IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 4^ i< 1.0 1.1 Ml 11:25 WO 1.4 1.6 — A" riJUiC^cipiUL ^Sciences Corporation iV ^ ^V^ 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WIUTn,N.Y. M3M (716)S72.4S03 n.*''^^' 9 v\ A ■ are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the mothod: L'exemplaire film* fut reproduit grAce A la gdnArosit* de: BibliothAque nationale du Canada Les images suivantes ont iti reproduites avec le plus grand soin. compte tenu de la condition at de la nettetd de l'exemplaire film*, et en conformity avec les conditions tSu contrat de filmage. Les exemplaires originau/t dont L couverture en papier est imprim«o sont filmds en commenpant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la derni^re page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d':ilustration, soit par le second plat, salon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont film«s en commenpant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre psge qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la derniire image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — ^ signifie "A SUIVRE" le symbols V signifie "FIN ". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent §tre film6s d des taux do reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul clich«, il est film« A partir de I'angle sup«rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas. en prenant le nombre d'images n«cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants iMustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 4 5 6 V .. f THE STRAITS OF BELLEISLE. \..' THE STRAITS OF BELLE ISLE. Reprinted from the Moxtkeal Gazette, March 26/A, 1877. Sir,— The article of (he Liverpool Poit, of the 35th January la«t, headed, » A New Cli- matti for Lower Chnada," and which you re- produced in your itane of the 4th February laat, haa been read in thii country with curi- oeity, if ijot with interest. The author pur- port* to do no less than to change, for the better, the climate of at least the whole of Lower Canada and probably other portions of the Dominion, and in order to effect this great desideratum he suggests the blocking up of the StraiU of Belle Isle, at its narrow- est part. The author argues, under the im- pression that it is entirely owj^g to the pres- ence of tJie streams of cold watar which pour through this Strait from the North Sea, and to the ice which rushes in the same Strait from Baffin Bay and Davis Strait, that the climate of the north coast of the Uulf of St. Lawreace and of the Island of Anticosti is so cold. On the other hand, he states that "at Anti- costi Island and along the Quebec shores the Ouff Stream is not felt, as it rushes off in an- other direction, while, in the more southerly part of the St. Lawrence, Prince Edward Island comes under the genial influence ot that stream, which, with Ito high tempera- ture, is more than a match for the freesing in- fluences of the colder streams which flow in fiom another direction." Then, in another part of his article, the writer, who attributes the severity of our climate to the presence of icebergs in the Straits of Belle Isle, adds : " Once get rid of all this accumulation of ice, and tbe result anticipated would be that the winter would be reduced by about three montiis, «7hilst the 3t. Lawrence would prac- tically be navigated all the year round. The temperature of the gulf would be raised most considerably, whilst the influence of the Gulf stream would more probably penetrate further northwards, though perhaps not to a great extent." '••ft- gtTiug u2c crcais lor mc attempt of the Ilverpool writer, in a direction which is cerUinly most fHendly and humanitarian, and which.if hi s plan could be carried ont with tki desired effect, would bring an immense Wd ererlasting benefit to this country, I can not let pass his assertions and specula- tions without offering a few remarks, and I hope that the readers of this article will not tax me with too much assumption when they hear in mind that I have cruised in the Uulf of St. Lawrence and Strait of Belle Isle during sixteen years, in command of an armed cutter, equipped for the protection of the fisheries of Canada. But before arguiog, I must establish my premises. The principle