r »"" T / • . * i atirv .’ , ? ^Wk • / \ ) . *■ ivr ^ >v * ♦ \ * t’ n • ft' 4 1 £ r • *' ' 7 **j£y fo\ 434 . WoJrtJ6t TRAVELS THROUGH / THE CANADA^ CONTAINING A DESCRIPTION OF THE PICTURESQUE SCENERY ON *QMS OF THE RIVERS AND LAKES; will) an account of the PRODUCTIONS, COMMERCE, AND INUAB1TAJ* TS OF THOSE PROVINCES. BY GEORGE HERIOT, ESQ. Deputy Post Master General of British t!orth America. PHILADELPHIA: PUBLISHED BY M. CAREY. NO. 122, MARKET STREET. 1813 PREFACE. The first part of the following work was writ¬ ten with the design of conveying an idea of some of the picturesque scenery of the Saint Law¬ rence, at once the largest and most wonderful body of fresh waters on this globe. Numbers of tributary streams, some of which are of immense magnitude, disembogue them¬ selves into this gigantic flood, which, from its principal source, Lake Superior, to its junction with the ocean, parts with none of its waters, but rolls thither all that it receives. The restless impetuosity of many of these streams has furrowed up the surface of the land, and produced objects of stupendous grandeur. Several of these awful and sublime operations of nature, have hitherto been visited by a small por¬ tion only of civilized men. Her most wild fea¬ tures, her most striking and attractive charms, are frequently concealed in the midst of unfre¬ quented deserts. A IV PREFACE. To the picturesque description of the scenes in Canada, is added that of the climate and pro¬ ductions of the country, of the manners and cha¬ racter of the inhabitants, also of those of the do¬ miciliated Indians. A brief dissertation respecting the commerce and constitution of the Canadas is likewise subjoined. An opportunity of visiting the Azores having been presented to the author during his voyage to America, he has made two of the most cele¬ brated of these isles the subject of the commence¬ ment of this tour. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Azores: original discover)’: romantic appearance. Island of Saint Michael: Ponta del Gada: val¬ ley of Fumo: cavern of Boca de Inferno: gulph of Sete Cidades: culture: productions of the country: amenity of situations. Island of Pico: view from the summit of the peak: in¬ fluence produced on the mind by positions of extraordinary elevation: height of the peak: state of thermometer: grandeur of that moun¬ tain when viewed from the sea. — - CHAPTER H. Banks of ^Newfoundland: uncommon appearance of vessels engaged in the fishery: great bank: cause of the fogs: cod-fish: mode of catching and preparing it: of drying and packing: vessels 13 VIII CONTENTS. employed in the commerce: produce of that branch. Island of Newfoundland: Eskimaux, the only natives seen there: account of that race of men. Original discovery of Newfoundland: har¬ bour of Saint John: scaffolds: the town: sterility of soil: uninviting climate: colonization prohibited: importance in a political view: islands of ice: Saint Pierre and Miquelon: Cape Breton. 2 7 CHAPTER III. Gulph of Saint Lawrence. Prince Edward’s is¬ land. Bird isles. Chaleur’s bay: its commerce, and that of Gaspe: state of agriculture: route to the capital: perforated rock: the Ganetr mouth of the great river: Anticosti: wild as¬ pect presented by the coasts on either side the river. River Saguenay: waterfall: boldness of shores: immense depth: king’s posts: account of the mountaineers; Malbay: Coudres. Saint Paul’s bay: Camourasca: Island of Orleans. 48 CHAPTER IV. Quebec: description of that city: romantic situa¬ tion: natural strength: rel gious orders, and their establishments: ship-building: interesting scene displayed Jrom point Levi: extensive and grand landscape presented trom the heights to the westward of the garrison. River Mont- morenci: natural steps: sublime waterfall: basin, and its strata: description of the fall as seen Irom the coast oi the Saint Lawrence. 74 CONTENTS. IX CHAPTER Y. Jeune Lorette: domiciliated natives: mode of dancing. The Saint Charles: cascades on that river. The Chaudiere: description of its fall: appearance in winter. Island of Orleans: views from thence: soil. North coast of the Saint Lawrence. Cape Tourment. River Saint Anne: its waterfalls: lower fall described. La Puce: romantic falls of that little river: various land¬ scapes. Lake Saint Charles; picturesque com¬ binations. Q2 CHAPTER VI. Country to the westward of Quebec. Lake Cal- viere. The Jacques Cartier: romantic scenery which it displays. Town of three rivers. Lake Saint Peter. Town of William Henry. River Chambly. Island of Montreal: religious or¬ ders, and their establishments: view from the summit of the mountain. Indian village of the Sault Saint Louis: La Chine: Lake St. Louis: cascades: rapids of the Cedars: of the coteau Du Lac: Lake Saint Francis: cascades of the Long Sault: multitude of isles. 109 CHAPTER VII. Description of Kingston in Upper Canada: lake Ontario: bay of Quinte: excellence of its soil: CONTENTS. Toronto, or York, the capital: Burlington bay: river Onondago: romantic cascades: Genesee river: waterfall: forts and town of Niagara: su¬ perior advantages enjoyed by Settlers on the banks of the Saint Lawrence: rapid increase of population, and prosperous state of the pro¬ vince: Queenstown: the whirlpool: stupen¬ dous majesty of the falls of Niagara: cascades: village of Chippawa, 142 CHAPTER VIII. Sublime subject of the falls further pursued. Lake Erie: Amherstburg: the Detroit: Sandwich: old town of Detroit: beauty and fertility of the country. River and lake of St. Claire: La Tranche, or Thames: settlements on its borders. Lake Huron: Bay of Thunder: Michilimakinac: Lake Michigan: Green Bay: inhabitants: Saint Joseph; cascades of Saiui Mnuy. Address of the Indians: ancient Hurons, and other native Tribes. Lake Superior: remarkable transpa¬ rency of its waters: grand portage; new estab¬ lishment on the Kamanistigua. 181 CHAPTER IX. Commerce of Canada: fur trade: paper money: seigneuries: rights of their proprietors: mode¬ rate appointments of colonial officers: maladmi¬ nistration of finance during the French govem- tnent: state ot Canada at its conquest: progres- CONTENTS. give improvement: revenue: yearly equipment and transport in the fur trade: voyageurs: har¬ diness and mode of life: difficulties of naviga¬ tion on the Outaouas river: romantic waterfalls: portages. 220 CHAPTER X. Former state of colonial government. Introduc¬ tion of the criminal code of England. Quebec Bill. New constitution: sketch of that system. Division of Canada into two provinces; and of these into counties: advantages o' Canadian settlers: state of society: manners: character of the habitants, or landholders: mode of clearing- lands: acquisition of property: seigneurles: pro¬ duce of soils: agriculture. Upper Canada: cold, and causes of its long domination: travelling in winter: roads: houses. 256 TRAVELS, £rr. &?c. CHAPTER I. Azores—original discovery—romantic appearance- island of Saint Michael—Ponta del Gada—valley of Furno—cavern of Boca de Inferno—•gulph of Setc Cidades — Culture—Productions of the country — Amenity of situation—Island of Pico—Vfiexv from the summit of the Peak—Influence produced on the viind by positions of extraordinary elevation— Height of the Peak—State of thermometer — Gran¬ deur of that mountain when viewed from the sea . IN compliance with a promise which the au¬ thor made to some friends, previous to his de¬ parture from England, he has been induced to write an account of his travels. As a detailed journal of the occurrences of a vo) age would he no less tedious than uninteresting, he has confined himself to a description of such islands, and parts of the continent of North America, as have faiien within the limits of his observation. The ship, in which he saiied, having touched B 14 THE AZORES. at the Azores on her passage to Canada, an op¬ portunity was afforded him of visiting the islands of St. Michael and Pico. The Azores are situated in the Atlantic Ocean, nearly at an equal distance from Europe and A- rnerica, extending between twenty five and thir¬ ty-two degrees of west longitude, and thirty-se¬ ven and forty degrees of north latitude. They were discovered by the Portuguese, who still continue to possess them, in 1449, at a peri¬ od, when the spirit of adventure in search of new regions, patronized and directed by Henry duke of \ r izeo, had incited the navigators of his coun¬ try boldly to launch into the ocean, and to pur¬ sue their course far beyond the utmost limits of former geographical knowledge. They are said to have received the appellation of Azores from the number of falcons which in¬ habit the mountains. 1 he atmosphere enjoys a great portion of clear and serene weather, and the mildness of the climate is highly .avourable t* human health. The rugged precipices and mountains varying in degrees of elevation, as well as in form and* ex¬ tent of bases, many of whose summits are coni¬ cal, exhibit no doubtful indication of the violent e? options and convulsions, by which, at several distant periods, the country must have been agi¬ tated. & 1 he tops of the most lofty of these mountains THE AZORES. IS are usually discoverable above the clouds, which rest or float upon their sides; and which their stupendous height attracts amid the cooler re¬ gions of the atmosphere. The acclivities, in proportion to their distance from the sea, in¬ crease in magnitude and elevation ; and, in many situations, abruptly rise into enormous piles, crowned with naked and barren cliffs, except where the sides are sparingly shagged with stunt¬ ed trees and brushwood. The soil is in general fertile, abounding in corn, grapes, oranges, lemons, and a variety of ether fruits; and is likewise favourable for breed¬ ing of cattle, sheep, and other animals. Fish of various kinds are found, in great abundance, all around the coasts: and the woods and high lands present a multitude cf birds of different descrip¬ tions. Animals of a noxious nature are said to be here unknown. Saint Michael, Santa Maria, Tercerc, Saint George, Graciosa, Fayal, Pico, Flores, and Cpr- vo, are the several names by which these islands are distinguished. The first is by far the most extensive; and lies in a direction from south-east to north-west. It is about fifty-four miles in length, but cf an ir¬ regular breadth, not exceeding fifteen miles, and being at the centre not wider than six miles. The number of inhabitants is estimated at nearly eighty thousand. 1G THE AZORES. Ponta del Gada, the principal town, is situat¬ ed on the south side, and contains about twelve thousand inhabitants. The streets are regular, and of convenient width : and the churches ai.d religious houses, as well as other public edifices, may be termed rather elegant. Convents and nunneries are placed in various situations, throughout the country. i he town is buiit a- long the sea-coast. The land behind it rises at first with gradual ascent, and afterwards more ab¬ ruptly, the view terminating by a congeries of conical lulls. A mountain on the west towers above these, and is of a handsome form, its sum¬ mit having a table appearance. In this is an an¬ cient crater filled with water, whose depth has not yet been ascertained. There is no harbour irt the vicinity of the town, and vessels are usually anchored at a considera¬ ble distance from shore, in an open and unshel¬ tered road. That part of the island, in which the capital is placed, forming a gentle acclivity of considerable extent, is well cultivated, and divided, with no small degree of taste, into spacious fields planted with Indian corn, wheat, barley, and pulse. Two crops of these are produced annually. Country houses are frequently interspersed with orchards of orange trees, whose fruit is superior to that which grows in the southern parts of Europe. Ribeira Grande, the second town in point of THE AZORES. 17 irftgnitude, is placed on the north side of the island, and contains nearly as many inhabitants as the chief city. In it are two convents; one of Franciscan friars, another of nuns. Villa Franca, about eighteen miles east of Pon*- ta del Gada, on the south side of the island, forms the third town. It likewise contains a convent of Franciscan friars, and one with about three hundred nuns A small island opposite to this place, and about half a mile from the shore, pos¬ sesses a basin, with a narrow entrance, where fifty vessels might anchor in security. Smaller towns, and a variety of hamlets, are scattered throughout the country. The suri of the sea breaks with considerable violence, and with unceasing agitation, all around the coast. The hot baths are situated in the eastern part of the island; and the road, leading from the capital thither, is by Villa Franca : from thence it rises by a gradual ascent for about twelve miles, until it attains the summit of the elevated 1 nds bj which these baths are environed. The de¬ scent into the valley is by a steep, narrow, and winding path. This extraordinar) guiph is about twelve miles in circumierence, surrounded by lofty and abrupt precipices, and accessible only by three ways, cut with labour out of the cliffs. The soil below is fertile and well cultivated, pro¬ ducing copious harvests 01 wheat and Indian corn. The incioourcs are adorned with heuge-rowb of £ 2 38 THE AZORES. Lombardy poplars, which rise in pyramidal shapes, and exhibit a pleasing appearance. The gloomy faces of the surrounding rocks are shaded and varied by evergreens, consisting of laurels, myr¬ tles, fayas, pao-sanguintro, tamujas, uvae de ser- ra, and a number of other shrubs and vines. Streams of crystalline water, interrupted in their downward course, dash with impetuosity and foaming fury from rock to rock; and, col¬ lecting in deep, stony basins beneath, thence is¬ sue in serpentine rivulets, which intersect the valley in a variety of directions ; in some situa¬ tions, rushing on with murmuring sound ; in o- thers, creeping along with a smooth and silver surface. These, together with the appearance of the boiling fountains, from whence clouds of steam are continually thrown up; a lake, well stocked with water-fowl; blackbirds, and other feathered songsters of the grove, enlivening by their melody ; fruits, and aromatic plahts, yield¬ ing the most grateful odours, contribute to form a combination of objects, highly pleasing, and wildly picturesque. The valley, w hich is named Fumo, contains a number of boiling fountains ; the most remarka¬ ble of these, the cauldron, is situated upon a small eminence, being a circular basin of thirty feet in diameter, whose water, boiling with ceaseless agi¬ tation, emits a quantity of vapour. At a few i,fl¬ ees distant from hence is the cavern Boca de Lv THE AZORES. 19 femo, throwing out, for a considerable way from its mouth, quantities of water mixed with mud, accompanied by a noise like thunder. Around this spot, and within the compass of an acre of land, there are upwards of a hundred fountains of the same kind; and even in the midst of a rivu* let which runs by it, are several of these springs, so hot as to be insupportable to the touch. In other places the sulphureous vapours issue with such force, from a number of apertures in the overhanging cliffs, as to suggest to the fancy an idea of the place being inhabited by a thousand fabled Cyclops, occupied, with their bellows and forges, in fabricating thunder. The surface of the ground is covered, in many places, with pure sulphur, which has been con¬ densed from the steam; and which, like hoar frost, is arranged in sharp-pointed, stellated figures. Not far distant from these hot springs, there are others of a nature extremely cold, particular¬ ly two, whose waters possess a strong mineral quality, accompanied by a sharp, acid taste. A- bout half a mile to the westward of this place, and close by the side of a river, there are likewise se¬ veral sulphureous fountains, whose waters have been used with eminent success, by persons af¬ flicted with scrophulous disorders. Under the de¬ clivity of a hill, westward from Saint Ann’s church are found springs of a similar kind, which are much used by the neighbouring inhabitants. 20 THE AZOR£»* These flow in currents from a precipice ; and are some of ahot, others of a cold temperature, al. though only a few feet asunder. To the westward of these is placed the lake, whose circumference is only three miles, and whose, water is of a greenish colour, being pow¬ erfully impregnated with sulphur. On its north side there is a small plain, where the earth, perlo- rated in a thousand places, incessantly emits sul¬ phureous exhalations. Thither, during the heat of the day, the cattle repair to avoid being tortur- ed by flies. I he united waters of the springs produce a considerable river, called Ribeira Quente, run¬ ning, for a course of nine miles, through a deep rent in a mountain, and discharging itself into the sea, on the south side of the island. Aiong the precipices, which confine it on either side, several spots emit smoke ; and in the sea, at some dis- tance from its mouth, there are springs which boil up so strongly, that their heat is sensibly felt at the surface 1 he r urno contains two parishes, and about a thousand inhabitants, whom necessity compelled to pass the mountains, and to cultivate a spot which was formerly believed to be inhabited by daemons. Many years elapsed before the other inhabitants of the island began to visit it • but since the healing qualities of the waters have been discovered, many mvuudo, as wed as outers, h ave THE AZORES. 21 resorted thither: and notable effects have been produced, by their use, upon those afflicted by the gout, scrophula, and other cutaneous mala¬ dies. The eastern and western parts of the island rise into lofty mountains : but the centre, which is low¬ er, is interspersed with a variety of conical hills, every one of which discovers evident tokens of volcanic eruptions. Their summits are hollowed into basins, containing a quantity of water. On the west side of the island another gulph is to be viewed, not less singular and extraordinary than that already described, which is known by the ap¬ pellation of Sete Ciaacles, or the seven cities ; and whose extent is double that of the Furno. It is surrounded by steep precipices ; and contains a fine lake of considerable depth, and two leagues in circumference. No hot springs have been dis¬ covered in its vicinity : nor do the waters possess any mineral quality. It has no visible discharge ; and is on a level with the sea. The mountains, which form the boundaries of the valley, appear to have experienced the most violent and uncom¬ mon changes. They are composed entirely of white pumice-stone, unmixed with black lava, af¬ fording unquestionable indications of the opera¬ tion of a volcano, and of its more elevated parts having subsided into the centre of the mountain. There are two hills placed in the bottom of the valley, whose craters are yet open, although al¬ most overgrown by shrubs. 22 THE AZORES. The lower parts of the island are verv fertile, and in a. state of high cultivation. 1- he son in general consists of decomposed pumice-stone, which is easily worked ; and it usually ) iekL tvvo crops every year A vegetable called tremosa, or blue lupin, suo- plies the deficiency of animal manure. It is sown on the fields u ith the first rains in September, and from the effects of moisture and warmth, growing to a very rank state. About the end of November it is mowed down, left for a few days to flag, and is afterwards plowed into the ground. Oranges and lemons abound throughout the oountry. The first are of an excellent quality, ripen earlier than those produced in Portu¬ gal, and are brought sooner to market. The best kind of orange is raised by layers. W ater me¬ lons grow abundantly in the fields. The farms produce wheat, Indian corn, and calavances. Vines are also cultivated on tracts of black lava bordering on the sea coast ; but their juice is thin and feeble, scon acquiring an acid taste. The convents and other religious establish- merits, placed in various situations along the bor¬ ders of the island, and constructed of a white co- loured stone, produce a pleasing effect, when viewed from the. sen. The aromatic herbs, trees, and fruits, perfume the atmosphere with their sw eets : and the breeze fcbus impregnated, becomes, when blowing from ■THE AZORES. 23 the land, highly grateful to the traveller in sailing alon<> the shore. After haviner been three weeks at sea, we became sensibly impressed by its en¬ livening influence, which suggested to recollec¬ tion the following lines in Buchanan’s Ode to May: u Talis beatis incubit insulis, “ Aurse felicis perpetuus tepor j “ Et nesciis campis senecta; “ Difficilis, quaerulique morbi.” The island of Pico, from the superior altitude of one of its mountains, is the most remarkable of all the Azores. From the village of Guindaste to the summit of the peak, the distance is stated to be nine miles, The road passes through a wild, rugged, and dif¬ ficult country, which is entirely covered with brushwood. When, at seven o’clock in the morning, we arrived at the skirts of the mountain., which form the region of the clouds, the wind be¬ came extremely cold, attended by a thick mist; the thermometer falling to forty-eight degrees, and at eight o'clock to forty-seven. In alluding to the degrees of cold, I must be understood t* speak relatively, and only with respect to its influ¬ ence on the human frame, which a sudden change of twenty-two degrees of temperature cannot fail toarlect. About ten we arrived at the boundary of the ancient crater : and the sun then acquiring power, the thermometer roae to forty-eight dc- 24 THE AZORES, grees. This appears to have been more thaw a mile in circumference The southern and wes¬ tern boundaries yet remain: but those of the north and east have given way, and have tum¬ bled down the side of the mountain. In the cen¬ tre of the old crater, a cone of three hundred feet in perpendicular height is thrown up, on the sum¬ mit of which is the present mouth. The ascent of this is very steep and difficult: and it contains several apertures from which smoke is emitted. It is formed of a crust of lava, of the consistence of iron that has once been in a state of fusion. At the hour of half past ten we gained the top of the peak, which is singularly sharp and pointed, being about seven paces in length, and about five in breadth. The crater is on the north side, and below the summit, is about twenty paces in dia¬ meter, and is continually emitting smoke. It is almost filled with burnt rocks. From hence several of the neighbouring islands are presented to the view. Pico, seen from the peak, exhibits an appearance no less singular than romantic : the eastern part rises into a nar¬ row ridge, along which are many ancient volca¬ nos which have long ceased to emit smoke, and several of whose craters are now almost conceal¬ ed by woods which have sprung up around them. The basis of the peak presents likewise some re¬ mains ol smaller volcanos, whose fires are now ex¬ tinguished. Phe last eruption of the peak, which THE ASORITS. happened in 17IS, burst forth from its side, and destroyed a great part of the vineyards. It is on elevated situations like this, that is felt that influence which the vast and unbounded thea¬ tre, at once laid open to contemplation, is capa¬ ble of exciting.—Those inspirations of nature, so eloquent and so animated—that attractive impulse which attunes the soul to harmony with her works—that distinctive character which the Crea¬ tor hath imprinted on the heart—innate traces of which peculiar minds are delighted in feeling, amid the rude and sublime masses produced by explosions of the globe, or amid the less stupen¬ dous ruins of the monuments of human grandeur. The whole of the lower grounds of this island are planted with vines; and, having been entire¬ ly covered with black lava, the labour in digging and clearing it away must have been considera¬ ble. When the vines are planted, the surface of the soil is again thinly strewed with lava, over '•which the young shoots are suffered to run. The height of the peak from the surface of the water, is about eight thousand perpendicular feet. Upon a comparison of observations made at the same periods with the thermometer on the peak, and at Fayal, they were found to be as follows : Fahrenheit’s Thermometer. Fayal. On the Peak fTight o’clock — 69° 47* 49 53 60 , r . J Ten — — 70 Morning - ge& The price of fish cured at Newfoundland, is generally fifteen shillings the quintal: and it nets in Europe about twenty shillings. The expence of its freight to the coast of Spain, is two shillings and sixpence, and to Leghorn three shillings, the quintal. The dried fish sent to the West Indies, is pack¬ ed in casks ; and is inferior in quality to that can- ried to Europe. The fish which is salted without being dried, is termed Core-fish, or green cod. A vessel with twelve men, from the middle of 32 NE WFOUNDL AN D. April to July, must catch, salt, and bring into port ten thousand fish, otherwise the owners will be excluded from all claim to the established bounty The same crew, however, usually procures, during the season, more than double that quantity. I he merchants of England who are concerned in these fisheries, supply the fishermen upon cre¬ dit with every article of which they may be in want; and are repaid at the fall of the year, with the produce of their industry. Several hundred thousand pounds are thus annually advanced, in speculation, on an object of commerce, before it is extracted from the bosom of the ocean. About four hundred ships, amounting to thirty- six thousand tons burden ; two thousand fishing shallops, of twenty thousand tons; and twenty thousand men, are, in times of tranquillity, usu¬ ally employed every year in this fishery. About six hundred thousand quintals offish are annually taken, which, upon an average of seven years, are worth, at the island, fifteen shillings per quintal. These, with the other amounts, consisting of sal¬ mon, cod-oil, seal-oil, and furs, exceed annually half a million sterling. Of twenty thousand men from Great Britain and Ireland, employed in that fishery, eight thousand necessarily continued, when their country was not at war, on the island all the winter. Several thousand still remain there during that season, and are occupied in repairing' NEWFOUNDLAND. 35 or building boats and small vessels or in erecting the scaffolds for drying fish. These are not pro¬ perly seafaring men; and are distinguished by the denomination of planters. Newfoundland, which, in point of magnitude, may be classed among islands of the first extent, is, in fertility of soil, as far as it has hitherto been ex¬ plored, much inferior to any of similar dimensions. W hethcritever had native inhabitants has not been fully ascertained: and its sterility, were it even as real as is supposed, is not a sufficient reason for as¬ serting that it never had any; as the natives of America, in general, derive their subsistence, not from the vegetable productions of the soil, but from fishing and the chase. The Eskimaux are the only people who have been found there : and they are by no means to be accounted aborigines of the country. The neighbouring territory of Labrador is their native land, where they pass the greatest part of the year; and, unattached to any particular spot, wander over an immense tract of desert and inhospitable wilds, although their num¬ bers, if collected, would scarcely people two or three villages. Throughout this pr digious and dreary expanse of region, called by the Spaniards Labrador, and by the French, New Brittany, which is bounded by the river Saint Lawrence and the North Sea, and also by the coasts of New¬ foundland, no savages, the Eskimaux excepted, are to be met with. They are likewise found at 54 NEWFOUNDLAND, a considerable distance from Hudson’s Bay, on rivers which flow from the westward. Their name is said to be derived from a word in the Abinaquis language, Esquimantsic , import¬ ing, an eater of raw flesh; they bei.ig the only people known in North America, who use their food in that state. They are likewise the only savages who permit their beards to grow. They assume the appellation of Keralite , or men. They are of a middling stature, generally robust, lusty, and of a brown colour. The oil of the whale, and that of the sea-cow and porpus, constitutes the most essential part of their food, contributing to defend the stomach from the penetrating effects of cold. The nature of their aliment imparts to their con¬ stitution that fulness, and to their complexion that greasy sallowness for which they are remarked. Their head is large in proportion, and their face round and flat; their lips are thick; their eyes dark, small and sparkling, but inexpressive; their nose is flat; their hair black, long, and lank; their shoulders are large; and tlieir feet uncommonly small. They are disposed to be lively; are subtile, cunning, addicted to theft, irritable, but easily inti¬ midated ; and incapable of long entertaining, or con¬ cealing, sentiments of hatred or revenge. They are the only people on the continent of America, who, in character or appearance, exhibit the smallest re¬ semblance to the inhabitants of the northern parts of Europe, .VEWFOUNBLANB. 35 Their covering is made of the skins of seals, or of wild animals, or of those of the land and sea fowls which frequent their territory, and which they have acquired the art of sewing together. A species of capuchin, or coat with a hood, fitted closely to the body, and descending to the middle of the thigh, forms a principal part of their dress. They also wear trowsers of the same materials, drawn together before and behind w ith a cord. Several pairs of socks, with boots, are worn by both sexes, to defend the legs and feet from the penetrating cold. The dress of the women is dis¬ tinguished from that of the men by a tail, which falls a considerable w ay down; by their capuchins being much larger tow ards the shoulders, in order to cover their children, w hen they w ish to carry them on their backs; and by their boots being much wider, and ornamented with whalebone. In these they frequently place their infants for safety, and for warmth. Some of the men wear shirts made of bladders of the sea-calf, sew ed together with a needle of bone; the thread being formed of the nerves of animals, minutely divided. They are averse to industry or exertion; and seldom give themselves the trouble of construct, ing wigw'ams, or huts. The warmth of their sto¬ mach, and the nature of their cloathing, producing a sufficient degree of heat, they are satisfied with the shelter afforded by tents made of hides loosely thrown together, by the rocky caverns of the sea- 36 NEWFOUNDLAND.’ coast, or by placing themselves to the leeward of & bank of snow. In the caverns they sometimes make use of a lamp, formed of a large hollow bone, containing a quantity of oil; but this is only for the convenience of procuring light, as they appear to be ignorant of the application of fire to culinary purposes The air proceeding from their lungs is so mephitical and offensive, that two or more of them shut up in a small and close apart¬ ment, and thus excluded from free air, would pro¬ bably not long survive. It is only of late years that spirituous liquors have been introduced a- mong them: and, notwithstanding the severe cold of their climate, a quantity of rum remained for a considerable time in the possession of one of their chiefs, before any of these natives w ould hazard an experiment of its effects. Fortunate had it been for them if they still continued in ig¬ norance of that liquor, which has proved so bane¬ ful to a great portion of the uncivilized inhabitants of America! The instruments which they use for the chase, and in fishing, are constructed with much neat¬ ness and ingenuity. Their bows are composed of three pieces of pine, or larch-tree, which being neither strong nor very elastic, these defects are remedied by fortifying them behind with a band of deer’s tendons, which, when wetted, contract, and at once communicate elasticity and force. Ever since they have been visited by Europeans, XEWFOUNKLAND. 57 they hare given a preference to the fusee : and whenever that instrument can be procured, the bow falls into disuse. Like all other men in the savage state, they treat their wives with great coldness and neglect: but their affection towards their offspring is lively and tender. Their language is guttural, and contains but few words: so that they express new ideas, or give names to novel objects, by a combination of terms, indicative of the qualities of the things which they wish to describe. Their ideas of religion are obscure and contract¬ ed. They acknowledge two invisible essences; the one, they represent as the origin of good, the other, to whom they pay the most frequent ho¬ mage, as that of every species of evil. Their canoes are formed with no inconsiderable degree of art: and much industry appears to be bestowed on their construction. They are point¬ ed at each extremity; and are covered with the skins of sea-animals. In the upper part, or deck, is an aperture with a bag affixed to it, through which the savage introduces his body ; and, tying; its month around his waist, and taking in his hands, a paddle which he uses alternately on each side, he shoGts through the waves, by which he is tossed and buffeted, while the water is unable to penetrate the slender vessel in which he rides. Newfoundland extends in the form of a trian¬ gle, about a hundred leagues from east to west. D 38 NEWFOUNDLAND* and a hundred and twenty-five from nortn Vo south; being situated between forty-six and fiit) - two degrees of north latitude. John Gabato, a Venetian, was its first discoverer, under the pa¬ tronage of king Henry the Seventh of England. No advantage was derived from thence, until the, lapse of a period of near forty years Cape Race, and Cape Ray, are the two promontories which present themselves to mariners sailing or the river Saint Lawrence. Eighteen leagues to the west- ward of the first, appears Cape Saint Mary, which forms the entrance of the bay of Placentia towards the east. This bay is sixteen leagues in bretdth, ai d twenty in depth Towards its head is the harbour, capable of containing in safety one hun¬ dred and fifty vessels, and defended by a fort call¬ ed Saint Louis. The French were the first Eu¬ ropeans who frequented this situation. Between Placentia and Cape Ray, the western point 01 the island, tw o other bays, of considerable extent, penetrate some distance into the country. 1 hey are distinguished by the appellations of Fortune and Despair. No settlements have yet been made on their coasts: and they are but little frequented. Cape Raj-, together w ith the island of Saint Paul, about fifteen leagues distant from it, form the en¬ trance into the gulph of Saint Lawrence: and vessels sailing thither, must puss, in clear weather, in sight of the one, or of the other. Besides ti»e bays already noticed, this island contains a variety i NEWFOUNDLAND. 39 of others, particularly on the eastern coast, among which two are remarkable for their extent; those of Trinity and Conception. Near the latter is the harbour of Saint John, which is secure and well fortified. Bordered by dark and gloomy rocks, which exhibit a barren, inhospitable appearance, the country, on a nearer view of its soil, belies not the character of its rude uninviting features, which, amid their nakedness, display neither grandeur not sublimity. At a league distant from the entrance of Saint John’s harbour, no opening in the coast is discernible. A white tower, raised on a precipit¬ ous eminence, seems rather intended as a mark to warn vessels of the danger of approaching the rocky shore, than as a beacon to conduct them to a place of safety. On a nearer examination of it, its strength becomes apparent, and no hostile ves¬ sel can enter, with impunity, the narrow chasm beneath. This structure, situated on a part of the precipice, on the south side of the entrance of Saint John, is named Fort Amherst. The inlet, called the Narrows, exceeds not five hundred feet in width. On each side, towards the north, the rocks rise to the altitude of four hundred feet: but on the south shore, they are of less eleva tion. - Heath, juniper, and wild spruce, the offspring of sterility, sparingly cover the rocky surface. The appearance of the harbour and its environs. 40 NEWFOUNDLAND, is, nevertheless wild, and picturesque. In pro¬ ceeding further up the inlet, a battery, called South Fort, is placed on the left; and another, named Chain-rock, on the right. At a consider¬ able elevation above these, several little forts are seen. A rock, in the form of a cone, is crowned with a battery, constructed under the direction of the late Sir James Wallace, who, in J 796, was vice-admiral on the station, and governor of the island; and with a fifty-gun ship, two frigates, and two sloops of sixteen guns each, made a gal¬ lant and successful defence against the attacks of Admiral Richery, whose force consisted of seven ships of the line, and three frigates. Viewed from the summit of this eminence, the town and tlie scaffolds on which the fish are placed to dry, present a singular appearance. These scaffolds are generally forty feet high, and con¬ sist of several stages, on the rafters of each of which a quantity of brush-wood is placed They are sufficiently strong to support the weight of the green fish, and also, occasionally, of one or tw o men. These are erected in every situation, as well in the rallies, as on the margins of the perpendicular rocks. The town of Saint John borders on the basin : and its situation affords no attractions, except to those whom interest or necessity induces to con- suit the advantage, rather than the pleasure, aris¬ ing from diversity of local situation. Jt contains NEWFOUNDLAND. 