Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1885-07-17
A GREAT LAKE.

The Immense Body of Fresh Water Re
Gently Discovered ia British Amer
lea.
While the worlds most daring ex.
plorcrs have been tracing the boundaries
OF the Polar Sea. and navigating the
streams and newly found lakes of Cen.
trail Africa. 4 rcmarkaqle discovery has
been made within thousand miles of
this city by the Geographical Society
of Quebec. Within 500 or COO miles OF
the northern boundary of Maine there
has been found. if the reports made by
the members of that society are worthy
of belief. an inland sea as large az
Lake Superior.
Midway between the St. Lawrence
River and Hudson's Bay, stretching in
ii northeaStcrly direction from Ontario
elevation. designated on the maps as
Height of Land" A few miles to the
northward lies small lake known
Is Lake Mista>sini. from which
stream known as Rupert's River
flows into the southern extremity
of Hudson Bay. The region beyond
the WA crshcd. between Labrador and
IIudson'S Bay, is uninhabited except bv
IA few Indians and the traders of the
posts established many wears ago bv
the Hudson's Bay Company. In this
region, not far from the small lake
Mistassini, which may be seen on the
maps, lies the great lake which has re-
Gently been found.
At meeting of the British Associa-
ton for the Advancement of Science.
held at Montreal last August, the pre-
siding officer of the geographical Sec
ton. General LEROY, announced the
discovery of this great body of water.
The first trustworthy information con-
corning it seems to have been given to
Nj. COmeau by hunters, Indians, and
others who had visited its shores. An
expedition was fitted out and sent
northward by the Geographical Society
of Quebec, and the officer who left
Quebec in June with supplies for the
use of the exploring party has recently
returned.
The supply party, stating from a
village ON the Saguenay River about
thirty miles from Lake St. John, Jour-
neyed northward. passing the water
shed, and at a distance of about 1856
miles from Lake st. John and $50 miles
from Quebec the southern extremity OF
the great lake was reached. Those in
command appear to have carefully dis.
tinguished the great lake from the
small one and to have discovered that
they are connected by Rupert's River.
For seven days they voyaged on the
great lake, and after 120 miles of navi.
cation the main body of it was moi
reached. The waters swarmed with
fish, the banks were all wooded, and
tracts of the adjoining land were
arabic. Having deposited the provi
siOns at point on the shore, the sup
ply party returned without having en-.
countered the exploring party. Prof
Selwyn, of the Canadian Geological
Survey, is said to have recently stated
that the story about the great lake wa.
q hoax, because Lake Mistassini had
been surveyed in 1870 and was referred
to in the geological reports of that year
But the commander of the supply part,
asserts that the great lake lies beyond
the lake of which Prof. Selwyn speaks
and it seems probable that the Profrs
sor has been m;sled by belief that tho
supply party had rediscovered the small
lake.
The region north ofthe St. Lawrence
abOunds in small lakes, and that par1
of it that lies between Hudson's Ba,
and Labrador has been regarded rs OF
little value for agricultural purposes
1t has been controlled by the agents OF
the Hudson's Bay Company. who have
not been inclined to favor the explora
ton of it. The newly found lake lies
in latitude nearly corresponding to the
latitude of London and Berlin, but the
climate is severe. Exploration will not
be followed by settlement, and the dis.
covery is of little commercial value
Nevertheless, the full reports of the ex.
petition can not fail to be very inter.
esting.-N. Y. Times.