agents which, besides the differences of latitude, affect in a positive or negative way, the climate of the parts of the eastern portion of Amerioa above mentioned, that is the north coast of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Island of Anticosti and Lower Canada in general, are the following ; Isf, the Gulf stream ; and the Polar current ; 3rd, the prevailing iresteriy winds ; 4th, the ice. As it is requisite that we should well understand each other as to the •fl'ects of these agents, it Ih necessa/y that I khould describe them, beginning by the Gulf stream, the most remarkable of them all. I therefore give now a short description of tbq great marine river and its branches from the best authors, and I will quote larj^ely from the celebrated Maury and from Eliseu Ber'"s'8 Interesting book entitled "The Or "' TBI OUir STREAM. 1. 'lowing is the beautiful descripl ion of the ilf stream given by Maury : " There is a river In the ocean, in the se- verest draughts it never fails, and in the mightiest floods it never overflows j its banks and its bottom are of cold water, while its current is of warm ; the Onlf of Mexico is its fountain, and its month is in the Arctic u'jas. It is the Gulf Stream. There is in the world no other such majestic flow of waters. Its current is more rapid than tl^e Mississippi or the Amazon, and its volume more than a thousand times greater. Its WMtere, tut far out from the Uuifas the Caro- lina joast, are of indigo blue. They are so distinctly marked that their line of jonotiHn with the common sea water mav be traced by the eye. Often one-half of the vessel nt«y be percetved floating in the Qplf >«||) wiH ter, while th« other half !■ in the common Wftter of the ae«, so sharp is the line, and inch the want of afflnitr between thoae watfrt, and inch, too, the reluctance, lo to speak, on the part of those of the Gulf Stream to mingle with the Uttotal waters Owing to the rotatory motioa of the globe, and probably also to the general direction of the coasts, this current follows a constant direction to the north east, and does not touch any of the advanced points of the Continent of America." "The waters of the Qulf Stream, after they escape from the Qulf of Mexico, are bound for the British Islands, to the North Sea and Frozen Ocean, attaining eren Spitzbergen. This current of warm water on emerging from the Strait of Bernini, is about 33 miles wide and uf a depth of 300 fathoms. OCT Cape Hatteraa it has acquired a width of about 7fi miles, and its depth is lessened to 120 bthomi." "It is roof>8haped in its middle, and on its axis It is computed to be oearl} two feet higher than the contiguous waters of the AtlanUo." In the Strait of Bernini the temperature of the Gulf Stream is no less than 86 o Vuh. ; they lose their warmth but slowly, and during the winter they often have off Cape Eatteias and the banks of Newfoundland a tempem- ture exceeding by 30 « Farh. those of the rest of the Atlantic under the same latitudes. Between the 43rd and 47th degrees of north latitude in the neighbourhood of the hanks of Newfoundland, the Gulf Stream, (oiiiing from the southwest, meets on the surface of the sea, the polar current, dis- covered by Cabot in the year 1497. The line of demarcation between these two ocean rivers is nnver absolutely constant, but varies with the seasons. In winter, that is to say from September to March, the cold current drives the Golf stream towards the South ; for during this season, the circulatory system of the At- lantic, windM, rains and cj'.rrents, approach more nearly to the Southern hemisphere, above which the sun travels. In summer, that is to say from March to September, the Gulf stream, in its turn, re- sumes its preponderance, and forces back the line of its conflict with the polar current more and more toward the north. Thus the great river undulates here and there over the seas, and, according to ttae KraoetuI expression of Maury, waves like a jtennon In the breeze. But it is probable that the advance of the two opposite currents is often modified in consequence of the snper- ^cial expansion of cold and warm water. ^ The banks of Newfoundland, that enorm- uUs puiLcua surrouudou, ou mII 8ideH, hy abysses five or six miles deep, is