis- sionaries, Arotio explorers, and others, now resident in, or who have visited parts of the country within the scope of your Committee's enquiry. A list of these names and of the enquiries made is herewith submitted. Tour Committee desire to acknowledge the courtesy of the Departments of Marine and Fisheries, Agriculture, Customs, Railways and Canals, and of the Inter- ior, with its Geological Survey, and Indian Branch ; also the value of information received from Professors Selwyn, Bell, Dawson, Macoun and Saunders, as well as from gentlemen a list of whose names is submitted herewith, from whom evidence was received of very great value. Tour Committee also desire to state that they have incurred no expense, other than that authorized by your Honorable House, except the sum of $41.25 for outside printing necessitated by the desire of the Committee to immediately forward their ust of questions to far distant posts. The lithographing of the maps which accom- pany this report being paid for by members of the Committe*e themselves. The evidence your Committee have been able to obtain up to this date has been of an unusually valuable character, being principally oral, and from those who had exceptional opportunities of acquiring information, and after carefully comparing this evidence your Committee have arrived at the following conclusions, in which they have endeavored, where estimates are given, to be within the limit authorized by the information in question. REGARDING NAVIGATION. 1st. The extent of the scope of the enquiry covers one million two hundred and sixty thousand square statutory miles, which area includes none of the islands of the Arctic Archipelago. 2nd. Its coast line on the Arctic Ocean and Hudson's Bay measures about 5,000 miles, which estimate does not include the coast lines of inlets or deeply indented bays. 3rd. That over one-half of this coast line is easily accessible to whaling and seal- ing crafts. 4th. The navigable coast lines of the larger lakes of the region in question amount to about 4,000 miles, while its total lacustrine area probably exceeds that of the eastern Canadian American chain of great lakes. 5th. That there is a river navigation of about 2,750 miles, of which 1,390 miles is suitable for stern-wheel steamers, which with their barges may carry three hun- dred tons ; the remaining 1,360 miles being deep enough for light draught sea-going steamers. 6th. That there is a total of about 6,500 miles, of continuous lake coast and river navigation, broken only in two plaees. 7th. That the two breaks in question are upon the Great Slave and Athabasca .Rivers, the first being now overcome by a 20-mile waggon road from Fort Smith southwards on the Great Slave River, and the latter being a stretch of 70- 1—1 10 miles on the Athabasca, of questionable navigation above Fort McMurray, down which flat boats or scows descend, bat cannot ascend, and which about 50 miles of waggon road would overcome, while some improvement of the rapids might render the whole river navigable. 8th. That with suitable steam crafts this river and lake navigation may be con- nected with Victoria and Vancouver by way of the mouth of the Mackenzie, the Arctic Ocean and Behring Straits and Sea, and it is now connected on the south by 90 miles of waggon road, between Athabasca Landing and Edmonton, with navigable water in the Saskatchewan .River. ARABLE AND PASTORAL LANDS; 9th. That within the scope of the Committee's enquiry there is a possible area of 656,000 square miles fitted for the growth of potatoes, 407,000 square miles suit- able for barley, and 316,000 square miles suitable for wheat. 10th.. That there is a pastoral area of 860,000 square miles, 26,000 miles of which is open prairie with occasional groves, the remainder being more or less wooded ; 274,000 square miles, including the prairie, may be considered as arable land. 11th. That about 400,000 square miles of the total area is useless for the pas- turage of domestic animals or for cultivation. This area comprising the Barren Grounds and a portion of the lightly wooded region to their south and west. 12th. That throughout this arable and pastoral area latitude bears no direct re- lation to summer isotherms, the spring flowers and the buds of deciduous trees ap- pearing as early north of Great Slave Lake as at Winnipeg, St. Paul and Minneapolis, Kingston, or Ottawa, and earlier along the Peace, Liard and some minor western affluents of the Great Mackenzie Eiver, where the climate resembles that of western Ontario. 13th. That the native grasses and vetches are equal and in some districts superior t& those of eastern Canada. 14th. That the prevailing south-west summer winds of the country in question hring the warmth and moisture which render possible the far northern cereal growth, and sensibly affect the climate of the region under consideration as far north as the Arctic circle and as far east as the eastern rim of the Mackenzie Basin. FISHERIES, F0RK8T8 AND MINES. 15th. The immense lacustrine area of the eastern and northern portions of the area under consideration implies, from the evidence given regarding the quantity and quality of fresh water food fishes, the future supply of a great portion of the JTorth American continent ; while, though there has been obtained less evidence regarding sea fish, yet the following have been found on the northern and eastern ortation of the products of this vast region have to be solved by steam sea-going or ighter river craft. 20th. The chief present commercial product of the country is its furs, which, as the region in question is the last great fur preserve of the world, are of very great present and prospective value, all the finer furs of commerce being there found, and the sales in London yearly amounting to several millions of dollars. 21st. The Indian population is sparse, and the Indians, never having lived in large communities, are peaceable, and their general character and habits as given by witnesses justify a hope that the development of the country, as in the case of the Indians of British Columbia, may be aided by them without great danger of their demoralization and with a reasonable hope that, as in the case of the) Indians men- tioned, their condition may be improved. Your Committee desiring to refer briefly to the evidence upon which they have based these conclusions, may explain that very early in their investigations they became convinced that very little more was known of the northern and eastern portion of the area committed to them for investigation than was known of the anterior of Africa or Australia. Arctic explorers had indeed traversed its coast line and descended two of the rivers which, east of the Mackenzie, flow into the Arctic -Sea, but the object sought by thorn was one which had no relation to that of the present enquiry and it is only incidently that their records are now valuable. The knowledge of missionaries and officers of the Hudson's Bay Company is chiefly con- fined to the watercourses and the great lakes, while scientific exploration has not _as yet extended north of Great Slave Lake. In referring again to the navigation of this region all the evidence has agreed as to the great extent of unbroken navigation, and this fact has been of great use to the Hudson's Bay Company, who have always used the waterways, even when circuitous and difficult, rather than resort to land carriage, and their inland posts to as far north as the Arctic circle are now supplied from their central depot at Fort Garry with only 114 miles of land carriage, four of this being by tramway at the Grand Rapids 12 of the Saskatchewan, ninety miles of waggon transport from Edmonton to Athabasca landing, thence by steamer and flatboat to Fort Smith on the Great Slave Eiyer, where twenty miles of waggon road connects the shallow with deep water navigation, and the steamer " Wrigley " distributes them to the various posts down to the mouth of the Mackenzie just above its estuary, where the river is said to be six miles wide, and up Peel Eiyer which joins the Mackenzie near that point to Fort Macpherson on that gold-bearing stream. The great lakes which receive the drainage of this vast region and give an equal flow to the Mackenzie, all have deep water navigation, and like most lakes of the Laurentian formation are studded with islands. The most southern source of the Great Mackenzie River is a stream fed by the glaciers of Mounts Hooker and Brown, two of the highest of the Rocky Mountain chain, in latitude 52° 30', and this soon becomes a navigable stream, preserving that character except at the breaks mentioned, during the nearly 2,500 miles of its course to the Polar Sea. As already mentioned these western affluents will form valuable links as a means of taking in machinery and mining supplies to the upper waters of the Peace and Liard Rivers which are now inaccessible for heavy machinery from the west coast, and the cost of taking in provisions, makes in mining and prospecting efforts a serious desideratum. The navigation upon the Liard River also will be an important factor in the future food supply to the great mining region of the upper Yukon and Peel Rivers. A reference to the valuable evidence obtained by your Committee will show that navigation from Behring Straits to the mouth of the Mackenzie, and probably as far east as Wollaston Land, may be had for three months in each year, the soundings given on the Admiralty Chart of that portion of the Arctic Sea revealing an average depth of about 20 fathoms, which is a considerable depth in what is known to be generally a shallow sea. The western branch of the estuary of the Mackenzie is said to be the outlet which has the deepest waters and it is respectfully submitted that much good might accrue were the Dominion Government party now working its way from the Yukon towards Peel River and the Mackenzie, to descend either of these streams and examine the western and other branches of the estuary of the Mackenzie. To convey to your Honorable House the distances which separates the navigable waters of the Mackenzie Basin from the eastern and western sea coasts and from navigable rivers and railways to the south and south-east the following table of dis- tances has been taken from the evidence. The lengths are in straight lines as follows : — From the head of Great Slave Lake to head of Chesterfield Inlet, 320 miles ; from the head of Athabasca Lake to the harbor of Churchill, 440 miles ; from Fort McMurray at the junction of the Clearwater with the Athabasca below the 70 miles of questionable navigation to the following places on the Saskatchewan : Prince Albert, 300 miles; Fort Pitt, 220 miles; Victoria, 179 miles; Edmonton, 225 miles; from Calgary, on the Canadian Pacific Railway, to Athabasca Landing, on the Atha- basca River, 250 miles ; from head of Little Slave Lake to Peace River Landing in the Peace River, 65 miles ; from Hazleton, on the Skeena River, to Peace River in the Pass, 150 miles ; from Fort Mumford on the Stikeen River to Fort Liard on the Liard River, 370 miles. A good deal of difficulty has been experienced by the Committee in endeavoring to obtain the exact catch of furs in the region under consideration, and no definite or direct information has been obtained ; they have, however, obtained lists of furs offered for sale in 1887, in London, by the Hudson's Bay Company and C. M. Lampson & Co., the consignee of many of the furs of British North America, and from these lists they find the following to be a summary of one year's oatch • Otter 1443 9 Fisher. 7192 Fox (silver) 1 967 Fox (cross) .'..'..::;""" 6,785 Fox (red) 85>0 22 13 Fox (white) 10,257 Pox (blue) 1,440 Fox (kitt) 290 Lynx 14,520 Skunk 682,794 Marten 98,342 Mink 376,223 Beaver 104,279 Musquash 2,485,368 Extra black Musquash 13,944 Wolf 7,156 Wolverine 1,581 Bear (all kinds) 15,942 Musk ox 198 Badger 3,739 Ermine 4,116 Swan 57 Babbit 114,824 Hair seal (dry) 13,478 Sable 3,517 Fox (grey) 31,597 It will be seen by those who have a knowledge of the great value of these rich northern furs, a large proportion of which may be presumed to have come from tha Mackenzie Basin, how large and important that trade has been, and it is expedient, that, without unduly interlering with the rights of settlers or the usual privileges of Indians, this great fur trade should be fostered and even made a source of direct revenue to the Dominion. The Right Eeverend Bishop Clut, in his evidence called attention to the damage to this interest caused by the use of " poison " which is strychnia of the most power- ful kind, in the capture of such animals as the fox or wolf. He deprecates its use, first on account of the danger to those using it and from the fact that it caused useless destruction, inasmuch as the foxes and wolves that swallow the frozen bait have time to run and die far beyond where they may be found and in the case of other animals for which it is not intended, it destroys directly by eating the bait, and indi- rectly by the eating of the animals which have been poisoned by it. Again there is great danger of some species of fur-bearing animals becoming extinct by the greater ease in their capture, such as the beaver, which many years ago became almost extinct in the United States when fashion necessitated the exclu- sive use of its fur in felt and other hats, and more recently the same prospect of extirpation threatened the mink which now threatens the south sea or fur seal; these considerations pointing to the expediency of the Government making a measure of protection a source of revenue by the leasing of certain fur districts with a limitation as to the catch of certain kinds of its furs. Of the fresh water food fishes of the region, Back's "Grayling," an excellent species not prevalent elsewhere, seems to bs found everywhere in its rivers, and even west of the Eocky Mountains, but the staple product of its lakos and large rivers, seems to be whitefish of great weight and excellent flavor, and irout often reaching forty pounds in weight, and evidence goes to show that the farther north the greater the yield of fish till the quantity becomes enormous. As an illustration the following ia given from the evidence of Prof. Macoun, who quotes Sir John Richardson to tha effect that one of the early overland Franklin expeditions took fifty thousand white fish on a northeastern arm of Great Bear Lake, and Sir John Richardson also states that the great lake trout swarm in all the northern great lakes. In regard to the salmon fisheries, it would appear from the evi lence that salmon are abundant in the rivers and along the coast of the north-west side of Hudson a Bay as well as in the rivers of the northern shores of the continent. Tour Commit- tee consider it advisable that means should be adopted to ascertain more accurately 14 the extent and value of the salmon fisheries of these regions, with a view to utilizing them for the purposes of commerce and for the revenue which they may afford. . *.f) The seas adjoining the great territory which your Committee has had under investigation, are frequented by whales of different species, walruses, narwhals and a variety of seals. All these animals are valuable for their oil, but the large species of whales have heretofore been most sought for. Only a few years ago these animals had a much more extensive range than at the present time. Owing to improvements in navigation and methods of capture they have, of late years, fallen an easier prey to their pursuers and have taken shelter in the less frequented seas of the northern eoasts of Canada. Now they are being pursued to their last retreat by foreign whalers, and some species are threatened with complete extinction in a few years if this condition continues. It is to be borne in mind that whales are long lived and slow breeding animals. The American whalers attack them with harpoons, explosive bombs and lances, fired from large swivel-guns carried on steam launches, instead of the old-fashioned weapons thrown by hand from rowboats. These methods not only destroy the whales with greater facility, but inspire the snivivors with such terror that they seek the most distant and inaccessible parts of the northern seas and have entirely disappeared from the waters in which they lived only a few years ago. "Your Committee are informed that the Eussian Government claim jurisdiction over the whale fisheries of the White Sea, and exact a heavy license from each ves- sel engaged in the fishing, and that the Alaska Fur Company asserts a similar authority over the seal fisheries of Behring Sea, both of which are open to the ocean, while Hudson Bay, Boothia Bay and other bays and channels in the northern part of the Dominion, which are resorted to by foreign whalers, may be consi- dered as closed seas being almost completely surrounded by our own territory. Your Committee would, therefore, recommend that some measures may be adopted with a view to protecting the whale fisheries of our northern waters and at the same time of deriving a revenue therefrom. Should this not be done then as soon as the larger whales shall have become extinct, the slaughter of our smaller oil-producing mammals will commence and as these creatures live in shallow water or nearer shore, further encroachments on our rights will probably result. The evidence submitted to your Committee points to the existence in the Atha- basca and Mackenzie Valleys of the most extensive petroleum field in America, if not in the world. The uses of petroleum and consequently the demand for it by all nations are increasing at such a rapid ratio, that it is probable this great petroleum field will assume an enormous value in the near future and will rank among the chief assets comprised in the Crown domain of the Dominion. For this reason your Committee would suggest that a tract of about 40,000 square miles be, for the present, reserved from sale and that as soon as possible its value may be more accurately ascertained by exploration and practical tests; the said reserve to be bounded as follows • East- erly by a line drawn due north from the foot of the Cascade Bapids on Clearwater Eiver to the south shore of Athabasca Lake ; northerly by the said lake shore and the Quatre Fourche and Peace Eivers ; westerly by Peace Eiver and a straight line from Peace Eiver Landing to the western extremily of Lesser Slave Lake, and southerly by said lake and the river discharging it to Athabasca Eiver and Clear- water Eiver as far up as the placo of beginning. Tour Committee regret that they have made so long a report, but trust that an excuse will be found in the fact that upon a map of similar projection and scale the region in question occupies an area greater than the Australian continent or two- thirds of Europe, covering part of the British Islands, Norway, Sweden,' Denmark Germany, Austria and a part of France and Eussia. ,,. Yonr committee have reason to believe that a comparison of the capabilities of this extent of country in our own continent, exceeds in extent of navigation, area of arable and pastoral lands, valuable fresh water fisheries, forests and mines and in capacity to support population, the continental part of Europe to which we have 15 Many important points have therefore been omitted from this report, for informa- tion npon which your Committee beg to refer your Honorable House to the evidence itself ; they have, however, accompanied this report, as being a necessary adjunct, with four maps of a size suitable to form two pages of this report, carefully pre- pared by Robert Bell, Esq., M.D.,LL.D., Assistant Director of the Geological Survey; the first showing upon it in colors, the northern and eastern extent of possible potato, barley and wheat growth, the pastoral, prairie, and wood region, and the barren grounds, the second showing in colors the mineral deposits in the Mackenzie Basin ; the third shows the southern limit of the feeding grounds of the mask ox and of the reindeer ; the northern range of the wolverine, otter, beaver, black bear, and Virginia deer, the former range of bison and wood buffalo, and the present range of the moose, the Greenland seal, and of the larger whales, and the fourth shows in colors the extent of the river, lake, and sea coast navigation and the coal and lignite deposits. Your Committee believe that these are necessary for the proper information of your Honorable House and the full explanation of the evidence submitted herewith, and Bhould this suggestion be adopted, they will feel that with this report and the evidence herewith they will have done all that it was possible to do since the date of their appointment and the receipt of their instructions, to inform your Honorable House and the people of this country upon the resources of Canada's Great Seserve. All of which is respectfully submitted. JOHN SCHTJLTZ, Chairman. JJAMES OP PARTIES WHO HAVE GIVEN EITHEE ORAL OE WRITTEN EVIDENCE TO THIS COMMITTEE. Capt. Craig, farmer, Prince Albert, N.W.T., who has visited the southern border cf Mackenzie Basin . Hugh N. Bain, E?q., M. D., Prince Albert, N.W.T., who visited the southern border of Mackenzie Basin. Rev. J. Gough Brick, Peace Eiver District, resident of the Mackenzie Basin. Hon. William Christie, Brockville, Ont., formerly Inspecting Chief Factor in Hudson's Bay Company's service in the Mackenzie River district. Malcolm MacLeod, Q.C., barrister, Ottawa, Ont., born in Mackenzie Eiver district. Chief Factor W. J. MacLean, Lower Fort Garry, Man., chief trader, Honorable Hudson's Bay Company, formerly in charge of Fort Liard. Hon. James W. Taylor, United States Consul, formerly Senator of Minnesota, bow resident of Winnipeg, Man. Hon. Richard Hardisty, Senator, North-West Territories, Inspecting Chief Fac- tor Bonorable Hudson's Bay Company, Edmonton, NW.T. His Honor Lieutenant Governor Dewdney, Regina, N.W.T., explorer of Upper Peace and Liard districts, west of Rocky Mountains, and Indian Commissioner for the North-West Territories. . His Lordship Bishop Clut, Fort Providence, Mackenzie River, Bishop of Anan- dale, resident for thirty years in Mackenzie Basin. His Loidthip Bishop lafleche, Three Rivers, Quebec, for many years a resident of the south-east portion of Mackenzie Basin. His Lordship Bis-hop Bompas, Mackenzie River diocese, resident of Mackenzie Basin for twenty-five years. Frank Oliver, Esq., Edmonton, N.W.T., r and has visited the southern part of Mackenzie Basin. ... « ,i_ Stuart Mulkins, Esq., Fort Saskatchewan, N.W.T., who has visited parts of the district west of Athabasca Lake. Donald Ross, Esq., Edmonton, N.W.T., has visited various portions of the Mac- kenzie Basin. jjfit~— < 16 His Honor Lieutenant Governor Nelson, Victoria, B.C., has visited parts of Mackenzie Basin west of the Bocky Mountains. Prof. Saunders, Director of the Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, who fur- nished samples of sab Arctio Russian cereals for trial by the Committee's correspon- dents on Lower Mackenzie Biver. Bobt, Bell, Esq., M.D., LL.D., Assistant Director Geological Survey of Canada, surveyor of Athabasca Biver and explorer of surrounding districts and of west coast of Hudson Bay and interior. Prof. Macoun, Geological Snrvey, Ottawa, Botanist to Geologioal Survey of Canada, who has explored various parts of the district. J. B. Hurlbert, Esq., LL.D., Ottawa, formerly compiler of Meteorological Charts, Ottawa. James Anderson, Esq., Winnipeg, has been in Mackenzie Biver District. Joseph Wrigley, Esq., Chief Commissioner Honorable Hudson Bay Company, Winnipeg, Man. Charles Carpmael, Superintendent Meteorological Service, Toronto. George M. Dawson, LL.D., Assistant Direotor Geological Survey and Explorer of a part of the Mackurzie Basin. LIST OP|PEE301SrS TO WHOM QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN SENT. His Grace Archbishop Tache, St. Boniface, Manitoba. The MoBtEev. the Metropolian of Bupert's Land. Hon. Sir Donald A. Smith, K.O.M.G., Montreal. Captain Craig, Prince Albert, N.W.T. Dr. BaiD, Prince Albert, N.W.T. Bev. J. Brick, Mackenzie Biver Diocese. Hon. William Christie, Brockville, Ont. William Cust, St. Albert, Alberta, N.W.T. Hon. Lawrence Clarke, Chief Factor, etc, Prince Albert, N.W.T. Henry King, Etq , Fort Kelly, N.W.T. T. P. Woodsworih, Eiq., c.o. Dept. Initiin Affairs, Ottawa. Captain Smith, c.o. Hudson Bay Co., Edmonton, N.W.T. Judge McLeod, 01 ab Chambers, Ottawa, Chief Factor McLean, of Hon. Hudson Bay Co., Lower Fort Garry, Man. Hector McKenzie, Esq., Arctic Voyayeur, Winnipeg, Man. Hon. James W. Taylor, United States Consul, Winnipeg, Man. Chief Commissioner Wrigley, Hon. Hudson Bay Co., Winnipeg, Man. Hon Bichard Hardisty, Senator, c.o. Hudson Bay Co., Winnipeg, Man. Captain William Kennedy, F.G.S., Arctic Explorer, St. Andrews, Man. Dr. Sue, C.M.G., Arctic Explorer. The Very Bev. Vicar-General of the Diocese of St. Boniface, Man. Martin J. Griffia, Esq., M.A., Librarian of Parliament. - .Major Mulvey, Alderman, etc., Winnipeg, Man. Charles N. Bell, Esq., F.G.S , Secretary, Board of Trade, Winnipeg, Man. George H. Ham, Esq., St Boniface, Man. James Taylor, Esq., c.o. Messrs. Lyon, McKenzie & Powis, Winnipeg, Man* Hon. Colin Inkster, Sheriff, etc., Winnipeg, Man. Alex. Logan, Esq., ex-Mayor of Winnipeg, Man. Charles Mair, Esq., Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, N.W.T. Col. Sproat, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, N.W.T. Chief Commissioner Herchmer, North- West Mounted Police, Ottawa, Ont. His Lordship Bishop Grandin, St Albert, N.W.T. Bev. Father Lacombe, O.M.I,, Calgary, N.W.T. John Gunn, Esq., Lower Fort Garry, Man. 11 Capt. Hugh J. Macdonald, Barrister, etc., Winnipeg, Man. Ex-Chief Commissioner Grahame, Victoria, B.C. Officer, Hudson Bay Company, in charge of Port Alexander, B.C. do do do Fort Vabine, B.C. do do do Fort Vermillion, Peace Biver Dis- trict. do do do Little Bed Biver, Peace Bivrer Dis- trict, do do do Fort Chipweyan, Peace Biver Dis« trict. Battle Biver, Peaoe Biver District. Dunvegan, Peace Biver District. St. John, Peace Biver. Hudson's Hope, Peace Biver Dis- trict. Fort McMurray, Athabasca Biver Distriot. Isle a La Crosse. Green Lake. Lao La Biche. Lesser Slave Lake. Fort Yukon, Mackenzie Biver Dis- trict. do do do Fort Simpson, Mackenzie Biver do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do de do do do District, do do do Fort Liard, Mackenzie Biver Dis- trict. do do do Fort Beliance, Mackenzie Biver Distriot. do do do Fort Good Hope, Mackenzie Biver z District. do do do Fort Bae, Mackenzie Biver District, do do do Fort Smith, Mackenzie Biver Dis- trict, do do do Fort Norman, Mackenzie Biver District. E. McFarlane, Esq., Stewart's Lake, B.C. Lieutenant Governor Dewdney, Bideau Club, Ottawa, Oat. Adam MbBeth, Esq., Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, N.W.T. His Lordship Bishop Pinkham, Calgary, Alberta, N.W.T. His Lordship Bishop Glut, Diocese of the Mackenzie Biver, care of Bev. Father Oblate, Visitation St., Pierre St., Montreal. P.Q. His Lordship Bishop Farand, Isle a La Crosse, via Edmonton, Saskatchewan, N.W.T. His Lordship Bishop Lafleche, Three Bivers, P.Q. His Lordship Bishop Bompas, Mackenzie Biver Diocese, care of the Most Bev. Metropolitan of Bupert's Land, Winnipeg, Man. f-^&The Very Bev. the Archdeacon of the Diocese of Mackenzie Biver, care of tha Most Bev. Metropolitan of Bu port's Land . Ex-Alderman McDonald, formerly of the Mackenzie Biver, Winnipeg, Man. Andrew Flett, Esq., Prince Albert, N.W.T. Henry Mackenzie, Esq., Mackenzie Biver District. Bev. Mr. Carrioch, Mackenzie Biver District. Hon. Mr. Hamilton, Peterboro, Ont. Captain Peter McArthur, care of Duncan MoArthur, Winnipeg. Captain MoArthur, Banker, Prince Albert, care of Dunoan McArthur, Esq. Banker, Winnipeg* 18 Frank Oliver, Esq., Editor Edmonton Bulletin, Edmonton, N.W.T. P. G. Laurie, Esq., Battleford, N.W.T. Adrian Neiscn, Ecq., of Bad Throat Eiver, Selkirk, Man. Amedee Forget, Esq., Clerk North-West Council, Begina, N.W.T. Vicar-General, Mackenzie Eiver. J. A. Secretan, Esq., C.E., Winnipeg, Man. Walter Moberly, C.E., Winnipeg. Eev. John McDougall, Winnipeg. Bev. Father Hagonnard, Industrial School, Qu'Appelle, N.W.T. Thomas McKay, Esq., Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, N.W.T* Molyneux St. John, Esq., formerly Assistant Indian Commissioner, Montreal, P.Qj Hiis Honor Lieutenant Governor Nelson, Victoria, B.C. Joseph Armstrong, Esq., New Westminster, B.C. Henry McKenny, Eeq., St. Albert, Alberta, N.W.T. Major Bedson, Warden, &c, Stony Mountain, Man. Hon. Walter Bobert Bown, Ex-Member North- West Council, Ottawa. H. J. Moberly, Esq., C.E., care of Hudson Bay Company, Winnipeg, Man. Capt. Macdowall, MP., Saskatchewan, Prince Albert, N.W.T. Nicholas Flood Davin, Esq., M.P., Aesiniboia, Begina, N.W.T. William D. Perley, Esq., M. P., Wolseley, Assiniboia, N.W.T. Donald W. Davis, Esq., MP., Fort McLeod, Alberta, N.W.T. A. W. Boss, Esq., M.P., Vancouver, B.C. William B. Scarth, Esq., M.P., Winnipeg, Man. Hon. Joseph Eoyal, M.P., St. Boniface, Man. T. Mayne Daly, Esq., M.P., Brandon, Man. Bobert Watson, Esq., MP., Portage la Prairie, Man. Edgar C. Baker, Esq., M. P., New Westminster, B.C. David William Gordon, Esq., M.P., Nanaimo, B.C. John A. Mara, Esq., M.P., Kamloops, B.C. Edward 0. Prior, Esq., M.P., Victoria, B. C. James Eeid, Esq , M.P., Quesnelle, B.C. Eev. A. E. Greene, Grenville, Nass Eiver, B.C. Eev. Thos. Crosby, Fort Simpson, B.C. W. Duncan, Esq., J.P., Metlakatla, Alaska. Eev. E. E Young, Brampton, Ont. Hon. A. G. B. Bannatyne, Winnipeg, Man. George McTavish, Esq., Colborne, Ont. Donald Boss, Esq., Edmonton, N.W.T. His Lordship Bishop Worden, Albany, on Hudson's Bay, via Mattawa, Ottawa Jhver. ' Archdeacon Vincent, Albany, on Hudson's Bay, via Mattawa, Ottawa Eiver. C. S. Urummond Esq., President Navigation Company, Winnipeg, Man. Vice-President Navigation Company, Winnipeg H 1 ^ h ^ u . t , herland - Es q- President Hudson's Bay Eailway, Ottawa. Cniet .Builder, Athabaska Steamer, via Edmonton, N W T Professor Selwyn, C.M.G., Geological Survey, Ottawa. ' Dr. Dawson, Geological Survey, Ottawa. Professor Bell, Geological Survey, Ottawa. Professor, Macoun, Geological Survey, Ottawa. Mr. Cochrane, Geological Survey, Ottawa. J. B. Hurlbert, LL.D., Ottawa. Prof. Saunders, Director Expeiimental Farm. M. E. Dickinson, Manotic, Ont. George H. Bradenburry, Ottawa, Ont. W. J. Morris, Esq., Perth, Ont. Joseph Finlayson, Esq., Prince Albert, N.W.T. Eev. Z. Gascon, St. Laurent, Man. 19 Edouard Richard, Ex-M.P.P., St. Boniface, Man. Rev. J. B. M. Genin, Box 1,236, Duluth, Minnesota. Kufus Stephenson, Esq., Inspector Colonization Companies, Ottawa. William Caldwell, Esq., Winnipeg, Man. Robert Campbell, Esq., Elphinstone, Man. Harry Hughes Browne, Esq., Toronto (7 Clarence Street). Donald Mclvor, Esq., Kildonan, Man. Eev. Father Seguin, Fort Good Hope, Mackenzie River. Charles Carpmael, Esq., Superintendent Meteorological Service, Toronto. LIST OF QUESTIONS SENT TO PERSONS MENTIONED TO ELICIT INFOR- MATION REGARDING THE RESOURCES OF THE GREAT MACKENZIE BASIN. With instructions to forward answers to nearest post office and a direction to " fill in on the above lines your full name, occupation, residence and post office address, and for convenience of reference and comparison please write in your replies opposite the questions, and if more space is needed continue the answers on the back of the same sheet, indicating the connection by reference to the number of the enquiry." Series A. — Relating to Navigation and Communication. 1. Please give in ypur answers all the information which you have obtained by actual travel, or from other reliable sources, and state the particular part of the region to which your answers refer, and give generally the sources whence you obtained the- information. 2. Please mention the portions of the various rivers of the region mentioned which you regard as continuously navigable. Give the approximate length of each Stream, with depth of water during the season of navigation, the velocity of the current, etc. Give also the kind and size of steamer suitable for such navigation. 3. At what points would it be desirable to connect these navigable reaches by road or railway with other navigable reaches of the same or different rivers, or with lakes, for the purpose of affording facilities for traffic ? Give the approximate lengths of land carriage in each of such cases as will be necessary. . 4. Give the name and general description of all the lakes of the region which you are familiar with ; their extent, depth, harbors, general suitability for navigation, their connection with navigable streams; and if no connection with other naviga- tion, what length of road or railway, and at what points will it be necessary to make such connection. Give also the size and kind of steam or sail craft suitable for these 5.' Give all possible information regarding the character of the navigation of the sea coast of this region, with particular reference to the portion adjacent to the mouth of the Great Mackenzie River, the depth of water, the average length of open water, the character of the harbors formed by the different mouths of the river, the navigation of the estuary itself, and the kind of craft suitable for such navigation . Also your opinion as to whether whaling and sealing craft, if built at the head waters of the Mackenzie River, could descend that stream early enough and ascend it late enough to permit of some months of fishing near the mouth of the river. 6. How far is the Athabasca or any of its affluents navigable for vessels drawing 30 inches of water above the mouth of the Clearwater ? Is any portion of it suitable fcr steam navigation ? What is the nature of the obstructions ? , 7. Give the same information regarding the Athabasca and its affluents below the Clearwater, and is the Clearwater itself navigable for steamers ? 8. What is the character of the Great Slave River; size, depth, obstructions, Telocity of current, craft suitable for navigation, etc. 20 9. Give the same information regarding the Liard Kiver. 10. Give the same information regarding the Peace Eiver, both to the east and west of the Rocky Mountains* 11. Give general character of the Beaver Eiver and the lakes along the upper part of the Churchill Eiver. 12. Give the same information regarding the Mackenzie. 13. Give all possible information regarding Lake Athabasca, particularly as regards its navigation and generally as regards such of its mines, timber, fish, and other products as are available for transportation by water. 14. Give the same information regarding Great Slave Lake. 15. Give the same information regarding Great Bear Lake. 16. If you know of any other body of fresh water such as the Lesser Slave Lake, give all possible information relating thereto. It. Can sea-going steamers ascend the Mackenzie ? If so, how far and with what draft of water and during what period of the year ? <\ 18. Give the Committee all information as to the steamers which are now actually running on the Athabasca and Mackenzie Eivers. 19. Do you know anything as to the west coast of Hudson Bay ? If so, please describe it to the Committee. 20. What are the principal lakes and rivers between the west coast of Hudson Bay and the Mackenzie Eiver ? What is known in regard to any of these ? 21. Give the quantities of rain and the depth of snow at any or all the parts of the Mackenzie Basin which you have mentioned. 22. Give any possible information you can as to the depth to which the winter frosts penetrates the soil at the different places. 23. Please give any additional information upon this portion of the subject which has not been elicited by the foregoing enquiries. Series B. — Extent of Arable'and Pastoral Land. 24 Indicate generally on a map or otherwise those portions of the region ia question which are alluvial and diluvial, and those which are rooky and sterile, generally called barren grounds. 25. What is the nature of these barren grounds ? Give the Committee as full in- formation as you can as to this region. 26. How far north have barley and potatoes been grown, and how far to tha east and west on various parallels of latitude ? 27. How far north has wheat been grown ? 28. How far north, east and west have the hardy varieties of Indian corn arrived at maturity ? 29. Give the time of planting and reaping at any of the places mentioned in your answers to the foregoing questions. 30. When does spring open in these different localities, meaning by spring tha first appearance of flowers? 31. How long before the flowering of plants at any of these places is the ground fit for seeding ? 32. What is the average time of ripening at any of the places you have men- tioned of wheat, barley, rye, oats, potatoes, turnips, Indian corn, strawberries, goose- berries, and other small fruit ? 33. What is the general character of the three growing months, June, July and August, at all of the places you have mentioned? 34. Are there summer frosts during these three months at any of these places ? (Meaning by frost, a local white frost.) 35. Are these frosts general or local ? 36. Will the settlement of the region make it less liable to such frosts ? 37. When do summer rains begin ? 21 38. What is the character of the climate of September and October at the various places you have mentioned ? 39. What effect has the intensity of cold in winter npon vegetation ? 40. What is the character of the natural grasses of the country in different parts? Compare them with those in the eastern Provinces. 41. Does the wild pea or vetch grow in any portion of this region, and if so, at what places? 42. Is any other plant indigenous that would make good food for cattle other than the natural grasses ? 43. What is the character of the soil of the district you mention ? Is it clay, loam, sand, etc. ? 44. What percentage of the whole area is fit for pasturage, and what area is fit for the production of the more hardy grains ? 45. Give your general knowledge of the climate and its effect npon plant life ? 46. What insect pest, if any, is vegetation subject to in any portion of the Mackenzie Basin ? 47» Do you know of any records which have been kept as to the climate of different localities, and what is your general impression as to the climate in any district you have spoken about ? If you have any records please attach them in a separate sheet to the last page of your answers. 48. Do the larger lakes and rivers exert any influence in keeping off the sum- mer and autumn frosts, giving examples, and give dates when rivers and lakes in different portions of these regions freeze over in autumn and break up in spring ? 49. What are the prevailing winds of different seasons, and how do they affect the climate ? 50. Over what portion of the Mackenzie Basin is the warm effect of the south- west chinook wind felt ? 51. In the region under consideration what attempts have been made at agricul- ture and stock-raising, and with what results ? 52. Is there any class of domestic animals which could find food in that region known as the barren grounds ? 53. What animals now find sustenance there and elsewhere in the region in question, giving particular information regarding the size, habits, weight, food, value of outer covering of the following animals : Cariboo, musk ox, wood buffalo, moose, elk, and all other animals except those which are carniverous ? 54. Give all information regarding the numbers, localities, quality of covering, habits, and method of capture of the following animals: Lynx, Arctic fox, black fox, silver fox, cross fox, red fox, fisher, wolverine, otter, beaver, martin, mink, ermine, musk rat. 65. Give the amount of shipments of peltries of the foregoing animals during the last ten years. 56. Please state in addition to your other answers all the information you possess in regard to the information sought to be obtained by Series B of these questions, and if you have records bearing upon the climate of the region please copy these and attach them to the end of your communication, and give opportunities you have had for acquiring information. Series C— Belating to Fisheries, Forests and Mines. 57. Describe the fish existing in all the waters mentioned in Series A of these questions, giving size, weight, quality, species, method of taking, probable increase or decrease, and any other information bearing upon this subject. 58. State particularly all the knowledge you possess of whales and other sea animals in the mouths of rivers or along the coast of the Polar Sea, giving localities, probable quantities, and methods by which they are now taken. 59. Give your view as to the value of these sea coast fisheries, the class ol vessels suitable for its pursuit, and the point from which such vessel could sail, with 22 'particular reference to the possible use of the head of navigation on the Mackenzie Itiver as a starting point and depot of supplies. 60. Is there timber suitable for the-Ksonstruction of seal and whaling craft on the head waters of the Mackenzie Kiver proper ? 61. Give any farther information regarding the fish and fisheries of the region which you have not embodied in the foregoing answers. 62. Please indicate on a map or otherwise the nature and extent of the wooded region. Albo the various kinds of trees found there ; the size, commercial value, quantity, etc. What would be the best outlet for sending this timber to market ia the future ? 63. Are there any economic plants of small size in the forest or plains of these regions ? If so, state locality, quantity, quality, etc. ? 64. Have you any knowledge of medicinal plants used by Indians or others ? If so, state fully ? 65. How far west and north does the Labrador tea plant extend, and to what extent is it used in these northern regions ? 66. What is your opinion of it as a substitute for the Asiatic tea ? 67. Please state opposite the different minerals mentioned hereunder, the localities of any of them, the extent of the deposits, the means of export, commercial value, and all other information regarding them : Gold, silver, copper, iron, sulphur, salt, petroleum, asphaltum, gypsum, alum, precious stones, coal, lignite, plumbago, lead. 68. Give all the information you can regarding brick, pottery clay, moulding sand, marble, lime and sandstones, granites, etc. ? 69. Give all additional information you can relative to the mineral resources of the Mackenzie Basin which you have not given in reply to the foregoing questions. Note. — The Committee will be glad to receive and acknowledge the reeeipt of any small specimens of any of the minerals mentioned, if sent from the nearest Post Offices in packages not exceeding two pounds weight, marked " Free." These will be placed in one of the Government offices with your name upon them and such description attached to it as you choose to send with them. Series D. — General Questions Relating to the Mackenzie Basin. 70. Give all the information you possess as to the breeding grounds of migra- tory wild fowl ; locality, numbers, species, date of hatching, time of arriving and leaving, and all other information bearing upon these points ? 71. What kind of wild fowl are considered of the most value in the spring and fall migrations. Are they in great numbers ? 72. During the migrations do these birds stop to feed in any of the distriots yon are acquainted with, and where ? 73. What is the food of the different varieties of these migratory birds during the breeding season ? 74. Give the time of their appearance in the spring, going north, and their re- turn flights in the autumn, going south, at different places ? 75. .What is the usual food of these wild fowl after the hatching season is over? 76. Give a list of native berries and fruits in the various portions of the country that you are acquainted with ? 77. Has the natural pitch of the Athabasca River any prospective value? 78. What quantity is there of this deposit ? 79. Should petroleum be discovered in large quantities by boring wells in the Athabasca region, what would be the best way of bringing it to market? 80. What would be the approximate coat of taking in machinery and sinking — say three wells to the necessary depth to test this important question ? 81. Is there any geological evidence that would enable us to trace the gold of the North Saskatchewan to its probable source ? 23 ,-7 1582. Give all information regarding the Indians of the district, the different tribes their localities in the summer and winter, their increase or decrease, the epidemio diseases to which they are subject, and all other information which bears upon their food and bodily welfare ? 83. What is the food used by them at different times of the year in different localities, and to what extent have they endeavored to cultivate the soil and with what success ? Give the localities and fall information. fifths 84. Can you give any reasons for the occurrence of years of comparative'planty and comparative scarcity ? 85. What is the cause and nature of disease which periodically kills off rabbits? 86. How many varieties of rabbits are there in the Mackenzie Basin ? 87. Are all equally affected by this disease ? 88. Give a list of all of the food animals not included in your former answers, their locality, present and future importance, and necessity for protection or other- wise ? 89. What effect would the opening up of the Mackenzie Basin to civilized men have upon the Indians of the region ? 90. Gould their labor be employed much to the advantage of employers and employed, and how far would such employment tend to civilize and make them self- supporting ? Note. — In closing these series of questions the Committee will be glad to receive and acknowledge any assistance in the way of information to be derived from origi- nal memoranda, journals or other documents, or from little known maps, pamphlets, etc., bearing upon the region to which this enquiry relates ; and generally have to request that you will add on separate sheets any information of a general or particu- lar character which is directly or indirectly within the objects of this enquiry. State also your opportunities for procuring information. 24 THE GREAT MACKENZIE BASIN. MDTOTES OF EVIDENCE. Senate Committee Boom, Ottawa, 3rd April, 1888 The Select Committee of the Senate, appointed to enquire into the resources of that part of the Dominion lying north of the Saskatchewan watershed, east of the Pocky Mountains and west of Hudson's Bay, and comprising the Great Mackenzie Basin, its extent of navigable rivers, lakes and sea coasts, of arable and pastoral land, its fisheries 1 , forests and mines, and to report upon its possible commercial and agri- cultural value, met in Committee Boom No. 2 at 11 o'clock a.m. Captain Craig, farmer, of Prince Albert, appeared and was examined by the Committee as follows : The Chairman — As no order of questions has yet been prepared, as was the case last year, it will be for any gentleman on the Committee to put any questions he thinks proper to Captain Craig. By Honorable Mr. Macdonald, (B.t7.) : I think, Mr. Chairman, as you are familiar with the run of this enquiry it would he better that you should ask the questions as regards any information that you wish to elicit. The Chaibman — I shall ask a few leading' questions ; unfortunately I am not a practical farmer, but with the understanding that other members of the Committee shall supplement any questions which they think desirable. Capt. Craig — My personal knowledge extends only to the Saskatchewan district, and not very far north, except from hearsay. The Chairman — I may explain to you that the draft of the questions which we shall put to all witnesses has not yet been approved by the Committee, but I may perhaps read it with permission of honorable members. The first question is — and this relates more particularly to the questions we shall send by mail: " In giving in your answers all the information which you have obtained by actual travel there or from other reliable sources, please state particular part of the region to which your answers refer, and the source from which you obtained them." I have no doubt that in that northern region you will have heard a good deal. In the order of the instructions to the Committee the navigation of the region comes first, and if we follow that order we will require to know from you, as tar as you can give it to us, the navigation of the Athabasca Biver and, in addition to that, the best points to connect the navigable waters of that river with the navigable waters of the Saskatchewan by road or by railway. Capt. Craig.— My knowledge as to the Athabasca is so extremely limited that 1 am afraid my opinion would not be of any value to you. That is a question which I feel inclined to pass oven t Q. In that case it will be of importance, indirectly, to know your estimate of the navigability of the Saskatchewan Biver? A, The Saskatchewan Biver is navi- gable, as regards the Main Saskatchewan and the North Branch, throughout its whole length. The South Branch of the Saskatchewan has been navigated, but the naviga- tion is not certain unless the water is high. It is somewhat obstructed by shifting sandbars and other obstructions. 25 By Honorable Mr. Sutherland : Q. Which do you mean ? South Saskatchewan ? A. The South Branch I am speaking of. Q. Are these aDy shifting sandbars on the North Saskatchewan ? A. Not to the same extent. There are other obstructions which I shall speak of presently. The settlement of Prince Albert may be said to stand midway on the river from its mouth to its navigable source, west of Edmonton, and the whole stretch westward from Prince Albert is urobstructed and open for navigation in any ordinary season from a date in April until the middle of October. By Honorable Mr. McCallum : Q. What draft of steamer do you generally navigate it with ? A. It has been navigated by boats drawing 18 inches when loaded ; but the opinion of those who- are best qualified to judge is that lighter draft boats would run every day in summer time, without the slightest trouble, as far as Edmonton. Q. What are the other difficulties that you spoke of as beiDg in the river, besides shifting sandbars ? A. Eastward the river is obstructed by falls and rapids, the first known as Cole's Falls. It is not a serious obstruction ; the principal obstruction is Grand Eapids near the mouth of the river. Q. Is the fall very great ? A. There is a fall, I understand, of 2? feet there. Q. In what distance ? A. There is a portage of about 3 miles and a half to get past it. Q. Would there be much trouble with the other falls above to get round them by lock ? A. No. The Government has been improving them by taking out boulders out of the bed of the river. By Honorable Mr. Sutherland : Q. It is more a rapid than a fall ? A. Yes, it is more a rapid than a fall. By Honorable Mr. McCallum : Q. The current is very strong in those rapids ? A. Yes, very strong. The current in the North Branch is not so swift as that in the South Branch ; consequently the water does not remain high in the South Branch so long as it does in the North Branch. Q. You cannot navigate it above Edmonton any distance ? A . I am not aware that it is navigable any distance above Edmonton, but the boats run regularly to Edmonton in the season. I believe it is navigable for some distance above, but practically it is not navigated. Q. Shifting sandbars are the greatest trouble in navigating the river ? A. They are more a feature of the South Branch than of the North Branch. By the Chairman : Q. What is the character of the country to the north of Prince Albert ? A It is very similar to what it is to the south for some distance out and between the water ehed and the Saskatchewan and that of English Biver or Churchill there are a great many lakes. Q; You have said the same general character as to the south ; what do you mean by that ? Flat and alluvial ? A. Yes, and interspersed with wood and bush. By Honorable Mr. Almon : Q. What kind of wood ? A. Chiefly spruce and poplar. By Honorable Mr. McCallum : Q. Any of large size ? A. Yes* there are lots of sawlogs two feet in diameter. There is a saw mill at Prince Albert. By Honorable Mr. Almon : Q. They saw the spruce into lumber ? A. Yes ; they saw spruce and poplar a» well, but generally spruce. By Honorable Mr. McCallum : Q. Spruce is the most valuable timber you have ? A. Yes. By Honorable Mr. Macdonald (B.G.~) : Q. What size do the logs average ? A. You can find logs two feet in diameter. They do not average that, but they do grow to that size. 1-2 » 26 By Honorable Mr. McCallum : Q. 1 suppose they average all the way from ten inches up to two feet in diame- ter ? A. Yes, about that. By Honorable Mr. Macdonald (B.C.) : Q. flow high do the trees grow without branches ? A. The spruce generally branches down very nearly to the ground, more or less, bat they are small branches, and do not interfere with its usefulness for sawlogs. The lumber when cut is not so clear and free from knots as the white pine of this district, but it is suitable for ordinary building purposes. By Honorable Mr. McGlelan : Q. How large is the poplar ? A. It runs up very nearly to the samo size. I have seen it two feet in diameter, but very rarely. There is a good deal of it used for buildiDg houses there. The most of the settlers' houses were built of poplar logs when settlement first started. There is also tamarac or larch found there. Q. Are there different varieties of poplar ? A. Yes, we know them locally as the smooth bark poplar and the rough bark poplar. By Honorable Mr. McCallum : Q. The rough bark poplar grows larger than the other variety ? A. Yes, and is more valuable. By Honorable Mr. McGlelan : Q. Does the poplar carry its size well towards the top ? A. Yes, very well. By Honorable Mr. Macdonald ; Q. Of what wood do you make your shingles in that country ? A. The shingles are generally made of spruce. By Honorable Mr. McCallum : Q. The woods you have mentioned are the principal timber in that district ? A. Yes, these are the principal timbers. There is no hard wood except some small birch. There is plenty of larch, or juniper as we call it locally. Q, It does not grow as large as the spruce ? A; No, but I have been told that there is elm of considerable size down on the Carrot Eiver, to the south of the main Saskatchewan, That is merely hearsay; I cannot speak from knowledge, never having seen it. By Honorable Mr. Chaffers : Q. Where is the timber generally found ? More along the river ? A. Yes. On the south bank of the North Saskatchewan, where Prince Albert settlement is, there is no wood except small poplar, fit only for fencing purposes. On the north bank it is wooded out for several miles and the way that it seems to grow is right along the river bank. Where I live myself, seven miles from Prince Albert, there is about a mile deep of poplar, some of it large enough for sawlogs, and lots of it fit for fencing. The poplar is next the river, then there is a belt of tamarac, and outside of that is pine. By Honorable Mr. Alexander : Q. How large have you seen spruce sawlogs ? A. I have seen the spruce two feet m diameter. We have also a fir that we call locally " Jaokpine " By Honorable Mr. McCallum : Q. That is not of much value ? A. It is used for firewood principally. By Honorable Mr. Howlan : Q. But the main timber along the river is spruce ? A. Yes, and it extends principally west. Mr. Macdowall who has a sawmill there has limits west of .Lamonton as well as near Prince Albert. Q. The spruce is next the river, and then the tamarac comes next to that ? A Locally the poplar is next the river and then the tamarac. It depends on the con- figuration of the ground. The tamarac seems to grow in swampy regions prinoi- By Honorable Mr. McCallum : Q. What are the agricultural products of that country? A. We grow every- thing that is grown here. I have been there five years, and engaged in agriculture ^principally, and in that time we have had bad years all the time, except last season. B 27 Q. Was it frost ? A. It was drought chiefly, and the rebellion we had one year. By Honorable Mr. Alexander : Q. Still you had some good returns ? A. Yes, we could manage to live there. By Honorable Mr. McCtelan : Q. Can you inform us as to the extremes of heat and cold at Priuce Albert? Q. I cannot speak of the extreme cold, from my own observation, furtber than this, that it has frozen the mercury in my thermometer. Still it is very enjoyable even at that. Q. It is a dry atmosphere ? A. Yes, it is a very dry atmosphere. I was used to the milder atmosphere of Scotland, although it is 250 miles nearer the north pole than Prince Albert, and the mercury was never below zero like that; still we feel the climate very comfortable in Prince Albert when properly clad for it. Q. Is it extremely hot there ? A. The mercury goes above eighty in the shade sometimes. Q. I suppose you have plenty of mosquitoes? A. We have a few mosquitoes there. By Honorable Mr. Alexander : Q. During those five years, have you experienced such blizzards as prevail in Dakota? A. We have never had anything resembling a blizzard since I came to Prince Albert, and I never heard of any ; and the best evidence I could give to the people in the old country when writing home to them was, that I never had to thatch a grain stack or tie it down in any way on my farm. There is little wind at any time of the year. There is usually a little blow about April — about seed time. By Honorable Mr. Almon : Q. Do your forests suffer from fire? A. They have suffered considerably since I have been there. Q. Is the tamarac a short lived tree? A. No, I think not. Q. Have you noticed it die off with a disease? A. No, there is no disease in our country in anything — either in cattle, wood or vegetables. There is no potato disease. We are entirely free from anything of that sort. By Honorable Mr. Alexander : Q. Prom your experience there, do you think that the masses of the population from Scotland would be satisfied on going there and getting land such as you have there and such a climate, provided you had railway communication ? A. I should think they would. I happen to know a good deal about Scotland, and I know that the farmiDg population there is in a very bad state, and so are the landlords, because their rentals are being reduced and it does not altogether make the tenant right either, and neither of them is satisfied. By Honorable Mr. Almon : Q. Would they express themselves satisfied, even though they were ? A. It is a question. By Honorable Mr . Qowan : Q. How many years have you been in the Prince Albert district ? A. Pive years. Q. Have you noticed the time when spring fairly opens there? A. Yes, very carefully, I think. Q. In what month? A. I take my data from the seed time; I sowed wheat last year on the 16th day of April, which was a Saturday; and in the previous year on the 19th April. By Honorable Mr. McOlelan : Q. Would that be on the frost ? A. There was frost in the ground, but the sur- face was sufficiently dry to harrow. By Honorable Mr. McCallum : t . Q. You had soil enough to cover the seed on top of the frost ? A. Yes, quite sufficient. The frost has a different effect there from what it has here, on the soil ? By Honorable Mr. Qowan: Q. What would you eay was the average time for seeding during the five years you were there ? A. From the 16th to the 20th ApriL 1-2J a 28 Q. Have you noticed the flowers there ? What kinds are found there ? Are they spring flowers ? A. I am not very much of a botanist. I see the very earliest is something like a wild crocus. Q. Have you the anemone ? Do you know it at all ? A. I suppose I know it when I see it, but I am not very well up in botany. Q. At what season does winter'fairly set in and put a stop to farming operation ?' A. Last year we were able to plough until the 10th of November. Q. Does the frost ever go out of the ground? A. Oh, yes. Q. Is frost not found at all times a certain distance below the surface ? A. No. I believe that away north, towards the Yukon — I have been told since I started' from Prince Albert this time — that the frost does not go out of the ground altogether at any time ; that it is covered with a thick coating of moss which prevents it from thawing out. Q. I am told that in the Saskatchewan district, some three or four feet under the surface of the ground the frost never leaves, and the effect has been beneficial, because the heat of summer draws the moisture up? A. It is not the case in our district. We have vegetables, which grow very deep, such as parsnips, which grow three feet down into the soil. Q. How deep does the frost enter the ground in the winter ? A. I am not sure that I can exactly say as to that, because I have never seen it dug into in the win- ter ; but it is all out of the ground about the time that we begin to fence. We can- not drive pickets if there was any frost in the ground. The fences there are made with pickets and rails— zig-zag fences — and we must drive the pickets in 15 to IS inches, and if there is any frost in the ground we could not drive them. We fence after the grain is half a foot high. Q. What kind of water have you there ? A. We have good water all over the district. Q. How deep do you require to dig your wells to get pure spring water ? A. I have a well myself which is only 8 feet deep, and a neighbor of mine has one 22 feet deep. Q. Tou reach the gravel then at eight feet ? A. No, it is a kind of white sand where the water comes. We can scarcely touch gravel at all except down on the- flat beside the river. By Honorable Mr Alexander : Q. Has the potato crop round Prince Albert been a success generally ? A. Yes, every year. By Honorable Mr. McClelan : Q. You speak of no disease being known there? A.. There is none. By the Chairman : Q. No potato bug ? A. No, none at all.. By Honorable Mr. Qowan : Q. Has the farmer there do enemy at all ? A. Yes, the early frost in the fall By Honorable Mr. Alexander : Q. When does the early frost come ? A. The year I went out there in 1883 it came on the 24th August. Since then I have observed it every year, and the earliest that I have found it has been the 17th August, and the latest the 1st of September ?,'...«« V s , , yield of the P otato cro P P er acre? A - I ttlink it is Quite safe to call it 350 bushels. x Q. And turnips? A. Double that-that is Swedes. I got first prize for Swedes at the local fair this year. Q. Do you grow carrots ? A. Yes, I grow all kinds of carrots. Q. What kind of carrots do you find succeed there— the red or the white ? A E have g^own them both, and they grow very well. All kinds of root crops grow very well with us. re By Honorable Mr. Gowan : Q. Have you grown celery? A. I have not grown it in the district, but it is grown. I have grown cabbage, beets, turnips, onions, parsnips, pumpkins and melons. a 29 Q. And all do well? A. All, except the last two I have named have done well. Q. The melons ? A. I am not very sure about them. Q. Do tomatoes ripen ? A. Tbey do ripen. I have not grown them myself, bat they ripen. By Honorable Mr. Almon : Q. Is there an early frost that ever destroys the grain shortly after it is up ? A. We have it more or less touched sometimes, but it does not injure it — it throws it a little back. I had some barley frozen in the spring, but it was so very heavy a crop latterly, that it all lay down. By Honorable Mr. Sutherland : , . Q. .Did you notice the early frost injure the wheat any ? A. It does not injure it at all. In fact I have observed that the wheat stands frost better than either oats or barley. By Honorable Mr. Gowan : Q. Where is the market for your surplus products ? A. We have not any at all, and we cannot sell our grain at all. _ Q, What do you do with it ? A. I do not know what we shall do with it ulti- mately, but we are down here now trying to get a railway to carry it away. That is the object of our being here. By Honorable Mr. Sutherland ; Q. I notice in the papers here that wheat was selling at $1.50 ? A. That was at Edmonton. The price of the best wheat (No. 1) at the Hudson's Bay Company's. m ill the Hudson's Bay Compony were the only purchasers, at least for cash— was at the commencement 70 cents per bushel for No. 1 , 60 cents for No. 2, and 55 cents for No. 3. I underhand about the time we left Prince Albert they had decided to reduce the price, as the market is overstocked. By Honorable Mr. Macdonald (B.C.) : Q. How far are you from the railway ? A; I believe in a direct line we are 210 miles from Regina, but the mail line by which all traffic goes is 270 miles. Q. Ton could not possibly got your grain to the railway ? A. No, the freight would kill it altogether. By Honorable Mr Alexander : . Q. What do you do with your surplus barley at present ? A. What I am doing -with it is to crush it and feed it to the pigs and cattle. By Honorable Mr. MeOallum : Q How do ycu account for the price of wheat being so high at Edmonton, when it is an agricultural country there ? A. They seem to have had a small crop of wheat this year. It is a mere question of supply and demand. It has been as high as $2 at our place. At one time before the Pacific Railway was built, Prince Albert was a centre for supplying a great part of the West Saskatchewan Valley— Battleford, Edmonton, and northwards as well— but when the Canadian Pacific Bailway went through, they found shorter waggon routes, and Battleford now gets its supplies from Swift Current, and Edmonton from Calgary. That cut off Prince Albert entirely. By Honorable Mr. Alexander : Q From all your knowledge of the surroundings there, what percentage of the land is really good, fair land for agriculture, taking the barren parts with the more fertile? A.' In our district, immediately between the rivers, the land is not all arable, but it is all valuable either for ploughing or for pasturage. By the Chairman : „,„,„, Q. That is south of Prince Albert ? A. South of the Saskatchewan . O The Committee is more anxious to ascertain the character of the country north of the Saskatchewan ? A. As I mentioned before, the character of the land to Dhe north is very similar to that south of the Saskatchewan. O What is the distance between Prince Albert and the nearest navigable water —when I Say navigable water, I mean for boats drawing 30 inches-on the Beaver .River? A. I could not tell that. 30 Q. Could you tell me approximately? A. There are navigable lakes, about 100- miles to the north. Q. Flowing into the Beaver Eiver? A. I understand the outlet is towards the Churchill or English Eiver. Q. That is within the district that forms the subject of our enquiry? A. Yes; Q. We understand that the distance from Prince Albert to navigable lakes with- in the scope of this enquiry to be about 100 miles? A. Yes. Q. What is the character of the watershed between these two places? A. I understand theie is nothing in the nature of hilly ground. It is more a flat, and people who go out there can hardly tell you which way the water flows. I believe the Churchill itself is more like a chain of lakes than a river. It is very clear water. Q. Do you know whether the navigable lake that you speak of connects with other navigable lakes forming the chain of the Mackenzie Eiver ? A. I believe there is such a connection, but I am not acquainted with it at all. By Honorable Mr. Alexander : Q. Are the fish of those lakes and rivers valuable articles of food ? A. Yes, the fish in certain of those lakes are very plentiful — in Trout Lake, Gull Lake, and several others. Q. Are they caught of a good size ? A. Yes, lake trout run as high as forty pounds, although that is an unusual size, and whitefish have been canght as high as nine and twelve pounds, though that is not a usual size. By the Chairman : Q. Do you refer to the lakes north of the Saskatchewan ? A- The lakes be- tween the Saskatchewan and English Eiver— north of the North Saskatchewan. Q. You mean by the English Eiver, the Churchill? A. Yes, the Churchill. It is quite customary for the half-breeds in my own immediate neighborhood, to go out every winter on sleighs and stay two or three days and come back with loads offish. By Honorable Mr. Gowan : Q. Do the half-breeds of your neighborhood apply themselves to farming at all I A. Yes, more or less. Q. Are they successful ? A. Some of them are. They have been more given to freighting and fishing and hunting than to farming hitherto. Q. Are they teachable — are they willing to profit by the knowledge and experi- ence of others ? A. Yes, a number of them are well educated men and are quite up to date in their ideas. They are not all so. Those who live in my immediate district are English speaking half-breeds. On the South Branch there are a great many French speaking half-breeds. By Honorable Mr Alexander : Q. Would hardy breeds of sheep be successful there ? A. Yes. Q. What breeds would be best adapted for the country ? A. We have merinos and southdowns. Q. And Leicester ? A. Yes, I have a few of all these kinds myself, and crosses of them. By Honorable Mr. Almon : Q. Do you not find the bears and wolves troublesome? A. The wolves kill a lew of tbem. Q. Many ? A. Not many. I had three killed this winter. By Honorable Mr. Macdonald {B.C.) : Q. Do you find a market for the animals you feed ? A No, the local market is overstocked. Just before I left beef cattle, three years old, fit for killing, were offered for $35 a head and not finding purchasers ? . Q. What would that be by the pound live weight— 2 cents? A. I suppose so? By Honorable Mr. Gowan : Q. What kind of wolves have you there— large or small ? A. They are chiefly small wolves, but there are some large wolves that we call wood wolves. Foxes lave been numerous this winter and that we understand to be due to the scarcity of rabbits. The rabbits in certain years increase enormously and you can kill hundreds R 31 if yon have a mind to do it everywhere, and it has been found by those who have- been there for years that they seem to die out in some way once in seven years. By the Chairman : Q. What is the cause of that ? A. It seems to be a disease. I have seen some that had a kind of swelling about the throat. That is the only way it can be ac- counted for on reasonable grounds I think. Q. Tou have spoken of the timber north of Prince Albert and within the region of this enquiry. How far north of Prince Albert do people bring sawlogs down?' A. They have not got them far out yet, because it has not been necessary. Q. How far out could they cut them? A. They could cut them I fancy 20 miloe out. There are two creeks that they float them down, Eed Deer Creek (but that is a very common name and does not convey anything) and Sturgeon Creek. Logs have also been cut since the settlement was first made on some islands in the river — Gunn's Island, Badger Island, and others. Q. Tou were speaking of the frost, and you said, if I remember right, that you had frost sometimes as early as the 17th of August ? A. Yes ; that is the earliest I have observed personally, Q. You have mentioned also that wheat was often put in on the 17th of April? A. Yes. Q. That would be 94 days between the placing of the seed in the ground and the first frost? A. Yes. Q. Do you know any variety of wheat that will ripen within that period ? A. In dry years, fuch as we have had — take 1886 as the most recent — it did ripen within that time — the Eed Fife. Q. Have you made any experiments with the .Russian wheat that the Govern- ment have been distributing through the Experimental Farm ? A. No. I have had samples of Ladoga wheat sent me this spring to experiment with. Q. What is the period necessary for the growth of this wheat ? A. They claim, that it ripens 10 to 14 days earlier than Eed Fife. Q. In that case, if it were true that wheat sown on the 17 th April would be ripe that many days earlier, it would be in no possible danger from early frosts ? A. No ; that is all that is wanted. Q. What is the effect of frost upon the agriculture of the region — I mean by that the deep penetration of the frost, whether it affects the growth of plants, to your knowledge, or whether instead of that it is an assistance to their growth in years of drought? We want that from you as a practical farmer? A. Do you refer to the growth of cultivated plants ? Q. I do ? A. The only grain that is really damaged by frost seems to be wheat, and in certain years there is no doubt whatever that it has been more or less damaged by frost. Q. I mean the winter frost ; what effect has the deep penetration of that upon the growth of wheat? A. We think beneficial. The theory is— and I fancy we have seen it in practice — that the ground being quickly frozen, and a-t I explained in the early part of this examination we sow on the frost, ploughing our land in the fall, we can harrow it much sooner than we can plough in the spring and get the seed in, and the gradual thawing of the frost supplies moisture to the plant, and by the time that is exhausted in the natural course of things we expect to have rains, and generally speaking we have them in the spring. There is a Unanimous belief that this deep frost is an advantage to grain growing. Q. In coming out of the ground, has it the effect of breaking up the soil ? A. It never heaves at all. Q. I mean does it pulverise the soil in coming out ? A It has no noticeable effect on ploughed ground at all. Very often we have this chinook or south wind blowing and it leaves without creating slush or a flood. It leaves a slippery coat on the surface, and very soon after the snow disappears, and the ground is harrowed very easily. Q. Have you seen the effect of the chinook winds as far west as Prince Albert ! A. Yes ; it is very marked. B. 32 Q. And how far north ? A. I cannot say as to that. It does go north, and we have been told by those who have travelled in the Peace Eiver country, reliable men, that the climate there is qnite as good as ours, although it is considerably lur- ther north. I have not been there myself and I only speak from hearsay, but I get my information from reliable persons. Q. I think I am speaking the feeling of the Committee when I say that the in- formation you have given of your own knowledge is very valuable, but we do not wish to confine you to that. Tou must have had conversation with, Hudson's Bay Company men, missionaries and others living north of you, and you are quite at liberty to make statements giving information derived from such sources ? A. I have heard that spoken almost universally of the Peace Eiver District by men who have been there, Hudson's Bay Company's servants and others. By Honorable Mr. Alexander: Q. In the absence of a railway, what employment could laborers expect to receive at Prince Albert now ? Would there be much employment for agricultural laborers •coming from England, Scotland and Ireland now ? A. The thing has come to be in a different position this year from what it was before, but up to this last crop and while this crop was being taken off the ground, there was a scarcity of agricultural laborers. It is difficult to hire men, and the common wages paid in our district was $30 per month and board — that is practically $1 a day and board. By Honorable Mr. Gowan : Q. Tou have referred to summer frost hurting the wheat : does that same frost which injures the wheat affect the potato or the beet ? A. It does not affect the beet, but it does affect the potato, so far as the top is concerned, but the potato is generally nearly ripe. Q. It is only partially injurious ? A. It is a temporary, not a permanent injury. It does not injure the tuber, but has a sensible effect on the top. Q The beet is usually considered more tender with us and we find that a frost which affects the beet seriously does not injure the potato so much ? A. I have not found it so. 1 grow beets of several varieties, and last year I allowed them to remain on the ground until they were almost frozen in. In the case of Swedish turnips they were actually frozen and thawed two or three times but they were not injured at all. By Honorable Mr. McCMan : Q. Tou spoke about the value of wheat ; what is the market value of potatoes and other vegetables ? A. The highest price 1 have seen potatoes bring there since I went to the district, was $1 a bushel. Ihat was a year when there was a small crop. Q That is the local market? A. The local market entirely. I think they were $1.25 ultimately, or something like that. This year the crop, like other crops, was large acd there was no outlet for them almost at all. The price began about 40 cts. a bushel, and was down I dare say to 15 cts. a bushel, paid to those who choose to sell. I had a considerable crop myself and did not know what to do with them. I made an outside cellar and put 300 or 400 bushels in there and fed the balance of them. Q. You would consider, I suppose, from the tendency of your testimony, so far as the Prince Albert District is oorcerned, that cattle feeding would be, after all, the most permanent and profitable business for the farmer? A. There is a certainty io it There is no risk ; we have no diseases of cattle. We do not profess that cattle can winter out there the way they do at Calgary. .Ranching on a small scale, providing winter feed for the cattle, is very safe. There is never any trouble in wintering at all. By the Chairman : Q. What is the population of Prince Albert settlement— taking the settlement as Port a la Come— that is, Prince Albert and the adjacent settlements -what is the farming population ? A. The population, the municipality included, is put at about fi,000. I believe it is something over that. Q. You notice on this map the line of the Manitoba and North- Western Railway indicating that it is located a certain distance. Supposing that railway had beea R 33 built before you put in the crop last year, with the knowledge you possess of the yield — supposing these people could have found a market, how much grain, wheat and other cereals and root crops fit for exportation could you have raised in the dis- trict you mentioned ? A. I should estimate — it is a mare guess however — that the present population, with a year's notice, might serve the local market and export something like 100,000 bushels of wheat alone. I have only thought of it as a rough guess. Q. How much of cereals of all kinds? A. The yield of oats and barley is larger than of wheat, but I premise that we would have to have a year's notice to prepare. The reason why I say so is only half the ground has been cultivated — that is broken up and cultivated and gone back — only about one-half has been in use during the last year or two. This plethora that was to take place was fore- seen, and thoughtful men did not put in large crops, but the present population! could double their output at once almost. Q. That is to say the oats and barley would be double the quantity of wheat ? A. Yes. Q. That is a rough estimate of 300,000 bushels ? A. Yes, with a year's notice. Q. How far in the direction of Prince Albert has the railway already been built? A. To Langenburg, 180 miles from the junction with the Canadian Pacific Railway. Q. How far is that from Prince Albert? A. In a Btraight line it is 270 mites. Q. By the surveyed line ? A. About 300 miles. Q. When do you hope to have that railway into Prince Albert ? A. I am afraid it is not so much '• hope " as despair that has taken possession of us. By Honorable Mr. Almon: Q. When you went there in 1882 what was the population of the Prince Albert district ? A. It has increased somewhat, notably in the town, but the population in the surrounding country has not increased except by natural increase. That is to say there has been very little immigration. By Honorable Mr. Gowan : Q. What about the health of the locality ? A. It is a very healthy place ? Q, How many doctors have you? A. We have two. By Honorable Mr. Almon : Q. And how many lawyers ? A. We have five or six of them. By Honorable Mr Gowan : Q. Are there any diseases peculiar to the place ? A. No, I am not aware of any at all. I know my own family have been very healthy. < By Honorable Mr. Almon : Q. Is there small-pox among the Indians or half-breeds? A. There has been no visitation of it since I -have been there. I believe some of the half-breeds and Indians are not of robust constitution. Scrofula seems to prevail among them to< some extent. By Honorable Mr. Alexander ; Q. What about the probable supply of fuel in the event of a large population going in there ? I suppose you will depend upon coal? A. Coal is at present worked at Edmonton. There are alr-o indications of coal immediately below Prince Albert, and we are told that it is to be found to the north. By the Chairman : Q. At what place? A. I believe on the Athabasca and the Peace River there are indications of it and also of mineral oil or petroleum. Q. Has asphal turn been found ? A. Yes. Q. And salt? A. Yes. Q. And gypsum ? A. Yes ; I believe so. We have heard of all these from people who have been there. Q. Have brick and pottery clays been found ? A. My colleague who has gone home says he has seen moulders' sand on the Saskatchewan. It is a valuable article, inasmuch as it is found in very few places on this continent. There are also indica- tions of iron near the Saskatchewan. There are springs very much impregnated with iron. 34 Q, Have you heard of sulphur being found round the Athabasca? A. I believe I have heard of sulphur, and I have seen gold that came from there . I also saw com- ing down this time a man, at one of the stopping places on the prairie, with samples of gold quartz that he had brought from the Yukon, 200 miles within the boundary — that is in the region covered by your enquiry. Q. I once had a specimen of amber from the neighborhood of Great Silver Lake. It was got on one of the Franklin expeditions- Have you heard of any being found ? A. No. By Honorable Mr . Macdonald : Q. Have you heard of lime or gypsum being discovered? A. The lime used in the district of Prince Albert is made altogether from boulders. There is a large deposit of boulders on both sides of the river exactly on the flat at which Prince Albert is built, and although there is a considerable quantity oat every year and burnt, it never seems to decrease, and on the Red Deer Hill, which is a small eleva- tion between the rivers six miles from the town of Prince Albert, limestone is dug out in detached pieces. It is not stratified. By Honorable Mr. McClelan : Q. Does it make white lime when it is burnt ? A. Yes. Q. How about gypsum ? A. I do not know that it is found there at all. Q. Is freestone found in that country? A. No ; we have no rocks of that kind at all. By the Chairman : Q. The soil is all alluvial ? A. Yes. Q. Have you reason to believe that that character of soil extends a considerable distance to the north ? A. Yes; as far as I understand from travellers, surveyors srnd freighters the soil is very much the same . Q. Do you know anything, from reliable information, of this immense region called the barren grounds ? A. No; it seems to be very much unknown to those who are in our district. As to the Mackenzie River, we have parties resident in Prince Albert who are very capable of giving information. I remember one man in particular who I think would give you some interesting information — Mr. Andrew jFlett, of Prince Albert. He was 40 years on the Mackenzie River in the Hudson's Bay Company's service. He is married to an Indian woman, and they are both very intelligent. Speaking of the coal on the river, it is so easily mined at Edmonton that the price is very moderate. It is sold in Edmonton, delivered there for 8L75 per ton. It could be freighted all over the river district. Q. What is the rate of transportation from Edmonton by river? A. There is none brought down. It is brought as far as Eattleford. By Honorable Mr. Macdonald; Q. What is the quality of that coal ? A. It is pretty good. Q. It is soft coal, of course ? A. Yes. Q. Is there much slate or shale in it? A. No; it seems to burn very clean. It does not give much flame. The Committee adjourned until to-morrow. Wednesday, 4th April, 1888. Dr. Hugh Bain, Prince Albert, N.W.T., called and examined. By the Chairman : Q. You were present yesterday, I think, when we informed Capt. Craig that ■while we would like to have evidence derived from actual observation and travel through the country, yet we wished to obtain information all the same even if ifc oame from other sources that you considered reliable ; so that we will not confine you to that portion which has come directly under your own observation. You were present to-day when the list of questions was read to the Committee ? A. Of course, B. 35 nearly all these questions refer to the Mackenzie Kiver country, and of that country I have no personal knowledge. We in the Saskatchewan country are merely on the very verge of that great territory, and I can really give very little information. Q. As we have not yet got in print the class of questions referring to the agri- culture of the district, we will proceed as we did yesterday by any member of the Committee asking you for information regarding tho locality with which you are acquainted, and beyond Prince Albert to the north especially. In what part of the North-West do you reside ? A. I reside at Prince Albert, N . W.T. Q. How long have you lived at Prince Albert ? A. About eight years. Q. To what extent east, west and north have your travels extended? A. East- ward on the Saskatchewan I have been down to the mouth of the river; westward on the Saskatchewan I have been only a short distance past Battleford. In a north- erly direction I have been, perhaps, 100 miles, more or less, north of the river. Q. Will you state to the Committee generally the character of the country to the north of Prince Albert, mentioning specially the character of the land suited for agriculture, the timber, the fisheries, and any metals that you know of ? A. Im- mediately north of us we have a large belt of timber, chiefly spruce, and also a good deal of poplar. As you proceed in a north-westerly direction you come into a very- fine open country, plains interspersed with bluffs of timber, a country very well suited for grazing certainly and in all probability for giain growing as well. There are several Indian reserves up there. To the iiorth in the immediate neighborhood of Prince Albert there aro three Indian reserves, and the Indians on those reserves have proved that the land is quite suitable for agriculture, as they are really the most prosperous Indians we have, in Ajthe Saskatchewan district. Atahkacoop, chief of one of the reserves, and Misiawagis, chief ol another reserve, they were the two loyal chieftains during the rebellion. The third reserve to the north is Petaquaqua. The Indians on theso reserves are all succeeding fairly well. For several years past they have raised quite a quantity of grains of different kinds — wheat, oats and barley and roots. They have quite a large amount of stock in the way of horned cattle and also a number of sheep, and have proved the adaptability of the country as far north as that, at least for agriculture. By Honorable Mr. Almon : Q. How far north of Prince Albert did you see agricultural products growing? A. I fancy about 100 miles north— as far north as I was in fact — away up on Devil's Lake. Q. It might be suitable to grow these products further north ? A. Of course they are grown further north — at Green Lake and other places. By Honorable Mr. Howlan : Q. But you have been no further north ? A. No. By the Chairman : Q. Can you give us a list of the grains, roots, fruits and grasses that you know are produced 1 (JO miles north of Prince Albeit? A. Wheat, oat?, barley, potatoes, parsnips; nearly all the small garden stuff that is to be found ; carrots, peas, beets and garden stuff generally that is grown. In the way of fruits they have the small berries, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries and these saskatoon berries are to be found in abundance ; and then we have the same quality of grasses that we have in the immediate neighborhood of "the Saskatchewan Eiver — prairie grasses that are grown there. Q. Have the Indians tried the hardy variety of Indian corn ? A. They have a species of corn— small corn — that they grow and are able to bring to maturity. Q. Do you know how much further north that kind of corn has been brought to maturity ? A. No ; I cannot answer that. By Honorable Mr. Almon ; Q. When you say that corn comes to maturity, do you mean that it hardens 2 A. It does not ripen — at least I have never seen it ripe. By Honorable Mr. Howlan : Q. What distance north of Prince Albert is this timber belt? A. The true forest just touches the river at Prince Albert, north of the river. a 36 Q. How far does it extend along the river ? A. It does not extend far westward; it goes more in a north-west direction from Prince Albert. To the eastward for some distance east of Prince Albert, down to the Forks, a distance of about 30 miles, the land is very good ; and from that down to some place about Port a la Come, the land is very good. Bast of that along the river, the land is very low and swampy, what I have seen of it, and so far as I have been able to learn from those who know of it, it is quite unsuitable for cultivation. Q. Are there any indications of coal ? A. Indications of coal have been found around Prince Albert, but no tests have been made, and it has not been developed at all. By Honorable Mr. McCallum : Q, Are there any lakes north of Prince Albert within a distance of 100 milea north ? A. There are a great many lakes. The Indian reserve of Atahkacoop is on ISandy Lake. By the Chairman : Q. Sandy Lake is distant how far from Prince Albert ? A. I suppose Sandy Lake would be about 75 miles. I have been some little distance north of that, to a lake further north. Q. Do the waters of that lake find their way northwards into Churchill River ? A. I fancy not ; I will not speak positively. By Honorable Mr. Alexander : Q. What is the most extreme northern point you have been ? A. About 100 miles north of Prince Albert. By the Chairman : Q. The waters of those lakes find their way into the Beaver Eiver ? A. Yes. Q. Is there a chain of the Beaver Eiver and lakes through which the Hudson's Bay Company used to transport four ton boats ? A. Yes. By Honorable Mr. Alexander : Q. Is there any white population in the region 100 miles north ? A. Tea, there are quite a number of families of half-breeds and a few white settlers round those lakes. Q. Do any of these families cultivate potatoes 100 miles north of Prince Albert? A. Yes. By the Chairman : Q. Can you give us a list of the fishes of that northern district? A. The 'fish that are generally found there are the whitefish and lake trout. By Honorable Mr. Alexander : Q. How large are the whitefish ? A. They will average perhaps 3 lbs. ; but I have seen them weigh ud to 12 lbs. Q. Of good quality ? A. The finest whitefish I have ever seen in my life. They are better even than those from Lake Superior. By the Chairman : Q. What is the variety of trout ? A. Lake trout, weighing from 5 lbs. up to 40 lbs. I have frequently seen them weighing 25 and 30 lbs. By Honorable Mr. Alexander : Q. They are a good nourishing food ? A. Yes. Q. What is your opinion from what you have observed altogether of Indian tribes of the practicability, in the course of time, of bringing those Indians and their children to cultivate the soil ? A. Judging specially of the Indians from these reserves on the north of the river, I certainly think they could be trained to agri- culture. Q. You think that in the course of thirty or forty years the descendents of the tribes there at present could bo brought to farm successfully ? A. Yes, I am fully of that opinion, judging from what I have seen on those reserves. The finest barns that I have seen on the whole Saskatchewan country are to be found there. They are built of course by the Government, but the Indians appreciate them and are care- ful in the management of their stock, and are endeavoring to farm and have been farming with fair success. a 37 By Honorable Mr. Almon : Q. Where were those Indians brought from to the reserves ? A. From the* plains. Q. How far south from that ? A. Of course, the plains come right up to Carle- ton. Carleton used to be, in the days of the buffalo, the headquarters of those Indians, and they used to hunt southward several hundred miles. Q. Their occupation prior to the extinction of the buffalo was that of hunter ? A. Yes. By Honorable Mr. Alexander : Q. You think that half-breeds can in course of time become perfectly successful farmers? A. Certainly. Q. The French as well as the Scotch half-breed ? A. Certainly. By Honorable Mr. Almon : Q. How many years are the Indians settled on those reserves ? A. I should say eight or ten years, or something about that. Those Indians, on those resei ves, were the few Indians in the Saskatchewan district who remained loyal during the- whole rebellion. Q. They are all Christians, I suppose? A. Yes. Missionaries are stationed on the three reserves. By Honorable Mr. Alexander ; Q. You have had perhaps a better opportunity than many other men of obser- ving the Indians ; what would you think of the policy of the Government, finding out sections upon more northern rivers, where the climate and soil will admit of growing potatoes and the coarser grains and transferring many of those tribes from their present reserves to where they will combine all the advantages of agriculture with the hunting of the larger animals which are to be found there, the moose and cariboo and abundance of fish ? Do you not think, if that could be done, the Indians would be happier and better, and that it would be a sound policy for the Government to try the experiment ? A. I believe that the Indians would be happier, but I do not think that it would be the best way to make farmers of them. I believe that the more the Indian is disassociated from hunting the better it will be ior the Govern- ment if the policy is to make a farmer of him. Q. It would be only leaving it to their choice. Supposing a few from different tribes were to be offered their choice ? A. It would be their choice no doubt, if it were submitted to them. The Indian prefers hunting to farming, but hunting is now so precarious that he cannot make a living by it, and it would demoralize him. By Honorable Mr. Almon ; Q. Do the Indians on tbe reserves have different tribal languages among each other ? A. No, they all speak the same language and there is more or less inter- marriage among them. One great objection to having the Indian on the reserve, it seems to me, is that the industrious man is to a certain extent handicapped. The lazy man lives to a very great extent on him. There is a sort of community of good* amongst them. By the Ohairman : Q. We wish to elicit from you some knowledge of the climate of the region north of Prince Albert ; what can you tell us about the different seasons of the year — the opening in the spring, the commencement of cultivation in the spring, the ripening of the grain and summer frosts? A. Spring opens generally some time in April, and from the middle of April, until the first week of May ploughing is com- menced. Harvesting is generally done from the second week of August until the first week in September. The summer frost is generally found there from the second to the third week in August. That is my experience in the last eight years. Q. Does this apply to the country north of Prince Albert ? A. This is the country north of Prince Albert country — not the Prince Albert country. Q. That applies to the country as far north as you have any knowledge of ? A. Yes. a 38 Q. What length of time does it take barley and wheat to ripen iu that region ? A. I have frequently heard it stated that wheat will mature in 90 days. I have not much knowledge of farming. Barley would ripen in somewhat less time. Q. Has any of the seed wheat procured from northera Russia been tried in that distriot ? A. Not yet. Some will be tried this coming year. Q. Doyou believe that this Euasian wheat, if it ripens in 84 days, as stated, will always be a successful crop in that region ? Will it always evade the autumn frost? A. Judging from my experience of eight years there, if we can get wheat that will ripen ten days earlier than the varieties we have been trying it ought to be as sure a crop as in any part of Ontario. During the eight years I have been there with the exception of one year, there was no damage from frost early in August. Q. How does the cold of this region compare with the cold of Prince Albert? A. Of course the thermometer shows a greater degree of cold in this section, but not any greater than I have seen in Winnipeg. Q. What is the character of the climate in September and October ? A. Gener- ally very bright, clear, open, enjoyable weather. Q. What is the length of time stock require to be fed in winter ? A. Of course from the time the heavy snow falls untiV the spring, and that time varies a good deal ; as a rule, I should judge from November UDtil ilarch. Q. About what time do the rivers and lakes of that northern region close ? As a rule, in the early part of November. By Honorable Mr. Alexander : Q. During your experience there have you seen any year that the crops dii not ripen from the want of sufficient heat ? A. There has never been a complete failure. By Honorable Mr. Almon : Q. Are the Indians as long lived since they have gDne on the reservations as they were when hunting ? A. No, I do not thitik it. Q. Is there much consumption amongst them ? A. A good deal of consumption and scrofula. The Committee adjourned at 12 o'clock until to-morroWi The Senate, Committee Eoom, No. 17, Thursday, 5 th April, 1888. Dr. Bain, recalled. The Chairman— Your very interesting evidence of yesterday was broken off at the point where you were describing to us certain roots, fruits, grains and grasses ■which are grown by the Indians to the north of Prince Albert. As we have not yet printed the list of questions so as to give them to you in order, we will commence these questions by directing your attention to the grains which are upon the table in bottles. The first of these is wheat from the Mission at Fort Chipewyan, latitude 58 longitude 111 ; reaped August 27, 1885 ; weight 68 lbs. to the bushel. The second is black beans from Dunvegan, latitude 56, grown by the Eev Mr Tessier in 1876. The third is wheat and barley from Dunvegan, on Peace Eiver, latitude 56, longitude 118. The fourth is oats from Lake St. Anne, 60 miles north-west of Edmonton, and in the Mackenzie Eiver District. The fifth is wheat from the same place. The sixth is barley from the same place. The seventh is Fyfe wheat from near Edmonton, grown in 1879. The eighth is club wheat from Edmonton, grown in 1879. The ninth oats, the tenth and eleventh barley, the twelfth and thirteenth wheat (from Fort Saskatchewan, near Edmonton. 