CANAAN
227
CANADA
though the name is said to be still closer etymologi-
cally than either of the other two. there is no tradition
whatever to support this hypothesis.
The miracle which has made ('ana forever famous was worked by Christ before his public life had fully commenced. This is usually taken to be the mean- ing of the words: "My hour is not yet come". He had however, already five disciples — Sts. Peter, An- drew, John, Philip, and Bartholomew (Nathaniel). They had followed him from the banks of the Jordan, but had received as yet no permanent call, such as is recorded later on in the other Gospels. Our Lord was on His way back to Nazareth when He passed by Cana. From the language of the Gospel we should in- fer that the marriage which was taking place was that of a close relative of the Blessed Virgin, for it is said without comment that she was there; and it was no doubt in her honour that Christ was invited. Again, the cause of the shortage of wine is not ex- plained by St. John; but it has been inferred that it may have been due to the presence of Our Lord and the five Disciples who accompanied Him, who would have made a substantial increase in a small and mod- est party. If this was so, it would explain the con- fidence with which Our Lady appealed to Him when she noticed it. The answer of Christ, which has been variously rendered, has given rise to long discussion, and cannot be said to be even yet properly understood. The Greek tI ^uol ko.1 <rol. yivau; is translated in the Vulgate, "Quid mihi et tibi est mvliert" In most English Catholic Bibles this is rendered, "Woman, what is it to me and to thee?" The translation adopted in the Authorized and Revised Versions, "Woman, what have 1 to do with thee? even if better idiomatically, conveysa wrong impression, for it gives the idea of a rebuke which is totally against the con- text. Father Rickaby, S. J., in his short commentary on St. John, suggests as a fair English equivalent, "Leave me alone, Lady". At any rate, she at once told the waiters to take orders from Our Lord. They filled the jars with water, which Jesus converted in- to wine. Taking the narrative as it stands, we have one of the best authenticated of Our Lord's miracles; for, unlike the case of the cure of bodily ailments, the waiters were comparatively disinterested parties, and yet they bore witness that the water had become wine and was even the best wine of the feast. Not only the miracle, but also the whole incident of Christ's attendance at the marriage feast has always been taken as setting His seal on the sanctity of mar- riage, and on the propriety of humble rejoicing on such occasions. And if the bride or bridegroom was, as is believed, a relative of Our Lady, we may take it as an example of the sympathy which family ties should bring in the ordinary joys, no less than in the sorrows, of life.
(Swing in Hast., Diet, of the Bible, s. v. ; Thompbo Land and the Honk (lK7'i). 4'2r>; Stanley, Sinai and Palestine; Sandat, Sacred Site, of the Gospel. BERNARD WaHD.
Canaan. See Chanaan.
Canada, or to be more exact, the Dominion of Canada, comprises all that part of North America north of the United States, with the exception of Newfoundland, Labrador, and Alaska. The distance from the Atlantic Ocean on the east to the Pacific Ocean on the west is 3000 miles, and from the borders of the United States to the farthest point in t lie An 'tie Ocean at least 1500 miles. With it- 3,7 I.V57 I square miles, Canada exceeds in size both the United States and Australasia, and is almost as large as Europe.
Physical Features. — The physical aspect of the land shows a wide central plain lying between two moun- tainous regions, the Columbian on the west and the Laurentian plateau on the east. The most important mountain system is that of the west, which consists of the northern end of the Cordillcran region. The great parallel chains enclose British Columbia and
Yukon, then decreasing in height turn towards the
west, finally ending on the shores of Alaska. The
most prominent of these ranges is the eastern, known
as the Rocky Mountains. From an average height
of 5000 to 10,000 feet, they rise at times to 13,-
000 and 14,000 feet, like Mounts Brown, Columbia, Hooker, etc. Mounts Purcell, Selkirk, and the Gold Range, which rise west of the Rocky Mountains in successive and parallel lines, are not as high but are very picturesque, bordering on the plateau of British Columbia. Of an average height of 2000 or 3000 feet and more than 100 miles wide, this plateau is crossed by the rivers Fraser and Columbia, which flow through wide basins interrupted here and there by rapids and waterfalls. It extends towards the west as far as the Coast Range, which lies parallel to the Pacific Ocean, where it suddenly rises to a great height, cut by innumerable fiords reaching as far as the borders of Alaska. The highest peak in Canada is Mount Logan (19,539 feet). Finally, there is a range, partly submerged, which forms the islands of Van- couver and Queen Charlotte; it attains a height of 6840 feet in the Victoria Peak in Vancouver. The mountains in the east of Canada, which are far less important, are called the Laurentians because they rise on the left shore of the St. Lawrence River. From Labrador to Hudson Bay, whose basin it outlines, as it also does that of the St. LawTence, this range is at least 3000 miles in length. The average elevation is 1500 feet, but a few peaks in the northern part reach a height of 3000 to 4000 feet. Studded with innu- merable lakes and crossed here and there by rivers, these mountains of granite, quartz, gneiss, and mica are extremely picturesque. South of the St. Law- rence, the Alleghanies or Appalachian Mountains, leaving their course from south to north, turn to- wards the east and form the peninsulas of Gaspe and Nova Scotia.
The immense central plain which stretches as far as the frozen north is simply the continuation of the Missouri and Mississippi valley in the United States. In the valley of the Mackenzie the altitude varies between 500 and 1000 feet, and from the border of Lake Winnipeg to the Arctic Ocean the width is from 100 to 300 miles. Between the two the ground rises to a maximum height of 2000 feet, the highest parts being near the Rocky Mountains. In Alberta and the southern part of Saskatchewan the elevation varies between 2000 and 5000 feet. This vast plain contains many lakes, pools, and ponds, which have no doubt taken the place of glaciers. Besides the great lakes to the south of Canada which form the boundary and belong, with the exception of Lake Michigan, partly to the United States and partly to
1 lanada, there are also many sheets of water such as Great Slave Lake, Great Bear Lake, Lake Athabasca, Reindeer, Manitoba, Winnipeg, and Winnipegosis Lakes. The lakes of < Janada cover an area of 77,391 . 304 acres, distributed as follows: British Columbia 1,560,830; Manitoba 6,019,200: Maritime Provinces 277,332; Ontario 25,701,944; Quebec 3,507,318; Al- berta and Saskatchewan S.005.020; Mackenzie 18,-
910,080; Keewatin 8,588,260; Ungava 3,745,440;
Yukon 415,280. These immense bodies of water drain into t he oceans through large rivers which empty into four basins: the Pacific basin with an area of 3S7.800 si|. m. into which empty the Fraser, Columbia, Stikine
and Yukon; the Hudson Bay basin, area 1 . 1 NO ,000 sq. in., principal rivers Kelson, Red River, Saskatchewan, Churchill, Albany, Dubawnt, Assiniboine, Winnipeg, Moose, Nottaway, Big, and Koksoak; the Atlantic basin, area 554,000 sq. m.. principal rivers the St. Lawrence, with its tributaries Ottawa, St. Maurice, and Saguenay; and the Arctic basin, area 1,290,000 sq. in., principal rivers the Mackenzie, Peace, Atha- basca, and Liard.
/ ield Products. — The vegetable products are di-