41 a church and tw o chapels < one for the catholic religion; the others for persons of the methodist- persuasion; also a court-house, and a custom¬ house. An officer of the customs w r as, until lately, plac¬ ed at the head of the law department, and decid¬ ed not only in civil, but in criminal causes A gentleman who has been bred to the bar, at pre¬ sent fills the situation of judge of the island. The buildings are mean, and the streets narrow and dirty. Fort Townshend is placed above the town; and contains the house allotted for the go¬ vernor, with the store-houses and magazines, which form a square. From hence, the entrance, the harbour, the narrows sunk between elevated precipices; and the water, covered with small vessels, passing and re-passing, lorm a lively and busy scene These, together with the town, and the adjacent country, diversified by lakes with ver¬ dant borders, exhibit, in the midst of a barren wild, a combination which may, for a short peri¬ od, afford the charms of novelty. Over a place called the barrens, is a road which leads from Fort Townshend to Fort William, commanding the narrow's and the harbour With the latter, Signal-hill, from whence the approach of ships is announced, communicates. Its per¬ pendicular height from the sea, is four hundred and four feet: and it contains, on its summit, two ponds, affording excellent water. d 4 42 NEWFOUNDLAND^ The bay of Bulls lies about twenty-eight miles from Saint John’s. The internal parts of the is¬ land have never yet been explored by the Eng¬ lish. A very small portion of land is at present cultivated; as neither the soil nor climate are fa¬ vourable to productions necessary for the sup¬ port of life. The duration of summer is too short: and no kind of grain has sufficient time to arrive at maturity. The winter breaks up in May : and, until the end of September, the air is temperate, during which the progress of vegeta¬ tion is sufficiently rapid Hay and grass are here of a very indifferent quality. The land is so spa¬ ringly covered with soil, that much labour and cxpence are necessary to produce a crop, which but poorly recompences the industry of the hus¬ bandman. The quantity of ground used for the purposes of cultivation, is therefore very small: and the prohibition of the parent state against at¬ tempts to colonize, are, by the sterile nature of the country, rendered almost unnecessary. The fishermen are, in times of warfare, enjoined to re¬ turn to England : and the merchant is authorized* to retain from the wages of each person in his em¬ ploy, a certain proportion as a provision, in case of incapacity from poverty or sickness, for any indi¬ vidual to return to his country. By this prudent regulation, no seaman, thus engaged, can be lost to the service of the state. The English and French long shared between NEWFOUNDLAND. 43 them, the privilege of drying their fish on the coasts of this island; the latter occupying the southern and northern parts, and the former the eastern shores. The interior is composed of mountains, covered with woods of an indifferent quality. The animals found here, are foxes, por¬ cupines, hares, squirrels, lynxes, otters, beavers, wolves, and bears. The chace is difficult, and unattended with profit. The land and water- fowl are, partridges, snipes, woodcocks, falcons, geese, ducks, and penguins. In the bays and ri¬ vers are found fish of various kinds, such as sal¬ mon, eels, herring, mackarel, plaice, trout, and al¬ most every description of shell-fish. The territory' which was requisite to prepare the cod-fish, belonged at first, to any person who took possession: and from this inconvenience, a source of frequent discord arose. The property of that part of the coast, of which he made choice, was at length, by the interference of government, secured to each fisherman. By this judicious ar¬ rangement, expeditions thither were multiplied so greatly, that in 1615, vessels from the British dominions, equal in all to fifteen thousand tons, were employed in the fishery*. The value of this island soon became apparent, not only as a source of national wealth, arising from the exchange of fish for the various productions and luxuries, winch the southern parts of Europe afford, but 44 NEWFOUNDLAND. what is still of greater importance, as a principal nursery for the navy. The property of this island was, by the peace of Utrecht, confirmed to Great Britain; and the sub¬ jects of France preserved only the right of fishing from cape Bonavista northwards, and to cape Rich on the opposite side. This line of demar¬ cation was afterwards altered, and placed at cape Rav, on the western side of the island. The floating masses of ice, which pass in the vicinity of the eastern coast, and sometimes enter the straits of Belisle, in the summer months, ex- hibit to mariners an awful and singular spectacle. These enormous mounds, the accumulated ope¬ ration of cold for a series of years, in the arctic regions, are detached from the coasts near Hud¬ son’s Bay, and Davis's Straits, by storms, and o- ther causes They sometimes exceed an hun¬ dred and forty feet in altitude; and their basis beneath the sea usually doubles those dimensions. Rivulets of fresh water, produced by their gradu¬ al dissolution, distil from their summits We had an-opportunity of viewing three of these stu¬ pendous piles by the light of the moon, whose ra\ s, reflected in various directions, from their glassy surface, produced an effect no less pleasing than novel. They become either stranded in shallow water, until they are melted down, or grow s«* porous, that they subside under the sur¬ face oi tiie ocean. Li fogs, and even in the gloom NEWFOUNDLAND. 45 ©f night, they are discoverable at some distance, by the cold which they emit, and by their whiteness and effulgence. The islands of Saint Peter’s and of Miquelon, are nothing else than barren rocks, not far from the southern coast of Newfoundland. They were ceded to the French bv the treaty of 1763, on condition that no fortifications should be erected, nor more than fifty soldiers kept on them to en¬ force the police. The former possesses a harbour, capable of containing thirty small vessels. They were inhabited, in times of peace, by a few French¬ men, for the purpose of carrying on the fishery. The geographical position of Cape Breton, was, many years ago, ascertained with tolerable accuracy. A narrow passage of about four leagues in length, and scarcely half a league in breadth, named the gut of Canso, separates it from the eastern extremity of the peninsula of Halifax or Nova Scotia. It forms, with the islands of New¬ foundland and Saint Paul, the boundaries of the entrance into the gulph of Saint Lawrence. Its figure is very irregular: and it is so intersected by bays and small rivers, that the two principal parts join, only by a neck of not more than eight hundred paces wide. The soil, in man) places swampy, and covered with light moss, is, gene¬ rally, ill adapted for cultivation. On the lands towards the south side, corn, hemp, and flax, are 46 NEWFOUNDLAND. raised. Coal- ni tes, and likewise plaster of Pa¬ ris, are here found. All the harbours are, on the east, open to the sea. I’he north coast is elevated, and almost in¬ accessible. The harbour ol Louidaourg, once among the finest in North America, is on the east¬ ern coast; and extends into the country four leagues, in a winding direction, containing good anchorage, and every where at least seven fa- thorns of water. The entrance, between two small islands, is four hundred yards wide; and by means of Cape Loreinbec in its vicinity, is discoverable at sea for a considerable distance. On the fortifications of this harbour, the French expended near a million and a half pounds ster. ling. This island, denominated bv the French He Roy ale, contained, while in their possession, up¬ wards of four thousand inhabitants, w hose indus¬ try was almost w holly applied to the fisheries ; as, from the sterility of the soil, neither agriculture nor breeding of cattle could succeed to any ex¬ tent : and from the paucity of wild animals, pel- try could never become an object of commerce. The island is about thirty-six leagues in length, and twenty-two in its greatest breadth. It is en¬ vironed by rocks : and the climate, although suf¬ ficiently healthy, is not agreeable, being subject to frequent and thick fogs. Tt was conquered in by the British forces unuer General Wolfe. X'EWFOUNDLANB. 47 The inhabitants are at present net numerous; and the officer who commands the troops, usual¬ ly a brigadier-general, in time of war, is invest¬ ed also with the powers of civil governor. His residence is at Sidney, the capital. The subjects upon which I have now so long dwelt, are, I am afraid, from their barrenness, but little interesting; nor can I, at present, in¬ dulge the hope of affording information or enter¬ tainment which will appear much more gratify ing. Of rude, uncultivated regions, there can be few descriptions but such as are merely geographical, or relating to natives, equally unimproved with the wilds and forests which they traverse or in¬ habit. Canada presents few objects which can occupy the enquiries of an antiquarian ; and it contains, perhaps, in less variety than many other portions of the globe, productions which can recompence the researches of the naturalist. Its lakes and l i¬ vers, it is true, are the vast and principal objects which are calculated to inspire wonder and grati¬ fication The immense volumes, the irresisti¬ ble weight and velocity of the latter, tearing through and overpowering the obstacles opposed to their course, by the rugged and unequal terri¬ tories amid which they roll, produce falls and cataracts of singular sublimity, and of command¬ ing beauty : these, although in some degree si¬ milar in effect, are, notwithstanding, inexhausti¬ ble in variety. 48 CULPH OF SAINT 1AWRINCI CHAPTER III. Gulph of Saint Lawrence—Prince Edward's island—* Bird isles—Bay of Chuleurs; its commerce, and that of Gaspe—state of agriculture—route to the capital—perforated rock—the Gunet—mouth of the great river — Anticosti—wild aspect presented by the coasts on either side the river—river Saguenay -waterfall—boldness of shores—immense depth — king's posts—account of the mountaineers—Mfdbay — Coudres—Saint Paul's bay—Camcurasca — island of Orleans. THE Gulph of Saint Lawrence, as well as the great river which there disembogues its wa¬ ters, received its name from Jacques Caitier, who in 1535 ascended as far as Montreal. Its boun¬ daries are the coasts of Labrador, Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, and Newfoundland. The island of Saint John, whose name is now changed to that of Prince Edward’s island, was first settled by Aca- dians, in 1749 : and their number soon amount¬ ed to three thousand. W hen the English took possession of it, the former people retired to the continent. Its present condition is flourishing: and its inhabitants amount to about seven thou¬ sand. I he soil, which is level, is in general fer¬ tile; is watered by rivulets and springs; is di¬ versified with meadows for pasturtj, and with si- eULI’U OF SAINT LAWRENCE. 4?> tuitions which would be well adapted for the cul¬ ture of grain, were it not, that from the frequen¬ cy of fogs, that article is liable to be destroyed by mildew. The climate is likewise subject to dry weather, when insects and vermin, hostile to ve¬ getable productions, are abundantly propagated. The island is upwards of an hundred and ten miles in length ; and its greatest breadth does not much exceed nine. It bends in the form of a crescent, each extremity terminating in a sharp point. The harbours are commodious and safe. Cod-fish is found in great plenty all around its coasts. A channel, five leagues in width, sepa¬ rates it from the continent: and Green Bay, near¬ ly opposite the center of the island, enters the country more than four leagues, forming, with the bar of Fundy, the isthmus, whose breadth is about five leagues, that connects the peninsula of Nova Scotia with the main land. At the bottom of Green-bay the French had some settle.nents, and a small fort. Several families are now estab¬ lished on that part of the coast, and a road of com¬ munication from Pictou to Halifax, has lately been opened. Not fur from the entrance of the gulph, and some /hat to the northward, the Magdalen isles, which are seven in number, and of small extent, pre sent themselves in a cluster. They are inha¬ bited by a few families, whose principal support F, 50 GULPH OF SAINT LAWRENCE, is derived from fishing. The Bird isles, situated in the gulph, consist of two rocks, elevated above the water, upwards of an hundred feet; their flat¬ tened summits, whose circumference exceeds not, each, three hundred paces, exhibit a resplen¬ dent whiteness, produced by the quantities of or¬ dure, with which they are covered, from immense flocks of birds; which, in summer, take posses¬ sion of the apertures in their perpendicular cliffs, where they form their nests and produce their young. When alarmed, they hover above the rocks, and overshadow their tops by their num¬ bers. The abundance of their eggs affords to r the inhabitants of the neighbouring coast, a ma¬ terial supply of food. A vast inlet, penetrating into the country’ for a great many leagues to the westward, is called the bay of Chaleurs, which being advantageously pla¬ ced for carrying on fisheries, has on its borders, a considerable number of inhabitants. Jacques Cartier, in 1534, sailed into this bay ; and from the heat which he diere experienced in the mid¬ dle of summer, gave it the name which it still re. tains. Notwithstanding the more northerly situa¬ tion of this hay, the cold is not so intense here as at Quebec, being moderated by the sea air. The depth of snow in the woods, during the winter season, is from six to eight feet; but varying ac¬ cording to the different situations, and the degrees of severity in the weather. It is not before the bes GULPH OF SAINT LAWRENCE. V 1 t)l ginning of May, that the influence of the sun up¬ on vegetation is here materially felt; nor is it be¬ fore that time, that the woods are entirely clear¬ ed of snow. It may be observed as a curious circumstance, that for six, eight, and ten leagues from the shores of this bay, in proceeding into the woods, travel¬ lers and huntsmen frequently meet with spots of about two or three acres in surface, entirely bare, and yet surrounded with seven or eight feet depth ©fjjnow; which, in times of bad weather, melts as it falls, both on those situations, and on the trees, to which they afford growth. Those spots, in their relative position to the head oi the bay, extend from east to west, being usually found in that direction; and their denudation of snow may probably be occasioned by subterraneous heat, which approaching nearer to the surface of the ground, produces the effect which has been de- jjfebed. ^Neither minerals, nor mineral waters, have yet been discovered in this district. The timber which grows here consists of spruce, fir, white and black birch, beech, elm, and oak, which, being porous, is of little value. The island of Bonaventure, is about a league from the north shore of the entrance into the bay: and a small number of persons winter on it, for no other purpose than to retain possession of their fisheries. About twenty-one leagues up the bay, 52 GULPH OF SAINT LAWRENCE, there is a parish of the same name with the is¬ land. Cod-fish, salmon, and herrings are the only pro- ductions of commerce derived from the bays of Gaspe and Chaleurs. Ship-building has of late years been here tried with success : but whether or not it will answer in time of peace, is uncer¬ tain. There are about three hundred families settled all along the coast of the district of Gaspe, who arc chiefly of the Roman Catholic religion, and whose sole occupation is fishing. The pro^ duce of their industry is transported to foreign markets, in from eight to ten square-rigged ves¬ sels, besides smaller craft. The natives of this district are of the MicmaC tribe. A few Malicites come thither at times, from the river Saint John and Madawaska. Up¬ on the banks of the river Ristigouche, w hich emp¬ ties itself into the bay of Chaleurs, and about eight leagues from its mouth, there is a church, ancjM Indian village. At Tracadigash, and at the tlement of Bonaventure, there are likewise church¬ es, besides some chapels in the smaller settle¬ ments, where the ecclesiastical functions are per¬ formed by two, and sometimes by three mission¬ aries. Agriculture is uncommonly neglected, and in an entire state of infancy. It has of late years been somewhat more attended to than formerly; because the want of salt, an article ever scarce itj OULPH Of SAINT LAWRENCE. 53 those parts in time of war, and other causes, gave to the fisheries a temporary check, and obliged the inhabitants to secure the means of subsisting their families, by tillage and husbandly. But, it is probable they will, as they have ever done, re¬ sume the hook and line, as soon as they have a prospect of encouragement in that their favourite pursuit. The roads of intercourse between the adjoining settlements are very indifferent. But, wherever there is any interruption, by extensive, unsettled parts of the coast, the traveller must have recourse to water communication. Three different routes are pursued by those whom business obliges to travel to Quebec, in the winter season. One of these is by the coast of the Saint Lawrence, the other two by the river Ristigouche'. In adopting the second, the travel¬ ler ascends that river about twelve leagues, until he reaches the Matapediach, which empties itself therein, and whose course he traces upwards to a lake of the same name, from whence it derives its source; hence he continues in the same direction, about ten leagues, along an Indian path, to the ri¬ ver Mitis, flowing into the Saint Lawrence The third route is, by ascending the Ristigouche, to near its source, as far as a brook, called by the natives Wagancitz; and from thence, by crossing the land to the Saint John, about eight leagues above the great falls; by following this river, uiv £.2 34 GULPH OF SAINT t AWRENCE. til its junction with the Madawaska, <»ndthe fetter* river to lake Tamiscuata; and by proceeding along that lake to the grande portage, cr road opened by the late General Haldimand, thru gh which, after walking about thirty miles, the tra¬ veller gains the liver Saint Lawrence, near the riviere des Caps, tw o leagues and a half below the parish of Camourasca. The first of these routes is the longest; and may be computed, from the middle of the bay of Chaleurs, at about one hun¬ dred and forty leagues to Quebec. The two lat-. ter must be nearly equal. It would appear, how¬ ever, from the courses, that the road by Matape- diach, must be somew hat shorter than the other. The distance of cither, from Carlisle, in the mid¬ dle of the bay, to Quebec, does not exceed one hundred and twenty leagues. The only object in this part of the country, Which may be considered as a natural curiosity, is the rock called Perce, perforated in tliree places in the form of arches, through the central and largest of w hich, a boat with sails set, may pass with great facility. This rock, which, at a dis¬ tance exhibits the appearance of an aqueduct in ruins, rises to the height of nearly two hundred feet. Its length, w hich is at present four hundred yards, must have been once much greater ; as it has evidently been wasted by the sea, and by the frequent impulse of storms. The shell-fish procured, in the month of Au- CtJLPH OF SAINT LAWRENCE. 55 just, from the rivers, and from their mouths near the coast, in the vicinity of the bay of Chalturs, are so highly impregnated with a poisonous qua¬ lity, as to occasion almost instantaneous death to those who eat them. The cause of this circum¬ stance remains yet to be ascertained. Not only in the district of Gaspe, but in most settlements on the Gulph of Saint Lawrence, similar effects have been experienced. The period of the year has apparently no other share in producing them, than by the reduction of the quantity of waters which generally takes place in summer. The greater the diminution of waters, the stronger, of course, becomes the proportion of poisonous mat¬ ter w ith which these waters are endowed: and this being imbibed, especially during ebb tides, by the shell-fish they are thus productive of con¬ sequences, fatal to those who use them as an arti ¬ cle of food. Not only the Bird isles, already described, but the island of Bonaventure, and Perce rock, abound in summer with ganets, which, in prodigious flocks, arrive early in May from the southward. They lay and hatch their eggs, not only on those islands, but on various parts of the coast, where adventurous sportsmen, often with considerable risque, ascend and plunder their nests, amid the steep and threatening cliffs. These birds, at that period very fierce, will sometimes^ by the seve- 56 RltfER SAINT LAWRENCE. rity of their bite, directed chiefly at the e) cs ot the despoiler, force him to retreat. The bay of Gaspe is more than two leagues in depth : and its coasts are inhabited by settlers en¬ gaged in the fisheries. The Guiph of Saint Lawrence Is about eighty leagues in length : and when the winds and cur¬ rents are favourable, its passage does not usually exceed twenty-four hours. The Saint Lawrence is one of the greatest, most noble, and beautiful rivers, and, at the same time, the furthest naviga¬ ble for vessels of a large size, of any in the uni¬ verse. From its mouth to the harbour of Quebec, the distance is one hundred and twenty leagues: and vessels from Europe ascend to Montreal,, which is sixty leagues higher up its course. Cape Rosiers, at a small distance to the north¬ ward of the point of Gaspe, is properly the place which limits the farthest extent of this gigantic river: and it is from thence that die breadth of its mouth, which is ninety miles, must be estima¬ ted. They who pretend that its width is one hun¬ dred and twenty miles, measure it apparently from die eastern extremity of Gaspe. The mouth of die Saint Lawrence is separated into two chan¬ nels, by the island of Anticosti, extending from south east to north west, about a hundred and twenty miles, and in its utmost breadth about thirty miles. The north channel is little frequent¬ ed, although sale and of great depth. It is much RIVER SAINT LAWRENCE. 57 narrower than the south channel, which is neat- sixteen leagues w ide at its entrance. The island is of little value. The wood which grows upon it is small: the soil is barren: and it possesses not a single harbour where a vessel may with safe¬ ty enter. The country is flat towards the coasts, rising a little in the centre, but no w here into hills. Flat rocks extend at each extremity, to a consi¬ derable distance from the shores, rendering the approach hazardous. A few savages sometimes winter there, for the purpose of the chace. On passing this island, the land becomes visible on both sides of the river. The mountains of Notre Dame and Mont Louis, behind which the former are placed, are part of a chain on the south side of the river, the vallies between which are occasionally frequented by sa¬ vages. The environs of Mont Louis afford lands fit for cultivation: and some families are there settled. On the northern and opposite coast of the river, the bay of seven islands is placed, w here a fleet under the command of Admiral Walker was, in 1711, lost on an expedition against Que¬ bec. An eminence, named La pointe de Mont Pe- lee, is situated seventeen leagues to the south west of these islands. Along the extent of the north coast, the river Maine, and several other conside¬ rable streams, roll down to the Saint Lawrence, the tribute of their waters. Cape Chatte, on the south shore, exhibits a 58 RIVER SAINT LAWRENCE, bold appearance: between this and a point on the north coast, which terminates the bald moun¬ tains, the channel of the river becomes considera. bly contracted. Two conical elevations, upon a mountain, call¬ ed Les Mammelles de Matane , about two leagues distant from the coast, present themselves to view. No country can exhibit a more wild aspect than that which here extends on either side the river. Stunted trees, rocks, and sand, compose the in¬ hospitable and desolate territory, which cannot boast of an acre of soil capable of yielding any useful production, birds and wild animals are, indeed, here to be found. But the chace is prac¬ ticable only to savages. The shoal of Maniagoagan advances from the north shore, upwards of two leagues into the ri- ver. It receives its appellation from a stream which has its source in the territory of Labrador, and here discharges itself into the Saint Lawrence. This considerable body of water is also called the Black-river. Towards the east there is a bay of the same name as the sho.il, and on the west the buy of Outardes. The small island of Saint Barnaby is placed near the south shore, opposite to an inconside¬ rable river, upon the banks of which is a settle¬ ment called Rimouski. From Mont Louis to this island, the distance is forty leagues, through¬ out winch, there is neither on the south or the SIVER SATNT LAWRENCE. 59 worth shore any station which can have the merit of being termed a harbour ; and some anchoring places only present themselves. These are prin¬ cipally on the north shore ; and are distinguished by the names of port L.i Croix, the river S tint Marguerite, the cove of Trinity, the port of S.iint Nicholas, and the bay of Maniagoagan, already mentioned In proceeding further up Cape Ori¬ ginal a promontory of a rugged and singular form, attracts the eye; in whose vicinity is the isle of Bique, well known to navigators for its excellent harbour, and as being the place at which pilots are landed from vessels proceeding down the river. To the southward of the cape, the stream of Trois Pistoles empties itself into the Saint Lawrence : and the isle of Basque lies opposite to its mouth. A considerable number of rivers flowing through long channels from the northward, pour their waters into the Saint Lawrence. The chief of these is the Saguenay, drawing its source from lake Saint John, and running to the eastward through a mountainous and barren region. The lake is about thirty leagues in circuit: and its borders, as well as the surrounding country, arc covered with pine trees of a small growth. The Saguenay, which sweeps along a prodigious body of waters, is interrupted in its course by abrupt precipices, over which it dashes its foaming cur¬ rent; and, being bounded by banks of great ele¬ vation, is remarkable for the depth and impetuosi- niViK £» A C. U L. n A i . 60 ty of its flood, long before it mingles with the great river. The fall, which is about fifty* feet in altitude, is ninety miles distant from the mouth of the river; and is chiefly striking, for the immense ■sheet of water, which is perpetually broken in its rugged course, and assumes a resplendent white¬ ness When viewed from below, the scene is stupendous and terrific. The incessant and deaf¬ ening roar of the rolling torrents of foam, and the irresistible violence and fury with w hich the river hastens down its descent, tend to produce on the mind of the spectator an impression awfully grand. The picturesque and rudely w ild forms of the lofty banks, exhibit a gloomy contrast to the lively splendour of the cataract. The impetuous torrent of the Sanguenay, w hen the tide is low, is sensibly felt in the Saint Law¬ rence, which, for a distance of many miles, is obliged to yield to its impulse; and \ essels ap¬ parently going their course, have thereby been carried sidelong in a different direction. Besides tlie fall now described, this river is broken into several rapids or cataracts of lesser height. In many places the banks are rugged and steep; and at intervals, consist of almost perpen¬ dicular cliffs of astonishing elevation, some rising to a thousand, and some to six or seven hundred feet. The length of the course oi this river is a hundred and fifty miles, its breadth is gvneraiiv near three miles, except near its mouth, w here it RIVER SACUENAV. 61 contracts to one-third of that extent. An attempt has been made in the centre of its mouth, to sound the depth with five hundred fathoms of line: but no bottom was found. A mile and an half higher up from thence, the depth has been ascertained at one hundred and thirty-eight fathoms : and sixty miles further, in ascending the course of the ri¬ ver, the depth is near sixty fathoms. Notwithstanding its immense breadth, and the stupendous elevation of its rocky shores, the course of this river is rendered extremely crook¬ ed, by points of land which appear to interlock each other; and thus prolong its navigation. The tide ascends to the peninsula of Chicoutami, and, intercepted in its retreat, by these frequent promontories, is much later in its ebb, than that of the Saint Lawrence. The level of the former river, becomes thus, many feet higher than that of the latter, into whose bosom it rushes, with the boundless impetuosity already remarked. On the north side of the mouth of the Sague¬ nay, is the harbour of Tadoussnc, capable of af¬ fording shelter and anchorage, for a number of vessels of a large size. Previous to the establish¬ ment of a colony in Canada, this place was fre¬ quented, for the purpose of carrying on the fur trade. Several small settlements belonging to go¬ vernment, are placed along the northern coast of the Saint Lawrence. These are usually known by the appellation of the King's Fosts; and are F 62 RIVER SAGUENAY, let, for a term of years, to commercial people, for the design of conducting a traffic for peltry with the savages, and also for the salmon, whale, seal, and porpus fisheries. T. heir several names are, Tadoussac, Chicoutami, seventy-five miles up the Saguenay ; a post on Lake Saint John, Ashuabmanchuan, Mistashni, les Isles de Jere- mie on the sea, Seven Islands, and Point De Monts. At these various situations, previous to the year 1802, about eighty Canadians were employed in hunting, and purchasing furs from the Indians in winter, and during summer, in the salmon fishery, for which the river Moisie, eigh¬ teen miles below Seven Islands, affords a most productive field. Chicoutami is the only situation on the Sague¬ nay, w here the soil is fertile, and abounds w ith timber of an excellent growth. It has been found by experiment, that grain will ripen much sooner there than at Quebec, although placed considera¬ bly to the northward of that city. The vicinity of the sea, to the former, disarms the w inter of a por¬ tion of its severity, and produces an earlier spring. The natives in possession of the tract of coun¬ try around Lake Saint John, and on the borders of the Saguenay, are named Mountaineers, and are descended from the Algonquins. They are neither so tall, nor so well formed, as the savages that range throughout the north-west country; •and are also strangers to that sanguinary xerocity, RIVER SAGUENAY. G.> bv which many of the Indian tribes are characte¬ rized- They are remarkable for the mildness and gentleness of their manners; and are never known to use an offensive weapon against each other, or to kill or wound, any person whatever. Nor can the effects of spirituous liquors, so baneful toother natives, excite them to cruelty, or vindictive pas¬ sion. Their behaviour is uniformly orderly and decent. Their mode of dress is the same as that which now prevails, among the other savages \\ ho have intercourse with Europeans : and the stuffs, and silks, for which they exchange their furs, are often rich and costly. Their whole number is about thirteen hun¬ dred ; nearly one half being converted to the Christian faith, and the other half being Pagans. A missionary sent from Quebec, resides among them: and chapels, where divine service is per¬ formed, are erected at the principal posts. Re¬ peated efforts, and much persuasion have been used, to prevail on these savages to cultivate the lands, and to plant Indian corn, or potatoes. They have not, however, been able to overcome their propensity to indolence, or their utter aver¬ sion and abhorrence to that species of labour. They appeared to relish these articles of food, when offered ; and would eat them with avidity, if accompanied with a little grease. Yet, even the incitement of reward, superadded to the pros¬ pect of a constant and wholesome supply of non - C>4 RIVER SAINT LAWRENCE. risliment, failed in producing any inclination for industry. Although, like other tribes in a barbarous state, «ach individual is solely dependent, for support and defence, on the strength of his own arm, and the resolution of his mind ; they are, notwithstand¬ ing, so pusillanimous, that at the appearance of an enemy, however small in numbers, they betake themselves to flight, and retire for safety into the woods. The furs procured in this quarter, are, in ge¬ neral, of a superior quality: and great attention is bestowed by the hunters, in scraping and clean- ing the parchments. These posts, which pro¬ duced to government a rent of no more than four hundred pounds a year, have lately been let, on a lease of thirty years, to the North-w est Com¬ pany, a society of merchants at Montreal, for the yearly rent of one thousand and twenty-five pounds. Near the island of Bique, the settlements on the south coast of the Saint Lawrence may be said to commence. Green Island, about seven leagues higher in ascending the river, exhibits a pleasing appearance ; and affords luxuriant pas¬ turage for a number of cattle. Some of the low grounds on the island, and on the continental shore, being frequently, during high tides, over¬ flowed by the salt water, are clothed with herb¬ age. 1 he river in this part, abounding in shoals, RIVER SAINT LAWRENCE. 65 there is a channel, or traverse on the north side of Green Island, where, at low tide, the current descends with rapidity, and through which ves¬ sels hold their course. The coast on the south shore, from hence, upwards, assumes a flat ap¬ pearance, the hills rising at some distance from die river. The north coast, although of no great elevation, is abrupt, rocky and sterile, for an ex¬ tent of several leagues : and the islands towards diat side, exhibit a like desolate character. Between Point a /’ Aigle , a mountainous pro montory on the north coast, and a congeries of other eminences called les Eboulements , there is a considerable settlement situated at the bottom of an inlet, which recedes about three miles from the great river; and is called Mai-bay. Here the land is cultivated and inhabited for an extent of six miles, in a rich and romantic valley, through which a river, abounding in salmon and trout, winds its course into the bay. The soil which consists of a black mould upon sand, is fertile : and the inhabitants, whose communication with other settled parts of the country is not frequent, possess, within their own limits, an abundance of the necessaries of life. Cattle, sheep, some horses, wheat, oats, and boards, are exported from hence to Quebec. This bay is frequented by porpuses of a milk-white colour, which in some seasons yield a handsome pront, to tliOoe concerned in the fisheries. W hales r 2 66 RIVER SAINT LAWRENCE. seldom ascend higher than the mouth of the Saguenay. The entrance to this bay, presents to the eye, a landscape at once singularly romantic and beauti¬ ful; being terminated bv mountains, whose va¬ ried and elevated summits, sharpen into cones of different magnitudes. In ascending the Saint Lawrence, the country on either side affords pleasure and amusement to the traveller, by the exhibition of a profusion of grand objects. Amid the combination of islands, promontories, and hills clothed with forests, some scenes more strikingly than others, attract the at¬ tention. On the north side, after passing Mal- bay, a bold and interesting scene is formed, by huge masses of rock, interspersed with shrubs, and by the east side of the hills, called les E- boulements , which, with majestic elevation, pro¬ ject into the river. The settlement of Camou- rasca. with the mountains beyond it, forms the opposite coast. The island of Coudres, situated at the distance of about a league from the north shore, rises gra¬ dually from the water, except in a few places, where its borders, although of no great height, are almost perpendicular, and covered w ith small trees. It contains one parish, and about thirty families, each of which derives its support from its own lands. The extent of this island, is about seven mites in length, and about three in extreme RIVE* SAINT LAWRENCE. G7 breadth. Its name arose from the quantity of hazel-trees, which Jacques Cartier, in his voyage to Quebec, found growing in its woods. The river, on the south side of the island, is of no great depth ; and forms a winding channel of about two miles in width, deeper than any other part of its bed in this situation, and known by the appellation of the Traverse. When the wind is unfavourable, the navigation is here difficult: and the breadth of the river from Coudres to the south shore, being fourteen miles, great attention is necessary, in order to steer within the Traverse ; for, if it be overshot by a large vessel, she will inevitably be set aground. But, as the bottom consists of mud, or sand, damage is. in that event, seldom sustained, any further than the delay in waiting for a high tide. The channel between Coudres and the north shore, is upwards of a league in breadth, and of considerable depth. But as the anchorage there is by no means good, the bottom being rocky, a vessel in endeavouring to pass through it, would not be in full security, should the wind and tide cease to operate in her favour. For this reason, the southern passage is preferred by pilots. The Eboulements, already noticed, consist of a small chain of mountains, suddenly rising from the water ; and, towards the east, bounding the entrance into Saint Paul’s bay. On their sides, are several cultivated spots: and the settlements- RIVER SAINT LAWRENCE. t>8 appear one above another, at different stages of height. The houses, corn-fields, and woods, irregularly scattered over the brow of the hills, produce an effect, luxuriant and novel. Saint Paul’s bay is formed by mountains, which, on either side, recede from the coast of the river, towards the north, inclosing a valley of nine miles in extent, through which, two small rivers pursue their serpentine courses. The mountains are heaped upon each other : and their rugged and pointed summits, boldly terminate the view. The valley is well cultivated, and thickly inha¬ bited. A great proportion of the soil is rocky and uneven : and some spots, on the sides of the hills, are so precipitous, that they are unfit for the purpose of pasturage. The inhabitants, however, cultivate those spots by manual labour; and sow them with wheat or oats. The dwell- ing-houses are, in general large; are built of stone; and show an external neatness, which is, indeed, common to almost the whole of the ha¬ bitations of the peasantry in Canada, the roofs and walls being washed with lime. A number ot rivulets, rolling down the sides of declivities, through gullies and ravines formed b) theii \\ aters, afford situations convenient for san -mills, several of which are here erected: and a considerable q uantity of lumber* is exported * Lumber m a commercial sense, imports boards, plank, or squared tunber. 