39 I may say that all these specimens, with the exception of one, are from within Ihe district which is the subject of our enquiry, and I direct your attention to these? grains to ask you how they compare with the graics that you described to us yester- day as having been grown by the Indians at a lake on the northern side of the Sas- katchewan watershed. Hon. Mr. MaoDonald (BC.)— Is this within the Mackenzie Eiver Basin? The Chairman — Yes. Hon. Mr. MoInnis (B.C.)— Where do you claim the Mackerzie River Basin begins? The Chairman — At the south, at the height of land between the streams that flow south to the Saskatchewan and those that flow north to the Athahasca Eiver, which is the fountain head of the Great Mackenzie. Dr. Bain— These samples resemble very closely the grains which we grow in; the Saskatchewan District, even among the Indians. I am not a practical farmer and I cannot speak with the weight of authority on the subject. 1 have seen grain quite as good as any of these samples grown in the Saskatchewan country. This sample of wheat, weighing 63 lbs., judging from the weight, is a very good sample, but it is a very common thing with us to have wheat weighing to the measured bushel 68 and often 69 lbs. The other grains resemble very much in character tha grains that we have on the Saskatchewan. Q. I might explain to you that the package which you had in your hand is part of the sample of wheat which took the prize at the Centennial Exhibition, and is from Fort Chipewyan, which is some distance down the Mackenzie River. It weighs 68 lbs. to the bushel ? A. The oats and barley are certainly no better than what we have seen on the Saskatchewan grown by the Indians on the reserves north of the river. That sample of wheat is better than any I have seen on those reserves, but £ have seen quite as good grown in the Prince Albert District. By Honorable Mr. Botduc : Q. Do you know what quantity of barley is usually raised to the acre in your district ? A. Not being a farmer, I only speak from hearsay ; but 1 suppose about -50 bushels to the acre is a very good yield. By Honorable Mr. Sanford: Q What is the average yield of wheat there ? A. It varies very much from year to year ; but in a good year we would have 25 bushels to the acre. In some of the dry years of course it is very much less than that. By Honorable Mr. Mclnnes : Q. How often have you a good year ? A. We have sometimes two or three dry seasons in succession, and the yield of those years, of course, is small ; then there are sometimes for five or six years in succession that we have wet seasons, and during -all that period we have very good crops. By Honorable Mr. Sanford ; Q. Then your average yield is lighter than it is in Manitoba ? A. It varies there the same as with us. In dry seasons the average is very much reduced. I am speaking of course of the average. We have had cases where it has run up to 40 and even to 50 bushels of wheat to ihe acre, but I am speaking of the general aver- age. With us farming is not, perhaps, carried on as well as it is in Manitoba. We have a great many men who had very little knowledge of farming— who had been freighters and hunters, and have gone into farming only recently, and are not farm- ing as well as many of the farmers in Manitoba, and on that aocount the yield will not be as great, of course, as the country might produce . By Honorable Mr. Bolduc : Q. As a rule do you have very serious frosts ? A. As a rule we do about the third week in August— that is, judging from my experience of eight years. By Honorable Mr. Mclnnes : Q. During the eight years that you have been up there how many really good harvests have you had, where the wheat crop averaged 25 bushels to the acre ? A. In four of the years. R 40 Q. Were those years good years in succession or alternate ? A. We had three years in succession, and then last year. Q. You are speaking now of Prinoe Albert ? A. Yes. By Honorable Mr. San ford : Q. What is the average yield of oats there? A. I suppose, on the average from 50 to 60 bushels to the acre. By the Chairman : Q. What diseases prevail amoDg the Indians to the north of the Saskatchewan ?" A. The chief constitutional diseases that I found amongst them were consumption and scrofula and a small amount of syphilitic diseases, but not to any great extent. Then among the other diseases, about the most fatal disease that they have had the last two years, has been measles. It has carried off a great many of them. They contract the disease ; it spreads amoDg them ; they expose themselves to the cold, and then suffer from complications, and a great many of them die. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. Does it prevail amongst the adults as well as children ? A. A great deal of it Is amongst the adult population as well as the children. Skin diseases are quite common amongst them. They suffer a great deal from different forms of disease which are chiefly of a scrofulous nature. Scarlet fever has been among them, but not in the time that I have been there. By Honorable Mr. Mclnnes : Q. Does small-pox exist amongst them? A. It has not been among them dur- ing my time there, but in 1871 and 1812 it prevailed very extensively, and carried' off immense numbers of them. By the Chairman : Q. When I was a young man, like yourself practicing in Manitoba, I found that the Indian method of treatment adopted was the cause of making fatal very many such minor diseases as measles, scarlet fever, &c. I found that the sweating lodge was one of their great resources. If a person was attacked with measles, they would treat him as if suffering from aDy other case of fever. They would put him in the sweating lodge, heat him up to a very great heat so as to induce a profuse perspira- tion; then take him out of that and plunge him into the coldest stream they could find, with the immediate effect of preventing the erruptive fever from coming out, followed by death. Has that been your experience ? A. To a limited extent, the same treatment is carried out with the same results; but from what I can gather it is not as much used now as it was formerly. Q. What medicinal appliances are in use by the Indians— I mean what indige- nous medicinal plants ? A. I can hardly answer that question. Q. What are their methods of treatment of those diseases that you have de- scribed their being subject to? A. The sweating lodge that you have just mentioned is yet not an uncommon method Of treatment. They use a great many infusions of" roots that they have — I really do not know what many of those roots are. By Honorable Mr. Mclnnes : Q. Do they ever have recourse to charms and incantations ? A. That is not in use with the Christian Indians at all. By the Chairman : Q. Have you noticed the blood root growing in that district ? A. Yes, it is quite a common plant with us. Q. Do the Indians use it as we use the radix serpentaria ? A. I am not aware of it. Q. Have they the gentian root ? A. I cannot tell you . By Honorable Mr. McDonald (Toronto) ; Q. I notice occasionally records of the deaths of very old Indians ; are they, as a rule, a very long-lived race ? A . Not at all. Q. I suppose you regard the diminution in the length of life as being superin- duced by the introduction of many of our own vices amongst them ? For instance,, consumption I suppose is really the disease that follows from their connection with. B 41 the white man ? A. To a certain extont, of course it does. The shortness of life,, too, is due a great deal to the circumstances under which they live. In olden days the Indians of whom I speak lived on the plains, and had an abundance of iresh meat. Now they are to a certain extent living on the rations supplied them by the Government — bacon and flour— they live in nouses, and they are not very cleanly in their habits. The fresh meat, and their roving life, moving about in tents, added to a certain extent to the longevity of the Indian. Q. I suppose all the deterioration incidental to syphilis is the re3ult of contact "with the white man ? A. Certainly. Q. Altogether ? A. Yea, I may say altogether. By Honorable Mr. Mclnnes : Q. Do you treat many of the Indians out there ? A. Yes. Q. Is it, or is it not, your experience that a very large percentage of the cases of consumption and scrofula are really inherited syphilis ? A. No, I cannot say that it has been my experience. Of course I have seen many such cases, but I am not prepared to tay that the majority of the cases were due to inherited syphilis. Q. I know that that is my experience in British Columbia — that it is the most prolific cause of the dying out of the Indian population there. I have no hesitation at all in saying that the vast majority of deaths among the Indians is due to inherited syphilis, especially along the coasts. Of course it manifests itself in different forms, but it can all be traced back to that cause. The Indian is dwindling down and is doomed. Fifty years hence there will scarcely be any of them left ? A. Syphilis in many cases, doubtless explains the cause of certain forms of scrofula that are found amongst them. Exposure, want of proper food and an absence of cleanliness and change of diet are also among the causes. It is a remarkable fact that the number of children that the Indians have is very small — not nearly so many to a family as you will find among the whites. Polygamy is common amongst some of the tribes. By Honorable Mr. Macdonald ; Q. Mot amongst the Christian tribes ? A. No, not amoDgst the Christian tribes, but amongst the others, and they will have perhaps only two or three- children. By Honorable Mr. Mclnnes : Q. Is the size of the families diminishing? A. Yes, year by year. Q. How do you account for that? A. Chiefly on account of the inherited weak- ness'of the parents, and scrofulous taints. By the Chairman : Q. What effect upon the future welfare of the Indians of the Mackenzie Eiver Basin will the opening of that country have ? A. Upon these Indians I think the effect of opening up the country will be beneficial. They have already reached Buth a stage of civilization that the more they are brought in contact with the while people, the more speedily will they become useful citizens. Capt. Craig recalled, was examined as follows : — By the Chairman : Q. We supposed that we had concluded with your evidence, but the presence of those specimens to-day leads me to recall you. You are a practical farmer, and •we wish to know from you, as far as you can inform us, what extent of the country north of the Saskatchewan watershed will produce grains such as you see in the samples upon the table ? A. It is quite impossible tor me to say what extent of country will produce them, but I understand this morning from a gentleman who has been in the northern district that bailey quite as good as the sample on the table has been produced at Fort Simpson. I am not aware how far north that is, but it is right in the district to which your enquiry applies. I believe that gentleman is likely to be called before the Committee, and will be able to speak on that point iimself. 1 rofer to Mr. Anderson. 1—3 42 Q. However valuable hie testimony may be, we wish, you to go on with your examination of those grains, and give us your opinion ? A. This is a very good sample of wheat from Lake Ste. Anne's in 1878, considering the time that it haB been in the glass, or somewhere else, ten years. It might be considered something like the average of what we grow in the Saskatchewan, although I do not say it is equal to the best wheat we grow there. Q. Have you reason to believe that similar wheat can be grown as far north as Fort Simpson ? A. I do not know personally. Q. You have some barley there ? A. Yes, this is grown about the same place, in the same year. It is a very fair sample of barley. Q. Have you any knowledge of how far north of where that wa3 grown it is likely to grow and ripen ? A. I believe it grows and ripens several hundred miles further north than Lake Ste. Anne's. This is a sample of oats somewhat mixed and not a first class sample, grown apparently at the samo place and in the same year. It is a passable sample, not first class. Q. How far, in your opinion, can such oats be grown to the north ? A. I believe they have been grown much further north than Lake Ste. Anne's from the same information I have received. This . is a sample of Fife wheat from Edmonton, grown in 1879. They have grown much better Fife wheat than that at Edmonton since then. This sample of barley, grown at Norway House in 1879, is very good barley indeed, considering where it is grown — a region which we have always understood to have the most severe climate that we have in the .North- West. Q. As a farmer, would you infer that potatoes may be grown as far north as the barley limit ? A. Yes. Q. What other vegetables, roots or grasses would you expect to grow north as far as barley can be produced ? A. I think there are varieties of turnips that would grow to the same limit. Q. And what else? A. I think carrots would not grow so far north — I am not aware of it, however ; it is a mere impression. Q. What other grains that are properly cultivated will grow as far north as the limit of wheat ? A. Rye. Q What else ? A. Eye, oats and barley. Q. Can you tell us anything of the grasses of that northern region? A. No, not from porsonal knowledge. I understand from what I have been told that the grass there is very luxuriant and that the pea vine which ' we have in perfection on the Saskatchewan is also grown there. Q. Is that what we know as the vetch ? A. It is a wild vetch. Q. The statement is made in one of the speeches that I read somewhere that the growth of the grasses and vetches of the Peace Eiver Valley is so rich that it is difficult to ride on horseback through it ? A. They must have been very long vetches or very small horses. I rather think it is exaggerated ; but I have seen vetches that have struck me as four feet high. By Honorable Mr. Qirard : Q. You are a practical farmer in the Saskatchewan district : How many crops have you had since you were there? A. I had a crop every year but one, and that was the year we had a rebellion instead of a crop. Q. 1 suppose you have met with some bad crops during the five years you have been there ? A. The majority for the five years have been bad — that is to say, there was a partial failure of crops three years out of the five from drought. We had some crop but it was not, speaking as a Scotchman and knowing what crops ought to be, anything but a failure. Q. Have you suffered with early frosts in the fall there ? A. We have both spring frosts and autumn frosts. The spring frosts do no injury. They may throw back the spring work a few days, but they do no injury. The autumn frosts generally come from the 20th to the 24th of August, but in a moderately dry season the crop is ripe by that time and the frost does no injury if the grain does not happen to ba eat. If as last year we happen to have a rainy season, which continues all through the season, the crop does not ripen early, and it is likely to be injured by frost. 43 Q. What time does the spring frost strike? A. The spring frost strikes gen- erally about the 1st of Jane. Q. Can we rely on wheat crops without clanger of frost? A. Yes, if it is sown in proper time. You can rely on good crops of oats and barley every year. Q. Have you grown pease there ? A. I am very glad you have asked me about pease, because they are a very successful crop there. I have grown a good many erops myself, and they have always been successful. Q. Have you tried corn ? A. I have tried, but I should not like to say too much about its success. By Honorable Mr. Mclnnes : Q. Do you grow beans there ? A. Yes, some years. Last year they were not a success tor the same reason that the wheat was frozen. They do not ripen until late in the season, and the frost is apt to catch them. Q. Are you speaking now of the frost in the valley or on the high table land ? A. My own place is right on the river bank but it is high above the water between the two rivers, the North and South Branches. The ground is very much ou the flat. There is very little rise or fall there at all and I do not think any little difference in elevation makes any difference in regard to the frost. Red Deer Hill lying midway be- tween the two rivers is as subject to frost as the lower parts, but very low down near the river the frost is always worst. Q. The elevation there is not sufficient to make any perceptible difference ? A. No. By Honorable Mr. Sanford : Q. What is the average yield of pease to the acre ? A. I have not grown them in quantities at all. Mine have been garden experiments. Q. You could not give an estimate ? A. It is a large proportionate yield, but as to how many bushels to the acre I could not say. Q. What is your estimate for wheat ? A. My average for wheat was 27 bushels to the acre last year. It is not an estimate, but the actual average. Q. Have you done better than that ? A. No, because as 1 explained already, we have had three dry years out of five there. Q. What is your average for barley ? A. Forty bushels to the acre. Q, And of oats ? A. Fifty bushels to the acre. These are actual averages. I know of instances in which 100 bushels of oats to the acre were grown last year, but it was very exceptional and would convey a very wrong impression to the Com- mittee to give that as the average. Fifty bushels to the acre is a very safe average to take where there is good firming, but where there is very inferior farming, and we have some of it there, there is a different result. Q. What is the yield of turnips ? A. Six to seven hundred bushels to the acre. Q. And potatoes ? A. Three hundred and fifty bushels. Q. And carrots ? A. We could not get them pulled out of the ground, they were so long. By Honorable Mr. Mclnnes : Q. What has been your average yield of wheat for the last five years ? A. It is quite impossible to give a reliable answer to the question, it is so difficult to get infor- mation from anyone but yourself. Q. Taking your own crop? What is it ? A.I should not put it much over 20 bushels as the average for the last five years. I know that several parties had a higher yield than I had last year, for my crop was partly frozen. Q. And the average of other grains that you have mentioned, was it the average for five years, or for the last year merely ? A. As Dr. Bain has explained in his evidence, the weather seems to run in cycles. Some seem to say five and some seven years ; but from all accounts they seem to have entered upon the cycle of good years, and this average I have referred to would certainly refer to good years. Q. Have your crops ever been injured by insects ? A. Never. We have no grasshoppers or potato bugs or any troublesome insects I may say, but mosquitoes. 1— 3J 44 By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. I understood you to say that in the event of early frosts, there are certain crops which are not affected by frost ? A. That is the case — only wheat. Q. In the event of an early August frost, the only crop that would be destroyed is wheat ? A. Yes, late wheat. Q. And barley, oats and root crops are not affected at all? A. If there is any- thing late, either oats or barley, it will injure them, but practically with good farming — we must not speak of inferior farming, — oats and barley are past aDy danger of injury when the first frost occurs. By Honorable Mr. Mclnnes : Q. But in the event of the oats and barley being in the milk when the August frost occurs, would it not injure them ? A. Yes, but anybody who has oats and barley in the milk on the 17th August deserves to have them frozen. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. In the event of wheat being frozen in August can you sow that grain next season, and will it yield a good crop ? A. It has been sown, and it germinates very quickly, but I understand that the yield is not to be relied upon. I have never attempted it myself. By Honorable Mr. Poirier: Q. Are the crops of wheat you grow there spring or^ winter wheat ? A. Spririg wheat altogether. Q. And it has time to ripen between the 1st June and the 20th August ? A. I did not say that. I sowed my spring wheat last year on the 16th April. We have a spring frost that sometimes occurs as late as the 1st June. Wheat ripens in 90- days in a very dry season, and in 100 days in an ordinary season. Q. Did 1 understand you to eay that those crops will grow 700 miles north of the Saskatchewan ? A. Several hundred miles I said. By Honorable Mr. Sutherland ; Q. Have you experienced any frost severe enough to kill your potato vines if they were up, say in June? A. Yes, I have seen them touched. Q. Does it kill them ? A. It does not injure them at all, so far as I have observed. The tops seem to be more bushy after being touched with frost, but I do not think it injures the roots at all. Q. I am told that here in Ontario it was the experience of the farmers in early days that potato vines were killed by June frosts ? A. I have never seen it with us or heard of it. By Honorable Mr. Poirier : Q. Do you grow any buckwheat there ? A. No, I have not seen it. Q. 1 understood you to eay that for the majority of the last five years, the crops were a partial failure? A. For the majority of them they were a partial failure. The majority would have been the other way only for the rebellion. That was a good year, but the farmers of the district were collected in the town of Prince Albert for safety and had their wives and families there. I was myself in charge of a company there which was wholly composed of farmers I had about 70 or 80 men under me, and we were not allowed to go out to put in our crops until General Middleton came down from Batoche, and that accounted for failure that year. If we had been allowed to put in our crops at the usual time, I think we would have had a good crop. Q. The season then is uncertain for harvesting ? A. The farmers there do not depend on cropping at all. We consider the country adapted tor mixed farming, and although we might starve in a bad year if we depended on wheat altogether, we have cattle and hogs and other crops to go upon. Q. Is the snow very deep there in the winter ? A. Not so deep as it is here. Q. But the cattle cannot feed out of doors all winter ? A. No. By Honorable Mr. Mclnnes : Q. How long did you feed your cattle there on the average in the winter months ? A. I may say fiom the end of November to the 1st of April. 45 Q. Can they pick up a living from the 1st of April ? A. They go out then, if they wish to go. Although we give them some feed in April, I believe they might do without it. We generally give them something all through the month of April. Q. How about the horses ? A. The native horse can live out all the year. When we were coming down on this very trip, we hoard of a band of native horses on the Salt Plains, this side of Humboldt, that went off during the rebellion in 1885, and they have increased to 23 in number, and amongst them are colts that were never in a stable. Q. How about fuel ? A. We have any quantity of fuel in the forests. Q. Are the lands that you speak of chiefly level ? A. Tes, chiefly level on the river. To the west of us thero is also coal. It has not been used in our district, but it has been used in the town of Battleford. By Honorable Mr. Qirard : ■Q. Do you think that in time the farmers will have a better aveiage of crops 1 A. I think so. Mr. CarliDg and Professor Saunders have informed us that they have this year obtained a variety of Eassian wheat, which is grown at a very high northern latitude, and I understand that samples of it have been sent to our district for experiments this year. They claim that it ripens ten days earlier than the Eed Fife, if so we can calculate on a crop every year. Ten days are sufficient to insure the crop ripening. By Honorable Mr. Poirier: Q. How much do you pay per cord for wood where you live ? A. We cut our ■own wood, and we pay the Government a duty of 10 cents a cord. Q. But those who have to buy their wood, as we have here in town, what do» they pay for it ? A. The pi ice is $1.75 per cord. By Honorable Mr. Qirard : Q. Have you had occasion to remark that the land after several years cultiva- tion gives a better return thau in the beginning ? A. Tes, we have always been told since going there, that the conditions were somewhat as they were in the early •days of Ontario, and as the land is drained and cultivated the frosts will disappear. We rely, however, on ultimately getting an earlier variety of wheat. By Honorable Mr. Sanford ; Q. Does stock do well in your country ? A. Very well indeed. We can raise horned cattle for very little ; but unfortunately we have no market for them. Wo have come down here to endeavor to get railway connection so that we may be ena- bled to ship grain and cattle. Q. Have you an abundance of grass for hay ? A. We have an abundance of grass. In wet seasons we have an abundance of ridge hay, and in dry seasons we have an abundance of swamp hay, so that in no year is there any scarcity. We have Any quantity. Q. You reside upon the banks of the Saskatchewan : What proportion of the year is that stream navigable for river steamers ? A. The town of Prince Albert stands nearly at the foot of the unobstructed navigation westward, and the river is navig- able lor a good many miles up west of Edmonton, and it is open from about the middle of April to the middle of October, every year. Q. Is there a sufficient depth of water during all that time ? A. There is a sufficient depth of water for boats drawing not over 18 inches, and if there were ■boats that drew not more than 15 inches, there would not be a day in the season that the river is not navigable. From Prince Albert east, the river is somewhat obstructed by rapids and falls. The Grand Eapid cannot be navigated. Q. Is there a large quantity of timber north of the Saskatchewan? A. Yes; the timber is said to extend from the, northern shores of Lake Manitoba round to the Eocky Mountains, and the southern verge of the forest touches the river at JPrince Albert. By Honorable Mr. Ferrier : Q. What is the character of the timber ? k. Spruce chiefly and poplar. There Is no oak, but there is tamarac and jack pine; the latter is chiefly used for firewood. 46 By Honorable Mr. Bolduc : Q. You have white birch, have you not? A. Yes; email white birch. Q. Does the spruce grow as large with you as in the Province oi Quebec ? A» I have not seen it growing in Quebec, but I have seen it 2 feet in diameter with us. As I said yesterday, it runs from 10 inches up to 2 feet, and the rough bark poplar Averages about the same measurement. «*g?'t; By Honorable Mr . Merner : Q. You have not, tried any fruits there yet? A. Apples have been tried, but they have not been successful. We have several varieties of small fruits; raspber- ries are very plentiful, and the quality is quite as good as the cultivated varieties. We have also strawberries, a small variety, but they are very plentiful and very good. We have also black and red currants, and gooseberries all growiDg wild. By Honorable Mr, Turner ; Q. Have you any plums ? A. We have no plums. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. Have you wild grapes ? A. We have no grapes ; we have wild cherries. By the Chairman : Q. Have you the insect pest known as the pea weavil ? A. No ; we have no insect pests at all, and no diseases of plants, so far as my observation goes. We are a little troubled with the gopher, tbe same as they are to the south of us, but it is not worth speaking of at all. It is a sort of a small gray, squirrel. The Committee adjourned until to-morrow. The Senate, Committee Room No. 17, Ottawa, Friday, 6th April, 1888. James Anderson, a native of Fort Simpson, now resident of Winnipeg, appeared and was examined by the Committee as follows : — The Chairman. — We are trying to keep the information in order and classify it somewhat so as to assist us in making up our final report, and we have divided this list of questions into three series. The first relates, in the order of the instruction to- the Committee, to navigation and communication ; the second series relates entirely to the extent of arable and pastoral lands ; the third series relates to the fisheries, forests and mines, so that while we may have to ask many other questions arising out of these we will take them in this order. Please give in your answers all the infor- mation which you have obtained by actual travel or from other reliable sources, and state the particular part of the region to which your answers refer, and give generally the sources whence you obtained the information? A. Before answering this ques- tion I might say to the Committee that I only got your letter labt night, and I have not prepared myself to answer your questions fully, and I was really too young when I left Fort Simpson to give valuable information except what I have gained from my father's diaries. Of course I can tell you of what I have seen myself— I can re- member all that ; but I do not think I could answer those questions fully with regard to the navigation and communication, because I was too young when 1 left there. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. Were you born at Fort Simpson ? A. No ; I was born in the Lake Superior district, but I went up to Fort Simpson with my father in 1^52. When I left the Mackenzie Eiver district I was 11 years old, and I remember what I saw growing At Fort Simpson, and what I saw in travelling with my father. The Chairman — The plan we adopted last year when we had a Committee on the Food Products of the North- West was to send a list of questions a day or two before to gentlemen who were to come before us to give information. We would have done that with you, but we have not got them in print, so that if you wish you may make a general statement to-day, and then we will give you a list of these ques- tions to read over and will ask you to appear before us again on Monday. 47 Mr; Anderson — Before making any statement I wish to say that my father was appointed by the Home Government in 1855 to go in search of Sir John Pianklio, in charge of a party with a Mr. Stuart, a chief trader of the Hudson Bay Company, as an assistant of his. I have with me the diary he kept of that trip, and I find very valuable information all through it with regard to the different growths and the different plants of that region, which he observed on the trip. I find that he went up the Mackenzie Biver from Fort Simpson until he struck Great Slave Lake, and from there went to Port Resolution, and from Fort Resolution he went down the Fish River, known as Back River, to the sea coast and this (holding the memorandum book in his hand) is the diary of that whole trip. He had two canoes and 12 or 15- men, and I find in different parts of his diary that he mentions that on 5th June, 1855, at Great Slave Lake, gooseberries were in blossom. I find that on 7th June he mentions that strawberries were in flower on Big Island. Honorable Mr. Turner— Would it not be better to appoint a committee to go- through this book and put in such portions of it as are considered valuable, and merely take the evidence of Mr. Anderson as to what he saw himself and put in the diary as an addenda to his evidence ? The Chairman — Mr. Anderson has kindly intimated that he is willing to put this diary at the disposal of the Committee, with the exception of such private memoranda as have no bearing on the objects of this investigation. Mr. Anderson— This diary has never been published yet, and I do not know that I have any right to have the book published. I am willing to hand these booka to Dr. Dawson to read them over and allow him to hand in to the Committee what he thinks valuable as information. I would not like to have the whole of my father's private papers published. By Honorable Mr. Giard : Q. "You say you left Fort Simpson when you were 11 years old ? A. Yes. Q. And you remember the impressions that you had of the country at that time? A. "Yes; distinctly. I remember as far as what I saw grown there— I remember potatoes, turnips and barley growing there. Annually there was a York boat loaded with potatoes and sent to Fort Good Hope — that is 400 miles further north, so that they could not have grown potatoes there. I remember very well Fort Simpson supplying potatoes for that post. Mr. Adam McBeth, who is married to one of my aunts and is now living at Fort Qu'Appelle, was at that time the trader in charge of Fort Good Hope. Q. What size were the potatoes that you saw grown there ? A. The ordinary size — not any different from what they are in other parts of Canada. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. Were the potatoes there as large as they are down at Edmonton ? A. I do not know. They are as large as they are in Ontario at any rate. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. Was the quality as good ? A. Yes, just as good. Round Fort Simpson, itself, I remember the timber there was very large. It was fir, poplar and birch. By Honorable Mr. Alexander : Q. What is the latitude of Fort Simpson ? A. About 62°. The fir there was very large. I fancy it was a hemlock — hemlock, poplar and birch were the varieties of timber that I remember growing there. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. I suppose it was the Norway spruce ? A. I do not remember particularly, I know it was a very large kind. I remember that the men in the winter used to square the timber for building purposes. They used to build their houses of the timber squared ; the fort itself was' built of squared timber, and the trees were very large. Q. What was the diameter ? A. I think the timber was squared to about 1 foot square. By Honorable Mr . Melnnes : Q. They would not select the largest trees for those buildings at any rate? A. fto, 1 should think not. On the west side of the river there seemed to be very good 48 land all round there, bat on the east side opposite Fort Simpson, there was a large muskeg. The river was over a half mile in width at that place with a very rapid current and at low water mark, I should say from what I remember of it that the stream was about 30 feet below the tops of the banks and when the ice was going out in the spring it was shoved up on top of the banks.' Q. What season of the year did the ice generally move out of the river. A. About the middle of May. All my father's diaries relate that when he started to examine the different trading posts in the spring that he gererally left about the beginning of May. By Honorable Mr. Qirard : Q. Is there any cedar in that district ? A. No, I think there is no cedar there. There are just the three timbers that I remember. The way I remember the birch was, it was need so much in the making of snow shoes and other things. By Honorable Mr. Alexander ; Q. There are large numbers of cariboo and mooso there? A. Yes, and abund- ance of rabbits. Q. The severity of the climate there would not be worse than at St. Petersburg? A. No, I do not think it would, but it is very cold there. The ice in the river there, I think, is about fully six feet thick. It freezes that depth. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. What is the depth of the river at Port Simpson ? A. It is very deep ; it is an immense river there. By Honorable Mr. Mclnnes : Q. Is it a half mile wide there ? A. It is more than that. Q. Is it navigable for steamers ? A. Tes, any steamer could go there. Q. What is the channel average of the river for 15 miles up and down from Fort Simpson? A. I have not been down the river there. I have been up the river and it seems to bold its width for quite a piece up. By Honorable Mr. Gowan : Q. You say on the 7th June you were at this particular place on the river ; was there ice on the river then ? A. No. There is a floe of ice, a small floe of ice some- times. Q. Does your personal recollection enable you to Eay whether there was ice in the river then or not ? A. No, I could not recollect that. Honorable Mr. Alexander :— At Archangel, a long distance north of St. Peters- burg, there are large settlements and the Church of Borne has very large establish-, ments there. By Honorable Mr. Qirard: Q. What is Fort Simpson ? A. It is the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company for that district. Q. Are there many houses there ? A. No, only the fort itself. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. There is do village there? A. No. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. Do you remember the fruit trees of the country? A. Yes, I have often eaten the gooseberry and the strawberry there. Q. Had you the plum tree there ? A. I do not think the plum grows there. By Honorable Mr. Alexander: Q. Have any seams of coal been found at the surface ? A. All I know about coal is this : in my father's diary he mentions sending samples of Mackenzie River coal. That was in 1852. By the Chairman : Q. Does he say from what part he sent it? A. No, he says "Mackenzie River coal," and he speaks of plumbago from the Yukon. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. You spoke of a large muskeg at Fort Simpson ? A. It is right opposite Fort Simpson. 49 Q. Nothing is grown there? A. No. Q. Ton never heard of wild rice in that part of the country ? A. No, there is none that I ever heard of. By Honorable Mr. Qowan : Q. How long did you remain in that part of the country? A. I was there fop nearly five years, Q. How far north have you been ? A. I was never past Fort Simpson. Q. Bat yon were five years continuously there ? A. Yes. By Honorable Mr. Qirard: Q. "What was the Fort Simpson district at that time as a fur country ? A» Ifc was the best district that the Hudson's Bay Company had at that time. Q. What kind of fur was procured there ? A. Every far yoa can think of — tbe> eilvcr fox, beaver, marten, lynx and foxes of all kinds. By the Chairman : Q. Had you the fisher ? A. Yes. ■Q. The otter? A. Yes. ■Q. The mink? A. Yes. and ^e rapids are from \ii to 16 miles. A. That is impossible of navigation ? A. Yes, without canalling. Q. Below that point what have you got ? A. Below that point unobstructed navigation to the Arctic Sea. The reason I say that is this— it is not a guess— the- Hudson Bay Company's people have a boat on it now, and late last year the boat started at Fort Smith and went down to the mouth of Peel's River, and Peel's River enters the delta of the Mackenzie. In fact it is where Mackenzie went himself There is no sea water there, but it is at the sea, and it gets the influence of the tide, bo that it is an actual fact that a boat runs from Fort Smith to the Arctic Sea, t> \ Wh / at . is the di 8 taD ce by the river, do you suppose, from Fort Smith to the .Polar Sea? A. When I was at Lake Athabasca they told me it was 1,300 miles from there to the Arctic Sea. Q. And Fort Smith is 100 miles below the lake ? A. Yes, 100 miles or more. Q. Would 1,200 miles be an approximation ? A. Yes, but I am not prepared to say exactly. r r By Honorable Mr. Power : Q. How far is Fort Smith from Fort Resolution ? A. Fort Resolution is at the mouth of Slave River, and that is 2 degrees further north, so that it is over 100 miles from Fort Smith to Fort Resolution. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. The Peace River ends at Lake Athabasca, or there changes its name ? A. The discharge of Lake Athabasca is Slave River, but the Peace River enters Slave River 25 miles below Lake Athabasca. The Peace River sends in an arm, in the spring of the year, into the lake. Q. But at its junction with Slave River it ceases to be called the Peace River ? A. Yes. By the Chairman : Q. You have got us in the steamer to the mouth of the Mackenzie River, can you tell us of the estuary there ? A. It is not from my own knowledge, but what I have learned from reading and other sources that I can speak. I believe the drift of the Mackenzie River's waters is to the eastward. Sir John Franklin and Sir John Richardson found that to be the case from the driftwood they encountered towards the Coppermine. Franklin himself, when he went westward to go to Icy Cape, found the abundance of driftwood for a short distanoe, and after that it ceased and the driftwood he found came from two rivers that ran into the Arctic Sea west of the mountains. Q. Do you mention that as evidence that there is open navigation from the mouth of the Mackenzie to Behring's Straits? A. I believe there is, and the reason is very simple. We can get the records from Poirjt Barrow, where the Amerioans have had an observatory for three years. The full reports from tbat observatory are published. The reason I think there is no obstruction and that we have a clear coast is that the drift is to the eastward. Therefore to the east among the islands, the sea is jammed up with ice just as the Arctic explorers found it to be. I believe, though I could not prove it, that no obstructions would be founds at certain seasons of the year, between Behring's Straits and the mouth of the Mackenzie. I am pre- pared to prove that the mild climate of the North-West is not an occasional or acci- dental thing, but that it is permanent and that the drift of warm air from both sides of the continent seems to come up the Maokenzie River. The isothermal lines show that. The rivers in which Sir John Richardson found the timber coming down, were near the mouth of the Mackenzie River, so that I am quite sure mentally that the rush of heated air keeps the Arctic Sea open. We have hot air passing from the American desert to the mouth of the Mackenzie. The American desert is the 1—5 74 source of the blizzards in Dakota — the source of the good climate we have in the North- West, and the bad climate they have in the States. Q. You have told us the effect that the heated air has on the temperature of that region ; we want to confine you to the navigation ; a witness yesterday told us that he had bathed in tbe Mackenzie River at Port Simpson. That would imply a temperature of not lower than 80 degrees. We were told by the same witness that an immense volume of water passes northward through that river, and presumably at that temperature. What effect would that have upon the navigation at its mouth and on the adjacent coast ? A. It is very easily answered. Everybody says that the heated water of the Gulf stream passing by the British Islands and the ooast of Norway affects the climate of those regions wonderfully. Is it not common sens© that the immense amount of water poured into the Arctic Sea by the Mackenzie will affect the climate comparatively ? Q. What about navigation ? A. If it is proved that the ice drift from the Arctic comes down on this coast, my conclusion is all wrong, but I contend that the drift is to the east. I know this because the driftwood carried into the sea by the Mackenzie River is found along the ooast 200 miles to the east and not to the west of the mouth of the Mackenzie. Q. Have you talked with any one who is familiar with the navigation of Behring's Straits ? A. No. Q. Then you do not know that they are navigable ? A. "Yes, they are navigable ; the reports of the observatory in Alaska will show that. Q. Do you remember reading that Franklin in one of his expeditions surveyed the coast eastward from Behring's Straits, and that Simpson explored westward to the same point, getting an outline, so far as we know it, from Behring's Straits to the Mackenzie River ; now they declare it to be a low coast and the water to be not unfit for navigation and not obstructed by ice. Can you add anything from your own knowledge or reading to that ? A. Sir John Richardson says in his report of his trip in 1825-26 — or it may have been Franklin — that if they had had boats the ice that obstructed their bark canoes would have been no obstruction at all, and they would have had no difficulty in getting through. From that I infer that the ice was not sufficiently heavy to interfere with navigation. Captain Pullen came from the mouth of the Mackenzie. Q. In what kind of a vessel ? A. A ship. Q. A steamship or a sailing vessel ? A. A sailing vessel, there were no steam- ships in those days. Q. A steamship could navigate there with greater facility ? A. Yes. Franklin says that although they found no whales there they found the bones of whales on the beach, and they saw immense numbers of seals. He says that the seals were so abundant they frightened away the fish from the nets, and they could get no fish in their nets. Q. Was it Mackenzie who discovered the island at its mouth that he named the Whale Island ? A. I think so. By Honorable Mr. Power : Q. Sou have told us that the Peace River drops 1,000 feet just as it comes through the Rocky Mountains : to what do you think that is attributable ? A. It is very apparent there. Evidently the river at one time ran down not where it is now, in pre-glacial times. The portage I spoke of is sand and gravel, and that evi- dently is the old bed of the river which became filled up with silt, and the river had to break its way over the rocks and literally rush down the side of the mountains. Here is a proof of it : when we come to Hudson's Hope at the bank of the river there are immense springs of water, from which a very respectable river runs, and there is fully 150 feet of calcareous tufa that is formed by these springs. I deduce the conclusion that the water comes from the Upper Peace River through the old bed of the river. I may be wrong, bat it seems to me that the same condition of affairs exists there that we find at the Niagara River now. Geologists say that the bed of the Niagara was formerly west of the present river, and that it entered Lake 76 Ontario at Hamilton, bat that it became filled np with silt, and the coarse of the river changed. I think that is what occurred at the Peace .River — the old bed at the east side of the Rocky Mountains filled up and the river found a new channel. The Committee adjourned until 11 a. m. to-morrow. Geological Survey, , Ottawa, 11th April, 1888. The Honorable Senator Sohultz, The Senate, Ottawa. My Dear Dr. Sohultz,— I am in receipt of your letters of 9th and 10th inst. with (accompanying the former) a printed list of questions (a.) Relating to Navigation and Communication. In reply I may say that I shall be pleased to give any informa- tion I can . Whether orally or in writing, I would wish to do so only in relation to such portions of the country as I am able to speak of from personal examination. With the exception of certain parts of Peace River, my personal explorations have not extended to any part of the region to the north of the North Saskatchewan watershed, and therefore such knowledge as I have of the northern regions embraced in the enquiry of your Committee is entirely derived either from statements I may have heard in conversation or from a perusal of the published literature on the sub- ject, with which doubtless your Committee is fully acquainted. I have sent you to-day copies of the Geological Sketch Map of the Dominion on which is depicted our knowledge of the southern and western boundary of the Laurentian system from Like Superior to Great Slave Lake. The examination hitherto made of the northern and western portions of this vast region have not been sufficient to warrant the expression of any decided opinion as to what portions of it may or may not be of economic value. The western boundary north of Great Slave Lake is shown on the map in Part R. of our Annual Report recently pub- lished. I am, dear Dr. Schultz, yours sincerely, ALFRED R. C. SELWYN. Ottawa, Thursday, 12th April, 1888. Hon. William Christie, ex-member of the North- West Council, late Inspecting Chief Factor of the Hudson Bay Co. Servioe, now resident at Brockville, called and examined. By the Chairman : Q. The first question relates to the information which you have obtained by actual travel and from other reliable sources, in the region covered by our enquiry? A. The country that I have travelled through extends from Winnipeg northwards to Fort Simpson on the Maokenzie River. I am prepared to answer any question that the Committee may put to me as to what I know of the oharaoter of those districts. By Honorable Mr. Almon : Q. Have you been northward to the mouth of the Mackenzie River? A. No; as far as Fort Simpson. As inspecting factor of the Hudson Bay service I was in charge of all the districts from the Red River to Fort Simpson— from Winnipeg, or as it was called then Fort Garry, northward— the Red River district, Swan River District. English River district, Athabasca River district, and Mackenzie River district. All of these were under my supervision. I have travelled over the whole of them and descended the Mackenzie River as far as Fort Simpson. By the Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. How far down the Maokenzie River is Fort Simpson ? A. It is 300 miles down from its source. _ Q. And that is the farthest you have been down the Maokenzie ? A. YeB. 1-Gi 76 By Honorable Mr. Power : Q. Was the Peace Biver included in your district ? A. Yes, that was part of the Athabasca district. By the Chairman : Q. Will you pass on to the next question that you wish to answer ? A* I will pass the 2nd, 3rd and 4th, because some of these I will answer afterwards. The next question in the printed circular, which I received only a few hours before I left Brockville, that I will answer is No. 5, relating to the navigation of the Mackenzie and its tributaries. To the first part of that question, calling for information con- cerning the navigation of the sea coast adjacent to the mouth of the Great Mackenzie Eiver, I would say that I can give no information, as I was never down on the coast. The second part of the question, asking my opinion as to whether whaling and sealing craft, if built at the head waters of the Mackenzie Eiver, could descend to the coast early enough and ascend the river late enough to permit of some months of' fishing near the mouth of the river, I would say, yes. I do not think there would be any difficulty in building craft at the head of the Mackenzie to descend to the mouth of the river, remain there for some time and return the same year, because last year we had an instance of a successful voyage of the Hudson Bay Go.'s steamer from Fort Simpson down the Mackenzie Eiver nearly to its mouth — below Peel's Eiver. They could have gone through to the Arctic Sea if they had wished to do so, but having no pilot, and not knowing which of the channels they should take, they did 1 not like to venture. The Mackenzie discharges its waters into the Arctic Sea by several mouths. It would have been a disastrous thing to the Company if that steamer had met with any accident which would have prevented it from returning to the Slave Eiver that season. Q. The Hudson Bay Co. have now on the Mackenzie Eiver a steamer capable of running from Fort Simpson to the sea ? A. Yes, a vessel which did so last summer. By Honorable Mr. Power : Q. Where does the first interruption of navigation take place coming up the- Mackenzie Eiver? A. There is no break to the navigation of the Mackenzie. Supposing we are going in by the Mackenzie; at present the route open to the Mac- kenzie Eiver for taking in supplies is by railway to Calgary, thence by waggons to Edmonton, and from Edmonton by waggon road 90 miles to a place called Atha- basca Landing. There they have built a steamer this summer that runs from Athabasca Landing to the head of the rapids on the Athabasca Eiver. By the Chairman : Q. That is how far down by the river ? A. Between two and three hundred miles from the Landing to the head of the Grand Eapids. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. Is there a good depth of water there ? A. Yes, because the company are building a steamer now to run this summer there on that break of navigation. Up to the present they have been using bateaux, and will have to use them from the head of the Grand Eapids to the 60 miles of rapids that I will presently tell you of. At the Grand Eapids you have a chain of very bad rapids— the worst in the country —all the way down to Fort McMurray, a distance of 60 miles. At Fort McMurray the company have a steamer, and for four years it has been running from Fort Chippewyan down the Slave Eiver to the next obstruction, which occurs in the Great Slave Eiver. It consists of five rapids close together, which can be passed by a waggon road, and they have done so. They built a steamer four years ago at Fort Smith, at a place which used to be called Salt Eiver, and this steamer has been in operation two years. From Fort Smith there is no obstruction to the navigation of the river northward to the Arctic Sea. Q. What is the distance in round figures from Fort Smith to the Arctic Sea ? A. Of course it has never been measured, but it is about 60 to 100 miles down the Slave Eiver to the Great Slave Lake ; then 250 miles across the corner of Great Slave Lake to the head of the Mackenzie ; that is Fort Providence. There is a Eoman Catholic mission which goes by the name of Providence, and the Hudson Bay Company have 11 an establishment there. Now, from Providence to the sea there is the length of the Mackenzie Eiver which I took myself when I was at Fort Simpson, from Sir John Franklin's narrative of his first and second journeys on the Mackenzie. I read them very carefully several times over. From the Big Island or Fort Providence, at the head of the Mackenzie .River to Fort Simpson is 203 miles ; from Fort Simpson to Fart Norman, the next post down the river, is 271 miles ; from Fort Norman to Port Separation,' 434 miles; from Port Separation to the sea, 129 miles— total length of the Mackenzie from its source to the Arctic Sea, 1037 miles, according to Sir John Franklin. Q. That is from Fort Providence to the sea; what is the distance from Edmonton to Fort Providence? A. From Edmonton to the landing on Athabasca Eiver is 9© miles. That is the distance stated by Senator Hardisty, who served many years with me on the Saskatchewan . He does not give the distance from the Landing to the head of the rapids. I have been down there myself, but I cannot give you the exact distance. By Honorable Mr. McCallum : Q. What is the depth of the water ? A. The company's steamer that went down drew five feet of water. There is much deeper water than that. I have here a photograph of the steamer that runs on the Mackenzie now. The sixty miles of rapids occur above Fort McMurray, and is the only great break there is to be over- come. There are steamers for the rest of the way. It they had tram- ways for that sixty miles it would be easy travelling by that route. By Honorable Mr. Power: Q. What do you call the source of the Mackenzie Eiver — is it the Great Slave Lake ? A. Yes. The waters of the Great Slave Lake fall into the Mackenzie, and the Mackenzie is a large river, with an average width of a mile and a quarter. It maintains that breadth all the way down from Fort Simpson to the sea. It is a noble river. By Honorable Mr . Qirard: Would it be possible, by the expenditure of a reasonable amount of money, to have the obstructions removed from the Long Eapids and that part of the river made navigable ? A„ Never. It is sixty miles of the worst rapids in the country. I intended to go and examine the rapids when I was there, but it was too late in the season. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. Have you any idea what the fall would be in that distance of 60 miles? A. No. Q. It must be a very heavy fall ? A. I should think so ; it is rapid after rapid. There is one long Sault of 20 miles in itself, and in the spring when the water is high, the waves are enormous. I have run many a bad rapid, but these are the worst I ever saw. These rivers in the spring of the year, when the thaw takes place in the mountains, are something magnificent. The Athabasca in July, is an immense river a mile and a half wide. Q. Is it possible for any kind of a vessel to go down these rapids ? A. No. Q. Everything has to be portaged over? A. They make large bateaux and have eight or ten men in each, and by means of strong cables they lower these boats. They took in the machinery for the vessel at Fort McMurray that way. One of the boats was wrecked on the way and eight or ten men were nearly drowned. They lost some two hundred pieces, and the men had to swim to shore. It is a very dangerous piece of navigation. By the Chairman : Q. You have given us the width of the Mackenzie Eiver at Fort Simpson, could you give us the approximate depth ? A. I see Mr. Hardisty quotes his brother's authority, and mentions six feet. I should think it was a great deal more than that. Vessels considerably larger than that steamer would have no difficulty going down the Mackenzie Eiver or up the Slave Lake and Slave Eiver to Fort Smith. ?8 Q. It was stated here the day before yesterday that a small class of sea-going- steamers could ascend the river as far as Fort Smith from the sea? A. Certainly, there would be no difficulty at all. From Fort Ohippewyan to the head of the rapids — that is the five rapids together about 13 miles from Fort Smith — is 100 miles. The land portage to avoid these rapids is 13 miles. I have sailed from. Fort Chippewyan to the head of the rapids in a day, the boat starting from Fort Chippewyan in the forenoon. The water there is very deep. You can go all the way from Fort McMurray down there with a vessel drawing six feet of water. They use a stern wheeler there. When you get to Fort Smith they have a fea-going vessel which stands a good sea. Slave Lake is very deep and large, and immense seas rise there. This vessel built for that service is a very good boat and has stood very severe gales. By Honorable Mr. McCallum : Q. Is the steamer made of wood or iron ? A. Of wood. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. Is the water of the Great Slave Lake very deep ? A. Yes. Q. As deep as Lake Superior ? A. Yes. The point we crossed from Fort Eeso- lotion coming out of Great Slave Eiver and crossing a corner of the lake is 250 miles. There are very few harbors — only one or two, and not good ones at that. There are two harbors, I think where a steamer could run to, and there are islands before you reaoh the head of the Mackenzie — say about three harbors where a vessel could find shelter. By the Chairman : Q. To convey to the Committee a clearer idea of the navigation of that region,, we will ask you to transport twenty tons of freight from Edmonton down to the lowest fort on the Mackenzie Eiver. Tell us the land carriage and the boat carriage ? A. From Edmonton to the landing is 90 miles. Q. That is by waggon ? A. Yes. Then there is the Hudson Bay's steamer— they have one building there now — which could take the goods to the head of the Grand Rapids, a distance of, we will say, 200 miles — I am not certain about the miles, but Mr. Hardisty said it was somewhere about that. Then you have 60> miles of rapid. Q. How would you transport the 20 tons of goods there ? A. They would have to build bateaux there, or if the company had bateaux, and would take the freight, it could be oarried by bateaux. Q. Then it was not impossible navigation ? A. No, it is not impossible, but it is a very dangerous and expensive navigation. Q. What is the character of the banks— is it suitable for waggon roads ? A. Yes, I think the north bank would be. Mr. Hardisty and I discussed that matter and agreed that there would be no difficulty in making a road over that 60 miles down to* Fort MoMurray. By Honorable Mr . Turner : Q. There is no road in there yet ? A. No, none whatever. Q. So you have to send the freight altogether down by bateaux. A. Yes. Q. Can they pull those bateaux up again ? A. I think so. By the Chairman : Q. How do the furs come up? A. I am not certain, but I think they send them by Lacrosse, the old way. At Fort MoMurray there is a steamer which runs to the* head of the rapids on Great Slave Eiver. By Honorable Mr, Almon ; Q. Are the Indians in the habit of running those rapids in their canoes ? A- No,. there are no Indians to my knowledge that go back and forth on the river there. They hunt from Lac la Biche up and down the river, but I do not think they could go through there with their canoes. Q. Do you know how high the tide goes up the Mackenzie Eiver from its month ? A. No, I have not been down the river far enough to learn that. 19 Q. Have you heard that the tide runs up there ? A. I have no doubt, from what I have heard, that the tide does ascend the Mackenzie Eiver, but I cannot speak of it from my own knowledge. By the Chairman : Q. The Hudson Bay Company have had no trade on the coast and it is only for Arctic exploration that they have descended to the coast. You have got the goods now to the head of the rapids on the Slave Eiver ? A. Yes . There is a waggon road of 13 miles from that point to Fort Smith. Q. That is the last transportation by land? A. Yes, that is the last. Then from there you have the Mackenzie Kiver steamers. One is called the " Wrigley ' r and the other the " Graham." The "Graham" is the Atbabasoa steamer. Q. Prom what I make out by these figures there would be a navigation from Fort Smith to tho sea of 1,360 miles ? A. Yes. Q. I make out that to get goods from Edmonton to the sea there is a land carriage of 163 miles — 60 miles at the first rapids on the Athabasca, 90 miles of waggon road from Edmonton to Athabasoa Landing, and 13 miles of these obstructions at Fort Smith; would that be generally correct? A. Yes. Q. And there is only 60 miles of road to be built ? A. Yes. Q. ADd that you think could be built ? A. Yes. By bateaux it is a very danger- ous navigation. A tramway or railway could be built on the north side easily. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. What you call the north side is the left hand side going down ? A. Yes. Whilst I am talking of the navigation of the Mackenzie, I would like to make this observation to the Committee : During the search for Sir John Franklin's lost expedi- tion, Commander Pullen, of H. M.S. " Plover," sailed from Honolulu for Behring's Strait and Mackenzie Eiver. He went as far north as he possibly could get with the " Plover." Then with Lieut. Hooper and some sailors he took to the boats and coasted along to the outlet of the Mackenzie Eiver. The party ascended that river with their boats to Fort Simpson the same fall — tracked their boats. The " Plover " returned to Honolulu that same season. A private yacht, the "Nancy Dawson," kept company with the boats for some days longer after the "Plover" left them. This was a yacht owned by a private gentleman who came almost within sight of the mouth of the Mackenzie. The " Plover " was a very slow sailing vessel, but she should have accomplished more the first year than she did. I think they had to winter at Honolulu the first winter, and the second year she started for Behring's Straits. By Honorable Mr. Power: Q. Do you know how far north the "Plover "got? A. No. Q. Do you know what stopped her ? Was it ice ? A. I do not know. I merely mention that as a fact, that boats have come from the Pacific to Behring's Straits, coasted along to the mouth of the Mackenzie and ascended the Mackenzie to Fort Simpson. The first fort they came to was Peel's Eiver, then they reached Good Hope and then Fort Simpson. Q. Do you know anything about the character of the shore and the water close to the coast west of the Mackenzie Eiver ? A. No, I do not. I have never been down on the sea coast there. Q. Your company has been doing business for a long time out in that country, and been moving goods in and sending furs out ; have the company ever undertaken to get their goods in or send their furs out by the Mackenzie ? A. No, never. Q. Why ? A. I suppose they found it easier and cheaper to adopt the old rente. It is very uncertain navigation, the Behring's Straits. It is better to send them the way they are doing. Q. You think the navigation by Hudson Bay is more certain than the navigation by Behring's Straits ? A.I think so. Q. And when yon get to Hudson Straits you are a great deal nearer home ? A.. This is the shortest way through Canada. 80 Q. You know of no instance where goods have been brought in for the company by way of Behring's Straits and up the Mackenzie Eiver ? A. No, none whatever. It is a long distance. Even for the trade at the head waters of the Yukon it is not done: The Yukon has a course of 1,500 miles from its source to the ocean. For the trade on the Yukon we used to take the goods down the Mackenzie and across the mountains. It in only a short distance across from the waters of the Mackenzie. Feel's River is the lowest post on the Mackenzie. Q. Do I understand you to say that the supplies for the ports on the Yukon were not brought in by way of the Yukon River ? A. No. They went by way of Fort Simpson from the east. A proposition was made to me by an old officer in that district who strongly advocated that, but it was not approved of. Material would have had to be brought to build a steamer somewhere about the mouth of the Yukon, and the post was about 1,500 miles above the mouth of the Yukon. Besides that, we had to leave the Yukon . It was found by astronomical observations that Fort Yukon was within American territory, and the company had to abandon it and establish a fort at that river, or Porcupine River. Q. There is Fort Reliance ? A. That was a fort established at the time of the Arctic expedition. Q. Do you bring the goods up the Churchill or the Nelson ? A. No. The goods that we shipped from England for trade in the Mackenzie district, before they received their return from these goods was seven years. They were shipped to York Factory, and remained there a winter. Requisitions were received, of course, three or four years ahead from the Mackenzie River. They were packed up at York to fill the Mackenzie River requisition and sent to Norway House. Q. How would you go ? A. Op Hayes River, Hill River and through the lakes tip to Norway House. Q. Whereabouts was Norway House? A. Norway House is at the north end of Lake Winnipeg, on Jack River. Q. Then I suppose up the Saskatchewan from there ? A. Yes, up along the north end of Lake Winnipeg, past the Grand Rapid and to Portage la Loche to the head of navigation. Q. To Edmonton? A. No, not to Edmonton at all then: that was the old route. By Honorable Mr. CfDonohoe : Q. Does the Mackenzie fall by more than one mouth into the sea ? A. By several. It has a number of branches as it gets near its mouth. Q. How wide is the widest ? A. I do not know. I have never been there, but the river has an average width of a mile and a quarter, and as it gets near the out- let it has several mouths — there are several islands. By Honorable Mr. Power : Q. Do the Hudson Bay Co. use ooean steamers now, or do they still confine themselves to sailing vessels going to Hudson Bay ? A.. Sailing vessels. But the great bulk of the goods coming out comes through the settled portions of Canada, and sometimes by way of New York, by Cunard steamer sometimes to New York, and to Montreal by the Allan Line. They have only two small vessels trading to Hudson Bay : one goes to Moose Factory, and the other to York. By Honorable Mr. Almon: Q. From your own experienee can you say how long the Hudson Bay is open T A. I was eight years on the ooast and the latest any vessel left there was the 4th October and she got home, but it was touch-and-go. Q. What is the earliest date at which you have known the Straits to close ? A. I should say that the straits are navigable for four months at the most. By the Chairman : Q. I have berore me an Admiralty chart with the observations of Franklin, Richardson, Simpson, Cooly, Pallen, Hooper, Murray, Colli nson, and MacGuire in 1856 with corrections and additions in 18tfl. I wish to ask you some questions 81 relating to your suporintendency there. Ton had men stationed at Fort Good Hope ? A. Yes. Q. Do you know anything of the character of the river there, from the reports of these men ? A. No. We had very little to do with the depth ot the water in the rivers, or anything like that. We were merely connected with the fur trade. There is a fort for the Esquimaux at Peel's River, that is the lowest coast. The steamer was down below Peel's .River last summer. A few of the Esquimaux trade at the Peel's Eiver post. Q. What do they get from the Esquimaux there ? A. Wolf and fox skins. Q. Do they get any seal ? A. I should think so. Possibly they would not sell, because the skins would not pay the transport such a distance. I was four years in charge of Fort Churchill and traded with the Esquimaux, and we never traded seal skins much with them : they are used principally for making Esquimaux boats. Q. Have you reason to believe that there are many seals at the mouth of the . Maokenzio ? A. I cannot say because I was never there, and I do not want to state anything that I do not know anything about, but that information could be got from the circular sent from the company's office. Q. There is an island at the mouth of the Mackenzie River called Whale Island. Do you know if whales are found there ? A. I know from narratives of expeditions that I have read that whales were seen outside of the mouth of the Mackenzie. There are no salmon in the Mackenzie. In talking with Mr. McFarlane last spring ho told me that there were no salmon there. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. The seals found there are quite different from the seals captured at Behring's Straits? A. Those valuable seals are only found in Alaska. There is only one group of islands where those seals are found. It is a very curious fact that they come there and disappear and no one knows where they go. The Indians know when they make their appearance and go and hunt them. By Honorable Mr. Power : Q. What sort of Abu are there in the Mackenzie Eiver ? A. Gold eyes. There are plenty of whitefish at Great Slave Lake. Fort Simpson has no resources of its own, and they are mainly supported by fish caught at the Big Island in Great Slave Lake and brought down by boat to Fort Simpson. There are whitefish and other fish in the Mackenzie, plenty of them in the summer — gold eyes and others. Q Are there trout ? A. There might be. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. They speak of a fish there that has no tail 7 A. The liver of that fish is the only good thing about it. Q. What is the name of that fish — it has been spoken of as the " Inconnu " ? A. Some person has given evidence here that the large trout in Slave Lake is the "Inconnu." The Inconnu is called Back's Greyling, and is about the size of the whitefish, shaded blue, with dark spots on the side. Q. Is there anything peculiar about the bones of the fish ? A. No. I remem- ber when at Fort Churchill once I was out hunting with an interpreter there. We had a small net with which we caught a fish and he told me that was the fish that these expedition people called the unknown fish. It resembled exactly the engrav- ing I have seen in Sir John Franklin's narrative of his voyages. By the Chairman : Q. Coming back to the navigation of the Mackenzie River, I notice that this chart gives immediately off its mouth the depths of the soundings— 24 fathoms, .27 fathoms, 21 fathoms and 16 fathoms: now have you any reason to believe that when you get into the mouth of the river there is any obstruction of any kind ? A. X should think not. An immense river like that must have a principal channel, though it is divided into several channels. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. And that channel would always be kept clear ? A. Yes, naturally. 82 By Honorable Mr. O'Donohoe : Q. Do you know if statistics have ever been collected by any authority in refer- once to the region in question ? A. No, not that I know of. Q. I mean in the same line that we are now considering ? A. No, I never heard of any. You see our business was confined to the fur trade, and when there "was any scientific expedition to be pent out or anything of that kind to be done,, there was always some one sent by the British Government. We had always some- thing of the kind going on at different times. Q. Question 6 relates to the Athabasca above the mouth of the Clearwater ? A. This same steamer that I told you of which runs from Fort Chippewyan runs from the mouth of' the Clearwater up the Clearwater, towards Portage la Loche. Q. How far ? A. Somewhere about eighty miles. She ran to the foot of the £rat portage as you ascend the stream. That would be the fifth portage coming down the stream from Portage la Loche. Q. How much freight would you carry ? A. About 130 tons. She is a stern "wheeler. By Honorable Mr. Power : Q. The rapids on the main stream, the Athabasca, are above the mouth of the Clearwater — the sixty miles of rapids that you speak of? A. Yes, that is what ig called the Little Athabasca Eiver. At Port McMurray, where it meets the Clear- water Eiver, it is called the Great Athabasca, or the Athabasca Kiver proper. Q. Is not Lesser Slave Lake a pretty large lake? A. That is to one side altogether. Q. Is it navigable ? A. Yes, the steamer they are building this summer is to go to the post at the end of Lesser Slave Lake. Coming down from the landing the firet day you come to Lesser Slave Lake Eiver, falling into the Athabasca, and yon ascend that river by steamer and go on to their post at the end of Lesser Slave Lake, "Which is 10U miles long. Q. The sixty miles of rapids are between Lesser Slave Lake and Port McMur- ray? A. Yes. When we leave the landing wo are going down the Athabasca Eiver, which descends from the mountains, from Jasper House. The first river of any considerable size that you come to is the Lesser Slave Lake Eiver. Ascend and go up Lesser Slave Lake Eiver to the post at the end of Lesser Slave Lake. By the Chairman : Q. What is the length of Lesser Slave Lake Eiver ? A. I suppose about ninety miles. We take a day to run it going down stream with a boat. Q. Then you have 190 miles of navigation from the mouth of the river to the head of the lake ? A. Yes. Mr. Hardisty puts it at 200 miles. Q. Is that as far to the west towards the Eocky Mountains as you can get with a steamer ? A. Yes, just now. We are now discussing the route from Edmonton to Hie Arctic Sea. Lesser Slave Lake is to one side. I have given you every infor- mation up to Lesser Slave Lake. We have not touched the Peace Eiver yet. Q. We van t to know how far you can ascend the Athabasca Eiver? A. By steamer up to the first portage, about 80 or 90 miles. Q, As I understand it, these are all waters that can be traversed by that steamer that carries 130 tons ? A. Yes ; of course in giving the number of miles I may be incorrect. Q. The ninth question calls for information regarding the Liard Eiver ? A. The Liard Eiver comes down from the mountains and falls into the Mackenzie at Fort Simpson. Port Simpson is built on an island formed at the junction of the two rivers. By Honorable Mr. Power : Q. How large a river is the Liard where it runs into the Mackenzie? A. I suppose it is a quarter of a mile wide there. The inland boats go up that river and take seventeen to twenty days tracking to go up. Q. Do you mean the Ordinary boats carrying four tons ? A. Yes; four or fivo tons. 83 Q, There would not be much navigation in that river if they have to portage ? A. No ; Port Liard is close tip to the mountains — about 300 miles, I suppose, that is the average distance the company's forts are from each other. By the Chairman: Q. Can you give any information regarding Peace Eiver both to the east and west of the Eocky Mountains ? A. I can give you no information of the country west of the Eocky Mountains. I have passed my whole life east of the Eocky Mountains. On the east side the Peace Eiver is a fine large river when the water rises from the freshet. There are two obstructions to the navigation — you might say there is only one they are so close to each other. Two or three miles of a road would cover them. From Fort Chippewyan up to Dunvegan there is an uninter- rupted navigation for steamers, barring these two falls, of TOO miles — say 200 miles below the falls and the rest above. I see it stated at 700 miles from Ihrnvegan to Fort Chippewyan. The two falls are close to each other like the steps of a stair. When I ascended the Peace Eiver in 1862 with canoes, we camped there to make the portage and it is only about two miles. Q. If you were establishing a means of communication there, what would you put to overcome this obstruction ? A. I would make a tramway there. Q. About what length ? A. The road would be two or three miles long. By Honorable Mr. Power : Q. Is there not too great a fall there in a short distance for a railway or a tram- way ? A. No. By Honorable Mr. O'Donohoe : Q. Would not a canal do there ? A. I think the cheapest way would be to have a horse tramway or railway there to get over it. By the Chairman : Q. Would you mention to us the width and depth of the river so far as you know it ? A. We went up in a canoe. The inland boats which go up draw from two feet of water, and they have rio difficulty. Q. Have the Hudson Bay Co. every used a steamer on it ? A. No, not yet. Q. Why have they not done so ? A. The difficulty of getting the machinery in, I should say. They have a steamer to Lesser Slave Lake. When you get to Lesser Slave Lake you have to portage 80 miles before you strike the Peace Eiver, and I presume if they were to take the machinery in they would take it that way. By Honorable Mr. Power : Q. Is there a road through there now ? A. Yes, I think since I left the country fourteen years ago they have made a cart road. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. The river above Dunvegan is narrow, is it not? A. I do not know how far you could go up. I suppose you could ascend to St. Johns, the next post, with a steamer running above those falls. If I was going to establish steam communica- tion on the river, I would have one 'steamer from Chippewyan to the falls and one from the falls to St. Johns. When I went there in 1862, 1 was at Fort Chippewyan on the 27th July, and left the 29th, and we were 17 days ascending the Peace Eiver. The river was very high and we had hard work about half the way, until the -water would fall and we could get the men to track. We went on until we reached a point where we could go by horses to Lesser Slave Lake. If there had been a ateamer then there would have been no difficulty running on the Peace Eiver for there was plenty of water there. By Honorable Mr . Alexander : Q. Besides the Hudson Bay Co.'s people, is there any white population there I A. Yes, now there are missions and traders. Q. What churches ? A. Both Eoman Catholic and English Church. Q. Are there many traders ? A. Yes, they are going way in up as far as Great Slave Lake. Q. They go in there for furs? A. Yes. 84 Q. They take with them blankets and various things to trade with the Indians ? A. Yes, they go from Edmonton to Lesser Slave Lake, and now there are some of them wintering at Great Slave Lake. Q. Do I understand now that persons, irrespective of the Hudson Bay Co. are free to trade with the Indians ? A. Yes, and we oppose them the best way we can. You know we sold that country to the Canadian Government. By the Chairman : Q. Properly speaking, I suppose the country sold was all the land which was watered by streams flowing into the Hudson Bay ; the Peace Biver country would not be included in that ? A. No. By Honorable Mr. Alexander : Q. Do those people ever attempt to take whiskey there secretly ? A. Not that J have ever heard of. Q. Have you ever known the Indians there to suffer from want through not being able to get fish and game ? A. Lots of times. When they get in that state they used to come to the company's forts and we always relieved them. Q. Do you think from what you saw there that two or three thousand Indians could go from another part of the country and get their living there by hunting, being supplied by the Government in case of necessity ? Would it be prudent to have them go there ? A. No, and I will tell you why. These larger animals are becoming scarce now, moose as well as everything else. In the Athabasca district they used to be very numerous ; now they are not. When I say the Athabasca dis- trict, I include Peace Biver. The Peace Eiver country used to be a grand moose country at one time. Moose skins could be got in abundance, now there are none. The resources of the country are barely sufficient for the Indians that are there now, and you could not introduce others without risking the starvation of those who are there. When I went to the Saskatchewan in 1843, the plains wore literally teeming with buffaloes — millions of them. Q. Are fish very abundant in the waters of that northern country ? A, Yes, in all those lakes you can get whitefish. By Honorable Mr. Q'Donohoe : Q. Do the Hudson iiay Co. carry on their trade now where they did before the sale of the country to Canada ? A. Yes, all over. They have posts everywhere but they have to import the goods adapted to the changed condition,to sell to the settlers and people coming into the country. By Honorable Mr. Power : Q. Have you any idea what time the navigation closes and what time it opens on the Peace Biver ? A. I suppose it is similar to the Saskatchewan — I suppose it closes about the 17th of November. It may be later than the Saskatchewan, but that is about the time at Edmonton. Q. And it opens when ? A. About the middle of April. By Honorable Mr . Turner; Q. The fall of water is much greater in Peace Biver than in the Saskatchewan ? A. I think so. Q. Would it not be likely to break up the ice earlier? A. Yes. By the Chairman : Q. Give the general character of the Beaver Biver and the lakes along the upper part of the Churchill Biver ? A. I am not acquainted with the lakes above the Churchill Biver, but the Beaver Eiver was brought prominently before the public in the retreat of Big Bear from Port Pitt after the battle there at Frenchman's Knoll. The Beaver Biver from Green Lake to Isle a la Crosse Lake, the upper end, is crooked, with small rapids. Below the rapids to Isle a la Crosse Lake it is a deep river, and then there would be 200 miles of unobstructed navigation to the mouth of Biver la Loche. I have no knowledge of the lakes on the upper Churchill Biver. By Honorable Mr. Power : Q, Does the Beaver Biver run to the Churchill ? A. No. The Beaver Biver takes its rise in some lakes back of Fort Pitt— it is about 60 miles back to Fort Pitt. 85 We used to use it for taking pemmican down the Beaver River to Green Lake. It passes Green Lake and goes on and empties into Isle a la Crosse Lake. Then in- directly it does flow into the Churchill River, or the English River, because it flows into Isle a la Crosse, and the water goes down from Lacrosse to the Churchill. Q. By this map it would seem as if there were continuous water communica- tion from Lake Athabasca to the Churchill River ? A. No, because you would come to Portage laLoche, and that is a height of land. At the east end of Portage la Loche you could go by portages down to the Churchill River with an Indian canoe. Q. How far up the Churchill River is it navigable ? A. It is a very flat riven The tide comes up about five miles from the mouth, and then above (hat it is spread out and very shallow, and only navigable for canoes like that. Boats never went up that way. By the Chairman ; Q. Talking about the incorrectness of these maps, I have before me from my private library a map published by the Hudson Bay Company, or one of their promi- nent shareholders in 1866, derived from their souroes of information. Our maps here represent the Great Slave Lake as being perhaps 250 miles long ; this map shows it to be, although somewhat narrower, longer than Lake Superior ? A. I should think it is, for this reason : Prom Fort Resolution, or the outlet of Great Slave River, we run just across the corner of the lake to Port Providence, and that is 250 miles. It* extends northwards to the barren grounds, and I should say it is nearly as large as Lake Superior. If it is 250 miles across the corner, it must be a very large lake. I know there is a very heavy sea on at times. I hare been on Lake Superior in the old times and seen the sea that sometimes rises there, and there is as heavy a sea on it. Honorable Mr. Turner suggests that it would be 600 miles long. Witness — I should think so. Crossing the corner of it we were wind bound for two days, and the sea that came in from the north led me to believe there was a vast expanse of lake in that direction. The Hudson Bay Company have a fort at the head of the lake for trading with the Indians there, so I fancy the shores of the Great Slave Lake extend far down towards the barren grounds. Q. They come very near the source of the Great Pish River, I suppose ?' A. Yes. Q. I notice the same difference — not so great a degree however — irl tho case of Lake Athabasca. It is represented here as being much longer. Do you know any- thing about it ? A. It is not as large as Great Slave Lake, but it is a large lake also. Q. About how long is it ? A. I should say about 250 miles long, because they also have a post for trading with the Chippewyans that hunt in the barren grounds, which extend away to the Polar Sea. Q. Talking ahout other navigation, I suppose these rivers, such as the Copper- mine and Back's Great Fish River, which flow into the Arctic Sea, have practically no navigation ? A. No navigation from what I have read. I have read every voy- age and description connected with the Arctic Ocean very carefully — Back's, Dr. Ray's, and the whole of them — and I should say that the navigation of the Copper- mine and Back's Great Pish River is very dangerous, and that could never be useful for any practical purposes. By the Honorable Mr. Oirard : Q. Is any other party using these rivers for navigation except the Hudson Bay Company? A. No, none whatever, Q. I suppose that time will come ? A. Oh, certainly, it probably will. The Committee adjourned until 11 a.m. tomorrow. Ottawa, Friday, 13th April, 1888. Mr Dear Sib, — In reply to your enquiry of yesterday's date, I hasten to inform _you that the most northerly post offices in operation in the North- West Territories, 86 with respect to the Maokenzie River Basin, are Prince Albert, and Edmonton, distant respectively from Port Chippewyan on Lake Athabasca, by the tracks ordinarily followed— Prince Albert 674 miles and Edmonton 537 miles. Any correspondence in the custody of this Department intended for the Mac- kenzie Eiver district would be confided to the Hudson Bay Company, whose main line of communication of its Mackenzie River posts is understood to be via Prince Albert or rather Carleton on the Saskatchewan . I am, my dear sir, yours very respectfully, W. H. GRIFFIN, Deputy Postmaster General. The Honorable Dr. Sohultz, Chairman, Senate Committee, Room No. 17. Senate, Committee Room No. 17, Ottawa, Friday, 13th April, 1888. Honorable Mr. Christie re-appears and his examination was continued as fol- lows : — By the Chairman : Q. Upon the map we find a lake laid down as Reindeer Lake. It seems, on the map, to be as long at least as Lake Athabasca ? A. It is not nearly so large a lake as Athabasca ? Q. Can you give the Committee a general description of that lake ? A. It is not so far north as Isle a la Crosse, on the old boat route going into Fort Resolution. At a place called Frog Portage a stream comes down from Lac du Brochet. The lake is called Reindeer on the map, but Deer Lake is the name. Q. Had you a post in that district ? A. Yes. The Hudson Bay Company's voyageurs used to call it Lac du Brochet. There is a post at the north end of it for trading with the Chippewyans, who hunt in the barren grdunds between this lake and the sea coast. The extent of the barren grounds may be judged from the fact that the Chippewyans who came from Deer's Lake in the winter used to take seven- teen days to come to trade at Fort Churchill. That gives some idea of the extent of the barren ground from that point towards the sea. Q. How would you describe roughly the southern limit of the barren grounds ? A. I suppose they would extend nearly to Seal River beyond Churchill on the coast. Q. Is the lake that you have mentioned on the southern limit — Deer's Lake t A. No, it is in the interior ; it is just on the edge of the woods. Q. And the barren grounds are north of that ? A. North-east of that. The -barren grounds lie between Deer's Lake and the sea. Q. In your opinion what lies between Deer's Lake and Lake Athabasca ? A. There is a long distance between the two. Q. What is the character of the country ? A. Swamp and rock. Q. Any timber ? A. No, not of any size. Following the boat route to Portage la Loche going up that way, the whole country to Isle a la Crosse Lake is rock and islands covered with small trees. There is no land fit for cultivation there. Q. Would you call that the barren gronds ? A. No, what is known as the barren grounds proper is land without woods or anything lying between the forest and the sea coast. It is the resort of the reindeer in the summer. The reindeer of the barren grounds are to the Chippewyans what the buffalo were to the Plain Indians in the olden times. There are large numbers of reindeer there. Q. Is there any danger of starvation among the Indians at that lake ? A. No, I do not think it. Q. Will you please give the Committee an idea of the general character of the Mackenzie River country? A. The Mackenzie River is a noble stream from its head at Big Island, Great Slave Lake, to the sea. It runs a course of 1,037 miles, si according to Sir John Franklin, and has an average breadth of a mile and a quarter. At Fort Simpson it is about that breadth. The Hudson Bay Company have a screw steamer running on the river and around Great Slave Lake and up the Slave Eiver to Fort Smith or Salt Eiver. I may mention here in passing that Salt Eiver falls into the Great Slave Eiver, and derives its name from the fact of their being salt springs about a day's journey inland from Slave Eiver. The springs boil up and evaporate and the salt is left there quite pure. It is used on Lake Athabasca and Mackenzie Eiver. The Hudson Eay Company's employes shovel it at the springs quite pure. Q. How far up the river are the springs? A. About a day's journey, or two> days. They generally go by land with pack horses. Q. Would that be 50 miles up Salt Eiver ? A About that. It is not far up the river to what is called the Salt Plains. Q. Are there more than one of these springs ? A» I should think so. They can get any quantity of salt there that they want. