as they pass and thrown at the dogs. It is painful to witness the sudden start of terror with which each animal, looking over his shoulder as he trots along, watches the mien and motions of the driver as he poises the stick, which he knows how to throw with certain dexterity at the terrified animals. All the dogs give a simultaneous jump on one side as the missile flies past them, when directed to the leader of the train; and not unfrequently would the cariole be overturned if it were not for the strength and the skill of the driver in holding the loop with which he steers it. When this occurrence takes place and the dogs are at full speed, the only plan left for the helpless traveler is to draw his arms close to his sides, and wait until the cariole is righted by the driver; but any attempt to right the cariole by putting out an arm is a dangerous operation, which might occasion a broken limb. In descending steep hills, it is always advisable to walk or run, which all would prefer for the sake of exercise, except when the road is very good, and the trains can proceed for many miles at a gallop without fatigue.

A heavy snow-storm is a serious matter in the prairie. It is then absolutely necessary for all the trains to keep close together; the drifting snow soon obliterates the tracks; and, although the dogs with their exquisite noses will follow the tracks of the leading cariole even when completely hidden from view by a light fall, yet when drifts accumu late they are at fault.

Preparing to camp in a snow-storm is not an agreeable operation, or suggestive of that comfort and safety which a camp almost always presents. When the fire is well lighted, supper cooked and eaten, and the party "turned in," then it does not matter much how heavily it snows, the trouble being reserved for the following day. After a heavy fall during the night, men, dogs, carioles, and sledges are all covered with a thick mantle of pure white; a sudden shout

from the guide enlivens many of the apparently lifeless forms, recognized only by their ontline; but some of the sagacious dogs take advantage of the concealment afforded by the snow, and, quite neglectful of the whistles and shouts of their masters, "lie close."

CHAPTER VII.

THE NEW PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS AT OTTAWA.

CANADA has hitherto been signally unfortunate in her different seats of government, in the buildings appropriated to public departments, and in the residences of her gov ernors. Quebec, Montreal, Kingston, and Toronto have each in turn been the capital of the province. Ottawa has not yet been tried; but there is good ground for the expectation and hope that the selection of Her Majesty the Queen will be found conducive to the best interests of the province, whatever may be the disappointment felt by cities which had a history before Ottawa was in existence or even the great river from which it derives its name thoroughly explored.

THE OTTAWA RIVER AND VALLEY.

The Ottawa rises near the forty-ninth parallel of latitude in longitude 76° W. It is about 780 miles long, and 300 miles from its source it passes through Lake Temiscaming, 67 miles long. Above this lake the country drained by the Ottawa is little known; but below it, for a distance of 430 miles, the river has been surveyed. Montreal River, the canoe route to Hudson Bay, comes in from the north-west, 34 miles down Lake Temiscaming, and, six miles lower down, the great and almost unknown river Keepawa plunges into the lake in a magnificent cascade 120 feet in height. From the long sault at the foot of Lake Temiscam ing, 233 miles above the city of Ottawa, the river is not

navigable for a distance of 89 miles, except for canoes. Between the last-named point and Ottawa, a distance of 197 miles, numerous tributaries swell its waters, and one of these, the Matawan, coming from the west, is of especial interest at the present time, in consequence of its being on the line of the proposed ship-canal route between the Ottawa River and Lake Huron. Above the Upper Allumette Lake there is a navigable reach of water 43 miles in length. The mountains above Allumette Lake are upward of 1,000 feet in height, and the scenery is magnificent. The mountains on the north side of Colongue Lake are 1,500 feet high, and the scenery grand and beautiful. The Petewawa, one of the largest tributaries, 140 miles long, drains an area of 2,200 square miles; the Black River drains 1,120 square miles; and, 39 miles above Ottawa City, the Madawaska, one of its greatest feeders, and 210 miles long, drains 4,100 square miles. Six miles above Ottawa the rapids begin which terminate in the celebrated Chaudière Falls, whose tumultuous waters plunge 40 feet and partly disappear in the "Lost Chaudière" by an underground passage whose subsequent outlet is unknown. At Ottawa the great river receives the Rideau, distinguished on account of its canal which connects the city of Ottawa with Lake Ontario at Kingston. Its largest tributary, the Gatineau, with a course of 420 miles, comes in from the north, and drains 12,000 square miles of territory. Eighteen miles below Ottawa is the Rivière du Lièvre, draining an area of 4,100 square miles; below this river there are numerous tributaries varying from 90 to 160 miles in length. The rapids below Ottawa are avoided by a succession of canals. One hundred and thirty miles below the future capital of the province the Ottawa's waters mingle with those of the St. Lawrence, and for many miles their yellow, turbid stream can be seen quietly gliding by the side of the blue waters of the St. Lawrence, soon to become blended in their onward course to the sea.

