β The two places at which I have observed at St. Regis, viz. in the Priest's Garden, and on the hill near the Indian Village, are both marked on the Plan of St. Regis, the latter by a little red rectangle, being about 240 feet from the cross on the hill in a direction almost due south. The results of the different stars at the latter place present a discordance which I cannot perfectly explain. The observations of ß Urs. Min. give a less latitude than the southern stars. The two single observations of a Herculis and a Pegasi obtained by a small number of repetitions, and therefore less accurate, cannot prove any thing to the contrary, and the 1 observation of a Aquarii which gives less, was marked as doubtful, and might with propriety have been rejected, but as it cannot have a great influence on the whole result, I thought it best not to reject any. The observations of ß Urs. Min. were all made almost at day time, and it was often with great difficulty that the star was found; still, I was well satisfied with the observations, and their agreement among themselves is too great to attribute this difference to errors of observation; it appears at the same time from my former observations at St. Regis, that the southern stars give for the latitude too much, while 6 Urs. Min. the only northern star that was observed, gives too little. I cannot attribute this difference to any thing but want of verticality in the instrument, which however was very carefully adjusted by the Pole-star, and its image reflected from a quicksilver horizon. quicksilver horizon. If this was the case it would be more correct to take the mean of the results of ẞ Urs. Min. and of that of all the southern stars together. I have given this latter result, and likewise that of all the observations taken together. The observations of the other Observatory, and those of Fort Covington Village, will be combined with these, and thus the possible error be diminished. The station near Fort Covington Village was about 3950 feet east of Salmon River, and about 100 feet south of a fence, supposed to be on the old line. The station of Chateaugay River was on the farm of a man of the name of Brown, a few hundred feet east of one of the main Branches of the Chateaugay River; and about 740 feet north of the supposed old line. The station on Lake Champlain was about 2380 feet east of the lake on the old line, along which a road through the wood has been cut out for some miles, in the direction of the two marks of the old line on each side of the lake. A few observations on the station near Fort Covington Village have been rejected, because they either gave no near result at all, or because they exceeded those limits of error, to which, in an observation not spoiled by any accident or other cause, an observer is liable; these latter are marked in parenthesis; the same was the case at the station of Lake Champlain, where two observations of the Pole-star of the 16th and 24th October gave a result, in which the errors not only far exceeded the error to which an observation of the Pole-star, but even that of any star, is liable. Wm. F. Odell, H. veyor's ON Saturday the 11th of July, 1818, I met Mr. Johnson, the Surveyor on the B. M. Sur- part of the United States, at Madawaska, from which place, as soon as the Report. necessary arrangements could be completed, we proceeded up the Grand River, Filed 11th a branch of the River of St. John, to the portage leading to the Wagansis, and May, 1819. thence by the Indian Path to the 99 mile tree marked last year, where we arrived with the provisions and baggage on Monday the 20th. The ground here being swampy and unfit for observations, Mr. Johnson proposed to continue the Line to the Restigouche, and there ascertain the magnetic variation. This was accordingly agreed to, and the Line was continued on a course north 16° 30', east by magnet, to that river, a distance of little more than two miles and a half; here by a mean of the observations made by me, the magnetic variation was found to be 16° 19′ 56", and by Mr. Johnson 16° 20' west. The instrument for running the Line (a circumferenter belonging to Mr. Johnson) was therefore fixed agreeably to this variation, and the exploring line com- Appendix, menced on a course north 16° 20' east by the magnet. Wm. F. From the 99 mile tree to the Restigouche, the land, with the exception of WF a few insignificant rises near the river, is low, flat, and swampy, and chiefly B. M. Surcovered with spruce and cedar. The River Restigouche was intersected by the line about two miles below the mouth of the Wagansis, at which place it is 80 links wide, and is navigable for loaded canoes; its course down stream is northerly for a short distance, and afterwards nearly north east. From the mouth of the Wagansis the course of the Restigouche, up stream, is north-westerly, and from its size, depth of water and current, its sources must be considerably distant. At the distance of about twelve miles from the Restigouche, we met with a stream which was supposed by some Frenchmen, who were employed as labourers, to be what is called the Petite Fourche, or Little Fork of the Restigouche. This is a very clear stream, about five feet deep where the line crosses it, and one chain in width, and from its appearance would be easily navigable for canoes, but it is stated by the hunters to be full of rapids, which render the passage with boats impracticable. The course of this stream is from north-west to south-east, and from its size and quantity of water it must take its rise considerably to the westward of the line. The land between the Restigouche and this stream is covered with a luxuriant growth of timber, which on the tops of the hills is chiefly birch and maple, with some ash; about two miles south of the Petite Fourche, in a tract of uncommon fine maple land, we found marks of the trees having been tapped for the purpose of making sugar: at the Petite Fourche the variation was found to have increased, and the instrument was set to 16° 43'. About six miles north of the Petite Fourche is another stream about fifty links in width, running easterly; the appearance