Volume 9, numéro 18, 1965

EN :

An attempt is made to calculate the population of Canada since the period of discovery. The author bas made a few corrections to official statistics and bas added the figures for Newfoundland (prior to 1949) and for the Indians and Eskimos (prior to 1851). Throughout it is a question of the same territory, that of present-day Canada.

Visualized in this fashion, the history of the population of Canada falls into jour periods :

1. 1600-1710 : The total population declined because the slow increase in European immigrants did not compensate for the decrease in numbers of indigenous peoples ;

2. 1710-1775 : The total population grew slowly during this period but, after two centuries of colonisation, Canada remained a land of Indians ;

3. In less than a century the total population soared from 300,000 to 3,000,000 ; never would Canada experience an equally long period characterized by such a high rate of demographic expansion. Canada became British ;

4. The present century bas seen jour demographic periods ; rapid increase took place during two of these periods : 1896-1914 and since 1942.

The alternation of rates of growth emphasizes the sensitivity of the Canadian economy to both external and internal events.

EN :

In 1890, the interior of the Québec-Labrador peninsula was still virtually unexplored. Ten years later, the blank on the map had been filled : geology, physio-graphy, climate, vegetation, fauna and inhabitants of the region were known, at least in their great lines, thanks to the remarkable amount of exploratory work done by the Canadian geologist A. P. Low. In thirteen seasons, Low sailed, canoed, dog-sledded and snowshoed some 10,000 miles in and around the peninsula. He gave the first accurate picture of the country, traced the outline of the Labrador Trough and gave the first description of the iron ores it contains. He surveyed the course of the principal rivers and a large portion of the northern and western coasts. His huge 1895 report is still considered the best work ever to have been printed about the region. Outside Québec-Labrador, Low worked in Gaspé, Manitoba, and was leader of the 1903-04 Canadian Arctic expedition on board the Neptune; on that occasion, he took formal possession of the Arctic Archipelago on behalf of Canada. Today's scientist, greatly helped by the airplane and modem technique, should be forever grateful to this indefatigable predecessor.

FR :

Les diverses étapes de la glaciation et de la déglaciation de la région du lac Whitegull sont l'objet de cet article. Au cours de la période de déglaciation, de longs eskers d'une hauteur de plus de 50 pieds, avec des pentes atteignant 35°, furent construits par les eaux de fusion sous-glaciaires ; par la suite plusieurs lacs de

barrage glaciaire se formèrent, dont on peut déterminer l'extension grâce à des vestiges bien conservés d'anciennes formes littorales d'érosion ou d'accumulation. Ces formes soulevées se sont apparemment construites très lentement, probablement au cours d'un long temps d'arrêt dans le recul du glacier. L'auteur peut ainsi faire l'hypothèse que la déglaciation de la péninsule du Québec-Labrador, loin d'être un simple recul d'une grande calotte glaciaire, s'effectua au contraire suivant un rythme saccadé.

EN :

The abundant spring run-off in Southern Québec is a result of the heavy winter precipitation and the length of the retaining period. One half of the annual discharge occurs in March, April and May, yet the maximum monthly coefficient (April) on the Saint-François is little more than 300. This low figure is due to the length of the thawing season, which extends the flood over at least four weeks, and to the retaining action of the numerous lakes. Occasionally a heavy spring rainfall may alter the character of the run-off, but even then there is never any question of spring flood damage to land or property — the river s are swollen rather than in flood.

Critical conditions can arise however on the Saint-François following storm rains and rapid run-off (impermeability and steep slopes). The water rises rapidly, but the fall extends over a week. These floods are more severe than in spring, but damage is still minimal, the lakes in fact store 50% of the surface run-off and in the case of certain tributaries, 75%. Furthermore, the maximum specific discharge is not more than 20 cu. ft/sec/sq. m. for the regulated tributaries (Magog, Massawippï) compared with 80 or more for those that are not. Through the regulating influence of the main tributaries and that of the hydro-electric power dams on the Saint-François itself], the regime of the river is one of the most serene in Southern Québec.

FR :

Cette étude a pour but de présenter les résultats de recherches sur le terrain portant sur certains aspects de la déglaciation de la région de Coaticook, dans les Cantons de l'Est. La principale conclusion de l'auteur, c'est la possibilité qu'il y

ait eu plus de deux avancées glaciaires à travers la région, suivies par une succession de lacs pro-glaciaires. Parmi les autres sujets qui ont retenu l'attention de l'auteur, on peut signaler la répartition des blocs erratiques de granité, ainsi que certaines formes d'origine fluvio-glaciaire (eskers, deltas pro-glaciaires, etc.).