132 LAKE SUPERIOR. 



Toronto, and all filled with troops of the rosiest children, and sur- 

 rounded by fine orchards and corn-fields. The hay seemed in many 

 instances at least to be stacked, in the English fashion, instead of 

 being stored in barns. Vines and ornamental trees were beginning 

 to be cultivated about the houses, though the prevalence of balsam- 

 firs showed that they had not got far in this direction. The houses 

 are sometimes of a very agreeable cream-colored brick, made in the 

 neighborhood ; most frequently, however, rough-cast, upon lath, with 

 a mixture of plaster, lime and coarse sand, which is said to stand 

 perfectly well. The forest trees are principally white pines, some 

 very fine specimens of which we saw along the road. These afford 

 employment to a number of steam saw-mills, and large quantities of 

 lumber are exported from Toronto. 



The government lands here, I was told, are divided off into strips 

 two lots deep, by parallel roads, and these being joined at certain 

 intervals by cross lanes, the division of farms is rendered very sym- 

 metrical. Probably, however, this necessitates the buying of an 

 entire lot, or none at all ; at all events, we understood that for some 

 reason or other the transfer of real estate is much hampered by the 

 regulations of the Land Office. 



We arrived at Toronto by gas-light, and found nobody awake but 

 a train of geese who were solemnly waddling across the street. 

 We went to the Wellington Hotel, a very dirty and uncomfortable 

 place. 



Aug. 23d. Our baggage did not arrive until this morning, fif- 

 teen minutes before the boat for Queenston started. My compan- 

 ions contrived to get on board, but I was left to pass the day in 

 Toronto. My first move was to transport my effects to the North 

 American House, somewhat better than the other, but very far from 

 good. 



Toronto is very regularly built, of the cream-colored brick above- 

 noticed, in some cases stuccoed. The streets are wide, and both 

 carriageway and sidewalk made of plank, laid transversely. Many 

 of the houses in the suburbs have extensive gardens and ornamental 

 grounds, but in the city itself there are no buildings of much preten- 

 sion to beauty, and very few attractive shops. 