undoubtedly due, in great part, to the meeting of theaa two moving liquid masses. On entering the tepid waters of the golf stream, the icebergs gradually melt and let fall the fragments of rook and loads of earth, which they bear into the sea. The bank, which rises gradually from the bottom of the ocean is a sort of common moraine for the glaciers of Greenland and the polar Archi- pelago. After encountering the waters of the gulf stream, those of the Aictio current ceasi«, in great part, to flow on the surface, and de. scend into the depths, in consequence of the greater weight which their temperature gives them. The direction of this counter-current ex< actly opposite to that of the gulf stream, is demonstrated by icebergs which the warm breath of temperate latitudes has not yet melted, which travel towards the South. West directly against the superficial current, which they divide like the prow of a ship. More to the South we recognise tbe existence of this concealed current, only by means of sounding apparatus, the cold waters serving as a bed to the warm river ; flowing from the Gulf of Mexico, it descends lower and lower as far as the Straits of Bernini, where the thermome- ter discovers it, at a depth of 320 fothoma. Nevertheless, a part of the waters of the polar onrrent remains at the surfitce of the sea ; and gliding along the eastern coasts of the United States, as fkr as the point ef Flerida, gives to the gulf stream by contrastu very sharply defined limits. Grneially the oold water crossing from the Arctic Sea pos- sesses sufficient force to compel the current f.omtbegulfto bend sensibly towards the south, and to oppose an insurmountable bar- rier to it in the other direction. The wann- est and more rapid water of the gult stream, which forms precisely the left or western side of the current, is found in immedi^ juxtaposition to a sheet of cold water, which spreads in an opposite direction between the golf stream and the adjacent shores. This counter current which interposes the waters of the icy sea between the coast of CkroUna and the warm river flowing from the Qulf of Mexico, bounds the gulf stream like a wall of ice.— Reclns, Franklin Baohe, nmiud StaUt Coast Survey. The following are the distances from the inner or western edge of the Gulf Stream from the Canadian and American shores :— The Inner edge of the Qulf Stream „ is distantrram Cape Canaveral 8S miles. From Cape 8t. Augustine 70 •< " Charleston e9 " " Cape Hatteras so *' " Cape May las •< " BandyHook ... 270 " " Xantttoket do '< " Cape Sable lao " " Boattarl gao " " CapeRaoe aoo '• The Golf stream crosses the Atlantio with a mean speed ot 24 miles a day, and it spreads over such an immense space of the ocean that it loses its depth, until it is noth- ing but a sheet of surface water when it reaches the British Islands and the North sea. In this stupendous circuit it is aided, in iu oourie, bj the connter trtde windi, which have » nmth-eut direction. It la tather difficult to lay down the pre- oiie Tonte of the Qnlf itream in the aeaa of weitem Europe, becauie of the enormous wlath of ita inoring expanse. One majr lay that In reality it Btretches over the whole ocean horn the Azores to Hpltcbergen. Bat I most allude to a branch of the said current, which is important. I quote from Reclus and Peterman. It is not only In the wide extent of the North Sea, from Nova Zembla to Iceland, that the Onlf stream takea a submarine course ; the same Is the case, it appears, in Baffin's Bay to the west of Greenland. In fact, from Cape Farewell (south end of Greenland) to eight degrees further north the existence of a coast current has been ascer- tained, which carries the ice In an exactly contrary direction to that which it follows on the west, near the coast of Labrador, and which serrea as a high road for the fragments of the Ice-tlelds. This current was formerly considered as the continuation of the one which flows along the eastern coast of Greenland from north to south, and which would thus hare abruptly tamed around Cape Farewell. But It U more natural to think that the polar current con- tinues its route directly towards the great centre of the tropical seas. In this case, the current of the western coast of Greenland would be simply a branch of the Gulf Stream. This is rendered almost certain by Its water being comparatlrely warm. The sea seldom freezes on the shores which It bathes, and the climate there Is on arerage nine degrees Fahr. warmer than on the coast looking towards the east. Towards the 78th degree this river-like current com- pletely oeates, taking, undoubtedly, there a submarine course.