The valley drained by the Ottawa is 80,000 square miles in area, for the most part covered with valuable woods, particularly red and white pine; it is abundantly intersected with large rivers, and contains a very considerable area of the best soil. The country is generally beautiful and undulating behind what has been called the red-pine region, and sustains a growth of maple, beech, birch, and elm. No region of equal extent enjoys so much excellent water-power with such ample supplies of timber and minerals to work up, or to apply to any kind of manufacture to which waterpower is applicable. It is a region rich in iron, lead, plumbago, marbles, ochres, and copper. The valley of the beautiful and bountiful river is capable of maintaining without difficulty twice the entire present population of Canada, or more than 6,000,000 souls. Such is the region in which the future capital of this vast province is situated, and where its government will be established. The city of Ottawa was founded by Colonel By, in 1827, at the time of the construction of the Rideau Canal. It is situated a little below the beautiful and curious falls of the Chaudière, and stands upon a high and bold eminence surrounding a deep bay. Lord Sydenham recommended Bytown (now Ottawa) as a very favorable situation for the seat of Government of Canada. In 1850 the population was 6,016; but, in consequence of its being the seat of the lumber trade, its inhabitants have always been of a very transient description, spending the summer in the town and in fall hastening far away to the great lumber districts, north, west, and east, to spend the winter in the glorious forests which still cover the Upper Country. The present population of Ottawa is 15,000.

THE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS.

These are three in number,—the parliament-house and two departmental buildings. They occupy an elevated

piece of ground, about 25 acres in extent and 150 feet above the river, known by the name of "Barrack Hill." The view from this natural terrace is superb. The great river, with its moving rafts, steamers, barges, and canoes rolls swiftly on through splendid hill ranges towards the south. In the distance the succession of bridges which span the majestic river just above the Chaudière Falls, attracts the eye, even though it be tempted to rest upon the wild beauty of the cascade sweeping by craggy rocks, between abrupt islands, and plunging into the basin below, where part of its waters disappear in the Lost Chaudière. Far beyond the beautiful cascade, glitters the broad river, swiftly rushing down the rapid Des Chenes; and in the remote background rise towering hills and mountains, often brilliant with purple and gold when the sun dips from view and gilds their lonely summits with his parting beams.

The buildings are constructed of a light-colored sandstone found in the township of Nepean in the valley of the Ottawa. This material is geologically interesting, as it comes from the most ancient fossiliferous unaltered rock in the world, the Potsdam sandstone. At Lyn, where some of the stone is obtained, the massive sandstone beds are seen resting on Laurentian gneiss. The walls are relieved with cut-stone dressings of Devonian sandstone from Ohio, and by red sandstone relieving arches from Potsdam in the state of New York. The roofs are slated with purple and green, and the pinnacles ornamented with wrought-iron cresting. The style of architecture is the Italian-Gothic, and the south front of the quadrangle is formed by the parliament building, 500 feet in length. The two departmental structures are 375 feet long. The rear is open and will be railed off with a suitable ornamental screen. The committee rooms occupy the front of the building. The library, a beautiful detached circular building, with a dome 90 feet high, is in the rear of the central tower, 250 high. The