4 7 RIVER SAINT LAWRENCE. 69 from hence, every summer. This settlement also supplies grain, and cattle, for exportation; and comprehends, throughout its whole extent, about two hundred houses, and a neat church. The se¬ minary of Quebec possesses the seignorial right over the lands of this establishment, which has been peopled upwards of a hundred and ten years. The further extremity of the valley affords a scene of wild and picturesque beauty. A small river hastens, over a stony channel, its broken and interrupted waves. Acclivities on each side rear aloft their pointed summits : and the sight is abruptly bounded by a chain of elevated hills,. The rocks, composing the mountains in this vici¬ nity, are of a hard, grey contexture, intermixed with grains of shining, garnet-coloured quartz, which is sometimes united in entire stripes. This part of the country, as well as Mal-bay, is subject to earthquakes, particularly in the win¬ ter season, when they are sometimes so alarming, as to threaten destruction to the buildings. No serious accident has, however, of late years oc¬ curred ; although apprehension frequently com¬ pels the inhabitants to forsake their dwellings du¬ ring the reiteration of the shocks. The breadth of the Saint Lawrence from Mal- bay to Camourasca on the south shore, is about twenty miles: and a cluster of rocky islands is situated about a league from the coast of that set¬ tlement. Between these islands and the shore, 70 RIVER SAINT LAWRENCE. the inhabitants place, every spring, a ience, form¬ ed of the straight and slender boughs of trees, firmly stuck into the sandy bottom, at about two feet distance from each other. When the tide ascends, the white porpuses, with which the ri- ver abounds, enters those snares : and the vio¬ lence of the current, causing a tremulous motion in the branches, they are afraid to repass the fences. When the tide has retired, they are left upon the dry beach. These fishes, which are of a snowy whiteness, are to be seen playing, in great numbers, near the .surface of the water, from the mouth of the river, as high up as the island of Orleans, and frequent¬ ly in the basin of Quebec. They often foliow, in multitudes, vessels sailing in the river: and many of diem are twelve, or even fifteen feet in length. One of the smallest will yield upwards of a barrel of oil. Tiie fisheries of seals and sea-cows, are likewise profitable. • The vicinity of Camourasca presents a scene, wild and romantic, being varied bv islands, by level lands, and by rocky acclivities. The sul¬ phureous springs found here, and the immense masses of broken rock, which appear to have been thrown together by some violent and uncommon effort ol nature, afford grounds for supposing, that this part of the country lias undergone ma¬ terial changes. From this settlement, in ascending the coast of RIVER SAINT LAWRENCE. 71 the great river, the country is fertile, and thickly inhabited; being, in some places, settled to the depth of several concessions. The cultivated lands are level, and watered by a variety of line streams; among wlnqji the Ouelle, the Saint Ann, and the Saint Thomas, are the chief The latter falls into the Saint Lawrence in a beautiful man¬ ner, over a perpendicular rock, whose altitude is twenty-five feet. Great quantities of grain are produced in the parishes of the same names as these rivers: and the soil surpasses in fertility, any of the settlements around Quebec. The coasts of the great river afford excellent meadow lands. The churches, and settlements which are placed thickly together, produce an agreeable contrast, with the forests and distant mountains. The lace of the country on the north is elevated and bold, being composed of a succession of hills, rising abruptly from the water, and terminating towards the west, by cape Tourment, whose perpendicu-' lar altitude is two thousand feet. Between Saint Paul’s bay and that cape, at the basis of one of the mountains, stands the parish of la Pitite Riviere. The centre of the river is diversified by clusters of small islands, some of w hich are settled, and partly cleared of their native woods. They sup- pi} - good pasturage for cattle, and great quantities of hay. On approaching the island of Orleans, a rich and interesti ig view displays itself. It is composed b} the eastern extremity of that island, 72 RIVER SAINT LAWRENCE. clothed with trees, the Isle de Madame , the Cape, and the mountains which recede Irom it towards the west and north, with the cultivated meadows which spread themselves under its rocky basis. When the atmosphere is varied by clouds, which frequently envelope the summits of those moun¬ tains, and which, by suddenly bursting open, present them partially to the eye, the spectator becomes impressed with the sublimity and gran- deur of the scene. Cape Tourment is three hundred and thirty miles distant from the mouth of the river. After passing the island of Coudres, the water assumes a whitish hue, and is brackish to the taste, the mixture of salt continuing to diminish, until the tide reaches the lower extremity of Orleans, w here it becomes perfectly fresh. The latter island, rises in gradation, from its steep banks on the coast, towards its centre, pre¬ senting a pleasing and fertile appearance. Beyond it, the mountains of the north coast exalt their towering summits. Its circumference is about forty-eight miles. It was, in 1676 , erected into an Earldom, under the title of Saint Laurent, which has long been extinct. Of the two channels formed by this island, that of the south, possess¬ ing much greater depth and breadth, is the course through which all vessels of burden are navigated. About the center of this island is an anchoring ground, called Patrick’s hole, protected by loity HIVEU SAINT LAWRENCE. banks, and affording shelter, when necessary, for a great number of ships. The channel on the north, is navigable for sloops and schooners only ; and appears to be gradually diminishing in depth. Wild vines are found in the woods of Orleans, which induced Jacques Cartier, on his first landing there, to bestow on it the appellation of the Isle cle Bacchus . Considerable quantities of grain are here produced; and in several situations, there are orchards affording apples of a good quality. At the lower extremity of the island, the river is six¬ teen miles in breadth : and at the upper extremi¬ ty, a basin extending in every direction, about six miles, is formed. At the approach to this basin, a number of objects combine to produce a lively and interesting prospect. The foaming clouds of the Montmorenci, pouring over a gloomy precipice, suddenly open on the eye. The rocks of Point Le¬ vi. and the elevated promontory, on whose sides the city of Quebec is placed, seem to bound the channel of the great river. The north side of the town is terminated by the Saint Charles. The set¬ tlement of Beauport, in extent about seven miles, intervenes between the Montmorenci and Que¬ bec; and is situated on a declivity, extending from the hills to the Saint Lawrence, whose banks gradually slope towards the little river of Beau- port, from whose western borders the land be¬ comes level. A chain of mountains towards the north intercepts the view. G '■74 QUEBEC. CHAPTER IV. ‘Quebec-—description of that city—romantic situation natural strength—religious orders , and their esta¬ blishments - ship-building - interesting scene dis¬ played from Point Levi—extensive and grand land¬ scape presented from the heights to the westward of the garrison—River Montmorenci—natural steps —sublime waterfall — basin , and its strata — descrip¬ tion of the Fall as seen from the coast of the Saint Lawrence. FROM the period at which Jacques Cartier visited and explored the river Saint Lawrence, until the year 1603, no serious efforts were made by Europeans for the formation of a setdement in Canada. A space of nearly a century was suffer- ed to elapse, without any other advantage having been derived from the discovery of diis part of die continent of North America, than that of the precarious profits which accrued to some adven¬ turers, by carrying on with the native inhabitants, who frequented the coasts of the great river, an inconsiderable traffic in peltry. At length, in the aera mentioned above, Samuel de C hamplain, a man of enterprize and talent, ac¬ tuated by liberal sentiments, and by patriodc, moie than b\ interested views, alter having sur¬ veyed the borders of the river, for the choice of a QUEBEC. 75 situation presenting the greatest conveniences for a settlement, gave the preference to an elevated promontory, between the Saint Lawrence and the small river Saint Charles. It is asserted, that some of his attendants, having pronounced at first view of this point of land, the words “ Quel bee !” Champlain bestowed that name on his projected town. After erecting some huts for the shelter of his people, he began to clear the environs, from the woods with which they were covered. The spot which Champlain designed as a foun¬ dation of a future city, did no less credit to his judgment than to his taste. Its superior altitude and natural strength, afforded the advantage of its being in time rendered, by the labours of engi¬ neers, a respectable and formidable fortress. Cape Diamond, the summit of the promonto¬ ry, rises abruptly on the south, to the height of three hundred and fifty perpendicular feet above the river; advances from the line of the banks On die west; and forms the Ance de Mer, a small harbour, occupied for the purpose of ship-build¬ ing. Some uneven ground subsides into a valley, between the works and the heights of Abi\ h.un ; on the latter there are natural elevations, which are higher by a few feet, than any of the grounds included within the fortifications. In 1690, Quebec was first fortified with eleven stone redoubts, which served as bastions, com¬ municating with each other, by curtains composed 76 quEBEC. of pallisades ten feet in height, strengthened in the interior with earth No other defence was, for many years, provided against the hostile attempts of the Iroquois, and other savage tribes who were inimical to the French settlers. The ruins of five of these redoubts are yet extant. The citadal is now constructed on the highest part of Cape Diamond, composed of a whole has- tion, a curtain and half-bastion, from whence it extends along the summit of the bank towards the north-east; this part being adapted with flanks, agreeably to the situation of the ground. There are, towards the south-west, a ditch, counter¬ guard, and covered-way, with glacis. The works have, of late years, been in a great measure re- built, and raised to a pitch calculated to command the high grounds in the vicinity. When viewed from a small distance, they ex¬ hibit a handsome appearance. A steep and rug¬ ged bank, about fifty feet in height, terminates the ditch and glacis, on the north, towards which the ground slopes downwards from Cape Diamond, nearly three hundred feet, in a distance of about nine hundred yards. Along the summit of the bank a strong wall of stone, nearly forty feet high, having a half and a whole flat bastion with small flanks, occupies a space of two hundred yards, to Palace-gate, at which there is a guard-house. From hence to the new works at Hope-gate, is a distance of about three hundred yards. The rocky (QUEBEC. 77 eminence increases in steepness and elevation as far as the bishop’s palace ; near which there is a strong battery of heavy cannon, extending a con- considerable way along the brow of the precipice, and commanding the basin, and part of the river. Between the edifice now mentioned, and the low¬ er town, a steep passage, partly formed by nature, intervenes; over which there is a barrier, with a gate-way of stone, surmounted by a guard-house: and this communication is otherwise defended by powerful works of stone, under the palace on one side, and on the other stretching upwards towards the government-house, where the bank becomes considerably more elevated. This building, which is dignified with the appellation of chateau , or castle of St. Louis, is placed on the brink of a precipice, inaccessible, and whose altitude ex¬ ceeds two hundred feet. The building is sup¬ ported by counterforts, rising to half its height, and sustaining a gallery. The apartments are occupied asoffices for the civil and military branch¬ es, acting immediately under the orders of the governor-general of British America, who likewise commands the troops, and whose resi¬ dence is in a building of more modern construc¬ tion, forming the opposite side of a square. The apartments are spacious and plain: but the struc¬ ture has nothing external to recommend it. Up¬ on the brink of the precipitous rock, a stone wall ,g2 78 quEBEC. is extended from the old chateau, for a distance of about three hundred yards to the westward, which forms a line of defence ; and serves as a boundary to the garden, within which are two small batteries, one rising above the other. Cape Diamond, nearly two hundred feet high¬ er than the ground on which the upper town is situated, presents itself to the westward. From the garrison there are five gates, or outlets to the neighbouring country : the highest, Port Saint Louis, opens to the westward, and tow ards the heights of Abraham ; Port Saint John, towards Saint Foix, through which is the road to Mon¬ treal ; Palace and Hope-g;r f e open towards the ri¬ ver Saint Charles and the north ; and Prescott- gate affords a communication to the lower town on the south-east. In most of the public buildings, no great degree of taste or elegance can be discovered, al¬ though much labour and expence must have been bestowed on their construction. The architects seem principally to have had in view, strength and durability, and not to have paid much regard to those rules of their art, which combine s^ m- metry with utility. The cathedral church of the catholics, is a long, elevated, and plain building of stone, with the spire on one side of its front. The internal ap¬ pearance is neat and spacious : and it is capable QUEBEC. 79 of containing about tiiree thousand persons. A good organ has here lately been introduced. The Jesuits’ college, originally founded at Quebec in a 635, has been, since that period, re¬ built ; and is a large stone edifice, three stories high, of nearly a square figure, containing an a- rea in its centre. The garden is of some extent; and has, at one end, a grove of trees, part of which is a remain of the original woods, with which the promontory was once covered. The society of Jesuits which became establish- ea in Canada, formerly composed a numerous body: and their college was considered as the first institution, on the continent of North Ame¬ rica, for the instruction of young men. The ad¬ vantages derived from it, were not limited to the better classes of Canadians; but were extended to all whose inclination it was to participate in them : and many students came thither, from the West Indies. From the period of the expul¬ sion of the Jesuits from the states of Europe, and the consequent abolition of their order on that continent, this establishment, although protected by the British government, began rapidly to de¬ cline. The last member of that fraternity died a few years ago: and the buildings, as well as lands, which form an extensive domain, devolved to the crown. The landed property was designed by the so¬ vereign as a recompence for the services of the 80 QUEBEC. late Lord Amherst, who commanded the troops in North America, at the time of the conquest of Canada, and who completed the reduction of that province, under the British government. The claim to these estates has been relinquished by his successor, for a pension. The revenue arising from them, has been appropriated by the legislature of Lower Canada, for the purpose of establishing in the different parishes, schools for the education of children. The Jesuits’ college is now converted into a commodious barrack for the troops. The seminary, a building of some extent, forming three sides of a square open towards the north-west, contains a variety of apartments, suited for the accommodation of a certain num¬ ber of ecclesiastics, and of young students, who are of the Roman Catholic religion. This insti¬ tution owes its foundation to M. de Petre, who, in 1663, obtained from the King of France, let¬ ters patent for that purpose. Tythes were enjoin, ed to be paid by the inhabitants, to the directors of the seminary, for its support*: and a thirteenth, in addition to what was already the right of the church, was levied. This regulation being found too oppressive, was altered to a twenty- sixth part ol the produce, to be paid in grain; from which tax newly cleared lands were exempt¬ ed, for a space of five years. J he members ot the seminary are composed QUEBEC. 81 of a superior, three directors, and six or seven masters, who are appointed to instruct young men in the different branches of education, pro¬ fessed by each. Since the decline and extinc¬ tion of the order of Jesuits, the seminary, which was at first exclusively designed for the educa¬ tion of priests; and, excepting the college of Montreal, is the only public establishment of the kind in the province, is now open to all young- men of the catholic faith, although they may not be destined for the sacerdotal function. The north-east aspect of this building is agreeable in summer, having under it a spacious garden, which extends to near the precipice on the east, and overlooks the lower town. The monastery, with the church and garden of the Recollets, which occupied the western side of the spot called Place d' Armes , are now rased to the foundation; the buildings having been destroyed by fire in 1796, and the order to which they were appropriated, having since that period, become extinct. Two new edifices have lately been erected, upon that site; the one, a protestant metropoli¬ tan church, the other a house for the courts of law. They are both constructed with the best materials, which this part of the country affords, and executed in a neat and handsome style. Tne church, although not much ornamented, may be pronounced elegant, the rules of archi- Si qUEBEC. tecture having been adhered to in its structure. Considered as ornaments to the city of Quebec, it is to be regretted, that separate situations have not been allotted for them ; and that in a country where public buildings capable of attracting notice are rarelv to be met with, two edifices of such consequence should have been placed so near to each other. The Hotel Dieu, with its gardens, occupies a large extent of ground. It was founded in 1638 by the Duchess d’Aiguillon, who sent from the hospital at Dieppe three nuns, for the purpose of commencing this charitable and useful institution. It consists of a superior, and twenty-seven sis¬ ters, whose principal occupation is to assist, and to administer medicines and food to invalids of both sexes, who may be sent to the hospital, and who are lodged in wards, where much regard is paid to cleanliness. The convent of the Ursulines was instituted in 1639, by Madame de la Peltrie, a young widow of condition, in France. It is possessed bv a su¬ perior, and thirty-six nuns, who are chiefly en¬ gaged in the instruction of young women. The building is spacious, and has extensive gardens annexed to it. The bishop’s palace, already mentioned, situa¬ ted near the communication with the lower town, has been, for several years, occupied for public offices, and for a library. The chapel has been QUEBEE. 3i> converted into a room, for the meeting of the pro¬ vincial assembly of representatives. Another edifice on the north side of the town, extending in length from Palace-gate to the ram¬ parts on the west, upwards of five hundred ieet in length, contains a number of vaulted apart¬ ments ; and is occupied for the office of ordnance, for barracks for the royal artillery, lor an armou¬ ry, store-houses and work-shops, and for a pub¬ lic goal, which forms the east end ol the building. The ruins of a large house, which was former¬ ly that of the intendant, remain on a flat ground on the banks of the river Saint Charles, and in the suburbs of Saint Roc. This was once called a palace; because the council of the French go¬ vernment in North America there assembled. The apartments, which were numerous and spa¬ cious, were furnished with magnificence and splendour. On one side of the court, were plac¬ ed the king’s store-houses, which, together with the palace, were consumed by fire, occasioned by a shell thrown from the garrison in 1775, when the town was blockaded by the Americans, with a view to dislodge some of the hostile troops, who hud taken shelter in these buildings. The general hospital, on the banks of the Saint Charles, about a milt westward from the garrison, and surrounded by meadow lands, was founded in 1693, by M. de Saint Vallier, Bishop of Que- h-p. with the benevolent design of affording sup* S4 QUEBEC, port and relief to the poor, the infirm, the sick, and the wounded : nor have the purposes ot its original founder at any time been defeated, w ith regard to the most scrupulous exactitude in their fulfilment. The extent of the building, whose form is that of a parallelogram, is considerable: and it contains a variety of apartments, neat and commodious. A superior and thirty-seven sisters compose the community. Their time which re¬ mains from the occupations of the duties of reli¬ gion, and the offices of humanity, is employed in gliding ornaments for the decoration of churches, and in several other works, at which they are ex¬ pert. The streets of Quebec are, in consequence of its situation, irregular and uneven : many of them are narrow; and but very few are paved. The houses are built of stone; are of unequal heights; and covered, in general, with roofs of boards. The roughness of the materials of which they are constructed, gives them a rugged aspect: and the accommodations are fitted up in a style equal¬ ly piain and void of taste. The frequent accidents which have happened, and the extensive damage which the town has repeatedly sustained from conflagrations, have suggested the expediency of covering the public buildings, and many of the dwelling-houses, with tin, or painted sheet-iron. The lower town, which is the principal place of commerce, occupies the ground at the basis of ^tTEBE*?. 85' the promontory, which lias been gradually gained from the clifts on one side, by mining, and from the river on the other, by the construction of wharfs. The channel is here about a mile in breadth, to Point Levi, on the opposite shore : and its greatest depth at high water, is thirty fa- thi ms, the anchorage being every where safe and good Since the year 1793, ship-building has been carried on with considerable success: and vessels of every description and dimension, from fifty to a thousand tons burthen, have been constructed. The materials are found in abundance in the country: but the anchors, sails, and cordage, are generally imported. As the tide usually ri¬ ses eighteen feet, and at spring tides twenty-four feet, there is no difficulty in finding situations for dock-yards. The rock, of which the promontory of Quebec is composed, consists of a species of black lime slate, varying in thickness; which, although ap¬ parently compact, may, by the stroke of a ham¬ mer, be shivered into very thin pieces: and, by exposure to the influence of the weather, it moul¬ ders into soil. A considerable number of the houses of the town, is built of this stone: and there is a mode of placing it, by which, in mason¬ ry, its durability may be considerably prolonged. The inhabitants, comprehended in Quebec, H 86 , QUEBEC. and in the suburbs of Saint John and Saint Poo, may be computed at about fifteen thousand. When viewed from Point Levi, on the oppo¬ site coast of the river, an interesting variety of objects is exhibited, by massy rocks, interspers¬ ed with shrubbery; by Cape Diamond, boldly rising from the water; by the houses along its base, contrasted with the overhanging cliffs; by a confused cluster of buildings overtopping each other up the side of the hill; and by the fortifica¬ tions which crown the summit. The Saint Law¬ rence flowing on one side, and the Saint Charles on the other, give to this spot, the appearance of an island. The bridge across the latter is like¬ wise visible from hence : and remote mountains terminate the prospect. The scene, in w inter, becomes amusing to strangers; particularly, if the ice on the great ri¬ ver, between Quebec, and the opposite coast of Point Levi, be closely fixed, a circumstance w hich depends more upon accident, than on the severity of cold* and does not frequently occur. W hen the ice becomes consolidated and station¬ ary, it is called, by the Canadians, the pont , which affords, not only to the country people inhabit¬ ing the neighbouring parishes on the south side, a facility of conveying their produce to market, and thereby of rendering provisions and provender more abundant in die town; but likew ise pre¬ sents a large field for gratification and exercise, ft IV E R MONTMORENCI. 87 to the citizens, who then are constantly driving- their iiorses and carriages, upon the solid surface of the stream. From the heights to the westward of the gar¬ rison, an extensive and beautiful view, is develop¬ ed, in summer, to the eye of the spectator. It is composed of the works, part of the loftier build¬ ings of the town, the basin, Point Lev), the island ©f Orleans, the south and north channels, the pa¬ rishes of Beauport, Ange Gardien, and chateau Richer, with the mountains on the north-east, stretching to Cape Tourment. The river Montmorenci, which empties itself into the Saint Lawrence, at the distance of eight miles to the north-east of Quebec, was called after a marechal of that name, who was viceroy of New France. Passing through a course from the north-east, of considerable length, the first settle¬ ment through which it flows, is called La Motte, situated on the northern extremity of a sloping ground, which gradually descends from the moun¬ tains, to the coast of the great river. At La Mot¬ te, the waters diffuse themselves into shallow cur¬ rents, interrupted by rocks, which break them into foam, accompanied by murmuring sounds, tending to enliven the solitude and solemn still¬ ness, which prevail throughout the surrounding forests, and on the desolate hills. The channel of the river, farther down,'is bounded by preci¬ pitous rocks: its breadth becomes extreme!; 88 RIVER 3I0NTM0RENCI. contracted : and the rapidity of its current is pro. portionably augmented. At a place called the natural steps, there are cascades of the height of ten, or twelve feet. These steps have been gra¬ dually formed, by the accession of waters which the river receives in its progress, at the break¬ ing up of winter, and by the melting of snows. From the middle of April, to the end of May, its waters roll along with an increasing height and rapidity. The banks, from the natural steps, downwards to the Saint Lawrence, are composed of a lime slate, placed in horizontal strata, from the depth of five to twenty-four inches each, con¬ nected by fibrous gypsum of a whitish colour. The waters, at the season already mentioned, powerfully impelled in their course, insinuate themselves between the strata; dissolve the gyp¬ sum ; and tear the horizontal rock ; which gives way, in fragments of various sizes, yielding to the rushing violence of the sweeping torrent. The regularity displayed in the formation of some of these steps, is well deserving of observation. On the east side, the bank is almost perpendicu¬ lar , is nearly fifty feet in altitude ; and is cover¬ ed at the summit, with trees. The south-west bank rises beyond the steps. In looking down- wards it appears also wooded ; and terminates in a precipice. The bank on the opposite side, as¬ sumes a regularity of shape, so singular, as to re¬ semble the ruins of a lofty wall. Somewhat below, HIVEll MONTMOREKCI. ao the banks on each side, are clothed with trees, which, together w ith the effect produced by the foaming currents, and the scattered masses of stone, compose a scene, w ild and picturesque. From hence, taking a south direction, the stream is augmented in velocity; and forms a cascade interrupted by huge rocks : and at a distance far¬ ther down, of five hundred yards, a similar ef¬ fect is produced After thus exhibiting a grate¬ ful variety throughout its course, the river is pre¬ cipitated in an almost perpendicular direction, over a rock of the height of two hundred and for¬ ty-six feet, falling, where it touches the rock, in white clouds of rolling foam ; and underneath, where it is propelled with uninterrupted gravita¬ tion, in numerous flakes, like wool or cotton, which are gradually protracted in their descent, until they are received into the boiling, profound abyss, below. Viewed from the summit of the cliff', from whence they are thrown, the waters, with every concomitant circumstance, produce an ef¬ fect awfully grand, and wonderfully sublime. The prodigious depth of their descent, the bright¬ ness and volubility of their course, the swiftness of their movement through the air, and the loud and hollow noise emitted from the basin, swell¬ ing with incessant agitation from the weight of the dashing waters, forcibly combine to attract the attention, and to impress with sentiments of h 2 RIVER MONTH ORE N Cl. 6o gra ndeur and elevation, the mind of the spectator. The clouds of vapour arising, and assuming the prismatic colours, contribute to enliven the scene. They fly off from the fall in the form of a revolv¬ ing sphere, emitting with velocity, pointed flakes of spray, which spread in receding, until inter¬ cepted by neighbouring banks, or dissolved in the atmosphere. The breadth of the fall is one hundred feet. The basin is bounded by steep cliffs, composed of grey lime slate, lying in inclined strata, which, on the east and west sides, are subdivided into innumerable thin shivers, forming with the hori¬ zon, an angle of forty-five degrees, and contain¬ ing between them, fibrous gypsum and p'terre a calumet .* Mouldering incessantly, by exposure to the air, and to the action of the weather, no surface for vegetation remains upon these sub¬ stances. An advantageous view of the fall may be ob¬ tained from the beach, when the tide of the great river is low. In this are included, the east bank of the river, the point of Ange Gardien, and Cape Tourment. I’he south-west point of the basin, becomes the nearest object, beyond which appears the cataract of resplendent beauty foam¬ ing down the gloomy precipice, whose summits are crowned with woods. Its reflection from tiie bed beneath, forms a contrast to the shade th- vn * Sott sione, of which ohe he&ds of pipes, art sometimes formed RIVER MOKTMORE NCI. 91 by the neighbouring cliff-.. The diffusion of the stream, to a breadth of five hundred yards, with the various small cascades produced by the ine¬ qualities in its rocky bed, on its way to the Saint Lawrence, display a singular and pleasing com¬ bination It runs for about four hundred yards, through a wide and steep gulph, which it is gene¬ rally supposed, that its waters have excavated. One circumstance seems, however, to controvert this conjecture. The bed beneath, over which the river flows, is invariably composed of a solid stratum of rock, over several parts of which, there are fords for the passage of carriages The ge¬ neral depth of water, does not here exceed eight inches: but partial channels have been worn by the stream, few of which are above three or four feet in depth. There appears no vestige of any deep excavation, except in the vicinity of the fall, which, if it had ever receded from the Saint Law¬ rence, must have formed in the solid bed of rock, basins of considerable depth. The ford being, in most places, rugged and unequal, its passage is unpleasant, and not altogether safe. JEUXE lorette.- 92 CHAPTER V. Jeune Lorette—domiciliated natives— mode of dancing —the Saint Charles—cascades on that rivet the Chaudierc—description of its fait appearance in winter _ island of Orleans—--views from thence—* so jl—north coast of the Saint Lawrence—Cape Tovrment—River Saint Anne—its waterfalls— lower fall described—La Puce—romantic falls oj that little river—various landscapes—Lake Saint Charles—picturesque combinations. JEUNE LORETTE is situated nine miles to the north-west of Quebec, upon a tract of land which rises towards the mountains. It com¬ mands, by its elevated position, an extensive view of die river Saint Lawrence, of Quebec, of the intermediate country, of the southern coast, and of the mountains which separate Canada from the United States. The village, which contains up- w .ids of two hundred inhabitants, consists of a- bout fifty houses, constructed of w ood and stone, which have a decent appearance. The chapel is small, but neat; and the parish extending to a considi rable way around, the Ca¬ nadians, w ho form the greatest number of parish¬ ioners, have lately procured a church to be erect¬ ed for their accommodation, about a quarter of a mile from the t illage. The Indians attend, w ith JEUNE LORETTE. 9 $ scrupulous observance, to the performance of their devotions. The women are placed in the centre of the chapel: and the men arrange them¬ selves on each side, and on the rear. The for¬ mer have in general good voices : and both sex¬ es seem to evince a considerable degree of ferven- «y, in the exercise of their religious duties. They live together in a state of almost uninter¬ rupted harmony and tranquillity. The missiona¬ ry has a great influence over them: and they have exchanged, in some degree, the manners of savage life, for those of the Canadians, in whose \icinity they reside. The quantity of Ian -' 3 they occupy in cultivation, is about two hundred acres, which they plant with Indian corn, or maize. A number of die men pursue the chace, during the winter season The French language is spoken by them with consi¬ derable ease : and the men, in general, notw ith¬ standing their partial civilization, maintain that independance, v’hich arises from the paucity and limitation of their wants, and which constitutes a principal feature in the savage character. This nation originally frequented the vicinity of lake Huron, near a thousand miles from Que¬ bec. It was once the most formidable and fierce, of any tribe that inhabited those quarters, dreaded even by the Iroquois ; who, however, found means to subjugate, and almost to extirpate it, by pretending to enter into an alliance. The 94, J E U N E L O It F. T T £ . Hurons, too blindly relying on the protestations of the Iroquois, the latter seized an opportunity, to surprise and slaughter them. 1 he village now- described, was composed of a part of the Hurons who escaped from the destruction oi their tribe ; and is occupied by the descendants oi that peo¬ ple. We assembled together in the evening, a num¬ ber of males and females of the village, who re¬ peatedly performed their several dances, descrip¬ tive of their manner of going to war; of watch¬ ing to ensnare the enemy; and of returning with the captives they were supposed to have surprised. The instalment chiefly in use in the dances, is a calibash filled with small pebbles, call¬ ed chichicoue, which is shaken by the hand in or¬ der to mark the cadence, for the voices and the movements. Thev are strangers to melodv in their songs, being totally unacquainted with mu¬ sic. The syllables which they enounce, are yo, he, u'aw. These arc invariably repeated, the be¬ holders beating time with their hands and feet. The dancers move their limbs but a little way from the ground, which they beat with 'v iolence. Their dancing, and their music, are uniformly rude and disgusting : and the only circumstance which can recompense a civilized spectator, for the penance sustained by his ear, amid this bois¬ terous roar, and clash ol discordant sounds, is, that to eacii dunce is annexed the representation 95 JEUNE LORETTt. cfscmc action, peculiar to the habits of savage lile ; and 'hat, by seeing their dances performed, some idea may be acquired, of the mode ol con¬ ducting their unimproved system of warfare. Tne river Saint Charles, called by the natives, Cabir Coubat , on account or the curvatures of its channel, after winding for a few miles to the south¬ west of the lake of that name, passes the Indian village, and rolls over a steep and irregular rock, of the altitude of thirty feet, forming a beautiful and romantic cataract. In passing a mill, which is under the fall, the current becomes extremely narrow ; and, for a space of three miles, is bound¬ ed by wood)' banks, on which there are frequent openings cut through the trees, disclosing the rushing waters. The rapidity of the stream, op¬ posed by rocks, produces quantities of white foam upon its gloomy surface, accompanied by mur¬ muring: sounds. The waterfall, with the smaller o cascades above it, the mill, the bridge, the village, and the distant hills, present an agreeable land¬ scape. t About three leagues to the eastward of Lorette, the village of Charlebourg is situated. This pa¬ rish is populous and well cultivated, being one of the oldest settlements on that side of the river Saint Charles. The church stands on rising ground about a league to the north of Quebec : and he village, from the altitude of its position, commands a rich and extensive prospect. The 96 RIVER CHAUDIER1. la.ids orp six miles in depth, and form part of the seignturie 01 the Jesuits. The river Chandlere empties itself into the Saint Lawrence, about eight miles to the south-west of Quebec. Its mouth is confined by woody banks; and contains depth of water to admit a ship of considerable size. This stream flow s from Lake Megantic, through a course, north and north, west, for a distance of one hundred and twenty miles. The falls are about four miles from its mouth : and the road thither being, for the greatest part through w oods, it is necessary', even for those that have already visited them, to take as a guide, one of the neighbouring inhabitants. The sum¬ mit of the falls is about one hundred and twenty yards in breadth : and, in the spring of the year, the waters flow ubundantlv, swoln bv the increase which they receive from the dissolving snows of the country through w hich they run, and from tributary streams, which, at this season, are like- w ise augmented bv the same causes. The month of May appears to be the most ad¬ vantageous period, at w hich to contemplate this interesting scene; thi approach to which ought first to be made fi om the top of tire banks, as in emerging from the woods, it conducts at once to the summit of the cataract, where the objects which instantaneously become developed to the "HIVER CltAUBIERt. 