— Beclus ; Oraah. TBI POLAB CDIBUIT. We know at least In part the origin of that current. Along the northern coasts of Siberia, as Wrangel and other explorers have told us, a current of cold water uows from east to west. Encountering on Its way the large Island of Kova Zembla, it covers the strand and rocks With enormous qiumtlties of Ice, which render the Island quite uninhabitable, and close the stiaits to navigation. Arrested by this barrier, the waters of the glacial current are forced to come to the north, and flow in a north-westerly direction towards Spitzbergen, round the northern archipelago, which they finally turn, In order to enter the seas around Greenland. It is there that they hncrin tn t4k<' ^ direct road toward the equatorial spits. — Beclus. One branch passes along the eastern coast line of Greenland, and joins the other branch which flows west of it, a good way south of Cape Farewell. This last branch, which is commonly called the Polar current, comes ttom the Arctic Bea, passes through Smith Sound, Baffin Bay and Davis Strait, descends parallel to the coast of Labrador to southward, and after having rounded the banks of Newfoundland, it bends towardk the southwest In conse- quence of the movement which carries the earth in an easterly direction and causes a deviation from Its course in everthing com- ing from the north. Besides, as i stated when speaking of the Gulf Stream, this cur- rent of icy water — which has been Joined, as I have above stated, by a simitar cold current from the eiMt side of Greenland, when it meets the Gulf Stream — takes a submarine course, except towards the southwest, where it fills the space of the sea which lies be- tween the inner edge of the Gulf Stream on one side and the coast ot America on the other. But this cold current not only flows south- erly and south and westerly along the east- ern shore of America, but a small branch of it enters the Straits of Belle Isle, and pene- trates a short distance into the Gulf o( St. Lawrence. Having sailed many times in the Straits of Belle Isle, I am quite cognizant of this current. But perhaps it will be better to give here a description of It flrom Bayfield's work, entitled Pilot of the St. Lawrence, so that the authority cannot be disputed :— OOBBINT IH TBI BBLLl IftB 8TBAIT. ■u "The reality of a current inwards, through the strait of Belle Isle, is confirmed by the presence of icebergs, which it transports into the Gulf every summer against the prevailing southwest winds, frequently carrying them as faraa Mcuatina, that is, ISO miles from the entran - ist part, at Point Amour, and sometimes iven to the neighborhood of the east point of Anticosti." "It is probable that it Is a branch of the great current from Davis' strait, which is known to run along the coast of Labrador and to transport numerous icebergs to the south- ward every year." "After entering the Gulf, it runs along the north or Labrador coast a distance of 2 or 3 miles from the outer islands, leaving a nar- row space in shore, in which tbi' streanu of the tides, when, uninfluenced by winds, are tolerably regular. Passing outside of Mista- noque, the Islands of great Mecatina and the South Maker's ledge, it pursues a direction given to it by the trending of the coast, till it is turned gradually to the southward by the weak current which Is often found coming from the westward, between Antinnati and the North Shcre^ durlss west- erly winds, and which Is set off to the south coast from Natashquan point. The united streams continue their southern course, at a rate diminishing as they become more widely spread, and which leldom exceeds half a knot, and finally joining (to the east- wird of the hland of Antlroiti) the m«ln downwAid current out of Ibo River Ht- L»w- reace, tbejr all pursue a •otithratt dirmtloD towarda th* main entrauce of the Uulf, be- tween Cap« Rajr (on the