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. Does the water boil up hot or cold ? A. I think cold. By the Chairman : Q. Would you please give us information regarding Lake Athabasca, particularly as regards its navigation ? A. The Athabasca Lake is a large body of water, well stocked with fish, extending northward towords the barren grounds. There is a post at the north end of the lake — Fond du Lac, for trading dry provisions and grease from the Chippewyans who hunt the reindeer in the barren grounds. It is a great resort for wild fowl passing south in the fall. They alight there in millions, geese and swans, to feed. Q. That is in going south ? A. Yes, and on their way back in the spring. Q. Are there many swans ? A. Tes. By Honorable Mr. Beesor : Q. How does Lake Athabasca lie from Lesser Slave Lake ? A. North-east from Lesser Slave Lake, In reply to the latter part of question 13, 1 may say that there are no mines there as yet to my knowledge. Very good wood can be got near "the end of Athabasca Eiver, where it falls into Athabasca Lake. By Honorable Mr. GHrard : Q. For building purposes? A. Xes, they get good wood there. Q. What kind? A. Pine. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. What diameter ? A. I suppose the largest would be 11 to 12 inehes. Q. Is it real pine, or Norway spruce ? A. Eeal pine. By Honorable Mr. Beesor : Q. Are the seasons long enough to ripen the cereals ? A. I do not think it. In the Athabasca distriot, the lower part of it, you might raise some vegetables in gardens, but for farming purposes there is no land there or in the Mackenzie district. Q. Is the country suitable for cattle raising ? A. The difficulty of raising hay would prevent that. Below Peace Eiver there is no land fit for cultivation or pas- turage. It is very barren. Q. You mean north of Peace Eiver ? A. Yes . By Honorable Mr. McGlelan : Q You spoke about red pine and spruce ? Is that abundant ? A. Yes, that is found more or less near most of the company's posts. I know near Edmonton, on the Saskatchewan, we always had plenty of it. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. How about fish ? A. In the Athabasca Lake there are plenty of fish, white- fish. Q. Is the supply of fish there larger than is necessary for the Indians ? A. I do not think it. Of course if there were different fishing points on the lake, I have no doubt fish could be got at almost any place. Of course the Hudson Bay Co. have their fishing plaoes near the forts and get fish there, but I have no doubt if people were to fish in other parts of the lake they would get fish there too. Q. Do you think there could be an organization formed to export the fish ? A. No ; at that distance, I do not think it would pay. It might pay to export fish from Winnipeg, but not so far north as that. Q. At Winnipeg the supply of fish is not large enough for trading purposes, and they say that the fish are fast disappearing from Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba ? A. There are plenty of sturgeon in Lake Winnipeg, at Grand Rapids, and near Norway House. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. Are there any other fish than whitefish in Athabasca Lake ? A, I think they get these large trout in Lake Athabasca — it is natural to suppose that they do. I cannot say from my personal knowledge, I was just passing through there. On all the expeditions that I was conneoted with, we had to spend a day or two at each post as we went along, and they had plenty of whitefish. The main support of the people in that region is the dried reindeer meat that they get from the Ohippewyans from the barren grounds. That is the main support for the Athabasca district, and you will find it is the same for the Mackenzie Eiver. By the Chairman : Q. How far from the end of the lake do the barren grounds commence ? A.. Not far I should think. I have not been there and cannot say from my own know- ledge. Q. Do they extend down to the Mackenzie? A. No, they extend down to thfr coast. North of the Great Bear Lake you find the barren grounds still, The Hudson Bay Co. have a post at the end of the Great Slave Lake, for the same trade in dried reindeer meat. That is what the Indians bring from the barren grounds. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. Do they not bring in furs ? A. No, not in the summer. Q. Are there no furs thereat all in the barren grounds ? A. They get them in winter. By Honorable Mr. Ree&or : Q. Why is that large district called the " barren grounds " ? A. Because there is no timber or anything there. Q. Is there no grass ? A. No, there is only moss. The reindeer resort there in large numbers in the summer time to avoid the flies.. They resort there in im- mense bands. The Indians watch for them and kill them in large numbers in crossing the streams. Q. Do they live on the moss ? A. Yes, and as the cold weather comes on, th» reindeer draw up to the woods. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. Are reindeer found there still in great numbers ? A. Yes, I think so, but they change their crossing places very often. Sometimes when a great number are killed at one place, they will shift their track to another place. I call it crossing the country. Some two or three years ago they had a great many deer at York Factory, and for years before that they had seen none. The reindeer must have changed their course going from one part of the country to another. Q. Have you heard of deer pemmican bein g made ? A. Yes, they make some, but it is not very good, they may make it at the forts themselves after they trade for the meat and grease. They do not make much because we had to send all the pemmican for the north from the Saskatchewan. Q. What kind of pemmi( an do you get from the Saskatchewan? Do you get any buffalo pemmican now ? A. No, not now. By Honorable Mr. McGlelan : Q. You say you know of no mines at the Athabasca Lake ? A. No, none. Q. What is the character of the rocks ? A. They are just rocky islands, comings into the Athabasca Lake, covered with stunted pine— -something similar to what you> see coming down through the Thousand Islands. 89 Q. Is the rock a conglomerate ? A. It is a hard rock, similar to what you find in the Thousand Islands. Q. Have you anything to say in reply to the latter part of the questions — " other products available for transportation by water ? " A. No, I am not aware of any other at present. By tJie Chairman : Q. Was it from the head of Great Slave Lake that Sir John Franklin and other Arctic voyageurs took their departure in trying to reach the Polar Sea ? A. No, Sir John Franklin's expedition went down the Mackenzie. Q. But there have been other expeditions that took their departure from the head of Great Sla^e Lake ? A. Yes ; Sir George Back's expedition wont down Back's Great Fish .River, as it is called . Q. It is recorded in these expeditions that they had to carry their provisions with them . Did they uso the provisions of the country or did they carry provisions in with them ? A. They took pemmican and flour, I think. Q. Deer pemmican ? A. No, 1 think it was pemmican supplied from the Sas- katchewan. Q. And the flour ? A. The pemmican and flour were supplied by the Hudson Bay Company for the expedition, the same as the Simpson expedition. Q. Sir John Franklin, I believe, was in this city in 1827— in fact he assisted Col. By and other gentlemen prominent then in laying the first stone of the lock down here for the Eideau Canal. That was on the occasion of his first expedition up the Mackenzie? A. I think his expedition up the Mackenzie was in 1821. Q. He was here in 1827; had you met him? A. No, I never met him; he was before my time. Q. The next question calls for the same information regarding Great Slave- Lake ? A. It is a very large, and supposed to be a very deep lake from the heavy sea that rises there, when the- gales occur in the fall. The west end of the lake is crossed in going from Fort Resolution at the mouth of the Great Slave Biver to Fort Providence, the entrance to the Mackenzie River. Harbors are scarce on that side — the west side of the lake Q. Doss this boat, the photograph of which you showed us, cross the end of the lake ? A. Yes, that is the route. By Honorable Mr. Turner: Q. What kind of timber is there on that lake ? A. Small stunted pine trees on the low ground round the lake. Q. Is there any agricultural land there ? A. None whatever. It is the most miserable barren country you could see, at Fort Resolution especially. Q. Is that lake supplied with fish ? A. There are whitefish. At Fort Reso- lution, when I passed there in the fall, they had a good stock of whitefish. The fishing was over. They lived mainly upon fish in the winter and the dried reindeer meat that they get from the Indians. Q What relation do the barren grounds bear to that lake l A. At tne nortb end of that lake the Hudson Bay Company have a post the same as on the Atha- basca Lake. It is called Fort Rae, and it is established for the purpose of trading with the Indians for provisions. Q And the barren grounds extend north of that ? A. To the east between the Great Slave Lake and the coast. The barren grounds are all aloDg the sea coast, from the north of Churchill going up northward. Q And extending how far back? A. I cannot say. The Indians who came to trade at Churchill, as I have told you, took 17 days to go from Reindeer Lake to ^"q/am there trout in the Great Slave Lake? A. Yes, because we got some from the Indians in the winter coming back, on my return. Q How large are they ? A. About the size of Lake Superior trout— I suppose about 20 or 30 lbs. It is the same trout as they catch in Lake Superior. 1—6 90 By Honorable Mr. Beesor ; Q. Are there any other animals there suitable for food besides the reindeer? A. The reindeer is the principal animal. Of course there are rabbits, but they are very scarce in the north. Q. The musk ox is not so much to be found there ? A. No, it is found down on the sea coast, but the musk ox is very scarce. Q. Its flesh is not considered desirable for food ? A. No ; and, as I have said, the musk ox is very scarce. They are not like the buffalo, which used to be found in immense herds, they are found in small bands of three or four together. By the Chairman : Q. The next question asks for information regarding Great Bear Lake ? A. I can give you no information regarding Great Bear Lake, because I never was there; but, like all the inland lakes, it is very large. Its outlet is by the Great Bear River into the Mackenzie. It falls into the Mackenzie near Fort Norman. The Hudson Bay Company have a post on the Great Bear Lake. Q. What is the name of that post? A. I do not know any particular name to it; I suppose it is known as the Great Bear Lake post. Q. The Experimental Farm has favored us with a number of samples of wheat, barley, rye, &c , from Eussia, which we propose to send, with questions, into the interior; could you suggest the posts that these should be sent to ? They have already sent up samples as far as Duovegan, on the Peace River ? A. Tou might send samples to Fort Chippewyan, that is the headquarters of the district, and ask the officers in charge there to distribute it through the district. Do you want to try further north ? Q . Yes, everywhere. A. Of course things will grow up towards the mountains that would not grow down towards the sea coast. It these are hardy grains from the north of Russia that you wish to test in the north, I may say there is no land there for it. At Fort Chippewyan the little garden they have there is made, and it is the same at Fort Simpson . Q. flow could we get specimens sent from Edmonton to the interior ? A. There is no use talking of settlers in the Athabasca or Mackenzie River country, because there is no land there for cultivation. It is different with the Peace River country, which is one of the finest countries that you would wish to see. If the Senate wish to know whether the heat of summer in that northern latitude is suffi- cient to ripen these grains, you could send the samples as far north as Peel's River, but for any other purpose it would be of no practical use whatever. The posts to which you could send the samples are Fort Chippewyan, Fort Smith, Fort Provi- dence, Fort Simpson, Fort Norman, Good Hope and Peel's River. I do not know that you need send the samples to Peel's River, because that is within the Arctic circle, and so I believe is Fort Hope. Q. Have you ever heard that barley has been grown at Fort Yukon ? A. Yes, but that is much further south and it is much milder there than at Fort Simpson. It is much milder at Fort Liard also ? Q. Shall we add Fort Liard to the list ? A. Yes, but that is up near the moun- tains and it is much milder there. Q, The 16th question is as follows :— If you know of any other body of fresh water, such as the Lesser Slave Lake, give all possible information relating thereto? A. There are a great many lakes, all over the territories, as large as the Lesser Slave Lake. Q. We meant more particularly between the Hudson Bay and the Athabasca and the Great Slave Lake ? A. There are no large lakes south of Deer's Lake and between it and the sea coast that I am aware of. Q. Can sea-going steamers ascend the Mackenzie? If so, how far and with what draft of water, and during what period of the year? A. It depends upon the draft of water of the steamers. I have no doubt, from what I have seen of the river, that a vessel drawing a great deal more than the Hudson Bay Co.'s steamer there, could navigate the river. The steamer draws five feet of water. I hava 91 descended the Mackenzie as far as Fort Simpson late in the fall, arriving there on tho 2 1st of October. As we went down the river was full of ice, but wo had no difficulty. We had heavily laden boats drawing two and a half feet of water. Mr. Hardisty says that the water is nowhere less than 6 feet deep, but it is a great deal more than that. Q. Can you tell us anything about the salmon in the rivers that flow in the Hudson Bay from the west? A, That is about Churchill, I suppose? Q. Anywhere of importance on tho coast ; I suppose that Churchill is the most important point on the coast? A. Yes. Salmon is found in large numbers on the Churchil) as soon as the ice clears out of the river. The river breaks up thereabout the 28th of June, and the ice is clear about the middle of July. Q. Do they run up the river to spawn ? A. No, they enter the river with the tide and go out with the tide. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. Are the salmon there as large as those that are iound on the Labrador coast ? A. I suppose so. T thought them as large as the salmon I had seen in Scotland. By the Chairman : Q. Where is their spawning ground? A. I do not know. They do not ascend the river far, but they seem to go in and out with the tide. Churchill is the only harbor at that part of the Hudson Hay post. Q. Can you give the quantities of rain and depth of snow of aDy part of the Mackenzie Basin, to which you have referred? A. We have kept no registers of that. We used to keep a register at York Factory and Churchill of the thermometer, but we kept no record of the snow and rain-fal!, or anything of that kind. Q. Can you give us an idea of the depth of snow at Fort Simpson and other points? A. From Fort SimpsoD, coming out, we left the fort on the 5th December. You may say we spent the whoie of the winter crossing from there to Ottawa here. We got here on the 8th March. We found a great deal more snow southward than ■on the Mackenzie River. Perhaps there might be from two to three feet of snow on the level. Of course on the Churchill there are immerise drifts of snow. Q. There is not so deep a snowfall then on the Mackenzie River? A. No, I do not thiDk so. Of course I had started from Fort Simpson on the 5th December, and travelled southward. We used snow shoes all the way, but I found as I came south, and especially as I came to Ontario here, that the snowfall had been much greater than we had found it in the north. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q Is that a rainy country? A. I have here some extracts from my inward journal from Fort Garry to Fort Simpson. While at Fort Carlton on the 5 Ji and 6th of September, there were heavy rains. On the 19th and 20th September, heavy rains and gales at Isle a la Crosse. The night of the 7th October, fearful gales at Fort Chippewyan with snow. There was a foot of snow on the ground on the morning of the 8th, and the bays were full of ice. In the notes from my journal on the outward journey, I have noted here deep snow from the Forks to the edge of the plains. Q. What date was that? A. December. Heavy rains at Fort Simpson on the 19th November. At Fort Simpson, on the 22nd November, the thermometer regis- tered 10° below zero, I started on the 5th December coming out, and we had excessively cold weather at Great Slave Lake. Weather excessively cold from the 11th December. I had officers with me who had wintered on the coast and they thought it was at least 50° below zero. On the 15th January the weather changed milder going south. Heavy rains at Isle a la Crosse on the 18th January. y. Do you consider the cold weather which you have described, the usual weather in that country ? A. I should think so. By Honorable Mr. Power : Q. You have not said anything with regard to the most important part of the Mackenzie Basin — the Peace Eiver country — in answering this question? Do yoo. 1-6% 92 know anything of the snowfall and rainfall in that part of the country ? A.I was in the Peace Eiver in the summer time in 1862. Q. Can you tell us anything about the rain-fall ? A. No. We did not keep any register of the rain-fall. I can tell you the natuie of the country as we passed through. Q. Perhaps you may know, from the reports of other officers to you, what is the usual depth of sdow in the Peace Eiver country ? A. I do not think there will be any difference much between it and the Saskatchewan. I never wintered in Peace Eiver, and I do not think the company's officers pay much attention to the rain-fall, the depth of snow or anything of the kind. By Honorable Mr. Qirard : Q. There is more snow there than in Manitoba, is there not ? A. No, I do not think bo. The snow in Upper Peace Eiver would go away much sooner than in Manitoba, because as you approach the mountains the climate is much milder. By Honorable Mr, Power : Q. Do you think that the Peace River country is liable to drought at all ? A. No, I do not think it. The Upper Peace Eiver is as fine a country as I ever saw. By Honorable Mr. Beesor; Q. Is the vegetation luxuriant ? A. Yes. It is not like the Saskatchewan country. The grass of the Peace Eiver country is more like the grass of Manitoba^ By Honorable Mr. Qirard : Q. I know that for pasture there is no better country in the world than the Peace Eiver Valley, but is the soil as cultivable as that of Manitoba ? Can crops be relied on? A. "Yes, I think wheat would be ascertain in Peace Eiver as in the Saskatchewan country. At Edmonton wheat is a very uncertain crop. It ia likely to be affected by early frost. By the Chairman : Q. How is it further down ? A. At Lac la Biche they never have wheat frozen ; that may be affected by the temperature of the lake water. By Honorable Mr. Beesor : Q. On the Upper Peace Eiver they are less subject to frosi ? A. Yes, I have always understood that wheat grows well at Dun vegan. Q. Do you remember the elevation of the country there above the sea level? A. No. By the Chairman ; Q. Can you give us any information as to the depth to which the winter frost penetrates the soil at different places in the Mackenzie Basin ? A. I should say in the Mackenzie Eiver the ground is frozen to a depth of 6 to 10 feet. Q. You mean by that about Fort Smith ? A. No, not so far south as that — from the posts on the Mackenzie downwards — the far north. It does not thaw much out in the spring and summer. By Honorable Mr. Beesor : Q. The frosts would remain there the year round then ? A. Oh, yes. By the Chairman : Q. South of that, can you give us the depth to which the frost penetrates at the various points ? A. No, I cannot do so with any correctness. Of course coming south it would be less. About the coast of Hudson Bay, at such places as York Factory and Churchill, the frost is never out of the ground. By Honorable Mr. Chaffers: Q. What about the days and nights ? A. In the winter the rights are very long, in the summer very short— in fact at midsummer there is hardly any night at all. Down on the lower posts on the Mackenzie I do not think they have any nights at all in the summer. At Fort Simpson I arrived there on the 22nd of October and left on the 5th December, and it generally used to be dark about three or half past three in the afternoon. Then we had a long night until the next day perhaps nine or ten o'clock. At Fort Churchill in midsummer there is just a sort of twilight of a couple of hours ; the rest of the day it is all daylight. In winter, of course, the* 93 nights are very loDg; it is dark generally about half past three or four in the after noon, and daylight does not come before nine o'clock the next day. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. What are the Hudson Bay Company's posts on the Mackenzie River? A. They are established about erery 300 miles all the way down the river. Then there are other posts on the lakes. Fort Simpson is ahead of the Mackenzie Eiver district. Then the next post going down the river is Fort Norman, and they have a post on the Great Bear Lake. There are Sisters of Charity at Fort Good Hope, and at Fort Providence; they have a splendid mission. Q. Have the Sisters of Charity gardens there? A. Yes, a very fine garden. Wherever you meet the Sisters of Charity in that country, you find a well cultivated garden. Q. Do they grow many vegetables ? A. Yes, and flowers. Q. Do they raise potatoes ? A. Yes, at Fort Providence they raise potatoes the same as at Fort Simpson. The potatoes raised in that country are known as the " Lady's Finger." They raise potatoes and barley at Fort Simpson. Q. Do they raise vegetables at Fort Good Hope ? A. Yes, some potatoes, and they raise barley when they can. Q. What is the size of the potatoes grown there ? A. They are very small. Q. Is there any considerable settlement around any of those forts ? A. No, none at all ; I do not think any white man would go to settle there. Q. Where are the white men to be found there? A. Such as there are, at the company's forts. A great muny came oat from England and Scotland, gentlemen's sons — and some got married to Indian girls. Q. And French Half-breeds ? A. Yes. Q. How are they living ? A. At Fort Simpson entirely on fish, and they were very badly off last winter and the winter before. I have a son stationed at Fort Simpson. Q. How do the Indians live? A. By hunting. Q. Have you witnessed any starvation ? A. Sometimes, when they are not suc- cessful in hunting, long ago they have starved on the Mackenzie Eiver, but lately I have not heard of any cases of starvation. When the Indian has anything to eat he does nothing at all until that is done; when that is finished he looks for more. Q. Can they always find fish for food? A. No, some of them do not know much about fishing, or making nets, but at Fort Simpson and around the lake the principal food is fish and reindeer meat. Q. You spoke of the Grey Nuns; I think they have settlements at different parts of the Mackenzie Basin ? A. Yes. Q At Lac la Biche 1 A. Yes; Lac la Biche is on the Saskatchewan. Bishop Clut is the Bishop for the Mackenzie Eiver country. By the Chairman : Q. You told us a little while ago that the reindeer come to the wooded district in large bands by different ways, and that the Indiana wait for them at the crossings of the streams and kill them in large numbers, and dry the meat for winter use ? A. They make dried meat in summer time, but the reindeer in coming up from the barren grounds in what we call passes through the country, do not always follow the same route. For instance, if a great number are killed in one place, they change their track. Q. Is it not a fact that sometimes the Indians lie in wait for them at a place where they have been accustomed to pass, and when the reindeer change their route the Indians fail to procure their usual supply of food and starvation is sometimes the result. Have you not heard cases of tht,t kind? A. Yes; in the summer time the Indians go to the barren grounds, to hunt, and knowing the passes at the rivers, they lie in wait for the reindeer, and spear them in large numbers. Q. No Government interference could prevent or foresee an occurrence of the kind 1 have described causing starvation among the Indians? A. No. 94 Q. Even those who are in command of that district could not prevent that ? A. I never heard of any case of starvation amoDg the Indians during the four years I was at Fort Churchill. Q. I speafc of the Mackenzie Eiver district ? A. I did not hear of any. Of course, sometimes an Indian will starve when he fails to kill anything. Sometimes - thedeer are found in large numbers in one part of the country, while the Indians are hunting for them in another part of the country, where there are none* By Honorable Mr. Power : Q. You have not yet told us the depth to which the frost penetrates the ground in the Peace Eiver country? A. I cannot make any statement about that; I never made any attempt to find out, but I should thick it would be about two feet, some- thing similar to the Saskatchewan. Q. Something similar to what we have in this part of the country ? A. Yes. By the Honorable Mr. Qirard : Q. In what respect can the basin of the Mackenzie be considered of value to the Dominion ? Is it a mineral country ? A. I will answer that question this way : it will depend on what discoveries may be made. It is a known fact that all the streams from the mountains, south of Saskatchewan even, and going north, are auriferous — that is to say, indications of gold are found in them. I make that statement from what I am told by miners who have gone up as far north as the Liard into the mountains. Then we have from the journals of the Arctic expeditions —Franklin, Bichardson and others — that on the Coppermine Eiver, copper exists in large quantities. Of course I am only speaking now of what I have read. Q. As a fur country what do you say about it? A. £ am a retired officer of the Hudson Bay Company, and I would prefer to say nothing about that. Q. Could any part of that country be used for agricultural purposes ? A. No, there is nothing at all in the Mackenzie Eiver country or the Lower Athabasca coun- try. There is no part of it that is fit for agriculture. Q. The Upper Peace Eiver country you consider good ? A. The Upper Peace Eiver at Yermiilion is a splendid country. I rode with Governor Dallas 60 miles through a most magnificent country. The soil was a beautiful dark loam, as we saw by the mole hills, and wo were struck with the charming appearance of the country. There were more bluffs than you find on the Saskatchewan, and it was a beautiful country all the way up to Dunvegan. By Honorable Mr. Reesor ; Q. Where the country was open did you find the grass very high? A. It was higher than on the Saskatchewan. It was not very long — about the same as in Manitoba. As to the capacity of the country for agriculture, I may explain that a good deal depends upon the character of the officer in charge of the fort, whether the capacity of the country for agriculture is tested. In the journals of long ago I find that they used to raise splendid wheat crops at Dunvegan, and cattle. Another officer, without any taste for agriculture, going in there might find it very difficult to live. If he has no taste for gardening or agriculture nothing will be raised. A great deal depends on the officer of the post whether he lives well or not. If ho is active and energetic he will always live very well. By Honorable Mr. Girard: Q. 1 suppose the Peace Eiver country is a considerable size — in fact there is enough land there to make a new province ? A. Yes. I sometimes hear the opinion expressed that our country may ere long become over populated, but there is not the slightest danger of that. You need not be afraid how many immigrants come in to the country to settle. You may bring in all the immigrants that Europe can send you. There is room for all in the Saskatchewan and Peace River country. There is a vast extent of splendid country from Prince Albert on the whole north side of the Saskatchewan, going away up until you come near Fort Pitt, keeping a little to the north. Then when you come to the route of Green Lake, there is two days' journey through a magnificent country, beautifully timbered, well watered and sup- plied with abundance of fish. As I travelled through it, I remarked to one of my men, "what a splendid country to settle in." 95 By Honorable Mr. Power : Q. Whereabouts is Green Lake ? A. North of Carleton, about 80 miles. You eroes at Carleton and lor two days you travel through a prairie country with bluff* here and there, and lakes ; it is a splendid country. Then you travel for two days through a iorest to Green Lake. Q. Is that good timber? A. Yes, it is a dense forest. By the Chairman : Q. We will take now the 2nd series of questions, commencing with No. 24. Where are the barren grounds ? A. Extending from the west coast of Hudson Bay to the heads of Deer Lake, Athabasca Lake, and the Great Slave Lake. The barren grounds, so far as I know, are not rocky. It is all open country, covered with rein- deer moss. The sterile country would be in Athabasca. The country is all rocky and there is no soil — rocky islands. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. Does the Mackeuzie country come under that head too ? At You cannot say that it is altogether sterile, but you cannot raise any crops of any significance in the Mackenzie country. Q. Just little patches of land? A. Yes. By the Chairman : Q. Of course in that district you speak of as being sterile there is Port Simpson, and there you raise potatoes ? A. Yes. Q. You have stated of course these are small potatoes, of the " Lady Finger " variety. As I understand it the " Lady Finger" is a small variety of potato. Since the time when these were raised great improvements have been made by the intro- duction of the " Early Eose," " Morning Skies," and " Beauty of Hebron." Do you think that different varieties of potatoes might not grow larger ? A. Of course when the same seed is used time after time it tends to get small, and no doubt when other varieties are introduced better potatoes will be grown. Q. How far north have barley and potatoes been grown, and how far to the east and west on various parallels of latitude ? A. I should say as far north as Fort (Simpson, on the Mackenzie Biver. Q. No potatoes or barley have been grown north of that? A. Not that I am aware o£ Possibly at Fort Good Hope they have raised potatoes, but I cannot speak with any certainty. Q. How about Fort Yukon ? A. I cannot say. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. How about Churchill ? A. You can grow nothing there. That is on tho shore of the Hudson Bay. Q, There is nothing grown there at all ? No. We used to have a few turnips. By Honorable Mr. Meesor : Q. I suppose the ice continuing until very late irs Hudson Bay, tends to keep the atmosphere cold there ? A. Yes, very likely ; because in Manitoba, when the ice in the lake hangs on for a long time, and it is very cold weather, they attribute it to the ice on the lake. I suppose we may say the same of the sea. Q How far north, east and west have the hardy varieties of Indian corn arrived Mt maturity ? I suppose not beiDg an agriculturist yourself, having been devoted to qnite other pursuits, you cannot answer very readily these questions relating to the agriculture of the country ? A, I do not think I could say anything which would be of use to the Committee, By Honorable Mr, Girard : Q. Have you ever seen Indian corn grown in the gardens at all? A. JNo, never. I never saw an experiment tried, and I have no idea how far north it would grow. I believe a little wheat was raised as far north as Fort Chippewyan, but that was merely an experiment. The Committee would perhaps get better information witn regard to cereals from Professor Macoun than from me. Q When does the spring open in these different localities, meaning by spring the first appearance of flowers ? A. That is as soon as the snow is off the ground 96 almost. In the prairie country, as soon as the snow is off the ground the flowers «ome up. By the Chairman : Q. When does the snow leave the ground at Fort Simpson ? A. I suppose about the middle or towards the end of May. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q, How long before the flowering of plants at any of these places is the ground fit for seeding ? A. Just as the snow goes. You have to wait until the ground is dry and the frost >s out of it before you can plough. The flowering of plants takes place before the ground is fit to plough. Q, Does the land dry early? A. Yes, very soon after the snow disappears. la the Saskatchewan the ploughing generally commences about the 10th or the middle of April. By the Chairman : Q. Take the 33rd question: Are June, July and August warm months? A. Yes. In Saskatchewan it is a little earlier than that. The seed is sown about the first ot May sometimes, or the latter end of April or earlier. Ploughing commences about the 15th of April, and sowing would be five days later — about the 22nd to the 25th of April. All is over, the seeding done generally, by the 5th or 10th of May, and then the growing months are Jane, July and August there- Then in the northern districts it may be much the same, because they would be later getting in the seed. It would be the latter end of May in the Athabasca and Mackenzie River districts before they would put in seed, and 60 the growing months are June, July and August. By Honorable Mr. Girard: Q. Have you frost generally in August ? A. In the Saskatchewan sometimes. Q. Towards the end of the month ? A. Yes, about the end of the month, bat generally about the beginning of September — about the 5th ot September. By the Chairman : Q. About what time have you your first frost in the Mackenzie River district ? A. I was not there in the summer; I was only there in the winter and cannot tell. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. Have you heard of frost in July in any part of the country you have visited ? A. No, it is the end of August and the beginning of September generally — crossing the plains sometimes about the beginning of September. Q. When do the leaves begin to bad? A. Early in May at Edmonton, and I presume it is much the same at Peace River. Q. There is not a great deal of difference between there and Manitoba? A. No. That is what I say, there is not a great deal of difference in the winters of those two districts, Peace River and Manitoba. By the Chairman ; Q. The5^rd question seal Is for information regarding the animals of that country which are valuable for food . Is the cariboo found there ? A. The cariboo exists in the barren grounds. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. Where do they find food ? A. They eat the moss, they live upon it. Q. I thought they needed grass also, and I understood you to say that there was, mOjgrass in the barren grounds ? A. There is nograss there, but they do not require it* They live on the moss. By Honorable Mr. Beesor : Q. How high does this moss on which they feed grow ? A. It is quite low and crisp. The cariboo lives ontirely in the barren grounds on this moss, and in the winter they come up to the end of tbe woods for shelter. Q. About where is that ? A. Along the edge of the barren grounds, and they go into the woods and scatter over it. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. I suppose that is for protection against the flies ? A. Yes, in the summer they go to the barren gronnds and down to the coast. When hard pressed by tha 97 flies they actually go into the sea, they are bo tormented with the " Bulldogs." The- Indians say that the " Bulldogs " sometimes kill the deer. For a long time I did nofc credit it, until one time we came across the body of a deer that had been killed in that way, and it was literally covered with " Bulldogs." The whole body was alive with them, they were in the eyes and nostrils and mouth of the animal in swarms. They literally choked the animal to death. By the Chairman : Q. Can you tell us anything of the appearance of the musk ox ? A. The musk ox is not like the buffalo. It does not stand quite so high. It has a very long straight back, with very short legs, and the wool is very long and hanging down almost to its hoofs. The musk ox does not go very much in the deep snow. It is a very hardy animal of course. The horns are not like those of the buffalo, but more like those of the mountain sheep. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. Is it larger than the buffalo? A. Yes, a full grown one would ba larger. 16 is longer in the body and much heavier. By the Chairman : Q. What is the food of the musk ox ? A. Something similar to the reindeer moss. Q. What is its enemy ? A. The Esquimaux hunt them, but wj got very few skins from them. We get a few at Fort Churchill and a few at Fort Rao. Q. The musk ox inhabits a district north of that in which the reindeer is found? A. Yes, north of the Churchill and to the north of the Mackenzie Biver. Q. With the exception of the cariboo, he is the most northern animal of all ? . A. Yes, even more northern than the cariboo. He is the largest animal found in the Arctic circle. Q Does he seek the shelter of the weods ? A. No, he keeps in the open coun- try, along the coast. Q. And the wood buffalo ? A. The wood buffalo inhabits the Peace River country. In speaking of the Salt River, I mentioned the fact that there are plains there known as the Salt Plains. The wood buffalo are in the woods, but in the sum- mer they come down to these salt springs to lick the salt. They are peculiarly in the Athabasca country — not in the Athabasca or Peace River country proper; they only find them on the Salt River that flows into the Great Slave Lake River. Thai Salt River plain is about their country. Q. Are they to be found on the Liard River ? A. No, the Salt River that falls into the Slave River at Fort Smith. Q.' Have you any idea, from your correspondence, what numbers of them remain.? A. No, I could not tell you the number, but they are in small bands of four or five together. The same remark applies to the musk ox north of Churchill. A few are- to be had, perhaps, within 100 miles of Seal River. Q. We aro now speaking of the wood buffalo? A. They are to be found en- tirely in the Great Slave country, on the plains of the Salt River. Q. Would you describe the appearance of the wood buffalo ? A. The Esquimaux: have brought them to us frozen, just as they shot them. They are different from. the plain buffalo. They are longer and deeper in the sides. They have very short legs and the wool is much longer. The robes are very much prized. The centre is. light colored, a sort of drab. i Q. Will you describe the general appearance of the wood buffalo? A. The wood buffalo is the plain buffalo, pnly in this respect: long ago the buffalo were found as far north as the Peace River in great numbers, and these Plain Indians, the -Sarcees and others, were once in the Peace River. There is a place called Battle, River in the Peace River Valley where these Plain Indians had a tremendous battle, and it is called .Battle River from that circumstance. These plain buffalo were ia tbat country then in thousands, just the same as they were in the plains. As they got hunted up by the Indians, they moved out and the Indians moved out of the Peace River also after this groat battle and went into the plains. 93 Q. How long would that be ? A. A loDg time ago— perhaps 100 years ago. A number of those plain buffalo got into the woods and bred and remained there, sand are still living in the woods there. They have grown larger in some way, but they are just the same as the plain buffalo. Those who have killed some of them say they have increased in size in the woods, possibly from not being disturbed so much, and not having to move about as the plain buffalo had to do. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. How do the wood buffalo live there ? A. In the woods, on the grasses, I suppose, that they find. The buffalo does not scrape ; ho breaks the snow with his nose and eats that way. By Honorable Mr. Beesor : Q. Unless the grass is pretty long he could not get his living there in the winter? A. No. By the Chairman : Q. Do you know anything of the weight of one of those wood buffalo ? A. I suppose about four or five hundred pounds would be the weight. A buffalo cow in the plains, after being dressed, would weigh about three hundred pounds; one of ihese wood buffalo would weigh about three hundred and fifty to four hundred pounds, dressed. Q. Can you give us the locality of the moose? A. The whole of the Peace- "River. The Upper Peace. JRiver used to be celebrated for moose, and the Mackenzie JRiver also. They were very numerous in both districts once, but they are not so- now. Q. Have you the elk there also ? A. The red doer is there. By Honorable Mr. Beesor : Q. There is the red deer, the elk and • the moose; the moose is a very large •deer? A. I think the red deer is what you call the elk. There are several different ispecies of deer. With us we always thought the moose was the largest, the red sdeer next, then the jumping deer and several species of small deer. Professob Macotjn — The red deer and elk are the same. By the Chairman : Q. We now come to the 56th question, with regard to the climate of th& a-egion covered by our inquiry ? A. No, I have no records at all bearing on the ■climate. Of course it is extremely cold in the northern districts — much colder Uhan it is in the southern districts. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. Is the influence of the chinook winds felt in any part of that country ? A. Yes, at Jasper House and Rocky Mountain House, and at Bow .River in the south. When the chinook winds come the snow disappears. At Jasper House, at the head- waters of the Athabasca, within the mountains, the snow seldom lies on the ground a day at all. There is a fall of snow and there comes a chinook wind and it all goes >■ t-1-t o s 8a . ! : i - " | I 01 cc •O OS 5 2 00 go™ IK 00 • s = 1 1 m hi i : a — ' 3 * • SI « C o? ; : : ? «M t -t-» o■ I cq c- I 1Q M ; J 0C m a -*-» x CO : ! 5 I s aJ§ CO •-< : : : 1 • : • 1 = = = o K S* 3 £> ^o ~* na> : * 2 o • co en a > »-co \ CO C« CI > u 1 B T3 S3 - cC jt^eT , c r 2 S3 <0 cS : v «5 > 1 ■"• coco ; e ' 3 O > > ; "-H 00 CO • c t *** CD 00 J 8 «D—j • i » . a. S a i-H k> ffi : : : 1 1 1 : m ; a> Ut • — ** ^> t%>->ti ^ : :"0 : S3 « JO CD OP •A* ; s* a a°S : ® «> m :® S§ * 5 oB « a> m CO a> to" a t3 03 CD BD 01 t~l a aT O fa o (H 1. H H O is 2 ^ ft s CO o H BQ u 128 Lieutenant Governor Dbwdney re-appears and continues his evidence aB fol- lows:— When I found yesterday morning that I was obliged to leave the Committee Koom, Senator Gowan was making some enquiries in reference to the summit which divides the headwaters of the streams flowing to the Arctic Sea from those streams flowing into the Pacific. He was anxious to know whether salmon spawn could be taken from the waters flowing westward and put into the waters flowing to the north-east, as it was reported there was no salmon in the Peace Eiver waters. Since then it has come to my recollection that there is a point which would be more easy of access than the one of which I speak, that is near the Big Band of the Fraser Eiver, on which there is a small portage, called the Gisoome Portage. It was by that route that the tirst supplies went into this Omenica country. In fact boats were built in the harbor of Victoria and taken all the way up the Fraser and across this portage into the waters which flow into the Peace River. There is no elevation to speak of. I think a slide is built across the portage, by which they drag their boats across from one stream and put them into the other. If it is considered advisable at any time to make the experiment, that would be tbe most convenient point, because there are immense quantities of salmon in the Fraser and its tributaries. Q. Tou would put the spawn somewhere in the Nation Lake ? A. No, into McLeod Lake. It used to be called Trout Like in old days and then it was named McLeod Lake. It was at that point that the first post of the Hulson Biy Company was established west of the mountains. Q. Is that Fort MacLeod ? A. Yes, that was established in 1805 I believe. Q. I notice thatthat stream leads into the Parsnip Bi ver, one of the branches of the Peace Eiver ? A. Yes, the streams from that point run down to the Parsnip. Q. Where would you suggest putting the spawn in ? A. I think that would be a favorable point and more easy of access than the point we were speaking of yester- day, where the summit is 3,000 feet high. Q. I notice quite near there that there is a river called the Salmon River which flows lrom near the Nation Lake down, not far from the Lake you describe, and joins the Fraser Biver at the Big Bend. That name would suggest that there are salmon there ? A. There are none there. With regard to the Omenica country, especially, I spoke of the different creeks we have there . There is one peculiarity in reference to these creeks in the Omenica country that almost the whole of them carry a large quantity of native silver and in such large quantities that the miners, particularly on Silver Creek and on one or two other creeks, when they have washed up the gold, found so large a quantity of native silver in it that they divided the sil- ver from the gold and when they paid out at the end of the week they paid part in silver and part in gold. There is one piece in the Geological Museum taken out of Hotel Creek, or Silver Creek, which is as large as a hen's egg. The pieces vary from that size down to the size of a bean. By Honorable Mr. Macdonald (B.Q ) : Q. There is no mining on the Omeniea now ? A. Yes, Jim May mines there yet. Q. There are no miners going in there now, I suppose ? A. No. They are work- ing some of the old mines there yet. Q, Most of them go to the Cassiar mines now ? A. Yes . You see it is a very difficult country to get into and when other mi ning camps are discovered they go to them. By the Chairman : Q. Would that country be commercially related to the east side of the mountains or the west ? Is it easier to go to Fort Edmonton or down to the coast at that point? A. It would be easier to get down to the coast or even through by the main route through British Columbia to Quesnelle. Q. Would you tells us something about the gold deposits ? A. In those differ- ent creeks some of them were extremely valuable and extremely rich. Tbo bedsof the creek appear to be pretty much worked out. Of coarse there is the quartz there. 129 'but it has not been worked, for the reason that the quartz in the Caiiboo country has not been worked — there is no way of getting machinery in there. Q. There are quartz ledges on the upper waters of the Peace .River are there not ? Ob, yes. In this Omenica country there is quartz all through. Q. Have any assays been made of the quartz ? A. 1 cannot specify any particular ■ones, but there have been some made I know. Q. Is it supposed to be as rich in gold as in some other parts? A. I think so. We think the mines have been as rich on Vital Creek. When it was first discovered the gold which they took out of some portions of it was as rich as any that 1 ever heard of, but the diggings were shallow and when they ceased to find gold they dropped off and never went deep. Q. There would be the great difficulty of getting in supplies also I suppose ? A. Yes. Of course at the time of the excitement they took a steamer up there from Soda Creek, that, is near Quesnello, up the Eraser as far as Fort George and then up the Nechachoe River into Stewart's Lake. Then goods were taken from Fort Georga on the south eastern end of Stewart's Lake in the steamer and were run up to Tatla Lake — that is 150 or 180 miles. The goods were packed over the road from the> mouth of Quesnelle to Stewart's Lake overland. The steamer was taken overland that way — they had great difficulty in getting it up — for the purpose of working on those northern waters. The goods were taken on the same road that the Western Union Telegraph Company used when they were building their line. They went through this same country 25 years ago before the Atlantic cable was a success, in anticipsi- tion of going by that way through Russia. When the Atlantic cable was declared a Success they stopped work. Through all this country they have the wires and poles standing yet. Q. How far did they go up ? A. They went up to the small creek about ten miles above Hazleton to Kixpiox Valley; a very beautiful valley it is. I went up it to the head-waters, as far as the telegraph line went, in order to report to the Gov- ernment. They stopped at the head of that valley. They got into an immense ■amphitheatre ot mountains and did not know how they would get out, and where they heard of ihe success of the Atlantic cable they abandoned the work. They go to Tatla Lake and then across the portage 30 or 40 miles and take down the Omenica River in boats, Q. What are we to understand about the possibilities of pasture or arable land in the valley of the Nation and the Omenica River? A. There are heavy grasses all through that country, wherever it happens to be open land. There are very beautiful valleys on the Omenica River, That I know personally, having been on it. Toe valley varies in width from two to three to five or six miles and beautiful land, on both banks of it. As soon as you get into the mountains it is timbered heavily. Q. You told us yesterday something about the climate and the snowfall there. Is the enow there deep in winter? A. Yes, there is a pretty heavy snowfall. I came out there about the end of December or the beginning of January, and I should say that there was about four feet of snow. At any rate, I was on snow shoes and I know I sank three feet a good many miles of it. It was a very soft snow in the early part of the season. In going over the Frying Pan Pass the following spring on the summit, there must have been 25 feet of snow. By Honorable Mr. Ogilvie : Q. Do you mean to say there was 25 feet of snow on the level? A. Yes. Bat you must remember it is 3,300 feet above the level on the summit. We blazed the road on the way in, and some miners who were anxious to get goods in followed our track. The snow was so deep that we blazed near the tops of the trees in some places. In the spring the disappointed miners had to get down to the coast by the ehort road and they followed back on our tracks. Where the snow was shallow our blazes were low down on the trees, but they never thought of looking for the blazas at the top of the trees, and two or three men lost their way and their lives. The country is cut up into all kinds of valleys. These men got lost. I picked up one or 130 two of them on the way and saved their lives. One of them was crazy when wo picked him up. By the Chairman .- Q. At Fort McLaod have they any garden ? A. 1 do not know of any. Q. Has any attempt at agriculture or anything of the sort been made there ? A. I do not know of any. Q. Have you been up as far as the head- waters of the Finlay Kiver ? A. No, I have never been on the Finlay River. Q. Have you heard anything of its character from miners who have been thei e ? A. I know several who have been in through that country. Q. The Committee would like to know what your general impression is derived from that source ? A. They described the Finlay and the Parsnip as being a very large stretch of navigable waters. The Finlay is a large river at that point. I have- beard them speak of 200 miles of navigable water on the Finlay branch. Q. When you speak of the navigable waters do you mean navigable for canoes? A. For stern wheel steamers. There was a man named Pete Toy who lived ior many years where the Finlay Eiver runs into the Peace Eiver. He mined there for many years and made a very good living. He was lost afterwards while out prospecting in a canoe. He devoted himself to bench mining and used to wheel -his dirt down with a wheelbarrow and wash it and he made a very good living there. Q. There seems to be one or two lakes of considerable size at the head of tho Finlay, have you heard anything about them ? A. No, I never heard anything about them when I was in there. Q. We have evidence of the fact that there are whitefish in the Peace Eiver — I suppose as far up as that fish can get. Have you ■ the whitefish on the other side of the mountains across the water shed ? A. I do not recollect whether they have got whitefish in the upper lakes — the Tatla, Babine and others — but I know we have wMtefitn further down south in British Columbia. People think of nothing else but aaimoD, and those rivers are lull of them. Q. One witness stated that boats ascended the river and that there were 50 miles of unbroken navigation in the heart of the mountains ? A. Those boats that I spoke of that came up \ he Fraser and crossed at the Giscome Portage, and run down the Parsnip to the mouth of the Finlay, which forms a part of the Peace Eiver. They then go up the Omenica Eiver and by that means are brought very close to the mines there. Q. What sized boats are they ? A. Five or six ton boats. Q. That would seem to imply from the relative size of those rivers shown on this map that it would give an aggregate navigation of something like 500 miles? A. Yes, I should think quite that. The prospecting party that I spoke of, that went up in the spring of lb70, took boats from Quesnelle mouth loaded with supplies, crossed the Giscome Portage and went down the Parsnip Eiver to the Omenica where they left their boats to explore the country and discover these mines. Vital Creek was the first that was discovered. They prospected there through the summer until fall, when they returned to Quesnelle with their boats, reloaded with supplies and went back in ■the fall and winteied at the mines. Q. That would not infer very difficult navigation of those streams. In the tak- ing in of supplies, supposing that we were speaking of the development of the mineral resources of that part of the country, could flour, for instance, be taken in more easily from the Fraser or Dunvegan ? A. I should fancy that such supplies could be more easily taken in from Dunvegan. The Hudson Bay Co. used to send supplies up to Eocky Mountain Portage on the Peace Eiver every year, and the traders fiom the east uted to meet the traders from the west at that point and ex- change products. Q. That is, the heavier articles of trade went up by the Peace Eiver ? A. Yes, and they used to bring horses and pack trains from Dunvegan to the Eocky Moun- tain House and receive there the supplies sent in from the west, and exchange for .and send down a large number of moose eking from the east 131 Q. Ton mentioned incidentally the growth of timber, could yon tell us some- thing of the forest of the' Omenica Valley and od the Parsnip itself? A. In the Omenioa Valley I do not recollect seeing any timber of large size. It is too high; np. On the Jamieson Creek, when I was there, the fires had run all through that country and had burned it for miles. I recollect that the timber there was pretty small, mostly spruce, I think, and just the size, not over a loot or 15 inches in diameter, to be useful for miniDg purposes. Q. That is for any works of that sort there would be sufficient timber ? A. Yes,, and 1 think, if I recollect right, there had been a saw mill erected on Manson Creek, that is a creek in the vicinity, which also runs into the Parsnip, on which there wero fcome mines found close to the east of Jamieson Creek. You see the fur traders that are up there now east of the mountains — I do not know that they are located on Peace Eiver — but in former years they took all their supplies in from the west, up the Praser and through the mountains to the Bocky Mountain House. Those traders take their supplies in by Edmonton this year. The only difficulty in getting in from the Skeena into the mines are the summits, one between the Babine Lake and the Skeena, one between Babine Lake and Tatla Lake ; then four or five miles of a crossing on Tatla Lake, and then another summit. Q. That is going east ? A. Yes, but it was thought at the time that I was sent in there by the Government to make an exploration to see if a road cc uld be got in, that supplies could be sent in easily that way. At all events the miners themselves- could get in easily that way, and a great many miners from the coast did avail them- selves of that route, but no supplies were sent in except what the miners took in themselves on their backs, and what Indians packed in lor them. Q. It seemed easy to get into that country from the Nass Eiver — that is north of the Skeena ? A. From Hazelton, or little south of Hazelton on the Skeena to the Nass Eiver it is not difficult. Q. You have frequently mentioned the Skeena Eiver: is it easier to get the sup- plies in from the Skeena to the mines or from the east to the mines ? A. Provided the Skeena was navigable it would be easier to get in supplies in that way. I may say that when the telegraph line was being built by the Western Union Company, they had a boat on the Skeona whioh they ran up some 40' or 60 miles to a place- called Mumford's Landing. I understand that this year, Mr. Smith, who built the boats for the Hudson Bay Company on the Peace Eiver, was to go to the Skeena to make a report on that river, and as I understand to build a steamer for that river. Q. Is he to go across the mountain to get there ? No, he will go out to British Columbia and get in from that side. The only obstacle in the Skeena to prevent a. steamer from going to Hazelton is a canon through which the river runs. In certain Stages of the water there is no difficulty because 1 have run it myself in a canoe ; but in very high water I think the steamer could not get through. Q. The nearest point shown on the waters running east to the head of the Skeena is Dease Lake ; then it is from Ptarmigan or Black Eiver ? A. They reach that by the Cassiar country. Q. Going further north, can you tell us if there be any means of reaching the- Upper Liard Eiver from the navigation points on the Stikeen Eiver ? A. I could not tell you. I know nothing of that part of the country. 1 have known miners who have gone up the Skeena very far towards the headwaters, but they returned the same way that they went up. Q. Can you tell us how provisions are at present got into the mines of the Upper Yukon— that is the part on British territory ? A. I think they are tsken in by the route that Mr. Dawson went last year — I forget the name of the waters. It is north of the Stikeen altogether, I know. Q. Prom where did they go in at the coast ? It is a long way north. I forget. Q. We have another river further south than any shown on this map — the Smoky Eiver, a branch of the Peace Eiver, which seems to rise close to one of the branches of the Eraser ? A. Smoky Eiver runs into the Fraser. There were sur- veys made through that pass by the Canadian Pacific Eailway engineers. 132 Q. What is the name of that pass ? A. It is called the Pine Eiver Pass. Q. You mentioned to us yesterday that you had not been much north of the Saskatchewan watershed. The most southern point of our investigation comes down into Alberta, comes down in fact to about 100 miles north of here — (pointing to the map) ? A. I have never been in that part of the country — I have never been along the mountains at all. Q. Then in the country that you have been telling us of, west of the mountains and within the scope of our investigation, what Indian population is there ? — In the Omenica country there are not many Indians. They hunt in there, but they come from the coast mostly, and go in through that way. The Skeena Indians hunt in all through that country, and also the Babine Lake Indians. Q. Could you give us the names of the more important fur-bearing or food-pro- ducing wild animals found throngh there. A. There is the moose and the red deer. By Honorable Mr. Macdonald (B.C.) : Q, It is a curious fact in connection with the Indians of that part of the country that they are kept back by the coast Indians, and are not allowed to go down to the -coast at all; so that the coast Indians control the catch of fur in that district? A. Yes, that is a curious, well-known fact. The coast Indians come to the Agwilgate country, and on the Agwilgate there is annually a large Indian gathering or camp. They come and remain there during the summer and catch any amount of salmon, and the coast Indians come up there to trade with them. Although the tribes live within four miles of one another, they do not understand each other's language. Q. They are branches of what tribe? A. No one knows. The Indians on the Skeena ■ iver are called the Skeena Indians. Q. Are they different in appearance from the coast Indians? A. Yes, the interior Indians are different. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. Do they do anything in fur-hunting ? A. Yes, they hunt a great deal. All those valuable furs, the marten, and beaver and fisher are brought down from the interior — traded to the coast Indians who bring them down. The coast Indians take up oolachan grease. It is put up in boxes of 100 to 200 lbs. The boxes are made of yellow cedar, and this grease is traded for furs and berries. By the Chairman : Q. Ot the furs found there, how many varieties of valuable furs are caught? A. I do not know. I think they are something similar to the furs of British Columbia. Q. What varieties of the bear are found there? A. I have seen the black bear and brown bear, and 1 have no doubt that they have the grizzly. Honorable Mr. Macdonald (B C.) — Yes, they have the grizzly. Occasionally we get the skies* of the grizzly from there. By the Chairman : Q. How many varieties of deer are there in that country ? A. In that part of the country I know they have the moose and the red deer; and from there to the coast they have the small black-tailed deer in great numbers. In the mountains, of course, there is the sifleur, or ground hog. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. Have they the mountain sheep or the mountain goat ? A. They have the mountain goat, but I do not know whether they have the mountain sheep or not. By the Chairman : Q. Have they the finer kind of furs ? A. Tes, they have the fisher, beaver, mink, marten and lynx. Q. Have they any rabbits ? A. Yes, plenty of rabbits. It is a splendid Indian country. They live better there than at some of the Hudson Bay posts. Q . Do you feel the effect of the warm chinook winds Up as lar as that ? A. No, I do not think so. Q. Apart from the list of questions, if there is any suggestion you oan make with regard to the objects of our enquiry, we should be glad to have them now, or even afterwards in writing should it occur to you. I may say that letters have been sent 133 to the gentlemen whose names you have been good enough to suggest to us as likely* to give us information, the answers to which will not be received this year, and it is~ altogether likely that the Committee will be continued next session ; if anything should occur to you that would be valuable to suggest to us, we should be very glad to hear from you ? A. I referred the other day to the immense quantities of wild hemp that grows up in that country, and to some extent in the Omenica country, and along the upper waters of the Skeena and also in the Kixpiox Valley. There is a wonderful heavy growth of that wild hemp, and the Indians find it of very great ser- vice. Q. What use do they make of it ? A. They work it up into the finest thread for sewing with, and also make heavy ropes with it with which they tow four or five ton canoes — rope as big as my wrist. Q. Is it different from the ordinary flax of commerce ? A. Yes, it is different from the ordinary hemp. Professor Macoun.— There is a weed up there that we call silk weed, the bark of which has been used by the Indians on the west coast for making ropes. It is known to botanists as Epiiobium Angusti florium. Mr. Dewdney. — It grows as large as my thumb and they take out the heart of it — it is something like the fire weed. Professor Macoun. — Yes, it is like our fire weed, and the bark of it to my know- ledge is fibrous . By the Chairman ; Q. Would it be a plant of sufficient value to encourage the introduction of it on this side of the mountains ? A. I am not prepared to say, but from the uses made of it by the Indians there, 1 am not sure that it would not be valuable; because the Indians make it into fish lines, nets and sewing thread. By Honorable Mr. Kaulbach : Q. Is there any valuable timber there ? A. Yes, there is plenty of good timber — cedar. Q. And the soil, is it good? A. Yes. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. What is the oolachan grease that you spoke of? A. It is the grease of the candle fish that the IndiaDs catch about this time of the year. It is a most delicious fish to eat. They are caught in large quantities, and the grease is taken out of them. and packed into boxes made of yellow cedar, and is one of the staple articles of trade between the coast Indians and the Indians of the interior. The Indians catch oolachan through the ice, and fish for them night and day when they are running. Q. The oil is one article of commerce, and the fish is another ? Yes. The fish are not sold much, but I believe there are some white men now putting them up. Q. What is the grease used for ? A. It is eaten by the Indians, and there is a great deal of it now shipped to New York to be used for the same purposes as cod liver oil. Mr. Maodonald.— The fish itself is so rich that when it is dried it will burn like a candle, and is called the candle fish. It would make excellent sardines. By the Chairman : Q. Did I understand you to say that oolachan grease is being used as a substitute for cod liver oil ? A. Yes, I believe it is so used in New York. Mr. Maodonald. — I prefer it to cod liver oil, it is very fine when clarified. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. Is it pleasant to the taste ? A. I do not know about that. The stronger it tastes the better the Indians like it. Mr. Maodonald — They use it like tallow with other food. The Witness— Yes, they uee it as food, with dry halibut. The halibut is cut in slices and dried, and ihe Indians spread the oolachan greate on it and eat it, as we would bread and butter. By the Chairman : Q. You have told us of the abundance of salmon found even at the sources of the Drivers running to the Pacific, do you know the difference between that kind of salmon 134 and the salmon caught on the east coast? A. I do not. I have never seen any of the salmon from the east coast fresh out of the water. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. It is the same kind of salmon as you find in the Fraser ? A. Yes, but in the Fraser there are three or four different kinds. On the Babine Lake the Hadson Bay ■Company used to trade on that river as many as four or five millions of salmon, and after they had made their trade of the good salmon they made a second trade of the dog salmon — that is, they traded them with the Indians to feed their trained dogs on. Q. Are there any other kinds of fish in those lakes besides salmon ? A. Yes, magnificent trout. At the outlet of the Babine Lake I stopped once, and I had my fly rod with me, and I harrowed a canoe from the chief, ran down half a mile and anchored it in the rapids, and nearly filled the canoe in half an hour, I had three ■flies on my rod. There are two different kinds of trout there — one fat and short, that would fight like a bull dog ; the other was long and flat-sided, just like a log- no play in him at all. By Honorable Mr. Kaulbach : Q. Are the salmon in the Skeena the same as those in the Fraser ? A. I think so. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. Are the fish found in the Skeena, or are they confined to the lakes? A. I fancy they are in both lake and river. Q. You have no black bass there ? A. No, I do not recollect seeing any. By Honorable Mr. Kaulbach: Q. Does the salmon take the fly on the Skeena ? A. No. Of course there are immense trout in those waters also. Q. The fact that the salmon does not rise to the fly in the Fraser is attributed to the dark color of the water ? A. The water is the same color in the rivers to the north down towards their mouth. By Honorable Mr . Turner: Q . I suppose the salmon have to run up through the dirty water when they are in condition to take the fly; and after getting up further into clear water they do not want it ? A. I am not awaie of that fact. It is a question that has been the subject of a good deal of controversy between experts as to whether the salmon that run up these rivers return to the coast or not. I know that thousands of them do not, for they are seen lying dead on the banks of the rivers. The Chairman : Q. So far as the Committee have yet been able to learn, the Mackenzie Bi ver and its tributaries do not differ physically from other rivers that empty into the sea from the east and the west. They seem to be the same kind of river and yet opinion is divided as to whether or not they are the same. Do you know of any reason from -anything that you have seen or heard why, if salmon were put into them, they should not thrive ? A. No, none at all. I do not know how far north salmon go up the streams on the eastern coast, but they are caught at Churchill, and exported from there to England. Unless the longer winter has anything to do with it, they would likely thrive at the mouth of the Mackenzie. Q. The latitude of the Churchill is north of the latitude of the Skeena Biver ? A. Yes. Q. And you have salmon north of the mouth of the Skeena on the Pacific coast? A. Yes. Q. Still you have not the long winters there that we have on the eastern coast t By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. I suppose the salmon caught on the Skeena River and those caught in the Stikeen Biver are a distinct variety of fish ? A. Yes. Q. Is it a fact that there are large canneries now established on the Skeema Biver ? A. Yes, there are canning establishments on the Skeena. The Committee then adjourned till to-morrow the 19th. 135 The following is the translation of the answers from Isadore Clut, O. M. I., Bishop of Arindele. Church of St. Peter, 107 Visitation Street, Montreal. 2nd Question :— A. Throughout the whole of the immense country in the basin of the Mackenzie, no river i9 navigable evidently during the winter ; but during the summer the Great Mackenzie River is navigable all the season, as are also the Atha- basca and Great Peace Rivers, Liard River and Peel River. Generally all these rivers have a rapid current. The Mackenzie can be navigated by steamers drawing four feet of water, but as to the other rivers, as they are shallow in parts, they are not able to carry steamers except flat bottomed vessels drawing from 18 to 20 inches of water. 3rd Question : — A, It appears to me that the beat means to open up the Mac- kenzie for traffic would be to make a railway which would run to the River Athabasca at Tawatina Landing. The Hudson Bay Company have established there a road between Calgary, Edmonton and the Landing. A railway should be extended to the confluence of the Smoking River with the Peace River, passing by the Lesser Slave* Lake. Prom the Lesser Slave Lake to this confluence of the river the land is excellent and the road could easily be made. Already the Hudson Bay Company have an excellent cart road on which I have travelled myself. The journey from Little Slave Lake to Smoking River is between 60 and TO miles. 4th Question : — A. The lakes of the Mackenzie Basin are so numerous that I eannot name them, nor can I indicate them to the Committee. Rev. Father Petitot has made a map of the Great Mackenzie District, so-oalled. If the Committee are in possession of that map they will be able to find in it ample information. The affluents of the Great Athabasca Lake and the Great Slave Lake forming part of the Mackenzie Basin can be easily navigated by small steamers, the one on the waters of the Athabasca district and the other on the Peace River to the landing at the foot of the rapids near Fort Smith, half way between Athabasca Lake and Great Slave Lake. Other steamers drawing four feet of water can run from Port Smith to the Arctic Sea, Between the landing and the Port of Port Smith there is a road on the left bank of the river for a distance of 20 or 21 miles. It would be very easy to establish a small railway, the country being level . 5th Question : — A. I have never been on the borders of Hudson Bay nor on the shore of the Arctic Sea. Prom what I can learn from the Rav. Father Seguin, who has been at Fort Good Hope, within the Arctic Circle, for 28 years, and who has been to see the native Esquimaux on the coast and on the islands of that ocean, the sea is obstructed by icebergs a great part of the short summer in that country. The delta of the Mackenzie is of considerable size. The river is divided from Point Separation, at the junction of Peel River, to the sea into a number of channels form- ing a multitude of islands. The channels are crooked. The Mackenzie has carried a great deal of sand a long distance from its mouth, and generally it is shallow. There is a certain difficulty in following the principal channels. At Fort Simpson from the 20th to the 25th of May the Mackenzie opens and barques and small steamers can descend the river certainly to Fort Good Hope and probably to Point Separation. I am not able to say if at this time it is possi ble to descend further. I doubt it because there is less water. From the mouth of the Mackenzie, at least- from Point Separation to the Great Slave Lake, the navigation is open to the end of September. I made that journey myself once and arrived at my residence, La Pro- vidence, within 30 miles of Great Slave Lake, on the 8th of October in a little skiff. It is true that the summer was a little longer than usual. 6th Question : — A. Immediately above the confluence of Clear River with the Athabasca the former is obstructed by several rapids, amongst others by a cascade which crosses the river and towards the end of the GraBd Rapids. On the left bank the cascade is a small affair. In my opinion it would be very easy to remove the rooks to permit the passage of a flat-bottomed steamer there. At the Grand Rapids 136 the difficulties are greater, but below the Grand Eapids flat steamers can navigate ■easily and without aoy danger. It is possible to ascend the river a considerable distance. I cannot say how far, for I have only ascended the river to the Little JRiver, the outlet of Little Slave Lake. The barques of the Hudson Bay Company transfer each summer supplies between Tawatina LandiDg and the Little Slave Lake fort which is situated at the extremity of the lake. The lake is 80 miles long and from four to eight miles wide. I believe that flat steamers could easily make the journey from the Grand Eapids to the Little Slave Lake. Besides it is easy to ascend the Athabasca Eiver much further than the confluence of Little Slave Eiver. At the Grand Eapids there is an island in the middle of the river ; in the right arm of the river there are large boulders or loose stones which could be easily removed at a small cost so as to permit a flat vessel to pass there. If some of the rocks were taken from the rapids and the cascades it would open up uninterrupted navigation as far up as the Eapids above Fort Smith, which is now passed by a good road 2 1 miles long between the landing and the port of Port Smith. Below the latter point there is uninterrupted navigation to the Arctic Sea. 7th Question:— A. I have already explained that below the Clearwater the Athabasca is quite navigable with flat boats, but when the water becomes low there are a good many sand banks. Clearwater Eiver is navigable only a short distance from its moulh. In summer the water is sometimes very low ; besides there are five considerable rapids which aref insurmountable. Above these rapids the river is quite navigable as far up as Great Portage la Loche. 8th Question : — A. The river discharging the water of Lake Athabasca and all its basin is called Eocky Eiver as far as the landing above the rapids. There are in that river rocks heie and Ihere, but they are no obstruction to the navigation. A small steamer, the " Graham," has been running there for four years, as well as on the Athabasca and the Peace Eiver to the falls, a short distance below Fort Vermil- lion. This river is rapid. After leaving Fort Smith, the Groat Slave Eiver is a superb river for navigation. 9th Question : — A. The Liard Eiver near its mouth has several rapids, a little shallow, which are an obstruction to navigation of steamers. I believe flat steamers, somewhat powerful, could ascend these rapids ; once above these rapids you have a magnificent river, the current of which is not too rapid, but passably swift never- theless, and steamers could ascend it with ease and ascend also the south branch of the river. I have explored this river as far as Fort Neleon. It is very beautiful. Further up than Fort Nelson I know nothing of the river. 10th Question : — The Peace Eiver is a splendid river for navigation though it has a fall below Fort Vermillion. The steamer " Graham " ascends that far. I be- lieve that it would be very easy to remove the rocks near the left bank. The fall there is inconsiderable. Below that fall the river is perfectly navigable for steamers — a little shallow, but navigable I should say to Fort Hudson's Hope, at the foot of the Eocky Mountains and also across the Eocky Mountains. On the other side of the mountains and also across the Eocky Mountains barques navigate the river. 11th Question : — Beaver Eiver is a rather small and bad river. It has several shallow rapids, but it is navigable with small barques. That was one of the routes of the Hudson Bay Company, and I ascended that river during the summer of 1886 in the barques of that company. I do not know anything of the Eiver Churchill of my own knowledge ; but I have often been told that it is full of rapids. I have never visited that country myself, but I know that there are numerous lakes there, as in all parts of the country east of the Mackenzie Eiver to Hudson Bay* 12th Question :— A. The Mackenzie is the finest river in the world for its lengthy its depth and also its navigation in summer. Steamers leaving Fort Smith cross the Great Slave Lake and can descend as far as the Arctic Sea. They can also ascend Peel Eiver. The Mackenzie, which I have travelled upon very frequently, is a good deal larger than the St. Lawrence in depth and in the volume of its water. 13th Question : — Ai Athabasca Lake is a magnificent lake and very suitable for navigation for all kinds of steamers. The lake being very large naturally it would 137 require steamers drawing a considerable depth of water to make the most of the navigation. The land about the lake is very poor for vegetation. The north and north-east shores are rocky or covered with boulders. The south and south-west shores are sandy. The lake is full of fish — the whitefish and trout of several kinds, the pike, and carp, etc., etc. 14th Question : — A. Great Slave Lake is a very large and fine lake, very well suited for navigation. The 101 ih and north-east parts of it are filled with myriads of islands — there are millions of them. There are several immense bays running very far into the interior of the country and nearly every part of the lake and the bays can be visited by s^mners. Fish are in great abundance. The Great Slave Lake in addition to the flpuwhicb. are to be found in Lake Athabasca possesses besides a species of very fine fisn called the Inconnu. This fish is a species of salmon. It comes up from the sea and its further ascent is blocked by the falls of rapids at Fort Smith, At the west end of the lake there are abundant sulphur springs. In sum- mer or in winter whenever one passes that way and the wind comes from the land he finds himself troubled with a strong odour of sulphur. Eeindeer abound gener- ally in the part of the country north and northeast of the lake. In the country lying to the sonth and west of the lake there is a good deal of forest of beautiful coppice wood, ordinarily spruce, and black or red spruce. 15th Question : — A. I have not been at Great Bear Lake but from reports of Fathers Petitot, O.M.I., and Ducot, O.M.I., the lake is immense and abounding in fish. There is an abundance of a small fish which I believe to be herring. The vegetation in those parts is miserable. 16th Question : — A. Along the Mackenzie Eiver, separated by a chain of moun- tains, running in the same direction as the great river a succession of beautiful and magnificent great lakes, full of fish, are found. We have named them Pius the IX, Demazenod and Tache. These are the three largest lakes. I crossed them in winter from Fort Good Hope to Fort .Norman which is near the mouth of Bear Lake Eiver, which discharged the waters of the lake of the same name. That river is navigable for barques a little flat. Its current is enough to make one giddy. The lake also would be navigable but it is not for any length of time free from ice. 17th Question : — I have always said that the Arctic Sea was nearly always frozen or covered with icebergs, and the navigation there was very difficult, though Iknow that whalers have been very near it, that is to say as far as Point Barrow, after pass- ing through the Behring Straits. It is said that at the mouth of the Mackenzie and for a distance into the sea there are a good many banks of sand and that the channels are very sinuous. I have been told several times that vessels are not able to come by sea, and reach also the mouth of the Mackenzie, but it is possible that these reports have been made by persons or by companies who were interested in preventing that country from being opened up. 18th Question :— A. Since the summer of 1885, the steamer " Graham has been running from the lower part of the Eiver Athabasca to the mouth of the Clearwater at the landing. It goes also to the end of Lake Athabasca and ascends the Peace Eiver as far as the falls. The little steamer " Wrigley," drawing four feet of water,, sails on the Great Slave Eiver, Great Slave Lake, Mackenzie Eiver and Peel Eiver. I am told on good authority that last summer they intended to build a new steamer for the upper Athabasca Eiver, and that between Grand Eapids and Fort McMurray to Clearwater they would continue to use barques. 20th Question :— A. The map of Eev. Father Petitot can give you the names of the principal lakes between the coast of Hudson Bay and the Mackenzie Eiver. They are very numerous and very full of fish. _ _ 21st Question:— Generally the climate of the Mackenzie Eiver basin is dry j also they have very little rain in summer. It is also generally a little too dry for crops. Generally at the end of our long winters we have not more than two feet or two and a half feet of snow 4 , 22nd Question :— A. I do not know if they have ever dug deep into the earth to ascertain the distance to which the frost penetrates. At the polar circle I believe 1-9 138 •that it penetrates twenty feet in depth, judging by the thickness of the ice on Greafc Eear Lake, which attains a depth of eight to nine feet. I judge also from the islands or the sandy bank or the alluvial lands by which I have passed. The Mackenzie in the spring works under the frozen land, and I think I can say that there is a depth of frozen soil of about twenty feet. The Great Slave Lake freezes from six to seven feet in depth, and the Athabasca Lake, in the neighborhood of the mission four feet. 24th Question : — A. At Ottawa before the committee, I shall be able to indicate on a map the portions of the country referred to under this head. 25th Question : — A. I know very little of the barren grounds except that they are covered with lichen, the food of the reindeer during the summer season. It is there that thoy bring forth their young. In these barren grounds there is a great abundance of white partridges or ptarmigans. They pass the summer there amongst the reindeers. During the winter or about the approach of the winter they take to the wood country and the reindeer follow them sometime afterwards. 26'th Question : — A. The barley shoots and ripens at Port Norman at the mouth of Great Bear Lake Eiver. Consequently it grows at Port Wrigley or Port Simpson, and at Port Providence. In theLiard Eiver and Peace Eiver countries it succeeds also very well. Our Brother Kearney and the Hudson Bay Company have grown potatoes at Fort Good Hope (Polar Circle), at our mission at Providence, and at all our missions on the Mackenzie Eiver, the Liard Eiver, the Peace Eiver and the Slave Eiver, &c , potatoes and other vegetables are cultivated very successfully. 27th Question : — A. Wheat grows at Providence Mission, at Fort Simpson ; but it rarely arrives at perfect maturity. It ripens much better on the borders of theLiard Eiver and the Peace Eiver. At the Mission of the Nativity (Port Chippewyan at Lake Athabasca) we have often grown fine wheat. 29th Question : — A. At the Mission of the Nativity (Athabasca) at Port Eesolu- tion (Great Slave Lake) at Fort Smith, at the Mission of Port Providence, we sow from the time the land begins to thaw, that is to say from the 15th May until the 8th or 10th June. At Good Hope, that is at the commencement, we begin at the be- ginning of June. Throughout the length of the Liard Eiver and the Peace, sowing begins a little earlier. At the end of August we have already harvested barley and wheat, as cut from the 15th to the 25th September. aOth Question : — A. Flowering shrubs and flowers flourish a short time after the snow disappears. Plants which are deeper in the ground, such as potatoes, take a good deal of time to spring up because of the ground being frozen below, but those which are near the surface of the ground commence to grow very soon and the nearer one approaches the north, for example the Polar Circle, the more rapidly does the vegetation begin, because of the greater length of the days, or the days being with- out nights. In 1886 I observed the matter at Good Hope. Towards the 7th or 8th June vegetation commences and in five or six days the leaves of the trees hadreached their natural size. It is beoause then it commences to be warm, and very warm, and that continues, save when sometimes north winds, which bring back the snow and cold and sometimes injure the crops. 3 2nd Question : — A. Generally we harvest our potatoes from the 2-» Deg. of heat, taken at 3 p.m. 28 2d 37 21 + 10 at 3 p.m. 22j 20 20 23 26 * West wind. For the Month of January, 1887. Days of Month. Degrees of Cold. 1 36 2 • 42 3 44 * • * 4 i 6 41 6 , 32 f 24 8 18 9 16 10 24 11 32 12 ~> 34 145 ~X" Days of Mouth. Degrees of Cold. 13 f 33 14 35 15 31 16 28 17 , 39 18 42 19 46 20 48 21 53 22 48 23 41 24 46 25 39 26 37 27 . 44 28 52£ 29 53 30 51 31 41 N.B. The degrees of cold were observedat6.30a.nl., but I should remark that from the first of November to the 11th January, the time during which the sun does not rise at Good Hope, the temperature is about the same at midday as at mid- night. 2nd. .Rev. Father John Seguin entered in a note book all the degrees of temper- ature during 27 or 28 years. If the Senate wish to have them 1 can ask the Father for them, but as it would be a long job to copy the whole of them, I suppose that the good Father, who is very poor, would like to receive some recompense for his trouble. 3rd . I have not kept account myself of the degrees of heat in summer, but I am able to say that it is excessively hot ; and the further one goes towards the north the warmer one finds it becoming ; and that heat lasts the 24 hours of the day without sensibly diminishing in its intensity from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. ISIDOEE CLUT, O.M.I., Bishop of Arindele. 17th April, 1888. The following information was sent by Frank Oliver, Esq., of Edmonton, editor of the Edmonton Bulletin, to the chairman of the Natural Food Product Committee of last session, but received too late for insertion in Report : — The following information has chiefly been acquired from Murdock McLeod, of Edmonton, who spent the years '62, '63 and part of '64 in the Hudson Bay Company service at Fort Anderson, since abandoned, east of the Mackenzie and about eighty miles up the Anderson Eiver from the Arctic coast. In the summer of '63 he accom- panied an expedition undertaken on behalf of the Smithsonian Institute, along the Arctic coast from the mouth of the Mackenzie to that of Coppermine Biver. In '65 he was at Fort Liard. The musk ox is the chief inhabitant of the barren grounds which occupy the immense triangle north-eastward of the Mackenzie basin to the shores of Hudson Bay and the Arctic Ocean. The animal is very similar to the bufialo in size and shape, but fur is finer and longer, almost dragging to the ground ; the horns are of somewhat different shape, and the boss or hump over the shoulder is nearly two feet high, and the flesh has a disagreeable musky flavor, especially from December to February. The Indian does not kill them for food unless there is no deer. A bull which Mr. McLeod helped to kill weighed 1,400 pounds dressed, and the robe measured 15 feet from nose to rump. They are found generally in bands of ten to 146 forty. In summer they range on the barren grounds and in winter come into the northern edge of the woods. They live on the moes which covers the barren grounds and are able to root it from under three feet of snow. Some winters they are scarcer than others, but why is not explained. Whether they have merely changed their wintering place or have really lessened in numbers. The barren grounds on which they roam are vast hillocky plains of clayey soil, honeycombed on the surface in a re- markable manner, and overgrown by an Arctic moss of a creeping variety. There' si e no shrubs, -willows, grass or other vegetable growth, except the moss, which fur- nishes the food of both the musk-ox and the jumping deer. The jumping deer, sometimes erroneously called the reindeer, are the principal food of the Indians and Esquimaux who inhabit the outskirts of the barren grounds. They are a small deer, of a dim color, with branching horns ; a large one would dress perhaps 100 pounds. They are found in herds of thousands and range in the barren grounds in the sum- mer, seeking the edge of the forest in the winter. They are killed chiefly while crossing streams or the narrows of lakes in their migrations by men in canoes armed with spears. They are not found very far south of the northern limit of the forest. Some seasons they are scarce, as well as the musk-ox, but why is not known. The moose, too well known to need description, is found all over the forest region to the edge of but not going into the barren grounds. They are most plenti- ful in the hard region west of the Mackenzie. They go in small herds of six or a dozen and weigh from 600 to 1,000 pounds of dressed meat. The elk, also well known, ranges in the same country as the moose, but not quite so far north or east. The hard region is probably the northern limit of the elk coun- try, and they are chiefly found near the mountains. The wood buffalo exists in small numbers in the open country between the Lower Peace and Great Slave Lake Eivers extending westward from Great Slave Eiver about Salt Eiver, in latitude 60, and also between the Peace and the Athabasca. They are larger than the prairie buffalo and the fur is darker ; but practically they are the same animal. The herds are doubtless small, and it is probable that the Indians do not carry on an indiscriminate slaughter against them, but some buffalo meat is brought in every winter to the Hudson Bay ports, nearest the buffalo ranges. Mr. McLeod says that in the winter of 1865 he helped to kill a large buffalo bull on the Nahanni Mountains west of Fort McLeod, but it seemed that he must have wandered from some other part of the country or the Indians in that locality did not know what it was and were afraid of him. He was killed in February and was in splendid condition. Bears, black, brown and grizzly are found as far north as the woods extend, but are not numerous along the Eocky Mountains, in the Peace and Liard Eiver regions where they constitute an important item of the Indians' food supply, especially in Peace River. This is proof of the abundance of berries there. The beaver is also found all over the wooded country, but is not plentiful in the- very far north ; and on north-east near the barren grounds; it is also important as an article of food. The rabbit is, of course, found all over the wooded country, and is subject to phe- nomenal increase and to phenomenal scarcity. Year after year they increase until the country is fairly overrun with them. The Indians can live well enough in rich years, for even blind men can kill enough for themselves. The lynx which live on the rab- bits and which the Indians eat, as well as all the meat-eating fur-bearing animals, in- crease greatly during rabbit years. Therefore when rabbits are numerous the In- dians have during the winter comparative abundance. Then the rabbits decrease unaccountably, more rapidly than they increase. One great supply of winter food is cut off from the Indians themselves and from the fur-bearing animals as well, which soon become scarce, either through migration or death, consequently when rabbits are scarce times are doubly hard with the Indians. Sometimes an abund- ance of deer makes up for a scarcity of rabbits, but occasionally both deer and rabbits, are scarce ; then the Indians starve. 