Bibliographical Notices. 175 Narrative of the Canadian Red River Exploring Expedition q/' 1 857, and of the Assinniboine and Saskatchewan Exploring Expedition 0/1858. By Henry Youle Hind, M.A., F.R.G.S. 2 vols. 8vo. Longmans : London, 1860. In these two handsome volumes we have an account of the expe-ditions sent forth by the Canadian Government for the exploration of the vast tract of country intervening between Lake Superior and the Rocky Mountains, partly >vith the view of ascertaining what portions of this region are adapted for the establishment of colonies, and partly to determine the most practicable route for an overland communication with the colony of British Columbia, planted on the shores of the Pacific. The latter object has been most served by Captain Palliser's investigation of the passes of the Rocky Mountains leading into British territory on the eastern side of that chain ; and it is also to the researches of that gentleman that we are indebted for the knowledge of that remarkable belt of fertile country which stretches from Red River in the east to the foot of the Rocky Mountains in the west, and must be of the highest importance in any future scheme of communication between the shores of the Atlantic and Pacific within British territory in North America. We have, however, little to do here-with the portions of the nar-rative bearing directly upon these questions, although, of course, all the natural-historv-information acquired by the gentlemen of the expeditions is of more or less importance in arriving at sound con-clusions upon such subjects. Mr. Hind's descriptions of his canoe-voyages through the almost interminable chain of rivers and lakes which occupy so large a portion of the surface of the country ex-plored will be found exceedingly interesting, as are also his accounts of the beauty of much of the scenery through which he passed, and especially of the numerous cataracts occurring in the rivers — the latter far more welcome to the lovers of the picturesque than to the voyageurs, who have to carry their canoes and cargoes over a con-siderable space of ground at every interruption of this nature. Several of these falls form the subjects of some of the illustrations of the book, and are of great beauty. Storms of great violence frequently occur in the country traversed by the expeditions, and the hailstones appear to attain a most ex-traordinary size. They fall with such force as to batter and almost disable the hands of the voyageurs engaged in paddhng the canoes, and occasionally even break through the birch bark of which these frail vessels are made, or the still tougher buffalo-skins under which the travellers seek for shelter. A vast extent of countr)' appears to be quite inapplicable to the purpose of colonization ; but many spots of great fertility are found along the course of the rivers. One of these is the Selkirk set-tlement on Red River, which, however, occupies a part of the eastern extremity of the fertile belt above referred to, stretching from Lake Winnipeg to the foot of the Rocky Mountains. This little settlement appears to be a perfect agricultural paradise, its only
Narrative of the Canadian Red River Exploring expedition of 1857, and of the Assinniboine and Saskatchewan Exploring expedition of 1858. By Henry Youle Hind, M.A., F.R.G.S. 2 vols. 8vo. Longmans: London, 1860
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