The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-07-25
Unexplored Canada.

yE HAVE commented fire.
\N quently on the wealth
of information embodied
in the reports of our con-
suls TO the state department and every
appearance of the monthly volume in
which they are preserved increases our
appreciation. The July issue, just to
hand. is full of meat.
Notable among the instructive
articles in it is the report of Consul
Seyfert upon the areas of Canadian
territory which are as yet practically
unexplored. According to the director
of the Canadian geological survey, of
the 3,450,251 square miles comprehended
within the British North American
dominons 1.250000, or more than one
third. are uninha bited and unknown.
Excluding the inhospitable detached
Arctic portions, there are ga, 900
square miles of unknown territory.
Beginning A the extreme northwest
of the Dominion. the first of these areas
is between the eastern boundary of
Alaska, the Porcupinc river, and the
Arctic coast, about $500 square miles
in extent, or somewhat smaller than
Belgium, and lying entirely within the
Arctic Circle. The next is west of the
Lewes and Yukon rivers and extends
to the boundary of Alaska. Until last
year, $1,000 square miles in this area
was unexplored, but a part has since
been travelled. A third area of 81 900
mill ri tAi
Scotland-lies between the IeWes, Pelly,
and Stikine rivers. Between the Pelly
and Mackenzie rivers is another large
tract of ,0o0 square miles, or about
double the size of England 1t includes
nearly coo miles of the main Rocky
Mountain range. An uneXplored area
of 10000 square miles is found between
Great Bear Lake and the Arctic coast,
being nearly all to the north of the
Arctic Circle.
Nearly as large as Portugal is an
other tract between Great Bear lake,
the Mackenzie river, and the western
part of Great Slave lake, in all 81. GOO
square miles. Lying between stikine
and Laird rivers to the north and tho
Skeena and Peace rivers To the south
is an area of 81 600 square miles. which,
except for recent visit by a field party
is quite unexplored. OF the $1,000 square
miles southeast of Atha basca lake, little
is known, except that it has been eros
sed by field party en- route to Fort
Churchill. East of the Coppermine
river and west of Bathurst Inlet lies
$500 miles of uneXplored land, which
may be compared to half the size of
Switzerland, Eastward from this. lying
between the Arctic coast and Blacks
| river is an area of 81 900 square miles,
or about equal to Ireland, Much larger
| than Great Britain and Ireland, and
embracing 17S,0OO square miles, is the
region bounded by Blacks river Great
Slave lake, AthahasCa lake, HatChet
and Reindeer lakes, Churchill river,
and the west coast of Hudson Bay.
| This country includes the barren
grounds of the continent.
on the south coast of Hudson Bay.
between the Severn and Attawapishkat
| rivers, is an area $1,000 square miles
in extent, or larger than Nova Scotia; !;
and lying between Trout lake, Lac
| Seul, and the Albany river is another
$4,000 square miles of unexpored land
| South and east of James bay and near
er TO large centers of population than
any other uneXplored region is "A tract
of $4,000 square miles, which may he
compared in size to Portugal. The
most easterly area is the greatest Of
all 1t comprises almost the entire in
terror of the Labrador peninsula or
Northwest Territory, in all 2S9 600
square miles, or more than twice as
much as Great Britain and Ireland
In some of these areas there have
been fugitive attempts at explor-
alton on small scale, but
broadly speaking they are yet
Virgin land The Dominion gov