147 Water-fowl are plentiful beyond conception in the northern lakes of the Mac- kenzie Lakes and on the Arctic coast in the summer season, and furnish abundance of food to the Indians while they remain. Fish abound in all the lakes of running water, and the fisheries of Lake Atha- basca, Lake Slave aid Great Bear Lake aie at least as valuable as those of the St. Lawrence chain, while thousands of smaller lakes, especially east of the Mackenzie, are stocked with fish as well. The available fish supply alone is more than sufficient to supply ten times the present population of the Mackenzie region. Berries of various kinds are the only considerable natural food product of the Mackenzie Eiver country. They are plentiful in their season throughout the whole of the wooded region which extends to within 100 miles of the Arctic coast. The blueberry is the most plentiful and is found throughout the whole region, it resembles the huckleberry of the east ; the blackberry and moesberry come next in quantity in the far north. The former is not the blackberry of Ontario, and the latter somewhat resembles the strawberry. From the Liard Eiver south to the Sas- katchewan, the raspberry, strawberry, saskatoonberry, gooseberry, high and low bush cranberry, chokeberry, and black and red currant flourish, as well, besides numerous minor varieties of berries. The Peace Eiver country is especially noted for its abundant supply of berries of excellent quality. Although berries of all the kinds mentioned are plentiful in the upper Saskatch- ewan, Indians used formerly to travel to Peace Eiver some 250 miles to avail them- selves of the supply there. In some years they are much more plentiful than in others, in plentiful years they form an important item of the Indians' food. There is every reason to believe that the varieties found here which are cultivated profit- ably in other countries could be as satisfactorily cultivated here, at least trom the 61st parallel southward between the main streams of the Mackenzie and the Eocky Mountains. The very large number of bears found in this region, particularly in Peace Eiver, is the best possible proof of the abundance of berries. Possibly the wild turnip and carrot are found in Peace Eiver as well as in the Saskatchewan, but they do not in their present state furnish any appreciable supply of food to the natives. A word regarding cultivated food products may not be out of place. Successive years of experiment have demonstrated the practicability of the growth of wheat, barley, oats and potatoes, at Dun vegan, Vermillion and Chippewyan, the two latter in latitude 58J. Mr. Murdock McLeod, at present a resident of Edmonton Settlement' states toat in the summer of 1865, while in the Hudson Bay employ, at Fort Liard, latitude 59f, he sowed about three acres of wheat on 26th of May, this was in the stock on August 1st, it was good grain, though somewhat smutty and had not been frosted; barley sowed at the same time did equally well, also potatoes. During several summers' residence at Fort Liard he never saw summer frost; he also states that at Fort Simpson, in latitude 62J, wheat, barley, potatoes have done well. This is borne out by the statement of Eev. Mr. Spendlove, missionary at Fort Simpson, exoept that in 1887 the barley was frosted. Captain Smith who built and sailed the Hudson Bay steamers " Graham " and " Wrigley " and sailed the latter to within 100 miles of the Arctic Ocean in 1887, states that at Salt Eiver, latitude 61 J, are small settlements of halfbreeds, who have horses and cattle and grow barley wheat and potatoes ; he saw potatoes and barley growirg as far north as Fort Good Hope, on the Mackenzie, north of the Arctic Circle. The following letter was received from Mr. Donald Eoss, to be forwarded to the Chairman of last year's Food Committee : 1st. I have travelled most of the northern part of British Columbia to the head- waters of Peace Eiver, and through the Eocky Mountains on that river to its junc- tion wita Smoky Eiver by way of Lesser Slave Lake and Old Fort Assiniboine to JSdmontonj and down tae Saskatchewan Eiver to Lake Winnipeg. I have been a 148 residem of Edmonton for over fifteen years and am partially familiar witb nearly the whole North- West. Birds. —Mr. Moberly's list with addition of pigeons which are sometimes caught with nets in this vicinity, and further east by the score. Blackbirds are also very thick at certain times. Fish. — In addition to Mr. Moberly's list there is the chub in Peace Biver and its tributaries and in the British Columbia streams. The unknown fish, a kind of chub, inj-the lakes and streams around Fraser Lake, British Columbia. These fish are full of bones and have their ribs just underneath the skin, very tenacious of life, as they will jump out of the hot pan after having been dressed and their head cut off. Ling or loche, a species of cat-fish, very voracious, all rivers and lakes in British Columbia and North- West, more especially the Mackenzie Elver where it forms quite an item in the food supply of that district. The Arctic or blue trout. — This is a very nice shaped fish, with no resemblance to a trout ; will average a little over a pound in weight. A mouth like a whitefish and -will not take bait — in rivers and streams flowing into the Arctic. Animals. — Mr. Moberly's list with these comments and additions : The wood buffalo exists in the localities named ; about 1870 one was killed as far west on Peace Biver as Fort Dunvegan. They are quite different from the prairie buffalo, being nearly, double the size, as they will dress fully seven hundred pounds. Their fur is longer and finer than the common buffalo and more resembles that of the musk ox. They subsist on moss and brouse. Both the large and small reindeer are found in the east of the Bocky Mountains in this latitude, the large size dressing three hundred pounds and over ; and the small size about one hundred and twenty pounds. Babbits are very numerous at times in the North- West, but they periodically die out from a disease of the throat. I may say that the prairie chicken dies off similarly in periods of about seven years. Lynx, — This is a very agreeably flavored flesh, resembling a chioken in texture and flavor. Porcupine. — Bocky Mountains and vicinity ; also in the woody parts of Alberta. Flesh superior to beaver . Badger. — All over the North- West prairies. Plants. — Lambs-quarter is found in all cultivated plots through this part of the North- West. It has a flavor nearly equal to spinach. Wild Parsnip . — The young root of this plant is very good eating ; the old roots are poisoned ; the seed stalk, when young, resembles celery in flavor. Birch. — The sap of this tree is used further north by the natives to make syrup of. Whitefish is by much odds the best fish with whioh to stock and restock the smaller lakes of this part. Trout, pike and pickerel require other fish to feed upon, but will exist much better in streams than in lakes. I have the honor to be, sir, Tour obedient servant, DONALD BOSS. The Honorable JohnSchultz, Chairman of tbe Committee on the Natural Food Products of the North- West, Ottawa. 149 Ottawa, Thursday, 19th April, 1888. The Committee met at 11 a.m. The following letters were read: — Poet Arthur, 15th April, 1888. . Mr. S. J. Dawson, M.P., Ottawa. My Dear Sir, — I notice that a Parliamentary Committee are making enquiries' concerning the resources of the Great Mackenzie Basin. They cannot do better than to communicate with the Eev. J. B. N. Genin, Post Office Box 1236, Duluth, Minne- sota. I have had some long conversations with him on that very subject, and some of his accounts are most interesting and marvellous. Father Genin has penetrated all the north and north-west of Canada as a missionary priest for 20 years. He made his way quite to the mouth of the Mackenzie Eiver ana stayed in that neighborhood for two years. He is educated, intelligent, discreet and observant, and I consider him quite reliable. He will be here at Port Arthur in about three weeks from now. Not being acqainted with any of the Committee, I venture to notify them through yourself, if you will have the kindness. Yours respectfully, EDWARD A. WILD. Bishop's Court, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 4th April, 1888. Dear Dr. Sohultz, — I received what you sent me the other day, and this afternoon I received the questions from the Committee. I regret that I cannot be of any service to the Committee as I have never been in either the Athabasca or the Mackenzie Eiver District, and have no definite information to give. I have replied to that effect. ***** With kindest regards, I am faithfully yours, E., EUPERT'S LAND. Hon. J. Sohultz. Colborne, Ont., 16th April, 1888. Dear Doctor Sohultz, — I duly received your esteemed favor of the 10th inst., accompanied by the list of questions referred to regarding the Mackenzie Basin. As I never visited at any of the Hudson Bay Company stations in that region, nor in fact visited the locality in question, any information I might be able to give you would only be second hand, and, therefore, not reliable for the object in view. Most of my time in the Hudson Bay service was spent in the Eastmain coast of the Hudson Bay, from Albany on the west coast to Port George on the east coast. I regret I cannot assist you in the laudable object you have in view in bringing into notice the vast tract of country embraced in the Great Mackenzie Basin. I have carefully read all that has appeared in the papers lately in connection with your Committee, including Mr. W. J. Christie's evidence. Wishing you all success, Believe me to remain Yours sincerely, G. J. MoTAYISH. Hon. Doctor Sohultz, the Senate, Ottawa. 150 Besources of the Great Mackenzie Basin. United States Consulate, Winnipeg, B.N.A., 14th April, 1888. Hon. J. Schultz, Ottawa. Sir, — I have received the elaborate series of interrogations upon the " Besour- ces of the Great Mackenzie Basin " propounded by a Committee of the Senate of Can- ada, with your intimation as Chairman, that any response which I am enabled to make will be indulgently considered by your colleagues of the Committee. My per- sonal experience is too limited for me to undertake more than a general expression of opinion, founded upon careful investigation of the extensive literature relating to the subjects of the food products and other resources of Central and Western Canada. The results of the enquiry at a previous Session of the Dominion Parliament up- on the Natural Food Products of the Great North Western area of the continent were so satisfactory — being in many respects quite in the nature of discoveries — that I am not surprised at the further investigation now in progress into the mineral and other resources of the Sub-Arctic District of the Mackenzie Ba-an, and I will venture to express the hope and belief that the Government of the United States will follow the territorial organization of Alaska soon to be consummated by tbe appointment of Commissioner not only to assist in the determination of the boundaries, but further to co-operate with the Canadian Government in the important investigations which occupy the attention of the Committees of the Dominion Senate. Let us first consider the range that these enquiries take geographically. Open map of North America and trace the area enclosed between longitudes 100 and 170 west of Greenwich, and latitudes 50 to 70— a fourth of the continent — embracing the Canadian Provinces, present and prospective, of Manitoba, Assiniboia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Athabasca and British Columbia, and the American territory and the future State of Alaska. How little conception have we from present develop- ments, of what the twentieth century will witness over this vast realm of nature. It will assist our prophetic vision to compare a less area on the map of Europe iden- tical in climate and other natural manifestations. Trace 60 degrees of longitude — 50 east and 10 west of Greenwich — and from latitude 55 to 70, and mark the relations of man to earth. The European parallelogram of 15 degrees of latitude to 60 of longitude (the American division is 20 by 70) includes Scotland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Lapland and the northern moiety of Eussia in Europe, represented by the cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bergen, Copenhagen, Stockholm, St. Petersburgh, Mos- cow, Nijni, Novgorod, Karan and Archangel. Of this great north land of Europe, especially its eastern and continental division, I may be permitted to repeat my own language, published at Columbus, Ohio, in 1856. " The northern limit of rye is 65 degrees, of barley 67 degrees, and oats even further north. Wheat is cultivated in Norway to Drontheim, latitude 64 degrees, in Sweden to latitude 62 degrees, in Western Eussia to the environs of St. Petersburgh, latitude 60° 15', while in Central Eussia the limit of wheat cultivation appears to coincide with the parallel of 58 or 59 degrees. It is well understood that the growth of the cerealia and of the most useful vegetables depends chiefly on the intensity and duration of the summer heats, and is comparatively little influenced by the severity of the winter cold or the lowness of the mean temperature of the year. In Eussia, as well as in Central America, the summer heats are as remarkable as the winter cold. The northern shore of Lake Huron has the mean summer heat of Bordeaux in south- ern Prance, or 70 degrees, Fahrenheit, and Cumberland House on the Saskatchewan exceeds in this respect Brussels or Paris." I can add nothing to the demonstration by innumerable explorations and reports, that the navigable channels of the Mackenzie and the Mississippi are connected by a territory of 1,500 miles in extent, north-west of St. Paul, Minnesota, having an aver- age width of 800 miles (1,200,000 square miles), which is substantially identical in climate and natural resources. There is a great variety of illustrations, but I shall limit myself to a flower. The prairie's firstling of the spring has the popular desig- 151 nation of " crocus," but it is an anemone. — .4. Patens, the purple anemone, the word flower, but I prefer the children's name suggested by its soft furry coat, the " gosling " 'flower — which, with its delicate lavender petals, is fully ten days in advance of other venturesome spring blossoms. It is often gathered on the Mississippi bluffs near the Falls of St. Anthony on the 15th of April. It appears simultaneously on the dry elevation near Winnipeg It was observed even earlier, on the 13th of April, during the Saskatchewan campaign of 1885, and is reported by Major Butler, in his Wild North Land, as in profusion on Peace Eiver, 1,500 miles from SI. Paul on the 26th -of April even 1,000 miles beyond on the Yukon, within the Arctic Circle. Arch- deacon Macdonald, a missionary of the Church of England, has gathered the flower on the 14th of May. Equally significant as this delicate herald of the spring, are the records of ice obstruction in rivers — their emancipation being simultaneous from Port Smelling, Minn., to Fort Vermillion, Athabasca. Appreciating highly the scope and value of the Parliamentary Commission whose circular has called for the above acknowledgment, I will venture to repeat the results of a special enquiry into the capacity for colonization of the valleys of the Athabasca and Peace .Rivers between latitudes 54 and 60 and longitudes 110 and 120 and an additional block of territory on the headwaters of the Liard River from lati- tude 57 to 60 and longitude 120 to 125 ; these streams being the most southern tributaries and indeed the sources of the Great Mackenzie. The southern moiety has been carefully explored by Prof. George M. Dawson, of the Canadian Geological Survey, and is properly called Athabasca as comprising most of the affluents of the river of that name. He estimates its area as about 3 1,550 square miles, and adds that " by far the largest part may be classed as fertile, with an average elevation above the sea of little over 2,000 feet." In respect to the Peace River country, or the northern portion of the Distriot of Athabasca, Prof. Dawson says that the ascertained facts leave no doubt on the sufficient length and warmth of the season to ripen wheat, oats and barley, with all the ordinary root crops and vegetables. The whole region is characterized by Archbishop Tache of St. Boniface in his " Sketch of Northern America," in terms far more favorable than he employs with reference to the Southern Saskatchewan distriots. He speaks of " a fertile country, very well suited to colonization " on the Athabasca, and remarks that the valley watered by the Peace River " cannot but become peopled." Even more specific has been the testimony of early traders and travellers. Sir Alexander Mackenzie, as far back as 1781, saw at a trading station of Peter Pond, on the Elk or Athabasca River, " as fine a, kitchen garden as he ever saw in Canada." Mr. William McMurray, an officer of the Hudson Bay Company, informed me that at post established by him in latitude 56, longitude 111, he obtained good crops of wheat, barley, oats and all garden vege- tables. Sir John Richardson states that wheat is raised with profit at Fort Liard, latitude 60 degrees five minutes and longitude 122° 30', but with an elevation above the sea of only 400 or 500 feet ; while Mr. Eobert Campbell, a retired officer of the Hudson Bay Company, who founded Fort Halkett nearer the Rocky Mountains in the valley of the Liard Eiver, reports an experiment of cultivation equally successful. When, therefore, in 1879, 1 became solicitous, in answer to hostile criticism in influential quarters, to remove all reasonable doubt of the comparative mean tempera- tures at the interior points of Central British America and my inferences therefrom in respect to the extension north and west of cereal production, I communicated with Eev. A. C. Garrioch in charge of a mission farm of the Church of England at Fort Vermillion on Peaoe Eiver, latitude 59°, longitude 116° ; with Richard Hardisty, Esq., long an officer in charge of Fort Edmonton on the Saskatchewan Eiver in about latitude 54°, longitude 114°, and P. F. Laurie, Esq., editor of the Saskatchewan Herald at Battleford, in latitude 53, longitude 109, and received and was able to distribute most satisfactory samples of wheat, barley, oats and pease from the locali- ties of the crop of 1880. In respect to the Peaoe Eiver grains, I beg leave to communicate some explana- tions communicated to me by Mr. Garrioch. "The wheat sent you" he wrote " does not do justice to Peace Eiver, for the summer last year was a most unfavorable. 152 one, the rainfall being double what we have during an ordinary season, the conse- quence of which was that the straw grew too rank and the wheat from which my sample was taken lay on the ground under drenching rains for some time after it had been cut until it was partially damaged . At any rate I have never known poorer wheat raised in Peace Eiver than we had last year." A better sample sent by Mr. Garrioch was from a mission station on Peace Eiver opposite the junction of the Smoky Eiver, nearer the Eocky Mountains and in a situation of greater altitude than Port Vermillion, but 200 miles west of south— a locality 1,500 miles north-west of St. Paul or about two thousand miles from Chicago. Of a package of barley — a hulless variety, the seed of which was from Holland, from Port Vermillion of Peace Eiver, Mr. Garrioch wrote " for the barley no apology is needed. I gave the Eoman Catholic priest at this place a bushel of it this spring, and wishing to be on the safe side weighed out 50 lbs. , but on coming to put it in his bushel measure there was about two inches more required to make the proper bulk " In corroboration of these specific statements, I find in the Mission Field of 2nd January, 1882, a London monthly publication of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, an abstract of a report of the Eev. W. Bpmpas, Bishop of the Church of England in the Athabasca and Mackenzie Districts — his diocese comprising the cen- tre Arctic watershed of British America, of which the following extracts are pertin- ent : "The excellence of the land in the Peace Eiver country for farming purposes is well known; the soil is rich and productive, and the climate most salubrious." A mission station is established at Port Vermillion under the charge of the Eev. Arthur Garrioch and a church is fast approaching completion. Other mission stations have been started at different parts of the river, and in 1878 a mission farm was begun which the Bishop hopes will in time obviate the necessity of procuring all the supplies of flour, &c, from Bed Eiver, the expense of which from heavy freights is so great that every bag of flour by the time it reached the missionaries north of Athabasca costs upwards of £5. But even more remarkable is the Bishop's testimony of the cultivation at Port Simpson on the Mackenzie Eiver in latitude 61° 50'. " The English school master at Simpson " he adds, " has made successful experiments of farming in that northern region and through his energetic labors a good crop of barley was raised in the mission fields ; also some wheat and potatoes, beans, pease, beet roots and other vegetables. I will now endeavor in a few words to indicate the causes in my judgment for this remarkable north-western extension of cereal productions. 1. Reduced altitude. — The Union Pacific Eailroad crosses the dome of the continent near latitude 40 with its highest elevation at Sherman of 8,000 feet, and with an average of 5,000 feet for fifty miles eastward from the Eocky Mountains. This piedmont on the route of the Northern Pacific in or near latitude 47 in Montana, is reduced to an average of 4,000 feet ; on the south branch «of the Saskatchewan in latitude 51 for 3,000 feet; in the Athabasca district, latitude 55, to 2,000 feet, and in the valleys of the Peace and Liard Eiver, latitudes 56 to 60, to 1,000 feet — until, sub- siding north-eastwardly, the plains connect with the navigable channel of the Mac- kenzie at an elevation of only 300 feet above the Arctic Ocean. This difference of altitude is equivalent to 13 degrees of latitude, considered climatically. 2. Pacific Winds. — The Utah Basin, a plateau 800 miles in width, at an elevation of 5,000 feet, between the Eocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevadas, making a total mountain barrier of 1,400 miles, excludes the moisture of Pacific winds from the central areas of the continent, while the interlocking valleys of the Columbia and the Missouri on the route of the Northern Pacific Eailroad and of the Fraser ftnd the Columbia Eivers with the Saskatchewan on the route of the Canadian Pacific, facilitate the ingress and ameliorating influence of the Chinook or West wind of the Pacific coast to the eastern piedmont of Montana, Alberta and Saskatchewan, but it is only in latitude 55 to 60 that the remarkable physical effects occur of the Peace and Liard Eivers rising in the western slope of the Eocky Mountains and breaking through its barrier on their courses to the Mackenzie, after interlocking at their sources with the Skeena and the Stickeen. 153 3. Summer Moisture. — As a corollary to tke foregoing facts of reduced altitude, and the inter-collation of the Pacific moisture, I am satisfied that there is do necessity of irrigation north of latitude 60°. In the north Saskatchewan, Athabasca and Peace Biver districts there is much evidence that the summer rainfalls, without being excessive, still exceeds the average of Manitoba and Minnesota. 4. Solar Meat. — On this subject I avail myself of a very intelligent statement of Prof. G. M. DawsoD, of the Canadian Geological Survey: "In addition to thefavor- able climatic conditions indicated by the thermometer, the length of the day in sum- mer in the higher northern latitudes favors the rapid and vigorous growth of vegetation, and takes the place to a certain extent of heat in this respect." This has been supposed to be the case from the luxuriance of vegetation of some northern regions, but Alphoose de Oandolle has put the matter beyond doubt by subjecting it to direct experiment. la latitude 56°, which may be taken as representing much of the Peace Biver country, sunrise occurs on 20th Juae at three hours twelve minutes ; sunset at eight hours and fifty minutes, while six degrees further south in latitude 50, which may be assumed to represent Manitoba, sunrise occurs on the same day at 3 hours 49 minutes, sunset at 8 hours 13 minutes, the duration of sun- light in the first place being 17 hours 38 minutes, in the second 16 hours 24 minutes, or one hour and a quarter in excess in the northern locality. 5. Maximum of Fructification. — Over the vast northwestern territory, reaching from St. Paul in latitude 45 to Fort Liard in latitude t>0— a region of rigorous winters, cool, moist springs, and dry but intense summers -the undue luxuriance of stem and foliage is checked in the first stage of growth greatly to the advantage of the fruit and seed. This vigor given to vegetation in cold climates by the rapid increase and prolonged action of summer heat has been often observed, but has been, best formulated by Doctor Forry. Samuel Forry, M.D., a physician and medical writer, born at Berlin, Pennsylvania, 23rd June, 1811, died 8th November, 1844, University of Pennsylvania, 1835. He was ten years in the United States army as assistant surgeon and was engaged in the Florida war, afterwards practised in New York city. He contributed many articles to medical journals, originated and conducted for two years the New York Journal of Medicine, and in 1844 received from Harvard University the Boylston prize for the best essay on the Protecting power of Vaccine. He published " Climate of the United States and its endemic influences," 8vo , N. Y., 1842. " Meteorology," New York, 1843. — Drake's Directory of American Biography. He states as a universal fact " that the cultivated plants yield the greatest pro- ducts near the northernmost limit at which they will grow. His illustrations embrace nearly every plantknown to commerce and used either for food or clothing. Cotton, a tropical plant, yields the best staple in the temperate latitudes. Flax, hemp, &c, are cultivated through a great extent of latitude, but the lint in southern latitudes forced into premature maturity, acquires neither consistency nor tenacity ; and we must go far north in Europe to find these plants in perfection. Eice is tropical, yet Carolina and Florida grow the finest in the world. Indian corn is a sub-tropical plant, but it produces the heaviest crops near the northernmost limits of its range, in the West Indies it rises thirty feet high, but produces only a few grains on the bottom of a spongy cob, and is regarded only as a rough provender for cattle. In the rich landa of the Middle States it will often produce 50 to 60 bushels to the acre, but in New York and in New England Agricultural Societies have actually awarded premiums for 125 bushels to the acre. Wheat is a more certain crop in New York, in northern parts of Pennsylvania and Ohio and the Baltic districts of Europe, than in the south either of Europe or America. In the spring it is not forced too rapidly into head before it has time to mature fully or concoct its farina. Oats grow in almost every country, but it is in northern regions only or very moist or elevated tracts, that they fill with farina suitable for human sustenance. Eye, barley, buckwheat, millet, and other culmiferous plants might be adduced to illustrate the above principle, for all their habits require a more northern latitude than is neeessary to their mere growth. The branches are in perfection only in northern or cool regions although they will grow anywhere . It 1-10 154 is in the north alone that we raise animals from meadows and are enabled to keep them fat and in good condition from hay and grass alone without grain. It is there the grasses acquire succulence and consistency enough not only to mature animals but to make the richest butter and cheese. The grasses which do often in the south grow large enough are without richness and nutriment; in hay they have no sub- stance, and when green are too marshy to fatten animals, the consequence is most animals in the east latitude brouse from necessity and are poor and without size and beauty which forces them to a rapid fructification before they have had time to con- coct their jaices. The tube-rose, bulbous, and other roots, cultivated for human and animal subsistence are similarly affected by climate and manifest habits in corrobora- tion of the above principle. The Irish potato, although from or near the tropics, will not come to perfection but in northern or cool countries or in moist insular situa- tions as in Ireland. It is in such climates alone that its roots acquire a farinaceous consistence and of size, flavor and nutriment enough to support in the eminent way in which they are susceptible animal life. In the south a forcing sun brings the potato to fructification before the roots have had time to attain their proper qualifica- tions for nourishment." — (Extract from an article upon the "Acclimating Principle of Plants " in the American Journal of Geology) So far, the suggestive illustrations of Dr. Forry, but I will venture to add a fur- ther instance from the central wheat district of North America at its southern margin in Southern Minnesota : seldom more than two well formed grains are found in each cluster or fasicle forming the row ; in northern Minnesota, Dakota and Manitoba free grains become habitual ; and from heads of wheat brought to me from Prince Albert on the Saskatchewan and Fort Vermillion on the Peace Ki?er I have separ- ated fivewell formed grains from each cluster or group forming the head, which, as I nave had several occasions to remark, is a decisive evidence that the perfection of the wheat plant is attained near the most northern limit of its successful growth. 6. Fall ploughing for wheat. I append to the foregoing summary of the suc- cessful conditions of wheat culture, a brief reference to the preparation of the soil, if not the sowing of wheat in the late autumn. The only instance of injury from frost are where invaluable time is lost in the spring by a neglect of the practice now universal in Minnesota and Dakota of fully preparing the ground for the seed in autumn, which can be supplemented with entire success in the Saskatchewan and other northern districts by sowing spring wheat subsequent to the 15th October. In 1880 Hon. A. G. B. Bannatyne, of Winnipeg, sowed all the varieties of spring wheat exhibited at the Provincial Fair of that year in his garden on the 2nd November, none of which failed to germinate in the following spring (although a mild open -winter would be fatal) and all were harvested by the 8th of August. The subject of animal development in high northern latitudes I will not under- take to discuss, but hope to be indulged in citing the experience of European Russia — especially in the districts north of Moscow — in respect to frosts. Neither the Pro- vince of Manitoba nor the North-West Territory of Canada within latitude 60° present conditions more adverse than the interior of .Russia, or the contiguous districts of Siberia and Central Asia which are equivalent in latitude and other physical relations. To those regions, applee, pears, cherries and plums have been carried by civilized man in his migrations from milder climates northward, with gradual changes in the constitution of the trees until the above named fruits are successfully grown at and beyond the latitude of Moscow six degrees north of Winnipeg. Maltebrun describes a variety of apples grown at Kerusk as weighing four pounds, of a delicious flavor, And keeping a long time. Another variety of apples grown in the vicinity of Moscow, which was brought from China, is described as so transparent that when held to the light the seeds in it can be counted. Adolph Erman, in his travels through Eussia and Siberia in 1840 mentions with surprise that he found at Torxhok on the road from Moscow to St. Petersburgh, north of latitude 57 and at Vladimix, north of 56 degrees, that apples and cherries of a superior kind were extensively grown and sold at moderate prices. Sir George Simpson, late Governor of tha Hudson Bay Company, gives in his overland journey around the world an account 155 of his visit to Burnarl in Siberia, which is north of the little Altai Mountains and of northern China, and mentions the cultivation of apples there. In Dr. Clark's travels in Norway and Sweden, published in 18^8, there is reference to the excellent apples, pears, plums, cherries and strawberries at Trondhgein in Norway in 63 degrees 20 minutes north. In conclusion, I am sure that the Senate Committee, charged with such impor- tant interests, will pardon on my part an aspiration often expressed, that every en- couragement may be extended to the great natural commerce between the cotton zone of the Southern States, the corn zone verging upon the great St. Lawrence lakes and the wheat zone ranging as far north as in Europe. I am, sir, Your obedient servant, JAMES W. TAYLOB. Fort Saskatchewan, 27 th February, 1888. Sib, — Having seen by the public prints that you iutend during the present session of Parliament, to call for a Committee of the Senate to take evidence and obtain information with regard to the extreme North- West, and the best mode of obtaining access thereto, I take the liberty of sending you some information collected from persons who have travelled through the Boeky Mountain region, and also a suggestion as to a cheap and serviceable route. The recent discoveries of gold on the headwaters of the Yukon Biver have added importance to that country, and if Canada intends to enjoy the benefit to be derived from them, an easy route must be devised which will enable miners to enter with sufficient supplies to enable them to work during at least two seasons, and such route must commence and run through -our territory. A waggon road starting from here or Edmonton to the head of Pelly Biver, the main branch of the Yukon, would fill the bill and bring under 800 miles in length, of which 180 miles is already completed, and 200 miles may be classed as light prairie, and the balance 3t>0 light timber, that is openings and bluffs. This route would run to the Athabasoa Landing (90 miles road built), thence to Lesser Slave Lake Post (160 miles), thence to Peace River (93 miles of road built), thence to Port Halkett, on the Liard Biver (200 miles) thence to the head of Pelly Biver ( 200 miles). The distance sounds long, but from the information I have obtained it seems that in no part of the whole distance is the timber heavy, muskegs are few and short and all agree that the road is quite practicable. The advantages of such a route are obvious, when it orossed the Peace Biver and Liard Biver it would give command of those rivers, and in fact of the whole Mackenzie Biver Basin, without having to pass the dangerous rapids on the Atha- basca Biver, and the long traverse across Great Slave Lake. It would would also be the cheapest route to the miner going to the Yukon or the Cassiar Mines, in fact valuable mines exist on the Liard that have been worked more or less ever since 1873. The miner going to the Yukon would be enabled to reach the mining ground a month earlier than he possibly could by the Pacific coast route. It costs a man going to the mines by the coast with two years' supplies at least $400, by this route it will not cost him more than $250, a difference of $150— quite an item to a poor man. By the coast route the miner's supplies must be purchased in Duncan or Sitka, inAmerioan territory, and on coming out he is likely to spend his money there, thus depriving Canada of any benefit from the gold mining on her own territory. Again the Pelly Biver is navigable from Houle Bapids, 25 miles from Pelly Banks Post, to its junction with the Porcupine Biver, 1,000 miles without a break; 1— 10J 156 while on the other hand the Lewis River, down which miners from the coast must travel, is broken by numerous rapids and three lakes, out of which the ice does not move until July. As a fur country, the region opened up by such a road is unsurpassed on the continent, and for that reason, doubtless, strong oppositions will be made to its con- struction. The present cost of provisions on the Yukon is Flour $100 per 100 lbs. Bacon 250 " Beans 250 " Apples 250 " and other articles at like rates. By the above route a miner can lay down two years' supplies for what it now costs him for 100 lbs. of pork brought in by the coast. By the coast route the American trader profits, by the other the miner gets the bene- fit and Canada the indirect benefit. Trusting you will excuse my taking so much of your time. I remain, sir, Your obedient servant, STUART D. MULKINS. The Hon. Senator Schultz, Senate, Ottawa, Ottawa, Friday, 20th April, 1888. Isidoee Cldt, O.M.I., Bishop of Arindele, called and examined. By the Chairman : 25th Question: — A. 1 have never seen the barren grounds. What I have stated here in this document is what I have heard of them. From the abundance of lichen s I should think that the country is rocky and strewn with boulders. The reindeer country is generally gravelly or rocky. Q. In your opinion will those grounds ever be of any use except as a range for wild animals ? A. Fish abound on the sea coast of the barren grounds, but the land itself can never be utilized; Some valuable minerals or precious stones, or some- thing of that kind may be discovered there, but in my opinion that region will never be a source of wealth to the Dominion. By Honorable Mr . Girard: Q. Have you ever heard of the existence of valuable minerals in any part of the barren grounds ? A. I saw a man named McCarthy, at Fond du Lac, Lake Atha- basca, who told me that he had discovered gold, but as he is not an educated man I do not know whether he is mistaken or not. He says he will not show it to any- body, but that he is almost sure that be has found a gold mine. Q. Nobody has brought to you specimens of gold, silver or anything of that kind from that region? A. No. In the Peace River and the Liard River certainly there is gold in large quantities. It is found in the sand bars and 1 fancy that mines will be discovered in the Rocky Mountains and that the gold is carried from that part the same as in British Columbia, on the other side of the mountains. I should imagine therefore that there are considerable veins of gold in the Rocky Mountains. On the Peace River 12 or 1 3 years ago miners made from $15 to $20 a day washingj but in the winter and when the water was high they could not work and they abandoned the mines. Gold is found in the sand bars on the Peace and on the Liard Rivers. If the country were settled those mines might be worked to better advan- tage, because the miners could find other occupation in the winter and when the water was high. Certainly if a railway were constructed to the mines on the Peace River or the confluence of the Peace River and the Athabasca, the Dominion would derive great advantage from the forests, mines, fisheries and furs. 157 By Honorable Mr . Girard: Q. Where should the railway be built ? A. To the confluence of the Smoky and Peace Rivers, or perhaps better to the mouth of the Clearwater, because there a steamer could run as far as Port Smith without obstruction. It would be advisable to build a railroad about twenty miles long to overcome the obstruction to the navi- gation at Forth Smith, and from Fort Smith a steamboat could run to the Arctic •Ocean. Q. Can the obstruction at the confluence of the Smoky and Peace Eivers at the Hudson Bay Company's landing be easily overcome ? A. Yes. By the Chairman : Q. Supposing the railway were constructed and these improvements were made, what trade would be derived from that country which would benefit Canada ? A. All the country around Lac la BicLe and up to Losser Slave Lake on the Peace River and the Liard River is suitable for settlement. Another source of profit is the immense quantities of fish found in the great lakes, the Athabasca, Great Slave and Great Bear Lake, and east of those lakes there are many other great lakes which are full of fine fish. Q. What kinds of fish ? A. The most abundant fish are the whitefish, salmon trout and speckled trout, the jackfish and the carp. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. Is the Inconnu a good fish? A. It is as good as the whitefish, but it is a larger fish. It weighs from 8 to 25 or 30 pounds. The mouth is very small and the fish feeds on worms. These fish are very numerous. By the Chairman : Q. You have mentioned that such a railway would carry all the agricultural products of the district; you have mentioned also the fish of a great region x what timber would they have ? A. We have large quantities of spruce. On the Liard River, the south branch of which I have ascended often, and on the Peace River also there are magnificent forests of spruce. The trees are from 80 to 100 feet high on the islands. Spruce is also abundant on the Mackenzie. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. How large are the spruce ? A. From two to three and three and a half feet in diameter. At a place called Big Island there are fine spruce trees to be had. By the Chairman : Q. What can you tell us about the supplies of salt, sulphur and petroleum — would a railroad have large quantities of these things to carry ? A. On the Mackenzie we have what we call the Salt River, where probably the finest salt in the world is to be found. There is a perfect mountain of salt there. At the foot of that mountain along the Salt River there are salt springs, the salt in which crystalizes in the winter, and in the spring you can get heaps of the finest salt you ever saw at those places. A short way from the springs if you remove the surface of the earth for a few inches you will find large quantities of rock salt perfectly pure. Q. The salt springs near Lake Winnipeg are perfectly pure in appearance and yet the salt which comes from them is not so good as English salt, because it will not preserve meat so long ; is this salt on the Mackenzie of the same character ? A. Generally we do not use salt for preserving oar meat or fish, but I believe from ■what I know of the salt in the country that it is as good as any salt in the world. Q. What about the sulphur and petroleum ? A. I have seen sulphur in several places myself. On the Clearwater River these sulphur springs are very abundant. Travellers use the water of these springs for medicine. It occurs most abundantly at the south-west corner of the Great Slave Lake. There is a place there that we call Sulphur Point and in summer or winter the traveller passing by it has to keep Ms mouth shut so as not to inhale the fumes. It may exist in other parts of the country, no explorations having been made that I know of for petroleum. If I were a scientist 1 might be in a position to answer the question, but I am under the im- pression that petroleum must exist in some parts of the Mackenzie Basin. 158 Q. My question refers to Mackenzie Eiver pitch ? A, It is found in many places- along the Mackenzie Eiver where it is very abundant. It is also abundant at a point on Great Slave Lake which is called Slave Point, and near Fort Good Hope I know of pitch being found. I know that it occurs at those places. Q. Is there a large extent of country where this pitch occurs ? A. Yes. I have- not examined it carefully. Travellers who roquire to use it touch at the shore where it is most convenient, and procure all they want. Very likely there is much more of it at places distant irom the rivers. Q. Is there anything else in that country that could be exported if a railway were built ? A. I have not mentioned the furs. The Mackenzie district is the finest fur country in the world, and the further north you go the finer the fur is. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. Have the fur-bearing animals decreased much in numbers since you first went to that country ? A. No, I think not. The beavers have diminished in num- ber in the Peace Eiver because the Americans come in there and kill a great many, but nearly everywhere in the country, it is so extensive, I think in general the fur- bearing animals have not diminished in numbers. The large animals such as the/ moose, the reindeer, the buffalo and others have diminished in numbers since firearms were introduced, but the fur-bearing animals have not. Foxes are sometimes dimin- ished a great deal in numbers when poison is used to kill them. The Government ought to punish severely anyone who sets out poison. By the Ohairman : Q. I may call the attention of the Committee to the fact that I have been able to procure the Hudson Bay Company's list of furs offered for sale in London during the year 1887 ; this is exclusive of Leipsic. I have taken two of the articles as an illustration and I find that 154,000 beavers' skins wero offered in London last year for sale, and that they brought — the prime beaver— 49s. 6d. per skin, about $12 of our money. The year before they were not quite so high. This would represent at those prices $1,600,000 in beavers alone. In addition to this there is the other article of which I have made up the numbers. We find that 2,500,000 musk-rats, called technically here "Musquash," were also offered for sale and brought from four and a half per co to eight and a halt pence each, also representing a large amount. It is quite evident from this that the returns given to us from the Depart- ment of Customs as to the values of furs represent the values in the interior of the- country, and not by any means the values at which they were sold in the market. We would like to know what proportion of beaver came from the Mackenzie Eiver district as com) ared with other parts of Canada and also the proportion of musk-rat? A. I would not venture to eay because I do not know. I can only say generally that very large quantities of furs are exported. Large quantities of fox skins of all kinds aie exported, the most valuable being the silver, grey and black. There are besides the red, the blue and the white fox : mink, otter, marten, lynx and fisher. The fisher is similar to the marten but is larger and three times as valuable. Q. Are beaver trapped now as they wero in the past ? A. Yes. Q. Where the Hudson Bay Company have no opposition what prices do they pay for furs 'I For example, w hat is the price of a beaver now? A. The difficulty of giving the price is this — that the company throughout the whole of the interior have a peculiar tariff— a pound of sugar or two pounds of sugar is equivalent to one skin. The beaver is the basis of this. A bear may be two or three beavers. The beaver is the unit of value. It depends a good deal on what the Indian takes. A cotton handkerchief is one skin . Q. A beaver that brings the Hudson Bay Company 49s. 6d. in England is bought with a cotton handkerchief ? A. Yes. The company make a practice of rating necessary clothing, guns, axes, &c, at very reasonable figures, whilst purely fancy articles are more expensive. By Honorable Mr . Girard: Q. Are liquors sold there ? A. I have received letters this winter from our missionaries who tell me that liquor was being brought in there. Several com- 159 panies in opposition to the Hudson Bay Company on the Peace River and on the Athabasca — there is only the Hudson Bay Company on the Mackenzie — last summer brought in liquor and sold it to the Indians. It will ruin the savages, and the Government should adopt stringent measures to prevent the introduction of liquors amongst them. Formerly the Hudson Bay Company sold liquor to the Indians, but they found it did a great deal of mischief and they gave it up very many years ago. By Honorable Mr. Power : Q. Are there salmon in the Mackenzie River? A. The true salmon is not found in the Mackenzie Eiver. What is called the Inconnu is found there. It is more like a whitefidh than a salmon. Q. Do you know why there are no salmon there ? Is it too cold at the mouth of the river ? A. There are no salmon in the Arctic Ocean. Inconnu comes up from the sea. In all the large lakes salmon trout are found. I have seen the true salmon on the Yukon River and they came up from Behring Sea. The Committee adjourned until 10.30 a.m., to-morrow. The Senate, Committee Room No. 17, Ottawa, 21st April, 1888. The Committee met at 11 a.m. The following letters were read : — Commissioner's Office, Hudson Bat Company, Winnipeg, 17th April, 1888. Sir, — I am requested by the Commissioner to inform you that he will have much pleasure in replying to as many questions sent to him as he is competent to answerf Mr. Wrigley desires me also to state that he will return the paper in a short time, but is anxious to obtain some little information before replying. I have the honor to be, sir, Your obedient servant, ARTHUR ROBERTSON. The Secretary of the Committee on the Resources of the Great Mackenzie Basin. The Senate, Ottawa. Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, 18th April, 1888. Hon. Dr. Schtjltz. Dear Dr. Schtjltz, — Your favor of the 16th is at hand. The circulars relating to the samples of polar grain will be mailed at once to the parties whose names you have given in the appended list and addressed as you direct, care Joseph Wrigley, Esq., Winnipeg. Yours very sincerely, WM. SAUNDERS. P.S. — I will send to the Department of Agriculture for the samples you have returned there. W.S. 160 Department op Customs, Ottawa, 20th April, 1888. Hon. Dr. Sohultz, the Senate. Deae Sir,— I have your favor of the 18th inst., in reference to the quantity of furs exported. We have no invoices of goods exported of furs, which give the numbers and description of the different kinds ; they are retained at the ports, the returns received here only containing the information which I have sent you. Tours truly, M. BO WELL. Telegram. To Hon. Dr. Schultz, 188 Maria street, Ottawa : From Montreal, 20th April, 1888. The furs sold by Lampsonare nearly all from British North America or Alaska, except the skunk, racoon, grey fox and oppossum, and some few southern and south- western skins. JOHN MARTIN. Isidore Clut, O.M.I. , Bishop of Arindele, reappears and his examination is continued as follows : — By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. Are there any oyster beds at the mouth of the Mackenzie ? A. I have never seen any or heard of any. Q. Are shell fish found in any part of the Great Mackenzie Basin ? A, No. I saw crabs when I was ascending the Beaver River. By Honorable Mr. Bolduc : Q. What size were they? A. Fair size. Q. Have you seen anyone eating those shell fish? A. No. An Indian would not eat a shell fish. He wauld find it unsatisfactory food. By the Chairman : Q. How far north has the potato been grown to your knowledge ? A. We raise potatoes even as far north as the Polar Circle at Fort Gooi Hope, but th ey are very email. We have no bread there, and an Irish Brother has raised potatoes every summer. Once I passed a winter there and they had very little potatoes. Out of five bushels planted they only got six bushels. Two years ago I passed the winter there, and out of ten kegs they got twenty five. At Fort Simpson and Fort Wrigley and Providence Mission and up tho Liard River potatoes are very good. In Peace River potatoes ripen well and are large. Q. To what do you attribute the small yield of potatoes ? Is the ground too dry ? A. Generally the climate is too dry, and it is too cold. Q. Is the soil good ? A. In some places the soil is very good; in other places it is bad— sandy and rocky. In goneral the soil is not very good. A while we can raise potatoes, barley and wheat ; they are generally grown along the banks of the rivers. The soil in such places is generally alluvial, and the high temperature of the water affects the climate, enabling us to raise something, but far inland where the Indians have tried to grow potatoes and barley, generally the frost spoils them even in the middle of the summer. By Honorable Mr Kaulbach : Q. I suppose at Fort Good Hope the season is too short for growing potatoes? A< Yes, that is the reason the potatoes grow so small and it is sometimes too dry weather. 161 By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. Those frosts occur generally in the middle of summer, or is it only occasion- ally ? A. In the interior of the country, distant from the lakes and rivers it occurs usually in the summer. The land is good, but it would not be safe to cultivate it •because the tops would be destroyed by the frosts. By the Chairman : ^£Q. I understood from what you said in French that you mean this : that For6 Good Hope was the farthest possible limit of cultivation. The safe limit would be the other posts you have mentioned — Fort Wrigley, Fort Simpson and Fort Pro- vidence ? A. Yes. The Athabasca and Peace River and south branch of the Liard River are certainly good for agriculture, but I fancy it is only along the rivers that agriculture is safe. 1 do not think it would be safe in the interior of the country because of the summer frosts to which I have referred, Tho country east of Great Slave Lake and Lake Athabasca is no good for agriculture, being principally rock ami sand . By Honorable Mr. Bolduc : Q. Along the rivers what portion do you consider fit for settlement ? A. In the valleys of the rivers for two or throe miles on each side. I have been twice to> Athabasca River by the Lesser Slave Lake and to the Peace River country, and the •eouth branch of the Liard River. In all that part of the country you will find land good for cultivation but only along the shores of the rivers down in the basin where it is protected from the winds and cold. In the interior although the land is probably good the summer and early frosts would destroy the crops. By Honorable Mr. Macdonald (B.G) ; Q. Did you find any portion east of the great lakes fit for grazing cattle ? A. Yes, but the winter is so long that it would not pay. We have horses and cattle for •our own use, but to raise them in large numbers it would cost too much. The winter is too long. We are obliged to feed cattle about seven months of the year. By the Honorable Mr. Girard ; Q. Could you give us an idea of what you and the Brothers attached to your missions have done in the vicinity of these missions in the interest of agriculture? Were you the first to cultivate land there, and how did you succeed with wheat, barley, roots and everything else ? Where is your principal residence 1 A. My principal residence is at Providence, about 40 miles below the Great Slave Lake. The soil is very good there. We raise fine potatoes. One year I raised 1,400 kega •of potatoes. A keg of potatoes is about ten gallons. Q. From how much seed? A. From about 60 kegs. It was a very warm and favorable summer, and we had rain in good time. Another year we had 1,200 kegs, and another year 1,000. Q. From the same quantity of seed ? A. Yes. By Honorable Mr. Bolduc: Q. On how many acres of land ? A. Generally we plant potatoes pretty wide apart. I cannot say how many acres we cultivated. By Honorable Mr. Girard: Q. How many acres of land have you at Providence ? A. There is about a quarter of a square mile cultivated. By Honorable Mr. Power : Q. Do potatoes ripen well every year? A. No; generally they do not ripen well. If thoy would ripen well we would have much more in Peace River; at the south branch of the Liard River at Fort Liard they ripen very well. At Fort Pro- vidence we raised about 50 or 60 bushels of barley. Q. Is barley a sure crop— does it ripen every year ? A. Yes ; every year. By Honorable Mr. Girard: Q. Does it suffer from frost ? A. Occasionally. One or two springs after it had come up it was injured by the frost, but generally it is all right. Q. Is it in the spring of the year that it suffers from frost ? A. Yes. 162 By Honorable Mr. Power: Q. Is it good large grain ? A. Yes. Q. Do you know what is the return from each bushel sown ? A. About fifteen bushels. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. What have you raised in the way of wheat ? A. At Providence Mission sometimes it ripens — never entirely — but the soil is splendid. I remarked once I never saw wheat so nice so far as the plant was concerned, but we had a very short summer, only about one month of great heat, and in the fall it froze a little, but we used it. We had nearly 200 bushels. By Honorable Mr. Kaulbach: Q. For root crops do you require any manure. A. Yes. Q. Do you use it ? A. Yes. Q. Have you many cattle there to provide manure ? A. Generally we have about 15 or 20 head of cattle at Providence. I lived 13 years at Fort Chippewyan, at the Athabasca Lake. There we have a fine piece of ground, though the country is generally rooky. The west side, on the Peace River, the soil is good — generally along the Peace River the land is good. Q. Do the Indians help you in working the sril ? A. A little. Sometimes they help us to plant potatoes. By Honorable Mr. Qirard : Q. Is your mission still in existence at Fort Chippewyan ? A. Yes; we have a large mission there ; it is as large as the one that we have at Providence. We have about 65 persons thero. We have a number of poor children at the Mission, about 40. By Honorable Mr. Macdonald : Q. Do the Iudiaos live there? A. No; they live in the woods. They come to the mission in the fall and the spring in order to see the missionaries and to exchange their furs. Along the Athabasca River at Lac la Biche we have a large mission. Bishop Farand lives there. We have about 80 head of cattle there. Generally all over Mackenzie Basin the Indians come to the missions every fali and spring. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. Fort Good Hope is the most northerly of your missions? A. Yes. On Peace Eiver we have a mission at Vermillion, and the Anglicans and the Hudson Bay Company also have good farms there. Along the river we have about four or five missions. On the Liard Eiver we have two places and at Fort Nelson and aronnd Great Slave Lake we have three missions. Along the Mackenzie, we have missions at Fort Wrigley and at Fort Good Hope. Q. Are you cultivating the soil at all those missions ? A. Yes ; except at Fond , the number and places where they are ohiefly found? A. Along the Athabasoa 'Biver and Lao la Biohe, as I have said, thore are somo white people, mostly half- breeds. (}. French or English ? A. Fronoh half-breeds and somo English half-breeds, but not many. Along the Athabasoa Biver there are Cree Indians. The Green belong to the Algonquin raoe. Down the river to Athabasoa Lake there are Cbip- pewyans. In the Peaoe Biver oountry, the Upper Pouoe Biver, thore are somo lio- quois half-breeds. Q. Are any of them pure Indians? A. They are mixed with tho Indians thero. They married wives in the tribes there. Q. But they are pure Indians? A. Yes, they oome from Caughnawaga. Q. What is the numbor of them? A. I do not know, but I guess about two or throe hundred. Going down the Poaoe Biver we havo what they call les gens fiftre (freemen). Q. Are they Indians ? A. Yes, bat generally they havo some white blood* They live differently from the othor Indians. Q. Aro they more intelligent than thereat of the Indians? A. Yes. The Beaver Indians also live in the Peaoo Biver oountry, and down the river tho Chippewyans again. Around Athabasoa Lake and Great Slave Lake, Bear Lake, and tho enstorn part towards the Hudson Bay, they all belong to the Chippewyan tribes, but they speak different languagos. We havo what wo call tho Yellow Knifes, and the Eaters of Caribou, and along the Mackonzio Biver the Slave Indians. On tho Liard Biver, we have three tribes, but they aro not numerous. There aro somo Slave Indians and some they call Les Gens Mauvais Monde (bad Indians) but they aro not bad, They haven loud way of speaking, and whito people used to think they woro quarrelsome, and therefore called thorn " mauvais monde." Along tho Mackenzio River we havo the Blave Indians. At Fort Good Hopo, we have tho Babbit Indiuns, and Loocheux. Below tho Babbit Indians the Loooheux are found. The first English people who oamo thore called thorn " quarrelers," probably be- cause thoy speak very bud ; beyond those wo find tho Esquimaux. Q. Do thoy live on good terms with each other ? A. No. We havo throo raoos which are quite different in tho Maokonzio Bivor Basin — the Esquimaux, tho •ChippowyanH and tho Algonquins. By Honorable Mr. Bolduc : Q. Do they livo in peauo togother ? A. The Creos and Chippewyans livo woll enough together, but tho Esquimaux will have nothing to do with the others. Gonor- 165 a! Jy they will not intermarry — they are entirely separated from the rest of the Indians. These three races have languages entirely different — not a word in common. Each nation is divided into tribes, speaking a number of dialects. The Chippewyans have- about eleven or twelve different dialects quite different. Some of them differ nearly as much as French differs from English. Q. Although of the same region ? A. Yes, generally. By the Chairman ; Q. You bave described the three divisions; you say you have the Crees, which- are a branch of the Algonquins; the Chippewyans and the Esquimaux; now, can you give us the comparative numbers of these populations? You mention that the whole population is 20,000 ; can you tell us now how many there are of each of these three raoes? A. I do not know about the Esquimaux, and I doubt if anyone can tell what their number is, because they are scattered along the sea coast. Very few come to the company's posts or the missions, but I should think they are not numerous. There may, perhaps, be about one thousand, but of this I am not sure. The Chippewyans may number about 14,000, and the Crees about one thousand. There are some other Indians, such as the Iroquois and these Freemen, and there are a few white people. Q. Which of these tribes receive religious instruction best ? Which do you have the least trouble with in trying to Christianizo them? A. Until now, we have not had enough missionaiies and our resources being slender, we have not seen very much of the Esquimaux. Some of them are Christians but very few of them. What we call the Loocheux and the Chippewyans generally are fond of religion, and accept it generally, if we are good and kind to them and understand their language, as soon as we teach them. Q. More so than the Crees ? A. Yes. The Crees are more difficult to manage. They are not so solid in their way, they like fun and are not provident. They are a good deal like the cigale (cicada) ; they do not trouble themselves about the future. Last winter out of a band of 30 people, 27 died of starvation. By Honorable Mr. Power • Q. Where was that ? A. Near Fort Vermillion. By Honorable Mr. Macdonald : Q. Was there any Government agent to look after these Indians ? A. We have no Government agent in the country. There are only a few of the Hudson Bay Company's people who are justices of the peace. Q. What way have these Indians of making their wants known to the Govern- ment? A. Neither the Indians of the Mackenzie Eiver Basin nor the Indians of Lac la Biche receive anything from the Government. One thing is pretty hard for the missionaries : since that country has passed into the hands of the Dominion Govern- ment we are obliged to pay duty on everything we import. Before that we had no duty to pay, and now the duty is so heavy, between 20 to 25 per cent., that it takes a good part of our small means which we used to spend on the poor. By Honorable Mr. Bolduc : Q. On what do you have to pay duty ? A. On every variety of merchandise that we get at the stores . By Honorable Mr . Girard: Q. When those Indians at Fort Vermillion were starving, was it possible to communicate their condition to the Government? A. No. -"iiMj Q. If it had been possible, how long would it have taken to send a communica- tion to Ottawa even by mail or by telegraph ? A. It would have taken a messenger one month to go to Edmonton, the nearest point. By Honorable Mr. Sanford : Q. What were the special circumstances under which those people starved to death ? A.I was told by the missionaries that the snow came very early in the fall and those poor Cree Indians bad no snowshoes and they could not go out to hunt, so they died by starvation . At last they were eating each other. 166 By Honorable Mr . Girard; Q. Is religion producing a change for the better in the Indians ? Are they ■more provident, and do they work better when they are under the control of the ■clergy there? A. Certainly. They have made great progress since the priests have gone there to teach them. Q. All those Indians live on fish ; they have no flour I suppose ? A. They live by fishing and on the fruits of the chase. Some of them raise potatoes. Q. Are they helped in one way or another to obtain employment by fishing ? A. The Hudson Bay Company and traders there generally want to have plenty of meat and furs, and they do not give nets or net twine enough to the Indians even in selling them, because they want to have plenty of furs. They think, I suppose, that if the Indians had plenty of nets they would live around the lakes and along the livers and would not hunt for furs, and many times Indians starve because they have no hooks or nets. For that reason I gave orders to our missionaries as far as possible to buy more net twine. We get our twine generally from England and sell it or give it to the Indians to prevent starvation, but our means are too small to supply enough. Q. But those things mu6t be cheap ? A. Yes. Q. Do you think it would help matters if any money were put in the hands of the missionaries ? A. Certainly; even although it were only to buy hooks for them — large hooks for catching trout. Q. Would it prevent starvation ? Q. Yes ; in many cases hooks and net twine would. I will give an example. This winter I received a letter from Father Pascal at Fort Chippewyan, who told me that in the fall the missionaries, Hudson Bay Com- pany people, halfbreeds and Indians had lost many of their nets. The Father told me : " We are so poor that we have just the number of nets necessary for our own living and we have lost ten. I am very much afraid that some fall all our nets may be broken with the ice. The ice was pretty thick and a great wind came and broke it up and a number of nets were destroyed." The Father told me also that it would be a charity to send net twine up there. The letter was published in the Minerve of Montreal, and the Catholic Record of London. By Honorable Mr. Reesor : Q. Is there a very marked difference between the severity of the cold at that mission, 55 miles north of Great Slave Lake and the cold about the city of Quebec ? Would a person who has lived in both places realize a great difference ? A. Yes, a jgreat difference. In general the cold is about a good third greater than here at Montreal or at Ottawa. At Port Good Hope it is nearly one-half. By Honorable Mr. Kaulbach : Q. That is in the extreme of winter you are speaking of? A. Generally. Q. In summer time I suppose it is warm ? A. In summer time it is very warmi Last winter out of thirty one days in January they had sixteen days during which the mercury was 40 to 5 i degrees centigrade. By Honorable Mr. Macdonald ; Q. Have you carried stoves in there to heat your houses ? A. Yes. Q. Is there plenty of wood up there ? A. Yes. By Honorable Mr. Kaulbach : Q. Did your stoves come in by way of Hudson Bay? A. Yes, it cost a great deal to get them in there. By Honorable Mr. Sanford ; Q. Do you get in your supplies by the mouth of the Maokenzie? A. No, we get them dow by the Canadian Pacific Railway to Calgary and thence by caravans north. Q. How long does it take to convey the freight from Calgary to the extreme north, say to Fort Gjod Hope ? A. Two summers ago I cam > from Good Hope. I was just three months travelling from Fort Good Hope to Qu'Appelle, and travelling ~pretty rapidly too. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. With horses? A. No, by the river. 167 Q. But yon had some portages, I suppose ? A. Yes. I came from Good Hope to Clearwater .River by way of Portage la Loohe to Isle a la Crosse and Beaver Lake, and from there by Prince Albert. Q. Did you stop at any missions on the way? A. About five days in all. Q. Have the Hu-Json Bay Company started the cultivation of land in there ? A. No. They cultivate a little for themselves, but generally the missionaries cultivate the land . The Catholic missionaries raise more on their farms than any. The Anglicans on the Peace River have a very good farm at Vermillion. Q. Ho the cultivation up to the present day has been in the hands of the clergy mainly? A. Yes. Q. What is your impression of the country ? Do you think it will ever be set- tled as an agricultural country ? A. Yes, if we had a railway to Clearwater— near Mothy Portage, known as Portage la Loche. At Port McMurray the Clear Eiver joins the Athabasca. A railway to that point would be a very great boon to the -country, because from that point you can descend to the mouth of the Mackenzie Eiver by water. By Honorable Mr. Macdonald (Midland); Q. How long would that railway you speak of be ? A. Starting from Prince Albert, a branch is being built in that direction'. Prom Prince Albert it is not very far to Port McMurray. Prom the Saskatchewan to the shores of the Peace Eiver ia about 60 or 80 miles, and perhaps something more. By Honorable Mr. Sanford : • Q. A railway of that length would give access to that whole Mackenzie Eiver Basin by navigation ? A. Midway between Athabasca and Great Slave Lake there are the five rapids I have spoken about, but a railway about twenty miles in length would overcome that. Q. What is the distance from Prince Albert to the navigable waters in the north ? A. I cannot say exactly. The best way would be to ascertain the distance on the map. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. In the construction of a railway would there be any engineering difficulties to overcome ? A. There are a good many swam ps. Q. A gentleman who did not hear you yesterday wishes to elicit this : you state that a large portion of the country is fit tor cultivation if there was a railway into it.. You gave us two routes by which a railway could be constructed. Yoa said that one of these lines would be from Prince Albert striking the Athabasca at Clearwater Eiver? A. Yes. Q. That would give the whole navigation of the Great Slave Eiver and Lake and of the Mackenzie Eiver, with only a break of 20 miles. The other route you mentioned was between Edmonton and Athabasca Landing, a distance of 90 miles : that would give you access to the whole of the navigation with the exception of 70 miles of broken water on the Athabasca Eiver, and this 20 miles that you speak of ? A. Yes, if a railroad was made from Edmonton to Smoky Eiver by the way of Lesser Slave Lake, the distance would not be very great. By Honorable Mr. Girard ; Q. Would it be an easy road to build? A. Yes, I think so. On the Peace Eiver at Vermillion there are two falls, but one of them is very trifling. There is really only one obstruction but it is not much. Q. What is the length of the portage there? A. It is very short. When the water is a little high it is about twice the length of this room. Q . What is the name of that place on Peace Eiver ? A. They generally call it the Palls at Vermillion. By Honorable Mr. Kaulbach : Q. What is the height of the fall ? A. On the left side it is about two feet. By the Chairman : Q. What is the length of the obstruction on the Athabasca Eiver ? Mr. Christie said about 70 miles. What do you say ? A. At the Grand Eapids in the middle of 168 ef the river there is an island and there are two channels. The channel nm the right side could be easily opened. There are large stones, but they are gen- erally of a sandy nature and these could be removed. I think it would be easy to- make a route there. I travelled witb the Captain of the " Graham" and he told me that he passed there many times and that he thought it would be eat-y to make a route. He said: " If they would give me the means to make a route there for the- steamboat I would do it." Q. If you had ten tons of freight at Edmonton, how would you take it to Fort Hope? A. Prom Edmonton by waggon to Athabasca Landing. From Athabasca Landing descend a good navigable river as far as the Grand .Rapids. Athabasca. Landing is near Lac Ja Biehe. Generally we have small Hudson Bay boats to de- scend the rapids, but flat boats would be better. At the Grand Bapids, generally ■we carry the freight about a mile overland. Below that there are plenty of rapids. and they can be run except the rapids that they call the Falls, not far from Port McMurray — about 20 miles above Fort McMurray. The fall is not high and it would' he very easy to improve it . Q. What distance have you to portage at the falls? A. About; the same as at the first portage — about one mile. If the water is high, we can pass down with- out portaging, when the water is high we can run it with half the cargo : in low- water we have to portage the whole of it. Q. What is the whole distance of broken navigation on Athabasca River ? A. The obstructions are in place* ; there are four or five rapids. Q. If you wanted to build a waggon road to carry the goods down past these obstructions how long would that road be ? A. It would not be very easy to make a road at the Grand Bapids, because the banks are high, but the island between the two channels is flat and it would be very easy to make a road there. Q. What would the length of that road be? A. The portage would be shorter — about half a mile. Q. You say that a steamboat can go down ' to the head of the rapids ? A. Yes. Q. And that another steamer comes up to the foot of the rapids ? A. Yes. Q. What is the distance between those two steamers? A. As I said just now we have the falls, at some seasons the steamer can run up there. The portage would be about 70 miles altogether. I have passed there twelve times . Four or five time& I travelled all the way and in winter I drove my dogs . Q. You have told us very little in your communication about the wood buffalo?" A. They are very scarce. By Honorable Mr. Oirard : Q. Have you met many in your long life among the Indians? A. No; but I have eaten the meat of the buffalo. I have never seen it; I have seen the prairie buffalo, of course, but the wood buffalo are not numerous now. Q. Have you met the musk ox in the country there ? A. No, I have never been is their land. Q. You have spoken of parts of that country as being good for agriculture, have you gardens there ? A. We have gardens at nearly all our missions. Wo have potatoes, carrots, beets, cabbages, turnips and lettuce — everything that will grow rapidly and is hardy will grow well there. Q. How far north? A. At every mission, even at Fort Good Hope they raise turnips and potatoes. Q. And carrots ? A. Yes, but they are very small. Q. Cabbages? A. No. We get cabbages at Providence and on Peace River; they are very large. Q. Do you raise onions also ? A. Yes. Q. Do you raise flowers, and what kinds ? A. We have wild roses in abundance- as far north as Good Hope. Q. Can you raise asparagus there ?, A. We have never tried. 169 By Honorable Mr. Macdonald {Midland) : Q. Your lordship said that the road from Prince Albert to Fort McMurray would pass through swamps ; are those swamps extensive ? A.. There are many swampy places, but you could got around them. Q. It is expensive to construct a railway through a swampy country. I would like to know what proportion of that route would pass through swamps ? A. I passed only once by land duriDg the summer when the water was high. By Honorable Mr. Girard: Q. Is the water in the swamps very deep ? A. No. By Honorable Mr. Sanford : Q. Tou are acquainted with agriculture in Quebec and in this province. How does it compare with the agriculture in that northern country. That is to say, will a man in Quebec do any better farming than he would in that country if he had rail- way facilities ? A. He would do better in Quebec. Q. Do you think the two countries are equally good is this respect ? A. No \. because that country is too cold, and there are summer frosts. It is not a good- country for farming. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. Do you think grapes could be grown there at any time ? A. No. By Honorable Mr. Sanford: Q. Does your remark apply to the whole of that country ? A. The Liard and' Peace and the Athabasca Bivers are good for agriculture, but only along the banks. By Honorable Mr. Macdonald (B.C) : Q . Tou think that along the banks of the Peace Eiver and back to the extent of two or three miles it is good ? Tou can really grow grain there as well as in Quebec ? Is it as certain a crop ? A. There are many points where the soil is- alluvial that are very good for crops. We raise splendid wheat there. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. Would a farmer cultivate the ground to as good advantage there as in Quebec, if he had railway faeilities ? A. In general I think not. There may be- chances along the banks of the rivers. Testerday I was speaking on the subject to Sir Donald Smith, who knows the country well, and he was of the same opinion. By Honorable Mr. Mclnnes : Q. Are you certain of a crop there every year, or how often have you a good crop in the Peace Eiver country? A. Above Vermillion on the Peace Eiver I think nearly every summer they are sure of a crop. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. But they ate exposed sometimes to injury from frost ? A. They are exposed to injury from dry seasons. By Honorable Mr. Mclnnes : Q, Are the crops there more subject to be injured by frost than they are say in the Province of Quebec ? A. I think not. I think that in the upper Peace Eiver country they are not. At Vermillion the land is high, and often crops have been frozen there. Q. What is the average width of the low valley of the Peace Eiver where those crops can with comparative safety be grown ? A. An average of two miles on each side. Q. And for what distance ? A. I do not know. I havo never been far up the river. I never went further than Dunvegan, but at Dunvegan the land is good up nearly to the mountains. By Honorable Mr. Girard : Q. Are all your missionaries employed there in teaching the Indians ? I suppose there are far more Indians than whites— what is the proportion ? At The Indiana are more numerous except at Lac la Biche. In all that Mackenzie Eiver country there would only be about fifteen hundred white people : all the rest are Indians, Q. Among the white people do you include the half-breeds ? A. Yes. Q. I suppose they are pretty numerous there too ? A. No. 1—11 170 Q. They are more numerous at Lac la Biche ? A. Yes, the country is largely yet a wilderness. The Committee adjourned until Monday. Senate, C ommittee Boom, Ottawa, Monday, 23rd April, 1888. Answers from Robert Bell, M.D,, LL.D., B.A.Sc, Assistant Director Geologi- cal Survey of Canada, Ottawa, were read as follows : — Series A.— Relating to Navigation and Communication. 1st Question : — The following answers refer to the region west of Hudson's Bay, from its shores nearly to the Rocky Mountains, and from the Saskatchewan to the head of Slave River* The information is derived from personal observation. 2nd Question : — A. Saskatchewan and its north branch, navigable from Grand Kapids at its mouth up to Rooky Mouotain House. Nelson River for 60 miles from head of tide ; again for 150 miles (with only one break) in the oentral part of its course and also for about 40 miles from the outlet of Lake Winnipeg ; Hayes, Steel and Hill River (all parts of the same stream) for 320 miles following their general curves. Beaver River from Isle a la Crosse Lake to Green Lake River with one rapid, a distance of 80 miles, and it is said to be navigable tor along distance further up; and at high water the navigation extends into Green Lake. Athabasca River from Lake Athabasca to Mountain Rapid, eight miles above Port McMurray, in all about 150 to 160 miles by the river. 'Chen by 47 miles of land carriage Grand Rapid is reached. From this rapid to the junction of La Biche River is 100 miles of good navigation, and the same is said to extend up to the outlet of Lesser Slave Lake. 3rd Question :— A, A road, fifty miles long, from Sucker Creek on the North Sas- katchewan running N.N. W. would connect with Athabasca Landing on the Atha- basca River. Another road 47 miles in length from the head of Grand Rapid (on the Athabasca River) to the foot of Mountain Portage on the same stream would connect its two navigable stretcher A road from the North Saskatchewan to the upper part of the Beaver River would be of service in the colonization of the country on either side of the latter until railways are built. A railway carried northward from the existing system as far as the junction of the Clearwater with the Athabasca would give access to an immense extent of country which could then be reached by navi- gating the waters which lie to the northward and are connected with the Lower Athabasca. 4th Question : — A. Athabasca Lake, 192 miles long, according to the track-survey of my assistant, Mr. A. S. Cochrane, in 1881, and which is the only attempt at a survey heretofore made. The country to the south of it is level, wooded and mostly fertile, while on the north side it is rocky, billy and mostly barren. The water appears deep and is clear, except at the west end where the muddy water of the Athabasca is received, and also part of that of the Peace River at high water. Lac la Biche, 24 miles long, according to my own trayk-survey, lies in a shallow alluvial basin and is surrounded by good land of a nearly level character. Isle a la Crosse Lake lies in a low sandy region and is a sort of collecting basin for the waters from all directions except that of its outlet. Prom its south end the distance is 36 miles to the extremity of either of its arms; or continuing into Buffalo Lake there would be 74 miles of navigation, besides Clear Lake off Buffalo Lake. Cree Lake between Methy Portage and Athabasca Lake, is 40 miles long, and Green Lake from my own survey is 18 miles long. Reindeer Lake according to the track-survey of my assis- tant, Mr. A. S. Cochrane, is 165 miles long. Great Slave Lake, according to the sketch-map of Franklin, &c, is just 300 miles long (Lake Superior 360 miles in length). Great Bear Lake, from similar authorities, is 190 miles long and 110 miles wide. Wollaston or Hatchet Lake is about 70 miles long and nearly as many miles wide. 171 6th Question : — A. There is no obstruction to steam navigation on the Athabasca -until the foot of the Mountain Eapid is reached. This is eight miles above Fort Mo- Murray, or the Porks. Other rapids follow at intervals to the Grand Eapid, forty- eeven miles in a straight line. There is a difference of opinion as to whether a powerful light draft steamer could or could not force her way at some stages of water up to the head of the Grand Rapid This interval is easily navigated by York boats and I have come all the way down it in a bark canoe. The rapids are over either boulders or a sandstone bottom. 7th Question: — A. The Athabasca below the Clearwater is now navigated by a 'flat bottomed steamer built at Fort Chippewyan in the winter of 1882-83, under Capt. Smith and Engineer Littloberry. The Little Bed River, the Tar and the Moos© Rivers, affluents of the Athabasca below the Clearwater, might be navigated for some distance by small steamers. The country through which they flow is said to be fertile. The Clearwater is navigable for steamers only to the foot of the first rapids. These rivers are fully desoribed in my report to Government for 1882. 1 lth Question : — A. The Beaver River, from the Great Bend at which it is joined by the Green Lake River, is a large stream navigable for steamers downward to Isle a la Crosse Lake, except, perhaps, at one place, the Grand Rapid, at low water. Above the Great Bend it is narrower, but is said to be uninterrupted by rapids nearly to the westorn boundary of the district of Saskatchewan. The lakes along the upper part of the Churchill River are described by Mr. Cochrane and other explorers as being very irregular in shape, full of islands, and bounded by hilly, rocky shores. The rocks consist of gneiss of the Laurentian system. 13th Question : — A. The total length is 192 miles, according to Mr. A. S. Coch- rane, who made a track survey of it in 1881, under my instructions. The country on the south side is described as level and well wooded, with nearly horizontal rocks along tho shore, while on the north side it is hilly and rocky (Laurentian), the timber ■small and much of it burnt. As to economic minerals, magnetic iron, apparently of fine quality, judging from speoimens I obtained at Fort Chippewyan, is found near the entrance of Black Bay, on the north side. Graphite has been found in loose pieces near Fond du Lac Post on the same side. Mr. Cochrane found the Huronian 'foundation, which is always apt to ba metalliferous, well developed in Black Bay, and again between Fond du Lac and the eastern extremity of the lake. The lake is deep and navigable for steamers of a large class, except a few miles at the eastern extremity where it may be rather too shallow. At the west end the waters are muddy, owing to the influx of the Athabasca and in some seasons part of the Peace River, but the rest of the lake is clear. The ordinary fish of the northern lakes abound, such as whitefish, grey trout, pike, pickerel, &c, &o. 16th Question : — A. Croe Lake is a large sheet of water, first indicated oh the maps by myself in 1882. It is about 40 miles long, and is situated just north of the height of land and two-thirds of the distance from the outlet of Isle a la Crosse Lake and the east end of Athabasca Lake. It discharges into Back Lake, the first one east of Athabasca Lake. 19 th Question : — A. Yes, I have been around parts of it. The whole west coast of both Hudson's Bay proper and James' Bay is low with shallow water, from Chesterfield Inlet to Moose River at the south end. Mud, sand and gravel, with boulders in some places, form the shore, except between Chesterfield Inlet and Eskimo Point, and from Seal River to Cape Churchill, where solid rocks occur. The only harbor available for large vessels at all stages of the tide is that of Churchill, where perfect shelter with easy entrance is found, with from 6 to 8 fathoms of water. The entrance of the harbor was commanded by Fort Prince of Wales up to 1782, when it was captured and destroyed by Admiral Le Perouse. 20th Question: — A. The principal lakes known are Aylmer and Artillery Lakes, North-lined Lake, Cree, Wollaston, Reindeer, North and South Indian Lakes on the Churchill, and Split Lake on the Nelson River. Aylmer and Artillery Lakes are described by Richardson, Back, Sutherland, Anderson, &o. North-lined Lake by Hearne. Wollaston, and Reindeer Lakes are known by Mr. A. S. Cochrane of the 1-11£ 172 Geological Survey, Ottawa. Nothing appears to be known as to the North and South Indian Lakes beyond their size as given by Arrowsmith. A track survey of. Split Lake was made by myself in 1879. It is an expansion of the Nelson Riven and lies about midway between Lake Winnipeg and Hudson's Bay. It has a length of 25 miles and a width of from 2 to 3 miles. Its elevation is 440 feet above the sea (by barometer). The outline of the country seen around Split Lake is generally even, but it presents minor undulations. The country all around is overspread with a brownish clay. 22nd Question : — A. Dr. Percy W. Mathews, of York Factory, has written a paper on "Frost Peneti-ation " in these latitudes which I can submit to the Committee. 24th Question :— A. This question is best answered by the accompanying map. By. the term barren grounds is not meant the rocky and sterile lands as compared with the fertile, but the territory beyond the limits of timber, and they are not necessari- ly more rocky than some parts of the wooded regions. 25th Question : —A . They are like much of the rest of the country except that no trees grow, owing to the rigor of the climate. Large tracts are level or nearly so and covered with stones, gravel, sand and clay. Moss, lichens, sedges, grasses and small flowering plants' grow on those lands and in places dwarf willows. Ledges of rock run in various directions, and lakes and ponds abound. They are the breeding grounds of wild fowl and the home of the musk ox and the small reindeer or barren ground cariboo. 26th Question : — A. Barley as far as Fort Simpson on the Mackenzie, and pota* toes, I understand, to Fort Hope* Potatoes are grown every year at York Factory, and they. have, been grown at Churchill, but are an uncertain crop there. 27th Question : — A. In the eastern part of the region, wheat ripens well at Nor- way House and around Little Playgreen Lake. Barley ripens at Oxford House. As far as Fort Providence, I understand, but the fact of its ripening in this latitude may depend on the proximity of heated water which keeps the air in the neighborhood warm, and so prevents the early autumn frosts. I have seen excellent wheat ripen at Lac la Biche where it is said to be a sure crop every year, but this is owing to the above cause. 28th Question ; — A. The most northern points at which I have seen Indian corn attempted are Fort Pitt, on the Saskatchewan, and at Osnaburgh House at the outlet of Lake St. Joseph at the head of the Albany Biver. 29th Question :— A. North of the North Saskatchewan barley ripens about the 15th of August and wheat a week later. They are sown as soon as the snow is off the ground, the land being prepared the fall before. 32nd Question :— A. Along the North Saskatchewan and at Lac la Biche wheat, ripens about the 20th to the 25th of August; barley the 15th of August; potatoes 1st of October ; turnips the 15th of October. 33rd Question :— A. In the Athabasca region, rainy in beginning of June, but after that mostly fine and warm till the end of August. 34th Question : — A. Yes, except near the larger lakes, and close to the larger rivers. 36th Question : — A. Draining and cultivating the land will tend to diminish summer frosts. 38th Qaestion : — A. Generally rainy in September. In October the weather is fine some years, but in others it is cold and rainy. 40th Question : — A. In the country I traversed between the North Saskatchewan and Lac la Biche the grasses were the most luxuriant I ever saw, being often six feet high. In the Athabasca region luxuriant grasses and sedges grow in the marshes and around the lakes. In the region of Isle a la Crosse and the lower part of the Beaver Biver, the soil is sandy and the grasses poor. The same remarks apply to- the northern portion of the district between Green Like and Fort Carleton. 41st Question : — A. Abundantly in the prairies and the openings in the woods between the north Saskatchewan and Lac la Riche. Also around Lake Winnipeg and along the Nelson Biver. 173 43rd Question : — A. Between the North Saskatchewan and Lao la Biche, it is mostly sand and a rioh sandy loam. In the Athabasca Valley, below the Clearwater, -a light sandy loam. Around Lac la Biche, clay on top of sand, and along the Athabasca, above Grand Rapid, mostly clayey soil. Inthe valley of the Nelson River and those of the adjacent streams, brownish and light color clays prevail, which are fertile on the lower levels, but stiff and hard On 'higher levels. 44th Question : — A. This question is best answered by accompanying map. 45th Question : — A. It is a climate of considerable extremes of temperature. Only the most hardy forest trees grow there, and the number of species diminishes till only one, the spruce, remains. Herbaceous plants are growing luxuriously in the early summer where only a -few inches of the surface of the soil have been thawed. 47th Question : — A. I have a record of temperature at Norway House kept some years ago, which has never been published. Also reoord of the weather, seasons, periodic events, &c, kept at Martin's Falls on the Albany, extending back from 1887 for about 50 years still unpublished. 4Sth Question : — A. They exert a very marked influence in this way . I have noted many facts illustrating this around most of the larger lakes I visited in the north, also along numerous streams both in the prairie and wooded regions. 49th Question : — A. Around Lake Winnipeg the prevailing winds in summer and autumn are from the southward, and they have a beneficial influence on the climate to the northward. There is also a great deal of southerly wind around Hudson's Bay in summer. 5 1st Question : — A. Some attempt at agriculture and stock raising has been made at almost every Hudson B8y Oo.'s and Mission post. Cattle and horses always appear to thrive. Potatoes were the commonest orop grown and although always planted in the same soil year after year, they never failed to do well. Nearly all tbe root crops and vegetables usually grown in other parts of Canada havedone well wherever they have been tried. 62nd Question : — A. Horses, sheep, cattle, goats, &c, would find abundant pastur- age in the better places during summer and hay might be grown for them in the same regions. This has been illustrated at Churchill where excellent cattle thrive. In Iceland, cattle, horses and goats are raised under worse circumstances, and domestic animals at the Moravian Mission Stations along Eastern Labrador. 53rd Question : — A. Cariboo. — Reindeer or the " Barren Ground Cariboo " range in countless numbers over the open country in summer, and migrate towards the shelter of woods in the winter. Flesh and skins valuable. Might bo domesticated as in Norway, &c. Musk Ox. — In small herds throughout the barren grounds and on all the large islands of the Arctic regions as far as man has penetrated. Valuable for their skins as robes. Wood Buffalo. — Small numbers still remaining east of the Athabasca and west of Slave River. Moose. — Found everywhere in the Athabasca-Mackerzie region and south-east* ward to Lake Winnipeg. Becoming scarcer every year, owing to indiscriminate slaughter, " Elk," Biche or Bed Deer. — Inhabits the half-wooded country of the Saskat- chewan and Athabasca Basins. 54th Question : — A. Lynx. — Numbers vary greatly at the same place, killed by shooting, snaring, &c. Arctic Fox. — Much more numerous some years than others. Often caught in 4> dead-falls," made of ice. Also killed by shooting, poisoning, spring traps, &c. Black Fox, Silver Fox, Gross Fox, Med Fox.— All varieties of the same species. The rarest is the black or darkest variety of the silver fox. The cross fox is lighter than the last. The red is the commonest of all — killed by dead-falls, spring traps and poisoning. 1U Fisher. — Avery generally diffused fur-bearing animal but nowhere abundant.. Fur a very handsome dark gray to black on the greater part of the animal's body* Wolverine.— Called by the Cree Indians "the devil," and by the French-Cana- dians the " carcajou." Very cunning and destructive. Otter. — Extends northwards to the verge of the forests — most abundant where fish are plentiful. Beaver. — In every part of Canada (except the naked plains) from the Eocky Mountains to the Labrador coast, and about as far north as trees extend. Marten. — Everywhere throughout the Dominion, north to the limits of trees. Mink.