Geographical Collections. 129 



Rivers of Canada. 



The rivets which feed the great stream of the St. Lawrence, as well as the ex- 

 tended lakes connected with it, may be considered as of three classes : first, those 

 of great magnitude, and traversing extensive regions ; secondly, those of inferior 

 size, flowing only through particular districts, and from 40 to 150 miles in length ; 

 thirdly, those of smaller dimensions, suppose of less than thirty miles in length. 

 It is only of the rivers of the second class that we mean to speak in this article. Of 

 the first class, there are only two, the Ottawa and the Saguenay. The former is 

 still too little known through the greater part of its course, to be the subject of 

 particular description, and would at any rate require to be separately treated. The 

 latter is also of such magnitude, as to require a separate notice. 



The streams of the third class are far too numerous to be detailed. 



Of the rivers falling into the south side of the St. Lawrence, within the bounds 

 of Lower Canada, the largest, in respect of quantity of water, is the Richelieu, 

 and it is also the best known. The principal origin of its waters is in the United 

 States, and if we estimate the whole length of country from which it collects them, 

 from the south point of Lake George to the termination of the river at Sorel, 

 that length cannot be less than IGO miles. The breadth of the same tract 

 varies from 10 to 60. Taking it at the medium of 30 miles, the extent of coun- 

 try from which its waters are collected, must be at least 4800 square miles. Only 

 a small portion of this however lies within the Province. 



From the Province line to the mouth of the river, the distance appears to be 

 about 70 miles, and hence the space of which it collects the waters, within the 

 Province, being a triangle of 30 miles base, will be 1050 square miles in extent, 

 or one-fourth of the whole expanse which it drains. Its capabilities and defects 

 as a water communication, are well known. 



In the triangular space bounded by the Richelieu on the east, the line 45° on 

 the south, and the St. Lawrence on the north-west, the only river requiring to 

 be enumerated in this class is the Chateaugay, celebrated in the events of the late 

 war. It rises in Hemmingford, and after running twenty miles in a winding 

 course to the west, flows through nearly the same distance north-east into the St. 

 Lawrence. It appears to collect the waters of a space nearly equal to 400 square 

 miles. 



That part of the District of Three- Rivers which lies south of the St. Lawrence, 

 together with the adjoining part of the District of Montreal, as far as the river 

 Richelieu, is watered by a large number of rivers. Among these, the principal, 

 or such as belong to our secondary class, are the St. Francis, the Yamaska, the 

 Nicolet, and the Becancour, of which the three first, all lose themselves in lake St. 

 Peter. The natural limits of this part of the country are the Chaudiere on the 

 east, and the Richelieu on the west. The largest of these rivers is the St. 

 Francis. 



This river has three principal sources, lake St. Francis, lake Memphramagog, 

 and lake Tomefobi. The first of these is in the township of Garthby, and takes the 

 name of the river, which, from this place, runs about 30 miles in a south-wester- 

 ly direction to the township of Ascot. This lake is divided into two parts, one 

 of which is 12 or 14 miles in length, and of very irregular breadth : the other 

 about half as much. 



Lake Tomefobi is in the township of Hatley. Its outlet unites with two or 

 three other streams from Compton and Clifton, and falls into the St. Francis in 

 Ascot. 



Lake Memphramagog is of a lunular shape, extending about 20 miles in length, 

 but very narrow, dividing the township of Stanstead, and having its southern ex- 

 tremity in Vermont, and the northern in the township of Hatley. Its outlet falls 

 into a small lake Scaswap, from which its waters are conveyed into the St Francis 

 in the township of Ascot. 



From this confluence of these various branches, this river flows in a north- 

 westerly course, a distance of 60 or 70 miles, into the lake of St. Peter. Its 



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