louth-weit md of Newfouiidlaud) and the Idaud of St. Paul — Bayfttld. " It wilt be Men, tbrn, by the abore di-acription that the current Inwardi through the Strait of Belle Isle does not ex- tend beyond ttic eaat pulnt of Antiuoiti. n» MAia ooaaiNT or thi iivia it. law- The current of thle mighty river which carriei into the Quif of St. Lawrence Ita Im- mf>nie body of water, lometimea In a preci- pltoua way, Kenurally at a majeitic pace, ii 10 well known that I need not deBcrilx: It. Suffice U to aay that when it meeti (he flood tide at Quebec, and even at many miles abore that port, it baa (till lufficlvnt torce to check it to auch a degree that, wbilf the flow it only felt, in the ordinary ipH rig tide*, dur- ing 4 houm and 48 minntei, the ebb lasts 7 houn and 48 minutes. In the narrows of the south traverse the rate of the ebb tide is from 6 to 7 knots an hour, and that of the flood from 5 to 6 knots. The former lasting 6 hours and 60 seconds, while the latter is only felt during S hours and 35 minutes. From Father Point to Cape Chat this current runs from half a knot to a knots an hour. Below Point de Honta, and as hr as Seven Islands, there is an eddy current that runs close inshore, as far aa Uie first named point, by which it is diverted towards the south shore, and at some distance it merges itself in the more downward current. Past Cape Qaspe this current, curving giadoally to tb« south and south-east, con- tinnet ita course towards the entrance of the Oulf, between Newfoundland and Cape Breton Island, with a rate very much lessen- ed, in consequence of the great space over which it is know spread. Bayfield — This celebrated hydrograpfaer adds :— " I have myself observed tliat a current sets out be- tween Cape Bay and St. Paul Island daring westerly winds and in calm weather. I have already described t>.e currents through two of the entrances of the Uulf of St. Lawrence, namely, Ist, the Strait of Belle Isle, and 2nd, the entrance between New- foundland and Cape Breton Island. Now it remains for me to speak of the third entrance, which is the Strait of Canso, 4>t commonly called the Out of Canso. This strait, which separates Cape Breton Island from Nova Scotia, is 14} miles in length, and its least breadth, between Ba. lache Point and Cape Porcupine, is 450 fa> thorns, and depth from 15 to 32 fhthoms, (Bayneidj. There are no permanent curl rsnu mnning always one way or the other In ttilt strait, but only the tide currents, which are increased or diminished in rapidity ac .cording to the winds. wixM or T» rOkTH ATLAariO. The winds of this ocean have b^n stodisd with that constancy and accuracy of mttbod wbicb distiugulkb the modern hydrograpbers, astronomers and natural philosophers. And we may say that very little is Isft to be learned concerning Ihim, enpeclaliy in refer> ence to their general direction, at the si-ginn'Dg at the equator, we have first the trade winds, which blow throughout the year from the north-east, and extend from about th)« firth to thn twenty-seventh degree of latitude north. I may sUte that in the south Atlantic, the trade winds which blow from the south-east occupy a apace somewhat larger. Beyond the trade winds in the North At- lantic are to be found the calms of the Can> cer, over a belt of a breadth of five or tix degieea. Above that, that is, from the parallel of 35 N. to the 60 N. are mot the so-callud counter trade winds, because they blow generally from the south-west, in opposition to the regular trade winds of the north Atlantic, which, as it baa been stated above, blow from tha north-east. But experience and observations have proved that, from the parallel 36 N. to the parallel 60 N., the winds have generally a westerly direction, the prevailing winds ranging from the south-west to the nortli- west — Red us. This is a well-known fact to lailors navigating between Europe and Amerlcc, in that belt comprised betwoen the last men- tioned parallels ; and I am only repeating a truism, when I state that passages, by lailing shipK, from Europe to America are longer than passages from America to Europe, prin- cipally on account of the prevalent westerly winds ; I say principally, because the out- ward passages to Europe aro also greatly aided by the currents of the gulf