— Same range as the marten. Ermine. — Extends even beyond the limits of timber. Said to be found north of Hudson's Straits. Musk Bat. — The most common of our fur-bearing animals, but does not extend north to the limits of timber except in some places. Polar Bear. — From all around Hudson's Bay even to south extremity of James' Bay, oeoasionally. Grizzly Bear. — The so-called "grizzly" of the North- West is said by some not to be the true grizzly but the " silver bear." Black Bear. — The black and cinnamon bears are believed to belong to the same species, the latter being a weslern variety. The black bear is found everywhere in the eastern part of the continent from the Southern States to Labrador. It does not extend to the limits of trees in the north. blth Question : — A. The fishes are the same in all the great northern and north- western lakes, the most generally diffused and useful being the whitefish, next is the grey or lake trout, from 10 to 20 lbs. in weight, and sometimes 50 lbs. and upwards. In most of the lakes and in the rivers communicating pretty directly with the sea, sturgeon are generally found. Speckled trout occur in the streams flowing into Hudson's Bay. Salmon of two species are caught in rivers and on the coast from Churchill northward. Salmon of great size are taken about the mouth of the Great Fish Eiver from which its name appears to be derived. Nearly all the fresh watei s contain pike and the pike-perch or pickerel, and many of them the yellow-barred perch, but bass do not appear to extend beyond Lake Superior's tributaries. The mari, methye, or fresh water ling or dog-fish, occurs in nearly every lake of large size, and suckers of two or more species are met with in nearly all fresh waters. 58th Question : — A. The larger whales, having been so much hunted in all the more accessible waters, have taken refuge in later years in the Gulf of Boothia or Boothia Bay, whither, however, they are now pursued by the whalers. 62nd Question : — A. The wcoded region extends south-westward from a line drawn almost straight north-westerly from the mouth of Seal Eiver on Hudson's Bay to the mouth of the Mackenzie Eiver. The most northern species are spruce, tamarac,. aspen, rough-baiked poplar, white birch, balsam, Banksian pine. Spruce and tamarac attain a good size in the more southern parts of the region under investigation, and might some day be sent south to the jrairie country south of the Saskatchewan by railway . The northern limits of the principal timber trees of the Dominion were described and mapped by myself in 1881, in connection with the Geological Survey. 65th Question : — A. Everywhere in the wooded regions and in some carts of the barren grounds the Labrador tea-plant exists. It is but little used for any purpose. 66th Question :— A. It is a very poor substitute for the Asiatic tea and does not possess the stimulating properties of the latter. 6?th Question: — A. See a paper by the writer, on the Economic Minerais of the Hudson's Bay territories read before the American Institute of mining engineers in 1886, and published in the report of the second Hudson's Bay expedition in the same year by the Department of Marine, Ottawa. 175 Gold has been found in many places in the region between Mackenzie Biver and Alaska, at Repulse Bay and near Chesterfield Inlet, Hudson's Bay ; also at Burnt- wood Lake near Prog Portage. Nuggets of native silver have been found in the upper Peace River. Copper. — Native copper on the Coppermine River, and copper ore on the west coast of Hudson's Bay. Clay iron-stone on the Athabasca River above the Clear- water and magnetite at Black Bay on Athabasca Lake. Sulphur is abundant in the form of pyrites on the west coast Of Hudson's Bay. Salt, in springs on the Clear- water and the Athabasca, and copiously on the Salt River on the west side of Slave Eiver. Petroleum and asphaltum on the Athabasca River, Peace River towards Dunvegan, Great Slave Lake, Mackenzie River, &c. (See paper by myself in the Canadian Journal, Toronto, for 1881.) Gypsum, at Peace Point, Peace River, also said to occur at the Salt Springs, Salt River just mentioned. Lignite, along the Athabasca River, Mackenzie River near Great Bear Lake River, along Peel's River and on the coast of the Arctic sea on both sides of the Mackenzie. Plumbago — Loose, near Pond du Lac, Athabasca Lake. 68th Question : — A. Clay for brick at Lac la Biche, along the Biche and Atha- basca Rivers ; moulding sand on Athabasca River below Grand Rapids. (See report for 1882) ; good limestone along Athabasca River from Crooked Rapids to Little Red River, and on Isle a la Crosse Lake, also between Cumberland House and Beaver Lake, and throughout the country for a long distance east atd west of this section . Granite is mentioned by travellers on the lakes between Prog Portage and Isle a la Crosse Lake — also on the north side of the Great Slave Lake. Pere Petitot men- tions it in several places east of the Mackenzie River. 70th Question: — A. The Canada goose breeds in large numbers on the barren grounds north-west of Hudson's Bay, also in the wooded regions to the south of the barren grounds. The laughing goose in the valley of the Mackenzie and towards the sea coast. The enow goose or wavey in the low country east of the Mackenzie delta and in unknown places to the north. Tbe grey or stock duck in the wooded regions between Hudson's Bay and the Athabasca -Mackenzie. 71st Question : — A. Canada geese, waveys and stock ducks are considered of the most value in the spring and fall migrations. 72nd Question : — A. Great numbers stop to feed in autumn in the shallow waters and marshes about the west end of Athabasca Lake and in those along the lower parts of the Peace River. Also on the west coast of Hudson's Bay, especially between Seal and Churchill Rivers and opposite Nelson Shoal. 73rd Question : — A. Berries, seeds of grasses, &o. 74th Question : — A. They follow the opening of the water in the spring as they go north and leave with the first signs of ice in the autumn. *(7th Question :— It has immerse pjoepective value, and is probably the greatest soul co of wealth whiih can soon be realized, in the region under consideration. Full particulars can be furnished in connection with Prof. Peckham's report on the value and usee of the bitumens of that region. blst Question : — A. A study ol the composition of the drift and of the strice indi- cating its course, together with a better knowledge of the general nature of the rocks in situ to the northward would enable us to say pretty certainly what has been the probable sources of this gold. Ottawa, 23rd April, 1888. Deak Sib,— I have to request on behalf of the committee that you will give me, approximately, tbe length of coast line on the Hudson Bay and the Arctic Sea, which may be accessible to steam sailing craft. Second, please also give me, approximately, the length of 1he navigable coast line, that is both sides of the Lesser Slave Lake, 116 the Athabasca Lake, Great Slave Lake and Great Bear Lake. Third, give me, approximately, the total lake area of the whole country, irrespective of navigation; Fourth, give me the total river navigation, independent of the breaks, of the main rivers and their branches ; hqw much of this adapted for stern wheel steamers and how much for craft drawing more water. Fifth, give me, approximately, the area in fequare miles fitted for the growth of potatoes, wheat, barley. Sixth, give me,, approximately, the whole pastoral area, then divide this into what is prairie and what is wood. Seventb, give me the total area of barren grounds. Give me a complete list on separate paper of all the fish found in the district. Second, of all the forest trees. Third, of all the minerals. Fourth, of all the animals, and fifth, all the flora of the region. Yours very truly, JOHN SCHULTZ, Chairman. .Robert Bull, M.D., LL. D., Geological Survey, Ottawa. Prof. Bell called and examined. By the Chairman : Q. What is the extent of the barren grounds? Have you ever seen the region yourself, and if so describe its appearanoe ? A. The barren grounds may be said to include the whole of the mainland of the continent and the islands of the northern sea to the north-eastward of the limits of timber which are marked on the map. The line is indicated here as running from the east coast ot Labrador westward, and from the west shore of Hudson Bay northwesterly to the mouth of the Mackenzie River. I have had opportunities ot seeing these grounds myself in many places in the Labrador peninsula and on both sides of Hudson's Straits; also on the east and west eides of Hudson's Bay on the islands north of the straits. I have photographed them in different places. Q. Have you spare/jopies of these photographsjthat you can supply to the Com- mittee ? A. 1 have only one set myself, which I now produce. Q. In the region that we have under consideration can you give us an idea of the general proportion and position of arable and pastoral lands as compared with the sterile parts, irrespective of olimate. A. It may be most graphically seen per- haps by this map. I have represented it in red on the plan. As you will observe the proportion of good land in the North-West Territories, extending from Manitoba to Mackenzie Eiver is very great as compared with all the similar lands of the older provinces. Q. How much more of that class of land is there in the North-West than in the older provinces ? A. It might be estimated, but glancing at the map I should say it is at least twenty or thirty times greater. That is just a rough estimate by the eye on this map (map herewith submitted) irrespective of climate. Tho map shows the arable and pastoral lands of the whole Dominion. It might be said that its vast extent is of no consequence because part of it is too far north. That may be, bat this shows the land irrespective of olimate. Q. What is the nature of the soil between the North Saskatchewan and Lac la Biche ? A. A great part of it is remarkably fine. There are sandy and bonldered tracks, but of less extent than the good land. Most of it is a rich blaek loan, that is between Port Pitt and Lac la Biche. Q, There is a map of yours on the wall indicating the northern limit of trees; do you still think that map is correct ? A. Yes. Q. It is dated 1884. Have you any reason to change the lines showing the limits of any of the trees from information that you have since reoeived ? A. No, except in one or two minor details. This map shows the northern limits of upwards m of thirty of our forest trees. The greater number of tbem or those in the more southern regions I have had opportunities to trace in detail. It has been ray busi- ness for thirty years to traverse this region, and I have always made a study of the distribution of timber trees, and consequently I say this map is mostly from my own observation.' There are perhaps four or five species, the most northern ones, which I have not traced out in the Mackenzie Eiver country, but I have had opportunities to trace their distribution in the east and in the country between Manitoba for exam- ple, and , Hudson's Bay . A preliminary edition of this map was published in my report for 1880, a copy of which is on the table, and the lines were copied from it, without acknowledgment, upon a map published by the Department of Agriculture in 1886. The United States authorities were more just when they made use of the same work. In the letter of transmittal of Professor Charles S. Sargeant's great " Report on the Forests of North America," being Volume IX of the United States Census of 1880, this gentleman says : " The information in regard to the distribution northward of the trees of the eastern United States is entirely derived from Dr. Bell's paper upon the Canadian Forests, published in the report of the Geological "Survey of Canada for the years 1879-80 . " Referring to the same paper and ac- companying map, the same gentleman elsewhere says : " Dr. Ball has made a con- tribution in them to botanical and forest geography, whose worth can hardly be overestimated." Q. In estimating the area for the purpo3e of the Committee, you think that we might safely take the limits as given on this map of yours ? A. Yes ; they are practically oorrect. They could not be materially altered in any part, I think. Of •course here and there one of these lines might be shifted a little locally, but in gen- eral, the aspect of this map could not ba altered. It is sufficiently correct for all practical purposes, and these tree lines are absolutely correct, so far as most of them, are concerned. On the title of this map I mention that these were mostly from per- sonal observation, which I still maintain. The piece of paper you observe was pasted over those words at the London and Colonial Exhibition. I do not know why, beoause it is as much a part of the title of the map as the rest of it. This map is not printed; it is drawn by hand, and is my own private property. Q. What is the most important crop at present cultivated in tho great northern region of Canada which you have visited ? A. The potato is the most important and the most general. It is easily raised, produces a large amount of food, and grows well at nearly all the Hudson Bay Company's posts, at all in fact, excepting the extreme northern ones. Indeed, I do not know anywhere they do not attempt to cultivate it, but it ripens perfectly at the most of them. Q. You were requested by the Committee some time ago to indicate on a small map that was sent to you the range of cultivation of the potato and barley ? A. I submit this small map. I have looked over my notes carefully and also consulted. others as t© the growth of tho potato through the whole region irom the Atlantic coast to the Mackenzie. Q. Does it also indicate wheat and barley ? A. It shows, as accurately as we -can show it, not only the area of potato culture but also that of barley and wheat. I say " the possible cultivation of barley and wheat " but the known limit of the culti- vation of the potato. Grains have been known to ripen as far north as indicated there, but I could not say that these grains are always a sure crop. Q. How far may hay and root crops suitable for wintering cattle be grown ? A. Some root crops, such as turnips especially, will grow even north of the potato. Hay grows within the limits of the barren grounds, so that cattle may be kept and fed on. what the country produces even north of the limits of tho potato. Tuo< e are ex- amples of cattle thriving nor,th of the limit of the potato, for instance at York Fac- tory and at Churchill. Cattle are raised and bred from year to year and do well, and excellent butter is made beyond the limits of the ripening of the potato. Potatoes are grown at Churchill, too, but do not always ripen. Q. You were also asked to indicate on a map similar to this those portions of ■the rivers in that country that were suitable for steam navigation ; have you done so ? 178 A. Yes, on this map which I have laid od the table I have indicated in red lines the navigable stretches of all the rivers west of Hudson's Bay as far west as the moun- tains and also indicated the lakes which are navigable, Q. Then we may regard that as correct ? A. Yes. This shows a vast mileage of navigable waters on the rivers and lakes. There are many smaller lakes which would be navigable for steamers, but on this scale they would not be conspicuous. Q. His Lordship Bishop Clnt informed us that between the source of the Mac- kenzie and the Arctic Ocean — I am now alluding to the tributaries as well — there were only three breaks. Be said that one occurred at Fort Smith on the Great Slave Biver; that it was twenty miles in length, or rather that a road which was built there twenty miles long, enabled the Hudson's Bay Company to transport goods around that break. Then he said there was a series of rapids and obstructions on the Athabasca Eiver above Fort McMurray, which a road of 70 miles would completely pass. He said, if I recollect rightly, that barges could descend this portion of the Athabasca and that a steamboat could possibly do so, but could not be got up again. Then he said at Fort Vermillion or below it there was a fall on the Peace Biver, the portage of wh the swampy country. It enters James' Bay about 65 miles north of Fort Albany and is continuously navigable from ihe sea at high water as far as it will afford width for steamers— which would be perhaps 250 or 300 miles. I came down the whole length of that river without once taking my canoe out of the water. Within 100 miles or so of its source there is a large lake, for which the Indians have no specific name. The Indian chief to whom 1 spoke about it simply called it " my big lake." We named it after Lord Lansdowne. Having made a track survey of it, I had to give it some name, for the convenience of description. It measures 13 miles in length, and over ten miles in width. Just below Lake Lansdowne is another lake nearly as large, called Attawapishkat Lake. Q. Are there any salmon in that river ? A, There are no salmon in that river. By Honorable Mr. Sanford : Q, Does that river run directly north or weBt ? A. Its general course is east- ward, but it is not straight at all. It makes some large bends. The Albany is next in point of length of navigable water. It is navigable for about 250 miles from the soa by river steamboats at high water. The Moose Eiver and its branch the Missi- naibi would be navigable for about 120 miles from the sea also at high water. The Kaipishcow acd Equan Eivers, also on the west coast of James' Bay, would be navig- able for a considerable distance by steamers. On the south-west side of Hudson Bay proper the Wainisk and Severn Eivers are navigable for a limited distance. The B*yes, Steel and Hill Eivers which are all parts of one river are navigable for about 140 miles altogether from the sea. The great Nelson Eiver would be navigable only .for about 50 miles irom the bay. By the Chairman : Q. Is the west side of Hudson Bay well adapted for coast navigation ? A. Ho, it is not. The water is very shallow in nearly all parts. Q. You were requested by the Committee to indicate upon the map the sea animals that were found on the northern and eastern sea coasts of the district that comes under our purview here for investigation. It you have not already done so we would like you to indicate on the west coast of Hudson Bay and on such parts of the Arctic Ocean as are accessible north of the Hudson Bay and in the neighbor- hood of the Mackenzie Eiver, east and west, the sea animals that are found, indicat- ing in some way or another, whale, seal and porpoise, if there are any ? A. I have already done so on a map, upon the same scale as those already submitted, but I have left it in my office to complete the title this morning. Q. We also wish lo refer you to the Admiralty Chart which we have in the room here, of Behring Straits, and also the Arctic Ocean between Behring Straits and the mouth of the Mackenzie, with particular reference to the soundings, and we wish jou to give your estimate derived from that source ard from any other source, an idta of how far it is possible to reach the sealing ard whaling grounds by way of Behring Strails. We want you to give now if you can the principal harbors on the sea coast of the region that we have under consideration ? A. It will be easy to do that for the west coast of Hudson Bay. On the west coast of the whole bay from Chesterfield Inlet to M( of e Factory there is only one harbor suitable for large vessels at all stages of the tide, namely Churchill Harbor. Q. What is Chesterfield Inlet ? It seems to be a deep indentation? A. Yes; it is an indentation of 230 miles in length and has narrows in it. Q. Is it navigable for vessels? A. Yes. Q- What is the name of the river running to the head of it£ A. It is called the Doobaunt Eiver on the maps. Q. Do you know if salmon are found there ? A. Yes ; I understand that salmon are found — at least one species of salmon — in Chesterfield Inlet. Q. Are there whales or seals near the mouth of the inlet? A. Yes, the great whaling grounds of Hudson Bay is opposite the mouth of Chesterfield Inlet, and in the neighborhood of Marble Island and Boe's Welcome. 180 Q. Is that point shown on the map ? A. Yes. Continuing northward into Booth nia Bay these waters are now the great whaling grounds of the Americans. Q. Do they go any further west than that ? A. Further north they do to Lan- caster Sound and Prince Eegent's Inlet and so on. Q. Has the southern limit of permanently frozen soil been ascertained by you or by anyone else ? A. No ; I think it has not. This limit cannot well be defined without bpecial experiments for the purpose. Great mistakes have been made by travellers in estimating the depths of frozen ground, because they see the cut-banks -of rivers frozen and jump to conclusions, forgetting that the frost does not penetrate everywhere to that depth. The face of the bank is frozen, but it does not represent a perpendicalar depth of frozen soil. Even Sir Henry Lefroy had been led into that error. I pointed out to him some years ago this fact, and he admitted that there was a great deal of force in it, that it did not indicate at all the depth of frozen ground throughout the country. At York Factory I have made experiments myself and proved this to be the case. There the bank face is 27 feet in height, and a short dis- tance further up 30 to 40 feet, and it appears to be all frozen. Large flakes or frozen layers of earth peel off during the summer, and one might suppose there was 27 or 40 feet of frozen soil, whereas on going back a short distance into the country you find the ground is not frozen in the summer — that it is completely thawed out. We took a sharp pointed pole and drove it six feet into the soil in soft ground without finding any frost. Q . Have the larger lakes and rivers an appreciable influence on the climate of the adjacent land ? A. Yes; in that northern country they have a very marked influence, in regard to summer and autumn frosts at all events. The natural vegeta- tion as well as the experience of cultivating the soil has proved this. The warm air that is wafted from the surface of the lakes and rivers on to the land for the distance of a mile or two has the effect of keeping off the summer and autumn frosts, and even larger rivers carry down warmer water and the air blowing over their surface has a good effect in preventing these frosts. It is along those rivers and around those lakes that the trees of more southern habit extend furthest north. They are enabled to mature their seeds aloDg such rivers and lakes, whereas they cannot at some distance from them. The result is, the most northern examples we find of some species of trees are along rivers and lakes, and in regard to the cultivation of the ground it has been a great advantage to sow the seed near these waters. Q. What are the principal economic minerals of the country we are investigat- ing ? We would like very much if you would give us that in extenso, in writing, and also the petroleum of the Athabasca country. I may say, in regard to that, that we have a communication from yourself concerning important analyses which were made of this by a celebrated man, in which you state the difficulty there was in giving us the benefit of this information, and upon that, at the request of the Committee, I wrote to the Deputy Minister of the Interior, asking him to get it for us, — that we were very anxious to have the fullest information about this, and to place you in such a position that you could give it to us ; so that we will expect you to give us, in writ- ing, the principal economic minerals of the country ; and also, if the Department had taken any action in regard to that communication, that you should give us the analyses. A. "Ees ; I shall be very happy to do so. Q. The Committee have found a great deal of difficulty in getting information regarding the quantity of furs exported from that region of country. We had hoped to obtain it by getting from the Department of Customs the exports of the region, but we ascertainedoin a letter from the Minister himself that they only kept records • of the values— that he had no means of telling us the number of any kinds of fara exported. I then wrote to Montreal asking a large firm of fur dealers there to let me have, if they could get them for me, the Hudson's Bay Company's list for 1887 and 1886, and be also sent me a list of C. M. Lampson & Co. who also sell large numbers of British North American furs derived from free traders, and in some cases from, the Hudson's Bay Company themselves. Here are the aggregates of these, and if 181 you have any knowledge of the proportion of these probably coming from the Mac- kenzie Biver district, we would like very much to know it : — Quantity of furs offered for sale at London, England, at the annual auction sale by Hudson Bay Company, and C. M. Lampson & Co. in the year 1887. Otter 14,439 Sea Otter 3,868 Fisher 7,192 Fox, Silver 1,967 Fox, Cross 6,785 Fox, Red 85,022 Fox, White 10,257 Fox, Blue 1,440 Fox, Kitt 290 Lynx 14,520 Skunk 632,794 Marten 98.342 Mink 316,223 Beaver 104,279 Musquash 2,485,368 Extra black musquash 13,944 Wolf 7,156 Wolverine 1,581 Bear (all kinds) 15,942 Musk ox 198 Badger 3,739 Ermine 4,116 Swan 57 Babbit (American) 114,824 Hair Seal (dry) .'. 13,478 Sable 3,517 Fox, Grey 31,597 A. No, I have no positive knowledge of the numbers that may come from the Mac- kenzie country. One might say in a general way which were the most likely to come from that region . Most of the fur- bearing animals are distributed over the whole northern part of the continent from Labrador to the Pacific Ocean. There are certain regions in which some are more abundant than others, and in that way you might suppose that a large proportion of the furs mentioned in this list came from the Mackenzie Biver country. Q. From this list we eliminated the opossum, the grey squirrel and other ani- mals leaving only the furs that we had learnt from other witnesses that that country produces. Now the important point is to get an approximation of the number of these furs that probably came from that district ? A. It would be almost impossible^ I am afraid, even to make an approximate estimate. The badger is one kind which would come altogether from the prairie country west of the Hudson Bay. The sea. otter again would of course come from the Pacific. We have only one otter in all the rest of the country. The musk ox would come altogether from the country west of Hudson Bay, although the musk ox is found to the east of Hudson Bay, in the far north. But none of these skins are likely to have come from there. The muskrat would be principally from that region. The Lower Saskatchewan is the great musk- rat country. The swan would be from the Hudson Bay country too. I fancy the red foxes of which a large number is stated, would come from that country also. Q. Do you not think the same remark applies to the black and the Arctic fox ? A. The Arctic fox is found in large numbers on the east side of Hudson Bay. The skunk, which is now a very fashionable fur, would be very largely found in the western country. They are very abundant both in the prairie and in the wooded Ifc2 country of the North- West. A large portion of the beaver and prairie wolf also. The northern wolf is distinguished from the small wolf that we have here, so that the wolves would be mostly from the North- West Territories, and also a large proportion of the bears. The wolverines to a great extent would come from the North- West. Q. Bo you think we might assume as an approximate that three-quarters or two- thirds of these furs came from the Mackenzie Basin ? Of coarse it can only be a matter of supposition ? A. I should not like to say what proportion . Without having been in the trade it would be very difficult to know even approximately the proportion. They get from around Hudson Bay and Labrador a very large amount of fur, and also from the Pacific coast. By Honorable Mr. McClelan : Q. Does this map show the relative proportion of the arable and pastoral lands in the Dominion ? A. Yes, east of the Rocky fountains, irrespective of climate. Bishop Clut, recalled and examined. By the Chairman : Q. Have you heard of iron in the Mackenzie country ? A. I was a missionary the whole time that I lived amongst the Indians. I am not a geologist and I can- not speak positively. I might make some mistake if I did so, and that was why I did not answer the printed question on this point. I think there are plenty of minerals all over that country, of every kind. Q. I understand you are to visit the Geological Museum this afternoon : if you see any specimens that you think you have met with in the Mackenzie River district will you please tell Senator Girard and Professor Bell and they will tell us ? A. I will do so. Q. Will you show us on the map exactly where Port Providence is — how far up the lake is it ? A. It is about 40 miles down the Mackenzie River from Great Slave Lake. The following letters were read : Commissioner's Office, Hudson Bat Co., Winnipeg, i9th April, 1838. Sib, — I beg you to be kind enough to inform the Select Committee appointed by the Senate to report upon the resources of the Great Mackenzie Basin, that I shall have much pleasure in forwarding to the officers of the Hudson Bay Co. in charge of the forts named in your letter of 14th April, as well las to their Lordships Bishops Bompas and Parand, and to the Rev. Father Lecore at Port Providence, the seeds and the circulars of Professor Saunders. The Company not having a post at Port Yukon, as it is now in American territory, I am substituting Rampart House.which is the nearest of the Company's posts and close to the 141st meridian. Fort Reliance has been long abandoned. I would suggest Fort Resolution in its place. As it would [probably be safer, I am instructing the officers ot the Company to send their reports to me, when received they will be forwarded to you. Probably the Bishops will send their replies direct. I shall be pleased if I can in any way be of service to the Committee. I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant, J. WRIGLBY, Commissioner of the Hudson Bay Co. The Clerk of the Committee on the Resources of the Great Mackenzie Basin, The Senate, Ottawa. 183 Eegina, N.W.T., 18th April, 1888. Sir, — I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 10th inst., enclosing a series of questions relative to the resources of the Great Mackenzie River Basin, and requesting my answers thereto. In reply, I beg to state that my knowledge of that part of our country being- based upon only hearsay information of a very limited extent, I feel I must request you to express my regret to the Committee making the investigation for not answer- ing their inquiries. Thanking you at the same time for the high oompliment implied by your communication, I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant, A. E. FORGET. 'The Honorable John Schultz, Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on the Eesources of the Great Mackenzie Eiver Basin, Ottawa. Meteorological Service, Toronto, 20th April, 1888. Sir, — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 12th inst., requesting a short summary report giving the general bearing of climate, &c, -Ac., of the Mackenzie Eiver region . Id reply, I beg to enclose tables giving such information as we have recorded in. this office. I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant, CHARLES CAEPMABL, Director. Hon. Senator Schultz, Ottawa, Ont. Meteorological Office, Toronto, 20th April, 1888 . Tables showing the average monthly and annual temperature, the highest and lowest temperature recorded in each month, the average amount of rain and snow fall in each month, and the number of days on which such fall occurred. Fort Ghippewyan, from observations made during the years 1883 to 1881, with a list of seasonal and periodic events. Fort Dunvegan, from observations made during 1880-84. Fort Bae, from observations made 1st September, 1882, to 31st August, 1883. International polar expedition, with remarks extracted from report of officer in charge. Lesser Slave Lake, from observations in 1884-85. Moose Factory, from observations in 1877-82. Fort Simpson, Mackenzie River, from observations by Chief Trader Onions, H. B. Co., May to November, 1875. Fort Bae, from observations made by Mr. Flett, H. B.Co., daring the year 1815. 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April 29... do 31... do 29... do 10... 1886 do 29... May 1... May May 2... Sept 15... do 9... do 24... 1887 * River broke up in November. 194 Answers from Eev. J. Gough Brick, Peace River, N.W.T., Present address 317 Carlton St-, Toronto. I have only travelled over a part of the section of the country to which your questions apply, viz: — From Winnipeg down the Eed Eiver, across Lake Winnipeg to Grand Eapids, up the Saskatchewan Eiver to Fort Carlton, overland to Green Lake, down the Beaver River to Isle a la Crosse, up the Eiver to the Long Portage over the height of land, down the Clearwater to Fort McMurray, down tha Athabasca Eiver to Fort Chlppewyan and up the Peace to some distance above Fort Dunvegan. 7. The Athabasca is navigable from the rapids above Clearwater to Fort Chippewyan, The Clearwater would not be of any service for steamers. There are at least five or six rapid's that no steamer would pass. 10. The Peace would be navigable for the ordinary North- West flat-bottomed steamer from Hudson's Hope on the easterly side of the Eockies to Fort Chippewyan,. with the exception of the " Falls," some 50 miles below Vermillion. 21. The usual snowfall in Peace Eiver is from 18 inches to three feet. 27. Cannot say. 28. Do not think corn has ever come to maturity in the far North- West. The heights are to cold. I have tried corn and it has just formed in the cob, 29. I have ploughed on the 8th of April, and sown wheat on the 12th of April, and that wheat was cut about the 20th August at Dunvegan, Peace Eiver. 32. Wheat, sown from 12th April to 1st May ; harvested end of August. Barley, do 10th to 20th May ; harvested end of August. Eye, none. Oats, same as wheat. Potatoes planted about 16th May ; dog in September. Turnips do do ; gathered 10th October. Indian corn, none. Strawberries do Gooseberries do 33. Very dry until about the middle of July ; then some seasons we get con^ sidorable rain* 34. Some seasons ; still not as destructive in the Peace Eiver country as further south. 35. Local. 36. 1 think so. 37. The early part of the summer is generally dry. 38. Very pleasant indeed. 40. The ordinary prairie grasses, with wild vetches and pea-vine in abundance* 41. More or less all over the country. 43. Black loam. 44. A large percentage is fit for grain, the rest for pasturage. 45. The finest climate in the world. 46. We have none in the Tipper Peace Eiver. 47. I have not kept any record. 48. It is difficult to say. Ice begins to run in the Peace about the 5th of November, but some seasons remains open until 20th December. Generally breaks up at 10th to 15th April. 49. South-west. 50. They prevail in the Upper Peace Eiver country. 51. The Hudson Bay Company have done a little farming, in connection with other posts, at Dunvegan, St. John's, Hudson's Hope and Vermillion for very many years; I suppose that at Dunvegan they have raised wheat, barley and potatoes for 75 to 100 years, and seldom have the crops turned out a total failure. In 1884 I went up on to tbe height of the prairie country, some thirty-six miles in Dunvegan, and broke up about three acres for an experiment; 1885, crop on land once ploughed 195 fairly good ; 1886, magnificent crop of wheat, barley, peas, polatoes, turnips and all .other vegetables ; 1887, sorry to say, a total failure ; a frost on the 26th July killed out everything. 53 . Caribou, none ; musk ox, none ; wood buffalo, none ; moose, a few ; elk, none. 5*7. Very few fish in Peace Biver; good white fish in Lesser Slave Lake. 62. Large wooded country. Spruce, juniper, poplar and white birch. We have good spruce ; can take out logs 70 feet long butt. Build a railway into the country. 64. No. 65. Cannot say ; we have a little in swamps. 66. Would a great deal rather have the Hudson Bay Company's fine congou. 68. Plenty of the best limestone at Hudson's Hope. 76 . Strawberries, raspberries ; the service berry grows on the Peace in great abundance, — the best wild fruit that grows. ;$ I 82. In the Upper Peace Biver we have Beaver and Wood Cree Indians scattered all over the country ; decrease ; the principal " sickness " is want of food ; measlea carried away some 200 in the fall of 1886. 83. The staple article of food is rabbits, when there are any, moose, bear, lynx,, beaver, geese and ducks. In Peace Eiver the Indians are raising considerable potatoes ; a few are raising a little barley and wheat. ?5. We have an abundance of rabbits for 1hree years, then we are three years without any. There must be some disease which kills them off; then when they get so abundant, they kill off all the small brush or shrubs in the country, and they certainly migrate, going to the south-west, and when they return they come from the north. 86. One. 89. I am afraid it would not improve them any. 90. I think it would be mutually advantageous. The accounts 1 have recently received from the country represent Ihe Indian in a shocking slate of suffering from actual starvation. This is the second year of no- rabbits, and there will be none next year. I do think that ii the Government are not prepared to make treaties with them, tome help in the way of tending in supplies, should be rendered. Answers from Geobge M. Dawson, M. D., LL. D., Assistant Director Geological:} Survey of Canada. Series A. — Relating to Navigation and Communication. 1. The portions of the Mackenzie Basin with which I have pergonal acquaintance are : — Athabasoa Biver from " Landing " north of Edmonton to Baptiste Biver, Peace Eiver Valley from Smoky Eiver to headwaters west of Eocky Mountains,, country between above designated portions of rivers, upper waters of Dease and Liard Eivers west of Eocky Mountains. 2. This information is given under heads of separate rivers below. Stern-wheel steamers are those best suited for the navigation of all the north- western rivers, which differ altogether in character from such streams as the St. Lawrence and Ottawa, being in general swifter and consequently much more shoal relatively to the volume of water carried. Three natural main routes of communication exist by which the continuously navigable waters of the Mackenzie may eventually be reached. 1. North-westward from Saskatchewan Be^ion. 2. Eastward from Port Simpson and the Peace Eivei Valley. 3. Eastward from some Pacific port via Liard Eiver valley. The routes most favorable for railway construction are shown in blue lines on the accompany- ing map. 19t> The following are rough approximations to distances by various routes : — Miles. Edmonton to Port Smith via Peace River 600 do do Athabasca River 500 Prince Albert to Fort Smith via Athabasca River 600 Pacific via Skeena and Peace Rivers to Port Smith 930 do Stikeen and Liard to Port SimpsoD 650 5. Information collected by Capt. McClure, of the " Investigator," sent out in search of Sir J. Franklin in 1850, via Behring Strait, led him to expect that in mid- summer open water was to be iound between the North American coast and the main ice pack as far east as long. 130 deg., or to the east of the Mackenzie month. He found, however, considerable difficulty in working his way eastward, the lane of open or " land water" being often from a few yards only to a mile in width. This lane is formed by the grounding of the heavy pack at some distance from shore. McClure describes the coast generally as low and dangerous and devoid of any shelter or havens. Eskimo reports received by him stated that the " land water " was never more than three to five miles wide to the east of Point Barrow, the sea to the north being always occupied by solid pack. On page 207 of Osborne's narrative of McCIure's voyage, the character of the pack in this part of the Polar Sea is thus described :— " The pack was of the same fearful description as that encountered in the offing of the Mackenzie River, The surface of the floes resembled rolling hills, some of them 100 feet from base to summit, and the edges of this wonderful oceanic ice rose in places from the water as high as the ' Investigator's ' lower yards." This ice appears to be the same with that met with by JSI are's expedition to the north of Ghinnell Land and Greenland, and which they there named " polarocrystic ice." In 1826 Sir J. Franklin, leaving the Mackenzie in boats, managed, by following the shore, to get as far westward as Return Reef, about 350 miles from the Macken- zie, where he was stopped by ice. Messrs. Dease and Simpson, in 1837, got some distance further along the coast in the same way, but were also stopped by ice grounded on the shores before reaching Point Barrow. Sir J. Richardson ascertained that the water issuing from the Mackenzie had some influence in opening the ice about its mouth. McClure found the temperature of the surface water to rise from 28 deg. Fahrenheit to 39 deg. when abreast of the Mackenzie, and both he and Capt. Collinson of the " Enterprise " speak of the effect of the Mackenzie in widening the " shore water " which McClure in 1850 (August) found to be 50 miles wide off the estuary. He spent the winter of 1852-53 in Cam- bridge Hay, Dolphin and Union Strait, from which he was unable to escape until the 2-lth of August, 1853. In working his way westward- in that year, however, he was much impeded by icepack where he had found the open water before off the Mackenzie, and only succeeded in getting as far west as 145° 30' (Camden Eay) when he was again frozen in on the 12th of September. Our knowledge of the ice to the north and east of Behring Strait has since been much inoreased by the experience of the whalers, and the general result is shown on the attached tracing of a map from the U. S. Coast Pilot of 1879. Capt. Hooper, U.S.R.M., writes of the ice in this region as follows: — "In that part of the Arctic visited by the " Corwin " the ice is quite different from that in the vicinity of Greenland. No immense icebergs raise their frozen peaks hundreds of feet in the air. The highest ice seen by us during the season would not exceed fifty feet in height. The average height of the main pack is from ten to fifteen feet, with hummocks that rise to twenty or thirty feet. * * * The general breaking up of the ice in this region commences in May or June in the vicinity of Behring Strait, and continues until the first part of September, after which time new ice begins to form, although the sea is not entirely closed for some weeks later." — -Cruise of U. S. Revenue Steamer "Corwin," 1881 . MAP Showing limits of pack-ice in the Arctic Ocean and Behring Sea, based on maps In V, 8, Pacific Coast Pilot, Alaska, Appendix I. 18T9. Report on the Cruise of V. 8. Revenue Steamer Corwln, 1881. V. 8. Coast and Geodette Survey, 1880. Observed positions ofsoutiwm edge of pack we in July and August , in certain years .[ Observed pavilions of .southern limit of ire in April and-. Mm; in certain yrrm? Average limit of park ire "> -i'uo/Mer 197 After reading the narratives of McClnre, Collinson, Franklin, Doase and Simp- sen, McGuire (of the store ship "Plovor") and others, it would appear that it is not difficult in almost any season to get as far as Point Barrow and to return to Behring Straits, even with sailing vessels. Thence to the mouth of the Mackenzie, a distance of over 500 miles, the navigation is much more difficult and precarious. It would seem probable, however, that a properly equipped steamer might almost every season reach the mouth of the Mackenzie, and, wintering there, return the following season. It might at least be well worth while to make this experiment. Eespecting the estuary of the Mackenzie and the navigability or otherwise of the channels of its delta very little appears to be known. It is probable that deep navigable channels might be found on examination, though at the same lime quite possible that it might prove to be (like the Yukon mouth on Behring Sea) impossible of approach by sea-going vessels on account of shallow water. I have conversed with several persons who have been engaged in whaling to the north of Behring Strait, and have been informed that of late years some of the whalers'have penetrated nearly to the mouth of the Mackenzie. The whaling fleet is almost entirely composed of vessels sailing from San Fran- cisco, and is much reduced in number as compared with former years. Steamers were first employed in this fishery about 1880 and about one-quarter of the fleet is now steam. In the early part of May and in June they find a few whales migrating northward on the Siberian coast, being the last of the " herd." During the middle of summer the whales are far to the north and few are seen. The vessels occupy themselves in taking walrus. In the latter part of August and during September the whales are found in great numbers migrating southward and south-westward toward Behring Strait In 1886, according to A. H. Clark, 44 vessels were employed. They obtained 20,307 barrels of oil, 332,931 pounds of whalebone, and 5,273 pounds of walrus ivory . It is probable that whaling stations like those of Cumberland Inlet and Hudson Bay might advantageously be established near the mouth of the Mackenzie, the catch being removed by steamers as before indicated. The season of navigation along the coast in this region may be expected to be about two months from, say, July first to September 10th. The above is but an imperfect outline of the matter in discussion . For additional delails the following among other works should be consulted : — 1. Narrative of a journey to the shores of the Polar Sea, 18i9-22, Capt. J. Frank- lin. 2. Narrative of a second expedition to the shores of the Polar Sea, 1825-27, Capt. J. Franklin. 3. Narrative of discoveries on the north coast of America, 1836-39, T. Simpson (also papers in Royal Geog. vol.). 4. Arctic search expedition, Sir T. Eichardson, 5. Papers, and 'further papers' relating to Arctic expedition in search of Sir J. Franklin. 6. Discovery of the North- West Passage, McClure. 7. Personal narrative of the discovery of the North- West Passage by A. Arm- strong, M.D. 8. Beport of the expedition to Point Barrow by Lieut. Bay. 6th Question : — The Athabasca was formerly used as a trade route and navigated by boats trom its mouth to the Bocky Mountains. Of the portion above the landing I believe 170 miles to the mouth of the McLeod River might be navigated by stern- wheel steamers. The slope averages about four feet to the mile in this part and there are several little rapids, but none serious. I have no personal knowledge of the lower part of the Athabasca. The Lesser Slave Eiver is about 41 miles in length. It is obstructed by shallow stony rapids for 18 miles up from its mouth (rapids about 20 in number. Total fall nearly 100 feet). This part of the river is navigable for boats, but doubtful for steamers even if small. The upper part of the river might be navigated by a 198 • small steamer (it flows at the rate of about one-seventh mile per hour) and with Lesser Slave Lake would afford a length of about 90 miles of steamer navigation. (For particulars see Eeport of Progress, Geol. Survey, 1S79-80, p. 82 B. and map.) The west end of the lake is connected by a cart road about 55 miles in length with the Peace River, at its confluence with the Smoky Eiver. The Pembina is said to be navigable for large boats for about 60 miles from its mouth, but I have no personal knowledge of the navigability of this or the McLeod Eiver. Mr. E. G. McConnell (my assistant in 1879) found it impossible to ascend the La Eiche Eiver, even with a small bark canoe, in the autumn. La Eiche Lake is con- nected with the Athabasca by a cart road, about 25 miles in length. (/See extract from Mr. W. Ogilvie's report.) Additional information in reply to Questions 6 and 1, extracted from report by W. Ogilvie, D. L. S.:~ Athabasca River, below " The Landing." Descending the river from the landing, only two rapids worth mentioning are met with between that point and Grand Eapids. The first of these is situated 120 miles below the landing, and is caused by a bar of gravel reaching across the river, which in this part is somewhat wider than the average, and correspondingly shal- low. This rapid presents no obstacle to the passage of York boats not drawiDg more than 2 feet of water, nor do I think it would, with the water at its ordinary height, to steamboats such as navigate the Saskatchewan ; and even should such be the case, it would be no very difficult matter to construct a channel, as the bar is not more than 100 to 120 yards in length. The second rapid is met with 143 miles from the Landing, and though rougher than the first, yet is not such an obstacle to navigation, as here the river is not so wide and is consequently deeper. Judging from appearance, I should say that there was never less than from 3 to 4 feet of water in the centre or deepest portion of the rapid. Grand Eapids are situated 166 miles below the Landing, are about two miles long, and I should estimate, at this season of the year, have a fall of about 65 feet, most of which occurs in about 30 chains. The river here has, through past ages, worn for itself a bed in the soft sandstone, about 300 feet deep. Thickly scattered over the face of the rapid may be seen spheroidal concretionary masses of sandstone, varying in size from a foot or two to 10 or 12 feet in diameter. These, harder than the surrounding masses, have offered greater resistance to the action of the water, and have remained standing on the slope of the rapid in numberless quantities, adding .greatly to the roughness of the same. Midway in the rapid is a large timbered island, around which the waters sweep, and, converging below, rush through a channel not more than 100 yards wide, while above the island the river is from 500 to 600 yards in width. The rush of water through this channel is tremendous, and reminds one forcibly of the rapids below Niagara Falls. Standing on the east bank of the river, just at the narrowest part of the channel, and looking up at the wildly tumbling white waters dashing from rock to rock as they sweep around the fir-olad island, while on either hand stand the towering and almost perpendicular sandstone cliffs with their fringe of dark green fir apparently brushing the clouds, one sees a spectacle that inspires with awe and wonder, and one that an artist would love to look upon and feel to be worthy of the best touches of his brush. For a couple of miles below the rapids the waters are somewhat turbulent, but as far as I could see, deep and not dangerous. Eapids de Eoches are reached 194 miles below the Landing. These are short, the principal portion not being more than 250 yards in length; in this distance there is a fall of about 8 feet. The passage is rough and stony, and is impassable for canoes. Torfe boats descending these rapids have to be lowered by means of ropes fastened on shore, several men being stationed in the boats with poles to guide. I may state here that this plan is followed in the passage of all difficult rapids on this 109 river. Should it ever be necessary, a single lock will overcome the difficulties here •met with. Long Eapids are 214 miles from the Landing. They are about eight miles io length, and are composed of three distinct rapids, with a fall in the first of about 26 feet; in the second of about 8 feot ; and in the third of about 12 feet, or of about 46 feet in all. There is a space of about half a mile between the first and second, and of about a mile between the second and third. The first is the largest, while the last is the most difficult of descent, as numerous fragments of' sandstone are scattered through it. It was in the second of these three rapids that the accident occurred by which I lost one of my men. At 226^ miles the Crooked Eapids are to be met with. These are three miles in length, and the chief portion in shape resembles a horse shoe magnet. The fall ■is about 25 feet, and is dangerous on account of the water rushing to the outside of the curve, making it very rough there, while the inside is comparatively smooth.. Boats descending keep to the inside, and are lowered by the aid of ropes as before mentioned. In these rapids may be found two ledges of rock, one at the head and the other at the foot, reaching almost across the river, and over which the water drops almost perpendicularly a distance of 2 J or 3 feet. These would, I believe, pre vent any large boat passing, unless the water was very high. The head of the Cascade Eapids is reached at ^35 miles below the Landing. "These rapids are two and a quarter miles long, and are composed of four ledges of rock which run across the river at intervals and form four cascades of from 3 to 4 feet fall each, the total fall being about 20 feet. The rapid known as La Eoche commences at a distance of 244 miles, and is a.bout a mile and a quarter long. At the head of this rapid are two cascades similar to those in the Cascade Eapids, each with a fall of about 3 feet. The total fall is about 12 feet. The last rapid is situated at a distance of 251 miles below the Landing. It is short and not very difficult of descent. With ordinary care canoes can make the passage. Between the above mentioned rapids may be found many others, some of which require care in descending with canoes, but none present, the same difficulties as those already mentioned. I might also say that from Eapids de Eoches to Fort Mc- Murray it is almost one rapid. From the last rapid to Lake Athabasca, a distance of about 170 miles (from ten to fifteen miles more by the steamboat channel), the river is navigable for river, if not for lake, steamers ; and during the last summer several trips were mado by the Hudson Bay Company's boats from Fori; Chippewyan to Fort McMurray without any difficulty ; also one or two trips were made about forty miles up the Clearwater Eiver. The width of the river from the mouth of the Pembina, about 100 miles above the Landing, to the confluence of the Clearwater at Fort McMurray, a distance of 252 miles below the Landing, varies from 300 to 500 yards; while from Fort Mc- Murray to where the river commences the formation of its delta, near the lake, a distance of 150 miles, the width varies from 400 to 800 yards. From the last men- tioned point, namely, where the river commences the formation of its delta, to the lake, the width in many places exceeds a mile, while sand bars and islands are so numerous as to make it difficult in many places to tell which are the main shores. Numerous streams flow into the Athabasca, but with the exception of the Little Slave, tho Clearwater and tho Eed Eivers, none exceed 50 yards in width, and are for the most part rushing torrents for miles above their mouths. The Little Slave and Eed Eivers are about 100 yards wide, while the width of the Clearwater is from 150 to 200 yards. Between the Landing and Fort McMurray the banks of the river are never less than 300 feet in height, and in many places rise 400 or 500 feet, and are often pre- cipitous. Below Fort McMurray the banks seldom rise to the height of 100 feet, and gradually get lower and lower, until the lake is reached, where they do not ex- ceed a few feet in height. 2UJ The banks here are almost continually being washed away, the trees which grow along thorn being deposited in the streams to such an extent that in many of the bends it is almost impossible to force a passage for canoes. In this way the lower part of the river is slowly and continually changing its bed, and carrying what was formerly the bottom of the lake down to form a bottom for it as it now exists. Here one can eawily trace in the banks the layers of sand, gravel, clay, leaves, limbs, &c, that were deposited in this fiat when the lake was much larger than at present. With the exception of the channel worn by the flow of the river, the lake, for miles out, does not exceed 3 feet in depth, and is constantly getting more and more shallow by the depositing of sediment from the dirty waters of the river, which, dur- ing the summer months, are thick with sand, clay and other matter. By placing the ear close to the edge of a boat when floating quietly in the stream one can distinctly hear the noise made by these particles rubbing against one another. The average rate of current of the Athabasca, when the water is at the ordinary height, is four miles an hour. 8th Question : — A. I have no personal knowledge of this river. It was examined by Mr. E. McConnell of the Geological Survey last autumn, but no report has yet been received. Authentic particulars may no doubt be obtained from the Hudson Bay Company. (See also Franklin's expeditions, Sir J. .Richardson, Capt. Back, &c.) 9th Question : — A. From its mouth at Fort Simpson this river (according to pre- liminary notes received from Mr. McConnell) is probably navigable for steamers in a southerly direction, for about 200 miles, or the mouth of the Nelson or Bast branch. The river above this place to the mouth of the Dease is generally very swift and dangerous, with numerous narrow canons. The Devil's Portage four miles long over a mountain 1,000 feot high. This part of the river is navigable for boats only with great difficulty and had always been accounted the most dangerous in the region . The south west branch of the Liard known as the Black Turnagain, or Mud Eiver, i& repoi ted to have a moderate current and may prove of use as a means of communica- tion . The Liard above the mouth of Dease and the Francis Eiver, its main tributary,, were ascended by me in boats last summer. There is one bad canon just above the mouth of Dease and two in the Francis, and these streams could only be navigated by steamers for short lengths. The Dease Eiver, about 140 miles in length and falls 560 feet in that distance . There are several rapids and it is scarcely navigable for steamers under most favorable circumstances. It is navigated by large fiat-bottomed boats. At its head, on Dease Lake, in Cassiar District, is a small steamer. Total length of lake about 26 miles. Francis Lake at the head of river of same name, with two arms; total navigable length about 54 miles. 10th Question : — A. Trustworthy information respecting this river from Atha- basca Lake to Dunvegan will be found in detail in report by Mr. Ogilvie (Interior De- partment Report, 1884, Part II, p. 49 et seq.) the following is a summary: — Miles. Fort Chippewyan in Athabasca Lake to Peace Point «6£ do do head of L. Rapids 100i do do Falls 234 do do Battle Eiver 430 do do Smoky Eiver 541 do do Dunvegan 604 Little Eapids, 3J miles long ; total fall about eight feet. Falls, perpendicular drop of 9J feet, but sloping descent on one side used by boats. Just above the falls is a rapid one-third of a mile long, fall of eight feet. 1£ miles above the falls, rapid three hundred yards long, fall of eight feet. York boat and scows pass up and down through all these, and Ogilvie states that with the ex- ception of Little Eapids, falls and rapids near them, and two shoal places, one near mouth of Smoky Eiver, one between Smoky and Dunvegan, the river is navigable at low water throughout for boats drawing five to six feet of water. Above Dunve- gan it appears that there are no serious impediments to steamer navigation to the JRocky Mountain Portage, a distance of about 135 miles. Adding this to Mr. Ogilvie's- 201 distances above given, the navigability of the Peace River for a steamer of good: power drawing say four feet of water may be thus expressed. Miles. Fort Chippewyan toLittle Rapids 97 Little Rapids possible interruption of. 3J Little Rapids to falls 134 Falls and rapids, making break of 1J Head of rapids to Dunvegan 368| I) an vegan to Rocky Mountain Portage 135 Thus, provided means are adopted for overcoming these impediments, the Peace might afford a length of steamer navigation of about 740 miles. At the Rocky Mountain Portage is an impassable canon ; portage 12 miles. This constitutes head of steamer navigation, as from this place to west side of Rocky Mountains (about 83 miles) there are several bad rapids. The Peace is formed by the confluence of the Finlay and Parsnip Rivers west ot the mountains. There are streams of about 500 feet wide. From the confluence of the Parsnip might possibly be navigated by a small steamer for fifty or more miles southward, but is swift and shoal and not well adapted for such navigation. Little is known of the Finlay but much bad water is reported. The Smoky River from latitude 55° to its mouth flows in a valley 400 to 600 feet deep, half a mile wide in the bottom and two to three miles from rim to rim. The banks are open and grassy on southern exposures. The current is swift and there are many small rapids, so that it can scarcely be considered navigable for steamers of any kinJ, though it is possible that a steamer of light draught might as- cend some distance at high water. (Refer to Mr. Ogilvie's report for all particulars below Dunvegan. To reports by Selwyn, Horetzky, Macoun, Cambie and Dawson for river above Dunvegan 12th Question : — A. Sir J. Richardson states (Journal of a Boat Voyage, I, p. 208) that notwithstanding the existence of rapids at two places below the mouth of Bear Lake River (first and second rapids of Mackenzie) that the Mackenzie River might be navigated in the earlier part of the summer by steam vessels of consider- able burden from the Portage of the Drowned on Slave River, to the sea — a distance of 1,200 to 1,300 miles. This has, I believe, been practically established last sum- mer, by the success of a steamer belonging to the Hudson Bay Company. Questions, 13, 14, 15 and 16: — A. I have no personal knowledge of these lakes- which are known to me only through published Reports ; and works of Franklin, Riohardson, Back, Petitot and others. Question 19 :— A. See reports of Dr. R. Bell, Geological Survey, Narrative of an expedition to shores of Arctic Sea, Dr. J. Rae. Reports of expeditions to Hudson Bay by Captain Gordon. Question 20 : — A. This country is practically unknown except where covered by Back's route from Great Slave Lake to north of Great Fish River. It was travelled by Samuel Hearne near the end of last century, but his account is very meagre, and the rivers and lakes as shown by him evidently very incorrect. His map is still, how- ever, the only one available for the greater part of the district. Lieutenant Schwitka and Dr. Rae have made some additions between N.W. part of bay and Arctic coast. Question 21:— A. Much scattered information exists on this subject in various works. I would respeotfully suggest that a compilation and discussion of the whole should be undertaken by some competent meteorologist. The notes in their present form are of little value, but might be rendered available in the way indicated. Question 22: — A. The same remark applies to this question as to the last. Question 24 :— A. The western outline of the Archaean formation on the ac- companying geological map (Geological map of the northern part of the Dominion of Canada west of the Rocky Mountains) may, I believe, be taken generally as indi- cating the western border of the barren grounds, and as separating them from the Mackenzie valley in which cultivable land, forest areas, &c, occur. (See in this con- nection map by Abbe Petitot in Bulletin de la Sooiete de Geographic, 1875, p. 278„ 1-13 202 Richardson places the southern limit of barren ground at latitude 61 on the shore of Hudson Bay). Question 25 : — A. I can add nothing to the descriptions of Eiohardson, Hearno and Back. (See especially "Tne Polar Regions" by Sir J. Richardson, p. 263.) Question 26 : — A. la the Mackenzie valley, according to Sir J. Richardson, bar- ley ripens well at Fort Norman, latitude 65°, 92 days after being sown. All attempts to cultivate barley 2° further north have failed. Good potatoes are reported (by F. W. Hart) to be grown at Port Nelson about latitude 59° on Liard River. Potatoes are very successfully grown on Stikeen River east of Coast Mountains in northern British Columbia, latitude 58°. Barley is also grown at this place. Potatoes also grow ( Vide Richardson) at Port Simpson and Port Norman, but are of inferior quality. Question 27 : — A. Wheat is reported by Richardson to be raised with profit at Port Liard, on Liard River, but owing to frosts it does not ripen perfectly every year. This place was, last autumn, by Mr. McConnell, determined to be in lat. 60-14. Wheat can also be grown on the Stikeen River, near Telegraph Creek, lat. 58 deg. Question 29 : — A. I would respectfully suggest that a digest and tabulation might he made of the numerous general records which exist for various forts, &c. The in- formation thus rendered available could not fail to be of great value and would furnish the best and most complete answers to this and following questions. Question 30 ; — A. The information on these points which I am able to give for the Peace River region west of the mouth of Smoky River is embodied in the excerpt of my report of 1879-80 which accompanies this. Some additional information of a later date is also to be found in the report of Mr. W. Ogilvie, an extract from which is also attached. Question 50:- A. The winds have long been known to occur as far north as Port Simpson, and observations by Abbe Petitot appear to show that they extend quite to the mouth of the Mackenzie. (See Bulletin de la Societe de Geographic, 1875, p. 205.) Question 52 : — A. Reindeer. Cattle possibly during two or three months in summer. As before stated we really possess very little definite or authentic infor- mation respecting the barren grounds generally. Question 53 : — A. The cariboo and moose are the most valuable animals re- garded as food, in the entire Mackenzie Basin. The musk ox appears to be practi- cally confined to the barren grounds east of the Mackenzie Valley and to the Arctic Archipelago. Richardson states that the northern limit of the elk or wapiti was in his time on the Hay River. The woodland buffalo was at the same date very abun- dant in prairies near Hay River, Salt River, &c, and small herds are reported still to exist. Six of the animals wore seen by the Indians at Pouue Coupee prairie, south of Peace River in 1879. Question 58 : — A. See answer to question 5. Question 59 : —A. With the class of steamers necessary for the navigation of the Mackenzie, I should consider it doubtfully profitable to endeavor to carry heavy freight such as whalo or seal oil, &c , for long distances up stream. I think it prob- able that the coast fisheries might be more advantageously utilized in the manner in- dicated in answer to question 5. Question 60 :— A. Richardson describes the white spruce as attaining a girth of four or five feet, and a height of 60 feet in Mackenzie Valley as far north as Bear Lake River. One tree in that locality measured 122 feet in height. It appears that the white spruce is the most abundant tree throughout the Mackenzie Valley, and its wood is fairly good for all constructive purposes. Question 65 : — A. Extends north of the Arctic circle and west nearly to the Pacific coast. Question 66 : — A. I do not consider this plant a useful substitute for tea, It does not possess the peculiar alkaloid principle which renders tea valuable. Its qualities are merely due to an aromatic gum or resinous principle. Question 67 : — A summary of all available information called for in this and the two following questions is contained in my report entitled : " Notes to accompany a 203 Geological Map of the Northern part of the Dominion of Canada, East of the Rooky Monntains," of which a copy is herewith transmitted. Question 76 : — The service berry, high bush cranberry, swamp cranberry, rasp- berry, strawberry and various species of blueberry, are the only fruits sufficiently abundant to be of importance. The first mentioned is of more value as food than any of the others. It is extremely abundant in the Peace River country, especially in Grande Prairie. Question 77 : — A. The pitch may probably be of considerable value in the future, but it is most important in giving reason to believe that extensive deposits of petroleum exist in the country in which it occurs. In Eeport of Progress, 1881— 1882, p. 34, Mr. Hoffman reports on an examination of this material. He suggests its use for asphalting roadways, &c, and for the purpose of distillation, and the pro- duction of lubricating and illuminating oils. Question 78 : — A. From the reports of Sir J. Richardson, Prof. Macoun and Dr. R. Bell, to which reference should be made, the quantity is very great, I should sup- pose practically inexhaustible. Question 79 :— A. By one or two of the railway routes suggested under question three. A large market would exist in the southern portions of the prairie country, but an even more important and immediate market could be obtained in various ports of both sides of the Pacific Ocean. Question 80 : — A. Possibly ten thousand dollars, exclusive of salaries of superin- tendent and foremen. I would HUggest the Athabasca valley near the "Landing" or the vicinity of Lesser Slave Lake as the most accessible places for first attempts. Several oil springs are reported in this district. Question 81 :— A. 1 am inclined to think that this fine gold has come from the north and east with the boulder drift. Mr. J. B. Tyrrell has, however, lately advanced arguments in favor of the theory that it was derived from the Selkirk Mountains at a time antecedent to the formation of the Rocky Mountains proper. His views are worthy of consideration . Question 89 : — A.. Under proper regulations a good effect. These woodland Indians are more amenable to civilization than those of the plains. Information bearing on extent of arable and pastoral land, &c, in the region of the Peace and Athabasca Rivers from report by Dr. G. M. Dawson, 1879-80, and Mr. W. Ogilvie, 1884: Extract from Report by Dr. &. M. Dawson. General Physical and Climatic Features of the Peace River Country. As the district of country defined on page 46 B, to the description of which the succeeding pages up to this point have been devoted, is bounded to the south by the Athabasca, it may be well here briefly to review the character of this great tract of the Peace River basin, anddiscuss what facts we possess as to its climate. As already noted its area is about 31,550 square miles. Its average elevation may be stated as a little over 2,000 feet, and this is maintained with considerable uniformity, for though the general surface slopes slightly from the north and south toward the Peace River, the region as a whole may be considered as a plateau, through which the great gorge- like valley of the Peace has been excavated. This valley has in general a depth of 600 to 800 feet below that part of the plateau bordering it, with a width of two or three miles from rim to rim. Its tributary streams, at first nearly on the plateau level, flow in valleys of continually increasing depth as they approach that of the Peace River. Those from the south-eastern portion of the region, rise either in the Rocky Mountains or near the Athabasca, the tributaries received by the latter stream, in this part of its course, from the north and north-west being— with the exception of the Baptiste — quite inconsiderable. The ridges and hills by which this region is occasionally diversified, appear in all oases to be composed either of the generally soft rooks of the Cretaceous, or of arenaceous clays containing erratics and representing the boulder clays of the glaciaL 1— 13J 204 period. These elevations are generally slight, and with exceedingly light and gra- dual slopes, the scarped banks of the streams constituting much more important irregularities . These ridges, however, often resemble detached portions of a higher plateau, and spread widely enough to occupy in the aggregate a considerable area, of which the soil is not so uniform in character as elsewhere. With these exceptions, the soil of the district may be described as a fine silt, resembling the white silts of the Nechacco basin previously referred to, and not dissimilar from the loess-like ma- terial constituting the subsoil of the Bed Eiver Valley in Manitoba. This silt, at a short distance below the surface, is greyish or brownish in color, but becomes mixed superficially with a proportion of vegetable matter to a varying depth. It has evi- dently been deposited by a comparatively tranquil body of water not loaded with ice, probably toward the close of the glacial period, and has either never been laid down on the ridges and undulations above referred to, or has been since removed from them by processes of waste. As evidenced by the natural vegetation its fertility is great. West of the Smoky Eiver, both to the south and north of Peace Eiver, there are extensive areas of prairie country, either entirely open, and covered with a more or less luxuriant growth of grass, or dotted with patches of coppice and groves of trees. The northern banks of the Peace Eiver valley, are also very generally open and grassed, and parts of the valley of the Smoky and other rivers have a similar charac- ter. The total area of prairie land west of the Smoky Eiver, may be about 3,000 square miles. The remainder of the surface is generally occupied by second-growth forest, occasionally dense, but more often open and composed of aspen, birch and cotton- wood, with a greater or less proportion of coniferous trees. Some patches of the original forest remain, however, particularly in the river valleys, and are composed of much larger trees, chiefly coniferous, among which the spruce is most abundant. Handsome groves of old and large cottonwoods are also to be found in some of the valleys. Where the soil becomes locally sandy and poor, and more particularly in. some of the more elevated parts of the high ridges above described, a thick growth of Bcrub pine and spruce, in which the individual trees are small, is found ; and in swampy regions the tamarac is not wanting, and grows generally intermixed with the spruce. East of the Smoky Eiver, and southward toward the Athabasca, the prairie country is quite insignificant in extent, the region being characterized by second- growth woods of the kind just described, which, on approachiDg the Athabasca, are replaced by extensive and well nigh impassable tracts of bruit and windfall, in which second-growth forest is only beginning to struggle up. Though the prairies are most immediately available, from an agricultural point of view, the regions now covered with second-growth and forest, where the soil itself is not inferior, will eventually be equally valuable. The largest tract of poor land is that bordering the valley of the Athabasca on the north. This rises to an elevation considerably greater than most of the region to the north and west, and appears dur- ing the submergence to which the superficial deposits are due, to have been exposed to stronger currents which have prevented the deposition of fine silt, causing it to be replaced by a coarser silt which passes in places into actual sand, and alternates with ridges of boulder clay. This region is often swampy, and for a width of twenty to 25 miles on the trail for Sturgeon Lake to Athabasca is quite unsuited for agricul- ture, though still in many places capable of yielding good summer grazing when the forest has been completely removed by fire. To the northward, more particularly to the east of Smoky Eiver, peaty and mossy swamps occupy part of the surface, and these may be regarded as permanently unsuited to agriculture. There is also a sandy tract, though of small width, along the lower part of the Wapiti Eiver near its junction with the Smoky. Deducting as far as possible, all the areas known to be inferior or useless, with about twenty per cent, for the portions of the region under consideration of which less is known, the total area of land with soil suited to agriculture, may be estimated as at least 23,500 square miles. In the absence of complete maps, such an estimate cannot be otherwise than very rough, but may serve to give some idea of the fact. 205 Whatever theory be adopted, and may have been advanced, to account for the wide prairies of the western portion of America further to the south, the origin of the pi airies of the Peace Eiver is sufficiently obvious. There can be no doubt that they have been produced and are maintained by fires. The country is naturally a wooded one, and where fires have not run for a few years, young trees begin rapidly to spring up. The fires are, of course, ultimately attributable to human agency, and it is probable that before the country was inhabited by the Indians it was every- where densely forest-clad. That the date of the origin of the chief prairie tracts now found is remote, is clearly evidenced by their present appearance, and more parti- cularly by the fact that they are everywhere scored and rutted with old buffalo tracks, wnile every suitable locality is pitted with a saucer-shaped " buffalo wallows." In its primitive state, the surface was probably covered with a dense and heavy frowih of coniferous trees, principally the spruce (Picea Engelmanrd and P. alba) ut with scrub pine (Pi'nws contorta) in some localities, and interspersed with aspen and Cottonwood. These forests having been destroyed by fire, a second growth, chiefly of aspen, but with much birch in some places, and almost everywhere a cer- tain proportion of coniferous trees — chiefly spruce — has taken its place. The aspen being a shortlived tree, while the spruce reaches a great age and size, the natural course of events, if undisturbed, would lead to the re-establishment of the old spruce forests. The luxuriance of the natural vegetation in these prairies is truly wonderful, and indicates, not alone the fertility of the soil, but the occurrence of a sufficient rainfall. With regard to the climate of the Peace River country, we are without such ac- curate information as might be obtained from a careful meteorological record, em- bracing even a single year, and its character can at present be ascertained merely from notes aud observations of a general character and the appearance of the natural vegetation. It may be stated at once that the ascertained facts leave no doubt on the subject of the sufficient length and warmth of the season, to ripen wheat, oats and barley, with all the ordinary root crops and vegetables, the only point which may admit of question being to what extent the occurrence of late and early frosts may interfere with growth. This remark is intended to apply to the whole district previously defined, including both the river valleys and the plateau. The summer season of 1879 was an unusual one, characterized by excessivoly heavy rainfall, with cold raw weather in the early summer months. These condi- tions did not extend to the west of the Eocky Mountains, but appear to have been felt over the entire area of the plains to the Eed Eiver valley. As a result of this, the crops generally throughout the North- West wete later than usual, and the mean temperature of even the latter part of the summer appears to be rather abnormally low. Notwithstanding this, on my arrival at Dunvegan, on the 16th of August, email patches of wheat and barley in the garden of the fort presented a remarkably fine appearance and were beginning to turn yellow. On my return to the fort on 31st August those were being harvested, their complete ripening having been delayed by overcast and chilly weather which prevailed between these dates. At the first- mentioned date potatoes were quite ripe, with the balls formed on the stalks, and the .garden contained also fine cabbages, cauliflowers, beets, carrots, onions, lettuce and turnips. Dwarf beans, cucumbers and squashes were also flourishing, and though these plants are particularly tender, showed no sign of frost. The two last-named having been sown in the open ground did not appear likely to perfect their fruit. A few stalks of Indian corn were also growing, though it is improbable that this cereal would ripen in this district. When this garden was again visited, on the last day of August, the beans, cucum- bers and squashes had been cut down by frost, but not completely killed. The potato tops were also slightly nipped. Eev. Mr. Tessier, who has been at Dunvegan as a missionary for some years, has always been able to ripen small, black butter beans, but in some seasons not without difficulty owing to frosts. He had also tried a few grains of oats which he procured 206 accidently, and obtained a return of astonishing abundance. About the date just referred to the potato plants of Smoky Eiver post (The Forks) were badly cat down by frost, the tubers being, however, quite ripe, fine and large. On the 15th September, Mr. E. McConnell, found the potatoes in the garden of the fort at the west end of Lesser Slave Lake, and on the level of the plateau, little affected by the frost, with tubers large and ripe. Mr. H. J. Cambie also ascertained that wheat thrives at this place. We found some rude attempt at cultivation also at the "Cree Settlement," previously referred to, which is at the average level of the plateau, with an elevation of about 2,000 feet. Here, on 14th September, the potato plants were slightly affected by frost, but not more so than ob- eerved at Dunvegan two weeks before. The tubers were quite ripe, but the Indiana did not intend to dig them for about ten days. Turnips were very fine, and carrots, beets and onions were good, though evidently cultivated with very little care. Two or three very small patches of barley had been almost completely destroyed by mice, but a few stalks remaining were quite ripe and with fine heads. The Indians here Were very anxious to have a supply of garden seeds, which I have since been able to- forward to them by the kindness of Messrs. Stobart, Eden & Co., of Winnipeg. At Fort St. John, ninety-five miles west of Dunvegan, and so much nearer the mountains, on 26th July, 1875, Professor Macoun states that potatoes, oats, barley., and many varieties of vegetables were in a very flourishing state in " Nigger Dan's " garden. The oats stood nearly five feet high, and the barley had made nearly an eqnal growth.* The barley and oats were both ripe about the 12th of August. Prof. Macoun was informed by Charlotte at Hudson's Hope, thirty miles further west, that in 1&74 there was no frost from the 1st of May until the 15th of September. In 1875 sowing commenced the last week in April. There appears to have been a frost on 28th of June, but the first autumn frost occurred on the 8th of September, and Mr. SelwyD found the potato tops still green in the middle of the month. Mr. H. J. Cambie saw wheat flourishing here in July last, but on his return in September it had been out down by frost. Such are the notes that can be obtained on the growth of cereals and vegetables in the district in question. From information obtained at Dunvegan, it seems that the snow disappears about the middle of April, westerly winds sweeping it away last. The river opens at about the same time Cultivation begins at about the end of April or first of May. The river generally begins to freeze in November. The depth of snow, I was told, aveiages about two feet, an estimate which agrees with Mr. Horetzky's statement.f Mr. Horetzky was also told that the plains were often nearly bare up to the month of December, though the winter usually sets in with the month of November. Sir Alexander Mackenzie remarked the same absence of enow in the early winter months of 1792. It was entirely gone on 5th April, 1793, and gnats and mosquitoes were troublesome on 20th April.J Horses almost invari- ably winter out well without requiring to be fed. Hay should be provided for cattle, to ensure perfect safety, for a period of three or four months, though in some sea- sons it is necessary to feed the animals for a few weeks only. The Indians of the " Cree Settlement " on Sturgeon Lake, previously referred to, winter their horses without any difficulty round the borders of a neighbouring lake, the shores of which are partly open. From Hudson's Hope, the horses are sent southward to Moberly's Lake to winter, and according to Mr. Selwyn, do well there. Lesser Slave Lake, •with its wonderful natural meadows, has long been known as an excellent place- for wintering stock, and is referred to as such by Sir. J Eichardson. Some general idea of the length and character of i he seasons at Fort St. John may be gained by an examination of the extracts from the journals from 1866 to 1875, published by Mr. Selwyn. § The dates of opening and closing of Peace Eiver, f • Report of Progress, Geol. Survey of Canada, 1875-76, p. 154- t Canada on the Pacific, p. 205. } Voyages, p. 131-132. § Eeport of Progress, Geol. Surrey of Canada, 1875-76, p. 84. 301 being an important cine to the mean temperature of the region, may be quoted aa summarized by Prof. Maooun in the same report (p. 156) : Ice breaking Ice drifting, firet time 1866, April 19 Nov. 7. 1867 do 21 do 8. 1868 do 20 do 7. 1869 do 23 do 8. 1870 do 26 No record. 1871 do 18 Nov. 10. 1872 do 19 do 8. 1873 do 23 , do 4. 1874 do 19 Oct. 31. 1875 do 16 The average date of the breaking up of the ice may thus be stated to be April 21st ; that on which ice is running in the river for the first time, November 7th. In 1792-3, when wintering at the mouth of Smoky Eiver, Sir Alexander Mackenzie ob- served the ice to be running for the first time on November 6tb, while the river was clear of ice on the 25th April. I have been unable to find any precise records of the dates of closing and opening of the Saskatchewan, but Dr. Hector states these are usually the second week of November and the second week of April, respectively. The Saskatchewan is a more rapid stream than the Peace. With regard to the probable difference between the actual valley of the Peace, and the plateau forming the general surface of the country, Prof. Macoun observes,* • Op. cit.,p. 155. speaking of the vicinity of Fort St. John, that notwithstanding the difference in alti- tude, the berries on the plateau ripened about a week only later than those near the river, while he was informed thut there was about the same difference in the time of disappearance of the snow in spring. While at Dunvegan, I ascertained that a similar difference was observed there, but it was added that this obtained chit fly with the wooded parts of the plateau, the snow disappearing on the prairies much about the same time as in the valley. In my diary, under date September 5tb, I find the following entry : — "Aspens and berry bushes about the Peace Eiver valley now looking quite autumnal. On the plateau, 800 or 900 feet higher, not nearly so much so. Slight tinge of yellow only on some aspen groves." This difference, though not altogether constant and depending much on diversiiy of soil, appears to be actual. In October, 1872, Mr. Horetzky writes : % '' We observed that, curiously enough, the vegetation upon these uplands did not appear to have suffered so much from the effects of frost, this being probably due to the fa«t of the air in these upper regions being constantly in motion, while in the deep and capacious valley of the river the winds have oiten no effect." The difference between the valley and the plateau being thus very small, I have not treated teparately the observations for temperature taken by myself inihe differ- ent situations. Most of the observations, however, refer to the plateau ; and includ- ing the whole time spent in the country, from the Middle Forks of Pine River to the bank of the Athabasca, cover a period of nearly two months. The mean minimum temperature for the month of August, deduced from observations extending from the 6th to the 31st of the month, is 399°. The mean of observations at 6 a.m. dur- ing the same period is 42-3°. That of the observations at 6 p.m., .'.9 5°. In September the mean minimum temperature was 28 - l°. The mean of morning observations 34-3°, of evening observations 51-5°. I have endeavored to deduce from these obser- vations mean temperatures for the months in question, by correcting them by the tables of hourly variations in temperature given by C. A. Schott, in the Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge (No. 277), but find it impossible to do so, as the daily range is here so much greater than that of any of the places represented by the tables, which refer chiefly to the eastern portion of the continent. It would appear, 1 Canada on the Pacific, p. 41. 208 that while in most places the mean temperature of the day is reached about 8 p.m., it is found in the Peace Kiver country not far from 6 p.m., by reason of the increased rapidity of loss of heat by radiation due to greater elevation and dryer atmosphere. The maximum temperature was seldom observed, but the daily range is very great, and the maximum probably several times reached 80° in August, and often sur- passed 70° in September. From the 6th to the 31st of August I registered two nisjhts of frost, on the 13th and 20th of the month, when the thermometer showed 32° and 26°, respectively. Both of these were observed on the plateau, bat one at least of them (that of the 20th) must have occurred also in the valley, from the effects produced at Dunvegan on tender vegetation. These frosts occurred in very fine weather, following a day of strong westerly wind, the result of which is to remove from the surface of the earth the whole of the lower heated layer of the atmosphere. This, succeeded by a calm and cloudless night with transparent sky, causes the thermometer to sink below the lreeziug-point before morning. When not preceded by strong wind, mere transparency of the atmosphere seems seldom or never to lead to frost in August, in this district, as many beautifully starlight nights without an approach of the mer- cury to the freezing point were experienced. Though in some cases such frosts as these may bo general, and extend over a wide district of country, it is more usually found that they are quite local in charac- ter. A few floating clouds, or light wreaths of mist, may arrest radiation so far as to prevent frost over the greater part of the country, while some spot accidentally exposed during the whole night under a clear sky, experiences a temperature below 32°. The contour, and character of vegetation of the country, also have much to do with the occurrence of frosts, and it is very frequently the case that river valleys are more subject to frosts than the upland districts. During the month, of Septem- ber, in a region for the most part wooded, and often above the average altitude, between Dunvegan and the Athabasca, nineteen frosts were registered, the actually lowest temperature being 20° on September 18th. Through the kindness of Colonel Jarvis, of the North- West Mountel Police, I have been able to secure a copy of records kept by Dr. Herchmer, of Fort Saskatch- ewan, on the {Saskatchewan Kiver, about twenty miles north-east of Edmonton. For comparison with the observed temperatures in the portion of the Peace Kiver country now discussed, they are invaluable; for in the whole district surrounding Fort Saskatchewan and Edmonton we now know, from actual and repeated experi- ment, that wheat and all other ordinary cereals and vegetables thrive, and yield most abundant crops. The climate, in its great diurnal and annual range, corres- ponds exactly with that sf the Peace Kiver country. Fort Saskatchewan is situated on the brow of the Saskatchewan valley, about seventy feet above the river, and therefore probably lees liable to frosts than either the bottom of the river valley or extensive flat tracts of plain, where there is little circulation of air. This, with the position of the thermometers in regard to the buildings, leads to the belief that if at all in error, as representing the climate of the region generally, the indicated tem- peratures are slightly too great. The thermometer appears to have been read in all cases to the nearest degree only. A comparison may be made between the temperature observed in the Peace Kiver country during August and September, with those at Fort Saskatchewan, as iollows : — Peace River country, mean of minima during August 39 9° do do do September.... 281° do frosts experienced during August 3 do do do September.... 19 Fort Saskatchewan, mean of minima during August 39'3° do do do September.... 3M° do frosts experienced during August do do do September.... 15 209 Fort Saskatchewan, mean of maxima during August 77"S° do do do September.... 681° do deduced mean temp, of August 58 6° do do do September.... 49 6° The mean of maxima and actual mean temperature for the months caiinot bo stated for the Peace Eiver country. The actual mean for Port Saskatchewan is obtained by adding the minima and maxima for each month together, and is proba- bly very nearly correct. While regretting that the data at disposal for the determination of the agricul- tural value of the Peace Eiver country are not fuller, we may, I believe, arrive with considerable certainty at the general fact that it is great. Prom such comparison as can be made, it would be premature to allow that the climate of the Peace Eiver is inferior to that of the region about Edmonton on the Saskatchewan. It is true that in both the Saskatchewan and Peace Eiver districts the season is none too long for the cultivation of wheat, but if the crop can be counted on as a sure one- and experience seems to indicate that it may — the occurrence of early and late frosts may be regarded with comparative indifference. The season is at least equally short throughout the whole fertile belt from the Peace Eiver to Manitoba, though early and late frosts are not so common in the low valley of the Eed River. The almost simultaneous advance of spring along the whole line of this fertile belt, is indicated by the dates of the flowering of the various plants, a point referred to by me in some detail elsewhere.