97 eye, strike the mind with surprise, and produce a wonderful and powerful impression. The waters descend from a height of one hun¬ dred and twenty feet; and, being separated by rocks, form three distinct cataracts the largest of which is on the western side, and they unite, in the basin beneath, their broken and agitated waves. The form of the rock forces a part of the waters, into an oblique direction, and advances them be¬ yond the line of the precipice. The cavities worn in the rocks, produce a pleasing variety; and cause the descending waters to revolve with foaming fury, to whose whiteness the gloomy cliffs, present a strong opposition of colour. The va¬ pour from each division of the falls, quick./ mounting through the air, bestows an enlivening beauty on the landscape. The wild diversity displayed by the banks of the stream, and the foliage of the overhanging woods, the brilliancy of colours richiy contrasted, the rapidity of motion, the effulgent brightness of the cataracts, the deep and solemn sound which they emit, and the various cascades further down the river, unite in rendering this, such a pleasing exhibition of natural objects, as few scenes can surpass. On descending the side of the river, the land¬ scape becomes considerably altered; and die tails appear to great advantage. Masses of rock, and elevated points of iand covered with trees, toge- I RIVER CII AUDIERTE. *>8 ther with the smaller cascades on the si ream, pre¬ sent a rich assemblage, terminated by the falls. The scenery in proceeding down the river, is rugged and wild. The gratification derived, in the beginning of summer, from the contemplation of such scenes as that which has now been described, is consi¬ derably damped by a reflection on the short dura¬ tion of the period allotted for beholding them with comfort. Myriads of winged insects, hostile to the repose of man, will shortly infest the borders ol this river. When the warm weather, which consists not of one half the year, is expired,the ungenial win¬ ter will resume its domination ; and the falls them¬ selves, except an inconsiderable part of them, must, notwithstanding the rapidity of their course, become a solid body. Viewed in the winter season, the falls exhibit an appearance more curious than pleasing; be¬ ing, for the greatest part congealed, and the ge¬ neral form of the congelatcd masses, is that of a concretion of icicles, w hich resembles a cluster of pillars in gothic architecture ; and may not im¬ properly be compared to the pipes of an organ. The spray becomes likewise consolidated ii.t# three masses, or sections of a cone, externally convex, but concave towards the falls. I htwest side, being usually the only place in which the waters flow, the aspect is infinitely inferior to that displayed in summer ; and the sound emitted, is ISLAND OF ORLEANS. 99 Comparatively taint. The surrounding objects, covered alike with snow, present one uniform glare. The rocks, and the bed of the river, dis¬ guised by unshapely white masses, produce a re¬ flection, which gives, even to the waters of the cataract, an apparent tinge of obscurity. The island of Orleans, rising from the river Saint Lawrence, in some parts with steep and wooded banks, in others with more gentle ascent, presents to the eye an agreeable object. Its near¬ est point is six miles to the north-east of Quebec. A favourable view of the neighbouring country is afforded from its higher grounds, particularly of the scenery on the north, which is diversified, bold, and extensive. The fall of Montmorenci discloses itself from hence, amidst a rich and en¬ chanting combination of features. The central part of this island is clothed with trees : and the ground sloping from it on either side, few emi¬ nences occur, to interrupt the view. The parish¬ es of Ange Gardien and Chateau Richer, are there seen to great advantage. From hence the river la Puce, on the opposite coast, at the distance of five miles, by an engaging display of natural at¬ tractions, invites the attention of the traveller. It rolls its current, broken into a refulgent white¬ ness equalling that of snow, from the summit of a lofty hill; and afterwards conceals itself mid¬ way, behind an. intervening eminence of inferior altitude, clothed with trees. The motion of its' r re y I ( ISLAND OF ORLEANS. 100 "waters is perceptible: and the reflection of light arising from the fall, glistening with the rays of the sun. produces a pow erful contrast w ith the deep verdure of the forests by which it is environed. At the lower extremity of the island, there are situations no less bold than picturesque. The north shore is interspersed with immense masses of detached limcstone-rock. The south side is clothed with trees to the borders of the great ri¬ ver; from either, are seen Cape Tourment, the isles and the mountains named Les Eboule- ments, which pierce the clouds w ith their pointed summits. The soil of the island is, in general, fertile, affording more produce than is necessary for the consumption of its inhabitants. Not many years ago, it was for two successive seasons, visit, ed by a scourge, which swept away, in its pro. gress, the whole productions of the land. The grasshoppers, which are in a great degree multi¬ plied, by the too long continuance of dry weather, appeared in such redundancy' of swarms, as to consume every vegetable substance, and almost totally to cover the surface of the ground. When, by their destructive ravages, the island became so denuded of verdure, as no longer to afford them the means of sustenance, they assembled on the w ater in clusters, resembling small rafts ; and floated with the tide and wind, along the basin of the Saint Lawrence, to Quebec ; where they filled the uecks and cordage of the vessels at anchor; ISLAND OF OUL £ AST'S. 101 and afterwards betook themselves, through the town to the ramparts, which, h iving stripped of grass, they proceeded in separate columns, through the country to the southward. A con¬ siderable part of their number probably perished in the voyage from the island : and the remainder, having a greater extent of territory over which to spread, their depredations became less perceptible. Orleans contains five parishes, two of which, Saint Piere, and Saint Famille, are on the north side; and three on the south, Saint Francois, Saint John, and Saint Lawrent. The number * of its inhabitants amounts to about two thousand. The channels which separate the island from the continent, are each about a league in breadth. The banks, on its western side, consist, for a con¬ siderable way down the coast, of black lime-slate, covered with soil, generated from the decompo- sitioi of that substance, and the annual decay of vegetable productions. The rocks of those on the eastern extremity, are mixed with grey quartz, reddish limestone, and grey limestone, combined with pale grains of sand From the parish of Ange Gardien, to the base' of Cape Tounnent, throughout an extent of eighteen miles, the coast is composed of fertile' meadow land, varying in breadth, bounded on the north by steep and lofty banks, from whence the ground rises in gentle acclivities to the bases of' the hills. By the reflux of the tide, a swamp of i 2 102 NORTH COAST OF THJET a mile in width, is here le t uncovered; and on some parts of the coast of Orleans, there arc sim. ilar muddy grounds. In spring and autumn, these situations are frequented by great numbers of 3 nipes, plover, and wild ducks. In the midst of meadows, near Cape Tour- ment a narrow hill, about a mile in length, and flat on its summit, rises to the height of about a hundred feet. A large du elling-house, with chapel and other buildings, are placed towards the eastern extremity ; thither the ecclesiastics of the seminary of Quebec, to whom these lands be¬ long, retire in autumn. Between the cape and the adjoining mountains, a lake is formed, the height of‘whose situation is several hunch ed feet above the level of the Saint Lawrence. The parish of Saint Joachim is popu¬ lous, and the soil is rich; being equally adapted to pasturage, and to cultivation. It is separated from the parish of Saint Anne, by a stream of considerable magnitude, called la Grande Rwiert , or the Saint Anne. In travelling to the interior settlements, after having ascended two steep and lofty banks, or ele¬ vations from one plain to another, the road is con¬ tinued for upwards of lour miles through a forest composed of poplar, birch, beech, fir, and ash trees, in which there are some openings, disclos- ing an elevated mountain. The settlement of Saint Feriole extends itself for SAINT LAWRENCE lCld near nine milesover a country gradually ascending* whose superior altitude contributes to increase the cold of the climate, and to render the laud less productive. Necessity has induced an hun¬ dred families to fix their abode in this remote si¬ tuation, where, if their industry be less copiously rewarded, and if the cold, which predominates longer in winter, and commences much earlier in autumn than in the lower parts, sometimes check the vegetation of grain, and impede its advance¬ ment to maturity, there is, notwithstanding, no appearance of indigence among the inhabitants. On turning his eyes towards the country he has already passed, the traveller is gratified by a luxuriant and diversified assemblage of objects, which, like a chart, seems to expand itself be¬ neath After descending a hill clothed with trees, and of about seven hundred feet in perpendicular elevation, we gained the side of the river which flows through this settlement, and of which we have already spoken. There are no less than se¬ ven falls of this river, which are near to each o- ther; and are formed in its current from the summit, to the basis of a steep and lofty moun¬ tain, after having held its course for a distance of several miles, along a ridge of high lands. The stream does not exceed forty yards in width, and the principal and lower fall, which is on the north¬ east, is one hundred and thirty feet high It has formerly flowed through another channel, in which 204 NORTH COAST OF THE it has been obstructed bv fallen rocks, and also partl\ by a dam or dyke, which the industry and sagacity of the beaver, teach it to form, frequent¬ ly across the channels of rivers. The ancient bed is plainly discoverable, by the deep ravines, worn, at different stages, on the side of the moun¬ tain. and by a vfRley near the lower fall. Although, in almost the whole of the cataracts in Lower Canada, a certain similarity of effect is discoverable, the precipices over which they pour their waters being nearly perpendicular : and al¬ though these sublime objects so frequently occur, that the impression which novelty produces on the mind, is thereby in a great degree weakened; yet each is distinguishable by peculiar features. The accumulated waters in the spring of the year, by abrading, and sweeping down, portions of the solid rock, incessantly produce alterations, and thus enlarge the channel or render it more deep. The landscape which environs this fall, is grand and romantic. The banks are rugged, steep, and wild, being covered v ith a variety of trees. Below, large and irregular masses of limestone rock, are piled upon each other. Not one half of the mountain can be seen by the spectator, v lien stationed by the side of the river. The whole of the waters of the fall, are not immediate¬ ly received into the basin beneath ; but a hollow rock, about fifteen feet high receives a part, yhtch glides lrom thence, in die form of a section SAINT LAWRENCE. 105 af a sphere. The river, throughout the remain¬ der of its course, is solitary, wild, and broken ; and presents other scenes worthy of observation. The parishes of Saint Anne and Chateau Rich¬ er, are situated under a bank varying in height, extending from Saint Joachim to Ange Gardien, and from thence to the fail of Montmorenci. At the summit of this bank, the land rises by degrees, until it gains the mountains, and is in a state of cultivation. A stream, called Dog river, divides Saint Anne from Chateau Richer : and in the lat¬ ter parish the small river La Puce joins the Saint Lawrence. The former would scarcely deserve to be mentioned, if it were not for the curious and pleasing objects, which disclose themselves in as¬ cending its course. The lower fail is one hun¬ dred and twelve feet in height: and its banks, formed by elevated acclivities, wooded to their summits, spread around a solemn gloom, which the whiteness, the movements, and the noise of the descending w'aters, contribute to render interesting and attractive. Besides the last, two other falls are formed by the higher stages of the mountain, where the river, confined in narrower compass, glides over less steep decli¬ vities. At the distance of two miles, in ascend¬ ing the channel, another cataract appears, pour¬ ing over masses of limestone rock, and assuming different directions in its descent. The environs ©i this river display, in miniature, a succession of 106 tfORTfr COAST OF THE romantic views The banks near its mouth, are almost perpendicular, and partly denuded of vege¬ tation, being composed of a dark lime-slate-like substance, which is in a state of continual decay. In vain would the labours of art endeavour to produce in the gardens of palaces, beauties, which the hand of nature scatters in the midst of unfre¬ quented wilds. The river, from about one-fourth of the height of the mountain, discloses itself to the contemplation of the spectator ; and deiijrhts his eye with varied masses of shining foam, which, suddenly issuing from a deep ravine hollowed out by the waters, glide down the almost perpendicu¬ lar rock, and form a splendid curtain, which loses itself amid the foliage of surrounding woods. Such is the scene which the fall of La Puce ex¬ hibits, when viewed from the summit of a bank on the eastern side of the river. The settlement of Chateau Richer, derives its name from the ruins of an edifice situated on a small rocky point, on the borders of the Saint Lawrence. It was a Franciscan monastery, when the army un¬ der General Wolfe encamped on the eastern bank of the Montmorenci. As the monks used their influence among the inhabitants in their vicinitv, to impede a supply of provisions for the English ar. my, it was deemed necessary to send thither a de» tachment to make them prisoners. They had so fortified themselves within their mansion, that jfield pieces were required to compel them ip a SAI'NT LAWJIMCB. 107 surrender. The house was destroyed by fire : and nothing now remains, except apart o! ;ne walls, and the ruins of an adjoining tow er, winch was formerly a wind-mill. By an inscription a- bove the door, it appears to have been built one hundred and twelve years ago. The parish church is placed on a bank, immediately behind the cha¬ teau, and has two spires. The ruins already de¬ scribed, the great river, the island of Orleans, the point of Ange Gardien, and Cape Diamond in the distance, compose an agreeable scene. Toward the east, a yet happier combination of objects presents itself. On the left, are the ruins of the monastery, the church, banks cloth¬ ed with foliage, and the lower grounds studded with white cottages; over which Cape Tour- ment, and the chain of mountains w hose termi¬ nation it forms, tower with exalted majesty. The rocks which in part compose the moun¬ tains, consist of a quartz, of the colour of amber, mixed with a black, small-grained glimmer, black horn stone, and a few minute grains of brown spar. The stone is generally compact, and resists the operation of fire. Some of these rocks are a mixture of white quartz and black glimmer, witli grains of brow n spar. Luke Saint Charles is supplied by the river of the same name; and diffuses itself over an extent of fi«t lands, bounded by mountains, about iour- tecn miles to tne northw ard of Quebec. In go- 108 lAlCE SAINT €R ARIES, ire thither, the road passes over a mountain: from whence is opened an extensive view ot the great river and its banks. On arriving at the vicinity of the lake, the spec¬ tator is delighted by the beauty and picturesque wi.dness ot its banks. It is, around small col¬ lections of w ater like this, that nature is display¬ ed to the highest advantage, i he extent ot the lake is about live miies : «ncl it is almost divided into two, by a lied ol land, which forms a nar¬ row passage, neari) at the center. Trees grow immediatelj on the borders ol the water, which is indented by several points advancing into it, and forming little bat s. The lolty hills which suddenly rise tow ards the north, in shapes, sin¬ gular and diversified, are overlooked by moun¬ tains which exalt beyond them, their more dis¬ tant summits. The effect produced by clouds, is here solemn and sublime, particular!) during thunder storms, when the) float in rugged masses, around the tops of the hills, w hose caverns, and defiles, re-echo to the trembling forests, the hoarse and awful roar. About three miles lrom the lake, in a valley amid precipitous mountains, a settlement was be¬ gun a few- years ago. Its situation is htghlj ro¬ mantic, being watered by several streams, and likewise by the Saint Charles, w hose ba; ks, throughout its w Hiding course, to the lake, are- adorned with a variety oi scenery. h HE SAINT IAWEEKCB. im CHArTER VI. Country to the westward of ^ uebec—Lake Calviere — the Jacques Cartier—romantic scenery which it dis¬ plays—town of Three Rivers—Lake Saint Peter — town of William Henry-—river Chambly — Island of Montreal—religious orders , and their establish¬ ments—view from the summit oj the mountains—* Indian village of the Sault Saint Louis — La Chine — Lake Saint Louis—cascades—rapids of the cedars — cf the Coteau Du Lac—Lake Saint Francis — cas¬ cades of the Long Saidt—multitude of isles. IN ascending the Saint Lawrence from Que¬ bec to Montreal, the country on either side that river, becomes less diversified, but more rich in soil, and more improved in cultivation, as the tra¬ veller advances. The banks, which are abrupt and precipitous, open into several little bays, inter¬ mixed with rocks, woods, and settlements. On the north side, at the distance of two miles from the town, is Wolfe’s Cove, the place at which the celebrated General of that name disembarked his army, previous to the battle on the heights of A- braham. On the summit of the western bank of this little bay, stands a handsome house, built by General Powell, whose situation, together with the shady walks by which it is surrounded, ren¬ ders it a pleasing retreat. K 11-0 BANKS or THIi From hence to Cape Rouge, the scenery, on account of its beauty and variety, attracts the at¬ tention of tiie passenger. At Sillery, a league from Quebec, on the north shore, are the ruins of an establishment, which w as begun in 1637. Intended as a religious institution for the conver- sion and instruction of natives of the country, it was at one time inhabited by twelve French fa¬ milies. The buildi gs are placed upon level ground, sheltered by steep banks, and close by the borders of the river They now consist only of two old stone-houses, fallen to decay, and of the remains of a small chapel.* In this vicinity, the Algonquins once had a village. Several of their tumuli, or burving-places, are still discover¬ able in the woods: and hieroglyphics cut on the trees, remain in some situations, yet uneffaced. Cape Rouge is a lofty bank, suddenly declining to a valley, through which a small river, the dis¬ charge of a lake, situated among the mountains on the north, runs into the Saint Lawrence. A slate-stone, of a reddish colour, easily mouldering into thin shivers, is found at the surface, on the summit of the bank. A part of the borders of the river Chaudiere, on the opposite coast, con¬ sists of the same substance. The distance from Quebec to this cape, is eight miles: and, towards the north, a bark pa- * The cli: pel has of lute been repaired and fitted i.p tor a malt- JUou.se, and seme of the other buildings have beeu converted into * brewery. SAINT LAWRENCE. Ill rallel to that on the great river, but of inferior ele¬ vation, extends throughout that space, and joins the promontory. The mean interval between these acclivities, is about a mile and a half. The level, and in some situations, swampy lands, on the north of this eminence, which in many places abound in stones, apparently formed in the bed of a river, afford probable grounds for conjec¬ ture, that a portion of the waters of the Saint Lawrence, formerly flowed between the heights of Saint Augustin and Cape Rouije, directing their course along the valley, insulating the pa¬ rishes of Quebec and Saint Foix, and re-uniting at the place where the Saint Charles empties itself into the basin. The low space between the high grounds now mentioned, is about half a mile in breadth ; and, by a disclosure of the distant mountains, presents to the eye an agreeable variety. On the opposite coast, at the mouth of the small river Saint Ni¬ cholas, a charming combination of picturesque objects is afforded. A part of the bank here ri¬ ses to the height of about five hundred feet, and is clothed with trees. The little river rolls with foaming swiftness into the Saint Lawrence,, and turns, with a portion of its waters, corn mills of considerable extent. Two beautiful waterfalls, at no great distance from each other, are to be seen upon this river. At Point Levi, and likewise at the Etchemin- BANKS OF THE n-2 on the south side of tin great river, there are corn mills upon an enlarged scale, which belong to the same proprietor, as those of Saint Nicholas. Lake Calviere, on the north shore, is a coilec- tion of water, about two miles in length, whose borders are diversified by woods and cultivated fields. Viewed from the river, the church and mill of St. Augustin, placed beneath steep banks, richly wooded, compose a pleasing scene. Pointe aux Trembles , a village of some extent, seven leagues from Quebec, is situated under a bank, from whence a quantity of meadow land spreads down to the coast. It contains a smalL convent of nuns, and a neat church. Through a contracted valley formed by acclivi¬ ties steep and abrupt, the Jacques Cartier sweeps with impetuosity, over a rocky and interrupted bed, its broken and sonorous current. The distance thither from Quebec, is thirty miles. The navi¬ gator who first explored the Saint Lawrence, as far as Montreal, here wintered in 1536 : and from this occurrence, his name has been given to the stream. The breadth of its mouth is about three hundred yards : and contiguous to it, there are ex¬ tensive corn mills, worked bv water conveyed from a considerable distance, along an aqueduct, under which the road to the ferry passes. The ferrymen traverse the boats from one side to the other, by a strong rope fixed to posts, on account oi die rapidity of the waters. On the summit of SAINT LAWRENCE. 113 the hill, at the western' side of the ferry, are the remains of an earthen redoubt, which was con¬ structed bv the French in 1760. Here, as well as higher up the course of the river, an uncom mon wildness is displayed : and the stream is fre quentlv broken into cascades, particularly in the vicinity of the new bridge, where its channel is confined by rugged rocks, some of which arc excavated in a singular manner, by the incessant operation of the furious torrent. During the sum¬ mer months, salmon are here caught in abun¬ dance. The church of Cape Saute with the opposite coast, which assumes a singular shape, together with the point of Dechambault, and the vast sheet of water intervening, exhibit a pleasing combina¬ tion of distant objects. At the latter situation, the principal bed of the Saint Lawrence is con¬ fined to a narrow, winding, and intricate course, which, at the reflux of the tide, has a considera¬ ble descent. At high water, much caution is re¬ quired, in conducting through it, a vessel of bur¬ den, as the channel on either side is shallow, and abounds tvith concealed rocks. The Saint Anne is of considerable width, but of no great depth : and its current is scarcely per¬ ceptible, at the place where it is crossed by tra¬ vellers. The want of bridges over most of these streams, is a great inconvenience, their passage in the spring and at the commencement of win : k 2 114 ro\VN or ter, being sometimes attended with peril, from the quantities of loose and floating ice. The Battiscan contains not so much water as the last, but is more deep and rapid. An iron foundry has, within these few years, been esta¬ blished on its banks. The town of Three Rivers is situated upon a point of land, near the confluence with the Saint Lawrence, of the stream from which it derives its name. It extends about three quarters of a mile, along the north bank of the former. The surrounding country is flat: and its soil is com. posed of sand, mixed with black mould. In the mouth of the stream, there are two islands, which divide it into three branches. On ascending its course, the borders become wild and picturesque. The town was indebted for its original establish¬ ment to the profits arising from the commerce for peltry, which, in the infancy of the colonv, was carried on by the natives, through the course of this river, which flows from the north-east, for a distance of three hundred miies. Thither, va¬ rious tribes of these savages, descended from the vicinity of Hudson’s bay, and the country inter¬ vening between that and the Saint Lawrence. Attracted by the advantages w hich the agreea- ble situation of the place, and the rendezvous for traffic, presented, several french families hers established themselves. The proximity of the Iro¬ quois, a nation which cherished an irrcconcilea- THREE RIVER*-. IIS’ £>Ie hostility to the French, suggested the necessi¬ ty of constructing a fort: and the district of Three Rivers became, at length, a separate go¬ vernment. After a lapse of some years, the na¬ tives who traded to this place, harassed and ex¬ posed to continual danger, from the frequent ir¬ ruptions of that warlike nation, discontinued their accustomed visits. The town contains a convent of Ursulines, to which is adjoined a parochial church, and an hos¬ pital. It was founded in 1677 by M. de Saint Vallier, bishop of Quebec, for the education of young women, and as an asylum for the poor and sick. A superior and eighteen nuns now possess it ■, and discharge the functions of this humane institution. A monastery of Recollets also formed one of the religious edifices of this place, but that order has been for some time extinct. As there are several protestant inhabitants in the town, it is the residence of a rector: and di¬ vine service is regularly performed agreeably to the rites of the established church of England. On the banks of the river already mentioned, and about nine miles up its course, an iron foun¬ dry, which was first worked in 1737, is situated. The. manufacture of ore into cast, as well as ham¬ mered iron, is here carried on to a considerable extent. The works, and the soil in which the ore is found, are the property of government-' 116 Lake saint fetef.. and they are rented by a company at Quebec, oft lease, at the rate of eight hundred pounds per annum. The ore lies in horizontal strata, and near the surface. It is composed of masses, ea¬ sily detached from each other, perforated, and the holes filled with ochre. It possesses softness, and friability: and for promoting its fusion, a grey limestone, found in its vicinity, is used. The hammered iron is soft, pliable, and tenacious; and has the quality of being but little subject to the influence of rust. The latter property is probably derived from the materials employed in its fusion. For this purpose, wood only is appli¬ ed, which is highly preferable to mineral coal. Lake Saint Peter is formed by an expansion of the waters of the Saint Lawrence, to the breadth of from fifteen to twenty miles: and its length is twenty-one miles. It is in general, of small depth ; many parts of the channel being not more than ten or eleven feet deep : and it sometimes occurs, that large vessels here run aground. The tide scarcely extends as far up as the town of Three Rivers, which is near two leagues farther down than the lake : and the current in the latter is extremely faint. Several small rivers here dis¬ charge their waters; among which are the Ma- chiche, Du Loup, and Masquenonge, on the north, and the Nicolet and Saint Francis, on the south. On the banks of the latter, an Indian vil¬ lage of the same name, is situated, peopled by part ' RIVER CHAMBLT. 117 111 )uner, to struggle against the most tremen¬ dous rapids. Besides these, near four hundred nvr-i setnd in bark canoes, by the grand river of the Outaouais, in a direct course to Saint Jo- THE CASCADES. 131 seph’s.on Lake Huron, and from thence to the new establishment on Lake Superior, called Ka- manastigua. Lake Saint Louis, formed by the junction of part of the Outaouais liver with the Saint Law¬ rence, is about ten miles in width; and contains the isle Perrot, already noticed, surrounded bv the waters of the former, which, for a considera¬ ble way down, mingle not with those of the latter, a circumstance which is evinced by the difference in their colours. The parish of Chateau-gaye, and several small islands, occupy the south-east side of the lake, into which the cascades furiously pour their billows, and seem to prohibit to the traveller, any further progress by water. The bateaux are conducted to the western side; and ascend the first locks, at the top of which they are unloaded; and the goods are carted from thence, along a road on the borders of the river, as far as the village of the Cedars, a distance of five miles. Artificers and labourers, under the direction of a royal engineer, have, for some time past, been employed on the extension and im¬ provement of these locks, which, when complet¬ ed, will much tend to facilitate the transport, and communication with the upper country. The cascades are about two miles in length ; and fiow among three different islands. The ra¬ pidity and force of the stream, arising from the great declivity of its bed, and the number of rocks 132 THE CEDARS, and cavities which it contains, cause it to break in. to masses of white loam, moving in • a direction the reverse of that of waves produced in a trou¬ bled ocean, by the agency of storms. They curl their resplendent tops, tonal ds .he quarter irom whence they are impelled. 1 he mind ot a stran¬ ger is filled with admiration, on beholding, in the calmest and finest weather, ail the noise, effect, and agitation, which the most violent conflict be- tween the winds and waters, is capable of exhi¬ biting. In a branch of these cascades, near the locks on the western shore, several bateaux, loaded with soldiers belonging to the army under the com- n a d of the late Lord Amherst,were lost in 1760, through the ignorance of the pilots who under¬ took to conduct them. Somew hat higher up, on the same coast of the river, and not far from the land, is the Split Rock, close to which, the boats pass in descending. The current sweeps aloi ig the side oi this rock : and great attention in steeringis required ; for, on a too near approach, the bateau w ould be subject to the danger of be¬ ing lost. The rapids of the Cedars are about three miles distant from the highest part of the Cascades} and are formed amid a cluster of islands. The river lor about a mile and a half above, assumes a sudden declivity and a winding course An awful and solemn cflect is produced, by the inces- THE CEBARS. 1$S sant sound, and rapid motion of the ever-swelling waves, which, covered with effulgent whiteness, drive along with irresistible fury. The empty ba¬ teaux are here dragged successively with ropes, by the joint efforts of eight or ten men to each, who walk up the shore, until they arrive at the village, near which these rapids commence. In descending, the bateaux are steered near the vi est- ern shore, to avoid the tremendous and more broken swell, which in some places, is interspers¬ ed with rocks. Although this course is not un¬ accompanied by danger, the Canadians are in ge¬ neral so experienced and expert, that an accident almost never occurs. The village of the Cedars is charmingly situat¬ ed on the banks of the Saint Lawrence; it con¬ tains a church, and about fifty houses. The ap¬ pearance of the waters, and or the rich and verdant islands around which they wind their course, ex¬ hibits an assemblage uncommonly interesting: and the glistening rapids of the Coteau du Lac , give a lively termination to the scene. The cur¬ rent from the latter place, to the Cedars, is, in most situations so powerful, that the bateau men are necessitated to make use of their setting poles, which are about seven feet in length, and shod with iron. As the current impels the vessel tow¬ ards the shore, the men place them aiong that side which is inwards; and push it forward, by the pressure of each upon his poii, at the same in- M 234 COTEAU DU LAC. itant. The bateau, by these united efforts, is forc¬ ed up the stream : and the impulsive movement is continued, by thus setting the poles in the bed of the waters, and by a reiteration of the same exertions. This operation, although fatiguing and laborious in the extreme, they will prolong for the space of several hours. When the cur- rent is too powerful for the use of poles, the ba¬ teau is dragged by a long rope, the men engag- cd in this office, walking, as has been before des- cribed, along the banks of the river. In the less raoid streams, the oars are used : and when the wind is favourable, and the current not strong, •recourse is had to the sail. At the Cotcau du Lac Saint Francois, the ba- teaux again ascend by locks, where a certain du¬ ty is payable on spirituous liquors, wines, and some other articles, imported into Upper Cana¬ da, although the limits of that provinee are plac¬ ed some miles higher up. By the interposition of islands, the river here divides itself into three considerable branches, in which the furious, noisy waters, dashing with ceaseless impetuosity, cover the surface of the streams with broken clouds of foam. The ba¬ teaux, in descending, pass close under the banks of an island opposite to the locks; and present to a stranger who may be looking from the shore, a singular appearance, as they are only partially discoverable, while darting along, amid the sweil- LAKE ST. FRANCIS. 13a ing and agitated torrent. After passing a point of land above the rapids, Lake Saint Francis dis¬ closes itself to the eye. On the north side, and about the middle of its extent, is situated Pointe an Boclet, the boundary between the two provin¬ ces ; which was here fixed, in order to compre¬ hend within Lower Canada, all seignorial grants under the French tenure; and that the new townships which were laid out for the loyalists,, should be within Upper Canada, in which all lands are granted, in free antT common soccage. The length of the lake is about twenty-five miles, and its greatest width, about fifteen. Its borders are flat: and, in some situations, the land on ei¬ ther side can scarcely be distinguished by travel¬ lers passing along its centre. The Indian settlement, called St. Regis, is placed on the south side, at the upper extremity of the lake, in latitude forty-five degrees, in a rich and beautiful country. The boundary line between Canada and the United States, passes through it. A missionary from the seminary oi Quebec is stationed among the Indians. The first township* in Upper Canada is called Lancaster, upon the north shore of Lake Saint Francis, watered by three small rivers, extend- * A township is a certain tract of land containing 1 from 20,000 to 40,000 acres, granted by government to individuals, upon specified conditions. This word is therefore sometimes applied to situa lions where settlements have scarcely been commenced 136 LAKE ST- FRANCIS. ing nine miles in front, towards the lake, and twelve miles in depth. The adjoining settle¬ ment of Charlottenburg, has, in its front several small islands; and is watered by two branches of the river aux Ilaisins , which w inds its course through a considerable part ol the township, un¬ til it joins the lake. Between the latter settle¬ ment, and Cornwall, a narrow tract intervenes, w hich is the property of the Indians of Saint Re¬ gis. An island, named Petite Isle , is situated opposite to their village : and another more con¬ siderable, named Grande Isle Saint Ilegis , lies somewhat higher up, and in front of the town- ship of Cornwall. This village or tow n, as it is termed, is intended to be a mile square : and the houses already built, extend along the banks of a branch of the Saint Lawrence, which here forms a bay. In this vicinity are several islands besides the two already mentioned. These are denomi- nated Isles aux milles Bodies, and des Cheneaux Pear tees. The township of Kenyon, is in the rear of the former settlement; and Roxburgh, in that of the latter. In the adjoining township of Osnabruck, the river aux Raisins has its source : and in the vici¬ nity of this settlement, are the I lean Longue Sault, lies des trois Cheneaux Ecartees, lies au Liable, and lie au Chat I he channel of the river becomes in this situa¬ tion very steep: and the waters, intersected and LONGUE SAULT. 