THE DOMINION OF CANADA

AND

NEWFOUNDLAND.

CHAPTER I.

THE COASTS.

1. Boundaries and Area.

THE Dominion of Canada embraces all that part of North America lying between the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans, north of the United States of America, except Alaska, and all the islands off these coasts, except Newfoundland, which has not yet entered the confederation, and the small islands of St. Pierre, Miquelon, and Langley, lying south of Newfoundland, the sole possession of France in North America.

It extends from the 53d to the 141st meridians, and from the 42d to the 70th parallels, north latitude.

The superficial area is, in round numbers, 3,500,000 square miles, out of which seven provinces have been constituted, representing about one-third of the whole, one district, Keewatin, covering 395,000 square miles; the remainder is still held as Territories. These divisions and Territories are as follows:

U

Total

Population

4,579,885

Since the above was in type, four Districts have been established in the Prairie Section, by Order in Council of 8th May 1882, as follows:

1. ASSINIBOIA, containing about 95,000 square miles, is bounded on the south by the international boundary, on the east by the western boundary of Manitoba, on the north by the 9th correction line, Dominion Lands System surveys, near 52d parallel; on the west by a line dividing the 10th and 11th ranges townships, numbered from the 4th initial meridian, Dominion Lands System.

2. SASKATCHEWAN, containing 114,000 square miles, is bounded on the south by Assiniboia, on the east by Lake Winnipeg and Nelson River, on the north by the 18th correction line, survey system, and on the west by a continuation northward of the western boundary of Assiniboia.

3. ALBERTA, about 100,000 square miles, is bounded on the south by the international boundary, on the east by Assiniboia and Saskatchewan, on the west by British Columbia, and on the north by the 18th correctional line, near the 55th parallel.

4. ATHABASCA, containing about 122,000 square miles, is bounded on the south by Alberta, on the west by British Columbia, on the east by a line between the 10th and 11th ranges townships, already mentioned, until that intersects Athabasca River, then by that river and Athabasca Lake and Slave Lake to the 32d correction line, which forms the northern boundary of the district and is near the 60th parallel. Saskatchewan district includes nearly the whole main Saskatchewan and a part of South Saskatchewan, and contains such well-known places as Battleford, Carleton, and Prince Albert. The forks of the Saskatchewan, where the Press Colonisation Company is located, are almost exactly in the centre of the district. Assiniboia includes Qu'Appelle, South Saskatchewan, and Souris Rivers, and contains Fort Pelly, Fort Ellice, Touchwood Hills, etc.

Alberta includes the Battle, Bow, and Belly River countries.

Athabasca takes in the celebrated Peace River district.

1 These statistics are taken from the official returns of the Census for 1881.

Here stated for reference as a part of British North America, although not united to the Dominion.

3 Census, 1869.