* It is further unquestionable that the winter is loss severe, and not subject to the same extremes in the Peace Eiver and Upper Saskatchewan regions as in Manitoba. We have already found reason to believe that the early and late frosts, and not the absence of a sufficient aggregate amount of heat constitute the limiting condition of wheat culture in the .North- West ; but that neither the Saskatchewan nor the Peace Eiver countries lie upon the actual verge of the profitable cultivation of wheat appears to be proved by the faot that oats succeed on the Saskatchewan, and also — in so far as one or two seasons can be accepted as evidence — on the Peace Eiver; while it is well known that this cereal is less tolerant of summer frost than wheat. This is further proved by the fact that at Port Vermillion and Athabasca Lake, 180 and 300 miles, respectively, north-east of Dunvegan, Prof. Macoun found wheat and barley ripening well ; but in this instance the fact is complicated by the circumstance of the decreasing altitude of the country, which introduces a new condition. As no knowledge has been gained of this country on the Lower Poace in addition to that oollected by Prof. Macoun ia I875,t it is not included in the above discussion, though from it additional great areas might doubtless be added to the fertile tract. Eeferring to the journals kept at Port St. John, Mr. Selwyn, in the report already several times referred to, comes to the conclusion that the climate of the Peace Eiver compares favorably with that of the Saskatchewan or Montreal. To give some idea of the value of a tract of generally fertile country such as that now described, let us, assume, as above, that the area of actually cultivable land is 23,500 square miles, or 15,140,000 acres. Let us suppose, for simplicity of calcu- lation, that the whole area were sown in wheat, the yield, at the rate of twenty bushels to the acre, would be 300,800,000 bushels. The portion of the Peace Eiver country embraced in the explorations of 1879, and treated of in this report, however, by no meani includes the whole fertile tract, as the statements made regarding the lower part of the Peace by Prof. Macoun J and others show. Sir J. Richardson places the northern limit of the profitable cultivation of wheat in the Mackenzie valley, at Fort Liard, on the Liard Eiver (!at. 60° 5' N.), ■while from trustworthy information obtained by Prof. Macoun, it appears that even at Port Simpson, on the Mackenzie in lat. 61° 51', wheat succeeds four timos out of five, and barley always ripens from the 12th to the 20th of August. _ — — . — w - * Geology and Resources of the 49th Parallel, 1875, p. 279. t Report of Progres3 Geol. Survey of Canada, 1876-76. t Report of Progress Geol. Survey of Canada, 1875-76. 210 In tbe report of the Meteorological Department for 1876, a series of obser- vations taken by Mr. J. S. Onions, at Fort Simpson, is printed. This, though exten- ding merely from May to November, 1875, seems to show that the climate compares very favorably with that of the Upper Peace Eiver. No frosts occurred from the 18th of May to the 10th of September. The mean temperatures of the months of growth are as follows, the figures in the first column being from the source just alluded to, those in the second from the appendix to Sir J. Eichardson's '' Journal of a Boat Voyage " : — I. II. o o May 44-6 48-16 June 55-8 63-64 July 63-5 60-97 August 63-2 53-84 September 44-8 49-10 The figures differ considerably, but those under column I are probably tbe more accurate, as the second series depend on observations taken at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., to which a correction of the kind previously mentioned as inapplicable to this western region has been applied. It has often been stated, in a general way, that the cause of the exceptionally- favorable climate of the Saskatchewan and Peace Eiver countries, as compared with that of the eastern portion of the American continent, is to be found in the prevalence of warm westerly winds from the Pacific. Sir Alexander Mackenzie speaks of these westerly winds in winter, writing : " I had already observed at Atha- basca, that this wind never failed to bring us clear, mild weather, whereas, when it blew from 1be opposite quarter, it produced snow. Here it is much more perceptible, for if it blows hard south-west for four hours a thaw is the consequence, and if the wind is at north-east it brings sleet and snow. To this cause it may be attributed that there is so little snow in this part of the world. These warm winds come off tbe Pacific Ocean, which cannot, in a direct line, be very far from us, the distance beiiig so frbort that, though they pass over mountains covered with snow, there is not time for them to cool."* Further south, these south-westerly currents are known as " Chinook winds," and similar consequences are observed to follow their occurrence. Sir Alexander Mackenzie, however, in the summer of 1793, found the distance to the Pacific coast from bis wintering place at the mouth of Smoky Eiver greater than be appears to have imagined at the time he penned the above-quoted remarks, and it is difficult indeed to understand hew currenis of air, blowing for at least 350 miles across a country which is for tbe most part mountainous, should retain enough warmth to temper effectually the climate of the plains to the east. This difficulty would appear to be particularly great in summer, when the mountains are largely snow- clad, and the mean temperature of ihe Peace and Saskatchewan valleys is probably considerably in excess of that of the region intervening between them and the sea. The complete explanation is to be found in the great quantity of heat rendered latent when moisture is evapoatcd or air expanded in volume, but which becomes sensible again on condenpation of the moisture or compression of the air. The pressure in the upper regions of the atmosphere being so much less than in the lower, a body of air rising from the sea-level to the summit of a mountain range, must expand, and this, implying molecular work, results in an absorption of heat and concequent cooling. The amount of this cooling has been estimated at about 1° Centigrade for 100 metres of ascent when the air is dry, but becomes reduced to £ degree when the temperature has fallen to the dew-point of the atmosphere, and precipitation of moisture as cloud, raiD or snow begins; the heat resulting from this _condenFation retarding to a certain degree the cooling due to the expansion of the air. When the air descends again on the further side of the mountain range, its ■ to— — , * Voyages, p. 138. 211 condensation leads to an inorease of sensible heat equal to 1° 0. for each 100 metres.* It is owing to this circumstance that places in the south of Greenland, on the west coast, during the prevalence of south-easterly winds, which flow over the high interior of the country, have been found, in winter, to experience for a time a tem- perature higher than that of North Italy or the south of Prance, though the North Atlantic Ocean from which the winds come, can, at this season, be little above the freezing point. • The wind well known in the Alps as the foehn, is another example of the same phenomenon. The data are wanting for an accurate investigation of the circumstances of our west coast in this regard, but a general idea of the fact may be gained. We may assume that the air at the sea level is practically saturated with moisture, or already at its dew point, that in crossing the mountainous region the average height to which the air is carried is about 2,000 metres (6,560 feet), and that it descends to a level of about 700 metres (2,296 feet) in the Peace Eiver country. The loss of sensible heat on elevation would, in this case, amount to 10° C. (18° F.), the gain on descent to the level of 700 metres to 13° C. (23-4° P.); The amount of heat lost by the air during its passage across the mountainous regioD, by radiation and contact with the snowy peaks, cannot be determined. It is, of course, much greater in winter than in summer, and depends also on ihe speed with which the current ot air travels. Taking the mean summer temperature of the coast at about 12° O. (54°F.) and allowing several degrees for loss by radiation, it becomes easy to understand how the western prairies may be flooded with air nearly as warm as that of the coast, though it has travelled to them over a region comparatively cold. Owing to the great width of the mountain barrier, the main result is compli- cated by local details, regions of considerable precipitation occurring at each import- ant mountain range, with subsidiary dryer regions in the lee. The last of these regions of precipitation is that of the Eocky Mountain Eange properly sorcalled. In descending from this, a further addition of heat is made to the air, which then flows down as a dry and warm current to the east. In addition to the favorable climatic conditions indicated by the thermometer,, the length of the day in summer in the higher northern latitudes favors the rapid and vigorous growth of vegetation, and takes the place to a certain extent of heat in this respect. This has been supposed to be the case from the luxuriant vegeta- tion of some northern regions, but Alfonse de Candolle appears to have put the matter beyond doubt by subjecting it to direct experiment. In latitude 56°, which msy betaken as representing the position of much of the Peace Eiver country, sunrise on the 21st of June occurs at 3h. 12m., sunset at 8h. 50m.; while six degrees further south, in latitude 50°, which may be assumed to represent Manitoba, sunrise occurs on the same day at 3h. 49m , sunset at 8h. 13m. The duration of sun- light is, in the first case, 17h. 38m.; in the second, 16h. 24m,, or one hour and a quarter in excess in the northern locality. This excess, of course, decreases to zero .at the spring and autumn equinoxes, and the difference is reversed in the winter. In further illustration ot this point, the following extracts from a note in the American Journal of Science, vol. xx, p. 74, may be cited : — " It is well understood that for a plant to complete its development ard mature its seeds, a certain sum of heat is required, varying according to the species. It appears — as indeed might antecedently be expected — that we should rather say a certain amount of solar radiation ; for light, to a certain extent, may replace temperature. This is nhown in the effects of almost uninterrupted summer sunshine upon vegetation in high lati- tudes. According to Scbiibeler, of Christiana, and others, barley ripens in eighty- nine days from the sowing in Finland, While it requires one hundred days in the south of Sweden, though the latter enjoys a considerably higher temperature. A grain of wheat grown at nearly the sea level in Norway, or in lower latitudes, when propagated at high elevations or in a high latitude, will mature earlier, even *The figures are Dr. Harm's, quoted by Hoffmeyer in the Danish Geographical Society's Journal and reproduced in Nature, August, 1877. 212 although at a lower temperature ; and it is said that, within limits compatible with its cultivation the grain inoreases in size and weight." " Sohiibeler also makes oat that grain, after several generations of cultivation in ihe highest latitudes or highest elevations compatible with its cultivation, will, when transferred back to its original locality, ripen earlier than grain which has not been moved. Bat it loses this precocity in a few generations, and the seeds gradually diminish to the former size and weight. Plants raised from seeds ripened in a high northerly locality are hardier than those grown in the south, and are better able to resist excessive winter cold." A further circumstance giving to the Peace Eiver country and that on the upper part of the Saskatchewan, other things being equal, a value as farming land aare for acre considerably greater than that of most parts of the North- West, is the immunity of this region from the visits of the devastating locust or grasshopper (Galoptemu ■spretus). I have elsewhere discussed the question of locust invasions, in several papers,* and it has since been taken up by the United States Entomological Commis- sion. -|- It must suffice to state here, that while long series of years may pass without the occurrence of serious invasions, these must continue always, or at least for a very long time, to constitute a drawback to the whole territory lying south of a line drawn about sixty miles south of Edmonton, and thence nearly following the border of the wooded country southward and eastward to Manitoba. Extract from Report by Mr. W. Ogilvie. TIMBER. The timber on the Athabasca, from Little Slave Eiver down to McMurray, is generally small, and consists principally of " poplar, cottonwood, spruce, tamarac, pitch pine, small white birch, and occasionally a few balsams." There is also abundance of " underbrush, alder, willow and hazel." Alders and willows grow to a size which surprises people from the eastern part of the country. I have seen alders •more than 8 inches in diameter, and 30 feet high, while willows are often seen one foot in diameter. I have met with one 16 inches in diameter. The white birch is the ODly hardwood in the country of any use ; but it is small and crooked, seldom more than 6 or 7 inches in diameter. The pitch pine is generally small and scrubby. I saw little or none that would 'be of any value. It is only found on high sandy or gravelly knolls or ridges. The tamarac is scarce and generally small. It is only found in marshes, and a great deal of it is hollow and unsound at the heart. The spruce is plentiful, it and poplar being found in about equal quantities, and both greatly outnumbering all the others taken together. It is generally found in groves by itself and, as a rule, it seldom exceeds 12 to 14 inches in diameter, and from 100 to 120 feet high. There are many large groves of it that would make good useful timber, for any purpose for which this kind of timber is used, the trees being large, long and clean. The poplar and cottonwood are generally small, but on many of the flats they are of a good size, sometimes large. From McMurray down to the flats adjoining the lake the timber is nearly all spruce and poplar. There are a few ridges of pitch pine, which possess no value. Occasionally a few white birch are seen. On the flats, around the lake, the timber is principally spruce, with a good deal of poplar and cottonwood, and a very few white birch. The spruce are generally much larger here than on the upper portion of the river, and much more free from limbs and knots, and well suited for use. I have seen nothing to compare with it in any part of the Territories (adjoining the' prairies) through which 1 have been. * Canadian Naturalist, Vol. VIII, pp. 119, 207, 411. t First Annual Report, United States Eatomological Commission, 1878. 213 For three or four miles back of the lake, on the south side, there is nothing but willow and small poplar, which gradually merges into the large timber as we get back from the lake. Around Port Chippewyan, on the north side, the timber is generally small, and nearly all spruce and pitch pine ; a small percentage of it only would be fit for use as lumber. • I learned from those who had been north of this point that the same features are to be seen through to Great Slave Lake. On the Quatre Fourches River there is some very fine spruce, with groves of poplar, and a few pitch pine mixed through it. On the Peace, up to Vermillion River, there is a great deal of first-class spruce, much of it being the best I have seen in the country. The sandy and gravelly ridges here, as elsewhere, are covered with pitch pine. Thore is also much poplar and cottonwood, but it is generally small ; mixed with this is a little white birch. I saw very little tamarac. Above Yermillion River, as the banks get higher, the timber along the river becomes thinner and smaller until, near Battle River, many of the hillsides are bare, or covered only with scrub. Wherever a flat or a moderate slope occurs, the timber is generally of a fair size ; therefore, I have reason to believe it is the same on the prairies back from the steep banks. The timber from Battle River up to Dunvegan is thin and poor. In very few places could there be found much that would prove of any value. Here, as on the Athabasca, the timber on the upper part is not to be compared with that found on the lower. Agricultural Capabilities. All the way down the Athabasca to the lake the country is (with the exception of a few meadows) thickly wooded, and a great deal of it swamp and marsh, inter- spersed with lakes and ponds. A great deal of the soil along the bank was of very fair quality. At Port Murray, where there is a couple of small prairies or meadows, the soil is good, and the root crops and garden produce raised there are generally very good . To convert this into an agricultural country the forest would first have to be cleared, and considerable drainage would be required for a large portion of it, which would render the question of its settlement a problem for the future to determine. From Lao la Biche to McMurray is a pack trail, which is occasionally used. It runs along the course of the Athabasca River, at a distance of from two to twenty miles. Those who have passed over it inform me the country is much the same as that seen along the river — woods and swamps, with a large percentage of marsh or bog ; also quite a number of lakes. The country on the west side of the river, as far as I could learn from Indians and the few white men with whom I came in contact who had been over it, was much the same, at least for fifteen or twenty miles back, I could learn nothing definite about anything much further back than that. The only approach to prairie along the Athabasca is where the House River flows into it\ (a few miles above Grand Rapids), where an extensive fire has almost cleared away the forest for a mile or two around this point. It is now covered with a good growth of grass and shrubbery. The soil appears to be very fair — a loamy clay — and were there any inducement to settlers, a few fine farms might be established. A meadow near McMurray is about sixty acres in extent, from which the Hudson Bay Company procure their hay. The soil is said to be good. At a place called " Point Brule," about ninety six-miles below McMurray, fire has partially cleared off the forest for some little distance from the river. A couple of families of Chippewyan Indians have taken possession of a small portion of it, and done a little cultivation in the way of planting potatoes. Their efforts were neces- sarily very crude, and the appearance of the crop bore witness to it. 214 It is a pity such attempts do not succeed, as one failure does more to dishearten the natives with agriculture than ten successes would do to encourage them. The soil at this point was a gravelly clay, and with ordinary cultivation should yield pretty fair crops. On the flats near the lake the soil is wholly alluvial ; it is rich, but too low and damp for agricultural purposes. • On the north side of the lake, around Ghippewyan, there is little or no soil of any description, the country being all bare Laurentian rock. The Hudson Bay Company have a garden at the fort of upwards of an acre in extent, and the Episcopal Mission one of smaller area, but the soil is very sandy. The Bo man Catholic Mission have a garden also, most of which they obtained by draining a bog into the lake. In the season of 1833 (which was a pretty favorable one in that district, being free from summer frosts) the Hudson Bay Company raised about 400 bushels of potatoes, the Episcopal Mission 30 bushels on a small patch, and the Eoman Catholic Mission about 500 bushels. Many of the retired Hudson Bay Company's servants also have small patches which they cultivate, potatoes and fish being the principal articles of food used during the winter. I am sorry to say that owing to the prevalence of summer frosts nothing like the above returns were expected by any of the parties aboved named last summer. I believe one or two of the patches owned by Hudson Bay Company's retired servants escaped the frost, but the general effects were ruinous. Ascending the Peace Biver until Peace Point is reached, the country is mostly low and fiat, and the soil is lacustrine, like that on the Athabasca. Occasionally a sandy or gravelly ridge is seen, which must have formed a bar in the shallow waters of the great lake which once covered this district. The soil in the flats is good, but, like that in the flats on the Athabasca, it is too low and damp for agricultural purposes. On the north side of the river, at Peace Point the country is prairie, with poplar bluffe ; and the same extends, I was informed by Indians, through to Salt Biver, in the Great Slave Biver district. The soil along the Peace Biver at this point is a black gravelly clay, with a coarse gravel subsoil; and, as nearly as could be learned from Indians, it is pretty much the same all the way through to Salt Biver, where there is quite an extensive prairie. This prairie was described to me by those who have seen it as one of the prettiest and best pieces of country in all the northern district. The country along the north side of the river, from Peace Point up to Vermillion, is generally heavily timbered, with occasional parts of open scrubby woods and small patches of prairie. On the south side the open woods and prairie are less frequent, until we reach a piece of scrubby prairie, which begins seven or eight miles below Bed Biver and reaches to it, and runs back about two and a half or three miles, where it merges into the forest. The soil in it is good black loamy clay, about 1 foot deep, with a subsoil of fine sandy clay. The Hudson Bay Company here cultivate two or three acres, and when the summer frosts are not too severe the returns are splendid. This year the crop consisted of potatoes, turnips and garden stuff, which, notwith- standing the successive and severe frosts of the season, looked very well when I was there (the 22nd August), butMr. McKenzie feared the yield of potatoes would be small, compared with that of last year, which was enormous. Usually a little barley and wheat has been grown there; this year none was sowed. At Vermillion, along the river on the south side, there is about twelve to four- teen miles of prairie, with small poplar and scrub, which runs back from the river about three miles. The soil is a good black loamy clay, loose and deep, with a gravelly clay subsoil. The Episcopal Mission school at Vermillion, for the teaching of the young in the district, has a farm attached, with about twenty acres under cultivation, tinder the management of Mr. E. J. Laurence. Last year his crops of potatoes, barley and wheat were splendid; this year the frosts almost destroyed everything. Mr. Garrioch, in charge of the Mission, also cultivates quite a large piece (from -twenty five to thirty acres) in connection with the Mission. The Hudson Bay Company 215 has an extensive field crowing both roots and grain (wheat and barley) ; and the Roman Catholic Mission also cultivates some ground. Besides the above farms, several others were located last summer by private parties, all of whom seemed hopeful for the future. ,Many of them had been in the country for several years. Here, as at other places mentioned, no one expected to harvest muoh more than the seed sown, owing to the verj unusual season, which waa in the early part dry and warm, so that grain sown in April did not germinate until June, for want of moisture. In June the weather became very wet, and continued so all the summer, with frosts at frequent intervals. That this summer was unusually severe all were agreed, but all admit- ted that there was an uncertainty every year. Mr. Moberly, in charge of the New Brunswick Company's post here, who has lived in the country for several years, told me his experience for seven years stood as follows : Two years an unqualified success, two years failure such as the present, and three years a fair return. Opposite Vermillion, on the north of the river, there is an extensive tract of prairie and poplar bluff country, which extends from the "Peace to the watershed be- tween the Peace and Mackenzie Eivers, south-westward along the Peace for about forty miles or more, and north-eastward along the river a few miles, until it merges into the country already described. This is said to be a first-class country in every way, well wooded and watered, with a rich, deep, black, loamy clay soil ; and if the life of fhwers and berries be any indication of freedom from frost, this district is favored in this respect, as the berries ripen here when they are killed in tho surroun- ding parts. The country south-westward from the end of this tract to Battle River is de- scribed as woods and swamps, alternating with patches of prairie and open woods, and from the Battle River to the prairie near Dunvegan generally drier and with more prairie. It appears therefore, that from Dunvegan, on the north side of Peace River down the river to Peace Point, and thence to Salt River, on the Great Slave, there is a tract of country about tiOO miles in length and forty miles wide, of which a large percentage is fit for immediate settlement, and a great deal more could be very easily cleared. Of the country south-east of the Peace, between it and the Athabasca, very little is known. It was described by all whom I met, who had seen any portion of it, as a rolling surface, the ridges heavily wooded with fair timber, and many of the basins containing swamps and lakes of considerable size. Out of one of the latter, Lake Wapisca, the Loon River flows into the Peace, and another stream called by the same name into the Athabasca, at Grand Rapids. Some of the ridges rise into high hills, and in some of these rock exposures are said to be visible. Whenever the needs of the country make it worth the trouble, timber can be easily floated into the Athabasca and Peace Rivers by the numerous streams which enter them from this tract. A little north-east of Vermillion, and between twenty and thirty miles from the river, is the west end of the Cariboo Mountains. They extend from this point east- ward about sixty or seventy miles, and then appear to turn to the north. Prom a station a little below Vermillion, I took the angle of elevation of the highest point I could see in them, and found it to be 0° 55', so that they must rise between 1,500 and 2,000 feet above the river. I saw no white man who had been in theso moun- tains, except on a flying visit in the winter for trading, and then, of course, the most rugged parts would be avoided, and consequently very . little observed of the rocks composing them. The Indians speak of tho beautiful many-colored stones seen in them. Judging from what they say, I think the rocks are Laurentian, and the " beautiful stones " may be crystals. I was told they also speak of places on the north side of the mountains which smoke in the winter ; but I have noticed that the Indians call all sorts of vapours " smoke," and what they call smoke may only be the vapour rising from springs. At Dunvegan, notwithstanding the severity of the frosts, the crops were very good, both in quality and quantity. When I was there, the Roman Catholic Mission- aries had threshed their grain, samples of which I brought back. The yield was as 216 follows: — 50 pounds of wheal were sown on the 16th April and reaped on the 20th- August, and 11 bushels threshed of good clean grain ; 15 pounds of Egyptian barley sown on the 18th April and reaped 20th August, and 15 bushels threshed, weighing fully 69 pounds to the bushel. The Hudson Bay Company and Episcopal Mission had not threshed, and could not give their returns ; but tbey were well satisfied with their crops of all kinds. The Eev. Mr. Brick, of the Episcopal Mission, was already using bread, when I was there, made from wheat of tbe present year's growth. The only settler in all the Peace River country who lives beyond the immediate- valley of the river (Mr. Milton, who lives about eleven miles from Dunvegan), lost all his crop by the frosts ; fortunately for him, his operations were not very extensive. A company was formed last season, by people interested in that part of the country, to erect a small grist mill, in order to encourage settlement there ; but the unusual severity of the season caused them to recall the order they had already sent out for- the mill. It is much to be hoped that next season will prove more favorable ; should it not, it will divert a good deal of attention that is now directed to that part of the country, and of which (aside from the climatic conditions) it is in every way worthy. I was informed that in the season of 1883, on Great [Slave Lake, the Hudson Bay Company caught and used 75,000 whitefish. There are also many other varieties of fish in those lakes. Trout are often caught weighing upwards of 40 pounds and on the Mackenzie, a very large species of salmon is plentiful, which is said to weigh- as much as 100 pounds. The 75, (00 whitefish mentioned, would average about 2J pounds each, and re- present about 200,000 pounds of good palatable food. With proper care the fish of those lakes could be made a source of wealth to that part of the country, and food for the more agricultural portions in the south. Add to this the future value of the vast forests, and the probability that the immense deposits of bitumen (or whatever it may prove to be) will be converted to a useful purpoee, and the prospect of mineral wealth beiDg discovered in the vast Laurentian district north of Lake Athabasca, and the future of this part of the country may not be so dull and valueless as many think it doomed to be. Senate Committee Boom, Ottawa, 25th April, 1888. George M. Dawson, M.D., LL.D., Assistant Director of the Geological Survey of Canada, called and examined. By the Chairman : Q. Can you give us any information as to the possibility of navigating, with suitably constructed craft, the waters of the Arctic Sea, between Behring's Straits and the mouth of the Mackenzie ? A. I have stated what I know in short form in my written replies to the printed questions. I have no personal experience of the northern coast or of the mouth of the Mackenzie. All I have been able to gather has been based on reading works on the subject and also from conversing with men who have been up there whaling. It seems quite practicable to get as far as Point Barrow every year, and to return through the Straits, but a vessel getting much beyond Point Barrow is apt to be closed in by the ice and may not be able to get back the same year. The Arctic search expedition vessels under McClure and Collin- Bon both went in that way and made their way through the ice to a point east of the mouth of the Mackenzie. One of them wintered in Princess Royal Straits, and another in Banks Strait, if I remember correctly. They were both, however over 15° east of the mouth of the Mackenzie, and both Collinson and McClure speak of the influence of the Mackenzie River in produoing a wider strip of '• land water " oppo- site the mouth of tbe river. I have quoted in my reply to question No. 5, the tem- perature observations that one of the vessels made, showing the great rise in the sea surface temperature when opposite the mouth of the Mackenzie. All these 217 expeditions that I have referred to were made in sailing vessels and consequently under disadvantages as compared with what might he done now with steamers. The great weight of this ice causing it to ground a long distance from the shore on this shelving coast produces this channel or " land water " which is mentioned. You can imagine the difficulty of beating up there with a sailing vessel. It would be a slow and tedious operation compared with taking a steamer up the same narrow channel. Q. I suppose a steamer starting with an avowed object, such as reaching the- Mackenzie and ascending it and getting back again to a oertain place, is very different from whalers and sealers, whose mission is to stop and catch whales and seals where- ever they meet them ? A. Certainly, and besides that one of the main objects of these vessels is naturally to keep out of the pack, because they want to be free to move about, and having no definite purpose in getting into narrow waters, they keep out of them generally. By Honorable Mr. Mclnnes (B.C.) : Q. How far is the mouth of the Mackenzie east of the point to which you say- there is no difficulty in getting ? A. About 500 miles. Q. About two days' steaming with a good vessel ? A. Yes, and probably it would take ten days or longer to go that distance with a sailing vessel in those- waters. Q. Do you know anything about the expedition of the " Plover " ? A. If L remember right, Capt. Pullen accompanied the store vessel il Plover," which was- sent to support the Franklin expedition. This vessel wintered several years at Point Barrow for the purpose of making a base of supplies. Capt. Pnllen left the store- vesnel in 1849, followed the shore with two whale boats, and ascended the Mackenzie. Q. Did he return the same year? A. I believe he continued his journeys up the Mackenzie, and returned to England by York Factory and Hudson Bay. By Honorable Mr. Macdonald {B.C.) : Q. Do you think the best route to the Mackenzie country will always be by rail to Peace Eiver, and by water down the Peace Biver and other rivers and lakes ? Would it not be a more feasible route than water communication will ever be, on account of the ice in the Arotic Sea ? A. I have stated in my reply to Question No. 59, that I believe it would be a very expensive route to bring such heavy products as whale oil, &c, up the Mackenzie, but I may be wrong in this. Of course, on these subjects, 1 speak without personal knowledge of the Lower Mackenzie and the Arctic Sea ; my personal knowledge is confined to the Peace Biver and the upper waters of the Liiard. Q. I presume that a whaling ship would carry its own catch away by Behring's Sea, and the sealers as well ? A. Yes. The idea which I ventured to suggest was, that whaling stations be established east of the region usually reached by whalers, which would enable whaling and sealing to be carried on in a way that it could not be by vessels going and returning the same season, and remaining to catch whale* and seals in those northern waters. By the Chairman : Q. Still, you think it is possible to reach the Mackenzie Biver, and if the water is not too shallow to ascend that river with a sea going steamer of suitable power ? A. Yes ; I think it is quite possible to reach the mouth of the Mackenzie. It remains only to ascertain whether it will pay. There will be a great addition next year to our knowledge of that region, because Mr. McConnell, who assisted me on the Yukon, is -wintering this winter at Fort Providence, and will go down the Mackenzie this- spring, and Mr. W. Ogilvy is coming across from the Porcupine Biver to the mouth of the Mackenzie and carrying a survey up the Mackenzie. Q. Where is he this winter ? A. He is wintering on the Yukon, near the inter- section of the river by the 141st meridian. I had a letter from Mr. McConnell-the other day. He was then at Fort Eae, on an arm of the Great Slave Lake. I have a short preliminary report of his here which I thought you might wish to see. I left him at the forks of the Dease and Lku-d last June, and he descended the Liard Biver 1—14 218 as far as 1 ho Mackenzie and is wintering at Fort Providence, which is situated at the lower end: of Great Slave Lake. Q. That is some distance above Port Simpson ? A. Yes,- up the river, south of Fort Simpson. He gives a good idea of the character of the lower part of the Liard Biver in part of his report, which I may read' :— " I left the mouth of Dea.se River the day after you did, after inducing two In- dians to accompany us as far the Devil's Portage, but they were soared back alt the first ripple we came to, and we saw them no more; and had, like you, to fight oar way without any losal assistance. We had to work hard, and keep a sharp lookout ahead, and make numerous portages, hub otherwise experienced little difficulty and got down without the slightest accident of any kind. I s leered the boat myself down all the worst parts of the river, I am afraid sometimes rather to the detriment of the traverse, but it was unavoidable, as whenever the men had the management of the boat they invariably disagreed as to the proper channel to take, a dangerous pro- ceeding in the middle of a rapid. They however worked well on the portages and I was well satisfied with them. I was agreeably surprised to find the Devil's Portage only four miles long instead of twelve as reported, but as it passes over a mountain about 1,000 feet high and was all overgrown, we decided that it would take too long to open a passage and drag our boat across as we had done on the previous shorter portages, and determined on abandoning it and rigging up the canvas one. It was well that we did so as the succeeding forty miles turned out to be the worst part of the river, and consists of a simple- succession of rapids and short canons filled with dangerous whirlpools and in many places is utterly impassable at high water for a small boat of any kind. We had, of course, to make numerous short portages, and in one case one of four miles, but as we had only the light canvas boat to pack, we got through without difficulty and in ten days reached smooth water below all the rapids. Two days afterwards, and exactly a month after leaving Dease Iliver and about the same time that you reached Polly Banks we met the Hudson's Bay Com- pany's outfit on their way to Dease Lake, near the mouth of 1 the Nelson. From them we learnt that provisions were very scarce in the Mackenzie iliver district, that at Fort Liard they were starving and at Fort Simpson were living on half rations, and I decided on sending my men back at once, while they still had sufficient supplies to get out. ****** I have since heard by Lepine who brought me your note that with the exception of upsetting their boat once they got up all right After leaving the men 1 got an In- dian to steer me down the river, but he left me when he came to his camp and 1 1 floated down the rest of the way to Fort Liard, along at Fort Liard I waited a few days until I got an Indian and a bark canoe and came on then to Fort Simpson. * To put in the fall I went up to Fort Smith by the steamer and from there came down Slave Biver with a couple of Indians as far as Salt Biver, ascended it to the Salt Springs, and then oame on down Slave Biver to the lake, coasted along the southern side as far as Hay Biver, ascended it to the falls and then passed round the western and northern side of the lake as far as some tar springs which were reported to exist there, and which I found all right and then back to Providence. It is almost impossible to do any satisfactory winter work here owing to the intense cold, and it is a difficult matter to get dogs, and still harder to get supplies for them, but I in- tend if possible to make a few trips out in different directions, more for the sake of getting a general idea of the character of country away from the river, than for surveying purposes. * * * ' * * * The position of the Liard as shown on the map is greatly out, it does not run nearly so far south as shown, and the mouth of the Nelson is fully seventy-five miles east of its true position. Q. You think the Liard Biver is navigable from Fort Liard to Fort Simpson? A. Yes, I think so. Q. That is for stern wheel steamers? A. Yes ; I refer to stern wheelers for all those western rivers. 219 Q. You give us incidentally a description of the fish in that region i I may say it is still a disputed point as to whether there are salmon in the Mackenzie or not. Two witnesses who came from that country say there are salmon there, and two others who have the same opportunities for observation say that while there is a fish which ascends as fir as the obstruction at Port Smith which is called the inconnu and is an excellent fish is not the true salmon : can you tell us anything about this ? A. I have always understood there is no trae salmon on the Mackenzie, but as I have never been on the lower part of the river I would not care to express a definite opinion on it. I have seen no mention of salmon in the scientific report, such 1 a» Richardson's, on the river, though he speaks constantly of the inconnu. Q. What is your impression, derived from what he and other authorities say con- cerning that fish : is it likely to be a valuable one ? A. Yes, I should think so. He speaks of it as being a very good fish* In all those waters tributary to the Mackenzie the Arctio grayling, or Back's grayling, which is an excellent fish, is to be found. Q. Will you give us a description of it? A. It is a fish resembling the trout in appearance and size, but has a very large back fin. It is a game fish, Very like the trout, takes the fly and is excellent eating. That fish I found in the headwaters of the Mackenzie, as far up as the very source of the Peace River^ and also of the Liard River, and it also oocurs to the headwaters of the Yukon, which, of course runs into Bekring's Sea. Q. Is it a purely fresh water fish? A. Yes. Q. About what size ? A. About the size of the ordinary trout. I suppose a 2-lb. fish would be a fair sized one. Q. In another part of your evidence you give us the length of navigable rivers. I did not notice whether you gave us the breaks in the navigation or not, but I would like to ask you just three questions in relation to that. There ' is a break in the navigation of the Great Slave River above Fort Smith. What is the length of the road around that ? A. I have no personal knowledge of that part of the river, and my answer to that question would probably be only repeating what some one has -said before. Q. Have you a knowledge of the Athabasca River ? A. I know the Athabasca River from Athabasca Landing up, but not below that point. I have quoted in my reply previously, from Mr. Ogilvy's report, which gives accurate measurements. Q. In the navigation of the Athabasca above the .Landing a steamer is now 'being built, and expects to have a navigation of 170 miles : that' is, they expect to go down and then up through the Iosser Slave Lake River into Lesser Slave Lake »Dd up to the head of that lake. Can you tell us whether that is likely to be cor- rect or not ? A. I think there is no doubt the steamer can go up the Athabasoa to the mouth of the MacLeod River. I formed that opinion in coming down the river in a canoe, that is 170 miles above the Landing. With regard to the Lesser Slave Lake River, I am uncertain. 1 was up it and down it in a canvas bbat, and I should certainly have said that 18 miles of the lower part is hardly passable for a steamer, but I have no doubt, if they are building a steamer, that they have ascertained that' it is navigable. It is full of rapids and rather shallow, but it is possible that it can be navigated. With regard to routes for reaching the Mackenzie; I have made rough estimates of distences. I have marked ' in blue lines on the map- the routes that I refer to as being the best 'we know of leading into that country from the west coast and from the Saskatchewan region. Q. What is the extent of the navigable waters on the Yukon, in British ter- ritory ? A. At least 1,000 miles. Q. Navigable for what class of craft ? A. Stern wheel steamers of ' light draft. All those rivers are rapid and shallow. I say at least 1,000 miles; because in all oases, except one on the Lewis River, I' have stopped my measurement at the first break in the navigation, and there are no doub'tlong stretches above that which are navigable. Q. Are weto understand that this is continuous navigation ?' A; Not in any one direction, but including the navigable portions of various branches. 1—14$ 220 Q. Are there any breaks in the navigation ? A. Only one on the Lewis River. I have included the Lewis above the break, because it forms part of a travelled, route Q. Do you understand that it is the wish of the Committee that in regard to the arable and pastoral lands, and in regard to the tree limit and the extent of the barren grounds we want as much on that information as you care to put on one of those maps ? On another we want.the minerals, on another the navigation, and on the one which gives the navigation put the projected railways? A. Tes. They will have of course to be put down in a very general way on a map drawn on such a small scale as this. I have no doubt that barley can be ripened as far north as Fort Selkirk, at the mouth of the Pelly and Lewis Bivers, tributaries of the Yukon. It is a little difficult to separate the basin of the Mackenzie from the waters of the Yukon when yon get west of the mountains, because these rivers interlock with each other in all directions. The only attention that has been paid to this country so far, is by miners in search of gold. In passing through the country last summer I formed the opinion that a large portion of that country will be eventually settled. The northern boundary of British Columbia is at latitude 60. By Honorable Mr. Macdonald (B.C.) : Q. I suppose it will be a grazing country ? A. It is chiefly a wooded country, but there are open tracts of land along the river banks. I think this area which I have marked on the map, and which includes about 60,000 square miles, is the better part of that country north of British Columbia. The northern part of British Columbia itself, is largely a mountainous country but dips down to lower ground to- the north, and consequently jou get a more favorable climate and larger cultivable areas. By Honorable Mr. Mclnnes {B. G.) : Q. In that 60,000 square miles is there much arable land ? What is the char- acter of the country ? A. The country is generally wooded. In a general way you would speak of it as a mountainous country, but there are large areas of flat land and rolling land. It is not a mountainous country like that along the coast of British Columbia or the Bocky Mountain region. Q. Are the valleys much larger ? A. There are large tracts of land which are low or undulating as well as wide river valleys. Q. And in your opinion it is a good grazing country ? A. I would scarcely wish to represent it as a good grazing country. I think it is a country where animals may De kept, but it is certainly a country where you could raise barley, rye and other hardy crops, and which though it may not produce a large quantity of grain to export, will produce what is required in the country and in that way will assist in the development of mining and other industries. It ought eventually to be able to- export such things as are exported from the north of Eussia — flax, hemp, resin, tim- ber and possibly also barley and cereals to some extent. Q. In that area of 60,000 square miles, how much grazing land is there and how much is fit for the cultivation of barley and other hardy cereals ? A. It would be difficult for me to give any precise statement. I have travelled merely round by the Stikeen Biver, Lease Biver, Liard Biver, Pelly Biver, Lewis Biver and the Chil- koot Portage, so that while having a general idea of the country it is impossible to give anything like precise areas, but I should think that a very large part of that country will eventually be cultivated. I do not think that we ought to consider a country which is beyond the limit of the growth of wheat is a useless country at all; In fact we know that in Bussia some of the provinces north of the northern limits of wheat are rich and comparatively largely populated districts, and in the course of time our country which is in a similar position will be populated in the same way. I may mention that wheat has been occasionally grown and barley habitually grown at Telegraph Creek on the Stikeen Biver in latitude 58. By the Chairman : Q. I notice that the upper waters of the Liard are included in that area ? A, Yes ; the headwaters of the Liard Biver. 221 Q. We have no information about the gold on the upper waters of the Liard as yet ? A. Dease Lake, which is the source of the Dease River, one of the main tributaries of the Liard is the centre of the Cassiar gold mining district of British Columbia, which is pretty well known, and has been reached from the coast, although the waters flow into the Mackenzie. A small steamer was built there during the gold mining excitement. Q. What is the length of the lake? A. It is 28 miles; The river below can ecarcoly be considered navigable for steamers. It is used by scows and boats. Q. Have the Hudson Bay Co. a fort there ? A. They have no posts there now. They abandoned their posts in this country many years ago, but private traders carry on trade there, and the Hudson Bay last year were speaking of purchasing the rights of those men . Q. What is the temperature of the country included in the area of 60,000 square miles on the headwaters of the Yukon and Liard Rivers of which you have spoken ? A. The summer temperature is very pleasant, and I believe favorable to the growth of such hardy cereals as I speak of. There are, of course, to be found in that latitude, summer frosts, but liability to such frosts would not prevent the growth of barley ^•and hardy grains. Q. Wheat has been grown at Fort Simpson, which is on the latitude of about the centre of the territory enclosed in these lines on the map ; why have you ex- cluded it from the possibility of being grown in that territory west of the Rooky Mountains ? A. Merely beoause it has never been tried, and I wish to be moderate in my statements as to the capability of the country. I call it a barley^growing country, but I think in parts of it wheat might be grown. Professor Macoun re- minds me that I might mention the plants which I collected there last summer and which he considers as being indicative of a climate that would be suitable for the growth of the crops which I have mentioned, and as a general index of the climate of the country. I have no list here, but Professor Macoun has and can speak on that point. With regard to the gold on the .Liard River which is a tributary of the Mackenzie, I may state further that remunerative bars have been worked east of the country shown on this map and a long way* down towards the Mackenzie. The whole appearance of this country leads to the belief that important mineral deposits will be found in it, besides those placer mines. There are large quantities of quartz ledges along the rivers in many places on the Liard River, half the river gravel is -composed of quartz and the whole oountry is full of quartz veins, some of which are likely to yield valuable minerals. By Honorable Mr. Mclnnes : Q Is it gold bearing quartz ? A. Yes, because we find gold in the bars though not so far as I have observed in the loose quartz. In fact the whole country at the headwaters of the liard and running across to the Yukon, forms part of the metal- liferous belt which runs from Mexico to Alaska and includes a great area of that country whioh v as likely to bo rich in minerals as any portion of that metalliferous belt. We should remember that in British Columbia and on the headwaters of the Yukon we have from 1,200 to 1,300 miles of that metalliferous belt of the west coast. This is almost precisely the same length of that belt contained in the United States, and I think there is every reason to believe that eventually it will b3 found suscep- tible of an equal development from a mining point of view. From circumstances to which I need not refer now, it has so far been more developed in the United States than on this side of the line. By the Chairman : Q. What is the average width of that bolt of twelve or thirteen hundred miles ? A. About 400 miles on an average. Fort Selkirk or the ruins of Fort Selkirk at the mouth of the Lewis River, which is one of the main branches of the Yukon, is about 1,000 miles due north of Victoria, without taking into account 10° degrees of longi- tude which it is west, but it gives an idea of the depth of the country whioh is worth remarking. You find a country here 1,000 miles north of Victoria, or the 49th parallel, in which there is no doubt you can still grow barley and hardy cereals, 222 >« distance as nearly as possible identical with the 'whole width of the ; United States- en the Pacific coast from the 49th parallel to Mexico, yet at Fort Selkirk we are *till 750 or 8u0 miles from the Arctic Ocean — nearly twice as far from the Arctic, Ocean as we are here in Ottawa from James' Bay. Q. Yon have stated the auriferous area in British .. Columbia to be 1,300 miles in length and its width, say 400 miles. That would make a square area of .520,000' miles. Is that what the Committee are to understand ? A. I WQuldprefer to say the metalliferous region rather than auriferous area because that might give a wrong impression. Q. Is that a rough estimate— 520,000 square miles? A. That will express, the 'area of the metalliferous belt in a general way and may be taken as a minimum figure. This Yukon country was first prospected in 1880 by miners who came across by this <3hilkoot ! Pass. Since then a yearly increasing number ot miners has been going in. In 1887, this 1 last summer, there were about 250 men, nearly )00 of whom are winter- ing at Forty-Mile Creek, near the international boundary. Mr. Ogilvie is near the same place with the object of fixing approximately the point at which the bound- ary crosses this river. The gold which was taken out of that country last summer, not counting the Cassiar country to the south, but merely the Yukon district.was estimated by those miners at 870,000, but that is a very rough estimate indeed, be- cause there is no way of checking it exoept by allowing so much per man on the average. There is an almost unprecedented length of river bars from which gold is obtained in that country. I have not tried to estimate it, but ! here and there on nearly all those rivers gold is found in paying quantities. The gold bearing river bars must be reckoned in the aggregate by thousands of miles in length. Q. All those rivers, meaning the Yukon and its branches and the Liard and its branches ? A. Yes. Q. Can you tell us anything of the river that flows parallel to the Mackenzie that enters into the Mackenzie just at its estuary ? A. That is, the Peel Biver. All that I know ot it is contained in a, paper which was printed in 1845 in the Bojal ' Geographical Society's Proceedings by Mr. Isbester, then in the Hudson Bay Com- pany's employ. He describes it at some length. Q. 'The steamer "Wrigley " runs up that river to Fort Macpherson ; do you know if the upper part is auriferous ? It seems to rise near the sources of the Yukon?' A. I do not know. It has not been prospected. Mr. Isbester shows it in his map as rising from a number of small streams in the mountains. Beverting again to the question of climate : It is said that the Chinese, who are a very practical agricultural people, state the agricultural capability of a country. by the length of the day, counting the hours of sunlight. The greater length of the summer days largely explains the exuberance of the vegetation in those < noithern countries. I have a few notes here worth considering while we are dealing with the question of this northern country, particularly the Yukon, I looked up the circumstances of the northern provinces of Russia and I found, taking the Province of Bussia which seemed to compare most nearly with that shown on this map, both in its relation in Bussia to the Atlantic corresponding to the relation of this country with the Pacific and in , its latitude — that is the Province of Vologda. That Province has a total area of 155,498 square miles and it is chiefly drained to the north, like the country shown here. It lies between latitude 58 and 65. It is about 750 miles in greatest length and 300 miles greatest width. It is drained by the Dwina Biver chieflyi Its products are carried by this river to Archangel and exported thence in vessels by the White Sea in the same way that we hope this northern country of ours may be served by the- Mackenzie and the Arctic Sea. 'The mouth of the Dwina is in latitude 65°, only a little south of the latitude of the mouth of the Mackenzie. The climate of the two countries is very similar. The winters are severe and the ■ summers warm. There is no very heavy rainfall, such as we find near the western ooasts bordering on the- Atlantic, and on the Pacific. The exports from that Province of Vologda are oats, rye, barley, hemp, flax and pulse. The mineral products are salt, copper, iron and marble. Horses and cattle are reared ; and the skins of various wild animals, pitch 223 and turpentine are exported. This Province supports a population of 1,161,000 inhabitants. v By Honorable Mr. Macdonald (B.C.) : Q. Is that Province in Siberia ? A. No, it is in Bussia proper. Now we have areas to the north which may make several provinces like Vologda, and for the pur- poses of illustrating this point I have made a very rough caloulat>on here which as it is founded largely on suppositions, is perhaps scarcely worthy of being presented to the Committee, but may serve to give an idea. With reference to the agricultural area of Peace River I confine myself to a tract roughly marked on the map as to which I have some personal knowledge. Without going over what I have already written in reply to that question and which is largely embodied in a report published some years ago, I may gay that the area which is included within the red lines, being only the upper portion of the Peace Eiver country, is about 31,500 square miles. The proportion which I estimated as arable land is 23,500 miles. That would give 94,000 quarter-sections if it were sub-divided ; reckoning a family of five persons on each, that area would be capable of supporting a population of 470,000, or in round figures say 500,000. I do not think it would be at all beyond the mark (though I am speaking now from the reports of others, because I have not been further down the Peace River myself), to assume that there is another area at least equally great of arable land in the Mackenzie valley to the north of this. That will give another population of say 500,000. Now, if we take the headwaters of the Macken- zie and the Yukon west of the mountains, I think we will be well within the limits of probability if we say that we have there 30,000 square miles of that region which may be cultivated with advantage. This, on the same basis as before, would support a population of b'00,000 persons, or a total of say 1,500,000 persons in the Mackenzie valley, amd adjacent tracts to the north altogether of the Saskathewan watershed, and on the woet of the mountains, north of British Columbia. I think we might, without exaggeration, to include miners, fur traders, hunteis, lumbermen and those engaged in transport of trade, besides those in outlying fertile sections not included in this — double the total just arrived at. This will give us a population of 3,000,000" people in that part of the Dominion alone. As I am not personally familiar with the Lower Mackenzie region east of the mountains, I may have underestimated its value, but I may say that the conclusion I formed after examining the country west of the mountains was that that part of it and the north of latitude 60° is of greater economic value than all the remaining northern portion of the continent in the same latitudes. By Honorable Mr. Melnnes (B.C) : Q. That is in the Yukon district? A. All west of the Rocky Mountains and north of British Columbia. If you compare the east with the west the difference becomes very marked. The latitude of Fort Selkirk, which is at the mouth of the Lewis River is that of Hudson's Straits. At Fort Selkirk you have a beautiful coun- try, though in winter it is, no doubt, very cold. You find there plenty of timber, the spruce attaining a diameter of two feet or more and being tall and straight. You find grassy hill sides and vegetation very much like that of regions much far- ther south. At Hudson's Straits, on the contrary, you find barren rocks without a stick of timber and with the ice lying on the shores, in greater or less quantity all the year. In the west we have a valuable country far to the north. Even from a climatic point of view and without taking into account its mineral wealth. By the Chairman : Q. Can you .give us information as to any possible value the barren grounds may have in future. Bishop Clut told us a few days ago that he had heard a report of a gold mine being in some part of it. He said he had not seen the specimens and there- fore bad not heard enough to judge whether it was the case or not. I notice in the valuable geological map which you have published in the annual report of the Geolo- gical Survey for 1886, that you indicate geologically from the polar expeditions and other sources of information what you know of the rocks of the region. From that same source can you give any suggestion as to any possible use that country may be in the future. For instance the Coppermine River runs through what is described as 224 the barren grounds, and you state that not only is pure copper found there, bnt copper in various other conditions is found along that river. I think you mention in some place or other that there are mineral indications on Back's Great Fish River. In that country, taking into consideration the possibility of minerals, or any other sources of wealth, may the Dominion expect to find anything valuable ? A. Referr- ing to the Coppermine River particularly there is every reason to believe there is a repetition along that river and in its vicinity of those rocks which contain copper on Jjake Superior and which have proved so rich there. If there were any way of getting the copper out from that country, as there will no doubt eventually be, it could be examined and prospected and worked at once. At the present time it eeems to be beyond the reach of the prospector. The Hudson Bay Co. sent Hearne up there in the latter part of the last century to discover where the copper found in the hands of the natives come from, bat he could do nothing but report that he found -copper there. The sea to the north was ice-bound and he did not see his way to utilizing it so, so it has remained ever since. With respect to the barren grounds, I know nothiDg personally. I think we really know very little about them yet. It "would appear that the barren grounds have been generally characterized on the re- sult of a very few expeditions which have not gone over them at all extensively. Sir John Bichardson wrote of the barren grounds, but his experience was confined to the parts between the Coppermine Biver and Great Bear Lake which is a very small part. Hearne traversed more of the barren grounds then anyone else, but his book was published about the close of last century and he was not a scientific explorer. He travelled with the Indians in winter under circumstances of great hardship and starvation and I believe we have not got sufficient information yet about these " bar- ren grounds." He speaks of the abundance of fish in the rivers and lakes, and there is no doubt abundance of musk ox and reindeer there. What mineral discoveries may be made there, it is, of course, impossible to say. Q. Is it or is it not a fact that an immense distriot in the north-eastern portion of the continent, within the limits of our inquiry — that nearly half a million of square miles of country is, except along its watercourses, as utterly unknown as the interior of Africa ? A. Yes. That is really the case. We have only got Hearne's ramble — we cannot call it a survey — for it is evident that his map is very much like that of the sources of the Nile previous to the explorations of the last thirty years. To show the extent and value of the whaling industry in Behring Sea and in the Arctic Ocean to the north —entered through Behring Strait, which has always been •considered an open route to everybody — I may give the following figures : In 1880 there were 36 sailing crafts and four steamers. They produced 35,000 pounds of •whalebone, worth $850,000 ; 15,000 pounds of ivoiy, worth $9,000; 21,000 barrels of oil, worth $280,000— a total value of $1,139,000, an average of $28,475 per vessel -engaged. This is an extract from the United States tenth census. By Honorable Mr. Kavlbach : Q. These industries are chiefly carried on from San Francisco, are they not ? A. Almost entirely from San Francisco. By the Chairman ; Q We would like to have similar information regarding the whale and seal ^sheries of Hudson Bay, Fox Channel and the Gnlf of Boothia, as far west of that as they penetrate ? A. I have no personal experience of that region, but I might obtain the information. I may mention in connection with this region, as bearing on what I have already said respecting whaling stations for the coast near the Mac- kenzie, a fact probably known to the Committee, that there are several whaling stations in Cumberland Sound on Baffin's Bay, estalbished by United States and ■Scotch fishermen, for which there is no authorization. These gentlemen import what they please, and trade with the Esquimaux as they please. I dare say Dr. Bell may have stated to you that the New Bedford whalers are in the habit of going into Hudson Bay to Marble Island and elsewhere, and staying there all winter trading with the Esquimaux. I think the fact that they are competing with the Hudson Bay Company in trade, and that they are selling whiskey to the natives baa 225 been brought up in the House. While the Hudson Bay Company are obliged to pay duty on their importations into that district, these traders pay none, and our people are placed at a considerable disadvantage. Q. While whalers ani sealers from British Columbia are at a great disadvantage In Behring Sea in competing with the Americans, our neighbors come into Hudson Bay and not only catoh our whales and seals, but establish permanent places for "that purpose in our territory, and trade with the natives without paying duty on their imports ? A. Exactly. They have trading places in the Hudson Bay country, notwithstanding the restrictions attempted to be applied in the case of Behring Sea. In Hudson Bay we have a sea which is entirely enclosed by our own country, and the entrance to which is comparatively narrow, but Behrin«r Sea is entirely open, we may say, to the south. One opening is at least 65 miles in width, and it is not enclosed by the territory of any one oountry. By Honorable Mr. Kaulbach : Q. I suppose there is no place in Hudson Straits where the distance between the islands would be more than 20 miles at the outside ? A. Water less than 30 miles iu width must be traversed in order to ester the bay. Q. How wide is the entrance to Behring's Sea — about 800 miles, is it not ? A. It would be more than that across, but the widest opening between the islands is about 65 miles, and this is only one of a great number of openings among a fringe of small islands. A vessel might sail in there without sighting land unless it was a very clear day. The only contention that the Russians ever set up concerning Behring Sea, when they attempted to defend their ukase, was that they owned the land on both sides of the sea; but now that they have sold Alaska, the only possible) claim to sovereignty is gone. The Committee adjourned until to-morrow. Geological Survey, Ottawa, 11th May, 1888. Dear Dr. Schttltz, — Since my examination before your Committee on Macken- zie Basin, I have endeavored to obtain more information respecting the navigation of the Arctic between Behring Strait and mouth of Mackenzie. I have not been able to find much, but beg to enclose the accompanying memorandum on the subject. If you wish to incorporate in the printed report a small map showing the limit of the pack ice at different times in that region, I shall endeavor to have one made in the) office. Tours very truly, GEORGE M. DAWSON. Memorandum. — The position of the southern edge of the pack ice in summer, between Behring Strait and the mouth of the Mackenzie, appears to. be very vari- able, as a comparison of the accounts of different navigators show. Thefacts bearing on this subject are not so numerous as might be expected from the considerable' number of whalers frequenting the region, owing to the ciroumstance that theso vessels do not keep strict account of their position while cruising for whales. The general information given on this point in the U. S. Directory for Behring; Sea and the coast of Alaska, supplement No. 1, 1886, is as follows : — " The ice pack seldom moves more than a few miles off shore between Icy Cape and Point Barrow, and is likely to close in at any time ; a north east wind, though i6 blows directly along the shore, keeps the ice clear and allows the current to set up past Point Barrow. The heavy ice, when close in shore, stops the surface currenfe entirely and lowers the temperature to 36 deg. or less, so that a vessel working up. this shore may readily tell if the ice is on the point by watching the set of the current and the temperature of the water. If the ice is clear of the shore the current 226 "will be setting to the northward from one to three knots per hoar, with a tempera- ture of 40 deg." That at such times there is a wide extent of open water off this coast, is ren- dered mai.ifest from the incidental statement met with in the same publication, to the effect that the bark " James Allen " when some degrees east of Point Barrow, *' stood north during thick weather, under easy sail, 80 or 100 miles." The position of ice in Behring Sea in winter is best shown on map 81, U. S. Coast Survey Beport, 1880. In summer, on map accompanying Beport on the cruise ©fU. S. Eevenne Cutter " Corwin," 1881. G. M. DAWSON. Ottawa, Thursday, 26th April, 1888. The Committee met at 11 a.m. The following letters were read : — Ottawa, 24th April, 1888. Hon. Dr. Sohultz. Dear Sir, — While attending, on your kind invitation, the examination of ifjhief Factor Christie and Bishop Glut, I was mnch struck with their testimony as to the extent and value of economic resources even on our " barren grounds," especially as to the reindeer and, in scarcely less degree, the musk ox. In relation to this subject I was not in a position to give any evidence, but from Jong familiarity with the subject, from the talk and epistolary correspondence of friends (chief officers and partners of the Hudson Bay Company) for many years in active life in and about that region and the whole Hudson Bay system, I have a very strong opinion as to such value and further as to its availability. From one of these correspondents to myself, so lately as 1874, namely, the late Chief Factor James Anderson, (6) N. B., not the Chief F-aotor James Anderson, d«signated (a) in the Hudson Bay, Company's books, father of the Mr. Anderson examined before your Committee. I have the idea that the " Lapps " of northern Norway would find our " barren grounds," especially on the borders of the forests- and even of the sea, not only a fit, but to them in their comparatively greater diffi- culties of life, a better habitat. The enclosed slip of newspaper headed " In Far Lofoden " gives a fair view of Ae sea capital of these interesting (Icelandic) people. I have a letter from my friend Anderson— among those laid before the Committee — describing his visit via Stockholm and the Gulf of Bothnia to and at their mainland capital " Quickjock " in jLapland, some 70 miles inside the Artie circle, as he states. As we all know they domesticate reindeer or at least control and utilize them in their own peculiar nomadic way. As to the musk ox, I know of no reason why they may not be likewise. As to transport to our grounds there should be no difficulty. From Tromsoe (Northern Norway) to Fort Churchill is just a step across (easy sail). From Fort Churchill, inland, would with proper guardianship from the Government, with or •without the aid of the Hudson Bay Company, I think be quite practicable . I merely throw out the suggestion for you to use as you may think proper. Ever, with thanks, at your command in this matter, I am yours sincerely, M.MaoLEOD. 227 IN FAR LOFODEN. STRANGE BIGHTS IN REMOTE NORWAY— THE REAL LAPLANDER. Consul General Anderson recently wrote an acoount of a journey made by-him to Lofoden Islands in the far north of Norway. Proceeding northward, he said, we soon reached the object of our journey, the "Lofoden Isles, a close, continuous, moun- tainous group extending from the sea in a north-easterly direction until they reached the coast, about 150 miles north of the Arctic circle. As we approach the islands in the winter season the scene is a most animated one. Everywhere the small, open, yet wonderfully strong and steady boats of the fishermen are seen scudding along, with their small square sails bulged by a stiff breeze often miles from land, or, being at work, they lie tossing upon the waves like ducks, their crews of from two to eight men being. busy casting and drawing their hand lines, or planting or raising their trimmers and nets. .The most important town north of Throndhjen isTromsoe, a oity of about 6,000 inhabitants, situated on an island of the same name. Here we find a so-called Latin school, a teachers' seminary, an ethnographical museum of natural history. It is an important shipping port for the products of the Lofoden Islands and its chief exports are dried cod, salt herring, spawn (whioh is used as bait in the French and Spanish sardine fisheries), some skins, furs and train oil. Not far from the city is a camp of Lapps, or aborigines as they might be called, they being no doubt the descendants of the first race of people who bad inhabited the Scandinavian Peninsula, and who were driven into their present northern quarters by the Teutons, who gradually took possession of their country. There are at pres- ent about 18,000 Lapps in Norway, of which the greater number are fixed or settled, while about 2,000 still maintain nomadic life with their herds of reindeer. Locally there is a distinction made between the fixed or fishing Lapps and the nomadic, but there is noreal difference between them, save such as would unavoidably arise from ' their different modes of life. Originally they were one race and class, but as the reindeer constitutes the only wealth of the Lapp, and supplies his daily wants, the poor families were obliged to turn to fishing and fixed abodes, where they still live in all the squalor and primitiveness of their fathers, occupying dirt or turf huts, dressing in skins, cooking their food over open fires, and sleeping on furs or blankets. As a race they are not unlike our Indians, though they are smaller and even less intelligent ; but they are as great lovers of strong drink as our own redskins, and after a visit Of travellers to their camp, who buy the Lapp articles they offer for sale, the whole company of men, women and children are frequently Been drunk on the streets in Tromsoe. A great source of surprise to the traveller here is the comparative richness of the vegetation. On the journey from Throndhjen to Tromsoe we noticed the dwarfed trees and the absence of forests, while here, 70 degrees north latitude, far north of the line of Iceland and Central Alaska, we find bright, waving forests of well grown ash, birch and pine. Indeed, the luxuriance of the birch forests in the vicinity of Tromsoe is most remarkable. Other vegetation is also well developed, and as we stand on the borders of a small lake, from which the town of Tromsoe is supplied with water, looking over its surface with the woodlands on the opposite banks, the bright waters of the fjord seen through the openings, and the snow-capped cliffs and headlands in the background, we have a view which all the romantic beauties of Tyrol, Switzerland and Italy cannot surpass. Imagine it in summer, illuminated by the midnight sun 1 The following extract was sent by Warden Bedson, Stony Mountain, Man.: — " The skin of a half-breed buffalo, which is on exhibition at Geo. H. Eogers' fur store (Winnipeg), is an object of much interest to passers-by. The skin was taken from an animal raised by Warden Bedson, and is a very large one. The color of the 228 far is not as uniform in color as that of the thoroughbred buffalo, but it is of a finer texture. The skin is also finer grained than the skin of the thoroughbred, and farm- ers say that the half-breed skin, excepting in the matter of color, is a superior article." NOTES ON THE REGION OF ISLE A LA. CROSSE, BY L. F. LAFLECHE, BISHOP OF THREE RIVERS, P. Q. I lived at Fort Isle a la Crosse for two years and nine months, from the 8th Sep- tember, 1846 to the 5th June, 1849. During that time I traversed this region within a radius of thirty leagues, and following are my impressions which I retained : 1st. — The Territory :— This territory is in general sandy, low and marshy, and -covered with a great number of little lakes of which the largest are these: Isle a la Crosse, Des Oeufs, Du Boe of, and Du Serpent. It is furrowed by small riveru which communicate with the lakes. Most of these watercourses cannot be of any use for navigation if we except the English River, which is the great artery of all that region to Hudson Bay, Beaver River, one of its principal affluents, and the Uiver of Lake la Rouge. These watercourses are broken by numerous rapids and some falls of some elevation, and covered with ice for seven or eight months of the year. In the autumn of 1848 ice formed on Lake Isle a la Crosse the first of November, and did rot break tip until the 5th Jane following. The country is flat and without mountains : one sees nothing there but a few hills of slight elevatioD . The vegetation has a poor appearance and can offer no great advantages for the working of the forests. Autumn fires have devastated them considerably. The prin- cipal species of wood are the cypress which hardly attains a diameter of a foot and a half at the butt, the spruce, white and red, the "birch, the poplar and some fru»t trees of small importance, such as the small wild cherry, the saskatoon, which the savages use to improve their pemmican. The pine, the oak and other large forest trees are there entirely absent. I did not remark there nor did the Indians, any rich minerals such as are found in the basin of the Mackenzie River. 2nd— The Climate: — The territory of that region does not evidently offer any important advantage for agricultural work, but if it were naturally as fertile as that of Manitoba it would be impossible to cultivate the cereals there with success, be- cause of the rigor of its climate and the length of its winters, which last in the neighborhood of six months, and also untimely frosts which come to destroy the crops in the month of August and September. It was thus I lost my little field of potatoes in 1847 by a frost which oame on the 25th August. Notwithstanding all these obstacles we tried to ripen wheat there sometimes, and cultivated with some 6uccess barley and oats. Garden vegetables could also be tried there. The most certain wealth of that country will be found in the fur trade, which the Hudson Bay Company has always carried on with great profit to the present time, and the fish, the whitefish in particular, offer the most certain guarantee of support. The half-breeds and the Indians love to gather about the mission where they built a house, and cultivate a email field to assure to their families a living during their hunting expeditions. The greatest cold which I observed at Isle a la Crosse was 32 degrees below (Reaumer), 40 Fahrenheit. What renders the climate intolerable is above all the constant cold and the leDgth of the winter. Daring the three winters that I passed there the thermometer fell 25 degrees below zero (Reaumer) towards the beginning of December, and remained there until the commencement of February. This intense cold, lasting so long, becomes exceedingly tiresome. I have remarked that at the time of the greatest cold, when the thermometer fell to 32 degrees below {Reaumer) people ordinarily appeared at church with frostbites on their faces, indi- cating that at that temperature the skin of the human face resists frosts with difficulty. 229 Such are some of the recollections which remain with me concerning the territory- and the climate of that region, which I have not visited since 1849. I am unable to say anything concerning the country since I have been absent from it. I will be happy if I can be of any use to you. You will find a source of precious information in the journals kept by order of the Hudson Bay Company at the several trading posts in which are entered from day to day everything there which might be found, interesting to be transmitted for the history of the country. L. F., BISHOP OP THREE RIVERS. Three Rivers, 3rd April, 1888. Professor Maooun reappears and his examination is continued as follows : By the Chairman : 24th Question : — A. That is already indicated on maps which have been sub- mitted. 25th Question ; — A. A careful examination of the printed reports and others iu manuscript of the various travellers ft ho have passed across this — Franklin, Back, Anderson and Dease — lead me to believe that the following notes will be about an accurate description. The western part of the barren grounds along the Coppermine River is a country of small lakes and low hills, with a fringe of wood bordering the rivers or stream margins, and in some of the hollows. It seems that owing to the intensity of the frost, the rook is being rapidly decomposed, and this,, together with the shortness of the season of growth, prevents the vegetation making a good start. From Anderson's journal I infer the country is of the same character- along Back's Great Fish River. No wood except willows or dwarf birch seems to> have been seen on the greater part of this river, and dwarf birch and willow are constantly referred to in the narratives of Franklin and Back, showing that these shrubs, although only growing to the height of a foot or two, are the diminutive trees of that region. As we approach Hudson Bay, peaty soil gives place in many parts of the country to the bare rock, and by the shores of the bay this surface is more or less covered with a peaty stratum akin to that of the peat bogs of Ireland.. It will thus be seen that it is a very difficult matter to give a fixed line for the limit of timber and of the barren ground, as from all accounts the two are inextricably mixed up from latitude 60° to 67°. This is about the average line from east to west. Q. Does any portion of the barren grounds resemble the Laurentian country north of this city ? A. Yes, in this way : that the southern margin of the Laurentian region at Lake Athabasca consists of a series of rounded, glaciated hills, almost devoid of wood, with heavier timbered valleys between. Did fires traverse our Laurentian region for years in succession, these hill tops would be completely denuded of wood and shrubbery of all kinds, and were the atmosphere cold enough, we would then have the counterpart of the southern part of the barren grounds. Q. Is the geological character of the two countries similar ? A. Yes, very largely; but this question can be better answered by asking a geologist — for instance Dr. Dawson, who is well informed on the subject. Q. Is any portion of the vast region known as the barren grounds suitable for settlement ? A. No, not by white men. 26th Question : — A. Barley and potatoes have been grown at Fort Norman at the mouth of Great Bear Lake River, about lat. 65°, and even at Fort Yukon, on the Arctic circle, barley is a sure crop. These are not particular points noted for their good soil, but located solely for the fur trade. Five-sixths of the country is just as good as these points, and will in future produce as good crops. There is no point east of the Mackenzie suitable for agriculture. 27th Question : — A. As far north as lat. 62°, at Fort Simpson. Q. Is it a crop that can be depended upon every year ? A. I was informed by Chief Factor Hardisty, brother to Senator Hardisty, who had charge of the Macken- 230 :z\e River District for many years, that wheat was a sure crop at Port Simpson four times out of five, but that the country around Fort Liard, on the Liard River, was much superior to Fort Simpson for agricultural purposes. All kinds of garden produce succeed well; and melons, after being started 'in a hot bed, ripen well. 28th Question : —A. While at Fort Vermillion, on Peace River, in lat. 58° 24', I was informed by old Mr. Shaw, who had charge of that post for fifteen years, that Indian corn would ripen well every year there, and at Battle River' corn;; ripfcned three years in succession, and that frost never injured anything on this part of the river. The whole country at Fort Vermillion is a plain, not elevated at- its. highest point more than a hundred feet over the river, but the greater part of it is less than fifty feet. The soil is wonderfully like that of the second prairie steppe, in the prairie region, as the surface is composed of black loam, mixed apparently with limestone gravel. From Vermillion the Caribou Mountains are visible about forty miles off. These may have the effect of keeping off the cold winds from Great Slave Lake, and hence the country is permanently warm. Both days and nights have been warm down on this part of the river, whereas on the upper parts, where high banks are, the cold was even felt at. night in August. 29th Question : —A. The grain at Fort Vermillion was sown on the 8th and 20th of May, and was cut on the tith of August. Wheat growing among the barley and. by the fences was almost ripe August 12th, when I was there. At the Rooky Mountain Portage, where the Peace River issues from the Rocky Mountains, latitude 56°, we found a first rate garden with vegetables far advanced, July 21st; new potatoes, onions, and carrots were part of our bill of fare. That was in 1875. Five days later at St. John's vegetation even further advanced, and all kinds of garden stuff were in the greatest perfection. Nigger Dan's barley was coloring on the 26th July, and would be cut the first week in August. His potatoes were large, and enough for fourteen men were dug on the 2nd of August. I may mention that strawberries were fully ripe on the 6th July at Hudson Hope. At Dunyegan barley was almost fit to cut August 4th. Cabbage in the priest's garden were closing, and all his garden vegetables far advanced. At Battle River pease were getting ripe August 8th. At Vermillion potatoes were very large and many heads of barley con- tained sixty grains, others many more. I never saw such fine barley before. Barley sown on the 8th May and cut on 6th August— that is at latitude 58°24". At Red River they have no ploughs and the ground was broken up with a spade or hoe. The garden stuff was wonderfully luxuriant — pease, Windsor beans and pota- toes far advanced ; cucumbers started and raised in the open air, a very large crop, and a number of them ripe on the 14th August. At Fort Chippewyan Mission, two miles from the. fort, wheat, oats and barley, a good crop as regards grain. Windsor beans were ripe and pulled up on the 17th August. Wheat and barley were in stook the 26th August, and specimens of these which I brought to Ottawa are here on the table. Barley ripens at Fort Simpson, latitude 62°, every year between the 12th and the 20th of August. 30th Question :— A. Daniel Williams (Nigger Dan) furnished the following extracts from his note book : — 1872. Ice began to run in river, November 8th. River closed November 28th. First snow October 28th. 1873. April 23rd, ice moved out of river. Planted potatoes April 25th. First permanent snow November 2nd. River closed November 30th. 1874. River broke up 19th April. First geese came 21st April. Sowed barley and oats April 2Und. 231 River clear of upper ice May 3rd. ST. B. — Upper ice from above the Rooky Mountain Canon. Planted potatoes May 5th. Potatoes not injured by frost until 22nd September. Then snow fell, which covered them, but soon went off. Dag- over 100 bushels from one planting 1 . (This is possibly too large. — J. Mi) Ice commenced to ran in river 30th October. River closed 23rd November. Snowed all night 4th November. 1875. Ice broke up in river, 15th April. Warm rains from north-west; blue flies and rain, 18th February. Ice cleared out in front of Port, 16th April. Potatoes planted 8th, 9th, and 10th of May. Barley and oats sown 7th May. Snow all gone before the middle of April. This applies to both the river, vaK >ley and the level country above. Difference in level, 746 feet. The following extracts are from Sir Alexander Mackenzie's travels. He passed. the winters of 1792 and 1793 near Smoky River, and writes as follows : — " 7th November. The river began to run with ice yesterday, which we call the last of navigation! On the 2 2 ad the river was frozen across, and 1 remained so until the- last of April." Between the 16th November and the 2nd Deoember, when he broke his thermometer, the range at 8.30 a.m. was from 27° above to 16° below zero; at noon the range was from 29° above to 4° below ; and at 6 p.m. it was from 28° above to 7° below. "On the 5th January, in the morning, the weather was calm, clear and cold, the wind blew from the south-west, and in the afternoon it was thawing. I had already observed at the Athabasca that this wind never failed to bring us dear, mild weather, whereas when it blew from the opposite quarter it produced snow. Here it is much more perceptible, for if it blows hard from the south-west for four hoars a thaw is the consequence. To this cause may be attributed the scarcity of snow in this part of the world. At the ead of January very little snow is on the ground, bat about this time the cold became very severe and re- mained so to the 16th March, when the weather became mild, and by the 5th April all the snow was gone. On the 20th the gnats and mosquitoes came, and Mr. Mackay brought me a bunch of flowers of a pink color and a yellow button (anemone patens), enoircled with six leaves of a light purple. On the other side of the river which was still covered with ice, the plains were delightful — the trees were budding and many plants in blossom. The change in the appearance of the face of nature was as sudden as it was pleasing, for a few days only were passed away since the ground was covered with snow. On the 25th the river was cleared of the ibfr." 3 1st Question :— A. The snow passes off so easily that as soon as it is off the ground and: a few inches of the soil thawed, the ground is ready for seeding, because the soil is friable and the snow of little depth. 33rd Question :— A. The general charaoter is bright, sunshiny warm days, and in certain sections of the country cool nights. Should rain come towards the middle of August and the moon be pretty near the full, there is generally what is called a light summer frost in certain localities, owing to the radiation of heat caused by the absence of clouds. 34th Question :— A. Yes, on the upper part of Peace River, but I have no record of any on the lower part. 35th Question :— A. Never general, always local, and all reported frosts from the Saskatchewan and prairie regions are of the same charaoter and produced by exactly the same causes. 36th Question :— A. Yes; because the country will be better drained and hence will retain the heat. 37th Question:— A. As far as I am aware there are no summer rains. There are occasional showers, but apparently no rains of any consequence. 232 38th Question : — A. The character of September is almost identical with that of our very best Septembers here — a smoky atmosphere with occasional white frosts in the morning, bat generally a calm atmosphere. In October the frosts get more severe towards the last of the month ; about the 25th at Fort Ghippewyan ice begins to form and the rivers and lakes soon close. .'i9th Question : — A. It has in reality no effect whatever ; it does not -seem to have any injurious effect on any tree or shrub that we have in the country. 40th Question : — A. Having just completed an examination of the whole grasses of the Dominion, I am sate in stating that the grasses of the Mackenzie Biver valley and those of northern British Columbia are of the most nutritious character, and are actually the grasses best suited for pasturage of any known to stock men or farmers. The grasses referred to are those known as red top, and Kentucky blue grass, or scientifically, Poa Pratensis and Poa Seratina, Poa Tenniflora and Ceasia. These four species are well known to American stock men and are considered of the high- est value. They are the commonest of the grasses in our northern forest region' and along the foot hills of the Bocky Mountains. Three of these species are known in the eastern provinces. One of them is exclusively western and the greater part of the common pasturage of Ontario is altogether composed of Poa pretensis (Kentucky blue grass, or red top). 4lst Question:— A. It grows all through the Peace Biver valley, but was par- ticularly noticed on the plateau above Fort St. John in latitude 56. Here it was actually measured by myself and was found to attain a height of eight feet, while the weeds, such as the purple fire weed of the east (Epihbium Augustifoliuni) attained a height of seven feet. These are given in illustration of the wonderful luxuriance of the commoner plants on that high plateau. The vegetation throughout the whola Peace Biver valley is of the most luxuriant character, and it seems more like that of the tropics than a country drawing near the Arctic circle. 42nd Question : — A. Yes. I have noticed that cattle brouse on the buds and. lichens that grow on the forest trees of Ontario, and hence I infer that the lichens that grow on the trees and sometimes on exposed places in this northern country would be alike nutritious for cattle. 43rd Question : — A. A great part of the soil is, technically, what is called loos,. and is evidently an alluvium— a rich alluvial loam, that in many of the banks of creeks and rivers seemed to not change in character often for ovtr 10') feet. As re- gards the depth of soil on the Upper Peace Biver country and eastward to Lesser Slave Lake, the soil is of the very richest character and wonderfully productive, while on the Lower Peace Biver, down towards Fort Chippewyan, and where it comes in contact with the Laurentiau rocks, there are large quantities of sand in the soil, but the grain, as indicated in my reply to another question, is of the very finest quality. 44th Question : — A. It is difficult to answer that question with any degree of accuracy, for this reason : that the whole country seems covered with some kind of soil, though not all equally situated for the production of grain. I may explain, th© hollows, owing to the general levelness of the country, are marshy. The slopes facing south are dry and warm ; the slopes facing north are cool and necessarily moist. It will be seen then that owing to loeal cause the percentage of arable and. pasture lands would be very changeable and very variable, but this fact remains that were the country settled at least *J6 per cent, of the land would be grain producing. ^This character of the soil extends all the way down the Peace Biver and from all accounts northward on the west side oi the Slave Biver and the Mackenzie to at least latitude 62° and possibly as far north as latitude 65°. There are no accounts that there is any change at all — I am speaking now of the soil. 45th Question :— A. The winter climate is about as severe as in Manitoba. The effect of the cold is not so injurious to either vegetation or stock, because the country is lesB exposed to cold winds. Again, the spring, unlike that of Ottawa, is as regular almost as the rising and the setting of the sun, owing to the climate being unin- fluenced by any extraneous circumstances. About the fifteenth of April is the aver- age time of the opening of the spring flowers, and spring may be said to commence. 