137 contracted between tnese islands, rush along with prodigious velocity. The bateaux, in ascending, are always conducted by the north shore, and through the more shallow parts, that the men may use their setting poles: and in many places, it becomes necessary to disembark, and drag them by ropes. The noise, the continual motion, and mag. nitude of its contending waves, render the Lon¬ gue Sault, at once an object of terror and delight. These burst upon each other; and, tossing aloft their broken spray, cover the stream with a white and troubled surface, as far as the eye can extend. From a point of land, cn the north shore, formed by the sinuosities of the stream, much grandeur is displayed. The bank is here about fifty feet high; and commands a view of the principal branch cf the river, for a distance of two or three miles; in which the effulgence of the impetuous current is beautifully contrasted, with the bordering shades of the woods. Throughout the same dis¬ tance, much labour and exertion are required in dragging forward the bateaux, after they have pas¬ sed through a mill-stream on the bank. Towards the south shore, which is separated by islands from the branch now described, the stream is much less broken : and its depth precludes the use of poles. It is through this channel that the bateaux pass, in their return from Kingston. The length of the Longue Sault is estimated at 138 LONGUE SAULT. nine miles: and a boat usually descends it, in about twenty minutes, which is at the rate of twenty-seven miles an hour. The south shore is. in general, covered with its native woods: and it is only at considerable dis¬ tances from each other, that settlements are in¬ terspersed. Williamsburg on the north shore, is the adjoining township to Osnabruck ; and has before it lie au rapid Plat , the west end of which is opposite to the next settlement, -Matilda. Here are also some smaller islands, and a penin¬ sula, whicli* when the river is very full, becomes surrounded by water. The village of Johnstown, which is near a mile in length, and designed to extend a mile in breadth, is placed in the township of Edwards- burg. From hence, decked vessels of consider¬ able burden may be navigated to Kingston ; from thence to Niagara, or to any part of Lake Ontario. The islands opposite to this township are nume¬ rous ; the principal are Hospital island, and Isle du Forte Levy , where the French formerly had a small garrison, to defend the lower settlements, from the irruptions of the Iroquois. La GaloU te is a part of the great river, in which the current flows with much rapidity, although the waters are, in very few places, broken. Oswegatchie, formerly a military post belong¬ ing to the British government, was given up to that ol the United Stales in 1796. It stands on *HW SAINT LAWRENCE. 139 the south shore, nearly opposite to New Johns¬ town. It is now known by the name of Ogdens- burg; and is the county town in which the cir¬ cuit courts are held. The St. Lawrence, whose breadth is here about four miles, receives into its bosom the Black river. On the borders of the latter are situated some houses, inhabited by about a hundred natives of the Iroquois tribe, who are usually termed Osuegatchie Indians. Elizabeth town, a settlement on the north side, which joins the township of Augusta, is w ell wa¬ tered by three rivers, the most considerable of which takes its rise from a little lake; and is called the Tonianta, the lies du Barril being contiguous to it. On the south-east angle of the township of Yonge, the latter river disembogues itself into the Saint Lawrence. Lansdown, adjoining to the last settlement, contains many small streams: and the great river, for an extent of several miles, from near Kingston, as far dowm as Augusta, is interspersed by a multitude of isles. As it spreads itself to a width, in some places, of ten or twelve miles, this part has acquired the name of the lake of the Thousand Islands ; which may be said to be only a prolongation of Lake Ontario. The river Gamansque, deriving its source from a lake of the same name, takes its course through the township of Leeds; and possesses, at its mouth, a good harbour for vessels. Between the lust named settlement and Kings- 140 THE SAINT LAWRENCE', ton, Pittsburg intervenes. Howe island stretch¬ es, in a long, and narrow form, near the front of these two townships. From Pointe au Bodet to Kingston, the distance is one hundred and twenty miles: and in that space are contained above eighty water mills, the most considerable of which are erected upon the river Gananoque. Roads have, some years ago, been opened, and wooden bridges constructed over the intervening creeks and rivers. From Point au Bodet down¬ wards, a way for travellers on horseback, has been cut through the woods, w hich is yet scarce¬ ly practicable for wheeled carriages. Many parts of this road, as well as of those in the vicinity of Kingston, are at times rendered almost impassa¬ ble by considerable falls of rain, the altitude of the trees on each side precluding the rays of the sun. After a fall of snow, in winter, travelling by land is rendered much more easy 7 . Settlements have been commenced, in upwards of thirty other tow nships, situated in the rear of those already* mentioned, and on the southward of the Outaoutiis, or Great River, upon whose margin, many of them terminate Others are watered by the river Rideau, and by that of Pe¬ tite Nation, with the lakes and streams of the Ga¬ nanoque, affording a variety of places, convenient for the erection ol mills. These rivers abound in carp, sturgeon, and perch. The ponds afford green, and other turtle, likewise fish of different THE SAINT LAWRENCE. 141 species. The soils in their vicinity produce tim¬ ber, whose quality depends on position and ferti¬ lity. The dry lands, which are usually the most elevated, afford growth to oak and hickory. The low grounds produce walnut, ash, poplar, cherry, sycamore, beech, maple, elm, and other woods ; and in some places, there are swamps, covered by «edar and cypress trees. The banks of the small rivers and creeks a- bound in pine timber of an excellent kind; and present several situations for water-mills, as well as materials for their construction. The sources of the rivers Rideau and Petite Nation, both of which flow into the Outaouais, communicate, by short carrying places, with the streams which fall into the Saint Lawrence, and offer to settlers the advantages of an inland navigation. The forks of the Rideau, in whose vicinity are the townships of Oxford, Marlborough, and Gower, seem calculated to facilitate, at some future pe¬ riod, an interior commerce* 142 KINGSTON-. CHAPTER VII. Description of Kingston in Upper Canada—Lake On¬ tario—Bay of ^uinte—excellence of its soil— 1 oronto , or York , the capital—Burlington Bay—River Onon¬ daga — romantic cascades—Genesee River — If ater- fall-—Forts and town of Niagara—superior aovan¬ tages enjoyed by settlers on the banks of the Saint Lawrence—rapid increase of population , and pros¬ perous state of the province —^ ueenstowr.—the Whirlpool—stupendous majesty of the Falls of Nia¬ gara—cascades—village of Chippaxva . KINGSTON is charmingly situated on the northern coast of the Saint Lawrence, not far from Luke Ontario, in north latitude, forty-four de¬ grees, eight minutes, and in west longitude from Greenwich, seventy-five degrees, forty-one mi¬ nutes. This town was begun in the year 1784, upwards of twenty-one years ago; and has con¬ tinued, ever since that period, to advance in a progressive state of improvement, to which the judicious choice of situation, and the fertility of the lands in its vicinity, have, doubtless, greatly contributed. Besides several commodious dwel¬ lings, constructed of stone of an excellent quality, it contains a barrack for troops, a gaol and court¬ house, an episcopal church, an hospital, and seve¬ ral extensive storehouses At this piace the ves¬ sels belonging to government, used in navigating KINGSTON. 143 Lake Ontario, are constructed; and from hence, merchandise and otiiei articles which are convey, ed from the lower province, in bateaux, are em¬ barked to be transported to Niagara, York, and other settlements bordering on the lake. he largest vessels employed in this service, do not exceed two hundred tons burden : but the usual size is from eighty to a hundred tons. At Kings¬ ton, there .ire two coves or inlets, where vessels come to anchor, and on which wharfs are con¬ structed, for loading or discharging their cargoes. That appropriated for the vessels of government, is at some distance from the town; and is formed by a promontory on the east, and a peninsula, call¬ ed Point Frederick. On this are placed the na¬ val store, and yard for building these vessels. A master builder, with some artificers, resides upon the spot; and is kept in constant employ. The house of the deputy commissary, and those of some other persons in the service, stand likewise upon this peninsula. The other cove, much more considerable than the last, is formed between the town and the point already mentioned. Both of these inlets are exposed, when the wind blows with violence from the south, or south-west, and di ives before it from the lake, a succession of swel¬ ling billows. The number of vessels here, in the king’s ser¬ vice, is at present not more than three, two of which are appropriated for the military, and one 144 KINGSTON', for the civil department. Each vessel carries from ten to twenty gu.is. The senior commander is stiled commodore. As all kinds of timber have a tendency to decay, much sooner in fresh than in salt water; a vessel navigating the lakes will not last above six \ ears, unless she be made to under¬ go considerable repairs. As those in the employ of government receive no repairs in their hulls, they are generally laid up at the expiration of that period; and are replaced by other vessels entire¬ ly new. The rapid advancement of the country in po¬ pulation and improvements of even* description, has proportionally extended the commerce. The number of vessels in the employ of the merchants is considerable. These are usually built about ten miles below Kingston : and the timber used for their construction is red cedar or oak. Grande Isle, now called W olfe Island, not far from the town, is the largest which occurs be¬ tween Montreal and Lake Huron. The timber found here, and on the south shore of the main land, is red oak, butternut, maple, ash, elm, and small pine. Carleton island, of small extent, in¬ tervenes between the latter and the south shore; and was formerly occupied as a military station. It has on either side a channel of sufficient depth for vessels, and two excellent harbours. It now pioperly belongs to the United States, as the boundary ime of that government passes dirough KINGSTON. 145 the centre of Grand Isle. It contained a stone fort, with barracks of the same materials, store¬ houses, and other structures. One of the smaller islands, opposite to Kings¬ ton, abounds with insects called ticks, resembling the little animal of the same name, found upon cattle in Europe, but of a much larger size. In summer, these insects spread themselves over the surface of the ground, over the trees, the herbage, and the rocks. They climb upon every object in their way: and to man, their effects are highly dis¬ agreeable, particularly if they gain the head, from whence they are with difficulty dislodged. With¬ out producing any degree of pain, they will gra¬ dually insinuate themselves beneath the skin; and there establish their quarters. To horses or cattle, which have been sent to graze on this island, the ticks, from their multitudes, have been fre¬ quently fatal. The town which we have described, is, by some, called Cataroquoy, the Indian name; and wds formerly known by that of Frontenac, Ifom a count of the same title, who was twice Go\ er- nor-general of Canada. The lake w as also, for a long time known by the same appellation, A small fort was many years ago established in this situation, with the design of checking the incur¬ sions of the Iroquois, and of diverting, in favour 01 the French, the commerce for peltry, which these savages conducted between the more north- N 14G 1 AXE ONTARIO, era and western tubes, and the inhabitants of New York, who could supply for that purpose various articles of European manufacture, on terms much more reasonable than the former colo¬ nists. The fort was originally built of stone, by M de la Sale, celebrated lor his discoveries, but yet more lor his misfortunes, who was Seigneur of Cataroquoy, and governor of the place. This es- tabhshment was not of long duration ; and was of little avail towards impeding the ravages of the Iroquois. Lake Ontario is in length, one hundred and sixty miles, and in circumference, about toui hun¬ dred and fifty. Its depth in man} places, remains unascertained. The centre has been sounded, with a line of three hundred and fifty fathoms, without finding bottom. I lie islands which it contains are Amherst island, Basque, Car let on, Petit Cataroquoy, Cedar island, Isle Cauchois, Isle au Cochon, Isle du Chene, Duck islands, Grena¬ dier Island, Isles au Gailoo, Isle la Force, Isic- au Foret, Gage island, Howe island, Nicholas island, Orphan island, Isle de Quinte. Isle Tonti, isies aux Tourtes, Wolfe island or Grande isle, and "W apoose island. The land on the north-cast coast oi Lake Ontario, is low, and in some situa¬ tions marshy. The inlets or little ba} s, are, firm their position, considerably exposed to the swell »f the waters, and the influence of the w uids. LAKE ONTARIO. 147 The vicinity of Kingston affords valuable quar¬ ries of durable white stone : and the soil in gene¬ ral is intermixed with rocks, a circumstance which, however, is not prejudicial to its produc¬ tive quality. Ernest town is opposite to Amherst island; and is watered by two small rivers. Camden lies oil its north side, and Richmond on its west. The river Appenee, on which there are excellent mills, runs through the two last townships. The bay of Quinte is formed by the peninsula of Prince Edward, by another peninsula, contain¬ ing part of the townships of Adolphus and Fre¬ derick, and by the continent on the north, com¬ prehending the townships of Mohawks, Thur- low, and Sidney. This bay affords, throughout its winding extent, a safe and commodious har¬ bour, sheltered from the storms by which the lake is frequently agitated. The river Moira here emp¬ ties itself, after having traversed the township of Thurlow. The Trent, formerly called the Quinte, the outlet of several small lakes, flows into the head of the bay, at the eastward of the isthmus, or carrying place. Part of one of the tribes of Mohawks, or Iroquois, has a settlement in the township This tract is nine miles in front on the bay, and about twelve miles in depth. A chief, named Captain John, is at the head of those natives, who, preferring this situation, separated from the rest of their tribe., whose village is or*- LAKE ONTARIO. 148 the Grand River, or Ouse, which disembogues its waters into the north-east side of Lake Erie. On the sduth side of the Trent, there are salt- springs; waters impregnated with salt have like¬ wise been found in other situations in this pro¬ vince : but the salt which has been produced from them was found by no means to possess the pro- perties of that procured from the water of the ocean: and a great part of the provisions which have been cured w ith it, and sent in barrels to Que¬ bec,.for the use of the troops, has been found, on inspection, unfit for use. The exuberance of the soil around the Bay of Quinte, amply rewards the toils of the farmer. Jt is worked with facility; and produces many crops, without the application of manure. The usual produce is tw enty-five bushels of wheat, for one acre. The timber consists of oak, elm, hick¬ ory, maple and pines of different species. The bay is narrow throughout its whole extent, w hich is upwards of fifty miles; and is navigable for those vessels w hich are used upon the lake. An apparent tide is frequently observable here, as well as in some parts of the upper lakes, a circum¬ stance probably occasioned by the impulse of the winds. Great quantities of w ild fowl are found in this situation, and excellent fish of different spe¬ cies. Salmon is caught in the river Trent, but of an inferior quality, on account of its immense distance from the sea. The isthmus of the pern LAKE ONTARIO. 149 insula of Prince Edward being extremely narrow, it is intended that a canal shall be cut across it, be¬ tween the bay already described, and a small and beautiful lake, which communicates with Lake Ontario. The harbour of Newcastle is formed by the township of Cramahe, and Presque Isle. Be¬ tween the township of Sidney, and the latter, that of Murray intervenes. Those of Haldimand, Hamilton and Hope, are beautified and fertilized by a variety of little streams, upon some of which, mills are erected. Clarke, Darlington, Whitby, and Pickering, follow in succession, in proceed¬ ing to the westward ; at the latter, there is a pro¬ ductive salmon and sturgeon fishery, in a river called Duffin’s Creek, which is usually open, and large enough for the reception of boats, at most seasons of the year. The township of Scarbo¬ rough presents banks of much greater elevation towards the lake, than any part of the northern coast of that vast collection of waters. All the townships already noticed, are copiously watered by rivulets, at whose mouths there are ponds, and low lands, capable of being drained, and con¬ verted into meadows. In the rear of the town¬ ship of Murray, is that of Seymour: and Crama¬ he, Haldimand, and Hamilton, have contiguous to them on the northward, the townships of Percy, Alnwick, and Dives. Behind Scarborough, there is a German settlement upon the river New, ■fORK. 150 which, flowing through Pickering, disembogues itself into the lake. York, or Toronto, the seat of government in Upper Canada, is placed in 43° and 35 minutes of north latitude, near the bottom of a harbour of the same name. A long and narrow peninsula, distinguished by the appellation of Gibraltar Point, forms, and embraces this harbour, securing it from the storms of the lake, and rendering it the safest of any, around the coasts of that sea of fresh waters. Stores and block-houses are constructed near the extremity of this point. A spot called the garrison, stands on a bank of the main land, opposite to the point, and consists only of a wood¬ en block-house, and some small cottages of the same materials, little superior to temporary huts. The house in which the Lieutenant-governor re. sides, is likewise formed of wood, in the figure of a haif square, of one story in height, with galleries in the centre. It is sufficiently commodious for the present state of the province * and is erected upon a bank of the lake, near the mouth of To¬ ronto bay. The town, according to the plan, is projected to extend to a mile and a half in length, from the bottom of the harbour, along its banks. Many houses are already completed, some of which display a considerable degree of taste. The advancement of this place to its present condition, has been effected within the lapse of six or seven years, and persons who ltave formerly travelled in tOtt^c 151 this part of the country, are impressed with sen¬ timents of wonder, on behoving a town which may be termed handsome, reared as if by enchant¬ ment, in the midst of a wilderness. Two build¬ ings of brick, at the eastern extremity of the town, which were designed as wings to a centre, are occupied as chambers for the upper and lower house of assembly The scene from this part of the basin, is agreeable and diversified; a block¬ house, situated upon a wooded bank, forms the nearest object. Part of the town, points of land clothed with spreading oak-trees, gradually re¬ ceding from the eye, one behind another, until terminated by the buildings of the garrison and the spot on which the governor’s residence is piaced, compose the objects on the right. The left side of the view comprehends the long penin¬ sula which incloses this sheet of water, beautiful On aceount of its placidity, and rotundity of form. The distant lake, which appears bounded only by the sky, terminates the whole. A rivulet, called the Don, runs in the vicinity of the town : and there are likewise other springs by which this settlement is watered. Yongc- street, or the military way leading to Lake Sim- coe, and from thence to Gloucester-bay on Lake Huron, commences in the rear of the town. This communication, which, in time, will be pro¬ ductive of great utility to the commerce of the country, is opened as far as Lake fSimcoe; and iS2 YORK.' as it is considerably shorter than the circuitous route, by the straits of Niagara, Lake Erie, and Detroit, must become the great channel of inter¬ course from this part of the province, to the north¬ west country Lots of two hundred acres are laid out on each side of Yonge-street, every lot hav¬ ing the width of four hundred yards on the street. Gwillimbury, a settlement in the interior part of the country, is thirty-two miles to the northward of York ; and communicates with Lake Simcoe, through Holland river, which runs into Cook’s bay on that lake. Somewhat to the westward, there are plains thinly planted with oak-trees, where the Indians cultivate corn. As the lake o- pens on the eye of the traveller, some small islands disclose themselves; of which Darling’s, in the eastern part, is the most considerable. To the westward, there is a large, deep bay, called Kem- penfelt’s, from whose upper extremity is a short carrying-place to the river Nottuasague, which discharges itself into Iroquois bay, on Lake Hu¬ ron. Francis island is placed on the north end of the former lake : and a safe anchorage for vessels is presented between it and the shore. The shortest road to Lake Huron, is across a small neck of land, w hich separates Lake Simcoe from a smaller lake The Matchedash river, which has its source in the former, affords a more circui¬ tous passage to the northward and westward ; and is, in every par*, navigable ior boats of any VORK. 153 aze, excepting at the rapids, which present situa¬ tions for mills. The soil, on either side of this river, is of an inferior quality. It discharges it¬ self into a bay of the same name, to the eastward, which receives also, North and South rivers; and forms a junction with a yet larger basin, al¬ ready noticed, called Gloucester, or Sturgeon bay, in the mouth of which lies Prince William Hen¬ ry’s island, open, to Lake Huron. On a penin¬ sula in this basin, ruins of a French settlement are yet extant. The harbour of Penetangushene, is formed between two promontories, around which there is soil well suited for cultivation. This harbour possesses sufficient depth of water, and the anchorage for vessels, is safe. The township of Markham, in the rear of York and Scarborough, is settled by Germans. To the westward of the garrison of York, are the remains of an old French fort, called Toron¬ to ; adjoining to this situation there is a deep bay, receiving into it the river Humber, between which, and the head of Lake Ontario, the Tobyco, the Credit, and two other rivers, with a number of smaller streams, join that immense body of waters. These abound in fish, particularly in salmon, for which the Credit is celebrated. A house of entertainment for passengers, is establish- ed on the banks of this river. The tract of territory between the Tobvco, and the head of the lake, is frequented only by er- 154 LAKE ONTARIO, ratio, tribes of Mis sagues, which descend from the northward. Burlington bay is formed by a point of land extending from south to north, leaving only a small outlet, which connects it with the lake. Over this a wooden bridge is con. structed : and at the south end of the beach, an inn. called the King’s-head, is kept for the ac¬ commodation of travellers. The bay now mentioned, presents a combina¬ tion of objects as beautiful and romantic in their kind, as any which the interior of America can boast. A bold, rocky, and picturesque promon¬ tory, separates it from a marshy lake, called Coot’s Paradise, which abounds in game, and pours thi¬ ther the tribute of its waters. Between Burling, ton bay and Niagara, a multitude of small rivers join the lake, the most distinguished of which, are those called the Twelve and the Twenty. These rivers, previous to their departure from their channels, spread themselves behind elevated beaches which impede their courses; and find¬ ing only a small opening through which to flow, become dammed up, and form spacious basins within. Their banks are elevated, but not rug¬ ged ; and are generally covered with pine-trees of a large growth. The tract bordering on this part of the lake, is denominated the county of Lin* coin; and contains twenty townships which are well settled, and rapidh increasing in population. iiie traveller, by entering Lane Ontario on the LAKE ONTARIO. 155 cast, meets with Grenadier Island, at the distance of eighteen miles from Kingston, and near the southern coast; which is properly speaking, the right bank ef the Saint Lawrence, in its course towards the ocean. This island is a league in length from east to west; and is about sixty yards from the shore. In pursuing this route, the first river which presents itself, flows into the lake from a north-east direction, in ascending whose course about two leagues and a half, a waterfall of twenty-five feet in height becomes disclosed to the view. A swamp is found near its summit. The depth of water in the river, is from three to one fathom. The banks are rocky; but the soil above them, gives sufficient indications of fertility. The entrance of the river is six acres wide, contracting by degrees to one acre, and be¬ coming yet more narrow at the fall. Somewhat to the westward, the largest of the Isles au Gal- loo is situated, which, with a peninsula on the main coast, forms a harbour for vessels, having a depth of from five, to seven fathoms of water, and a good bottom for anchorage. Proceeding a- round the coast to a bay running east-north-east, we sounded from the north point to a small island; and found its breadth three acres, hat ing from five to ten fathoms of water, with a muddy bot. torn. Large vessels might anchor near the shore on either side : but that on the south is most se¬ cure, on account of a peninsula which precludes- 156 LAKE OSTTARf©. ¥ # . the effects of stormy weather Two miles and an half from hence, another bay occurs, in ascend* ing which there is a river with islands of rock at its entrance, whose rapidity increases in p r opor- tion to the distance from its mouth ; and renders it necessary to have recourse to setting poles, to push the canoe up the stream. For fifteen acres up its course the water is three fathom^ deep, but decreases to four feet in the rapid parts. The rocks on each side, are at least forty feet in alti* tude. On the south shore the land rises yet more considerably, and gives growth to forests of fine oak timber. Villiers bay is about two miles wide at its entrance; and contains from six to seven fathoms of water, with a clavey bottom. Not far from hence there is yet another bay, whose position is towards the south, being half a mile in breadth, with five fathoms in depth of water. The land here assumes a bolder aspect, rising for near a mile of extent, into cliffs of up¬ wards of eighty feet high, and afterwards gradu¬ ally declining. The soil on their summits is fer¬ tile, producing woods of a hard nature. The name of the last mentioned bay, is Hungry bay, or Baye de la Famine ; so called by M. de la Barre, Governor-general 01 Canada, w ho, in i684, on an expedition against the Iroquois, lost, in this situ¬ ation, a great part of his army, which perished from hunger and sickness. A considerable stream called Black river, pours itself into tins LAKE ONTARIO. 157 bay, and about two leagues further to the south¬ ward, another brunch of the same river joins its waters with the lake. The channel between the first, or most easterly isle of Galioo, and the south shore, being'large, with from eight to ten fathoms of water, vessels may with safety be steered through it. To the w estward of this there are two other isles of the same name ; and between these, two smaller isles, with a good channel interven¬ ing. Several rivulets occur, in coasting between the western promontory of Hungry bay, and the river Onondago, which is placed near thirty miles from thence, and falls into the lake in latitude for¬ ty-three degrees and twenty minutes. The chan¬ nel at the entrance is twelve feet in depth, and twenty-four within. It is the discharge of seve¬ ral small rivers and lakes, oi which the most con¬ siderable is that of Oneida. On ascending the river, whose channel is bounded by banks of great elevation, a waterfall, eighty feet high, and half a mile in breadth, presents itself to the view. At the distance of tw o acres above, there is a second fail, which, although not more than twenty-five feet high, is beautifully romantic. The brilliancy of the foaming waters, which throw themselves with the most rapid motion over the perpendicu¬ lar rocks, produces an effect magnificent and charming, and sheds a gleam of delight over the mind of die wearied traveller. Amid the variety of sensations, which scenes like this contribute to O 158 LAKE ONTARIO, excite, is that of surprise, that a fluid body should for ages have continued to move with such a \ cio- city, without a failure 01 the sources from whence it is supplied. « Rusticus espectat dam defluit amnis: ast ilia Volvitur; et volvetur in omne volubilis sevum.” The timber in this vicinity consists principally of white and red oak, and chesnut The soil above is level, and of a fertile nature. Fort Oswego is erected on a lofty bank, on the eastern side of chis river: and is upwards of forty-five miles from Kingston. The old fort, of which no vestige re¬ mains, was built in 1722, by a gentleman named Burnet, son of the celebrated bishop, who obtain¬ ed, for this purpose, permission of the Iroquois in whose territory it was situated- It formed a key to Hudson’s river, on the north; and pro¬ tected, against the French, the trade with the In¬ dians who inhabited the borders of the lake. The bnr between the spot u here this defence stood, and the new fort, is eighty feet in width, and twelve feet in depth. The fort was delivered over to the American government in 1794. It was taken by the French in 1756, when a great part of the garrison was massacred by the savages. Beyond the fort, for about a mile, the depth of water is from four to five fathoms, augmenting further up to nine fathoms. Pursuing our voyage, we arrived at a large bay with a beautiful entrance Irom the lake ; and as- LAKE ONTARIO. 159 cended in quest of a river, but found only swampy grounds. This bay is two miles deep, having four and a half feet of water on the bar at the en¬ trance, and from three to four fathoms, with a muddy bottom within. The points facing the lake are steep, and of considerable altitude, com¬ posed of strata of stone and earth The depth about half a mile from the shore is eight fathoms, with a sandy bottom. The bay of Goyogouin lies about sixteen miles to the westward of Onondago; and exhibits an aspect of fertility. It is five miles in extent, and two miles and a half in width, within the points of entrance. Near the west point, there are twelve and thirteen feet water on the bar: but the centre has no more than seven and a half feet. A penin¬ sula \\ ell wooded, elevated, and in the form of a crescent, advances into the bav : and on entering: it on the left, there is a small island. No river was found in this situation. Irondiquet bay is four miles to the eastward of the Genesee river. The depth at the distance of three miles from the coast is eighteen fathoms. The entrance of the bay is flat, with four feet of water on its bar. The eastern side has mam branches; and terminates in swamps. The ri- ver, at the southern extremity, discharges itself with a very gentle current. The Genesee or Casconcbiagon, by some per¬ sons called the New River, is narrow; and con- 160 LAKE ONTARIO. tains not much water at its mouth on Lake On. tario. It however enlarges itself above; and forms a basin of sufficient depth to float vessels of two hundred tons. On ascending its course about two leagues, a fall of sixty feet in altitude, and occupying the whole breadth of the river, ob- trudes itself on the view, and commands the ad¬ miration of the traveller. It pours, with plaintive sound, over a rock almost perpendicular; and, broken amid the variety of its movements, pro¬ duces a curtain of resplendent whiteness. On pursuing the channel still higher up many rapids and cascades present themselves throughout the numerous sinuosities of its course. From the source of this river, which runs up wards of three hundred miles, the Ohio is distant only thirty miles. The timber produced in the vicinity of the month of the Genesee, consists chiefly of white and red oak and chesnut. The soil above the fall is rather flat, and is of a fertile nature. At Pointe aux Tourtes there are two large swamps, into each of which two small rivers flow. A stream of the same name as the point is forty feet wide at its entrance : and the land around it is swampy. The river aux Bceuf has an entrance of forty feet wide, with three feet of water, on a rocky and gravelly bottom. The bed, for four miles up its course, is three fathoms in depth; but diminishes by degrees until cascades are met with. It flows in a serpentine course from the NIAGARA. 161 south-west. The banks produce red pine, fit for the masts of small vessels: and there are white oak-trees near its embouchure. Johnson’s creek is about three miles from the last river: and its banks are well clothed with ash, aspin, and cher¬ ry-trees. The entrance of aux Ecluses is broad and shal¬ low, the depth being sufficient to admit bateaux only. The scenery here exhibited is agreeable. The land assuming a gentle slope, and being of great fertility, produces large oak timber without any underwood. On exploring about two miles, we found cascades, the first of which forms three branches, resembling sluices of considerable height. At the bar there were no more than two feet of water: and at half a mile from the coast, the soundings were three fathoms. The old fort of Niagara, which u r as erected by the French in 1751, is placed in forty-three de¬ grees and fifteen minutes of north latitude, on an angle which is formed by the east side of the Saint Lawrence and the vast diffusion of its waters into the lake. It is erected in the country of the Iro¬ quois; and was for a series of years considered as the key to those inland seas of fresh water, which occupy so vast a portion of this part of North A- merica. The ramparts of the fort are composed of earth and pickets; and contain within them a lofty stone building, which is occupied lor barracks and for store-rooms. The Americans are in pos- o 2 16S NIAGARA. session of it, but seem to take no measures either for h: repair or enlargement. As the waters of the lake make progressive encroachments on the sandy bank whose summit it occupies, the foun¬ dations of the buildings will, in a short time, be undermined. This fort was taken from the French in 1759 by Sir William Johnson. On the western bank, about a mile higher up the river, the British fort is situated on ground several feet more elevated th, n the last. It is like¬ wise constructed of earth and cedar pickets : and the buildings contained in it are executed with much neatness, taste, and accommodation. On the border of the river, and beneath the fort, there are several buildings consisting of store-houses and barracks, one of which is called Navy Hall: and is contiguous to a wharf, where vessels load and unload. A swamp in the vicinity becomes, at particular seasons, from the stagnated vapours exhaled from it, prejudicial to the health of those whose residence is by the river, and sometimes to that of troops in the garrison. A plain, whose extent in every direction is near a mile, intervenes between the town of Niagara and Fort George, the name of the fortress already described. The horses are in general composed of wood and have a neat and clean appearance. Their present num¬ ber may amount to near two hundred. The streets are spacious, and laid out at right angles to each other, so that the town, when completed, will be NIAGARA. 163 healthful and airy. On IViissisague Point, which is on the west side ol the mouth ol the river, a light-house, for the guidance of vessels which na¬ vigate the lake, has lately been erected. Near this point, w hite fish and black bass are caught in great abundance. In proceeding from the town of Niagara to the southward, along the banks of the great river, ma¬ ny attractions combine to present pleasure and amusement to the mind of an observant traveller. The soil, the variety of situations, and the improve¬ ments of that part of the country, seem to surpass every impression which information alone might produce in its favour. The population is already considerable, and is rapidly augmenting. Fami¬ lies from the United States are daily coming into the province, bringing with them their stock and utensils of husbandry, in order to establish them¬ selves on new 7 lands, invited by the exuberance of the soil, the mildness of the government, and an almost total exemption from taxes. These peo¬ ple either purchase lands from the British subjects, to whom they have been granted, or take them upon lease, paying the rent by a certain portion of the produce. Many farmers from the neighbouring states, wdio are wealthy, procure grants of their own, and taking the oaths of supremacy and allegiance, be¬ come subjects of the crown of Great Britain. Men bom and educated in the northern states 164 NIAGARA, of America, are of the greatest utility in the settle¬ ment of a new country ; as they are endowed w ith a spirit for adventure, activity, industry, and per¬ severance, rarely to be equalled. Nor are they deficient in the power of inventive faculty, particu¬ larly when applied to mechanical objects. In tra¬ velling, the wagon is by many made to serve the end, not only of a house during the journey, but likeu ise of a vessel, to cross the rivers which are not fordable. The seams of the body are secured against the admission of water : and, when applied to this latter purpose, the w heels arc taken off, it is conducted by rowing to the opposite shore: and the horses and cattle are made to follow it by swimming. The settlers who bring into the pro¬ vince the largest property in money and stock, ge¬ nerally come from the back parts of V irginia, and even from the Carolinas. In the use of the axe the Americans display un¬ common dexterity; and hew down the largest trees ot the forests w ith admirable address and ex¬ pedition. Retaining no attachment for any par¬ ticular situation, an American farmer, who is not of the first class, will sell his lands, after having cleared and brought them to a state of cultivation, il he can procure for them a reasonable pr ofit for his toils. He then decamps ; launches into the woods in quest of a new possession ; and erects another habitation. T. he immense tracts of woods, filled with oak NIAGARA. 