stream, if they sail within its com|>as8. But these prevailing winds from the west* ward.not only blow on the Atlantic, but they are also felt in the Uulf and river St. Law- rence, and over the countries which border them. Any one who has sailed in the Uulf, for several years, is well acquainted with the strong or continuous gales of westerly and north-westerly winds which prevail in ttdur* ing the fall, and the difficulty often encoun- tered by vessels bound-up the St. Lawrence in reaching their destination ; while vessels bound down often succeed in clearing the Uulf in a couple of duys. There is one fact also that should not be lost sight of— it is, the tendt-ncy of westerly winds to veer to< OKODHD lOa. The ice which forms along tiie coasts.in the bays, rivers, gDlf8,and sometimes extend many miles in the sea, is called ground ice. It is Inn during tba whole winter, but towtrda thtt iprlnK, when the thaw romeii, It ti de- tached gradually from the ahoreaud floating to aca, propelled by the carrent and t)y the winda. It then mlzea with the floating or flo« ice, which has furmrd at aea and ha* drtried more or lean, during the winl«r, from one thore to the oth«r, according to the windi and currenti. rt,oi ici. Ice it alio formed in larger giilf4 and in the open aea. When the tempt^ratiirR In low onongh and the lea ii calm, and ciprcially in cold nighta, the Hea geta fruien on long ext?nt«, and tometimes the ice thui formed in one night ia gtroDg enough to bear a man. But at the first ripple of the itca, thi* iheet of ice breakt inte fragment! or caitcii, which the long winter of our climate increaies in breadth and in depth, until they iill whole gulfi and extend a great many mllea into the tea. Uften thoae fragmenti unite together and form immenae ialandi of ice, which aome- timea block up, for awhile, large gulfa and bayi. Tboie are the kindaof ice which are formed along our ahorea and In onr baya and gulfs ; and during our long winters they, in great part, fill the rircr and gulfofSt. Lawrence and disappear only when the action of the sun and water, in which they float, has melted them, in some piacea early in thb spring, at others Tery late. I have seen myself large flelda of floating ice remaining as late as the begin- ning of July, in the Strait of Belle Isle. Observations have proved that salt water does not freeaa in the same way as fresh water. While the latter has its gnateat densivy at the temperature of 39.2 degrees Karh., the former becomes heavier and heavier until it freeaes. In fresh water crys- tals of ice at first appear over almost the en- tire surface, but in the jeas, which have no great dep.: ,'.' is generally from the l>ed It- aelf that t e .iquid mass congeal*. The coidi.'St strata of water being the heaviest, dfseeud vertloally towards the bot- tom of the sea and displaces the warm strata Which are lighter. While the water which descends to the bottom of rivers, has a normal heat of seven degrees above freezing point, the sea water, which falls deeper, may have been chilled at aa Farh., or some several degrees below it. When the mass is not agitated it becomes Uqnid, but on the sllghteat disturlMnce it suddenly turns into ice. Around the rocky shores of Greenland, Labrador and Spitzbergcn these inflocs often raise huge stones, which they have torn from the bed of the sea. [Poggendorf k Reclus.] Labrador, in the Oulf of Ut. Lawrence, are well aware of the singular property of chilled lalt water, and that to their great dttri- ment; as It often happens that, In the month of December, when they are fishius for, I should say entrapping aeals, which pass along the shore from raat to west mi< grating from the north seaa into the Oulf of Ht. L»wrenr<», their Beta, which are very long, and form large pounds extending from the bottom to the surface of the seu, sou*- times get ail covered with ice to their very bottom, and in spite of heavy lead slnkvra, float to the surface, and thus become use- less. The poor fishermen are then forced to put thorn a»hor«',discontented,as perhaps they will see schools ot seal* passing incessantly, a week or two longer, in front of their fishing places. icsataaa. Icebergs do not (orm In rivers, gulfs or seas. They form on land and are the prodoc* tioo