of the land in this distance much the same as before described. About ten miles north of this last-mentioned stream we came to the Grande Fourche, or Large Fork of the Restigouche, the largest branch of that river; this stream is two chains wide, easily navigable for loaded canoes; from the temperature and softness of the waters, seems to come out of a lake, and it is so reported by the hunters, but whatever be the source, it must, from the size and appearance of the stream, be far to the westward. A branch comes into this stream about two or three miles above where the line crosses it. The general course of the Grande Fourche is south-eastwardly to its junction with the Restigouche. The variation here was settled at 17° 22′ 30′′, and the instrument set accordingly. By inspection of the map accompanying this Report, it will appear that the whole tract passed over by the line from the Restigouche to the Grand Fourche is broken into ridges by small streams and deep ravines, the banks of which are in general very steep; these ridges, however, appear to be only ranges of land dividing the several branches of the Restigouche from each other, and extending generally in the direction of those branches, but with such variations in their shape and figure as are occasioned by the small streams with which they are intersected. The general face of the country may be considered as increasing moderately in elevation from the Restigouche northward, to within two or three miles of the Grande Fourche, and then descending very rapidly to that stream. It is well wooded with a luxuriant growth of tall thrifty timber, a mixture of hard wood, fir, and spruce, with some pines. The mountain ash is abundant, and there are a very few wild cherry trees. Contrary, however, to what is usually met with, the soft wood grows mostly in the valleys, and the hard wood on the tops of the hills. The greater part of this extent appears to be excellent farming land. The River Restigouche, from where the line intersects it, down stream, is copied from a map; its general course, however, so far as I can veyor's Report. W m. F. Appendix judge from the bearings and observations taken in a canoe as we returned from our camp, on the Grande Fourche to the Wagansis, is correct; and from Odell, H. the estimated distances from where the line intersects the Grande Fourche to B. M. Sur- the mouth of that stream, and thence up the Restigouche to the Wagansis, and from the appearance of the current in both these streams, I am of opinion that there is not much, if any, difference in the level of the water at these two places. veyor's. Report. Immediately after crossing the Grande Fourche the ground rises very steeply for about three quarters of a mile, and very moderately for a quarter of a mile more, forming a high bank to the river, and pursuing, apparently, the same course with the stream, and has the appearance of being the highest point intersected by the line run this year; it then descends, moderately, all the way to the Beaver River, hereafter mentioned; the surface, however, diversified into hill and dale like the rest, by the ravines and small streams with which it is intersected; but the ravines are not so deep, nor the banks of the streams so steep as those to the southward of the Grande Fourche; this tract also is well wooded with a tall luxuriant growth of timber, chiefly fir and spruce, with a mixture of hard wood and some pine. The pine however is mostly found near the borders of the Grande Fourche; I also met with some of the largest cedars that I have ever seen. On the 2nd of September we arrived at a stream fifteen miles and a half north of the Grande Fourche, running to the westward, to which we gave the name of Beaver River; on the borders of this stream, where the line intersected it, is a piece of low, wild meadow, which was then overflowed in consequence of a dam made by the beavers, which had formed a large pond, above which are two smaller ponds, and immediately below the dam the stream is about two rods wide, the water quick and clear; at a short distance from the stream, on both sides, the ground rises moderately, but the elevation is very small, and there is no appearance of high lands. This being the first stream of any consequeuce that we had met with running to the westward, I agreed with Mr. Johnson to halt and examine it. I accordingly sent a party up the stream, who reported that they had pursued it between two and three miles, and had found it generally from twenty to thirty feet wide, and from six to eighteen inches deep, with a number of old beaver dams, the current gradual, and the general course from the south-east to north-west. The next day I sent Mr. Campbell (my assistant) with one of Mr. Johnson's party and some labourers to explore the stream downwards, remaining myself at the camp to make some observations for ascertaining the magnetic variation; and I beg leave to refer for particulars to Mr. Campbell's report, which is hereto annexed. A party was also sent northward in the direction of the line, who reported, that at the distance of about three miles they had fallen in with another stream running eastward, which we supposed was the Metapediac, a branch of the Restigouche, but from information which I have obtained since my return, I am induced to think it is a branch called by the Indians Pedaiviguac, which empties into the Restigouche considerably above the Metapediac. It appearing by the report of the exploring party, that the Beaver River must communicate with the St. Lawrence, Mr. Johnson and myself considered our instructions so far fulfilled, and agreed to return. For more particulars of all this service, I beg leave to refer to the Field-book, and to the Journal which was kept of our daily operations. pro On the 18th of September the party reached the River St. John, and ceeded to Mars Hill, where they arrived on the 28th, and were employed until the 3d of October in clearing away the wood on the south peak, in order to get a view of the surrounding country; the same thing was done by Mr. Johnson's party on a part of the north peak, looking to the south-west. |