233 every year at the same time (from the 15th to the 20th), every year without excep- tion. Having a fixed spring, we know that we have a fixed summer. The warm weather continues and the heat increases on to the middle of August. Then there is a lowering ot the temperature, and if rain occurs, local frosts. There is a beautiful September, and the ice begins to form about the 25 th of October. That is the gen- eral picture of the whole year as far north as Fort Chippewyan. It is evident that as we go further north the spring opens later and the winter sets in earlier. The data given in answer to other questions will show this. Owing to the great length of day between latitude 56° and 65°, vegetation is influenced by the sun on an aver- age 18 hours out of the 24, and hence in this northern region at least two hours a day, on an average, more sunlight is given lor the promotion of vegetation, and therefore it is not unreasonable to expect a remarkable rapidity of growth, earlier- maturity and a superior quality of produoe. It seems to me that the coolness of the nights in June and early July has much to do with the wonderful productiveness of all kinds of vegetables that either grow wild in the country or are cultivated by man, and that the sweetness of the berries, and the enormous produce of the cereals are produced from the combined causes of this cool night and long sunshine. 46th Question : — A. I am not aware of any insect pest or any vegetable pest such as rust, &c. 47th Question : — A. There are records in the Meteorological Department at Toronto that have been taken at Danvegan, Fort Eae, Fort Simpson and other points in the Mackenzie River Basin, which are available, and would very likely be of great value. 48th Question : — A. Yes. Lac la Biche, on the height of land above Edmonton, is noted for the absence of frosts in autumn, and in this case is ascribed to the prox- imity of the lake. Isle a la Crosse post is affected exactly the same way. In 1875 potatoes were killed by a severe frost all through Manitoba on the 18th of August, yet on the 22nd September I found the potatoes still green at Isle a la Crosse in lat. 66. The only way I could account for this was the proximity to the lake. The following figures will show the dates of the opening of Peace Biver and the first ice drilt in the autumn for ten years: — Extract from the Hudson Bay Company's journal, Fort St. John, Peace Biver, for a series often years. Lat. 56-12' north, long. 120° west. Altitude above the sea, nearly 1,600 feet. Opening of River. First Ice Drift in River. 1866— April 19 - - - November 7 1867 do 21 do 3 or 8 1868 1869 1870 ' 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 49th Question :— A. The constant record of the Arctic travellers was that south or sooth-west winds always produced warm and clearing weather, while north and east winds brought down fog and snow, and the north-westerly winds cold weather. My own record of the winds in the autumn of 1872 and the summer of 1875 show that the west, south-west and south winds were the prevailing ones, and always pro- duced a most agreeable temperature in autumn, and very warm weather in summer. In winter a south wind will raise the temperature, so that we have records of thaws in January on Peace Biver, and rains in November at Fort Simpson, and even as far north as Fort Enterprise, Sir John Franklin records the remarkable rise in tempera- ture caused by this same wind at that northern point. 1-15 do 21 do 20 do 23 do 26 do 18 do 19 do 23 do 19 do 16 do 3 do 7 do 8 No record, November 10 do 8 do 4 Ootober 31 234 By the Chairman ; Q. What are the causes that produce these south-west winds you have just spoken of? A. Many causes have been given, bat to me it seems that the true cause is the Great American Desert, which has an extent of nearly 500,000 square miles in the central part of the United States. This elevated plateau has a very light rainfall, and during winter is very much exposed both to the direct rays of the sun and to the influence of either cold or warm winds. This seems to be the point where the tornadoes which cause such devastation in the United States originate. By examining Dove's charts it will be seen that the isothermal lines rise to the north in a constant upward curve east of the Rocky Mountains, and we find that they ascend exactly in the same way to the west of the Rocky Mountains. The causes seem to be these : According to Maury the rain winds that supply the sources of the Mississippi, and therefore those of the Saskatchewan and the Mackenzie Rivers are drawn from the South Pacific Ocean and come up on the west coast in the north-east trade winds. When they reach the coast of Lower California, owing to the great heat in the valley of the Colorado, instead of passing on to the north-east, they are drawn inwards and they curve upwards towards the north, so that when they reach our boundary they are drawn in to the west or north and are drawn up through our whole prairie country and pass over as a mantle of warm air into the Mackenzie Basin, and so on to the Arctic Sea. Other winds are drawn in from the Gulf of Mexico, and these seem to coalesce with those drawn from the Pacific, and they too pass into this interior region and through to the north. It will then be seen that we actually receive north of latitude 49 deg. the heat and moisture that are drawn away from the American Desert and warm air from both the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico, and that instead of the chinooks, as they are generally called, comiog through passages in the Rocky Mountains, they are the indrift of the north- east trade, which may be here called a monsoon, because the same conditions that operate in Asia to produce the monsoons are actually in operation in North America, and produce the result indicated above. Maury says that Port Yuma on the Lower Colorado has actually the hottest climate on the globe, and that the heated air paeses up over the Great Salt Lake deserts, and our ranchmen constantly report that these southwest winds found in. the region below Calgary have a wonderful effect upon the climate even in the depth of winter. On the other hand it has been asserted that these warm winds come from the Pacific Ocean through the various passes of the Northern Rocky Mountains. That this cannot be so is evident from the fact that the winds in winter that strike the coast of British Columbia after depositing their moisture have no perceptible effect in raising the temperature im- mediately west of the mountains, and if these winds do not raise the temperature immediately west of the mountains it is not reasonable to expect that they will raise the temperature of the region 200 miles further to the east, after passing over mountains over 10,000 feet high. It has been said that warm wind passes from the west through the Peace River Pass, and by that means heats up the plains immediately to the east. >I was in this region in the summer of 1815, and stood on Mount Selwyn in the Peace River Pass at an altitude of nearly 7,000 feet, and from this point could look to the east and to the west-eastward from the mountain summit. The whole country had the look of the middle of summer, while to the west the aspect of the region was that of coolness and early spring. The strawberries at Port McLeod, in latitude 55°, west of the mountains, were only in flower on the 6th July, yet on the eastern side' at Hudson's Bay Hope they were fully ripe at the same date. On this same mountain I wrote that if the warm winds came from the west why did they not heat up the west before passing to the east ? From that time to this that question has remained unanswered. To sum up : The sources of the warm winds are deflected winds of the Gulf of Mexico and the north-east trades of the Pacific. The American Desert gets heated even in winter owing to its exposed surface and produces the Chinooks of the winter months, and the mantle of warm air that covers our interior and far north in sum- mer. These winds are propagated from point to point by the surface becoming more 235 and more heated and on account of their inertia ; when once in motion they cannot be stopped until absorbed by coming in contact with other winds of a different tem- perature or density. 60th Question ; — Over every portion. 51st Question : — A. The only attempts at agriculture and stock raising that have been made have been in connection with Hudson Bay posts and the various missionary establishments throughout the region. Horses and cattle have been found to thrive well in every part of the region where they have been introduced and no complaints have ever been made of an injurious effect by the climate, and diseases of every kind seem to be altogether absent. 52nd Question : — A. Yes. Both horses and sheep and cattle, but they would have to be treated in winter in the same way as we treat our own cattle in Ontario. My reason for answering in this way is this : our barren grounds are exaotly analo- gous to the plateaus found in Norway and Sweden. On these plateaus the cattle and sheep are taken up and herded during the summer. In the winter they are brought down into the low country and wintered in the usual manner. Were any cattle or other animals herded on those northern plains in summer they would have to bo housed and fed during the long Arctic winter. It then resolves itself into a question of profit and loss. 53rd Question : — A. The cariboo, musk-ox and moose with a few wood buffalo and in certain parts a few elk. The cariboo (barren grounds) and musk ox are very numerous on the barren grounds ; both live on the margin of the forest in the win- ter but the cariboo retire much deeper into it than the musk ox. In summer both leave the forests as soon as the first hills are bare of snow and move constantly on until they reach the Arctic coast, in the meantime giving birth to their young, and in the early weeks of August they begin to retire from the coast and move towards the woods again, reaching them by the time that the hills are again covered with snow, and this seems to be their regular habit every year. The food of these animals is chiefly lichens and grasses of various species, the chief being the reindeer lichen and other species allied to it. Amongst those, however, that are very valu- able on account of the mucilage they contain, are the various Iceland mosses. Be- sides the lichen these animals eat the various grasses that are found throughout the country they traverse, but in winter their sole food is the lichens that hang from the stunted forest growth, where they have taken up their abode. The trees of the bai- ren grounds are precisely like those that are seen by any party or person who has climbed a mountain. Those at the summit of the mountain are completely covered with lichens and those on the borders of the barren grounds are exactly in the same state and therefore the food of the animals is hanging above the snow in winter. The wood buffalo at the present time is very limited in numbers. Fifteen years ago they were reported to be in considerable numbers, in the country between the Athabasca Eiver and the Peace Biver, but at the present all accounts confine them to a small region between Lake Athabasca and the Liard River in the neighborhood of the Salt Springs. Elk (wapiti) are still scarcer and are only to be found at the present time on the upper waters of the Athabasca. Babbits (hares) are in immense numbers in nearly all the forest region of the Mackenzie Eiver Basin, they often become so numerous that the young growth in the forest is literally destroyed by their eating off the bark and the wood of the young trees in the winter time. 5Hth Question :— The following abstract from Blodgett's Climatology will be of value in connection with tbe climate and productions of the Mackenzie River Basin : — " It has been sometimes claimed that the central continental areas originate the higher developments of both vegetable and animal life, or those which are most valuable in the economy of civilization, at least. The cereals, and the more valuable and varied fruits originate here ; and Central Asia, or rather the central areas of the great continent made up of the three in reality, has been regarded as the point of departure for the most of the cultivated grains and fruits, the races of domestic animals, the predominating races of men, and the germs of civilization and of letters. 1—15* 236 These represent the maximum activity of each, and it would certainly seem that climate is at the basis of this activity. The climates which represent the greatest curve of changes, both of a constant and of a non-periodic character, within certain limits of temperature, appear to be those most favorable to the activity of all vital forces, or to their activity in certain forces, and such forms as produce concentrated and lasting organisms. Such are the fruits and grains of the temperate and tran- sition zones, and especially of the arid and interior climates of the old world. The analogies of climate certainly show that these may be transplanted to our own interior, and the absence of any abundance of these in a natural s1 ate here, is not conclusive against such an adaptation." Another point I have noticed is that that part of Montana bordering on the Canadian boundary is elevated to an altitude of nearly 6,000 feet, From this point it slopes constantly towards the north, so that when we reach Lake Athabasca the altitude of the country is not much over 600 feet, and this fact taken into account will show that the difference of ten degrees of latitude is compensated for by the descent from 6,000 feet altitude to less than 1,000. Another point worthy of con- sideration is that our northern regions are not the home or the birthplace of the blizzards. It is a well established fact that the cold waves that are credited to the north actually originate to the south of the Canadian line, and are propagated north- ward and not southward, as it is generally supposed. JBlodgett states on page 307 of his Climatology that "a most important point with regard to these facts is that in no case is it apparent that these cold extremes come from the north, or are caused by north winds, or an inflection of the polar atmosphere southward. The views pre- viously suggested on this point that the cold in the lower latitudes in winter was produced mainly by continuously northerly winds blowing even perhaps from the- Arctic regions, appear not to be supported in any case. 57th Question :— A. Salmo Rossii, Eich. (or Boss's Arctic salmon), is found in immense numbers at the mouths of the rivers flowing into the Arctic Sea near Boothnia Felix or at Back's Great Fish Eiver. At one haul of a small seine 3,378 were obtained* They varied in size from two to fourteen pounds, and rather exceeded six: tons in weight. As an article of food this salmon was ranch relished by Eoss' men. Salmo Rearnii, Eich. (Coppermine Eiver salmon)— This trout or salmon has red flesh and is similar in flavor to that of the common salmon but more oily — fatter- They were in incredible numbers in the Coppermine near the Bloody Fall. General weight from four to seven pounds. Salmo Moodii, Eich. — Hood's trout seems to be the same as the sea trout of the Gulf of St. Lawrenee and Labrador, and is found in all the rivers east of the Macken- zie, both inland and at their mouths. General weight from two to eight pounds. Salmo Mackenzii, Eich., Inconnu — Tnis species is anadromous, like Eoss's and Hearne's salmon, and ascends the Mackenzie Eiver from the sea to Fort Smith on Slave Eiver. Its flesh is white and rather soft at Great Slave Lake, but near the sea it is firm and hard. It is just possible that its flesh may be red when in the sea like the sea trout of the Gaspe coast. General weight from five to fifteen pounds. Some have been taken at 40 pounds weight. This fish comes between a trout and a whitefish. Salmo signifir, Eich. (Back's Greyling), is a handsome fish taken in all the lakes and rivers of the Arctic regions. It is very gamesome and takes all kinds of baits It delights in clear water and is both an Arctic and mountain fish, as we took them in the Peace Eiver tributaries in the Eocky Mountains. Coregonus Albus (Whitefish) is truly the wealth of the northern Indians. From the great lakes to the Arctic Sea it abounds in all lakes of any size and in many rivers with clear water. Every person relishes it, and travellers and others can eat it as their staple food for months and not tire of it. Weight from two to eight pounds, though many have been taken twelve pounds in weight. From the accounts of Eichardson, whitefish and trout swarm in Great Bear Lake. He mentions that he caught in nets over 50,000 in 1825-26, and in eighteen months 3,500 trout were taken, none weighing less than two pounds and some 237 exceeding thirty. I may mention that the Great Lake trout is found in all the great lakes of the Arctic regions. 60th Question : — A. I am not acquainted with any part of the Mackenzie proper, but there is abundance of timber in the vicinity of Fort Chippewyan on Lake Atha- basca. There are as fine spruce in the Athabasca delta as are to be found in any part of the North-West. I have measured trees on the Bmbarass Eiver that were two feet and a half in diameter and were very tall. These trees could be cut and floated down to Fort Smith at the head of navigation without any difficulty. On the Peace Biver likewise, especially on islands, there are many large groves of spruee and poplar which attain extraordinary dimensions. 65th Question : — A. The Labrador tea plant extends all the way from Labrador to Alaska, and is one of the plants that is found on the extreme Arctic coast. It is widely spread in every part of the barren grounds and the sub Arctic forest. This is the food of the Arctic hare in winter. 70th Question : — A. The barren grounds and islands of the Arctic Sea are the breeding grounds and summer home of a dozen species of ducks, all our geese and swans, many of our waders, craaes and nearly all of the gulls and terns. From the accounts of travellers we learn that from the middle of April they keep moving northward and about the latter end of August they commence to move southward, and this is the invariable rule. 71st Question: — A. Geese and ducks, but especially the former. Indeed very far north it does not pay to shoot geese, as ammunition is too expensive. Many- geese, however, are procured at the various Hudson Bay Company's posts for winter food. They are generally in immense numbers in the autumn, and it is no unusual sight to see lakes almost covered by them in the month of September. 72nd Question : — A. Geese, swans and ducks with innumerable waders are in the greatest numbers during the month of September, and are to be found on all the northern waters at this time Ducks, however, owing to their peculiar food, prefer small ponds and marshes, while geese and swans feed chiefly on dry land or bogs, retiring to the water to rest. 73rd Question : —A. During the breeding season ducks of all kinds find their food in or around ponds and marshes, while geese feed upon berries, which grow in immense quantities on the barren grounds. The chief of these are crow berry (JEmpetrun migrum), squaw berry (Arctostaphy uvi-ursa), and the Arctic raspberry (BubusArcticus), and bake apple (Bubics Ohamcemmis) sometimes ^called " eye berry." The two former are not injured by frost, and remain on the bushes over winter, so that they serve for food at all times. 74th Question:— A. During various dates of April, according to locality. In August the coldest and about the end of the month leave the Arctic coast, and move south as the weather gets wintery. 75th Question : — A. The usual summer food such as the succulent stems and tender leaves of various species of grass, and water plants and larvae of insects. Geese, as usual, prefer berries. The spoon bill and pin tail breed far north in the barren grounds. The gadwell, millard and widgeons breed in the wooded distriot along the Mackenzie. The green winged teal breeds far north, while the blue winged teal breeds generally south of latitude 54°. % The canvas back, red head, ring neck and scamp duck breed from Lake Winni- pegoosis north to the Arctic Sea. The blue bills and baffle head breed in the wooded country chiefly. The swans breed between latitudes 60° and 68", and feed chiefly on aquatic plants, larvae of insects and frogs. The blue and white wavies breed in the barren grounds and feed chiefly on berries. The Canada lives in pairs and breed from the prairies to the Arctic coast. Brant breed on the coast of the Arctic Sea and their chief food is of marina origin, hut they also eat berries and grass. 233 FRUITS OF THE BARREN GROUNDS. Bubus Arcticus (Arctic raspberry), two varieties. Bubus Ghamcemous (bake apple, eye berry). Arctostaphylos Alpina (Alpine bear berry). Arctostaphylos uvi-ursa (bear berry, squaw berry). Fmpetrum nigrum (cloud berry). Vactinium uliginosum (blue berry). Bibes rubrum (red currant). Bibes Hudsonianum (black currant). Fragaria Yirgirdana (common strawberry). Fragaria vesea (wood strawberry). FRUITS SOUTH OF BARREN GROUNDS. Amelanchier almifolis (poire or Saskatoon berry). Prumus Virginianos (choke cherry). Vibrinum pandflorum (high bush cranberry). Vaccinium oxycoccus (low bush cranberry). Elwgnus argentea (silver berry). Vaccinium vitis idcea (often called cranberry). 83rd Question : — A. The chief iood of the Indians in the country drained by the Churchill is whitefish. Many of them have gardens and raise potatoes. Many other kinds of fish are easily obtained, and rabbits and various birds with beaver and occasional deer and bear make up the remainder. Birds are their chief depen- dence. In the Peace Biver regions moose and bear are the chief articles of diet, but fish are plentiful in some districts, as at Lesser Slave Lake and Lake Athabasca. The whitefish is the most esteemed. Beaver, rabbits and lynx are quite plentiful in many localities. As usual, birds are one of the chief articles of food. Moose and cariboo are the chief animals of the Mackenzie Biver, but whitefish and trout of various species are extremely abundant in Great Slave Lake. The whole Laurentian district north of Lake Athabasca is full of lakes which teem with the finest fish of the best quality. These can be taken at all seasons with lines or in nets. Cariboo is the chief animal food, but bear and musk ox are common, the latter particularly in the northern part. Birds, especially geese, are the staple in all the north in spring. 86th Question: — A. There are only two species of rabbit or hare, properly speaking, in the Mackenzie Biver Basin. The common American hare (Lepus Ameri- cana) and the Arctio hare (Lepus glacialis). The first named is common in all the forest country from New Brunswick to the mouth of the Mackenzie Biver in lat. 68- deg. This little animal constitutes the chief food of the Hare Indians on the Mac* kenzie. The bark of the willow is its chief winter food, but it destroys whole groves of Jack pine QPinus Murrayana) when it is plentiful and willows are scarce. The Arctic hare may be called the barren ground hare, as it is never found in the wooded country but in all the barren grounds both in Labrador and the islands of the Arctic Sea. Its chief food is the bark of dwarf willows and the evergreen leaves of the Labrador tea plant. It varies in weight from 7 to 14 pounds and is much superior to the American hare as an article of diet. By the Chairman : Q. What is the best way to get a correct knowledge of the value of the Macken- zie Biver Basin ? A. To get a correct knowledge of the economic value of any country we must get a clear knowledge of its natural productions — I mean the various forms of vegetation on its surface and the various animals that feed on those productions. When we get those clearly ia our mind we will see at once what the* country is good for. It was by my knowledge of botany that I was enabled to say 239 clearly and distinctly seventeen years ago that the Peace River country and im- mense stretches of the prairie country were suitable for agriculture. Had I not had that knowledge I could not have made these statements. Had we a clear knowledge of the botanical productions of the various sections of that region, I could sit at this table and tell you exactly whether this tract or that one was suited for agriculture or not, simply on account of this, that every section of the world produces forms of vegetation suited to the climatic conditions. If certain climatic conditions exist in certain districts of the country, that is a proof that we have a climate suited for cereals, and as the Bishop well put it in his evidence this morning, the climate first, afterwards the soil. An investigation is absolutely necessary in order to decide these two points : henoe it is by a knowledge of the natural products of the country that we are to know its value. Q. Have you put in your evidence a list of the animals and plants of the region ? A. I have, but not a complete one of the plants; for this reason, there would be a number of hundreds that would scarcely bear on the question. Q. Have you put in a list of the fi rest trees ? A. Yes. Q. And a list of the fruits? A. Yes ; and I have mentioned particularly some of the grasses, and shown that these grasses are of the very highest importance. The Poa pratensis is the best pasture grass. It is called the Kentucky blue grass, because it was of such great importance in old times in Kentucky, and it is found a valuable grass still. Five-sixths of the grass in this country is the same: nine- tentbs of our old pastures are the same grass, and then again all the old slashes or brnles are covered with it. When it grows on high ground our farmers call it red top or June grss*. By Honorable Mr. Merner: Q. Is it the same grass that we have in Ontario? A, Yes; the only difference is that it grows on more moist ground and appears to be of greater economio value. This grass is considered not merely in this country and in the United States, but in Europe, one of the most valuable grasses known. It is both native in this country and introduced. I could give you a list of one hundred grasses that grow on the> Peace Eiver and the Athabasca. By the Chairman : Q. Will you give us the extreme northern limit of those grasses ? A. The diffi- culty is this, as I said in answer to your first question, we have very little knowledge) beyond what I have got myself from personal observation and what Sir John Bichard- son got, sixty years ago, before I was born ; so I feel, standing before you to-day, the absolute necessity of a better knowledge of the productions of our immense regions. I can give you a list of all the grasses that have been found there. I have traced them to the top of the mountains and throughout a great extent of the prairie and forest regions, but beyond Athabasca Lake I have never been. Q, The reason why we are solicitous about that question is this : we have to make our report in due time to the Senate, and the Senate will expect us to make some reference to the pastoral area of the country we are investigating? A. I have answered that by showing the valuable area on the map. Q. What reasons can you give us, climatic or other, for this luxuriant vegeta- tion ? A. For years it has been known that the vegetation around Lake Superior is lar more luxuriant than the vegetation to the east. Species growing in the woods bere for instance may attain a height of three feet; there they are almost tropical in their appearance, they grow so luxuriant and so tall, and the question has been asked r " Why ? " Here the atmosphere is comparatively dry and instoad of a constant growth and a constant development of the parts at the very warmest time, the growth ceases. On the other hand, at Lake Superior, the coldness of the night seems to vivify the plants, and prepare them for another rush in the daytime. Pre- cisely similar conditions exist in the Mackenzie Biver district. For eighteen hours a day or more, the sun pours down in that country, and the few short hours of the night certainly are comparatively cool ; and it seems as if the vegetation was re- invigorated, and when morning comes again it goes on with another start, so that 240 the three months of growth in the Peaee Eiver region are three months of a rash. Yon see there is moisture enough, there is heat euough, and, I believe there is cool- ness enough — that naturally the coolness of the region is strengthening to the vege- tation. So that we have the condition on that upper plateau of the most luxuriant growth, and the most remarkable productiveness. I am speaking now from a scien- tific standpoint and not from any guess, and 1 am prepared to follow these remarks up in a more elaborate manner if necessary. You can see at once the reason for this wonderful growth : heat, moisture, a re-invigorating time at night — because I con- tend that vegetable life wants a cessation of warmth just as much as the human species. Q. We will just ask you a question there : You have stated that heat, light and warmth during the summer months are the conditions that cause this luxuriant, vegetation on the plateau of the Peace JRiver. I understand you to mean by that between the Peace Eiver and the Liard Eiver ? A. Yes. Q. flow far to the north do these conditions extend — that is, the warmth, the light and the moisture — during the three growing months of the summer? A. I cannot answer that question from personal observation, but I have given a written answer that covers the ground. Instead of reading that answer I shall give you a few details, and you will see the simplicity of the whole matter at once. For sixty years past it has been known that the section of country extending say from St. Paul north-westerly, right down the Mackenzie Valley has been noted for the curv- ing north of the summer isothermals. Now, many people say that the cause of the curving of the isothermals is the breezes from the Pacific Ocean. In my . answer I have shown that 1 wrote on the mountain top in the Peace Eiver pass that it was the duty of those breezes to warm up the western side of the mountains before they came across to the eastern side. They did not do so ; therefore I dropped the western breezes entirely out of my calculations. You will ask, therefore : " Where does the warm air come from ?" I have stated that, and the answer is given in other lines in my written evidence. I found on investigation that the rain winds •of the American interior — that is the rain winds which supply the Mississippi and Saskatchewan, and if you choose the Great Mackenzie Eiver, were drawn up by the sun down in the Southern Pacific ; that they floated up on the North-east Trades, and when the North-east Trade struck the coast of America south of Lower California, that the air was so hot that they -actually had no power to give out their moisture. The answer to this is given to-day : at San Diego in Southern California where rain does not fall for nine months, and sometimes not in a year. Then the Pacific winds and the Pacific moisture is constantly coming on that coast and the question is : " Where does it go ?" It goes eastward and northward, and as it passes in on the land, it warms up the whole region above the normal temperature. Blodget, the great authority on atmospheric cunents, states that at Fort Yuma, in the valley of the Colorado, there is actually the warmest climate, not alone in America but in the world, with an average temperature throughout the year of 73 degrees. What is the -cauee of the heat? it is the influx of the heated air from the south, loaded with moistni e. Following this up we find that the isothermal crosses precisely in the same way up over the Salt Lake Valley, and passing north enters into our country in the valley of the Kootenay ; and on the east side of the Eocky Mountains about the 114th meridian. From the boundary of British Columbia, this warm current passes up the Kootenay and the Similkameen, parsing up into the Cache Creek country, and then passing north-westerly it crosses the Fraser, and past Fort St. James, Tatia and Babine Lake, and enters into the country which Dr. Dawson told you yesterday contained sixty thousand square miles of land, with a climate suitable to the growing •of cereals. Then you see we have two currents of warm air — none of your little local matters, but two currents of warm air drawn inwards precisely in the same way that the high plateau of Asia actually draws the southeast trade on to it. We have the winds from the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific drawn northward on account of the American desert in exactly the same way as in Asia. The American desert to the south of us is the father of our grand country to the north, as it gives us both heat. 241 «rid moisture. It is the heating up of the wind in that desert that causes the spring in the Eocky Mountains and along the Pence Kiver Valley to be ahead of the spring in the region where we now are. The Peace Kiver in latitude 56 has its banks covered with anemones and other flowers to-day, while here, eight hundred miles to the south, they have not yet made their appearance. Q. Are we to infer from what you say that these winds prevail down as far aa the mouth of the Mackenzie River ? A. Yes ; because I have shown in my notes that when a current of air gets moving it cannot be stopped without a force greater than itself intervenes, which is a stream of air of a colder nature, and the two have to ha absorbed before the cold overcomes this constant rush of warm air, and it cannot be stopped ; consequently explorers have found that when those winds blow, they change the whole aspect of affairs in winter time. Instead of those little winds coming through thepassesof the mountains, I maintain that there is a rush of warn* air and moisture forced up from the Gulf of Mexico on the one hand and from South- ern California on the other which passes west of the mountains, one part to the country that Dr. Dawson speaks of," and the other part down the Mackenzie River, valley, and if you choose, out into the Arctic Ocean. Q. You have told us of the influence of this mellowing temperature of the Mac- kenzie Basin extending as far north as the mouth of the Mackenzie River ; will yoa define how far eastward these warm winds extend ? A. The map is not suited, bat I will give it to you on certain points. Many of the gentlemen who have ranches at the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains say : " We only have the Chinooks." Gentle- men living as far east as Moose Jaw, say : " It is not so, we have the Chinooks." I wrote twelve years ago that the Chinooks were not local, but that they were the warm winds I have described now. When it is known that the Chinooks have axt ameliorating influence as far east as Moose Jaw, 500 miles east of the Rocky Mountains it is as well to ask does it affect the country still further east. One of the gentlemen: before this Committee— Captain Craig— has told you that they have the Chinooks at Prince Albert, and I whispered to him, " if they pass to Prince Albert, are they not aiorth of that ? " I found potatoes still green at Isle a la Crosse, lat. 56°, on Septem- ber 22nd, 1875, and that same year the frost killed the potatoes in Manitoba on the 18th of August. Now, you may ask me why was there no frost on that higher plateau when it occurred in Manitoba? Water and warm air are my answers. I have shown in my notes that these so-called blizzards are from the American desert; that they actually come from the south and not from the north as we say, and that the Arctic winds that are being talked about by newspaper men are actually propa- gated from the south and west, and they appear to be north simply because the wiad is from above, and not our surface wind from the north. Q. Then you think that the latitude of Isle a la Crosse is within the limit ? A, I certainly think it is within the limit, and I do not stop even there, because I find that Sir John Richardson when living at Fort Enterprise, near the Arctic circle, latitude 65°, longitude about 115, thought they were there in 1819 when he recorded that on the l9th of November the south-west wind blew and it rained, and when the aouth-west wind blows in any part of our great interior, if it does not rain the moisture disappears and the snow disappears. And the grand south-west winds that {rod is sending on our country never vary, because they are in a fixed circuit, and no- outside circumstances vary them. Q> This is a very important communication we have received stating that the south-west wind is a wind of the Mackenzie Basin ? A. It is the indraft of winds of - the nature of monsoons. They are the winds drawn in from the Gulf of Mexico and from the Gulf of California, and the great American desert is the cause of their being; drawn in, and is literally the disperser of them to the north. Q. You have given us two eastern points, one Isle a la Crosse and the other us a fort built by Sir John Richardson. Gould you give us any intervening point for which there is any record of these warm winds ? A. I have mentioned in my^ notes that Sir Alexander Mackenzie, wintering at the Forks of the Peace and Ssmoky Rivers found that when the south-west wind blew in the winter it got warmer and 242 the enow never got deeper, and as early as the 15th of April the anemone was ia flower upon the whole land. I find from every record that from the 15th to the- 22nd of April in every year anemones are in fall bloom over the country. Q. Are they in bloom here now? A. No. My son was out yesterday and he could find no trace of them. I have shown in the notes that actually the spring comes from west to east at the rate of about 250 miles a day, and it io an absolute fact that from Winnipeg westward up to the Peace River District, the winter is pro- pagated in the same way, only it passes from east to west at the rate of about 250 miles a day. We know that spring is mentioned as having taken place in Winnipeg about a week ago, and we are having our spring commence here to-day. That shows that the spring is coming from west to east here, and I believe, as I said in my first answer, it is our duty to study the natural history and the meteorology of the country thoroughly, and then we will be able to give clear and distinct answers to plain questions. Q. You have told us about Bear Lake and Lac a la Crosse ; can you tell us any- thing of Great Slave Lake ? A. The difficulty about Great Slave Lake is that it is full of islands at the head of it, and the ice remains there very long in the spring, so that the head of Great Slave Lake may be said to freeze to a great Jepth in winter, and is unfavorable to the breaking up of the ice in the spring, and it remains there and has a chilling effect both on the lake and the surrounding country. 1 read the notes of Mr. Anderson's father on the upper region and find that alter they got outside the influence ot Great Slave Lake, it showed at once that the country had a better climate than down close to the lake owing to the ice re- maining there, as I said, until a late period in the spring. Q. The other end of the lake appears to be free of islands ? A. Yes, it is free of ice between the 25th May and the 5th June ; bat the east end, from all I can gather, is icetound late in June, and it does not break up from the agency of the wind but ibroueh the agency of the sun, and you know the difficulty in that case in getting rid of it. Q. Then we come down to the limit you mention, the Athabasca Lake. Can jcu tell us the effect of the warm winds on the climate there ? A. I could not answer that question. I do not know anything about the eastern end of the lake. Q. We are to understand i hen that there are climatic conditions favorable to the growth of the grasses suitable for a pastoral country, extending all along up the Mackenzie River to its mouth. Now, the other quality which you said was neces- sary was soil in which to produce those grasses. What is the character of the soil ? Can you draw a line roughly between the alluvial country and the rocky country there ? A. Yes, it is veiy simple. The hills beyond this river — the high hills — are •very nearly barren. Why ? Because they are composed of what is called Lauren- iian rock. Along the base of these rocks we find the rich valley of the Ottawa. Why is the valley of the Ottawa rich ? Beoause its soil is composed of the disintegra- tion of rocks of a different class altogether from the rock of the Laurentian hills — Jimestone and kindred rocks. Now, the Mackenzie valley and the whole of the xotthern prairie country has a soil that is largely composed of what is called allu- vium ; and as we pass northwards further down the Peace River to the Mackenzie,, the surface, from all I can gather from what I have read, is precisely the same character as the second prairie steppe, which is a surfaoe soil of black mould mixed with limestone gravel, and when you go deeper down there is more gravel and sand- In the sub-soil. Ten years ago it was said that all our prairie was gravel and sand. Why? Because the first explorers saw the badger holes the sub soil from which was gravel, and they said it was the natural soil of the country. Many people speak of the soil of the Mackenzie Rivor from just such cursory observations ; but the whole ■of the country from Edmonton north-westerly to the Arctic Ocean in the Mackenzie valley is underlaid by Devonian or cretaceous rock, and by the disintegration of thesfr rocks good soil is produced always. From everything I can gather, the whole region out to the Arctic coast west of the Mackenzie River has a good soil. Easterly we strike a land of barrenness naturally. 243 Q. The line of the Mackenzie is not exactly the line ? A. No. Our geologists know that there is a portion of the valley east of the river and up to the base of the Lanrentian rocks where the land seems to be good — I mean as regards the soil. Q. I would like to ask you what extent of that oouatry is practically unknown, its natural history and its flora ? A. I may say that in reality the north is unknown and — I speak iDferentially — as much now as it was sixty yearn ago. Too might ask: me why ? Because we are not awake in the matter ; because we are depending on the past, and doing little in the present. I stand before you to-day talking about what I saw 17 years ago in the Peace Eiver country, and I may just say that going down one river and up another river is never going to show what is in the country.. "We must learn what is in the country in some other way. Then you may ask me how do you know the truth of what you have told us ? I answer you as I did Mr 4 Mackenzie ten years ago. He said : " Mr. Macoun, you have only been on certain lines in the prairie region, how can you stand before us and tell us that this North- West country is all good?" I said then as I say now about the climate, the charac- teristics of that region are general and not particular, that if, what you find in one place you will find 100 miks from it ; so that knowing a few points, we answer that all between are equally good. As the Bishop said in his evidence this morning, the country round Isle a la Crosse is nearly level. He gives you in about a dozen words the actual characteristics of the country, because I have been there and have seen it myself. The Chairman — Notwithstanding all the efforts that this Committee may make, the interior of that country will never be really known to Canada until scientific men especially sent there for that purpose have explored it thoroughly. I say this from the fact that it came incidentally under our notice last session, before a committee of a similar character to this that a great amount of the information that was given us might almost all be found in a very excellent work of His Grace Archbishop Tache. That distinguished prelate had in his earlier years made extensive mission- ary trips not only throughout the diocese that he now presides over, but over the whole country of the North- West and, being of an acute and observant mind, he- recorded matters that he saw, never thinking at the time of their importance, but which afterwards has been one of the greatest contributions to our natural history, our botany and our general knowledge of the North- West. His footsteps have been followed by the Rev. Father Petitot, whose map in this book, I have no hesitation in saying, is a better map than any of the Government maps on our walls, and whose- information, from the little knowledge I have of the French language, I consider is- of the greatest value. So that it is quite true, as the Professor says, and I hope the sub-committee who is appointed to draft our report to the Senate may recommend to that body the advisability of following the footsteps of Bishop Tache and JRev„ Father Petitot and others, in sending into that country, for the purpose of exploring it, a class of explorers who have done so much for the southern region, and which. has made the name of Professor Macoun known over Canada an 1 the entire American continent, and perhaps wherever the English language is spoken. Professor Macoun —Before referring to the agricultural products, with your permission, I will read my answer to the 56th question. It is chiefly an extract, but I want to show that the extract has greater force than any of us seem to think* (Witness here read extract.) That was written by Blodget over forty years ago, and to-day that statement is true in regard to Central Canada — that part of Canada lying to the west and north of Winnipeg which has been proved to the world that the wheat of our North- West is superior to anything raised elsewhere. Why ? The answer is in my hand. The men on those plains are the men of the future. Why ? The men raised on these plains are the men who will be fearless, strong, and hardy. The Chairman — I would suggest that perhaps you are travelling out of the record. Professor Macoun — This is what I want to draw your attention to— that Central Asia was the home of the race. It is where we get ail our grains and fruits and men of any power : and we in Canada have got a plateau of the same character, and on 244 -that plateau perhaps after I am dead, but I trust before, we will be raising all manner of produce of the very highest quality and in immense abundance, because the pro- lific power becomes greater as wo pass towards the line of extinction. That is the law. That is where the cold becomes so great that it will not produce leaves or any- thing else, the plant aims to produce its kind. We will follow that up : speaking of fish, do we not know that all the valuable fish of the world belong to us, both in the ace and Slave Rivers, which flow into it is the largest river in the Queen's Dominions and second only to tho Mississippi in the United States. It becomes a question how far it is consistent with the national honor and the glory of Her Majesty and the British Empire to» allow this magnificent stream to be navigated by only a tew barges when in the neighboring territory of the United States most inconsiderable streams are traversed by steamers. The Mackenzie is navigable for steamers for about 1,300 miles from its mouth, and the channels at its mouth have been correctly laid down on the Admiralty charts. It is suggested that application might be made to the Imperial Government to allow a vessel of the Pacific fleet to cruise as far as the north of Behring's Straits or Point Barrow and that from thence a gun boat or steam launch should be sent forward to mount the Mackenzie. The Government might then think fit to leave the gun boat or steam launch in the Mackenzie for the et courage men t of trade and private enterprise and the crew might return home through Canada. It is said that Mr. Gordon Bennett, of New York, has sent his vessel to explore the mouth of the Mackenzie and it seems a pity that British vessels should be wholly absent from that region. I have no expectation that any obstacle would be found in the way of a light draught steamer reaching the Mackenzie from Behring Straits, and I state this partly from personal inspection of the coast and also from the testimony of the natives. The American whalers trade with the Esquimaux on the confines of British territory if not within it, and the Esquimaux obtain from them contraband liquors. Amerioans appear also to be carrying on contraband trade from Alaska on British territory, but I do not know whether this includes liquor. I am, sir, your obedient servant, W. C. ATHABASCA, ( W. C. Bompab, D.D., Bishop of Athabasca.) The Secretary of the Governor of the North- West Territories, Battleford. 256 Answers from William James McLean, Chief Trader of the Hudson's Bay Company, Lower Fort Garry, Manitoba. 1st Question : — A. From the watershed of the Mackenzie River Basin at the height of land whence the Clearwater River takes its rise, down the aforesaid river to its confluence with the Athabasca River, thence down the Athabasca River to Lake Athabasca, and from there to Great Slave Lake down the Slave River, and on through that lake down the Mackenzie River to Fort Simpson, thence up the Liard River to Fort Liard, where I was stationed for ten years from 1863 to 1873. The Liard Biver, the east branch of which takes its rise near the base of the Rocky Mountains, west of the Peace River, is or near latitude 56° north, and the west branch in the Rocky Mountains in or near the 58° of north latitude and con- fluent in or near latitude 60° north, and in or near longitude 121° west, flows dne north and falls into the Mackenzie River at Fort Simpson in or near 64° north lati- tude. This river, though a considerable one, is augmented from the confluence of its oast and west branches by several other small rivers on the east and west, is not in- trinsically an easily navigated one, chiefly owing to its numerous sand bars which change their location frequently with the rise and fall of water, which like nearly all rivers flowing from the mountains, take place twice in nearly every navi- gable season, and will very much compare in this respect with the north branch of the Saskatchewan River. Eighteen miles above its confluence with the Mackenzie River there is a rapid of about three miles in length, where it runs through a deep •bed of limestone, and which would impede navigation during low water. The Mackenzie River.— On this river I cannot speak from personal knowledge from Fort Simpson downwards, but from Fort Simpson up to Great Slave Lake, a distance of about 150 miles, it is navigable for any reasonable sized craft. Before -entering Great Slave Lake there is a considerable rapid, and though navigable, requires considerable power to ascend it. Great Ulave Lake. — This lake, though navigable, in its length of about 125 miles from the head of the Mackenzie River to the mouth of the Slave River is incon- veniently wanting in harbors for any vessels of ordinary size. The Slave Biver. — The river from its outlet in Slave Lake to the rapids at Fort Smith, a distance of about 150 miles, is navigable for steamers of light draught, and from above the rapids to Athabasca Lake, a distance of about 80 miles, is also navi- gable for similar vessels. Lake Athabasca, from whence the Slave River flows to where the Athabasca River falls into it, is shallow, but deep enough to suit such vessels as can ply on the Slave and Athabasca Rivers. The navigation of the Athabasca River, from its out- let in Lake Athabasca to the confluence of the Clearwater River at Fort MoMurray, & distance of about 180 miles, is very much obstructed with sand bars. I cannot apeak with any authority of the Athabasca River above Fort McMurray. The Clearwater Biver. — This river which has its rise at the height of land or watershed of the Mackenzie River Basin on the east, in latitude 56° north in or near 109° west longitude, is but a small river, but in seasons of good water is navigable for a distance of about 50 miles from its confluence with the Athabasca or up to where it is obstructed with rapids and water falls, about 25 miles from the height of land, commonly known as Portage la Loche. 2nd Question : — A. Depth varies with the rise and fall of water. Of the velocity of the currents of these rivers I cannot say accurately. Suoh vessels as ply on the North Saskatchewan would be suitable for all the rivers mentioned, with the excep- tion of the Clearwater River, which would require smaller steamers. 3rd Question : — A. From Edmonton to the lower end of the rapids on the Atha- basca River below the Athabasca Landing, a distanoe of about 200 miles. It is to be feared, however, for many years to come, this would be out of the question on account of its expenses. 4th Question : — A. Vide No. 1. 5th Question : — A. I cannot speak with any authority on the lower part of the Mackenzie River, nor of the coast line along its outlets. 257 Latter part of 5th Question : — I think so, provided a ohannel of sufficient depth ■was found in any of its numerous outlets. 6th Question : — A. I cannot speak with authority of this part of the Athabasca, 7 th Question : — A.. Vide remarks on No. 1. 8th Question :— A. Vide remarks on No. 1. 9th Question :— A. Vide remarks on No. 1. 10th Question : —A. I cannot give any information regarding the Peace River, never having travelled on it. 1 1th Question : — A. I cannot speak from any knowledge of my own or from information gathered from others concerning these rivers. 12th Question : — A. Vide remarks on No. I. 13th Question : — A. I cannot speak with any knowledge of the mines and tim- ber in the vieinity of this lake. Fish is reported scarce of late years. 1 know of no other products which are available. 1 4th Question : — A. Of the mines and timber in the vicinity of this lake I know nothing. Fish is plentiful. 15th Question : — A. The same remarks apply here as to No. 14. 16th Question : — A. I do not know of any. 17th Question : —A. I cannot speak of the depth of water at the mouth of the Mackenzie Kiver, but believe that sea-going steamers would ascend its whole length, from 1st of July to 1st of October. 18th Question. I have never seen the Hudson Bay Company's steamers plying; on the rivers but believe they are somewhat similar to those on the Saskatchewan. They have been built since I left there. 19th Question : — A. No. 20th Question : — A. I cannot say. 21st Question : — A. Cannot give this, no record having been kept during my stay in thoee parte. 22nd Question : — A. Cannot give any positive information regarding this at the different points mentioned as it varies, but at Fort Liard where I was stationed during the winter seasons the average would be about four feet. 23rd Question : — A. I cannot think of anything which the Committee has over- looked. 24th Question : — A. I know of no portion of the country I have travelled and referred to in No. 1, of series A, that is alluvial ; the country generally speaking is interspersed with swamps and muskegs. Portions of the soil along the Clearwater Biver are sandy and rocky and the Athabasca is somewhat similar. The Slave River is also sandy and rocky in the vicinity of the portages at Fort Smith. Along the Mackenzie the soil is light, and the same may be said of the Liard with little excep- tion. 25th Question : — A. I cannot speak of the nature of these regions as I have never been there. 26th Question ; — A. Potatoes and barley have been grown as far north as Fort Simpson to my knowledge, but do not think that such has been the case with any success further north. 27th Question : — A. I do not believe that wheat has been grown with any suc- cess north of the Peace Eiver. 28th Question : —A. Cannot say. I tried it at Fort Liard, but with poor success. 29th Question : — A. At Fort Liard I planted potatoes and barley generally about the 10th May, and reaped barley about the 20th August, and potatoes were fife for use about that time, but were generally taken out of the ground about the 20tk September. 30th Question : — About the 25th May at Fort Liard, and 10th June at Fort Simpson. Cannot state the season at any other points, not having had an opportunity to observe. 31st Question :— A. About ten days. 258 32nd Question : — A. Barley, as stated in No. 29. Potatoes, as stated in No. 29. Turnips, as stated in No. 29. Indian corn did not succeed. Strawberries, about the first week in July. Gooseberries, about the first of August. Other small fruit range from middle of July to the 10th August. 33rd Question : — A. Generally very hot with occasional thunder storms and rains. The nights are generally cold. 34th Question : — A. Occasionally. 35th Question : — A. Local. 36th Question : — A. Cannot say. 37th Question : — A. About the first of May. 38th Question : — A. Disagreeable generally. Snow falls in both months and lies on the ground as a role from the 10th October. 39th Question : — A. I cannot say. 40th Question ; — There is no comparison, the grasses in the north being very coarse, mostly comprised of swamp grass. 41st Question : — A. At Fort Liard, to my knowledge, and not there to any extent. 42nd Question : — A. I know of none. 43rd Question :— A. Vide No. 24. 44th Question : — A. Forts McMurray, Ghippewyan, Resolution, Simpson and Liard grow good barley. As to the pasturage area, I am unable to say, but believe there is very little. Suitable ground for growing cereals is, however, scarce. 45th Question : — A. Climate is severe in winter, cannot say its effects upon plants. Suoh plants as are found there are of a hardy species. 4Sth Question : — A. Cannot say that there are aDy but the mayfly and grub, which are troublesome during some seasons. 47th Question : — A. I have no records. At Liard the climate does not differ to any great extent to that of Manitoba. This probably arises from the effect of tho Chinook winds, which are only local. 48th Question :— A. Cannot say that they do. The Liard generally freezes about the middle of October and opens about the 8th May. The Mackenzie freezes about the 10th October and breaks up about the first of June. 49th Question :— A. There is no peculiarity about the winds, more than in any other part of the North- West. At Fort Liard the Chinook winds are frequently felt during the winter season. 50th Question :— A. Vide No. 49. 51st Question : — A. Crops have been grown on the portions mentioned with fair results. Stock raising has not been tried to my knowledge. I do not think it suit- able for that kind of farming. 52nd Question :— A. I cannot say positively, but do not think there are any. "2 53rd Question :— A. The two first named animals only find food there in the summer season, and they resort to the wooded country in winter. Cannot give a fair comparison of the musk ox, but think it will weigh from 300 to 400 pounds. Caribou weigh from 60 to 100. Cannot describe the habits of these animals beyond their migration—north in spring and south in autumn. Elk is to be found on the Athabasca and Hay JRivers. The latter flows from Slave Lake on the south. Moose as to be found in all the region mentioned but is becoming scarce of late years. Wood buffalo are to be found in small numbers on the Athabasca and regions west of it, to my knowledge as far west as Fort Liard. These animals weigh from 500 to 800 lbs. each, and their robes, as well as those of the caribou and musk ox, are of great use to the natives in affording them covering during the winter season. 54th Question :— A. Lynx : Cannot say as they fluctuate very much. Arctic fox, black fox and silver fox— Very scarce, and can only be caught with steel traps. .Breed once a year and are of the same family as the red and cross foxes. Cross fox 259 and red fox — The above applies here to habits, but not so scarce as the silver and black foxes. Fisher — Not found generally north of Slave Lake ; breed once a year and are scarce. Wolverine — To be found throughout the region referred to, and ia also scarce. Otter — The otter is to be found in nearly all these regions of the Mackenzie Eiver Basin, but very few in the northern portion. Beaver — This animal is to be found throughout the region mentioned, and affords food and raiment to the natives. Martin — Ditto. Mink — To be found, but scarce in the northern part of the country mentioned . Ermine and Musk rat — Ditto. Polar bear— To be found only on the coast. Grizzly — To be found on the Athabasca and west of the Eocky Mountains. Black — To be found all over the region mentioned as far north as the barren ground. Cinnamon bear — Ditto. 55th Question : — A. 1 have no opportunity of knowing this. . 57th Question : — A. Whitefish, jackfish or pike, dore, pickerel, methey or loohe, in all the waters mentioned. In addition to those mentioned there is also to be found'in the Mackenzie Eiver, salmon or unknown fish and bluefish. Size varies in the different lakes and rivers. The whitefish will compare with that of Lakes Winnipeg and Manitoba. The Mackenzie Eiver salmon will weigh from 15 to 25 pounds, even more, and is to be found also in Great Slave Lake and the Liard Eiver. The bluefish will weigh about 2 pounds each. Taken with nets, and from what I can learn are diminishing in number lately. 58th Question : — A. I have no knowledge as regards the question. 59th Question : — A. I cannot speak with authority on this paragraph. 60th Question : — A. Yes ; if it is possible to build them of spruce and birch. 61st Question : — A. I have none to give. 62nd Question : — A. Spruce, birch and tamarac are the only trees of any value in these regions. The size will compare favorably with such trees as are utilized for the manufacture of lumber in Manitoba. There is a large quantity on the Athabasca, Mackenzie and Liard Eivers. Cannot say as to the best outlet. 63rd Question : — A. Yes. Throughout the regions of the Mackenzie Eiver Basin. Quantity considerable in good seasons. Quality first class. 64th Question:— A. No. 65th Question : — A. All over the region mentioned and is used but very little. 66th Question : — A. Poor 67th Question : — A. Gold. On the Liard, cannot say to what extent exported. That route used by the Hudson Bay Company. Silver — I know of none. Copper — I know of none. Iron — I know of none. Sulphur — In the Clearwater Eiver ; cannot say to what extent. Salt — Below Fort Smith on the Salt Eiver ; in fair quantity. Petroleum — On the north of Great Slave Lake ; cannot say to what extent or value. Asphaltum — On the Athabasca Eiver. Cannot say in what quantities. Gypsum— I know of none. Alum — I know of none. Precious stones — I know of none. Coal — On the Athabasca and west branch of the Liard. Lignite— On the Athabasca and west branch of the Liard. Plumbago — I know of none. Lead— I know of none. 68th Question : — A. Not in a position to say with authority. 69th Question :— A. I have nothing more to give. " Note." Sorry I have none to send. 70th Question :— A. All kinds of ducks and grey geese hatch all over the region referred to, grey and white wavies, swans and cranes go in large numbers to hatch along the coast. Generally arrive about the beginning of May and leave about the beginning of October. Time of hatching in June. 71st Question : — A. Geese, ducks, swans, cranes and wavies are all valuable as an article of food, and are some years in considerable numbers. 72nd Question :— A . Yes ; in various places, chiefly around Lake Athabasca and Great Slave Lake. 73rd Question : — A. Boots of grasses and weeds, flies, &c. 74th Question : — A. I cannot say positively excepting at Liard where they arrived about the first week in May and left about the middle of October or earlier, according to the season. 260 75th Question :— A. Same as mentioned in No. 73, so far as I know. 76th Question :— A. Strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, blaeberries, cran- berries, yellowberries, mooseberries, crowberries, highbash cranberries and a few others of minor value. 77th Question : — A. Cannot say ; but should think so. 78th Question : — A. Cannot say, it not being tested to my knowledge. 7SHh Question :— A. By rail. Vide No. 3. 80th Question: — A. I am not in a position to state this with any accuracy. 81st Question : — I cannot say* Professor Maccxjn re-called and his examination continued. By Honorable Mr. Grirard : Q. Have you remarked any new kinds of ducka or geese or other birds that are not found in other parts of the Dominion, which are peculiar to that region ? A. They are all found in certain parts of the Dominion and of the United States at times. They go there to rest, but in the northern region they come to live. Q. Have you found any wild pigeons? A. I have not mentioned the wild pigeon in this list, because it has become so scarce now that it is of no value. Q. But it is found there ? A. Yes ; it is there, but not wdrth while mentioning. I did not enumerate all the birds of the region, but just those that are valuable for food. By Honorable Mr. Turner ; Q. Could you say that the wild pigeon is found there to a limited extent ? A. Yes ; and if you choose I will include twenty or thirty other birds that are considered of some value. Q. But you have headed this a list of food birds ? A. Yes. Q. Have you the ordinary blackbird there ? A. Yes. Indeed there are too many of them ; they are going to be a nuisance up there. Q, I suppose all the birds you have mentioned are migratory ? A. Those that ant throughout the whole region under one form or color or another. 11. Vulpes vulgaris, Fleming (red fox, silver fox, or black fox and cross fox) — Very common in the wooded or forest country. 12. Vulpes Lagopus, Linn, (arctic fox, white fox or blue fox) —Barren grounds and Arctic islands. 13. Crulo Luscus, Sabine (wolverine) — Chiefly in the forest region. 14. Mustela Pennanti, Erxl (fisher) — Forest region everywhere. 15. Mustela Americana, Turton (pine marten, sable)— In all the forest region. 16. Puterius vulgaris, Linn, (weasel) — North to Great Slave Lake. 17. Putorius ermineus, Linn, (ermine) — Common in the southern sections. 18. Putorius vison, Brisson (mink) — Common. 19. Mephitis Mephitica, Shaw, (skunk) -North to Great Slave Lake. 20. Taxidia Americana, Schreb (badger) — In the south-weetern part. 21. Lutra Canadensis, Turton (otter) — Common very far north. 22. Ursus Rorribilis, Ord (grizzly bear) — Rocky Mountain to lat. 57 deg. 23. Ursus Arctos, Rich, (barren ground bear) — Barren grounds. 24. Ursus Americanus, Pallas (black or cinnamon bear) — North to the limit of trees. 25. Thalassarctos maritimus, Linn (white bear) — Shores and islands of the Arctic Sea. Order— Pinnipedia, Whales and Seals. 26. Odobaenus rosmarus, Malm (walrus) — Hudson Bay and north-westerly. 27. Phoca vitulina, Linn . (fresh water seal) — Hudson Bay. 28. Phoca Fcetida, Fabr. (ringed seal) — All around the northern coast. 29. Phoca Groenlandica, Fabr. (harp seal)— Chiefly in Hudson Bay. SO. Erignathus barbatus, Fabr. (bearded seal) — Hudson Bay and Arctic Islands. 31. Cystophora crislata, Erxl. (hooded seal) — Hudson Bay and Arctic Ocean. Order Rodentia (Gnawers). 32. Neatoma cinerea, Baird (bushy-tailed rat) — Rooky mountains north to lat. 56 deg. 33. Hesperomys leacopus, Raf. (white-footed or deer mouse) north to the Arctic ocean. 34. Evotomys rutilus, Pallas (long-eared mouse) — Northward to the Arctic circle. 35. Arvicola borealis, Rich, (little northern meadow mouse) — Mackenzie River- Valley. 36. Arvicola Xanthognttthus, Leach (chestnut cheeked meadow mouse) Hudson's bay and westward. 37. Arvicola Noveboracensis, Rich, (sharp-nosed meadow mouse) — Rocky Moun- tains to lat. 55 deg. 38. Myodes obensis, Brants, (tawny Lemming) — Chiefly northward in the Mac- kenzie River Basin. 264 39. Cuniculus torquatus, Pallas (Hudson's Bay, Lemming) — Common along in the Arctic coast. 40. Zapus Hudsonius, Coues (jumping mouse) — Mackenzie River valley north to Fort Simpson. 41. Fiber Zibethicus, Linn, (muskrat) — North to the Arctic Ocean. 42. Lepus Arcticus, Leach (polar hare) — Barren grounds and Arctic islands. 43. Lepus Americanus, Erxl (common rabbit or hare) — Everywhere common in the forest country. 44. Brithizon dorsatus, Linn (Canada porcupine) — Prom Fort Churchill west- ward to Mackenzie River. 46. Erethizon epixanthus, Brandt (yellow-haired porcupine) — Rocky Mountains north to latitude 60 degrees. 46. Lagomys princeps, Rich, (little chief hare) — Rocky Mountains north to lat- itude 60 degrees. 47. Castor fiber, Linn (beaver)— Throughout the whole region to the northern limit of trees. 48. Sciuropterus volucella, Pallas (northern flying squirrel)— From Hudson Bay to the Great Slave Lake. 49. Sciurus Hudsonius, Pallas (red squirrel)— Common to the northern limit of trees. 50. Tamias Asiaticus, Gml. (northern chipmunk) — Northward to the Arctie circle. 51. Tamias lateralis, Say (Say's chipmunk) — Rocky Mountains to latitude 5T degrees. 52. SpermopMlus empetra, Pallas (Parry's spermophile) — Barren grounds and Rocky Mountains. 53. Arctomys monax, Linn (woodchuck)— Forest country to latitude 62 degrees,. Mackenzie Basin. 54. Arctomys caligatus, Bschsch (hoary marmot) — Rocky Mountains to the Arctic circle. ORDER INSECTIVORA (MOLBS AND SHEEWS). 55. Sorex Forsteri, Rich. (Forster's shrew) — Throughout the forest regions to the Arctic circle. 56. (Sorex sphagnicola, Coues (bog-shrew) — North to the Liard River. ORDER OETAOEA (WHALES). 1. Balcena mysticetus (bowhead whale)— Abundant west of Point Barrow and probably eastward. 2. Ilhmhianectes glaucus (California grey whale) — Scarce off Arctic Alaska. ' 3. Balcenoptera velifera (fin-back whale) — Scarce off Arctic Alaska. 4. Beluga catoden (white whale) — Common off Arctic Alaska. LIST OF THE FISHES KNOWN TO OCCUR IN THE MACKENZIE BASIN. SUBMITTED BY PROFESSOR MACOUN. 1. Perca Americana, Schrank (common perch)— Upper waters of the Churchill. 2. Stizostethium vitreum, J. & C. (wall-eyed pike, dore, pickerel). 3. Colhus cognatus, Rich. (Bear Lake bullhead)— Bear Lake and other large lakes. 4. Got hus polans, Sabine (Arotic bull head)— Gulf of Boothia. Many water-fowl feed on it. J 5. , Cothus hexacornis, Ifich. (six-horned bull-head)-Small rivers near the Copper- mine River. rr 6. Cyprinus Hudsonius, Grey (grey sucker)— Very common in nearly all rivers. 7. Cyprinus Forsterianus, Rich. (_red sucker)— Very abundant, extending far to the north. s 265 8- Cyprinus Sueurii, Eich (the picconou) — Pound with the two preceding species S*. Bsox lucius, Linn, (common pike, jackfish) — In all fresh waters to the Arctic Sea. 10. Salmo salar, Linn, (salmon) — Churchill Eivers and west coast of Hudson Bay. 11. Salmo Rossii, Eich. (Boss' Arctic salmon) — Eegent's Inlet and Boothia Felix. 12. Salmo Searnii, Eich. (Coppermine Eiver salmon) — Abundant at the mouth of the Coppermine Eiver. 13. Salmo alipes, Eich . (long-finned char) — Small rivers north-east of Back's Eiver. 14. Salmo nitidus, Eich. (the amalook) — Eivers near Prince Eegent's Inlet. 15. Salmo Soodii, Eich. (Hood's char) — Coppermine and other rivers. 16. Salmo fontinalis, Mitchell (brook trout) — Abundant in streams and lakes. 17. Salmo Namaycush, Pennant (lake trout)— Abundant in all large lakes and many rivers. 18. Salmo Mackenzii, Eich. (inconnu)— Abundant in the Mackenzie and Great Slave Lake. 19. Salmo villosus, Currier (capelin) — Very abundant at the mouth of Back's Great Fish Eiver on sandy shoals, in Bathurst Inlet . 20. Salmo signifer, Eich. (Back's greyling)— Arctic and mountain waters fre- quent. 21. Salmo thymalloides, Eich. (lesser greyling) — Waters around Bear Lake and Coppermine Eiver. 22. Coregonus alius, Eich. (whitefish) — Abundant in all lakes and many rivers, 23. Coregonus tullibee, Eich. (lesser whitefish) — "With the preceding, but not so common. 24. Coregonus quadrilateralis, Eich. (the round-fish) — Polar Sea and all rivers north of lat. 62°. 25. Cor egonus lucidus, Eich. (Bear Lake, herring, salmon) — Extremely abundant at Bear Lake. 26. Clupea harengus, Linn, (common herring) — Bathurst Inlet; may be dis- tinct from this speoies. 27. Gadus morrh.ua, Linn, (cod-fish)— Cod-fish were purchased from the Esqui- maux by Captain Sir James Boss that were caught on the west side of Boothia Peninsula. Larger fish were taken by the Esquimaux farther west in the autumn, near Cape Isabella. 28. Gadus Callarias, Linn, (the dorse)— This fish is taken west of Boothia Pen- insula. 29. Lota maculosa, Cuv. (methy or ling)— Common in the northern lakes and rivers. 30. Pleuronectes stellatus, Pallas (stellated flounder)— Arctic Sea, east of the Mackenzie Eiver. 31. Pleuronectes glacialis Pallas (?) (Arctic turbot)— Arctic Sea at Bathurst Inlet. 32. Hyodon chrysopsis, Eich. (moon-eye)— Said to be abundant in the Athabasca. There are doubtless many other species of fish in the multitude of lakes and rivers throughout this immense district, but our knowledge is so restricted that we cannot speak definitely of them. BIEDS BEEEDING IN THE MACKENZIE EIVEB BASIN, COMPILED BY PEOF. MACOUN. ORDER PYGOPODES. Colymbus holboellii, Beinh. (Hollboele's grebe). " auritus, Linn, (horned grebe); Brinator imber, Gunn (loon). 1-17 266 Brinator Adamsii, Gray (yellow billed loon). " paciflcus, Laur (Pacific loon) — Eeported as occurring in Great Slave Lake. Brinator lumme, Gunn (red throated loon) . \ ORDER LONGIPENNES. Of this large order only such speoies are mentioned as are known to breed in the interior. Those breeding on the coast only are omitted. Lotus argentatus Smithsonianus, Coues (American herring gull) . " Belawarensis, Ord. (ring billed gull). " Franklinii, Sw. & Rich. (Franklin's gull) . " Philadelphia, Ord. (Bonaparte's gull) . Sterna hirundo, Linn, (common tern). " paradisaea, Biumm (Arctic tern). Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis, Gmel. (black tern). ORDER STEGANOPODES. Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, Gmel. (pelican). ORDER ANSERES. Merganser senator, Linn, (red breasted merganser). " Americanus, Cass. (American merganser). Lophodytes cucullatus, Linn, (hooded merganser). Anas boschas, Linn, (mallard). " strepera, Linn, (gadwell). " Americana, Gmel. (baldpate widgeon). " Garolinensis, Gmel. (green winged teal). " discors, Linn, (blue wiDged teal) . Spatula clypeata, Linn, (shoveller). Dafila acuta, Linn, (pintail). Aythya Americana, Byt. (redhead). " vallisneria, Wils (canvas-back). ■' marila nearctica, Stejn. (scamp duck). " affinis, Eyt. (lesser scamp duck) . " collaris, Donor, (ring necked duck). Glancionetta clangula Americana, Bonap. (golden-eye.) " islandica, Gmel. (Barrow's golden-eye). Gharitonetta albeola, L. (buffalo-head). Clangula hyemalis, L. (old squaw, tong-tailed duck). Somateria dresseri, Sharpe (American eider). " spectabilis Linn, (king eider). Oidemia Americana, S. W. Eich. (American scoter) . " deglandi, Bonap. (white winged scoter). " perspicillata, Linn, (surf scoter). Erismatura rubida, Wils. (ruddy duck). Ghen caerulesceus (blue goose). " hyperborea nivalis, Foist, (greater enow goose). " Rosii, Baird (Boss' snow goose). Anser albifrons gambeli, Hartt (white fronted goose) . Branta canadensis, Linn. (Canada goose). " Butchinsii, S. W. Bich. (Hutchin's goose). " aernicula, Linn, (brant). " nigricans, Laws (?) (black brant). Olor Golumbianus, Ord. (whistling swan). " buccinator, Bich. (trumpeter swan) . 267 ORDER HERODIONES. Botaarus lentiginosus, Montag. (bittern). Ardce Eerodias, Linn (great blue heron) . ORDER PALUDICOLCB. Grus Americana, Linn (whooping crane), " Canadensis, Linn (little brown crane). Porzama Carolina, L., Soia (Carolina rail). Fulica Americana, Gmel. (American coot) . ORDER LIMICOAJD. Crymophilus fulicarius, Linn (red phalarope). Phalaropus Lobatus, Lynn (northern phalarope) . Becuvirrostra Americana, Gtn. (avocet). Gallinago delicata, Ord. (Wilson's snipe). Micropalama Mmantopus, Bonap. (stilt sandpiper). Tringa canuius, Linn. (knot). " maculata, Vieill (pectoral sandpiper). " fuscicollis, Vieill (white-rumped sandpiper). " Bairdii, Coues (Baird's sandpiper). " minutilla, Vieill (least sandpiper) . " Alpina pacifica, Coues (red-backed sandpiper). JSrennetes pusiltus, L. (semi-palmated sandpiper). Calidris arenaria, Linn . (scaderling) . Limosa fedoa, Linn, (marbled god-wit). " hcemastica, Linn. (Hadsonian god-wit). Totanus rnelaroleucus, Gmel. (greater yellow-legs) . " flavipes, Gmel. (yellow- legs). " solitanus, Wtls. ( solitary sandpiper). Tryngites subraUcollis, Vieill (buff-breasted sandpiper) . Actitus maculana, Linn, (spotted sandpiper). Numenius Mudsonicus, Lata. (Hudsonian curlew). Charadius squatarola, Linn, (black-bellied plover). frt^-" dominions, Mall, (golden plover). Strepsilas {Arenaria) interpres, Linn (turnstone). ORDER GALLING. Dendrapapus Canadensis, Linn. (Canada grouse). " Frank'inii, Uougl. (Franklin's grouse). Sonasa umbelus togato, L. (Canadian ruffled grouse) . Lagopus tagopus, Linn, (willow ptarmigan). " ruprestris, Linn . (rock ptarmigan) . Pedioccetes phasianellus, Linn . (sharp-tailed grouse) . ORDER COLITMBiE. Mctopistes migratorius, Linn, (passenger pigeon). ORDER RAPTORES. Circus Hudsonicus, Linn, (marsh hawk). Acciptter Cooperi, Bonap. (cooper's hawk). " atricnpillus, Wils. (goshawk) . Aquila Chryscetos, Linn, (golden eagle). Ralimius lencocephalus, Lynn (bald eagle). Falco islandius, Brehun (white gyrfaloon). 1— 17£ 268 Falco rusticolus gyrfalco, Linn . (gyrfalcon). " peregrinus anatum, Bonap. (duck hawk). " Columbarius, Linn, (pigeon hawk). " Michardsonii, Eidge (Richardson's merlin). " sparverius, Linn, (sparrow hawk). Pandion tolicetus Garolinensis, Gmel. (osprey). Asio accipitrinus, Pall, (short-eared owl). " Wilsonianum, Less, (long-eared owl). VMa cinerea, Gmel. (great grey owl). JSyctala tengmalnii Bichardsoni, Bonap. (Richardson's owl). Bubo Virginianus Arcticus, Swains (Arctic horned owl). Nyctea nyctea, Linn, (snowy owl). Surnia ulula caparoch, Mull, (hawk owl). ORDER OOCOTGES. Ceryle alcyon, Linn, (belted king-fisher). ORDER PICIj Dryobates villosus leucomelas. Bodd. (northern hairy woodpecker). " pubescens, Linn, (downy woodpecker). Picoides Arcticus, Swains (Arctic three-toed woodpecker) . " Americanus, Brehun (three-toed woodpecker). Geophloeus pileatus, Linn, (pileated woodpecker). Golaptes auratus, Linn, (flicker, high-holder). ORDER MACROOHVIES. Chordeilles Yirginianus, Gmel. (night hawk). Trochilus colubis, Linn, (ruby throated humming bird). ORDER PASSERER. Gontopus borealis, Swains (olive-sided fly-catcher). Empidonax flaviventris, Baird (yellow-bellied fly-catcher). " pusillus, Swains. (Little flycatcher). " " trailii, And. (Traill's fly-catcher). '• Minimus, Baird (least fly-catcher) . " Hammondi, Xanthus (Hammond's fly-catcher). Otocous alpestris, Linn, (horned lark). Perisoreus canadensis, Linn. (Canada jay.) Gorvus cor ax sinuatus, Wagh. (raven). " Americanus, And. (crow) . Agelaius phoeniceus, L. (red-winged blackbird). Scolecopphagus Carolinus, Mull, (rusty blackbird). Goccothranstes vespertina, Coop, (evening grosbeak). Pinicola enucteator, Linn, (pine grosbeak). Loxia lencoptera, Gmel. (white-winged cross-bill). Acanthis linaria, Linn, (red-poll). Spinus tristis, Linn, (gold finch). Spinuspinus, Wile, (pine finch). Plectrophenax nivalis, Linn, (snow bunting). Calcarius lapponicus, Linn, (Lapland longspur). " pictus, Swains. (Smith's longspur). Zonotrichia lecophrys, Forst. (white-crowned sparrow). " albicollis, Gmel. (white-throated sparrow). Spizella monticola, Gmel. (tree sparrow). " socialis, Wils. (chipping sparrow). Junee hyemalis, Linn, (snow-bird). Melotpiza fasciata, Gmel. (song sparrow). 269 Melospiza lincolni, And. (Lincoln's sparrow). " Georgiana, Lath, (swamp sparrow). Passerella iliaca, Mers. (fox sparrow). Petrochelidon lunifrous, Gray (cliff swallow). Ohelidon erythrog aster, Bodd. (barn swallow). Tachycineta bicolor, Vieill (white-bellied swallow). Clivicola riparia, Linn, (bank swallow). Ampelis cedrorum, Vieill (cedar bird) . Lanius borealis, Viell (northern shrike). Yiree olivaceus, Linn, (red-eyed vireo). " gilvus, Vieill (warbling vireo). Miniotilta varia, Linn, (black and white warbler). Helminthophila ruficapella, Wils. (Nashville warbler). " celeta, Gay (orange crowned warbler). " perggrina, Wils. (Tennessee warbler). Dendroica carulescens, Gmel. (black throated blue warbler). " coronata, Linn, (myrtle warbler). " maculorsa, Gmel. (magnolia warbler). Striata, Forst. (black pole warbler). " palmarun, Gmel. (palm warbler). Seiurun noveboracensis, Gmel. (water thrush). Sylvania pusilla, Wils. (Wilson's warbler). Setophaga ruticilla, Linn* (redstart). Anthus Pennsylvanicus, Lath, (pipit, titlark.) Sitta Canadensis, Linn, (red-breasted nuthatch). Pans Hudsonicus, Forst. (Hudson's ohicadee) . Eegulus satrapa, Licht (golden crowned licht. Golden crowned kniglet.) " calendula, Linn, (ruby-crowned kniglet.) Turdus ustulatus swainsonii pallasii, Cab. (olive-backed thrush) . Merula migratoria, Linn, (robin). ( Without doubt there are many birds which breed in this region that have not 'been included ia the above list. Only those species as to whose identity no reason- able doubt exists have been admitted. LIST OF TREES IN THE MACKENZIE ELVER BASIN. 1. Populus tremuloides, Michx; (aspen) —On dry soil throughout the whole region 2. Populus balsamifera, Linn, (balsam poplar) — Chiefly on islands in the valleys of the great rivers of the region. This tree attains a great size in the valley of the Peace, Liard and Mackenzie Rivers: 3. Pinus Bank&iana, Lambert (scrub pine)— Abundant on dry, sandy or rocky floil throughout the whole country, except the headwaters of the Athabasca and Peace Rivers, and extending north to the Arctic circle. This is the " red pine" spoken of by travellers. North of Carleton and in the valley of the Athabasca it is often found nearly two feet in diameter. 4. Pinus Murrayana (black or sugar pine)— Along the base of the Rocky Mountains at the head of the Peace and Athabasca Rivers and in northern British Columbia west of the mountains. Trees generally small. 5. Pina alba, Link, (white spruce)— This tree constitutes the bulk of the sub- arctic forest, and in the valleys of the rivers and other suitable localities attains a large size. This is the timber tree of the whole Mackenzie River Basin, both east and west of the Rocky Mountains. Picia nigra, Link (black spruce) — With the preceding but a much smaller tree* it is generally in oompany with larch or tamarack. 270 8. Abies balsamca, Miller (Canada balsam fir) — Mixed with black and white spruce in the sub-arctic forest. Of little value for timber. 9. Abies subalpina, Engelm t mountain balsam) — In theBocky mountains, and the more elevated foothills on the Athabasca and Peace Eivers. 10. Larix Americana, Michx. (tamarac)— Common in swamps and wet woods extending northward to near the Arctic circle. Timber seldom of any size. 11. Betula papyri f era, Michx. (canoe birch) — Generally abundant throughout the whole forest region, but seldom of large size owing to the demand for bark to make canoes. In the Mackenzie Biver Basin, the Indians and Half-breeds make large quantities of excellent syrup from the sap of this tree, but no sugar, as the syrup will not crystallize. Dwarf birch, alders and willows are common everywhere and cover marshy tracts to the south in the barren grounds ; they take the place of the spruce and. other trees, Moose and cariboo feed on their leaves ana twigs. Senate Committee Boom, Ottawa, 10th April, 1888. Sir,— I am requested by the Committee to ask your answers to the list of ques- tions sent you by this mail, and also to ask you whether you are willing to be orally examined upon them after they are read to the Committee. I have also to request that you will particularly furnish to the Committee information regarding the navi- gation of the sea coast adjacent to the mouths of the Mackenzie Biver, and more par- ticularly the sea coast westward to the Behring Straits. Also your opinion regard- ing the possible navigation by sea-going steamers passing through Behring Straits and through the Polar Sea to the mouths of the Mackenzie and up that river, giving all possible information regarding the sea animals and sea fish of that region, and your estimate of the possible trade accruing to Canada if the navigation of the Mac- kenzie is demonstrated for sea-going crafts and such navigation can be connected with Behring Straits. Your early answer to this communication will very much oblige. I am, sir, yours very truly, JOHN SCHTJLTZ, Chairman,. J, B. Hurlbert, Esq., LL.D., Ottawa, Ont. COMMUNICATION FEOM J. B. HTJBLBEET, M.D., LL.D. Mackenzie's Discovery of the Biver now Bearing his Name. Mackenzie's winter residence was at Fort Chippewyan, on the Athabasca Lake (latitude 5£|°, and longitude 111 west). He started on the 3rd June, 1189, in a bark canoe with five men and two squaws, wives of two of these Indians and a small canoe under the charge of a Chippewyan chief and his two wives. He reached Great Slave Lake on the 9th June. Here he was delayed from various causes for 20 days. On the 27th he commenced the descent of this noble river, which he says has a course unbroken by rapids or falls of nearly 800 miles. He advanced so rapidly that on the 10th July he arrived at an Eskimo encampment. On the 12th July he came to the Arctic Sea, of which the Indians knew nothing except that on it the Eski- mo killed large fish. The next day those large fishes, which proved to be whales, were seen disporting themselves, and Mackenzie ordered his canoe in pursuit. Having ventured beyond the islands he was overtaken in a storm and regained Whale Island with much difficulty; The tide was 18 inches. On the 16th July, 43 days after- leaving Fort Chippewyan, he commenced his homeward voyage, and on the 12tk 271 September reached his winter quarters at Fort Chippewyan, 101 days from his leav- ing. In 1825 Sir John Franklin went from Great Bear Lake down the Mackenzie .River and west to Eeturn Reef (lat 70° 43'; long. 152° 14' west.) Franklin expected to meet Captain Beechy in the " Blossom " at Point Barrow. Captain Beechy had entered Behring Straits, and by his boats had explored the coast considerably beyond "Icy Cape" of Captain Cook as far as Point Barrow (lat. 71° 38', long. 156° 15' west) 160 miles west of Eeturn Reef, but Franklin and Beechy did not meet. Franklin reaohed Beechy Point, (long. 150° west) and the " Blossom " reached ley Cape, and her boats one degree farther. On the first June, 1837, Thomas Simpson left Fort Chippewyan for Point Barrow, the most northerly part of North America, west of Mackenzie Biver (lat. 7a°, long. 156°) in two small sea boats and a small luggage boat. He reached the oeean ou the 9th July (lat. 68° 49£', long. 136° 37')- On the 27th July, Thomas Simpson reached "Boat Ex- treme " (lat. 71° 3', long. 154° 26') where he left his boats and undertook to com- plete the journey on foot, some 28 or 29 miles to Point Barrow. The party consisted of five men. He reached Point Barrow on the 3rd August, 1837, and started on his return the next day. The land along the coast from Mackenz e River to Point Barrow was low and the water only from one to three fathoms in depth. The tides, semi-diarnal, 15 inches, coming from the west, and the bottom sandy or rocky. To the east the tides were only 8 to 9 inches. They crossed many salt creeks towards Point Barrow and many rivers of good size. The natives were well provided with seal skins and whalebone. Many whales were seen and seals everywhere, sporting in the ice. Reindeer were numerous. When he came to the coast which trended to the west the sea was free from ice, and the Eskimo told Simpson that the sea was open all along to the west. To the north many icebergs were seen and numerous whales and seals, and the Eskimo were well clothed in seal and reindeer skins. High water was from one to two o'clock a.m. and p.m. Driftwood was found at the mouth of the large rivers and pitch at places on shore. After his return, Simpson makes these remarks : " The sea was clear and navigable by ships during the summer months ; the long, rollirig swell which we encountered on our return and the view obtained from the mountains furnished tolerable proof of this. Reindeer, Arctic foxes, one or two kinds, seals, white owls, snow bunting, grouse and various well known species of water fowl were noticed." In 1825, Dr. Richardson with Mr. Kendall and five or six seamen were sent to examine the coast between Mackenzie River aDd Copper- mine River. He reached the mouth of Coppermine Biver on the 8th August (lat. 67° 58', long. 115° 18' west). He found the tides at first not over 15 inches and further east 7 or 8 inches. The water along the shore was not more than two or three fathoms deep; the coast mostly low. He saw whales off the coast (lat. 71°, long. ]29°), and at Cape Bathurst white whales and some black ones of a large size. The beach here was bold. July 19th, a thunder ttorm occurred. He passed bitumi- nous shale cliffs on fire here as at other points of the coast. The air was hot from the burning shale and from it much alum had been formed. The interior seemed level, abounding in lakes ; the soil clay, and tufts of beautiful flox were scattered over the waste. The reindeer were numerous. The sea abounds in moluscsB and many black whales were again seen, also king ducks, eiders, snow birds, hawks and large moths. Many Eskimo huts were passed. The cliffs (lat. 70°, long. 125° west) were slate, clay and bituminous alum, — slate 600 feet high. We passed a river (lat. 70°, long. 125°) which we named " Wilmot Horton," filled with driftwood piled on the shores at its mouth, which seemed to prove that it flowed through a wooded country. July 26, 1826, bituminous shale again on fire. We found a nest of a snow bird with four young ones in it. The common killewake found in great numbers. Limestone oliffs eeen day after day. The country at Lake Lyon (lat. 70°, long. 121°) presents a surface varied by gently swelling eminences covered with a grassy sward. The rocks were clay, slate and limestone, in nearly horizontal strata. Killed a deer. Saw large logs of drift timber. Temperature 35° to 50° Farh. July 28th (lat. 69? 20', long. 120° 20'), the tides had never been more than 18 inches, but here and at another place the sea wrack and lines of drift timber indicated a washing of the sea 272 to the height of 20 feet, probably from the north-west winds driving into funnel shaped bays. Soil — clay and limestone gravel. Tide — seven inches in the morning, eleven in the evening. Killed a fat reindeer. August 2nd — Thermometer 34°, usually 40°. Eskimo storehouses made of wood were noticed. Limestone rocks. Dncks were seen the size of the northern diver. Many deer were also seen (lat. 68° 11', long. 114° 54'.) Thermometer 86° in the sun. 8th August — Beached the mouth of Copper Mine Biver (latitude 57° 58', Long. 115° 18') Dr. Bichardson remarks that if a steamer were to run here fire- wood could be got on this coast sufficient for her daily consumption, and near Bab- bage Biver, west of Mackenzie Biver, tertiary pitch coal exists of excellent quality in extensive beds. Dr. Bichardson found 170 phsenogamous plants, those having visible flowers. The cruces, bents (a wiry grass) and rushes constitute one-fifth of the whole number on the coast, and the grasses and bents cover more ground than all the rest of the vegetables. The cruciferous or crest-like tribe are one-seventh of the species, and the campana, bell like flowers, are nearly as numerous. The shrubby plants that reach the coast are the common juniper, two species of willow, dwarf birch (Jbetula glanduhsa) the common alder, the hippophae, the gooseberry, the red berry {arbutus uva ursi) Labrador tea, Lapland rose, (Rhododendron lapponieum,) the bog whirtleberry, a grey berry (campetrum negrum,~) the kidney leaved oxyria grows in great abundance. Alpine bistort and some other plants, also white spruce fir, black spruce and canoe birch in sheltered places. The appearance of whales on the northern coast nearly midway between the nearest passage in Behring and Bar- row Straits (lat. 74°, long. 80° 90') upwards of a thousand miles distance from either, affords, Dr. Bichardson says, subject for interesting speculation. Are there at all seasons large spaces of open water in the Arctic Seas, for whales must come to the surface to breathe, or do these animals travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific immediately on the breaking ui> of the ice off Cape Bathurst, (lat. 71°, long. 128°) and so early as the first of July ? We lost them as we approached Coppermine River, and met with more ice. These were Aretic whales and would not go into southern seas. Dr. Bichardson started to ascend Coppermine River on the 9th August, 1826, and reached Fort Franklin, Great Bear Lake, on the 1st of September, having travelled by sea and land 1,980 miles in 71 days. In ascending Coppermine Biver, Dr. Rich- ardson says, the first 40 miles were full of rapids flowing over uneven stony beds between precipitous rocks. The river is impracticable except for boats drawing a few inches, and tben must be oarried considerable distances. He took Col. Pasley's canvas boat tout soon left it. The temperature at sunset was 62°. He saw small herds of reindeer, passed stunted spruce fir, and encamped 11th August among small pines (in lat. 67° 33') ; saw many grey mormots. The corvus canadensis (whiskey jack) visited us . On the 13th we left Coppermine Biver to go direct for the north- east arm of Great Bear Lake. The rocks were old red sandstone, clay, slate and green stone. We passed scattered and thin clumps of pine ; saw wolves in the mountains. Temperature was 53° . Sand flies were troublesome. 14th August- saw partridges (lat. 67° 10') and met with wooded valleys. Saw much wood in the val- leys far to the west. Bog whirtle berries were found in abundance. From the height of land between Coppermine Biver and Great Bear Lake we had an extensive view of a lower and well wooded country. Walked fourteen miles that day. 16th August —Breakfasted in a convenient clump of wood and found a profusion of whirtle ber- ries. 17th August— Indians came laden with tongues, fat half dressed meat, and we killed two deer. There were pine trees in clumps on Dease Biver and the valley to the north was well wooded. We found whirtle berries of a finer flavor than before. 