165 timber, which every where present themselves, are certain indications of the fertility of the soil. The common produce of the fields is, in general, from thirty to forty for one in wheat or any other grain. And portions of land which have, for up¬ wards of sixteen successive years, yielded their harvest without the aid of manure, still continue, with forty to one, to reward the industry of the husbandman. The winters in this part of the country are in¬ considerable, either for duration or severity, the snow seldom remaining on the ground for a longer period than five or six weeks. About the year 1800, before the means of trans¬ port to the lower province became facilitated and improved, the inhabitants were at a loss to dis¬ pose of the produce of their farms. Since that period many thousand barrels of flour, quantities of salted beef and pork, butter and cheese, pot-ash, and numbers of live cattle, have annually been conveyed to Lower Canada, through the rapids and cascades of the Saint Lawrence, upon rafts of tim¬ ber, containing from five hundred to eight hun¬ dred barrels each, and upon scows, a superior species of raft constructed of plank, without re¬ ceiving from the waters any material injury. 1 he conducting of that mode of transport, although at first difficult and unwieldy, has now become more familiar : and immense quantities of produce con¬ tinue to flow every year into the lower province. NIAGARA. 166 There are attached to settlements on the bor¬ ders of the Saint Lawrence, advantages of trans¬ port superior to those of any inland country in America. The soil is unquestionably of the first quality, and is sufficiently varied by swells and ridges, to take off that sameness of effect which would result from a dead level country. Winter wheat is produced with the greatest certainty. The grain is heavier and more plump than any that is raised in the territories of the United States, except such as border upon this immense river. Grass is very natural to this country : and cattle fatten in summer upon the wild grow th Hemp and flax are produced in great perfection. The timber consists of oak, pine in all its varieties, sugar and curled maple, beech, basswood, hicko¬ ry, black and white ash, sassafras, black and w hite birch, elm, walnut-tree, butternut-tree, cherry- tree, and a variety of other woods. The winter season is employed by the farmer in making staves for casks, squaring timber, or preparing plank and boards, all of which may be disposed of to advantage at Montreal. In the spring the timber is formed into rafts, which are loaded w ith produce, and conducted dowm the river with great cei taintv, at any period during the summer season, without the inconvenience oi waiting for a freshet, or an increase of the waters by rains, which can have but small influence on so vast a bod}'. J his circumstance alone adds a NIAGARA* 16V value to the establishments on its borders ; for on all other rivers, except those of the lirst magni¬ tude, those who mean to conduct rafts down their stream are compelled to be ready at the moment of a swell of the waters; and if they be so unfor¬ tunate as not to be prepared, an opportunity of carrying to market the productions of their farms becomes lost to them for the whole year. It like¬ wise not unfrequently happens with many rivers, that the spring freshets are not sufficiently high to render it safe to venture down them. The far- mer on the Saint Lawrence is assured he can send a barrel of flour for four shillings, and a barrel of potash for eight shillings, to the ship which comes from Europe. In many branches of husbandry the settlers of this country seem to display a superior degree of skill: and fields of corn are here to be seen, as luxuriant and fine as in any part of the universe. The mode of commencing a settlement is by cutting down the smaller wood, and some of the large trees; collecting them into heaps; and burn¬ ing them. Some of the remaining trees are gird¬ led, by cutting a groove all around through the bark, to impede the sap from mounting : and thus deprived of nourishment, the branches cease to grow-, and the leaves decay and fall to the ground. After passing a harrow over the soil, in order to turn it up, the grain is sown : the harrow is again Used : and thus left without any further trouble, NIAGARA. 168 the lewly-cleared ground yields a copious in¬ crease. A stranger is here struck with sentiments of re¬ gret on viewing the numbers oi tine oak-trees which are daily consumed by lire, in preparing the lands for cultivation. The houses, with few exceptions, are here con¬ structed of wood, but with a degree of neatness and taste, for which we in vain might look among the more ancient settlements of the lower pro¬ vince. The improvements of every description, in which for a few years past the province has been rapidly advancing, have in some situations, alrea¬ dy divested it of the appearance of a new-settled colony, and made it assume the garb of wealth, and of long-established culture. The roads in the settled parts of the country are, in the summer season, remarkably fine: and two stage coaches run daily between Niagara and Chippawa, or Fort Welland, a distance of eighteen miles. The scenery from Niagara to Queenstow n is highly pleasing, the road leading along the sum¬ mit of the banks of one of the most magnificent rivers in the universe. And on ascending the mountain, which is rather a sudden elevation from one immense plain to another, where the river be¬ comes lost to the view, the traveller proceeds through a forest of oak trees, until he becomes surprised and his attention is arrested by the falls QUEENSTOWN. 169 presented to the eye through openings now cut in the woods, on the steep banks by which they arc confined. Queenstown is a neat and flourishing place, distinguished by the beauty and grandeur of its situation. Here all the merchandise and stores for the upper part of the province are landed from the vessels in which they have been conveyed from Kingston, and transported in wagons to Chippa- wa, a distance of tc: miles; the falls, and the rapid and broken course of the river, rendering the na vigation impracticable for that space. Between Niagara and Queenstown the river affords, in eve¬ ry part, a noble harbour for vessels; the water be¬ ing deep, the stream not too powerful, the anchor¬ age good, and the banks on either side of consi¬ derable altitude. The mountain already noticed is formed by the land assuming a sudden acclivity of upwards of three hundred feet from one horizontal plain to another ; and extends from east to west for a con. siderable way, the river holding its course through its centre, and cutting it asunder. The perpen¬ dicular banks on either side are near four hundred feet in height, from the level of the water below to their summit. Their strata are similar, not on¬ ly in aititudes but in substance. A little way be¬ low the bank on which the town is placed, there is a spot rising about twenty feet from the side of the river, upon whose surface a quantity of stones P 170 THE WHIRLPOOL is placed, which appear to have been deposited there for a series of years, and which have been evidently formed in currents of water. Since the settlement of the country, the river has not been perceived to rise to that height. These circumstances seem to afford probable ground, for conjecture, that the stream which now Hows through the deep chasm of the mountain, did at some former period, throw’ itself from near the summit; and, after sweeping away the rocks and soil, form its present profound and rugged channel, extending upwards of nine miles from die precipice, whence the wide and stupendous Hood continues now to fall. In tracing the course of the river higher up from Queenstown, many singular and romantic scenes are exhibited. The whirlpool, which is* about four miles from that place, is a basin formed by the current in the midst of lofty precipices clothed w ith woods. Previous to its entering this bay, the stream drives w ith awful roar, its broken interrupted waters over a sudden slope upwards of fifty feet in height; and thus proceeds foaming pasi the bed it afterw ards takes, which being a- round the angle of a precipitous promontory, its w eight and velocity oblige it to pass on, and to make the circuit of the basin before it can How through that channel. It has apparently made an eflort to break through the bank to the westward, but the rock was probably too solid. The strata FALLS OF NIAGARA. 171 to the northward were found more penetrable, and through these it has forced a passage. A tide ris¬ ing to the height of two and an half feet, and again falling every minute, is observable all around the basin. This phenomenon may be produced by the impulse communicated to it from the torrent, which causes it alternately to swell, and to recoil from the beach. This gulph usually contains a quantity of float¬ ing timber, which continues to revolve in the ed- dv about once in half an hour ; and will some- times remain in this state for months, until it be drawn off by the current. At one particular part, all floating substances are made to rise on one end, after which they are swallowed down by the vor¬ tex, and for a time disappear. The falls of Niagara surpass in sublimity every description which the powers of language can af¬ ford of that celebrated scene, the most wonder lul and awful which the habitable world presents. Nor can any drawing convey an adequate idea of the magnitude and depth of the precipitating waters. By the interposition of two islands, the river is separated into three falls, that of the Great Horse¬ shoe on the west or British side, so denominated from its form, and those of Fort Slausser and Montmorenci, on the eastern or American side. The lai srer island is about four hundred yards in u j width, and the small island about ten yards. The three mbs, with tho islands, describe a crescent i- 172 FALLS OF NIAGARA* and the river beneath becomes considerably contracted. The breadth of the whole, at the pitch of the waters, including the curvatures which the violence of the current has produced in the Horse-shoe, and in the American falls, may be estimated at a mile and a quarter : and the al- ▲ litude of the Table Root, from whence the pre¬ cipitation commences, is one hundred and fifty feet. Along the boundaries of the river, and behind ♦he falls, the elevated and rock}' banks are every where excavated by sulphureous springs; the vi¬ triolic acid uniting with the limestone rock, and forming plaster of Paris; which is here and there scattered amid the masses of stone which com¬ pose the beach beneath. These excavations extend in many places to i distance of fifty feet underneath the summit of the bank. Casting the eye from the Table Rock into the basin beneath, the effect is awfully grand, magnifi¬ cent and sublime. No object intervening between ihe spectator and that profound abyss, he appears suspended in the atmosphere. * The lofty banks and immense woods which environ this stupendous scene; the irresisubie force, the rapidity of motion displayed by the roll¬ ing clouds of foam; the uncommon brilliancy * A part of this description was published in 1801 n the Suny and afterwards copied from that paper into the Mojmeur at Paris* FALLS OF NIAGARA. 173 and variety of colours and of shades; the ceaseless intumescence, and swift agitation of the dashing waves below; the solemn and tremendous noise, with the volumes of vapour darting upwards into the air, which the simultaneous report and smoke of a thousand cannon could scarcely equal; irre¬ sistibly tend to impress the imagination with such a train of sublime sensations, as few other combi¬ nations of natural objects are capable of produc¬ ing, and which terror lest the treacherous rock crumble beneath the feet by no-means contributes to diminish. The height of the descent of the rapids above the great fall is fifty-seven feet eleven inehes. The distance of the commencement of the rapids above the pitch, measured by the side of the island is one hundred and forty-eight feet: and the total altitude from the bottom of the falls to the top of the rapids, is two hundred and seven feet. The projection of the extreme part of the Table Rock is fifty feet four inches. The large island extends up the river about three quarters of a mile: and the rapids between that and the western banks are much diversified. In one situation near the island, there is a fall of about sixteen feet in height, the vapour from which is distinctly visible. Several small island? are formed towards the west side of the river. From a settlement called Birch’s Mills, on level ground below the bank, the rapids are displayed p 2 174 TALLS or NIAGARA, to great advantage. They dash from one rocky deciivity to another, and hasten with foaming fu¬ ry to the precipice. The bank along whose sum¬ mit the carriage-road extends, affords many rich, although partial views of the falls and rapids. They are from hence partly excluded from the eye by trees of different kinds, such as the oak, the ash, the beech, fir, sassafras, cedar, walnut, and tulip-trees. About two miles further down the side of the river, at a situation called Bender’s, an extensive and general prospect of the falls, with the rapids and islands, is at once developed to the eye of the spectator. On descending the bank, which in several places is precipitous and difficult, and on emerging from the woods at its base, a wonderful display of grand and stupendous objects is at once expanded to the view. From amid immense frag¬ ments of rock, and lacerated trees which have de¬ scended in the current of the waters, the eye is directed upwards toward the falls, that of Fort Slausser being on the left, and the Great Horse¬ shoe fall immediately in front. On the right is a lofty bank, profusely covered with diversity of foliage ; beyond which the naked, excavated rock discloses itself. As the river here contracts to the breadth of about half a mile, the fall on the Ame¬ rican side becomes nearest to the eve : and its wa- m ters tumble over a rock which appears to be per¬ pendicular, and nearly in a straight line across to PALLS OF NIAGARA. 175 the island, the curvatures being, from the point now described, not perceptible. The rock is, however, excavated; and at the pitch has been worn from continual abrasion by the fall, into a serrated shape, whence the masses of foam pour down in ridges which retain their figure from the summit to the bottom. Numbers of stones which have been torn away from the precipice, are ac¬ cumulated throughout the whole extent below ; and receive the weighty and effulgent clouds of broken waters, which again dash from thence in¬ to the basin. The Horse-shoe fall is distinguished not only by its vastness, but by the variety of its colours. The waters at the edge of the Table Rock are of a brownish cast; further on of a brilliant white; and in the centre, where the fluid body is greatest, a transparent green appears. Around the pro¬ jection, which is in the form of a horse-shoe, the water is of a snowy whiteness. A cloud of thick vapour constantly arises from the centre; part of which becomes dissolved in the higher regions of the atmosphere; and a part spreads itself in dews over the neighbouring fields. This cloud of va¬ pour has frequently, in clear weather, been ob¬ served from Lake Ontario, at the distance of ninety miles from the falls. The bed of the river is so deep, that it under¬ goes not such a degree of agitation as the recep¬ tion of these bodies of water perpetually pouring 176 FALLS OF NIAGARA, down into it might be supposed to produce. Ex¬ cept at the places immediately underneath each of the falls, there are no broken billows. The stream is comparatively tranquil: but the water continues, for a long way down its course, to re¬ volve in numerous whirlpools. Its colour is a deep blue. Quantities of foam float upon the sur¬ face ; and almost cover a large bay formed be- tween projecting points, containing several insu¬ lated rocks. Proceeding along the beach to the basis of the Table Rock, the distance is about two miles: and the way thither is over masses of stone which have been torn from the bank above, and over trees which have been carried down the falls, and have been deposited in the spring by bodies of ice, ip. situations above twenty feet in height from the level of the river. The projection of the Table Rock, it has been remarked, is fifty feet: and betw een it and the falls a lofty and irregular arch is formed, which extends under the pitch, almost w ithout interrup¬ tion, to the island. To enter this cavern, bounded b\ the waters and rock, and to turn the view to¬ wards the falls, the noise, the motion, and the vast impulse and w eight exhibited, seem to cause ever) thing around them to tremble; and at once occupy and astonish the mind. Sudden and fre¬ quent squalls, accompanied by torrents of rain, issue irom this gloomy cavern. The air drawn PALLS OF NIAGARA. 177 down by the waters is in part reverberated by the rock, and thus discharges itself. At this situation is illustrated the effect of an immense mass of waters, thrown from a prodigi¬ ous height, after being forcibly propelled. The projectile, counteracted by the gravitative power, obliges the falling body to describe at first an el¬ lipse, and then to assume the perpendicular direc¬ tion in which it is received into the basin. The salient groups in which, with gradations almost regular, the tumbling waters are precipi¬ tated, excite the awe and admiration of the spec¬ tator. The eye follows w ith delight the masses of lustrous foam, varied by prismatic hues, and forming a wide and resplendent curtain. About half a mile from hence, in descending the course of the river, and behind some trees which grow 7 upon the lower bank, is placed the Indian ladder, composed of a tall cedar tree, whose boughs have been lopped off to w ithin three inch¬ es of the trunk, and whose upper end is attached by a cord of bark to the root of a living tree. The lower end is planted amid stones. It is upwards of forty feet in length; and trembles and bends under the weight of a person upon it. As this is the nearest way to the river-side, many people descend by the ladder, led either by curiosity , or for the purpose of spearing fish, which in the summer are found in great abundance in this vi¬ cinity. 178 FALLS OF NIAGARA. The spear in use is a fork with two or three prongs, with moving barbs, and fixed to a long handle. The fisherman takes possession of a prominent rock, from whence he watches for his prey : and when it approaches within his reach, he pierces it with his instrument, with an almost A inevitable certainty. The village of Chippawa, or Fort Welland, is situated on each side of a river of the same name, which here joins the Saint Lau rence. A wood, en bridge is thrown across this stream, over which is the road leading to Fort Erie. The former fort consists only of a large block-house near the bridge, on the northern bank, surround¬ ed by lofty pickets. It is usually the station of a subaltern officer and twenty fin e men, who are • m4~ •At • -principally engaged in conducting to Fort Erie the transport of stores for the service of the troops in the upper part of the province, and for the en¬ gineer and Indian departments. After being c jnveyed by land from Queenstown, the provi¬ sions and other articles are here embarked in ba¬ teaux. There are in the village some mercantile store¬ houses, and two or three taverns. The waters of the Chippawa are always of a deep brown colour*, and are very unwholesome if used for culinary purposes. They enter the Saint Lawrence about •two miles above the falls: and although they arc frequently broken, and rush into many rapids in PALLS OF NIAGARA. 179 their course thither, they seem obstinately to re¬ sist being mixed with the purer waters of that flood; and retain their colour in passing over the precipice. The foam produced in their precipi¬ tation is of a brownish hue; and forms the edge of the sheet which tumbles over the Table Rock. Their weight, and the depth of the descent, min¬ gle them effectually with the waters in the basin beneath. The colour of the Chippawa is derived from that river passing over a level country, in many places swampy, and from quantities of de¬ cayed trees which tinge it with their bark. It is .also impregnated with bituminous matter, which prevents it, until it has suffered the most violent agitation and separation of particles, from incor¬ porating with the more transparent and uncorrupt¬ ed stream of the Saint Lawrence. Opposite to the village of Chippawa the cur¬ rent becomes so powerful, that no boat can be ventured into it, without imminent danger of be¬ ing swept away, and lost in the rapids. Between the village and the fails there are three mills; the lower for the manufacture of flour ; the two upper mills which are near to each other, and adjoining to the road, are for the purposes of sawing tim¬ ber into boards, and for manufacturing iron. The latter scheme has hitherto failed of success. The logs for the saw-mill are conveyed down the cur¬ rent to this situation in a very singular manner. They are cut upon the borders of the Chippawa, 180 RALLS 0F NIAGARA, and floated down to its mouth, where a reservoir, formed by a chain of hog-pens, is made to con¬ tain them. In proceeding downwards, in order to avoid being drawn into the vast vortex of the falls, small poles have been fixed together, from the reservoir to the mill floating at the distance of eighteen or twenty feet from the shore. They are retained in their places by poles projecting from the land : and thus the chain of poles, rising and falling with the waters, and always floating on the surface, forms a species of canal, into w hich the logs are separately launched, and in this manner carried from the reservoir to the mill, a distance of mere than a mile. In the vicinity of this mill there is a spring of water, whose vapour is highly inflammable, and is emitted for a time with a considerable degree of force. If collected w ithin a narrow compass, it is capable of supporting combustion for near twenty minutes, and of communicating to water placed over it in a small, confined vessel, the de¬ gree of boiling temperature. fAlLS or NIAGARA. 181 CHAPTER VIII. Sublime subject of the Falls further pursued — Lake Erie —— Amherstburg— the Detroit— Sandivich old town of Detroit— beauty and fertility of the country—‘-River and Dike of Saint Claire—La Tranche , or Thames—settlements on its borders — Lake Huron —Bay of Thunder — Michilimakinac — Lake Michigan—Green Bay — inhabitants— Saint Joseph—Cascades of Saint Mary—address of the Indians — ancient Harons , and other native tribes —, Lake Superior—•remarkable transparency of its wa¬ ters—Grand Portage—new establishment on the Kamanistigua. TO thos.e who are admirers of the picturesque beauties of Nature, it will be almost unnecessary to apologize for the prolixity of description with which the last communication was filled. The subject of the latter part of it, upon which we have already so long dwelt, is at once noble and unique . Let us therefore attempt to pursue it still further, although without the hope of being able to do it justice. The Saint Lawrence, at the confluence of the Chippawa, is upwards cf a league in width; and is passed to the opposite shore in boats or bateaux, about three-quarters of a mile higher up than the village, and by the lower end of Navy island. The transport of goods by land to Fort Siausser Q * e 182 FALLS OF NIAGARA, two miles above the east side of the falls, was for¬ merly conducted from a place opposite to Queens¬ town. In passing through the cultivated grounds on this border of the river, immense mounds of earth, thrown up by multitudinous colonies of large black ants, are every where observable. The rapids on this branch of the river, although not so extensive, are nevertheless equally beau¬ tiful and romantic with those of the western branch. A spot at the distance of fifty yards from the pitch affords a most advantageous and pleasing display of a scene, which in ever}’ point of view is accompanied with sublimity. Trees and rocks form the nearest objects, and between these and the islands a lively picture is exhibited of broken rapids dashing over the slippery rocks, which are hidden beneath the foaming torrents. Amid the sinuosities of the pitch, a part of the American fall is developed to the view of the spec¬ tator : and the Montmorenci fall is exposed about half way down its depth. The other parts of the eastern fall are concealed, whilst a portion of the waters beneath becomes disclosed. The inequa¬ lities of the precipice, which have been formed bv the current, are here fully discoverable. Se. veral small isles, covered with woods, appear near the central island, and add to the variety of the scene, which foliage of diversified verdure, over¬ topped here and there by the towering cedar, ^□tributes to enliven and to adorn. The Horse.- FALLS OF NIAGARA. 183 shoe fall beyond the whole, delights the mind with the rapidity of its movements, and the animated effulgence of its hues. From the station which we have now endeavoured to describe, is afforded the most perfect idea of the crescent formed by the three falls, the islands, and the Table Rock. To descend the perpendicular cliff on the east¬ ern bank is attended with difficulty, and with some degree of peril. Few of the roots and vines which formerly hung downwards from the trees, any longer remain. In descending the craggy steep, the adventurer must cling to the rock with his hands and feet, moving onward with great caution. On his arrival at the base of the cliff, he is struck by a developement of scenery, yet more awfully stupendous than that which had before been presented to his contemplation. Here na¬ ture, agitated by the struggles of contending ele¬ ments, assumes a majestic and tremendous wild¬ ness of form. Here terror seems to hold his ha¬ bitation. Here brilliancy, profundity, motion, sound, and tumultuous fury, mingle throughout the scene. The waters appear to pour from the sky with such impetuosity, that a portion is thrown back in clouds of vapour. The mind, expanded by the immensity and splendour of the surround¬ ing objects, is disposed to give issue to the sen¬ sations of awe and wonder by which she is im¬ pressed, in ejaculations similar to that of the Psalmist of Israel, “Great and marvellous are “ thy works l” FALLS »F NIAGARA. 184 The huge fragments of rock, which have been thrown from the summit of the precipice, by the irresistible strength of the torrent, and w hich have fallen upon each other in towering heaps beneath, suggest to the imagination an idea ol what n ay take place previous to the general consummation of this terrestrial scene, when ancient monuments of marble, under which princes of the earth have for ages slept, shall be burst asunder, and tom up from their foundations. Can so vast, so rapid, and so continual a w aste of water never drain its sources ? These are in¬ exhaustible : and the body which throws itself down these cliffs, forms the sole discharge of four immense inland seas. The effect produce d by the cold of w inter on these sheets of water thus rapidly agitated, is at once singular and splendid. Icicles of great thick¬ ness and length are formed along the banks, from the springs which flow over them. The sources, impregnated with sulphur, which drain from the hollow of the rocks, are congealed into transparent blue columns. Cones are formed by the spray, particularly on the American side, which have in several places large fissures disclosing the interi¬ or, composed of clusters of icicles, similar to the pipes of an organ. Some parts of the falls are consolidated into fluted columns: and the river above is seen partially frozen. The boughs of the trees in the surrounding w oods are hung with FALLS OF NIAGARA. 1&5 purest icicles formed from the spray; and, re¬ flecting in every direction the rays of the sun, produce a variety of prismatic hues, and a lustre almost too refulgent to be long sustained by the powers of vision. This part of the Saint Lawrence, which is call¬ ed the Niagara river, issues from the eastern ex¬ tremity of Lake Erie; and discharges itself into Lake Ontario, at the end of thirty-six miles, after undergoing the most violent agitations through an interrupted and sinuous channel. At its com¬ mencement from the former, its breadth is not more than half a mile, but it becomes afterwards enlarged, and separated into two branches by an island of fifteen miles in length. The current is powerful: and the navigation for vessels is ren¬ dered intricate, by innumerable hidden rocks. In the vicinity of Navy island there are two small, er isles. The western bank between Chippawa and Lake Erie is almost entirely settled : and the road is level, and in most places good. The Americans have on their side the river, a road ex¬ tending from Fort Slausser to Buffalo creek, a settlement which contains several Indian and some white families. At a spot called the Black Rock, at the low r er end of the rapids, a fort has been traced, and partly constructed, within the-' limits of the United States. 186 LAKE ERIE. Lake Erie is near three hundred miles in length, and seven hundred and ten miles in circumfer¬ ence. It derives its name from the Erics or Cats, a native tribe which once dwelt on its bor¬ ders. The landscape at the entrance exhibits a pleasing variety, consisting of water, points of land, level countries, and distant mountains. The coasts are clothed with oak, ash, chesnut, apple, and cherry-trees. The south-east shore abounds in game and wild animals. The islands which it contains are Bass islands, Isle Bois blanc, Isle Celeron, Cunningham’s island, East Sister, Grose isle, Middle island, Middle Sister, Pointe Pelee isle, Saint George’s island, Ship island, Sandusky island, Turtle island, and \\ est Sister. The old fort on the west side of the entrance in- to the lake, consists of no more than a few houses, a block-house of logs, with some habitations for commercial people, and one or two store-houses. A new stone fort, in the form of a quadrangle, is now constructing on rising ground behind the block house. A company of soldiers is usually stationed here, and the men are chiefly employed in assisting to conduct the transport of stores. Two vessels in the service of the British govern¬ ment are used in navigating this lake. The bottom of the lake consists of lime-stone rock of a blueish colour, with which are mingled many petrified subtances, animal as well as vege¬ table. The lake is much exposed at its northern LAKE ERIE. 187 extremity, to gales of wind which occasion its waters to rise to a very considerable height. Ves¬ sels are at these periods in some danger of being driven ashore, their cables being often cut asun¬ der by the sharp and flinty edges of the rocks which compose the anchorage. At ten miles and a half from the fort, in pursu¬ ing the northern coast, is found a promontory which advances into the water about three hun¬ dred and fifty yards, and is named Pointe a Be - neaut , or Abino, affording for vessels a safe an¬ chorage in its neighbourhood. From hence to the grand river the distance is twenty-four miles ; a hill in the form of a sugar-loaf intervenes, and presents a good land-mark. The townships in this vicinity are rapidly advancing in population and improvement, and several w ? ater-mills have been constructed. The Chenette, or river Wave- ny, is eighteen miles more to the westward, and Pointe a la Biche , now Turkey Point, lies about fourteen miles further along the coast. In the townships of Woodhouse and Charlotteville s which are situated on this part of the lake, there is a considerable extent of country thinly timber¬ ed,, whose cultivation is facilitated from the want of underwood. It exhibits more the appearance of a royal forest in Europe than that of an Ame¬ rican wilderness. Long Point is a peninsula which extends itself into the water for a distance of twenty miles, se- 188 IAKE ERII?. parated almost from the m in land, the isthmus being little more than eighteen feet in breadth. In advancing towards the south-east, it forms an el¬ lipse, and travellers in canoes, in order to avoid a length of coast so circuitous, carry their vessels across the neck, to which, if the shoals be added, the breadth is about forty paces. 1 he waters at certain seasons flow over this neck, and insulate Long Point. This promontory is non called the North Foreland, and forms a considerable bay. On the grand river already mentioned, a village of the Iroquois, or Mohawks, is situated; and between that and Chariotteville, on the lake, a good road is cut through the country. From Long Point to Pointe aux Peres , now called Lan- guard, the distance is upwards of seventy miles. La Barbue , la Tonti , and several smaller streams, flow between these promontories. The banks of the lake, for the greatest part of this way, are ele¬ vated. Point Pelee, which is about forty miles from Languard, forms a considerable projection into the lake, and is the most southerly spot of all die British territories on the continent of North America: on its vest side is Pigeon Bay, beyond which are several settlements established by Ame¬ rican loyalists. From the latter point to Malden, at the entrance of the Detroit, the distance is about thirty miles. The river aux Cedres and another stream run between these places. 1 he fort of Amherstburg is placed in the •LAKE ERIE. •ISO township of Malden, opposite the isle au Bois blanc ; for the latter, a small detachment of sol¬ diers is sent from the former, to command the cast channel of Detroit. The anchorage near tlic main shore is safe : and wharfs have been con¬ structed, and storehouses and dwellings erected. The fort has never been completed; as it was laid out on a scale much too considerable for so remote a situation. Miamis river empties itself into a bay of the same name, at the south-west end of Lake Phie. It was upon the banks of this river, at a short dis¬ tance from its mouth, that a fort was constructed in 1794, and a garrison posted in it, to stop the progress of General Wayne, who, with an army ef Americans, was marching against the fort of Detroit. Some of the sources of this river are not far from the Wabache, which falls into the Ohio. The navigation of Lake Erie, whose greatest depth does not exceed fifty fathoms, is frequently more tedious than that of the other lakes, on ac¬ count of the changes of wind that are required to carry a vessel through it, and to enter the strait, which runs nearly from north to south. In some of the beautiful isles at its mouth there are remark¬ able caverns, abounding in stalactites. The strait for a considerable way upwards, is divided into two channels by Grose isle. A low, narrow and marshy island, near four miles long, 190 THE DETROIT, next presents itself: and on the eastern coast of the main land the town of Sandwich is situated, which was laid out for the reception of British set¬ tlers and traders, \\ ho, agreeably to the treaty of commerce and navigation, concluded between the government of Great Britain and that of the Uni- ted States, made their election of continuing sub¬ jects of the former. This place has increased in population and improvements with wonderful ra¬ pidity. The jail and district court-house are here erected : and as lots were distributed gratis to the first persons who constructed dwelling- houses, the town soon became flourishing. On the banks of the strait the settlements are frequent, particularly on the western or American border: adjoining to almost every house there is an or¬ chard. The improvements are extensive, and executed with taste. Peaches, grapes, apples, and every other species of fruit, are here produ¬ ced in the greatest perfection and abundance. The lands on either side yield in fertility to none ©n the continent of America : and this territory may not improperly be stiled the garden of the North. In passing through the strait, when the fruit-trees are in blossom, the scene is gratifying and rich. In the vicinity of Sandwich a mission of the Hurons is established. The old town and fort of Detroit, which in 1796 wns transferred to the government of the "United States, is situated on' the western border THE DETROIT. 181 of the river, about nine miles below Lake Saint Claire, it contained upwards of two hundred houses ; the streets were regular ; and it had a range of barracks of a neat appearance, with a spa¬ cious parade on the southern extremity. The fortifications consisted of a stockade of cedar- posts : and it was defended by bastions made of earth and pickets, on which were mounted pieces of cannon sufficient to resist the hostile efforts of the Indians, or of an enemy unprovided with artillery. The garrison in times of peace consist¬ ed of about three hundred men, commanded by a field-officer, who discharged also the functions Of civil magistrate. The whole of this town was lately burnt to ashes, not a building remaining ex¬ cept one or two block-houses. In the month of July 1762, Pontiac, a chief of the Miamis Indians, who preserved a deep-rooted hatred to the English, endeavoured to surprise the garrison of Detroit, with an intention of massa¬ cring the whole of the inhabitants. But an acci¬ dental discovery having been made of his plot, he and his people were spared by the commandant, who had them in his power, and were permitted to depart in fafety. Far from entertaining any sentiment of gratitude for the generous conduct which had been shewn him, Pontiac continued for a considerable time to blockade the place : and several lives were last op both sides by frequent skirmishes. LAKE SAINT CLAIRE. The strait above Hog inland becomes enlarged, and forms Lake Saint Claire, whose dimeter is twenty-six miles, but whose depth is inconsider¬ able. Its islands are Chenal ecarte , Harsen's island, Hay island. Peach island, and Jhornp- son’s island. On the western side of this lake were two numerous villages of natives, not far from each other. The first of these called Hu¬ ron Tsonnontatez, was the same which, having long wandered towards the North, formerly fix¬ ed itself at the cascades of Saint Mary and at Michilimakinac. The second was composed of Pouteouatamis. On the right, somewhat higher up, there w r as a third village, consisting of the Outaouais, inseparable companions of the Hurons, ever since both these tribes were compelled by the Iroquois to abandon their native territories. The lake gives a passage to the waters of the three immense lakes bevond it, receiving them through a long channel, extending from north to south, called the river Saint Claire. The river la Tranche, or Thames, disembogues its waters on the south-east side; its banks are varied by natu¬ ral meadows and tracts of w ood-lands. The pro¬ jected town of Chatham is designed to be placed on a fork of this stream, about fifteen miles from its lower extremity, and is intended as a depot for building vessels. Its greatest disadvantage is a bar across its embouchure, in lake St Ciaire: but this is of sufficient depth lor vessels of a LA TRANCHE. 