of fresh water, rain, snow and hailstones. They are parts detached from the immense glaciers which cover a great extent of land in the polar regions, both arctic and ant- arctic. Many of these glaciers formed In immenae valleys, on a plane imiining towards the sea, extend slowly over the cMffs and project br into the sea. During the long winter of thoaa regions, the icebergs remain attached to the glaciers and increase in sise. Besides, were they dutachecl then, thiy could not flow out to sea, as they are barred by the ground ice of the coast. But when the thawing season haa commenced, then immense blocks are de- tached from these glaciers, float in the waters adjacent, and one by one, caught by the polar currents, proceed on their deacent towards the Honth, unless imprisoned fbr a time with the flow ice in some deep bays, where the current is not much felt, or unless they ground in shallow places. In the seas, the water of which are com* paratively warm, like those of Hpiti- bergen and the western coast of GreenUnd, tbtir base, which is immersed in the water, melts faster than the upper parts in the air; they then get top heavy and capslse, and in this overturn are often broken into many fragments, which in their turn pass through the same operation. While in the icy water of the Polar 8ea, the icebergs, in- stead of diminishing, increase in sise from the snow, hail and rain, while their base, not only is unaffected by the icy water which surrounds them, but on the contrary increase in size by the water that aolidifles near them. The northern seas are, as I have said, be. id- ly covered with ice during the winter season, In the spring, that immense mass begins to move slowly and partly ; by and by the whole mass sets on its way towards the south, and bringing with it or accompanied by the Icebergs. The floatissf ic9 tselts os th<* way. u wnll as the small icebergs, bat the large icebergs continue their majestic advance towards the equlnoxial waters, until arrived at the banha of the Newfoundland, or invincible barrian meets them. It is the warm waters of the Gulf Mtream, which soon melt them, aa 1 a IMM npUIiMd U MoUiar pwt of thU romc- pondtnio. Whll« fluaUoK dowa aluDg ih« ■hoN of LftbrMlor, on tba AUaallc iwul, MNB« of thtt lo«b«rgi MO c«ugbl i>y thai curntnl flowing from the A tUatlo U>m%td» thaHtnUU of Il«tl« l«le, ftnd •idud bjr tha norlh- t«it g«le«, whiub lumettuie* blow fur • uum- b«r of d«ys, even weeks, la April Knd Mky.ln tboM pMU. Tbey enter Into the strait and floAk with the current westward. Home jMn the/ «re numerous, wbll* at other tiaui, for Mreral jrcMi In •ucoession, few are Men. Very few of these loebergi penetrate be- fond Point Amour, the narrowest part of Um strait, nnljr some scattered ones being seen on tha coast of Labrador, as (at as Meoattna. Vvrj rarely an odd one ma/ reach as far as the east point of Antlcosti. I have Mlled fifteen years through Uie straU of Belle-Isle, as far as Blanc 8ablon, in tha month of June, and seldom met icel>ergs to the westward of the place. In 1861, I was on board tha steamer Ma- pokoBllI, onacrolse for the protection of the flsherlea. 8he had also to make a trip to the Island of Belle-Isle, to supply th < lighU house erected on the eaut t-nd uf the island. We arrived at the wvsuru end of the strait about the 15th of June, but we were prevent- ed Irom passing through it by floating tee, which completely blocked it. It was only on the 2 renoe at all, and, therefore. It cannot be in- fluence by the strait of Belle Isle current. But even if it did penetrate into the Qulf, it would meet the main current of the St. Lawrence, wLlch is carried right through the Oulf in a southeasterly direction, before meet- ing that of the strait of Belle Isle. As the Island of Antioosti seems to bs the principal objective point of the writer, I have prepaired a toble which will show at what distance from the east point of tike said Island tho inner or western edge of tlie Oulf stream runs. Distances from the east point of the Island of Antioosti and several points ot the inner edge of the Oulf stream :— Miles. In an easterly direction eso In a south-easterly " 470 In a southerly " 640 A similar statement for Prince Edward's Island will, perhaps, not be uninteresting to the reader. 