18th August— Passed over rising ground covered with white spruce. 19th August— Made a raft of dry wood Breakfasted on carp. 20th August.— Our nets yielded 17 pike, carp and Whitefisb. Bat the flesh of the musk ox, fat and juicy of a high musk flavor. 2 1st August— Our nets yielded 15 fish, enough for breakfast, and the Indians brought us meat and whirtle berries. The height of Great Bear Lake above the sea 273 is about 200 feet. Chippewyan and Great Slave Lake have some portions of the bottom below the sea. We sounded Great Slave Lake with 65 fathom line (390 feet) without reaching the bottom. The length is 150 geographical miles, and the breadth 120 miles: or 172 and 138 statute miles. Its waters are transparent and of a blueish color like the great lakes of the St. Lawrence ; its height above the Mackenzie- •at Fort Simpson is 150 feet. Dr. Richardson met with wooded valleys and had fish and meat of the deer every day, occasionally partridges and musk ox one day. The temperature was 53° and 62° in the evening at sun-down. I bave examined the narratives of all the explorers of the coasts of the Arctic Sea from Behring Straits to the Mississippi or Churchill Kiver, a distance of 3,000 or 4,000 miles, without following the sinuosities of the coast. Behring Straits. — Deschnew, a Russian, sailed through Behring Straits in 1648, 81 years before Behring. Behring's first voyage was in 1729 ; his second in 1740. 4t The Blossom," Captain Beechy, in 1837, sailed through Behring Straits. The Admi- ralty surveying party surveyed from the straits to 350 miles east of the Mackenzie River, As far as 70 miles from the mouth of Mackenzie River the depths of the Arotic Ocean are given in fathoms at 12 to 35 ; from 10 to 20 miles from the shore, at two and three quarters to 15. Hershel Island (longitude 139 degrees), from 30 to 59, and at 60 miles from the shore at 69 ; ten miles from the shore 4 to 6 ; at Return Reef from three to four and a half ; Beech Point (longitude 150 degrees) from one to four ; Cape Halkett (longitude 152 degrees), three and half, and abont the same to Behring Straits; Behring Straits, 22 co 55. The United States steamer " Rodgers " in 1881 (in latitude 73f degrees, longitude 172 degrees west), 560 miles north of Behring Straits, found a depth from 24 to 27 fathoms. Bast of Mackenzie River, along the coast, from 3 to 6 fathoms, and at 6 ) to 70 miles from the shore, 18 to 29 fathoms. I have not found a record of any sea-going vessel going up Mackenzie River, but that the Arctic Ocean is open for several months in the summer we may infer from the testimony of Arctic explorers. The American whalers made voyages every year to the Arctic Ocean, off Mackenzie River, a quarter of a century ago. Franklin and Simpson found a heavy swell from the north indicating an open sea. Dr. Richardson inferred there was an open sea, from the whales in great numbers being in the sea, as they must come constantly to the surface to breathe. Commander Maguire passed through Behring Straits to Point Barrow. Captain Collinson was 50 miles off Mackenzie River. Currents in the Arctic Ocean — Drift wood was found on the shores of Spitzbirgen thick as a mizen mast of a ship and 70 feet long. Some thrown up 16 to it! feet. During summer the prevailing currents north of Spitzbergen and along its shores are from the north or north-east. Sir Edward Parry attained latitude 82 degrees 45' andfonnd a southerly drift ; saw drift wood in great abundance on the northern shores of Iceland. lie thought it might come from the Obi or other large Russian rivers. In 1608 Henry Hudson, being north of the Goose Coast, was drifted north- ward. Dr. Kane says Mr. Morton's narrative, as to currents from the south-west, harmonizes with the observations of his party that the melted snow upon the rocks, the crowds of marine birds, the vegetable life and the rise of the thermometer in the water indicated a milder climate near the pole. " Miy it not be," he asks, " that the Gulf Stream traced to Nova Zambia (latitude 75 degrees) is deflected around the pole? " Mr. Morton found much grass beyond latitude 81. Commander Maguire in making his way northeast from Behring Straits to Point Barrow found his progress greatly aided by the current from Behring Straits. The current according to general testimony sets to the north. There is a strong current to the north in Behring Sea. The current sets eastward from Behring Sea to Coppermine River, say 2,000 miles. At 50 miles off Mackenzie River, Captain Collinson found the current so strong that with the boats going ahead he could not at timed prevent his ship from being turned around ; in Ballots Straits, McClintock had to contend with tides like a mill stream at the rate of seven miles an hour. The current from the west in the Golf of Boothnia was four miles an hour. From the direction of the currents in the Polar 274 Seas, Arctic navigators have inferred that the tropical streams passing north-east- wards along the coasts of Norway and through Behring Straits, continue around the Arctic Ocean until their motion is spent and that the sea nearer the pole is an open sea. The currents, too, coming from the north in many parts of the Arctic, are •warmer than the waters farther south. Barren Grounds. — We have on the North American continent forests, prairies, and barren grounds, each oi which has its peculiar physiognomical character. The forests extend from the Atlantio to the prairies. To the north and northeast of these woodlands are the barren grounds on the shores of Hudson Bay. These reach, says Sir John Richardson, from the 60th or 61st parallel to the extremity of the continent, but narrowing towards the north-westward. From the 92nd meridian its southern limit runs in a north-west direction to the 120th meridian at latitude 6T degrees to the northern shores of the Great Bear Lake. Further to the west the barren grounds form a border to the Arctic Sea of greater or less breadth, according to the northerly prolongation of the promontories. The southern limits throughout are nearly coincident with the Arctic circle, a little north of the isothermal of 63 for July, extending to Behring's Straits, but clumps of spruce-fir (the species Sir John Richardson says are doubtful), the usual outliers of the forests are found on the barren grounds, yet Sir John Richardson describes even these barren grounds as covered with a dense carpet of the cornecularis, tristis and many other plants, a dozen at least, to the shores of the ocean. There are stumps of trees solitary and grouped, the size not named, and clumps of living trees on sheltered banks of rivers. On the sea coast even there is a good growth of grasses, twelve varieties are named, such as elymue mollis, campacta and several poae, varieties of our June grasses and the Kentucky blue grass. Hearne in his two expeditions, 1769-70, to discover Cop- permine River, records fine weather from the 6th to the 9th November, and again in December 11th and 12th. He found deer plentiful ; swans, geese and partridges^ killed three musk oxen. He gives the following list of animals west of Hudson Bay in the barren grounds : — Foxes plentiful, of various colors which prey upon rabbits, mice and partridges; lynx, polar bear, black and grizzly bear, and wolverine as far north as Coppermine River. Otters plentiful to latitude 62, north of Churchill. Jackash, the lesser otter ; common marten, ermine or stole, muskrat, porcupine, hares, numerous to latitude 72. Hearne names rabbits in another place. Squirrel plentiful in wooded parts. Ground squirrels plentiful to latitude 71, and large as the American grey squirrel. Mice, frogs and insects in great plenty. In Hudson and Arctic Sea are walrus or sea horse ; the whole coast of the Hudson Bay being alive with them. Seal? more to the north, sea unicorns in the straits. Black whale, white whale and ealmon numerous, some seasons, and kepling, shell fish ; birds numerous. Eagles, several kinds, hawks of various sizes and plumage ; owls, white, grey and mottled,, raverjp, American crows. Woodpeckers, grouse, buffalo grouse, sharp tailed grouse, wood partridge, willow partridge, rock partridge, red breasted thrush, grosbeak snow bunting, lapland finch, larks, titmouse, Hudson Bay black cap, swallows and martens, whooping crarje, brown crane, bitterns, curlews to latitude 72, jacksnipes, red godwits, spotted godwits, sandpipers, plovers, hawk eye, sea pigeons, northern divers, black throated divers, white, grey and black gulls, black heads (gulls), peli- cans, goosanders, shell ducks, swans, geese (ten varieties) horned wavies, laughing geese, eider ducks, dunter goose and ducks of various kinds. Vegetables. — Gooseberries, cranberries, heath berries, currants, red and black, juniper berries, strawberries, eye berries, blueberries, partridge berries. Mosses, frasses of several kinds. Trees : pine, juniper, poplar, creeping birch, willow (dwarf) ; irch plentiful; pines, larch and poplar. Birch grow to great size further westward. Alder. Sir John Richardson says stumps of large trees are found and he saw large forests in the distance, but could not at that late season turn aside to examine them. The committee can judge from these statements whether the name " barren ground " is not a misnomer. It should at least be qualified. I know of no region of equal ex- tent in any part of the globe similarly situated which is suoh a land of desolation as that part of the Dominion has been represented. 275 I may give a few facts in reference to climates further west. The summer is long enough and warm enough at Fort Norman, latitude 65 degrees, to ripen barley. The summer temperature at Fort Yukon, latitude 67, is 59 deg., 7 min. That of London, England, being 61, only one degree and three minutes higher. But the July at Fort Yukon is 65 deg., 7 min. and that of London 62 deg., 4 min., three de- grees lower than Yukon. The mouth of the Mackenzie Eiver, latitude 68 degrees, 49 min., is only one deg. , 49 min. north of Yukon, and the summer of the shore of the Arctic Ocean is long enough for water fowl, as geese and ducks, which resort to it in enormous numbers, to pair, lay their eggs, hatch and allow the young time to feather sufficiently to fly south, which time could scarcely be less than five months. The summer at Fort Simpson, latitude 51-61, is 59 deg. and 5 min. In Captain Back's narrative of 1833 t© '35, in the barren grounds, in describing his discovery of Thlewee-choh, fish on Back's Biver, I find the statements that the laughing goose breeds on the coasts and islands of the Arctic Sea north of latitude 67 degrees (p. 505) ; that the snow goose breeds on the coast of the Arctic and on Mel- ville Peninsula, latitude 67 deg. to 70 deg. In going north in the spring it reaches the 54th parallel on the 15th of April, the 57th parallel on the 25th of April and the 64th on the 20th of May, and its breeding station, in latitude 69 deg. by the begin- ning of June, and breeds in the Peninsula of Melville (lat. 67 to 70) and Boothnia (lat. 71 to 72 degrees). It lays three or four eggs (p. 516). The Brent goose is found on Parry's Island (lat. 74-75) (p. 518), and the musk ox in lat. 81. Whales in the Arctic Sea. — White whales (delphinapterous calodin) — Arctic whales abound in .Behring and Okhotsk Seas and ascend Yukon Biver 700 miles. They are 16 ieet long and yield £0 to 100 gallons of oil, besides the more valuable head oil. Secondly, norwhals are abundant in the Arctic ocean ; they are from 10 to 14 feet long, have a black tuck 8 to 10 feet long. Third, Greenland and bowhead or polar whale are found from Nova Zembla to the east coast of Siberia. An ice whale also found in Okhotsk Sea. There are four kinds ; the first brown color, yields 200 barrels; the second black, 110; the third, 75; and the fourth, called poggy, 20 barrels. The bowhead are the most valuable of the whalebone whales, because it yields so large an amount of oil and whalebone; is more than 50 feet long. One caught, 45 feet long, yielded 60 barrels of oil and 1,050 lbs. of bone. The food of the bowhead is the floating animals called "right whale feed " or "brit," a winged pteropod mollusk flowing in great masses in the northern sea. Walrus are found in the Arctic north of Behring Straits as far north as ships have penetrated. One 12 feet 3 inches long, weight 2,250 lbs. The harp seal is an Arctic seal ; the winged seal almost exclusively Arctic. The hooded seal is also an Arctic seal, found in Melville Bay, most northern part of Baffins Bay. I have not found any record of salmon having been discovered either in the Arctic ocean or Mackenzie Biver unless the inconnu, the unknown fish, be a salmon. It has the habits of a salmon, resembles it in appearance, and descends the Mackenzie to the ocean. We know that the salmon is found in enormous numbers on the western shores of Hudson Bay, and in the rivers emptying into that bay. The Atlantic salmon too, ascend the St . Lawrence to the head of Lake Ontario and go up the rivers and small streams falling into that lake. Answers from Dr. Httblbert. 2nd Question : — A. I find from the aecounts of Mackenzie, Bichardson, Franklin, Simpson, &c, that the Mackenzie Eiver is navigable from Groat Slave Lake to the Arctic for large vessels more than 1,000 miles, and 1,200 to 1,300 from the rapids on Slave Biver. The Mackenzie, from Fort Simpson, is from two to three miles wide ; current three or four miles an hour. 3rd Question : — A. Have no personal knowledge of the tributaries of the Mack- enzie. A railway to connect Fort Simpson with the C. P. B. would give access to all the Mackenzie valley and to the Arctic Sea. 276 4th Question : — A. Sir J. Richardson gives the height of G-reat Bear Lake as 200 feet above the ocean ; the fall to Mackenzie River 150 feet ; its length 150 .geographical (172 statute) miles, and its breadth 120 geographical (or 139 statute) miles, He tried to fathom Great Slave Lake, but a line 65 fathoms did not reach bottom. Great Slave and Athabasca Lakes have some portions of their bottoms like the great lakes of the St. Lawrence, below the level of the ocean. Steamers of any size could navigate these three lakes. 5th Question : — A. The Arctic sea coast was thoroughly explored from Point Bar- row, and even from Behring Straits, to the mouth of Coppermine River by Franklin, Richardson, Simpson and others, a distance of 2,000 miles. The sea is shallow near the shore, two to three fathoms only. In my letter to the Committee I have given the depths from the Admiralty surveys. No harbors were found on all that coast. No definite information of the depth of water in the mouths of the Mackenzie River given in the explorers' reports ; but the western outlet is well spoken of. In my written communication I have given facts to show that the Arctic Sea is probably open (except near the coast) the whole or most of the year. No doubt steamers from the head of the Mackenzie River at Fort Simpson, to its mouth, would find open water long enough to allow them to descend to the ocean, fi3h for two or three months and return. Small steamers would be best. 12th Question : — A. Vessels of large size can navigate Mackenzie River from Fort Simpson to its mouth (800 miles). The river is deep and the fall for the 800 miles about 50 feet, without rapids or falls. 13th Question : — A. 190 miles long and 30 wide, very deep. The surface 500 feet above the sea ; some parts of the bottom below the level of the sea. Salt in great quantities which can be shovelled up ; also gypsum ; timber of good size on the south ; abounds in fish, white fish and trout. 14th Question : — A. Great Slave Lake is also very deep water, transparent, and of a bluish color, like the water in the lakes of the St. Lawrence, same kind of fish as in Lake Athabasca . 15th Question: — A. Great Bear Lake, 170 miles long, 140 broad, very deep, 200 feet above the sea level ; same kind of fish as in the Athabasca and Great Slave Lake and also a salmon — the inconnu. 17th Question : — A. Vessels of great siza can ascend the Mackenzie River from inside the mouths — of these I have no definite information — from June until October according to the explorers' accounts. 19th Question: — A. I have given in my written account all I can gather from the explorers. 20th Question: — A. Rivers: — The Mississippi or Churchill. The Doobout emptying into Chesterfield Inlet, and several smaller ones. Lakes : — Daer Lake, Wollaston, Doobout, and numerous smaller ones. Little is known of them. 2 1st Question: — A. Snow falls always light inland, in high latitudes; and not more than 3 feet in Mackenzie Valley. Rain, too, light in Mackenzie region, but heavier to the east and north-east of it. 22nd Question ; — A. Have never seen any definite information, and give no credit to the reports. 24th Question : — A. The barren grounds, if there are any west of Hudson Bay, extend from 60 or 61 degrees, north latitude, skirting the shores of that bay and the Arctic coast to Behring Straits, lying north of the isothermal of 63 degrees for July marked on the larger map. 25th Question: — A. See my description of them in the written report. 26th Question: — A. The polar limits of the potato are beyond those of barley in Scandinavia. Turnips go to even a higher latitude than the potato. Barley at 70 degrees, north latitude, in Lapland ; 67$ to 68 degrees in Northern Russia, and 68 degrees farther east. In the Mackenzie" Valley it ripens well at Port Norman, lati- tude 65 degrees, which is 400 miles north of the Orkneys and of Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, and 350 miles north of the capitals of Norway and Russia, It 277 ripens 5 degrees farther north than wheat. It will ripen in 90" days in these high latitudes. v 27th Question : — A. In Norway wheat ripens as high as latitude 64 degrees, and in Sweden at 62 degrees, it falls to a lower latitude to the east. Sir J. Eichardson says : "Wheat is grown with profit at 60^ degrees on Great Slave Lake, and Bishop Tache found it growing at latitude 62 degrees on the same lake. In the interior of the continents it will ripen in a summer temperature at 60 degrees with one month at 63 degrees. In England it ripens in a summer temperature of 60 degrees, and at Kasan in Russia (latitude 56) at 60 degree 9' ; on western coasts, as at Aberdeen, it ripens in a summer of 57 degees with one month at 58 degrees. A summer of 60 degrees to 62 degrees is the most favorable climate. 28th Question:— A. Indian corn. Sir J. Franklin found it at latitude 54 degrees on the Saskatchewan and Macoun on the Peace Eiver (latitude 56 degrees 12'). It will ripen in a summer of 65 degrees with one month at 67 degrees. It requires 7 months to ripen in its native climates, but has adapted itself to the shorter summers of the north, ripeniDg in toO days, but is exacting in requiring a high tem- perature — 65 degrees (Fahrenheit) at least. 29th Question: — A. Early in May, 15th to 20th in Peace Eiver. Indian corn later. 32nd Question :— A. Wheat, 100 days ; barley, 90 days; rye, 90 days; oats, 100 days; potatoes, 100 to 120 days; turnips, 100 days; Indian corn, 60 to 90 days ; strawberries early in June ; Gooseberries later ; raspberries in July ; brambles in August. 33rd Question : — A. High temperature. Fort Simpson, latitude 62 degrees nearly ; summer, 59J degrees ; July, 63 degrees. Lake Athabasca, July, 63 degrees* Peace Eiver (Fort Vermillion) summer, 65 degrees ; July, 67 degrees. Yukon (Fort) latitude 67 degrees, 59£ degrees ; July, 65 degrees 7 minutes. 36th Question : — A. The effect of cultivation, and especially of under-draining, will make these localities less liable to frosts. 38th Question : — A . Generally fair with frosty nights. 39th Question : — A. Upon plants, annuals, sown in spring, the frosts of winter can have no effect, but those frosts pulverize the soil and prepare it for the seed. 40th Question : — A . Through all the country east of the great lakes of the Mackenzie Eiver system, the grasses are like cur June grass and the blue grass of Kentucky (poa compressa) , The prairie grasses have a most tenacious hold of the soil until broken up, and are then incapable of reproduction, and therefore not adapted to cultivation. The region of the cultivated grasses is identical with that of the summer rains, roughly sketched in the temperate zones by the presence of forests, hence the vast areas of the Western States are unfavorable for pastures and meadows. The Dominion embraces the chief pasture and meadow lands of North America, and these, with their accompanying flocks and herds, are of more import- ance than wheat lands. 41st Question : — A. Not in what has been called the barren grounds, at least I have found no mention of it, but grows in all the regions west to low down the Mackenzie Valley. 44th Question : — A. The entire area is fit for pasturage, as the native grasses grow over the whole cotfntry, even to the shores of the Hudson Bay and Areti© Ocean, and down the Mackenzie to the sea. All the regions in the valleys of the Mackenzie and its tributaries are fit for the production of the hardier grains, with the usual exception of mountainous regions and rocky and low, damp soils ; but these are not large, the country being chiefly contained in the valleys of the great washes. 45th Question : — A. The climate is most favorable for the great staples of the temperate zone, not varying much from 60 to 67 degrees of Fahrenheit. The higher temperatures of the Western, Middle and South-Westem States are destructive of these food plants, or very unfavorable for them. Hence the greater pro- ductiveness of all the grains, grasses, &c, and root crops in the middle and higher temperate zones. Our North- West Territories lie in the regions of summer rains 278 and moderate summer temperatures, in contrast to the deficient rains or none at all, and the higher temperatures, in the agricultural months, in the Territories and •States to our south. 46th Question : — A. I have not found any record of such insects. 47th Question : — A. I have records of rain-fall and temperatures of many localities. 4bth Question : — A. Yes ; great. Of the North- West lakes I cannot speak from personal knowledge ; but of the effects of lakes and rivers in Ontario and Quebec, I re- • collect many instances -where the autumn frosts have been two and even three weeks earlier, inland, than near the lakes and rivers. In early summer, from the waters being still cool, they have not any visible effect. 49th Question : — A. The prevailing winds are south-west in summer except on the coasts of Hudson Bay and the Arctic. The Chinook wiods are also from some point near the south-west. These winds are of course the cause of a milder climate "towards the western coast. 51st Question: — A. Have given answers in other places to this question. 52nd Question : — A. In summer horned cattle and sheep would find very good pastures on the greater part of what is called the barren grounds. 53rd Question :— A. There are two kinds of cariboo or reindeer. Those in the 1 barren grounds are the smaller, and the smallest of all the deer tribe — musk ox also on the barren grounds. Moose and elk are the same, mostly in the Peace River country; formeily found in the wooded country, from the Atlantic to the Bocky Mountains, and in the moun- tains. The names of the other animals given in my written communication. 54th Question : — A. These are all found in the barren grounds. I need not refer to other localities, as those better qualified than I am have named them. 57th Question : — A. The chief fish are the whitefish, salmon trout, grey trout, sturgeon pike (the jack fish) perch, eels. 58th Question : — A. Captain Healy, of the cruiser " Corwin " (steamer) went in 1885, through the Behring Straits to the Arctic. He names a whaling fleet of 42 vessels. 33 went into the Arctic, 18 of these vessels were from New Bedford; they caught 122 bowhead and 23 right whales. San Francisco fleet caught 100 bowhead and 12 right whales — 257 in all, and one vessel not included. Of whales in the Arctic off the coast from Behring Straits to Coppermine River (longitude 115° W). There are named by Arctic explorers white and black whales, norwhal, greenland, bowhead (four kinds) ; seals, salmon in the Coppermine and Back or Great Fish River ; salmon also in great numbers on the west coast of Hud- son Bay. 59th Question : — A. Fort Simpson (latitude 60°) would seem the best starting point, and a railway to that would give easy access to all the Mackenzie valley, and to the Arctic fisheries . 60th Question : — A. Yes. 62nd Question : — A. The northern limit of forests in North America is near the isothermal of 63 for July, which would go nearly to the Arctic Sea north-west of Hudson Bay. Bast of the mountains on the watershed are spruce ; poplars (populous tremuloides) on the dry ground ; balsam poplar on damp lands, of great size on Peace, Athabasca and Mackenzie Rivers ; Banksian pine, two feet in diameter, on south shores of Hudson Bay ; pinus contorta from the head of the Athabasca through the mountains. 66th Question : — A. Having tasted the tea made from it, think it would never J>e used. 67th Question : — A. The localities of these minerals are marked in my geological map in the Physical Atlas. 70th Question :— Have given full answer to this question in my written communi- cation, 71st Question : — A. Geese. 72nd Question:— A. Yes; both going north and returning. Have given particu- lars in my written communication. 279 73rd Question : — A. Berries, grass, small fish, mollusks. 74th Question : — A. Have answered under 70. 76th Question : — A. Have answered this in my communication . 79th Question : — A. Impossible to get it to market until a railway is built. 82nd Question : — A. The Eskimo are all along the Arctic coast from Bohring Straits, long. 17°, to Fish Eiver, lat. 67° long. 94° ; over 76 degrees of longitude to the coast of Labrador, long. 37°, making their range in North America 133° of longi- tude, over more degrees of long, than any other race. 83rd Question : — A. Eeindeer, musk ox, walrus, seals, fish, wild fowl, and all land animals of the region in which they are. 86th Question : — A Hearne names rabbits and hares, the latter numerous to lat. 73 degrees. 88th Question: — A. Buffalo (wood), cariboo (two kinds), wapiti (Canadian stag), moose, antelope. It would be desirable and important to protect all these. 89th Question : — A. The same probably as in every port of North America during 260 years. 90th Question : — Their labor has never been of much value in civilized states. J. B. Hurlbert, called and examined. By the Chairman : Q. How do you account for the mild climate of the Mackenzie Biver country ? A. As the sun passes over the equatorial regions every day it warms the water of the ocean. Warm water expands, so to speak, being lighter than cold water ; rises to the surface, and necessarily flows north and south'. By Honorable Mr. Macdonald ; Q. Is it the cold water flowing towards the equator that drives the warm water out ? A. Yes ; being heavier it passes under the warm current. The water flows in a northerly direction, and by the motion of the earth is carried in a north-easterly direction. The cold currents as they work south come in contact with portions of the waters that are moving eastward more rapidly, and therefore they are pressed westward. Now the winds from the same cause blow from the south-west towards the north-east. The sun passing over the equatorial regions heats the air, and, in moving north, it necessarily goes from south-west to north east. Hence the winds of the temperate zone necessarily blow from the south-west towards the north-east, and the winds which we have coming from other directions are only undercurrents. The warm waters of the Pacific fall upon the western coast of America, and the winds moving in the same direction pass over the land heavily charged with vapor. As they come in contact with the mountains a good deal of that water is discharged, as on the western coast of Norway or on the gaunts in India, and there is a great fall of rain, and necessarily less immediately east of them. Of course the openings in the mountains would aid, but if there were no passes the wind must necessarily go over the mountains ; and hence, the winds from the Pacific warm the western coasts, while eastern coasts are chilled by cold currents and the cold winds of the east. In reference to the Chinook winds coming from Montana and the region south of that they would come in the winter from a very cold region. The whole of that part of the continent is very high in altitude, much of it high enough to make 15 to 20 degrees difference in temperature, a lower temperature than at the level of the ocean. The continent in Mexico is two miles high, and falls as it goes north spread- ing out like a fan. Through the central regions the country is so high that the rail- way to San Francisco for 1,300 miles is higher than the highest point of the sur- veyed route through the Peace River country from the Atlantic to the Paoific. The part of the continent in Wyoming territory and south of that being very high and the region of blizzards, it would be utterly impossible for warm winds to come from 280 there Besides the winds do not pass from south-east to Dorth-west, bat from south-west to north-east. By the Chairman : Q. You have asserted that the winds do not blow from south-east to north-west, it is not our experience in Manitoba? A. The currents of the ocean pass from south- west to north-east, and the winds are subject to the same laws as the waters of the ocean, but of course in the configuration of the continent the mountains or other causes may give rise to surface winds from different points of the compass. I could explain that very easily by reference to the most noted storms we have here — that is storms with winds from the north-east or east. You may notice that after such storms the winds come from south-west and are warmer. You will notice that the clouds coming from the south the farmers call a snow bank, because they come up like a curtain. This wind which. comes from the tropics comes heavily charged with vapor, and in this latitude is blowing from the south-west, following the warm current of the ocean. As it comes up towards the north-east it meets with air that is colder than itself, and the air from the colder points will necessarily fall below. Water when it is converted into vapor, will occupy nearly two thousand times the space it will fill as water. Then when it is condensed from this vapor to water it necessarily leaves a vacuum. That vacuum is filled with the cold air coming in and that is what causes the eastern or north-east winds in such storms. Those winds causing the storm are followed by south-west winds the next day, so that these cur- rents which flow in other directions are local currents like the eddies in a river. Q. In apparent contradiction to your theory the testimony of most of the wit- nessess who have lived in Winnipeg Basin describe the prevailing summer winds as south-west ; now if it is constantly blowing from the south-west how does the air that is displaced in that way get back to where it came from ? A.I have illustrated that by the ocean currents, the colder water and colder air fall below the warmer. The cold water from the higher latitudes flow south-west, but are checked by the con- tinents and hence form currents down the eastern coasts of Labrador and Bussia ; but the currents of air spread over the oceans and continents. The trade winds illustrate this : they blow from about 30° north latitude, from north-east to south- west, towards the equator ; but the land being highly heated during the summer months, warms the air blowing over it from the north-east, and this warmer air ris- ing, its place is taken by a constant supply of cold air. In the air, as in the ocean, there must, of course, be return currents. Q. Your theory is that the upper current is from the south-west ? Ai Yes. Q. The under current would be directly opposite ? A. I do not say that the under current is constant, it varies. You can prove that for yourself by looking at the upper clouds in almost every day of the year, you will find the clouds going from south-west towards north-east. Blodget says that for 364 days in the year he never saw them moving in any other direction, and he had watched them a good deal of his life. Sir John Eichardson passed down the Mackenzie with Kendall and along the Arctic coast to the mouth of the Coppermine Eiver and ascended that river to Great Bear Lake. By Honorable Mr. Macdonald: Q. Where did he start from ? A. From Great Slave Lake and descended the Mackenzie to its mouth. Then he proceeded along the Arctic coast eastward to the mouth of the Coppermine Eiver. Franklin went down with him to the mouth of the river, and went west. Eichardson went to the mouth of the Coppermine Eiver and ascended the river taking a canvas boat with him, but he left it. He says it was impossible to use any boat unless with long portages. When he got up to where the stream comes in a little from the south, he left it and went to Great Bear Lake to his winter quarters. He reports fully upon the whole coast and upon Great Bear Lake. He gives a list of 170 flowering plants and he gives the grasses of that region. He found large valleys, filled with forests, but it was late in the season and he could not stay to examine them, but he saw them from the high lands. He says that these- large valleys were well wooded. That would be considerably east of Great Bear 281 Lake, a region that is considered one of the worst parts of the barren grounds. He found the remains of large trees, and every day he camped in some grove, pine or spruce or birch — these were the chief trees. In passing along the Arctic coast wherever there were rivers he found timber about the mouth of them in snch quanti- ties, that, he says, if a steamer should go into the Arctic Ocean it would find wood enough to supply its daily fuel, and asphaltum or something of the kind, which is found west of the Mackenzie river — that it would find enough there to supply the daily wants of the steamer — that is between Mackenzie Eiver and Port Barrow. He found June grass or Kentucky blue grass over a great part of the region. He does not name any part of the country between the Coppermine and the head of Great Bear Lake that was barren. .Nor does he speak of any place along the coast as being barren. Q. This map was colored by you, I believe ? A. Yes. Q. I notice that you have colored green the whole of the Mackenzie valley pro- per. Are yon prepared to say that there are no barren groui>ds in the Mackenzie Basin proper 1 A. I can only refer to the testimony of others. I have never been in that part of the country, but I have nevor found a reference to any part where it was barren. Hearn started from Port Churchill to go to Coppermine Eiver. He made three journeys, not all the way to the river, but into the country. I have given in this report the animals and vegetables that he found. He did mt succeed on his first journey and had to go back. He does not refer to any part of that country as- barren. I have given the vegetables, trees, land animals and birds named by him. Q. Did he give any sea animals ? A. I have not given any here, but I have given all the sea animals of the Arctic coast that I could find named. Q. How far from the coast, within the scope of this inquiry, have sealing vessels gone? A. I think they have gone through the whole of the Arctic Seas to some hundreds of miles from the coast. I find mention of them from the east to a point where vessels from the west have reached, but these northeastern passages ai;e very uncertain, and sometimes vessels have been detained there by ice for two or three winters. Captain Back came up to Athabasca Lake and passed through Great Slave Lake, and from Great Slave Lake proceeded to Back's or Great Fish River, and he gives an account similar to the reports of Richardson and Hearne about the flora and fauna of that country. Q. Why did he call it the Great Fish River ? A. I do not know that he did. The only name I find for it in his work is the Thlew-ee-choh. It is called now the Great Fish River. I was asked to draw a line to mark out the barren grounds west of Hudson Bay. I could not do so, because I found no evidence of barren grounds in the accounts of the explorers. They had found grasses, shrubs, flowering plants everywhere down to the Arctic coast, and trees and well wooded valleys, reindeer, bears and musk ox on what is called barren grounds east of Great Bear Lake. Th» musk ox has been found in latitude 81, about longitude 90, showing the warm current has some effect even there. Latitude 81° is 900 miles north of the north boundary of the barren grounds. Q. Do you know of any better use that Canada could make of this Arctic archi- pelago than to stock the islands with the musk ox and protect them there ? A. I do not know to what extent they might find food there. But it shows that there are pastures up as far as latitude 8 1, or these animals would not be found there. The snow goose was found on the 15th April, in latitude 54 ; on 25th April, in latitude 57, and on the 1st of May at latitude 64; it went to its breeding grounds, latitude 70, by the 1st of June, and it must remain there for five months, for it would take that time to pair, lay their eggs, hatch their young and give them time to feather suffici- ently to fly away. Q. Then you infer that there is open water at the mouth of the Mackenzie for five months of the year ? A Yes. The Arctic explorers found fowl so plentiful there that they say you could not throw a stone without hitting a goose or a duck, and they must remain there five months. 1—18 282 By Honorable Mr. Kaulbach : Q. From your reading do you say it is a misnomer to call the country west of the Churchill and towards the Great Slave Lake and the Great Fish Kiver the " barren grounds ? " A. I do. I trust, ot course, to the evidenoe of Arctic explorers. Q. Do you think it is covered with fir and spruoe? A. It is covered with birch, spruce, fir and willow, and everywhere in groves and forests and with grasses and flowering plants of various kinds; and salmon are found in immense quantities in the Hudson Bay and as far north-west as the Coppermine River. By the Chairman : Q. Have you any information as to the salmon in the Mackenzie ? A. I did not find any account of any, but I infer from the description of the inconnu that it is a salmon. It goes to the ocean and up again as the Atlantic salmon go to the head of Lake Ontario. Sal oiod, too, are found in many rivers which empty into the Arctic Sea. As the habits of the iwonnu are so like the habits of our salmon, they are probably a true salmon. These early explorers do not seem to have been well acquainted with the various species. Victoria, B. C, 20th April, 1888. Honorable Senator Sohultz, Senate Chamber, Ottawa. Sib, — I am in receipt of your letter of the 5th instant, with its enclosure, asking me to answer various enquiries respecting the resources of the Mackenzie River Basin. ' Having never been in that section of the country, I am unable, from personal observation, to give the information required. I have the honor to be, sir, Your obedient servant, E. FINLAYSON, Late of theH.B. Co. Extract from letter of Lieut. -Governor Nelson. Government House, Victoria, B.C., 23rd April, 1888. My Dear Senator, — I received yours of the 11th instant on Saturday last with the queries in regard to the Liard and Peace Rivers, and this morning placed them in the hands of an old friend of mine who knows nearly all the mining men who have visited the section of the country you are enquiring about. I know that a few of our mining men have gone through on the Peace and the Liard to Slave and Maokenzie Rivers, and down the latter for some distance, but whether any of these are to be found in Viotoria at present or not, I cannot say. I am on the way, howeser, to find out. I am taking the greatest interest in your Committee, indeed the exploration of that part of the country has been to me a subject of thought for some time, and it was with the greatest pleasure I saw a move made in the matter; Ottawa, Tuesday, 1st May, 1888. Dr. Bell reappeared and was examined. By the Chairman : Q. What is the condition of the whaling and sealing of Canada in the Gulf of Boothia, west side of the Melville Peninsula, Fox Channel and Hudson Strait, and 283 in Cumberland Sound and Chesterfield Inlet ? A. In order to make an intelligent answer to that question, perhaps I had better state a few facts with reference to the whale fisheries in the eastern part of the continent generally. About thirty years ago, the larger whales were quite common in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and a large whale fishery business was done from Gaspe Bay. Forty years ago it was a con- siderable industry, and even thirty years ago no lewer than 7 or 8 vessels were em- ;.ployed in Gaspe Bay. In these days you could see the whales off the Gaspe coast; but the Americans soon alter appeared on the scene and drove the whales further north. A few years later they were still found in the waters around Newfoundland and along the coast of Labrador, and in Hudson Bay, where they went in consider- able numbers, and many large whales have been killed in Hudson Straits and Bay. Now you see no whales in Hudson Straits. They may pass out and in but they do not stay there. They have gone in to the north-west part of Hudson Bay, where a few large whales are still l o be found. But the American whalers have -driven them from the shores of Baffin Land to the Gulf of Boothia or Boothia Bay, aa the Americans call it; and it appears as if a few of the larger species of whales are now on the verge of extinction — that there are barely enough left to propagate their species. The larger species live to a great age and breed slowly. Q. What is the name of that species ? A. The right whale is the favorite with the Americans. The sulphur bottom, the black whale and the right whale are the three large whales that the Americans pursue mostly ; but the number is probably eight or ten of the large species of whales, known by different names. In addition to the three I have mentioned, the whalers kill what they call the finner, the bottle- nose, puffing pig, and the small, white whale or so-called "white porpoise." It is •the most numerous of the whale species, and a very valuable animal. The means that the Americans employ frighten the whales, and are much more destructive than the old-fashioned methods of the Scotch whalers. By Honorable Mr. Sutherland: Q. Can you describle the methods adopted by the Americans to take whales? A. Yes j they use a swivel gun and throw bombs into the whale, and they also fire lances and harpoons into them by means of gunpowder, instead of throwing them by hand, and the whale has no chance against such appliances. You see he is taken at long range. Alter a hundred years or so of experience the whale has learned about how far a man can throw a lance , just as the ducks have learned the range of a shot gun ; and they keep away a hundred or eighty yards from the hunter's range. So with the whales ; they keep out of range of the old fashioned lance and harpoon ; but when you attack them with well directed cannons they have no chance. It makes the capture of the whale much more certain after he is harpooned so that he can be held on to as they can destroy liie at once with a bomb and can secure the animal. The old fashioned whale was slow and dangerous. After a whale was harpooned he would haul the boats around perhaps for hours, and it was only by degrees the whalers could get at him to put the lances into him. " By the Chairman ; . Q. What is the lifetime of a whale ? A. It is unknown, but probably several hundred years. It is the most long-lived of all animals. Q. How often do they breed ? A. No of tener than once a year, and some sneoies only once in several years. . . Q. Are there ever more than one at a birth ? A. I think that most kinds have only one young one at a birth. O We are to understand then that the same causes, the use of firearms, &c, which led to the complete extirpation of the buffalo are now at work with these sea animals. Improved methods of destruction and lessening numbers narrows down the probability ot any of them escaping? A. Yes ; quite so. I fancy it is only a Question of time when some ot the species will become totally extinct. An animal which lives several hundred years and is only reproduced every few years will raDidlv decrease in numbers when they are hunted and killed without discrimination. a 284 Q. From your knowledge of the whale fisheries and the habits of whales, can you suggest nny means that could be adopted to preserve those animals ? A. I think that by charging a high license to permit whaling — either charge it on the number of whales killed, the quantity of oil obtained, or so much a vessel — would decrease it. The Kussian Government, I understand, claim jurisdiction over the # whale fisheries of the White Sea, which is quite open as compared to Hudson Bay, Boothia Bay and many of our larger bays. They charge something like £300 a season for a permit for a vessel to kill whales ; and if the whalers do not pay it they are driven out of those waters. Now, if the Russian Government can claim control over the whale fisheries of the White Sea, surely we can control Hudson Bay and Boothia Bay, and if the Americans can capture our sealers in Behring Sea, surely we can capturo American whalers found in Hudson Bay and Boothia Bay. By Honorable Mr. Beesor : Q. Would whaling and sealing be as valuable in Hudson Bay as in Behring Sea?' A. No, I think not. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. The whale fisheries would be of considerable value ? A. They would be of considerable value if we protected all our inland salt waters, the great channels and bays, and comparatively closed seas that we have in the north. By the Chairman : Q. I understood you to say that the seal fisheries of the Hudson Bay would not be as valuable as the seal fisheries of Behring Sea because it is the fur seal that is caught in the Behring Sea, while in our waters it is only the hair seal? A. Yes : but we have such a vast number of walruses and small whales, that in the future- those fisheries may become as valuable as the seal fisheries of Behring Sea. If their oil should become more valuable than it is at present there would be enough in those fisheries to supply the world. The smaller the whales the more rapidly they breed, but the right whale has only young ones about once in three years and only one at a time. By Honorable Mr. Power : Q. About how wide is the entrance to Chesterfield Islet? A. It is quite narrow probably 10 to 15 miles. Q. Do whales go in there ? A. No ; whales will not go into narrow channels ; they are afraid of getting into a cul de sac. Q. Do seals go in there? A. Yes; they go into those channels and up the rivers. I have seen small white whales in narrow channels, and when a boat approaches the entrance, they seem to telegraph it from one to the other for miles, and then make a straight line lor the outlet ut once. They seem to have a great fear ot being caught in a cul de sac, and make out to sea at once. By the Chairman : Q. In the very valuable map that you have furnished the Committee, showing the geographical distribution of some of the principal mammals of America, jouj have indicated the line of sea animals of the mouth of the Mackenzie to extend from the coast of Alaska as far east as Wollaston Land, and then northward along that land. This would seem to be a distance upon the map, giving a western sea coast range to those animals of 22 degrees of longitude. Have you any reason to believe tnat those sea animals are as numerous there as they are on the east coast ? A. I know nothing of that region except from reading, and I should judge from the remarks of old travellers as well as of those who have been more recently there, that whales are not uncommon in that sea. The Eskimos use the bones tf the whales to some extent in building their huts; and they are mentioned by travellers as lying about on the beach in many places, indicating that they must have been numerous there at one time. By Honorable Mr. Almon : Q. How far south has the walrus been found? A. It has been found occasion- ally as far south as Newfoundland. The sealers in the month of March, kill one now and then on the ice. They become tolerably numerous when you get half way 285 up the coast of Labrador, and are abundant in Hudson Straits and on the islands on both sides of Hudson Bay. Q. What is the value of a large sized walrus ? A. They are not very valuable. They are large animals, as heavy as an elephant, but the blubber is inferior as compared with the blubber of the whale and the seal ; and the skin, nnless some new use is tound for it, is of very little value. It is immensely thick. Q. How about the tusks? A. The tusks are of some value for ivory. The largest tusks weight about six pounds a pair. I have specimens of two larger, but six pounds would be a large sized pair of tusks. By Honorable Mr. Turner : Q. Has the skin of the walrus any merchantable value ? A. It is said that new uses are being found for it, as for example, in the making of emery wheels. It is a coarse leather, and when it is dressed it is as thick as your hand ; in a green state it is an inch thick. It seems incredible, but it is nevertheless a fact: the skin when stripped of its blubber is too bulky to go into ;a large cask. We tried to salt one in the largest cask we had on board our ship on one occasion when I was out there, but it was not large enough to put it into. We had to make a tank of planks in order to salt it ; and it was so heavy that the whole • boat's crew could not lift it and we had to tow it alongside of the vessel and hoist it on board with tackle. By Honorable Mr. Almon : Q. About what would it cost to make an exploration of the Mackenzie River from its mouth to its source, and take soundings of the stream and acquire an accurate general knowledge of the country ? A. The construction of the Pacific Eail way en- ables us to get to the centre of the North- West Territories and roads have been made •connecting with the waters of the Maokenzie Eiver, where steamers are now running, so that it is now possible to do as much in one year as it was to have done in three years before the construction of the railway and steamers. The field-work might be accomplished by staying two years, for $5,000, by an officer paid by the Government. Q. The exploration of the whole river from its mouth to its souroe? A. Yea; by experience and economy, we can get along on two thousand or three thousand dollars a year with a good sized party, and by wintering there one might get two summers' work by staying out one winter. By the Chairman : Q. I find that from one of the eastern bays of Great Bear Lake to the nearest point on the Coppermine Eiver, the distance is 40 miles; from Chesterfield Inlet to the head of the Great Slave Lake is 320 miles; from the harbor at Churchill to the head of the Athabasca Lake is 440 miles; from Prince Albert on the Saskatchewan to Port McMurray, the junction of Clearwater and Athabasca, that point being chosen because there is then between that and the sea only one break, is 300 miles. Prom Port Pitt to Port McMurray the distance is 220 miles. Prom Edmonton to Port McMurray, 225 miles ; from Banff to Peace Eiver Landing, 250 miles; from the head of Little Slave Lake to Peace Eiver Landing is 63 miles. We measured that, because it was the route suggested by Bishop Clut. Prom the head of naviga- tion on the Stikeen Eiver to Fort Liard, the head of navigation on the Liard Eiver, is 370 miles. From Hazelton, presumably the head of navigation on the Skeena Eiver, to the big bend of the Peace Eiver in the Rocky Mountains, in 150 miles. These are all possible avenues of communication, and may be interesting to put it on record. Is that correct, Dr. Bell? A. Yes, I think that is quite correct. The new Government map by Captain Deville is based on a projection which is designed to show the distances with approximate accuracy. Q. I would like to ask you whether you are satisfied that these maps that you have given us are substantially correct — that they are approximately as nearly correct as they can be given? A. Yes ; they are estimates taken from maps of the largest scale available and plotted on the most accurate projections. It is very difficult to represent a large surface of the earth on any map so as to make accurate measurements. You can represent a small piece, like a township, with almost 2*6 perfect accuracy ; but when it comes to a district of a thousand miles or more, in diameter, it becomes difficult to say what the exact area may be. Captain Deville has projected this map so as to show with approximate accuracy the distances. Q. You have heard us read from the draft report the areas given of the Macken- zie Basin ; are they correct as you intended them to be ? A. Yes, as nearly correct as the information available at the time allowed. They might be revised, but I think with the data available, they could hardly be made more correct. The Committee adjourned until to-morrow at 10 a.m. List of Mammals found in the regions between Hudson Bay and the western rim of the great Athabasca-Mackenzie Basin, compiled by R. Bell, B.A.Sc, M.D., LL.D., Assistant Director Geological Survey of Canada : — Moose. Reindeer or barren ground cariboo. Woodland cariboo. American elk or biche. Virginia deer (in extreme south). Prorig-horned antelope or cabree. Bocky Mountain goat. Bocky Mountain sheep. Musk ox. Bison or " buffalo." Wild cat. Lynx. Wolf. Coyote. Fox (red, silver and cross varieties.) Kit fox. Blue fox. Arctic or white fox. Wolverine, carcajou or devil. Fisher. Pine marten. Weasel. Ermine. Mink. Skunk. Badger. Otter. Grizzly bear. Barren ground bear. Black and brown bean Polar, white or sea bear. Norwhal. Atlantic walrus. Harbor seal. Binged seal. Bearded or square flipper seal. Bight whale. Sulphur whale. Black whale. Fin-backed whale. Little white whale. Bushy tailed wood rat. White footed mouse. Long eared mouse . Little northern meadow mouse. Chestnut-cheeked meadow mouse. Large and northern meadow mouse. Sharp-nosed meadow mouse. Tawny limming. Jumping mouse. Muskrat. Arctic or Polar hare. Common American or varying hare (rab- bit). Canada porcupine. Little chief hare, or North American pika„ Beaver . Northern pocket gopher. Northern flying squirrel. Chicaree or red squirrel. Northern or town striped chipmunk. Perry's spermophile. Woodchuck or ground hog. Hoary marmot. Star-nosed mole. Forster's shrew. Bell's shrew (Sorex Belli, Lobson). Silvery-haired rat. Professor Bell having written to the Eeverend Father Petitot regarding th» geology of the Mackenzie Eiver district, received the following valuable report upon. 287 {Translation.) Isle a la Lacrosse, 16th August, 1873. Mt Dear Sir, — I received on the 30th May of the present year your highly es- teemed letter of the 30th December, 1872, in which you deign to ask of me some information upon the geological constitution of the great Athabasca-Mackenzie Basin. I might limit myself to answering solely the two questions which you put in your letter, to wit, first, as to the rocks of the Rooky Mountains between Fort Simpson and the Arctic Ocean, whether they have a crystalline character, and are identical with those which form the banks of Lake Athabasca ? Secondly, whether coal bearing deposits have been formed between the ranges of the mountains which border the Mackenzie and the ranges farther west, in the valley of Rat River for instance. By keeping to these two questions I would satisfy your requirements, but, having in fact traversed these vast districts, throughout, I shall allow myself some latitude on this interesting question, and shall sendjou, sir, this somewhat detailed report of my personal observations concerning the geology of the Athabasca-Mackenzie Basin. I do not pride myself on being a geologist, and I have not a very deep knowledge of this science, only such as my linguistic studies aad the exigencies of my ministry permit. You will, therefore, be kind enough, sir, not to look for any pretension in these pages, and for no vain showing forth of science, but only for the observations of an amateur, and a sincere desire to be of service to you as well as to the work for the profit of the country which affords me a living, and of which I am the very obe- dient servant and the very sincere friend. 1 shall be glad if the few notes which my journals furnish me may be of use to you when I transmit them, which I now do, in all simplicity and confidence. I had hoped, sir, to be able to give you this information with my own mouth, for having undertaken a voyage of a year's length to Prance, I had flattered myself that I should have the advantage of meeting you at Montreal, but exceptional cir- cumstances having happened to prevent, or at all events to put off this voyage, I send you this report, congratulating myself at all events that the voyage which I have just made from Good Hope to Isle a la Crosse has placed me and you in a position to prove and to verify the justness of my first observations. 1. The traveller, however little of an observer he may be, who descends from Portage a la Loche to the icy Arctic Ocean by the grand route of the Athabasca-Mac- kenzie, will not be slow to perceive, during the course of this voyage of 1,900 miles, that the surface or the country undergoes undulations about parallel with the lines which serve to indicate the degrees of latitude on the map. These undulations are determined by transverse spurs of the Rocky Mountains, which, detaching them- selves from the primaeval trunk at angles more or less direct, lose themselves towards the east or north-east, or rather enclose between them two ranges of longitudinal mountains. The first of these long ramifications fixes Portage a la Loche ( Melhy Portage) the culminating point of the lands situated between the basin of Like Win- nipeg and the Arotic Ocean : height 600 feet above the River d' Bau Claire. 2 . The second ramification is sometimes called Montague ne l'Ecorce de Bouleau (Bark Mountain), sometimes Caribou Mountain. It detaches itself obliquely from the Rocky Mountains, towards the 56th parallel, and runs from south-west to north- east, crossing obliquely also the River la Paix (in which it determines the Grand Rapid, 59°), pursues its route beyond the Slave River, in which it forms a barrier of falls and rapids well known t© the voyageur (60°), and goes on to border the south- east part of the shores of Great Slave Lake. 3. The third ramification bears the name of Montague la Corne (Horn Moun- tain) It traverses the Mackenzie at 62° 45' north latitude, flows to the south-west, describing a great arc of a circle, which forces the Mackenzie to follow the same curve and expires at the western extremity of Great Slave Lake. Its greatest elevation is about 800 feet above the Mackoozie. It measures about eighteen miles in width, and is composed of a succession of retreating terraces. 288 4. The fourth ramification is in the neighborhood of the preceding one. In Platc6te de Chien it is called Chiw Kolla (mountains ranged in line). The precipice ■which it forms on the bank of the Mackenzie is well known under the name of Eocher qui trempe a l'Eau. It detaches itself from the Eocky Mountains in the form of rounded hills reaching to about 1,000 feet in height; crosses the Mackenzie, latitude 63° 29' north, leaving there an island of gneiss, reappears on the right bank under the name of Eocher qui trempe a l'Eau, and pursues its course eastward up to the 114th parallel. I have crossed it at the 118th parallel after having reached it at the 122nd. I give this chain the name of Mount Vandenberghe. Towards the east it does not exceed 600 feet elevation, and on the Mackenzie its largest diameter is about 24 miles. 5. Tranverse branch : Kodlen.Chiw, or Montagne Brulee. It is only separated from the preceding one by about sixty miles. This eminence detaches itself from the western chain of the Eocky Mountains in the 64th parallel of north latitude, opposite the second elbow of the Mackenzie. Its course then is towards the east. It forms the valley of the Eiver Blackwater, and continues its course into the inter- ior to the edge of a chain of lak*s which are tributaries of Mc Vicar Bay. There it bifurcates ; one of its branches forms the backbone of the peninsula which separates this bay from the body of Great Bear Lake, under the name of Montagne du Grand Ours. The other borders the south shores of McVicar Bay, and bears the name of Ewi. Height 800 feet above the Mackenzie, from 600 to 690 above Great Bear Lake ; diameter from nine to twenty miles. It is to be remarked that all these high lands do not exceed a mean height of from 600 to 800 feet above the Mackenzie. 6. The sixth transverse ramification of the Rocky Mountains is found at the 65th parallel of north latitude. It is called Efwi-t-e-inke, or "rock which falls to the water," is crossed by the Mackenzie, rises again on the left bank at the mouth of Bear Lake Eiver, under the name of the " Second Eocher qui trempe a l'eau," borders for a distance of about a score of miles the course of this river and connects with the eastern chain of the Eocky Mountains. Height 600 feet, I. The seventh transverse chain takes its rise at the rapid Sans Sault (lat. 65° 50') which it forms ; then pursues its course towards the north-east under different names, of which the principal are Montagne desCarpes, Montagne des Outardes, Torres Allignees, and Montagne du Eemer. It crosses the Peaux de Lievre River, forms the basin of several great lakes, amongst others of Lake Colville, and ei.ds not far from the banks of the Lockhart Eiver, the principal affluent of the Anderson River, at the 67th parallel of north latitude. Its ordinary height is 800 feet. Its highest point, Mount Remer, measures 1,200 feet above the Mackenzie, and 900 feet above Lake Colville, which lies at its base. This mountain is composed of several terraces like the preceding, the greatest diameter of which is nine miles. 8. The eighth ramification is formed at 66° 16' north latitude. It forms the ramparts of the Mackenzie, then under the name of " Plateau des Boeufs Musqnes," it runs towards the north, where it runs up the river Peaux de Lievre ; thence to- wards the south to forna the basin of great Lake la Loche and joins the preceding one. The " Plateau des Bceafs Musques " Yikk'aydii-nene is also formed of natural terraces one above the other, the total width of which is about eighteen miles. Height 400 feet above the Mackenzie. 9. The ninth ramificatiou detaches itself from the western branch at the mouth of the River Huart (66° 25' north lat.) It is called in Peaux de Lievre Ttit-'kk'ay- nini. It is 400 feet high, ten miles wide, and forms several large lakes. 10. A tenth ramification, parallel to the preceding and only separated by a few miles from it, bears the names of Eta tchd-kfweri, RakhuinSni and Bettsen, Natsena- ^lari. It extends from the banks of the Mackenzie to the junction of the River Iroquois with Lockhart River. Same dimensions as the preceding chain. II. The eleventh and last ramlfioation of the Rocky Mountains takes its origin in the main range at 66° 48' north latitude, and bears the name of Kid Kagan. It •crosses in succession the Peel River, forming there the ramparts Tchilt'et, the Mackenzie, where it forms those of the Narrows, and then, under the name of KivatUii, runs to 289 the north-east, forming the valley of the river TsinStiitin, and goes to join the months of the Anderson under different names, too barbarous to write here. Its greatest height is 850 feet ; its least 150, Its greatest width from six to eight miles. II. This set forth, let us pioceed with the geological examination of each of these natural zones formed by these transverse chains from Portage la Loche to the Arctic Sea. I proceed from south to north. First zone: From Portage la Loche to the Rapids of the Slave River. The high lands of Portage la Loche and of all the region in that neighborhood from Lac des Sables, that is to say, the great basin which contains Lakes Serpent, Primeau, Isle a la Crosse, Yert, Clair, Buffalo, la Loche, and some others, are entirely sandy, as well as the valley of the River d'Eau Claire. One may without mistake consider this vast country as the bed of a small interior sea, whose waters flow off little by little by the drain which has opened across the rocks under the name of English or Churchill River. The depressions have remained lakes, and these lakes all communicate with one another by narrow channels or river branches without much current. Their waters are brackish, and covered with a green scum of repulsive odor. I may state here that since about twelve years ago, when I saw for the first time Lake Isle a la Crosse, its western bank has lost from twelve to fifteen yards of •soil upon which the water has encroached. Lines are now set in the same place where the landing was then, and soon bark canoes will be able to move about in meadows transformed into marshes. On the borders of Lac Vert, which are equally sandy, I have picked up silex and orthose feldspar, very pure, and I have seen limestone and boulders of granite, and coarse porphyry. The valley of this lake seems to have tormerly been the bed -of a grand river like the Mackenzie. Portage la Loche is the limit of the cormorant. The valley of the River Eau Claire is altogether composed of sand, but the waves have denuded and disintegrated the rocks at several points, where rapids are found. These rocks are porous limestone, fissured, pierced wiih cares, and like a vast ruin. At some miles below the la9t rapid a sulphur and salt spring is found, which flows from three openings at the foot of a hill. River Athabasca : — Schistose precipices from two to three hundred feet high, resting sometimes on sandstone, sometimes on granulous limestone, soft and shell bearing. Over an area of at least 25 leagues these schistose hills exude asphalt from top to bottom. The rocks are all black with it, and the banks are formed by this bituminous mass, mixed with sand and hardened by time. This liquid mineral fills the higher marshes and would be a rich mine to work. On the right bank, at three hours' distance from the Forks, traces are to be seen of a subterranean conflagration, analogous to those of Port Norman on the banks of the Mackenzie, the ramparts of the Porcupine and the River aux Boucanes. Lower down upon the same bank is found a salt lake, named La Saline, On each side of the river is to be seen limestone rising irom point to point in undulating beds, which sometimes rest upon pudding stone. At the site of the old Fort de la Riviere Rouge, this limestone is entirely formed of fossil shells, amongst which are terebratulce in quantities. Along the River Prerre au Calumet schist is to be found, as well as a bed of red pipestone with which the Montagnais make pipes. When the high schistose or , limestone precipices disappear, yellow sandstone re-appears, as far as the mouth of the Athabasca, where the periodical assaults of the wator have heaped up the mud. , Limit of the male fern (Asplemum), of the Canadian honey suckle (Lenicera. S reat de P th > numbers of good harbors Bear and Athabasca also large and deep ; excellent harbors also; any of them would be suitable for steamers such as run on our Canadian lakes. m ^JifS n Af°Vr A ' Have . never been nearer than a day's journey to the coast myself, so do not know much concerning the coast at the mouth of river, but as far north as Forts Norman and Peel and Good Hope the depth of water is great . Average length open water from 12th to middle of May, till first or second week in oXbfr £™tffi& andhi ^ whaling or sealing vessels would have at least three or lour months fishing without being impeded by ice. 299 6th Question : — A. About 200 miles each side of the lake. Would consider all suitable for steam navigation with the exception of about 15 miles of rapid and portages between Mackenzie and Athabasca and just below Fort Athabasca. 8th Question :— A. One- half mile wide, great depth of water, five portages between Great Slave Lake and Fort Athabasca, one rapid about 20 miles long con- sider it navigable for 200 miles, and but for this rapid would have about 1,300 miles with the Mackenzie of navigable water to the coast. 10th Question: — A. Have never been up the Peace Eiver far, so do not know much about it. 12th Question : — A. The Mackenzie the largest river in the district, about 2,400 miles long ; extensively wooded on the banks ; has good harbors and would be nav- igable five months in the year by any steamer or sailing vessel of ordinary size; 13th Question : — A. Along the shores of Lake Athabasca it is all timber, pine, spruce and tamarac of great size. Fish in great abundance, chiefly whitefish. Iron is to be found in that region pretty extensively. Cannot say for any other mineral, but should think coal is also plentiful. 14th Question : —A. The largest in the region, also thickly wooded, extensive fisheries. Great place for sulphur, iron is also found there, I believe. The same in Great Bear Lake in regard to timber and fisheries, consider it one of the best lakes in the world for fish of all sorts, but chiefly white. 17th Question : — A. Can ascend the Mackenzie between 1,000 and 1,200 miles between first of June and middle of October. 18th Question : — Cannot tell exactly as my experience is of 28 years ago, but understand the Hudson Bay Company have steamers plying at the present time on both these lakes. 21st Question :— A. Greatly similar to our Manitoba summer; warm, sunny weather, just enough rain for vegetation, snow in winter from 3 to 4 feet deep; 22nd Question :— A. At Forts Chippewyan, Eesolution, Simpeon^and Halkett, frost penetrates from 4 to 5 feet ; nearer the coast at Fort Norman and Good Hope about 5 feet, and so on towards the coast. 26th Question :— A. As far north as Fort Norman. I saw some wheat, very fine, at Portage la Loche, grown by an Indian, but do not know of its being tried further north then. Never saw any Indian corn during my stay. 29th Question :— A. At Athabasca, barley sown the middle of May, ready for reaping first or second week in August ; further north, at Fort Norman, sown the middle of May, could be reaped middle or last week in August. Spring opens first of June or last week in May. 31st Question :— A. Usually about three weeks. Wheat ripens about the last week in August; barley the middle of August; potatoes the first of September; strawberries the middle of July ; gooseberries the first of August. 33rd Question :— A. Lovely warm weather, thermometer ranging 70 to 80 degrees, neither too dry nor wet, much similar to Manitoba. No summer frosts in any of the places mentioned. No local frosts in these months. 37th Question : — A. Latter end of May. 38th Question :— A. September, warm, but frost often at night ; October cooler with frost as a usual thing. The intensity of the winter cold does not retard growth in summer whatever. . . 40th Question :— A. Wild grasses most abundant and nutritious. Excellent tor pasture and compare favorably with those of any of the eastern provinces. 41st Question :— A. Have not noticed it but may have grown among the rest. 42nd Question :— A, Did not know of any, but did not look for any, as I did not want it. ,..,, , m , 43rd Question:— A. Black loam chiefly, sometimes a little sandy. Ihree- fourths is fit for pasturage, and nearly the same for hardy grains. 45th Question :— A. Climate in winter intensely cold, but does not seem to affect plant life ; in summer, weather beautifully warm, splendid growth, but season very snort. 300 46th Question : — A. None whatever. 47th Question : — A. The postmasters of the different forts in the district could furnish you with records kopt as to the climate in different parts. Did not keep any such myself, but by applying to men in charge now could supply you with all information wanted. 48th Question : — A. Decidedly they do, if it was not for the numerous lakea and rivers in the district, summer frosts would be the usual thing. These freeze in the latter end of October ; open in spring, the latter end of May. 49th Question : — A. South wind chiefly in summer, which makes the air mild and warm. In winter, with the intense cold, there is never much of any kind, but chiefly north and south. 50th Question : — A. Port Simpson, and upwards to Great Slave Lake. 51st Question : — A. In agriculture, when I was there, nothing whatever was done to any extent ; stock raising at most of the forts was carried on on a small scale, and succeeds admirably. 52nd Question : — A. Have not seen much of what is called barren lands, and cannot say. 53 rd Question : — The animals which now And sustenance there and elsewhere in the region in question, are as follows : — Cariboo, of three kinds, red deer, reindeer, cabre ; reindeer of great size, skin valuable for shoes, shirts, &c, greatly used by the men in the Hudson Bay Company. Husk ox abounds in the northern regions, but are not to be found in Mackenzie .River district ; robes very valuable. Moose, very numerous, large skins very useful for clothing and moccasins. Elk, never saw any during my stay. All other animals, except those which are carnivorous. Wild sheep and goats abound in mountainous regions. Flesh very good, but skins not much used. Numbers, localities, quality of covering, habits, and method of capture of : — Lynx, Very numerous about Great Slave Lake, but are to be found through the whole distriot; fur is good, valued at 3s. per skin ; captured in wooden traps. Arctic fox, found towards the coast; fur of not much value. Black fox, pretty numerous throughout the district ; fur very valuable : skins worth from £6 to £8. Silver fox, almost same as black, but fur not quite so valuable : usually captured in steel traps. Cross fox, most numerous but not so valuable ; captured same manner. Fisher, found in the mountains something similar to lynx, but fur more valuable. Wolverine, very numerous, of no value. Otter, not very numerous, chiefly I think, on account of cold; fur most valuable, often shot in water or caught when seen on land. Beaver, very numerous all through the country ; fur very valuable ; captured by breaking their houses, afterwards spearing, trapping or shooting them. Marten, most numerous, also all over. Fur valuable, caught in steel traps. Mink, not so numerous as marten; fur about as valuable; found in little streams and captured in traps. Ermine very plentiful ; of no consequence. Musk rat, thick as mosquitoes; fur valued at 6d per skin. 55th Question : -A. Can't tell the amount of shipments of late years, postmasters at the present time would be able to furnish information on that subject. 57th Question:— A. White is the principal, and in the lakes and rivers most plentiful. On one occasion I remember in one day with another man taking 2,500 at Great Slave Lake, these weighing from four to five pounds each, of the best quality, and this was not an unusu- ally large number to be taken in nets. Come about the same every year, especially in the fall are most numerous, are caught till 1st of February. Trout are also numerous, very large, weighing often 30 or 40 pounds, caught by hooks in the spring by holes cut in ice. Pike most numerous, weight 12 to 15 lbs. Almost every kind of fish are to 301 be found in these lakes and rivers ; in fact I think nowh ere in our eastern provinces are there such valuable fisheries. 58th Question: — A. Never saw but small whales and grey seal, which are most numerous, bat understand large whales abound along the coast. 59th Question : — A . Should think these fisheries most valuable and small vessels of 100 or 200 tons if built strongly, either at the head of the Mackenzie or any of the posts near the mouth, would be most suitable. 60th Question: — A. Timber there is large enough, but chiefly pine, spruce, tam- arac and poplar, and might not be hard enough for construction of vessels. Great tracts of timber are to be found along the Mackenzie, Peace and Athabasca and throughout the whole district ; spruce, birch, tamarac, poplar, are chief, larger size spruce often measuring 4 to 5 feet diameter. Think the only way of bringing sueh to market is by railway connection. 63rd Question : — A. Know of none but a sort of white cherry used by the Indians to make bread. 65th Question:— A. All over the region used greatly by Indians and often at Hudson Bay posts when other not to be had. 66th Question: — A. Is rather bitter, but would make a good substitute. It is very wholesome. • 67th Question : — A. Eegarding gold, have heard of it, but have never seen it. Iron oould be found throughout the whole country, very plentiful on the shore of Great Slave Lake, running into it by little streams. Should think would be plentiful, but have never seen any. Coal in great abundance in banks of Mackenzie, and elsewhere. Saw there a fire burning, which the oldest inhabitant could not remember starting, and is burning, 1 believe, to this very day. 6oth Question : — A. White clay on the Mackenzie most valuable for pottery. •Quantities of lime and sandstone, while granites are found all over the district. 70th Question:— A. Pretty far north, but some stay in the barren grounds in great numbers ; white and gray wavey, crane, swan, geese and ducks all in great numbers; date of hatching, last of June; arrived middle of April, seen as early as 12th, leave in September and 1st of October. 71st Question :— A. Goose, duck, swan, wavey and crane in great numbers. Feathers in great quantities turned out of this district generally by Hudson Bay Company. 72nd Question :— A. During the migrations, the birds in these districts do not stop long to feed, but geese and ducks hatch throughout the whole country and stay ~all summer. 73rd Question: — A. The different varieties of food of these migratory birds during the breeding season are grass, gravel, berries, which is the chief food of them all. 74th Question :— A. The time of their appearance in the spring going north is between 12th and 20th April, and middle and 1st October leaving. 75th Question:— A. The usual food of these wildfowls after the hatching season is over is the same as during hatching season. 76th Question :— A. Easpberry, strawberry, gooseberry, « very large cranberry ( high and low bush), a splendid region for small fruits. 77th Question:— A. Pitch is splendid, flowing into the river by little streams; very valuable for boats. . , , „,. 78th Question :— A. There are large quantities of this deposit for forty or ntty mie 79th Question:— A. Should petroleum be discovered in large quantities by boring wells in the Athabasca region, should think that small steamers to where connection by rail might be made, would be the best way of bringing it to market. 82nd Quistion-A. Chippewyans about Athabasca and Slave down the Mackenzie, Luchies nearer the coast and Esquimault at the mouth. Consumption from cold is what carries off most of them. Know of no other epidemic disease. 83rd Question :-A. Fish, venison, fowl, fresh in summer, dried for winter, rabbits bear and pemmican is the food used by them at different tames of the year. Do not' make any effort to cultivate soil ; live altogether by the chase. 302 84th Question : — A. Can't say; the scarcity of moose and deer some years is owing [ think to the depth of snow, the winters before, when greater numbers than usual were killed, 85th Question: — A. Cannot account for the cause and nature of disease which periodically kills off rabbits, suppose it is natural. 86th Question: — A. Only one variety of rabbit in Mackenzie Basin. 87th Question : — A. All rabbits are equally subject to this disease. 88th Question : — A. Food animals : black bear is numerous and easily killed; grizzly bear is found in the mountains and are more savage. 89th Question : — A. The effect of the opening up of the Mackenzie Basin to civi- lized men upon the Indians of the region would be I think beneficial, as it would teach them agricultural pursuits, stock raising, &c. ; they are honest and mild until you come to the Esquimaux, who are more savage. 90th Question : — A. The Indians are good workers, employed greatly by the Hudson Bay Company as boatmen and make excellent servants. Helps to civilize very greatly ; not difficult to get them to work to support themselves. If any exploring parties are sent out would much like a chance to go. DONALD MoIVOR, Kildonan, Man. Smithsonian Institute, United States National Museum, Washington, 26th April, 1888. John Schultz, Esq., Senate Committee Boom, Ottawa, Canada. Sib, — I have received your communication of 10th April with enclosures in re" ference to the appointment of a Senate Committee to enquire into the resources of the Great Mackenzie Basin, and requesting information relative to that region. In reply I regret to have to inform you that there is no one connected with this Institu- tion who from actual experience feels capable to answer the questions submitted. Tours very respectfully, S. P. LANGLEY, Secretary i 451 St. Paul St., Montbeal, 30th April, 1888. Dear Dr, Schultz,— In reply to your telegram of this day— the Hudson Bay Co * sell all their furs in London. About the end of January in each year they sell tho heaver and musk rat. About the beginning of March is the principal sale of all vari- ous skins. In September they have a clearing up sale of skins comprising all that have been received through the summer ; about the same time they also sell all the odds and ends such as eider down, feathers, fish oil, bees' wax, &o. ; the September sale will probably average from one-third to one-fourth the amount of the March sales. Lampson & Co. sell at the same time as the Hudson Bay Co.— and also for some three or four years have sold furs in June; in addition to this they sell the Alaska collection of seal skins in April and November. t il _. I 1 thi,lk t 1 " 8 ,™ 11 cov er all your questions ; if not, I shall be happy to try again* 1 think my son Horace will be in Ottawa to-morrow, he will call on you and you may possibly extract some information from him. Faithfully yours, tt™ t> e mi JO^ MARTIN, jlon. Dr. Sohultz, Ottawa.' 303 ©ttawa, 30th April, 1888. Sir, — I am directed by the Select Committee of the Senate appointed to inquire into the resources of the Great Mackenzie Basin to forward you the enclosed list of questions, as His Lordship, Bishop Olut, in his examination before this Committee, informed them that you possess valuable information in regard to the region embraced in the inquiry, particularly in regard to the sea animals in the Arctic Sea and at the mouth of the Mackenzie River ; and the Committee would like to have fuller informa- tion in regard to this latter subject than they have yet been able to obtain. If you ieel it too great a task to answer all the questions enclosed, perhaps you will be able to particularize that in regard to the sea animals. The Committee and the country will appreaiate very highly any inlormation you can furnish on this point. I have the honor to be your most obedient servant, JAMBS DRYDEN, Secretary. Rev'. Father Segtjin, Fort Good Hope, Mackenzie River. St. Peter's Church, 101 Visitation Street, Montreal, 2nd May, 1888. Sear Sir, — I am in receipt of your letter of the 30th April. I have hastened ' to send to Rev. Father Jean Seguin, at Good Hope, the list of questions on th Mackenzie Basin, series " A," " B" and following. I hope that the Rev. Father will reply in a manner that will be satisfactory to the Committee. I have requested him to have the goodness to send you the degrees of cold and of heat of which he has taken note during twenty-seven years. As this will involve a good deal of work for this gentleman whose time is very much occupied, I have asked him to send you the degrees of heat and cold noted for four or five years only. That will be sufficient for you I hope, to give you an idea of the temperature at Good Hope. In the Committee room you expressed to me a desire to obtain the addresses of missionaries who would be able to give you information. Well, I send you here the addresses of the heads of the missions, and if you wish to send them your list of questions I most cheerfully authorize you to do so : 1. Rev. Pere E. Girouard, O.M.I. , Vicar-General, Lac la Biche, via Calgary and Edmonton, N.W.T. T . , t 2. Rev. Father Albert Pascal, O.M.I., Mission of the Nativity, Athabasca, via Calgary, &c. _, 3. Rev. Father F. Le Serrec, O.M.I., St. Charles' R.C.M., Dunvegan, Peace River, via Calgary, &c. 4. Rev. Father A. L. Laity, O.MJ., St. Henry's E.C.M., Vermillion, Peace River, via Calgary, &e. 5. Rev. Father L. F. Dupire, O.M.I., St. Joseph's R.C.M., Great Slave Lske, via- * g 6?Rev.' Father Nouet de Rerangue, St. Raphael's R.C.M., Fort Des Liards (Mac- kenzie District) via Calgary, &c. „•„«,,„ -., .m , 7. Rev. Father A. Lecorre, O.M.I., Superior of R.C.M., Providence (Mackenzie •ver), |j^ ^pf *her B?'Houre, O.M.I. , St. Michael's R.C.M., Fort Rae (Mackenzie ^Rev? Faff' J & °J. Lupin, O.M.I., St. Bernard's R.C.M., Petit Lac des Esclaves, via Calgary, &c. May these addresses be useful to you ! I am, dear sir, yours very truly, IS. CLUT, O.M.I., Bishop of Arendele. Mr, James Drtden, Secretary Committee, Ottawa. 304 Senate Committee Boom, Ottawa, nth May, 1888. The Honorable the Minister of Interior, Ottawa. Sir, — At a meeting to-day of the Joint Committee on printing of both Houses of Parliament^ I was instructed by its chairman to add to the report on the Mackenzie Basin, which came in due course before them, a map showing Alaska and the coast line between Alaska and the mouth of the Mackenzie River, and to place upon it all information which we had derived from the evidence or from other reliable sources, in regard to such navigation as had obtained in the past by Polar Sea ship, boat, and Hudbon Bay Company's expeditions, the size of the map to be that which wili form two pages of the report when in print. In compliance with this request I have to ask you to be good enough to cause to be prepared such a map, which I shall submit to my colleagues, and on their approval of it I will communicate with you again. The information given in the Admiralty chart showing Behring Straits, the north coast of Alaska, and the north coast of the North- West Territories, is essential as forming a basis of the coast line and the soundings thereon. It will be necessary also to put upon the map the track of Captain McClare ; also that of Captain Collinson, as shown in the chart which you will find in Vol. No. 475 of the library, entitled the "Discovery of the North- West Passage by H. M. S. "Investigator," Captain McClure," marking also all of the points, inlets and also coast marks which are there named; also the track of the boats of Her Majesty storeship " Plover " from near Point Barrow, skirting the north-west coast of America and ascending the Mackenzie to Port Simp- son ; also the track of the boats of Deaee and Simpson, who descended part of the Mackenzie and took up the survey of the coast from Franklin's western limit of coast survey at Return Reel. You will also please have Franklin's route laid down, and from any or all of these sources give any of the soundings which relate especially to the Mackenzie estuary and the coast west of that river. I am, sir, yours respectfully, JOHN SCHULTZ, Chairman. (Extracts from different records having reference to map showing sea-eoast of Alaska and' North-West Territories from the "North-West Passage"— Bobert Euish.) Page 330.— Mr. Martin also reported that the water is exceedingly shallow off and about Escholz Bay, and that although the summer had been a most favorable one in every respect for a vessel coming through, yet the depth of water is wanting. This, together with the north-east current and the prevalence of the south-west winds, renders the North-West Passage decidedly unattainable. Page 412.— To the northward of Point Barrow the sea appeared encumbered with lofty icebergs, but on the western side there was a fine open channel, which, the Esquimaux assured the party extended uninterruptedly to the southward. They likewise informed them that whales were plentiful to the northward of the point and seals were everywhere sporting among the ice. Observations were obtained! which determined the landing place to be in latitude 71° 23' 33" north, longitude 156° 20' west, agreeing closely with the previous observations of Mr. Elson on his visit to the place. It was high water between one and two o'clock, the rise of the tide being fourteen inches with the flow from the westward. After bidding adieu, to their good humored and friendly entertainers, the party set out on their return and reached the mouth of the Mackenzie River on the 17th August, and finally Fort Norman from whence they departed on the 4th September, having thus successfully completed the survey of sixty degrees of coast line of the American" continent, which had hitherto remained a blank on the map of the Arctic shores, being a part of the 160 miles of sea coast which it may be remembered intervened between the farthest points reached by Captain Franklin in 1825, and that attained by the master of — of ifii _ NORTH WESTERN PART OF CANAD A AND OF ALASKA To accompany the third report of the Select Committee of th e .Sen ate on the resources of the Great Mackenzie Basin COMPILED AHO GSAWKATTH? QEPf OF Til£iS,T£SiC> BYTOWflW REFERENCES Track of Capt R Mature " Track of M^^Dease & Simpaon. Track of H- MS- Plover. Track of Capt Coilmson Track of Sir John Franklin . /ZO Hi LEG TO I {XCH Completed me survey Ul smiy uugieuB ui uuaBL hiid (< 12-42 Water, mechanically included ""."!!" 5-85 Siliceous sand .!"."!."."! 81-73 100- The sand consisted of colorless transparent quartz, not unfrequently presenting the bright glassy lustre of broken quartz crystal ; the surfaces were, however, for the most part, more or less dulled by abrasion : it contained a few flakes of silvery mica, and, as Mr. Adams — to whom I handed a small quantity for microscopical ex- amination — informs me, an occasional fragment of felspar. It is on the whole exceedingly fine, 52 per cent, of the same passing a sieve of ninety meshes to the linear inch; 16 per cent, one of seventy-five meshes ; 15 per cent, one of sixty-six meshes, and 9 per cent, one of fifty meshes, leaving a balance of 8 per cent, as rejected by the latter. Subsequent to the foregoing examination Mr. A. S. Cochrane, of this survey, handed me a specimen whioh he colleoted, and which differs from the above in that it does not appear to contain so much water, and the bituminous matter partakes more of the nature of asphalt. At the temperature of 65° F. it is quite hard, frag- ments may be chipped off with a hammer, and it is reducible in a mortar to a non- coherent pulverulent condition ; at 100° F. it barely yields to pressure, and is only slightly adhesive; at 160° F. it gives to the touch and is somewhat sticky; at 200° F. it is quite soft, and may be readily moulded. MALTHA OB MINERAL-TAB. From the right bank of the Athabasca, about twelve miles below its confluence with the Little Eed fiiver ; collected by Mr. A. S. Cochrane, This material also occurs at several other points further down the river, and is identical with that referred to in the prefatory remarks. The sample in question had a pitchy-black color in thin layers, and by trans- mitted light, rich, dark, reddish-brown. The specific gravity at 60° F. was found to be 1-023 ; at this temperature it has the consistence of a soft extract, and will barely flow ; at 70° F. flows, but sluggishly, whilst at 100° F. it has the consistence of treacle. As regards the utilization of these substances, the most appropriate application of the former and that for which it would appear to be admirably adapted, would be for asphalting purposes. It has one of the most important qualifications of a good bituminous concrete, viz., intimate combination of the mineral and organic constitu- ents, and this in a degree which no artificial preparation of the kind could be expected to possess. It will in all probability be found that a very slight treatment will ren- der it suitable for employment in the construction of roads, foot-paths, court-yards, 1—21 310 &c., for asphalting the flooring of granaries, basements of warehouses, and the like, and further as a roofing material. Should it be deemed more expedient to separate the bitumen, this may be effected by simply boiling or macerating the material with hot water, when the bituminous matter entering into fusion will rise as a soum to Ihe surface and may be removed by skimmers, whilst the sand falls to the bottom of the vessel. An experiment was made in order to ascertain the greatest state of purity to which the bitumen could be brought by this method ; it was found that of the 81 '73 per cent, sand, 69 '26 per cent, had been removed, the extracted bitumen containing 50*1 per cent, sand, and — owing to the extreme fineness of a portion of this latter, as already mentioned — it may be questioned if the purification by this method could be pushed muoh beyond this. The sand separated by this process, when carefully conducted, is free or almost free from bitumen, and might, after being heated to redness in a reverberatory fur- nace — to destroy any little adhering bitumen — be advantageously employed for the manufacture of one of the better qualities of glass. The above treatment requires but the simplest of appliances, and might be readily carried out on the spot. The amount of maltha at my disposal was far too small to warrant any attempt at its distillation. Should it occur in sufficient quantity it might possibly, amongst other uses, be advantageously employed as a orude material for the manufacture of illuminating and lubricating oils and parrafin. FAC-SIMILE LETTER In Syllabic Character received by BISHOP GLUT From as .Mackenzie River Indian H > ^ c x»<.cr > ^ c < cb r 9 u d^' > ^ A V? <« o- w * « * c v,e *? ^ a -u" * ac nn MAP showing the Navigable Waters and the Lignite Areas of the Mackenzie Basin. EXPLANATION. The Dotted Line indicates thebound- ary of the Territory investigated by the Committee. The Red Lines show the navigable river-stretches and shore-lines of lakes. MAP showing the Barren Crounds, Arable and Pasture Lands, Northern Limits of Trees and of the possible cultivation of Potatoes, Barley and Wheat Prepared by Robert Bell. B.A.Sc, M.D., L.L.U., Assistant Director of the Geological Survey of Canada, to accompany Report on Mackenzie Basin.