19S smaller description, and ior those of a larger size when lightened. A village of Moravians, under the guidance of four missionaries from the United Brethren, is placed twenty miles above the intended site of Chatham. They established themselves in that situation with a design of converting the Indians: and their conduct is peaceable and inoffensive. Their chief occupation is in cultivating their corn-fields, and making maple sugar. A chapel is erected in the village. Not far from hence there is a spring of pretroleum. In proceeding upwards, the sinuosities of the river are frequent, and the summits of the banks are rather elevated, but not broken ; on either side are villages of tire Delawars and Chippawas. Somewhat higher up, at the confluence of two forks of this river, is the site of which General Simcoe made choice, for a town to be named London. Its position, with relation to the i-'kes Huron, Erie, and Ontario, is centrical; and a- round it is a fertile and inviting tract of territory. It communicates with lake Huron by a northern, or main branch of the same river, and a small portage or carrying-place. v O ie of the branches of the Thames is not far distant Irom the Ouse, or Grand River. But the prospect of being enabled to embrace the advan¬ tages of this inland navigation can only be contem¬ plated at a distance. A period of many years R 194 LAKE HURON. must necessarily elapse before the population and improvements shall have attained that progressive state of prosperity, which will enable the inhabi¬ tants to bestow attention and expence on the inodes of facilitating the more interior communi¬ cation. Along the banks of the Thames there are now several rich settlements : and new establishments are ever}' week added to this, as well as to other parts of the neighbouring country, by the emigra¬ tion of wealthy farmers from the United States, who bring with them their stock, utensils, and the money received for the sale of the lands they pos¬ sessed. Level grounds intervene to break the uniformi¬ ty which would predominate on this river, were its borders all of equal height. These situations were formerly cultivated by native tribes On the east side of the fork, betw een the two main biur.ches, on a regular eminence, about fortv feet above the water, tnere is a natural plain, denuded ol w oods, except w here small groves arc intersper¬ sed ; affording in its present state the appearance ot a beautiful park, on whose formation and cul¬ ture. taste and expence had been bestow ed. Lake Huron is, in point of magnitude, the se¬ cond sea of fresh waters cn the continent of Ame¬ rica and it may be added, on this terraqueous globe Its form is triangular: its length is two hundred and fill) miles; and its circumference, LAKE HURON. 195 including the coasts of the bays, is one thousand one hundred miles. The islands v hich it contains are, La Cloche, Duck islands, Flat islands, Isle la Crosse, Isle Traverse, Manitoualin islands, Whitewood island, Michilimakinac, Nibish is¬ land, Prince William’s islands, island ol Saint Joseph, Sugar island, Thunderbay islands on the south, and a multitude of isles on the north coast. The channel between lakes Saint Claire and Huron is twenty-five miles in length ; and pre¬ sents on either side a scene no less fertile than pleasing. It runs almost in a straight direction, lined by lofty forest-trees, interspersed v ith ele¬ gant and extensive meadows, and studded tv ith islands, some of which are of considerable size. On die south side of lake Huron is the ba) of Saguina, whose mouth is eighteen miles in width, whose length is forty-five miles, and into w hose bottom two rivers empty themselves. On tiiat which comes from the south, the Outaouais have a village; and the soil is reputed to be fertile. Six miles above the bay, two considerable rivers present themselves. The bay of Thunder lies to the eastward of Cabot’s head ; and is nine miles in width, but of small depth. It is so denominated from the fre¬ quent thunder-storms which there take place, generated by vapours issuing from the land in its vici ntv. i'ravellers, in passing this part of the kite, hardly ever escape the encounter oi these. LAKE HUEON. 190 awful phenomena. The storm at first appears like a small round cloud, which enlarges as it ra¬ pidly approaches, and spreads its gloom over a considerable extent. The vivid lightnings flash Sheir forked fires in every direction : and peals of thunder roar and burst over the head, with a noise more loud, and more tremendous in this, than in any other part of North America. Michilimakinac is a small island, situated at the north-west angle of lake Huron, towards the en¬ trance of the channel which forms the communi¬ cation with lake Michigan, in latitude forty- live degrees, forty-eight minutes, thirty-four se¬ conds, and upwards of a thousand miles frorn Quebec. It is of a round form, irregularly ele¬ vated, and of a barren soil. The fort occupies the highest ground; and consists of four wooden block-houses forming the angles, the spaces be¬ tween them being filled up with cedar pickets. On the shore below the fort, there are several storehouses and dwellings. The neighbouring part of the continent, which separates lake Supe¬ rior from lake Huron, derives its name from this island. In 1671, Father Marquette came thither with a party of Hurons, w hom he prevailed on to form a settlement. A fort was constructed, and it afterwards became an important post. It was the place of general assemblage for all the French who went to traffic with the distant na¬ tions. It was the asylum of all tire savages who LAKE HURON. 197 came to exchange their furs for merchandise, w hen individuals belonging to tribes at war with each other, came thither and met on commercial adventure, their animosities were suspended. The natives who reside there have no occasion to betake themselves to the fatigues of the chace, in order to procure a subsistence. When they are inclined to industry, they construct canoes of the bark of the birch-tree, which they sell for from two hundred to three hundred livres each. They catch herrings, white fish, and trout, of from four to five feet in length, some of which weigh seven¬ ty pounds. This fish, which is bred in lake Michigan, and is known by the name of Michili- makinac trout, affords a most delicious food It is extremely rich and delicate: and its fat, re¬ sembling the nature of spermaceti, is never cloy¬ ing to the appetite. The young men, notwithstanding the abun¬ dance of food derived from the quantities of fish, employ a great part of the summer in the chace, for which they travel to the distance of forty or fifty leagues, and return loaded with game. In autumn they again depart for the winter chace, which is the most valuable and productive for the furs; and return in the spring with skins of bea¬ vers, martins, foxes, and other animals, with bear’s grease, and with provision of the flesh of that animal and of stags, buffaloes, and elks, cured by smoke, r 2 198 tAfcl HURON. Their tradition concerning the name of this lit¬ tle barren island is curious. They say that Mi- chapous, the chief of spirits, sojourned long in that vicinity They believed that a mountain on the border of the lake was the place of his abode : and they called it by his name. It was here, say the}-, that he first instructed man to fabricate nets for taking fish, and where he has collected the greatest quantity of these finny inhabitants of the waters. On the island he left spirits, named Ima- kinakos, and from these aerial possessors, it has received the appellation ol Michilimakinac This place came into possession of the American go¬ vernment in 1796, the period of delivering over all the other forts within its boundaries. The strait between lakes Huron and Michigan, or the lake of the Illinois, is fifteen miles in length, and is subject to a flux and reflux, which are by no means regular. The currents flow with such rapidity, that when the wind blows, all the nets which are set are drifted away and lost: and some- thru s during strong winds the ice is driven against the direction of the currents with much violence. YVhc, the siv.iges in those quarters make a feast of fish, they invoke the spirits of the island; thank them for their bounty ; and entreat them to Continue their protection to their families. They demand ol them to preserve their nets and canoes from the sw elling and destructive billows, when the lakes are agitated by storms. Ail who assist LAKE MICHIGAN. 199 in the ceremony lengthen their voices together, which is an act of gratitude. In the observance of this duty of their religion, they were formerly ve¬ ry punctual and scrupulous : but the French ral¬ lied them so much upon the subject, that they be¬ came ashamed to practise it openly. They arc still, however, remarked to mutter something, which has a reference to the ceremony which their forefathers were accustomed to perform in honour of their insular deities. Lake Michigan is two hundred and sixty miles in length, and nine hundred and forty five in cir¬ cumference. Its discharge is into Lake Huron, through the strait already mentioned: and it con¬ sequently forms a part of the Saint Lawrence. Its breadth is about seventy miles On the right of its entrance are the Beaver islands, and on the left those of the Pouteouatamis, in travelling from south to north. The eastern coast is full of rivers and rivulets near to one another, which have their source in the peninsula that separates Lake Huron from this lake. The principal of these are Mar¬ quette’s river, the Saint Nicholas, the great river whose source is near the bay of Saguina on Lake Huron, the Raisin, the Barbue, the Maramey, the Black river, on whose borders there is much gin¬ seng, and the river Saint Joseph, which is the most considerable of the whole, and which, through it9 various sinuosities, may be ascended near a hun¬ dred. and fifty miles. At sixty miles from its 200 tAKE MICHIGAN, mouth, the French had a fort and mission, near a. village of the Pouteouatamis. At nine or ten miles from the Saint Joseph are found the sources of the Theakiki, navigable for canoes, and which falls into the river of the Illinois. The western coast of the lake has been but little frequented. Towards the north is found the entrance of the bay des Puans, a name given by the French to a savage nation residing there : but it is more ge¬ nerally distinguished by the appellation of the Green bay. Upon its borders stood a French fort: and a mission called Saint Francois Xavier was established in this vicinity. The bottom of the bay is terminated by a fall of water, beyond which there is a small lake, called Winnebago, receiving the Fox river flowing from the west. Alter mak¬ ing a portage of two miles, the traveller may pro¬ ceed along its course to the Ouiscousin, which unites with the Mississippi. The waters in Green bay have a flux and re¬ flux : and from the quantity of swampy grounds, and of mud sometimes left exposed to the sun, and causing an unpleasant vapour, it originally re¬ ceived the name of Puaiite. This agitation of the waters proceeds, doubtless, from the pressure of winds on the centre of die lake. The bay is one hundred and twenty miles in depth : and its width is from twenty-four to thirty miles at its entrance, which, by the islands already noticed, is separa¬ ted into several channels. On the borders of the LAKE MICHIGAN. 201 Malhominis river, whose waters flow into this bay, there is a village composed of natives collected from several tribes, who employ themselves in fishing and in cultivating the ground. They are gratified by entertaining passengers, a quality which among savages is in the highest estimation; for it is the custom of the chiefs to bestow all they possess, if they wish to acquire any pre-eminent degree of consideration. The predominating pro¬ pensity of these savages is hospitality to strangers, who find here, in 'every season, all kinds of re¬ freshment which these territories produce: and the principal return which is expected, is a com¬ mendation of their generosity. The Sakis, the Pouteouatamis, and Malhomi¬ nis, here reside. There are also about four cabins or families of sedentary Nadouaicks, whose nation was exterminated by the Iroquois. The Oueni- begons, or Puans, were formerly the possessors of this bay, and of a great extent of the neigh¬ bouring country. The tribe was numerous, for¬ midable, and fierce. They violated every princi¬ ple of nature. No stranger was suffered to enter their territory with impunity. The Malhominis, who dared not to complain of their tyranny, were the only people with whom they had any inter¬ course. They believed themselves invincible* They declared war on every tribe they could dis¬ cover, although their arms consisted only of hatch¬ ets, and of knives formed of stone. They refused LAKE MICHIGAN. 202 to have any commerce with the French. The Outaouais sent to them embassadors, whom they had the ferocity to devour. This instance of a- trocity roused with indignation all the neighbour, ing tribes, who joined with the Outaouais; and, receiving arms from the French, made frequent irruptions on the Puans. The numbers of the latter became thus rapidly diminished. Civil wars, at length, arose amongst them. They re- prouched each other as the cause of their misfor¬ tunes, by having perfidiously^acrificcd the Ou- taouaisian deputies, who were bringing them knives and other articles for their use, of whose value they were ignorant. When they found themselves so vigorously attacked, they were con¬ strained to unite into one village, where they still amounted to five thousand men. They formed against the Outagamis a party of five hundred warriors, but these perished by a tempest which arose during their passage on the waters. Their enemies compassionated their loss, bv saying that the gods ought to be satisfied with such rei¬ terated punishments ; and ceased to make war against die remainder of their tribe. The scourg¬ es with which thevhad been afflicted awoke net. however, in their minds, a sense ol the turpitire ot (heir conduct: and they pursued with renova¬ ted vigor the practice oi’ their former enormities. I he north co .st oi Lake Huron is intersected by several rivers which How thither. A uiam of' LAKE HURON'. 203 'islands, called the Aianitou .lins, extends about a hundred and fifty miles from east to n est, oppo¬ site to the lower or eastern extremity of which French river disembogues itself The eastern co.iSt of the lake is studded with isles, and cut by rivulets and rivers, which descend from several s nail lakes, the most considerable of which is Toronto, already described under the name of Simcoe : this, it has been remarked, has a com¬ munication with Lake Ontario, after a very short carrying-place. Lake Michigan is separated from Luke Supe¬ rior bv a tomrue of land, at least ninety miles in length and twenty, our in breadth. The sterility of the soil renders it incapable of affording suste¬ nance to any inhabitants. It may be denominated an island, us it is intersected by a river, commu¬ nicating with both of these lakes. Saint Joseph is .n island of about seventy -five miles in circum¬ ference, situated near the Detour, or passage for vessels, at the northern extremity of Lake Huron. It was made choice of in 1795 as a military post, when Michilim kinac should be no longer in pos¬ session of the British government. The fort, which is one of the handsomest of the kind in North America, is situated at the southern extre¬ mity. upon a peninsula about fifty feet ..bove the level of the water, and connected v.*th the island by a low isthmus of sand, about three hunched yards in breadth. 504 CASCADES OF ST. MARY. A company of infantry, and some artillery sol- diers, are there stationed. Although more than a degree of latitude to the southward of Quebec, the winters are of equal duration and severity as at that place. The soil consists of a black mould, of about fifteen inches in depth, upon a stratum of sand, and is not of a very fertile nature. The route for canoes is between the Munitouaiins is¬ lands, also the northern coast of Saint Joseph and north main-land, in their voyage upwards to Lake Superior. The navigable channel for vessels is through the centre of the lake, and between the western extremity of the Manitoualins islands and the south-west main-land, through a narrow pas¬ sage called the Detour, and between the small isle la Crosse and the same coast. The intricate na¬ vigation between the islands renders a guide ne¬ cessary. Nibisn island intervenes between Saint Joseph and the western shore. Sugar island is long and narrow, bending towards the north in form of a crescent, and causing an enlargement of the waters between it and the continental coast. This is called Lake George. The falls, or rather cascades, of Saint Mary, are nothing else than a violent current of the waters of Lake Superior, which, being interrupted in their descent by a number of large rocks, that seem to dispute the passage, form dangerous rapids of three miles in length, precipitating their white CASCADES OF ST. MARY. 205 and broken waves one upon another in irregular gradations. These cascades are nine miles be¬ low the entrance into Lake Superior, and about fiftv miles from the Detour, already mentioned. The whole of this distance is occupied by a va¬ riety of islands, which divide it into separate chan¬ nels, and enlarge its width, in some situations, be¬ yond the extent of sight. It is at the bottom of the rapids, and even n- mong their billows, which foam with ceaseless impetuosity, that innumerable quantities of excel¬ lent fish may be taken, from the spring until the winter. The species which is found in the great¬ est abundance is denominated by the savages, at- ticameg, or white fish. The Michilimakinac trout, and pickerell, are likewise caught here. These afford a principal means of subsistence to a number of native tribes. No small degree of address, as well as strength, is employed by the savages in catching these fish. They stand in an erect attitude in a birch canoe-: and even amid the billows, they push with force to the bottom of the waters, a long pole, at the end of which is fixed a hoop, with a net in the form of a bag, into which the fish is constrained to enter. They watch it with the eye when it glides among the rocks; quickly ensnare it; and drag it into the canoe. In conducting this mode of fishing much practice is required; as an inexperienced S 206 CASCADES OF ST. MART* person may, by the efforts which he is obliged to make, overset the canoe, and inevitably perish. The convenience of having fish in such abun¬ dance attracts to this situation, during summer, several of the neighbouring tribes, who are of an erratic disposition, and too indolent for the toils of husbandry. They, therefore, support themselves by the chace in winter, and by fishing in summer. The missionaries stationed at this place embraced the opportunity of instructing them in the duties of Christianity: and their residence was distin¬ guished by the appellation of the Mission of the Falls of Saint Mary, which became the centre of several others. The original natives of this place were the Pa- trouiting Daehrlrini , called by the French, saul- teurs , as the other tribes resorted but occasionally thither. They consisted only of one hundred and fifty men; these, however, afterwards united themselves with three other tribes, who shared in common with them the rights of the territorv. Their residence was here established, except when they betook themselves to the chace. The na¬ tives named Nouquet, ranged throughout the southern borders of Lake Superior, which was their natal soil. The Outchibons, with the Ma- ramegs, frequented the northern coasts of the same take, which they considered as their country. Be¬ sides these four tribes, there were several others ■dependent on this mission. The Achiligouans, CASCADES OF ST. MARY. 207 the Amicours, and the Missasagues, came like¬ wise to fish at the fall of Saint Mary, and to hunt on the isles, and on the territories in the vicinity of Lake Huron. The ancient Hurons, from whom the lake de¬ rives its name, dwelt on its eastern confines. They were the first natives in this quarter who hazarded an alliance with the French, from whom they re¬ ceived Jesuit missionaries, to instruct them in ihe Christian religion. These Europeans were stiicd by the natives, Masters of Iron: and they who remained in those regions taught them to be for¬ midable to their enemies. Even the Iroquois courted the alliance of the Hurons, who, with too great facility, relied on the pretended friendship and professions of that guileful people. The Iro¬ quois at length found means to surprise them, and to put them in disorder, obliging some to fly to Quebec, and others towards different quarters. The account of the defeat of the Hurons spread itself among the neighbouring nations: and con¬ sternation seized on the greater part of them. From tile incursions which the Iroquois made when least expected, there was no longer any se¬ curity. The Nepicirenians fied to the north. The Saulteurs and the Missasagues penetrated to the westward. The Outaouais and some other tribes bordering on Lake Huron, retired to the south. The Hurons withdrew to an island, where their late disaster oniy tended to endear liie remem- 208 CASCADES OP ST. MARY, brjnceof their commerce with the French, which was now' frustrated. After an attempt, attended with peril, they, however, again found their way to these Europeans. By a second irruption of the Iroquois, they were driven from their island, and took refuge among the Pouteouatamis. Part of the Hurons descended to Quebec; and formed a set¬ tlement to the northward of that place, of which an account has already been given. The tribes frequenting the northern territories are savage and erratic, living upon fish and the produce of the chace ; often upon the inner bark of trees. A kind of dry grey moss, growing on the rocks, called by the Canadians, tripe de ro¬ ckers , not unfrequently supplies them with food. They ensnare and shoot beavers, elks, cariboos, and hares of an uncommon size. The lofty grounds abound in blue or huckie-berries, which they collect and dry, to eat in times of scarcity. But as these regions are in general sterile, many of the inhabitants perish by famine. Those whose hunting grounds are towards the worth-west, are more favoured by the productions of the soil. A species of rice, and wild oats, grow naturally in the marshes, and supply the deficien¬ cy of maize. The forests and plains are filled with bears and cattle: and the smaller islands, lakes, and rivers, abound with beavers. These people frequented the vicinity of Lakes Superior and Nipissing, to traific with the natives w ho had CASCADES OF ST. MARV. 20$ intercourse with the French. Their principal commerce was, however, at Hudson’s-bay, where they reaped a greater profit. They were pleased to receive iron and kettles in exchange for their worn peltry, of the value of which they were for some time ignorant. The Nepicirenians and the Amehouest inhabi- te 1 the coasts of Lake Nipissing. A great part of them were connected with the tribes of the north, from whom they drew much peltry, at an inconsiderable value. They rendered themselves masters of all the other natives in those quarters, until disease made great havock among them r and the Iroquois, insatiable after human blood, compelled the remainder of their tribe to betake themselves, some to the French settlements, o- ihers to Lake Superior, and to the Green bay on Lake Michigan. The nation of the Otter inhabited the rocky caverns on Lake Huron, where they were shelter¬ ed by a labyrinth of islands and of capes. They subsisted on Indian corn, on fish, and on the pro¬ duce of the chace. They were simple, but cou¬ rageous ; and had frequent intercourse with the nations of the north. The Missasagues, or Esti- aghics, are situated on the same lake, on a river generally called by the latter name. They, as well as the Saulteurs of Saint Mary, spread themselves along the borders of Lake Huron, where they pro¬ cure the bark of trees to form canoes, and to con- s 2 210 CASCADES OF ST. MARY.. struct their huts. The w aters are so transparent, that fish can be seen at the depth of thirty feet. Whilst the w omen and children are collecting ber¬ ries, the men ; re occupied in darting sturgeon. When their grain is almost ripe, they return h< me. On the approach of winter they resume their stations near the lake, for the purpose of the chace; and forsake it in the spring, to plant their Indiaiy corn and to fish at the falls. Such are the occupations of these people, who, if they were acquainted with economy, might live in abundance, w liich but a small portion of labour is here required to secure. But they are so ha¬ bituated to gluttony and waste, that they take no thought for their subsistence on the follow ing day. There are thus several who perish from hunger. They seldom reserve any provisions: and if a part happen to be left, it is from their being inca¬ pable of consuming the whole. When a stran¬ ger arrives among them, they w ill offer him their last morsel of food, to impress him with a persua¬ sion that they are not in indigence. The forefa¬ thers of these natives w ere brave : but they have been so long in the enjoyment of indolence and tranquillity, that they have degenerated in valour, and make w ar only on che beasts of the forest, and the inhabitants of the w aters The Hurons, more prudent, look forward to the future, and support their families. As they $tc m general sober, it is seldom they are subject CASCADES OF ST. MARY. 211 to distress. The tribe is artful, political, proud, and of greater extent of capacity than most of the other natives. They are liberal, grave, de¬ cent in discourse, in which they express them¬ selves with accuracy, insinuating, and not subject to be duped in their dealings. The Outaouais have endeavoured to assume the manners and maxims of this people. They were formerly extremely rude, but, by inter¬ course with the Hurons, they have become more intelligent. They imitated their valour; and made themselves formidable to all the nations with whom they were at enmity, and respected by those with w hom they were in alliance. The factory of the company of merchants of Montreal is situated at the foot of the cascades of Saint Mary, on the north side, and consists of sto^e-houses, a saw-mill, and a bateau-yard. The saw r -mill supplies with plank, boards, and spars, all the posts on Lake Superior, and particularly Pine point, which is nine miles from thence ; has a dock-yard for constructing vessels ; and is the residence of a regular master-builder, with several artificers. At the factory there is a good canal, with a lock at its lower entrance, and a causeway for dragging up the bateaux and canoes. The vessels of Lake Superior approach close to the head of the canal, wnere there is a wharf; those of L ike Huron to the lower end of the cascades. These rapids are much shorter on the noi th than 212 LAKE SUPEKIOK. on the south side, a circumstance occasioned by the interposition of small islands. The company has lately caused a good road to be made, along which their merchandise is transported on w heel, ed carriages from the lower part of the cascades to the depots. The houses are here constructed of squared timber clap-boarded, and have a neat appearance. On the north side of the rapids, about six fa¬ milies, consisting of Americans and domiciliated Indians, are established. The taxes imposed by the government of the United States upon all kii ds of merchandise, are unfavourable to the com¬ merce of its subjects with the Indians in these re¬ gions. Lake Superior, to which was formerly given the name of Tracey, and likewise that of Conde, composes a collection of fresh waters of the first magnitude in the known world. Although seve¬ ral posts in its vicinity were long occupied by French traders, and by missionaries, yet only a small portion of geographical information w as ob¬ tained through their means. The length of this lake is four hundred miles, and its circumference one thousand five hundred and twenty miles. It is subjected to frequent storms : and a swell si¬ milar to that of the tide of the ocean, rolls in upon its coasts. 1 he navigation is here dangerous when the wind blows with strength: and travellers, for tills reason, keep near to the north shore, which LAKE SUPERIOR. 213 being bordered throughout by barren rocks of con¬ siderable elevation, nature has provided at no great distances from each other, a variety of small harbours, and places of safe retreat. Pine point and Point au Foin form the entrance into the lake. White-fish point is on the south shore, opposite to which, on the north coast, and at the distance of fifteen miles across, there is amine of copper, formerly worked by the French. That metal is here found in native purity, uncontaminated by mixture with any extraneous substances. The cape, about nine miles from hence, is in latitude forty-six degrees, thirty-two minutes, fifty-eight seconds; and in longitude eighty lour degrees, nineteen minutes, fifty seven seconds. The traveller, on passing White-fish point, is a- greeably astonished by the developtment of a vast and Ttnbounded expanse of crystalline waters. A great evaporation must here necessarily take place : and in summer this is dissolved in the dry A. 234 enl children of a famil}, they become, in a few generations, reduced. The most ample share, which retains the name of seigneurie, is the por¬ tion of the eldest son. The other partitions are denominated Jeo/s These are, m the next ge¬ neration, again subdivided: and thus, in the course of a few descents, a seigneur is possessed of little more than his title. This is the condition of most of those estates that have passed to the third or fourth generation. The inhabitants in like manner make divisions of their small tracts of land : and a house will sometimes belong to several proprietors. It is from these causes that they are in a great measure retained in a state of poverty; that a barrier to industry and emulation is interposed ; and that a spirit of litigation is excited. There are in Canada upwards of an hundred seigneuries, of w hich that at Montreal, belong¬ ing to the seminary of Saint Sulpicius, is the rich¬ est and most productive. The next in value and profit is the territory of the Jesuits. The mem- ~“bei s of that society who resided at Quebec were, like the priests of Montreal, only agents for the head of their community. But since the expul¬ sion of their order from France, and the seizure, by the catholic sovereigns of Kurope, of ail the lands of that society w ithin their dominions, the. Jcsuiis in Canada held their tagntune in their ow n right. CANADA. 2 35 Some of the domiciliated savages hold, also, in the province, lands in the right of seigneurs Upon a representation of the narrow circum¬ stances to which many of the noblesse and gentle¬ men of the colony were reduced, not only by the causes already assigned, but by others equally powerful, Louis the Fourteenth was induced to permit persons of that description to carry orr commerce by sea or land, without being subject¬ ed to any enquiry on this account, or to an impu¬ tation of their having derogated from their rank in society. To no seignenrie is the right of patronage to the church attached. It was upon the advance¬ ment of the pretensions of some seigneurs, found¬ ed on their having built parochial churches, that the king, in 1685, pronounced in council, that this right should belong to the bishop, he being the most capable of judging concerning the qualifica¬ tions of persons who were to serve, and the in¬ comes of the curacies also being paid from the tythes, w hich belonged to him alone. The right of patronage was, at the same time, declared not to be reputed an honour. The salaries allotted to the officers of the civil departments in the French colonial governments were extremely moderate, and inadequate to sup¬ port their respective situations* In 1758, that of the Marquis de Vaudreuil governor and lieutenant- general of Canada, amounted to no more than CANABA. 236 272/ Is. 8 d. sterling; < : of which he was to ch the, maintain, and pay, a guard for himself, consisting of two serjeants and twenty-five sol¬ diers, furnishing them with firing in winter, and with other necessary articles. The pay of the whole of the officers of justice and police was 514/. Ilf sterling; and the total sum appropriated for the pay of the established officers, composing the various branches of the civil power, exceeded not 3809/ 8s. sterling. At the period w hen this arrangement of pay was settled, these sums might, perhaps, have been considered as sufficiently ample To increase the salaries of the various officers of a government, when an augmentation of the value of the articles of life, disproportionate to their means, shall ren¬ der it expedient, is a measure of ministerial poli¬ cy, upon the whole not unprofitable to a state. A partial adherence to ancient regulations, w r ith a view of concealing the public expenditure, is a system of economy founded in error. This has, in many instances, but particularly w ith regard to the country of which we are speaking, been pro¬ ductive of a torrent of general peculation, w hose destructive course drew along with it embarrass¬ ments, which it required the strongest efforts of political wisdom to remedy and to overcome. The paper money in Canada amounted, in 1754, to so large a sum, that the government was compelled to remit to a future period the payment CANADA. 