1 1 Distances from Prince Edward's Island and several points of the Inner edge of the Onlf Stream : — Miles. In an easterly direction 400 In a south-easterly " 350 In a southerly " 430 _ and. Now with regard to the Strait of Bfiiie Xsto uurt'oul, aUhough its iemperatura is low, I do not see that it oan have much In- flaence on the climate of the Island of Antl- costi, since it does not flow around it. &e- •«P«« Ullr In th« northern p«rta of It. *ni •v.n In «unnm«r, of • low tomp««ta«.. B.y^ 2»Lrr.*^"! "".*'"'""• »' •'"'r. IH31, o(f Si - 71' ,*• *'"'^'' "'' '»"" "»'»•» ••'ore ot tb. fnn „ I. K*'*"""". oPPonlte M«Une, .bout JOO mi,„ f y„...ee,.Dd •bo,,t th« >m, ^i^-??*.**. *•" '"'^'•'•« cold and .o bleak ? I would not venlure to enter upon thi. aubject at length, but I might be allowed to offer a few remark. ; • 1. The dltfererce of Utitude. between tha centre of Lower Canada and the aoova- nam,.d place. I. an element not to b« lost •ight of. While the latitule of Montreal U 4S d«t. 30 N that of Quebec 1. 40 d.K. <9 N. j the liland of Anticoati I. 40 deg. 30 N., and tha north coaMt ranging between SO deg. 10 N and M Amir OR M • • The laNt latitude s that of Forteau. tha one b..f.>r« that of Cape Whittle. It 0"- "T*. '.''"' .^*"' *•"• ••••ndof Antlco.t'1. 2.U .Utute mile, further to the north than Montreal, and 200 mile, more than Quebec while C«pe Whittle I. 32.'. mile, and FortSTu 400 miles further north than Montreal Thla would account in part for the colder climaU of those parta. On the other hand, Prince Edward Island lain latitude 4«o 18- N., consequently It la 230 .Utute mile, further to the wuth than Anticosti. But it happens that In reality Anticoati la not to cold a. Quebec, in winter. becaaM it i. .urrounded by the wa. which, m every on, knows, equaliae. the temperature. But the •prings, summers and falls are much colder How to a^ ronnt for this 7 First by the dlfltor- ence of iatit 1«, then by the prevailing wioda ZZlfl^ '".l °»rt*»westerly wlnda-wWch &K ."/**'**„'"?*«'"' "«>* "'^•y from tha and, but from Hudson's Bay,ovor which they have to travel, before they sweep over the Oulf with their cold breaths. We must m' forget first that the sonthermost part of Hudson'. Bay (Jame. Bay) I. only 430 mile., and the middle part of this great In- Undwa of about 31,000 square miles, and which la covered with Ice during the whole ^'."•11*" "V^f'y "**• '■ ""'y »60 «n»e« from Ant^*"-.. "II'*^."* ""<» «•"»» """tance from Anticosti The wind, which during a gale, travels at the rate of 40 miles an hour wllf bring ui the ley air which ha. floated over Hudson Bay, In 12 hour, from Its nearest ■bore and In 24 from It. centre. And I have aeen frequently. In the fall, northwest and north gales blowing for three or four day. 1q in thoM part.. Sometimes there were In the fall a prevalence of these winds for several weeks, and vessels, which have to mil during that WMon from Gaspe to Quebec, know this It seem, to me thia u ; the length and three and one-fifth (3 1 .6) the height of that of Cherbourg. The former would then be four- teen times larger than the latter, and would seemiogiy cost fourteen times more, that is, 940,000,000 francs, equal to 178 millions of dollars. I said seemingly, because really the break- water at Belle Isle would cost more than four- teen times that of Cherl>ourg, for the base of the work, in order to sustain the stones and prevent them from being loosened and car- ried away by the storms, would have to be immense, and besides, no work could be done on it during more than three months of the year, on account of the inclemency of the weather and frequent gales of wind in the spring and fall ; and all the materials except stones would have to be carried there, as well as engineers and workmen. Now, 1 would like to know where we would be able to prornre one thousand mil- lions of francs to build that breokwatei. P. FORTINi V--.f. Y, -tii i'r. *>lodw mil ""' ' ■ ; ' tfft Of Bl-^y/ M'MViM V.)) ^. .: •jot ini!' b»T« ii; . , ' t ■■ ■ .• '■ 'i . •y .;Uf-...) ,. M, •■: u I ol i'urij-i ■ijo tsiti« C «iW»ii:" :^-5> iGS^MBi^'^lilipig^ 4a, -^' X.X.DuvKESNi: hHallal ifrwrastlM i9K/S VV § 75'/<' MatfdaitH Is/mJx may i, ^Umim o,. ^. 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