in some places, in others bare and barren. Babine Lake, 88 miles long, very deep
and with a width of from one to two and three-quarter miles, is almost surrounded by
thickly wooded mountains. There is some land fit for grazing, but summer frosts,
which prevail, would not encourage settlement for farming purposes. The country from
Babine Lake to Tremblay Lake is in parts very heavily timbered, much of it is brulé,
the soil is light and gravelly, and there is little good land except near the Nation Lake,
where there are several good hay meadows. Na-kal-at Valley, on Stuart Lake, contains
about 24 square miles of rich open land, offering good pasturage, with areas fit for the
cultivation of hardy cereals and vegetables. Parts of the country between Stuart and
McLeod Lakes might be brought under cultivation by clearing, but there is not much
open land. The quality of the land improves near Giscome Portage, and there is con-
siderable open country with grassy flats and wooded benches with good soil. Between
Giscome Portage and Omineca there are no extensive areas of agricultura] lands; here
and there are hay meadows and patches of land fit for growing vegetables, but the
district cannot be said to offer any inducement to the farmer. Cattle would do well at
many points and as mining operations increase there will be a market for the beef and
vegetables which can be raised. The winters are severe in this district and there are
summer frosts.

Report by Mr. W. W. Clarke.

Mr. W. W. Clarke writes :—

“Twas with Mr. Poudrier, P.L.S., in 1892, and have since had opportunities of sce-
ing something of the North that does not fall to the lot of everyone. A great deal has
already been written about the Bulkley and the Nechaco Valleys, and I do not consider
any of the reports that I have read as at all highly coloured. On the contrary, I think
they are very conservative, and seem to go out of their way to be so.

corp

here is a good trail (which the Government in 1892 widened to a 20-foot road),
running from Hazelton to Moricetown, an Indian village on the Bulkley River, and from
there on the Telegraph Trail goes right: through to Quesnel. The Bulkley River, from
Hazelton to Moricetown, is called the Hooglygate by the Indians, and their names some-
times get very confusing. About ten or twelve miles from Hazelton, on the banks of
the Bulkley River, there is a small village called, as near as it can be pronounced, Ahg-
wilget (which sounds very much like Hooglygate), one of the cleanest and most pictur-
esque spots to be found. The trail runs through good land, some of which would want
draining; and timber, although of a light variety, is fairly plentiful. Cotton-tail
rabbits abound in the thickets, and ground-hogs are numerous. There are extensive
beds of peat, soft and spongy to the tread, with patches of morass and small swamps,
most of which could be easily drained, probably being caused by beaver dams. Towards
Moricetown the timber becomes somewhat larger, being principally poplar and small
spruce. Several little streams, most of them raging torrents in the early summer, cross
the trail, some of them apparently of glacial origin by their colour. Fording them with
heavily-laden pack animals is at times a matter of considerable difficulty, but with care
can always be safely managed. Their banks are fringed with willow and alder trees,

“Around Moricetown open meadow spots are plentiful, with gr

Beil ass three and four
eet rh. are PB ile iverrus S a P r 3 " i
et high. Here the Bulkley River rushes through a canyon cut through the solid rocks,

The roaring of the waters can be heard for a considerable dist

ance, and when camping