237 •f it. The quantity every day acquired an in¬ creased accumulation: and this money fell at length into total disrepute. Merchandise rose in proportion as the medium of exchange became decried. The officers of government and the troops were the principal consumers: and the evil of scarcity, and the discredit of the paper money, were chiefly derived from that cause In 1759 the minister was obliged wholly to suspend payment of the bills of exchange, whose amount was enormous. Considerable sums were, at the conclusion of the war, due by the government of France to the Canadians: and Great Britain, whose subjects they were become, obtained for them an indemnity of 112,0001. in bonds, and of 24,0001. sterling in money. They therefore re¬ ceived in payment at the rate of fifty-five per cent, upon their bills of exchange, and thirty-four per cent, on account of their ordonnances or paper money. The derangement and default which we have stated, arose likewise in a great degree, from the mal-administration of finance, and from a total de¬ reliction of principle in those to whom that depart¬ ment was committed. From the foregoing facts it may easily be con. ceived, that when the English took possession of Canada, they found its inhabitants to have made but little progress in commerce or in agriculture. The long continuance of warfare might have 238 CANADA. tended to depress the former; but the latter had never attained to any stage of improvement One article of commerce the Canadians had, bv their own imprudence, rendered altogether un¬ profitable. Ginseng was first discovered in the tvo'>ds of Canada in 1718. It was from that coun¬ try exported to Canton, where its quality was pro¬ nounced to be equal to that of the ginseng pro¬ cured in Corea or in Tartary: and a pound of this pbnt, which before sold in Quebec for twen- typence, became, when its value was once ascer¬ tained, worth one pound and tenpence sterling. The export of this article alone is said to have amounted, in ’752, to twenty thousand pounds sterling. But the Canadians, eager suddenly to enrich themselves, reaped this plant in Mav, when it should not have been gathered until September, and dried it in ovens, when its moisture should have been gradually evaporated in the shade. This fatal mistake arising from cupidity, and in some measure from ignorance, ruined the sale of their ginseng, among the only people upon earth who arc partial to its use; and at an early period cut off from the colony a new branch of trade, which under proper regulations, might have been essentially productive. i he imports of Canada, during seven years of its most flourishing trade, previous to the con¬ quest ol the country, amounted annually to about 160,000/., and sometimes to 240,000/ sterling. CAttAbA. tyV The exports seldom exceeded 80,000/. sterling, and were frequently less than that sum. This deficiency was in a considerable degree supplied every year by the French government, which ex¬ pended large sums in building ships, and on the fortifications; to which was added the payment of the troops, besides other disbursements. These, it has already been noticed, were settled by bills drawn on the treasury in France; and, whilst they were punctually paid, sufficiently sup¬ plied the balance. The traders who emigrated thither from Great B ituin found, for the first two or three years af¬ ter the reduction of the country, a considerable advantage in the great quantities of furs then in the colony, in bills drawn by those inhabitants who were determined to remain under the Bri¬ tish government, and who had money in France, in biils drawn on the pay master-general of the forces, in London, for the subsistence of five or -six regiments and in what were ter med Canada biils. But these resources became in a great de¬ gree exhausted: and commerce fell into a state of progressive ianguishment and decline. The inhabitants for upwards of a century had bed accustomed to manufacture in their own iu- miiies, druggets, coarse linens, stockings, and worsted caps knitted with wires. For the men, and ror themselves to wear during the summer months, die women fabricated hats and bonnets 240 ' tf AN AH A. of straw. Few European articles were at that time required by this people, who observed in their modes of living the most rigid frugality. The wool produced from the breed of sheep is, from the coldness of the climate, of a nature too coarse to enter into the composition of fine cloths. I he lint, tobacco, and hemp raised by the inhabitants, are principally designed for the use of their fami¬ lies. Until the arrival in the colony of some far¬ mers from Great Britain, they were but little ac¬ quainted with the science of agriculture. No sooner were the fields become exhausted, than the inhabitants betook themselves to clear, and to cultivate new lands. They were ignorant of the application of manure, and of the ameliora¬ tion which its introduction can effect, in the pro¬ ductive quality of soils. Their natural aversion to industry, their propensity to ease, and their disposition to vanity, induced a great part of the colonists to raise a larger proportion of horses than of cattle; die labour of the latter being found in tillage equally useful w ith that of the former, the sources of provision were thus unnecessarily stinted. The quantity of produce exported in 1769 amounted in value to 163, i 051 sterling; and was shipped in seventy vessels belonging to Great Britain and to her subjects in the different colonies in North America. Rum, coffee, brown sugar, and molasses, w ere brought thither from C AX A DA. Ill the West Indies. Spain, Italy, and Portugal, supplied brandy, wines, oils, and salt, in return for grain. Cloths, linens, muslins, silks, house¬ hold furniture, teas, refined sugars, tools, glass, utensils, colours, hard and crockery-ware, were supplied by England. Not more than twelve small vessels were at this period engaged in the fisheries on the river Saint Lawrence : and about six were sent to the West Indies. The construction of vessels was for a long time laid aside. This might, in some de¬ gree, be attributed to the scarcity of artificers, and to the high wages which were consequently demanded. In the course of two or three years after the. period we have now mentioned, the debts due to the colony were paid ; and paper money entirely disappeared. The commerce of Canada remain¬ ed long in a state of fluctuation, caused by the in¬ crease or decrease of demand in European coun¬ tries, for the productions w hich it supplied. It seems, however, in a course of ten years, to have considerably augmented, and the number of ves¬ sels employed in 1775 was ninety-seven, contain¬ ing ten thousand eight hundred and forty one tons. At the end of ten years more, the trade appears not to have been so extensive ; fifty-sc ven ships only having been then entered at the port of Quebec. But the lapse of another period often years had contributed, m a great degree, to en- X 242 • A N ADA# large it: and in 1705 not le ^ than a hundred and twenty -eight vessels, amounting to nineteen u- sand, nine hundred and fifty-three tons, navigated by one thousand and sixty- seven men, arrived in the Saint Lawrence. Tins increase may be at¬ tributed to the scarcity cf% r ain which at that pe¬ riod prevailed in Great Britain, and in most of the other countries of flurope. Three hundred and ninety-five thousand bushels of wheat, eighteen thousand barrels of flour, and twenty thousand cwts. of biscuit, were that year exported from Canada. The advanced prices which were then given for wheat and other grain, tended to enrich the inhabitants; and had an influence in augmenting the value of all the articles of file. Many of the Canadians, even at a distance from the capital, be¬ gan, from that period, to lay aside their ancient costume, and to acquire a relish for the manufac¬ tures of Europe. This revolution in dress has not a little contributed to the encouragement of commerce. The construction of vessels at Quebec had be¬ gun, in the course of die foregoing year, to be carried on with spirit and success, by a company of London merchants, who sent to Canada an a- gent for conducting that branch. Several build¬ ers have since established themselves diere : and from the demand .which, in consequence of the war, has prevailed for vessels, they have reaped considerable profits. C AN ADA. 243 A large exportation of grain took place in 1799, and the three following years. I’he quantity in 1802 was one million and ten thousand bushels of wheat, thirty-eight thousand barrels of flour, and thirty-two thousand cwts. of biscuit. The num¬ ber of vessels engaged in the export of these, and other productions of the colony, was two hundred and eleven. The quantity of tonnage was near thirty-six thousand: and the number of sailors was one thousand eight hundred and fifty. The exports from Canada consist of wheat and other grain, flax-seed, beef and perk, butter and lard, soap and candles, grease and taiiow, balsam, ale, porter, essence of spruce, salmon dry and pickled, fish-oil, timber, plank, boards, hemp, horses, cattle, sheep, pot and pearl-ashes, utensils of cast iron, furs of various descriptions, eastoreum and ginseng. These articles amounted in value, in the year mentioned above, to five hundred and sixty-three thousand four hundred pounds sterling. The imports w 7 ere, w ine of various kinds, rum, sugar, molasses, coffee, tobacco, salt, coals, and different articles of the manufacture of Great Bri¬ tain. The colonial revenues in that year amounted to thirty-one thousand two hundred pounds; and wer e derived from i nposts, duties, lots ct vents , and rents of property belonging to the king. The expenditures were forty-three thousand two hup> dred pounds. / CANADA. 241 The forces of Three Rivers and Battiscan not only supply the colony with utensils and stoves of east iron but likewise afford a quantity of those articles for exportation. At the former of these manufactories, hammered iron of the best quality is made. The fur trade had, for a long period after the settlement of the English in Canada, been con- ducted bv a variety of individuals: and the inter- ruption which it experienced, during the war be¬ tween Great Brita in and her colonies, cut off for a time the profits which formerly flowed into the province from that source. At length, about the year 1784. a gentleman* of Montreal, whose mind was active and enter¬ prising, formed an association of several mer- ch.ints of that place, for the purpose of pushing this branch of commerce to a greater extension than it had ever before acquired. The associates stiled themselves the Company of the North-west, as it is from that quarter that the objects of their pursuit are principally derived, and for which the vast and immeasurable tracts of territory, yet un¬ explored by Europeans, seemed to present a pro¬ ductive and inexhaustible field. Several indivi¬ duals, actuated by a spirit of adventure and disco¬ very, as well as by the hope of profit, traversed an immense tract of wilds to the w estward ai d towards the north One gentleman,f upwards of * Mr Mactavi$b. t Sir Alexander Mackenzie* 245 CAN" AJTA. twelve rears ago, particularly distinguished him¬ self as the first who ever travelled across the con¬ tinent of America, in these high latitudes, to the shores of the Pacific Ocean; an undertaking whose accomplishment demanded the greatest stretch of resolution, prudence, firmness, and exertion. More than one attempt has since been made to perform the same journey, but without success. Although, previous to the year 1790, immense quantities of furs were ever)' year exported from Canada, yet the profits were not at that time by any means equal to those afterwards arising from this branch of commerce. A great proportion of peltry, particularly that of beaver, enters into the composition of some manufactures: but the price of furs is in a great measure influenced by fashion. By this standard, which constitutes the increase or decrease of demand, the market is principally regulated. The consumption of peltry for dress h ts, fortunately for the far merchants, prevailed for many years past, and several have from this cause acquired independent fortunes. The company trading to the north-west sends every year, to the posts on Lake Superior, about fifty canoes loaded with merchandise. These are dispatched about the beginning of May, from La Chiiie, a distance of nine miles above Montreal. The canoes are formed of the bark of the birch- tree, and closely lined with thin ribs made of a tou^h wood. The seams are sewed with radical x 2 CANADA. 246 fibres, called watape: and they are afterwards carefully covered over w ith gum to exclude the Water. The bottom of the vessel is nearly fiat, the sides are rounded, and either end terminates in a sharp edge. The price of one of these is about twelve pounds sterling: and it is calculated to contain, on the perilous voyage for which it is destined, a weight equal to that \\ hich follows : Sixty-five pieces of merchandise of ninety pounds each ; eight men, each weighing at least one hun¬ dred and sixty pounds; baggage allowed to these men, at forty pounds each, together with the weight of their provisions. The whole cargo of a canoe is, therefore, not less than eight thousand three hundred and ninety pounds, exclusive of two oil cloths to cover the goods, a sail and an axe, a towing-line to drag the canoe up the rapids, a kettle, a sponge to bail out the water imbibed by leakage; with gum, bark, watape, and uten¬ sils for repairing any injury w hich may be sus¬ tained on the voyage. The men are engaged at Montreal four or five months before they set out on their journey; and receive in advance their equipment, and one third of their wages. Each man holds in his hand a large paddle: and the eanoe, although loaded within six inches of the gunwale, is made to move along with wonderful expedition. 1 lie voyageurs , or navigators, are oi constitutions the strongest and most robust: and they are at an early period inured to the er,- ty— manners—character of the hab tants , or Land-hold - ers—mode of clearing lands—acquisition of proper¬ ty — Seigneuries—produce of soils — agriculture — Upper Canada — (old , and causes of its long domina¬ tion—travelling in winter — roads — houses, THE white inhabitants of Canada amounted, in 1758, to ninety.one thousand, exclusive of the regular troops, which were augmented or dimin¬ ished, as the circumstances and exigencies of the country might require. The domiciliated Indians who were collected into villages, in different situ¬ ations in the colony, were about sixteen thou- sand : and the number of Frenchmen and Cana¬ dians resident at Quebec was nearly eight thou¬ sand. Previous to the year 1660, the influence of lav/ was altogether unknown in Canada. The autho¬ rity was entirely military : and the will of the go- vernor, or of his lieutenant, was submitted to without ever being questioned. The sole power of bestowing pardon, of inflicting punishment, of disu ibuting rewards, of exacting fines, was vested CANADA. 257 in him alone. He could imprison without a sha¬ dow of delinquency, and cause to be revered as acts of justice all the irregularities of his caprice. In the year mentioned above, a tribunal, to de¬ cide definitively on all law-suits of the colonists, was established in the capital. The continue de Paris , modified by local combinations, formed the code of these laws. During the first four years after Canada came into possession of the British, it was divided into three military governments. At Quebec, and at Three Rivers, officers of the army became judges in causes civil as well as criminal. These impor¬ tant functions were, at Montreal, committed to the better order of inhabitants. An equal want of legal information appears to have been the lot of all parties: and the commandant of the dis¬ trict, to whom an appeal from their sentences could be made, was no less defective in jurispru¬ dence. The coast of Labrador was, in 1764, dismem¬ bered from Canada, and added to the government of Newfoundland : and Lake Champlain, w ith all the territory to the southward of the forty-fifth de¬ gree of north latitude was joined to the province of New York. The extensive regions to the north, and west of Michilimakinac, in Lake Huron, were left with¬ out any jurisdiction. The territory from the v 2 258 CANADA. mouth of the Saint Lawrence, as far as that island, was placed under the authority of one chief. The laws of the admiralty of England were, at the same time, established there : but these could only have a reference to the subjects of that coun¬ try, into whose hands the whole of the maritime commerce necessarily Rowed. To this improve¬ ment, beneficial to the interests of the colony, another of yet greater importance tvas added. This was the criminal code of England. Before the introduction of this equitable mode of administering justice, a criminal, real or sup¬ posed, could be seized, throw n into confinement, and interrogated, without a knowledge of his crime or of his accuser; without being able to call to his aid, or to the alleviation of his distress, either friends, relatives or counsel. He was compelled upon oath to declare the truth, or, in other words, to accuse himself, with¬ out any validity being attached to his solemn affir¬ mation. It w as the province of the lawy ers or judges to embarrass him with captious questions, which could be more easily evaded, or more suc¬ cessfully answ ered, by effrontery and hardened villainy, than by innocence, involved and con¬ founded in a labyrinth of false accusation. The function of judge appeared to consist in the art of finding out the greatest number of persons whom he might accuse. The witnesses who had made depositions against the criminal were not CANADA. 259 introduced to his presence until the instant before judgment was pronounced, by which he was ci¬ ther acquitted or delivered over to immediate pun¬ ishment. In the former case, the person innocent obtained no indemnity : and a sentence of capital punishment was followed by confiscation of pro¬ perty. Such is the abridgment of the French criminal law. The Canadians readily conceived, and felt, in a lively manner, the inestimable advantage of a system of jurisdiction too equitable to admit of any of the tyrannical modes of procedure which they had before been accustomed to witness or experience. These people viewed not, however, with an equal degree of satisfaction the introduction of the civil code of England. They were prompted by habit and prejudice to give a preference to the ancient system under which their property had been protected. The magistrates, and other ad¬ ministrators of justice, found it, therefore, expe¬ dient to depart from the letter of the law, and to incline in their decisions, to the maxims which had before prevailed. By an act called the Quebec act, passed in the British legislature in 1775, Canada was extended to its ancient limits; and its former system of civil law', the coutume de Paris , was restored. The criminal and maritime regulations of England were retained, free exercise of the Roman catho- CANADA. 260 lie religion was allowed : and the profession of that faith was declared to be no impediment to the rights of the subje ct, or to his holding any office under the colonial government. Ecclesiastical dimes, and feodal obligations, resumed their va¬ lidity. A council formed by the sovereign might annul these arrangements, and exercise any pow er ex¬ cept that of imposing taxes. This body consisted of the lieutenant-governor, chief justice, secreta¬ ry of the province, and of twenty other members chosen indifferently from the two nations, and sub¬ ject only to an oath of fidelity. Each of these re¬ ceived a salary of an hundred pounds sterling a year. The expences of the civil government of the colony amounted, at that period, to twenty- five thousand pounds sterling a year, exclusive of the governor’s salary. The amount of the colo¬ nial revenue exceeded not nine thousand pounds sterling. This plan of vesting in the same individuals the executive and legislative powers was not, by any means, productive of satisfaction. The sub¬ jects who had emigrated thither from Great Bri¬ tain, and w ho had established themselves in the colony, were displeased to behold a portion of their most valuable privileges withdrawn from their reach : and the Canadians, who had begun to relish the advantages ol a free government, and who were encouraged to look forward for the in- CANADA. 261 troduction of the English constitution, viewed with concern a barrier interposed to the accom¬ plishment of their expectations. The system was not contemplated with partiality, even on the part of the statesman by whom it was originally framed. But its temporary operation was considered as expedient, on account of the symptoms of discon¬ tent which had then appeared in several of the British provinces on the continent of North Ame¬ rica. The country continued to be governed in this mode until 1792. By an act of the thirty-first year of his present majesty’s reign, the Quebec bill already mentioned, was repealed, and all the advantages of the British constitution extended to this part of the empire. Agreeably to this law, Quebec was divided into two separate pro¬ vinces, the one called Upper, the other Lower Canada. A legislative council and an assembly were at the same time constituted to each : and these bodies were empowered, with the assent of the governor, to pass such laws as should not be repugnant to the act to which they owed their political existence. The legislative council of Up¬ per Canada consists of not fewer than seven members; and that of Lower Canada of not few¬ er than fifteen, subject to be augmented according to the royal pleasure. The members must be na¬ tural born subjects, persons naturalized, or such persons as became subjects by the conquest and CANADA. 2G 2 cession of the country. By a residence out of their respective provinces for a period of four en¬ tire successive years, w ithout leave from his ma¬ jesty, or for the space of two continued years without leave from the governor, or by taking an oath of allegiance to any foreign power, the seats of any members of the legislative council become vacated. These offices are otherwise held during life. The right of appointing or of removing the speaker of the legislative council is vested in the governor. His majesty reserves to himself the power of creating, whenever he may think it expedient, dignities or titles in these provinces, descendable to heirs male, who may have the privilege of be¬ ing summoned, w hen of age, to a seat in the le¬ gislative council. But this, on account of cer¬ tain incapacities, may be suspended during life, and be resumed by the next lawful heir, on the death of the party who had been so deprived of his privilege. The governor, by the king’s authority, is em¬ powered to call a house of assembly, whose mem¬ bers must be chosen for the counties or circles, by persons possessed of landed property of the clear yearly value of forty shillings sterling or up¬ wards. For the towns the representatives must be elected by voters whose property consists of a dwelling-house and lot of ground in the town, of the yearly value of five pounds sterling or up- CANADA. 263 wards, or who have been resident in the town for twelve months next before the date of the writ of summons, and shall have paid one year’s rent for a dwelling or lodging, at the rate of at least ten pounds sterling per annum. The council and assembly must be convoked once in twelve months: and each legislature con¬ tinues for a term of four years and no longer, sub¬ ject, however, if necessary, to be dissolved previ¬ ous to the expiration of that period. The king in council may declare his disallow¬ ance of any provincial act within two years from the time of its receipt in England: and all bills reserved for his majesty’s pleasure, are to have no operation or validity until the royal assent be communicated to the colonial legislature. A court of civil jurisdiction, composed of the governor with the executive council, for the pur¬ pose of hearing and deciding on appeals from the courts of law, was, by the same act, established in both provinces. From hence a further appeal may be made to the king in council. The lands in Upper Canada must be granted in free and common soccage : and those in the lower province must likev* ise be bestowed ac¬ cording to the same mode of tenure, if required by the grantee. The governor of either province, upon being so authorized by his majesty, may with the advice of his council, erect parsonages, and endow them. CANADA. 264 He may also present incumbents, all of whom must be subject to the ecclesiastical power of the protestani bishop The operation of this act of the British legisla¬ ture was, by proclamation of the lieutenant-go- Ternor, declared to take effect in both provinces oil the twenty-sixth day of December 1791 : and another proclamation was published on the se¬ venth of May in the following year, far the divi¬ sion of the province of Low er Canada into coun¬ ties, cities and boroughs. On the fourteenth of the same month writs were issued, returnable on the tenth of July. The names of the counties are; Gaspe, Cornwallis, Devon, Hertford, Dorches¬ ter, Buckinghamshire, Richelieu, Bedford, Sur¬ rey, Kent, Huntingdon, York, Montreal, Effing¬ ham, Leinster, Warwick, Saint Maurice, Hamp¬ shire, Quebec county, Northumberland, Orleans. The cities, Quebec, upper and lower town, Montreal, eastward and westward divisions; bo¬ roughs, William Henry or Sorel, and Three Ri¬ vers. An act was passed in 1791 for the division of the province of Low er Canada into three districts, and for augmenting the number of judges; in con¬ sequence of w hich, the courts of judicature at Quebec are now composed of a chief justice and three puisne judges; those of Montreal of a chief justice and three puisne judges ; that of Three Ri¬ vers, of one judge; and that oi Gaspe, of one judge. • AVABA. £65 Every person in Canada may have within his power the means of acquiring a subsistence. The necessaries of life are, in general, there to be pro¬ cured at a cheaper rate than in most of the other parts of North America. The climate, although frequently inclining to extremes, both in cold and in heat, is nevertheless favourable to human health, and to the increase of population. The number of noblesse born in the province amounted, during the French government, to more than that of all the other colonies. This circumstance originated from several families there having been ennobled by the sovereign, and from several officers of the regiment of Carignan-Sa- lieres having remained in the colony after the re¬ duction of their corps. The population thus con¬ sisted, in a considerable proportion, of gentlemen who found themselves in situations by no means affluent. They became, therefore, necessitated to avail themselves of the privilege granted by Louis the Fourteenth to persons in their condi¬ tion ; and had recourse, for their support, to the occupation of retailers of merchandise. The right of the chace and of fishing is here extended to all persons. The taxes, chiefly de¬ rived from wine and spirituous liquors, can by no means be considered as burdensome. The inhabitants of Canada may be divided in¬ to four classes—those belonging to the church and to religious orders; the noblesse or seigneurs; z CANADA. 266 the mercantile body ; and the land holders, stiled habitants. The Roman catholic clergy of the province are more distinguished by devotion, benevolence, inoffensive conduct, and humility, than they are by learning or genius. They are regular and ri¬ gid in the practice of their religious ceremonies, and more devout, with perhaps less bigotry, than the ecclesiastics of any other country where the same religion prevails. The merchants are of two kinds, the importers and the retailers. The latter receive .the mer¬ chandise on credit, and being settled in different parts of the province, give produce in return for their goods. In 17 3 an account was taken of the number of inhabitants in the province; it was found to amount to one hundred and thirteen thousand of English and French ; exclusive of the loyalists who settled in the upper province, and w ere in number about ten thousand. The population of Lower Canada may at present be admitted, by moderate computation, to be not less than two hundred and fifty thousand persons; and that of the upper province eighty thousand. The secular and regular priests in the country exceed not a hundred and eight) : and the num¬ ber of nuns of different orders may amount to two hundred and fifty. There are upwards of a hun¬ dred and twenty churches, and seven convents. CANADA. 267 The habitants , or landholders, are honest, hos¬ pitable, religious, inoffensive, uninformed pos¬ sessing much simplicity, modesty, and civility. Indolent, attached to ancient prejudices, and limit¬ ing their exertions to an acquisition of the neces¬ saries of life, they neglect the conveniences. Their propensity to a state of inaction, retains many of them in poverty. But as their wants are circumscribed, they are happy. Contentment of mind, and mildness of disposition, seem to be the leading features in their character. Their ad- dress to strangers is more polite and unembarras¬ sed than that of any other peasantry in the w orld. Rusticity, either in manners or in language, is unknown even to those who reside in situations the most remote fiom the towns. They have little inclination for novelty or improvement; and exhibit no great portion of genius, which may perhaps be in some degree attributed to the want of education, of examples to pursue, and of oppor¬ tunities to excite emulation, or to unfold the la¬ tent qualities of the mind. Their constitution, at an early period of life, is healthy and robust: and they can with patience and resolution encounter great fatigues, when ne¬ cessity calls for exertion. Both men and women frequently live to an advanced period of life : but they soon look old ; and their strength is not of long duration. Many of the women are hand¬ some when young: but as they partake of the 268 CANADA. labours of the field, and expose themselves Upon all occasions to the influence of the weather, they soon become of a sallow hue, and of a masculine form. Kach family can, from its own resources* supply its wants. They manufacture their own linens and woollen stuffs; tan the hides of their tattle ; make shoes and stockings ; are their own carpenters, masons, wheelers, and taylors. They are sufficiently intelligent with regard to objects which relate to their own interest; and are sel- dom liable to be over-reached. They are, with some degree of justice, taxed with ingratitude. This may perhaps proceed from their natural levity, which incapacitates the mind from receiv ing a sufficient impression of ob¬ ligations bestowed. They are bad servants; be¬ cause indolence and a spirit of independence make the yoke of subjection, however light, appear to them burdensome and unpleasant. They who are masters are, on the contrary, kind and indul¬ gent to their domestics. Accustomed to concern themselves only in their own affairs, they are not remarkable for constancy in friendship. On the commencement of winter, the habitants kill their hogs, cattle, and poultry, for their own consumption, and for sale at market. The pro¬ visions are kept in the garrets of the dwelling- houses, where they soon become frozen ; and are thus preserved until wanted for use. Vegetables are deposited in cellars, or in excavations of tha. deed happens, that in the course of that season there is hardly anv snow. Neither Lake Onta¬ rio, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, or Lake Michigan, are subject to be frozen at any great distance from their coasts. But L ike Superior, from its north¬ erly situation, is usually covered by a solid body of ice, for an extent of seventy miles from land. To attribute the predominance of cold in Cana¬ da to the multiplicity and extent of its rivers and lakes, appears to be an hypothesis not altoge¬ ther correct. The humidity o; the earth, and the abundance of water every where diffused through¬ out its surface, contribute, doubtless, in the summer months, to produce a coolness, by the evaporation which then takes place, in conse¬ quence of the dry and warm state of the atmo¬ sphere. But. in winter, when the degree of cold has once attained the freezing point, it can re¬ ceive no augmentation from water ; that element, considerably warmer than the part of the atmo¬ sphere to which it is contiguous, continues to emit warmth until its surface becomes congealed. The energy of heat, and that of cohesive at¬ traction, acting in constant opposition to each other, enter intimately into every operation, by which changes arc produced in the properties of substances. These mutations of capacities seem essentially requisite to the preservation of a more equal temperature, than otherwise might take place in the elements, of which our bodies €.4 NAD A. ‘275 form a part, and by which we are environed* The evaporation from water mitigates the solsti¬ tial warmth: and the quantity of he.it which es¬ capes previous to the congelation of that body, restrains the domination of frost from attaining that degree of exacerbation, at which it might otherwise arrive. Were the power of cold capable of pervading with a velocity equal to that of light, every part of an immense body in a liquid state, the consoli¬ dation not progressive, and in a great measure superficial, would take immediate effect, when¬ ever the whole could be brought to the tempera¬ ture of thirty-two degrees of Fahrenheit’s ther¬ mometer. The thawing of mountains of ice and and snow, w ere heat to act in the same manner, would w ith equal rapidity take place. The long continuation of frost and snows, which for a period of near six months in the year prevail in Lower Canada, may be attributed to the immense and desert regions which stretch towards the north. The snow' seldom falls in any quantity in that province, unless when the wi ld blows from the north-east, which is the quarter of the mountains of ice. In passing over the unfrozen parts of the sea, the current of cold air drives before it the vapours emitted from thence, which become immediately converted in¬ to snow. Whilst the wind continues in that di¬ rection, and whilst the snows are falling, the de- 278 CANAWJU grce of cold is diminished; but no sooner does it change its position to the north-west, than the cold is considerably augmented. '1 he evaporation of the snows contributes much to render so keen the winds of the west, and north-west, which, previous to their arrival in Lower Canada, tra¬ verse immense countries, and a prodigious chain of mountains enveloped in that fleecy covering. The elevation of the earth is not the least im¬ portant cause of the subtilty of the air, and of the severity of cold in this part of America ; as the regions to the northward probably extend to the pole. The w inds in Lower Canada general¬ ly proceed from the north-west, or north-east. W hen blow ing from the former quarter, they pass over a long tract of territory : and the sur¬ face of the earth within the limits of their course, becomes deprived of a portion of its heat to miti¬ gate the air. But on continuing to blow in the same direction, they will sweep over a surface already cooled, and will thence receive no abate¬ ment of their severity. Advancing in this man¬ ner, they produce in their course the intenseness of frost. When the w inds pass over large collec¬ tions of water, die surface becomes cool, and the air proportionably mitigated. The colder w ater, more weighty than that beneath, descends. Its place is supplied by that which is warmer: and a continued revolution thus takes place, until the CANADA. 277 Surface becomes solid, and the further develope- ment of warmth is restrained. The vast and immeasurable forests which over, spread the face of Canada, essentially contribute to the domination of cold. The leaves and branch¬ es of the trees are thickly interwoven with each other: and the surface of the ground, particular, lv in the northern parts, is covered by shrubs, brambles, and the more rank productions of ve¬ getation. Into these gloomy recesses the rays of the sun can with difficulty penetrate, and can vi¬ sit them but during a transient portion of the long- summer’s day. The earth overshadowed during the prevalence of heat, and covered by snow in winter, can emit but a small degree of warmth to temper the piercing winds: and the leaves of the trees which are exposed to the sun, possess not a sufficient quantity of matter to imbibe, or to re- tain the effect of his rays. The winds, in passing over these forests, ean therefore undergo but lit. tie alteration in their temperature. The snows are there retained in the spring, to a much later pe¬ riod than on the cleared grounds, and tend to the prolongation of cold. The clearing and cultivation of lands have much contributed to the amelioration of the climate of Canada : and the number of fires kept up in the habitations in different parts of the country, may likewise have a share in producing this change. A A CANADA. 278 Certain however it is, that the winters in those parts of Lower Canada, in the vicinity of Que¬ bec, have remitted several degrees of their former severity. An intelligent priest in the island of Orleans, kept for half a century, a correct meteor¬ ological table: and his successor continued it for eight years longer. The result of their obser¬ vations tended to prove, that the medium of cold in winter had diminished eight degrees within that period. The mercury in the thennometer sometimes descends in w inter to the thirty-sixth degree be¬ low zero in Fahrenheit’s scale. But the atmo¬ sphere rarely continues long* in that dry and in¬ tense state. The river Saint Lawrence is seldom frozen so far down its course as Quebec, although immense bodies of ice crowding upon each other, continue to float up and down w ith the tides. The win¬ ter of 1799 w'as the last in w hich w hat is called the Pont was formed, and when carriages passed across the ice from Quebec to Point Levi. The ice in these regions is of a much harder nature than that of climates less subject to the influence of severe frost. It contains more air and its con¬ texture is much stronger, from the great degree of cold by which it is congealed. Being sudden¬ ly formed, it is less transparent, as well as harder, than that which is more tardy in its formation. CANADA. 279 Although the congelation of wafer be rapid in its process, a considerable time is required for its so¬ lution when congealed. If ice, formed in the space of six minutes, be placed in such air as has acquired the temjXTature of fort} -five degrees of Fahrenheit, it will be some hours in resuming its fluidity. In weather perfectly calm, water will frequently acquire a degree of cold beyond w hat is sufficient for its congelation, without any change in its liquid state. But if a breeze ruffle its surface, it becomes immediately solid. The ice on the rivers in Canada, acquires a thickness of two feet and upwards ; and is capa¬ ble of supporting any degree of weight. That on the borders of the Saint Law rence, called the bordage , sometimes exceeds six feet. The ice on the centre of the stream, where it is frozen over, is the thinnest part, occasioned probably by the convexity of the river. In great bodies of water which run with rapidity, the centre is higher frequently by some feet titan the sur¬ face towards either of the shores. Horses and carriages are driven with great ra¬ pidity along the ice: and an accident seldom hap¬ pens, except sometimes towards the spring, w hen it becomes rotten and insecure. The accumulation of snow in the woods, w here it is not subject to be drifted by the winds, is u- sually six or seven feet in depth about the end of 280 CANADA.' February, when it has attained its greatest quan¬ tity. The influence of the sun, after that period, gradually consumes it, although fresh supplies continue at intervals to fall, sometimes for six weeks after that period. The relative proportion of the snow to water, may be ascertained by means of a long cylinder closed at one end, and immer¬ sed until it reach the surface of the ground. It will thus contain a column of snow equal to the depth that has fallen ; and on its being dissolved, will shew the quantity of water to which it is equal. The mode of travelling in winter is no less ra¬ pid than convenient. A vehicle, called a cariole f is drawn by one or two horses, which are harness¬ ed in the same manner as for any other carriage. The body of the more fashionable kind is like that of a curricle, and is fixed upon a sleigh shod with iron. It has an apron of bear-skin or leather: and within it is placed a buffalo-skin, called a robe, with which the legs and feet are kept warm. A person may thus travel, or drive about for his pleasure, without much inconvenience from cold, particularly if he employ a servant to drive the horses. In bad weather, sleighs with tops or co¬ vers made of leather, are in use. When the roads are level and good, the draft of one of those car¬ riages is very little fatiguing for. a horse; as a small degree of impulse is then required to retain it in rapid motion. 281 CANADA. After a heavy fall of snow, the loaded sleighs which pass along in the vicinity of the towns, al¬ ternately take up in their front, and deposit a quantity of snow, and thus form in the roads fur¬ rows and ridges in a transverse position, which are called cahots. Until these are filled up, tra¬ velling becomes fatiguing and unpleasant. There is scarcely a habitant in Lower Canada who possesses not one or two sleighs: and much time is consumed during the winter season in driving from one place to another. The horsce are of the Norman breed, and are rather small, but stout, hardy, fleet and well calculated for draft. Notwithstanding the little care that is bestowed on them, and the ill treatment which many of them experience, they in general possess their strength to a great age. The houses are kept warm in winter by mcan 9 of cast metal-stoves, in which wood is burnt, and which, through pipes formed of sheet-iron, com¬ municate an equable portion of heat to every part of a chamber. By this mode, and by the precau¬ tions which are taken on the part of the inhabi¬ tants, in wearing suitable clothing when they ex¬ pose themselves to the air, the severity of the cli¬ mate is but little felt or regarded. The dry cold, by contracting the pores of the skin, seems in some degree to present a reme¬ dy for its own intenseness, and to counteract those CAN ABA. 282 impressions, of which the human frame would otherwise become more susceptible, and be per¬ haps unequal to sustain. The French language, w hich is that of the in¬ habitants of Lower Canada, is spoken without any provincial accent. The proceedings of the legislature, and also those of the courts of law, are both in the English and French tongues. JINIS, yilexande r i£ rhUiifx, Printer*, Carlitl ft 2 1 %9