92 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
the country being well cultivated and beautifully wooded. The Fences 
are entirely of Stone and the Fields of an immense Length as much as 
30 Acres. On passing the Church of St. Anne’s we found our Men 
engaged in making Confession of past Sins and invoking the Saint, from 
whom the Church is named, for a prosperous voyage. 1 dined at a small 
“Inn and found our Men preparing to start. Raven who expected to have 
seen a sort of Ship exclaimed “ How small” on seeing the Canoe but 
added “ How pretty;” and so it was, for Nothing could have so light and 
buoyant an Appearance. Our Men now went to the Extremity of the 
Island of Montreal about two miles distant where it is the Custom to 
encamp and where in fact the Voyage is considered to commence. St. 
Annes is 30 miles from Montreal. Our Landlord had been in the Hud- 
son’s Bay Service, but was absent. The Situation of this little Inn was 
very picturesque; on the left the Chuch of St. Annes with a negt elegant 
Spire, in Front the Rapids of St. Anne with a back ground of four small 
Islands covered with the most beautiful Verdure and fine Trees,—to 
the Right a Forest. 
In the Evening I walked to our Encampment, found the Tent up. 
This Part of the Island is very fine and I have never anywhere been so 
much struck with the Beauty of the Forest Trees as on this enchanting 
spot. The Tree which has most pleased me is the Elm of this Country. 
The Trunk is bare till towards the Top when the Branches spread and 
have the Appearance of a beautiful Plume of Feathers.* Besides the 
Elm I observed the Oak, Ash, Maple, Plane, and the Woods full of the 
most beautiful forest Flowers. Fancying that Messrs. McGillivray would 
not arrive till the Morning I had gone to Bed at the small Inn but I ‘was 
most agreeably called up about + past 11, for never was a poor unfor- 
tunate Voyageur so bitten and in such Misery as myself. We then went 
down to our Encampment and went to Bed till Day Light. On calling 
the Men to start we found that Two of them were absent but understood 
we should find them on the other side of the River. We then embarked 
and after paddling for an Hour we found ourselves at the Village, but 
our Men were not to be found. It then became necessary that the 
Guide should go for them which he did and about 7 o’clock in the Morn- 
ing brought them to us. In the meantime we had pitched our Tent and 
had gone to Bed. Before we were up a very singular and laughable 
Incident occurred which formed a Subject of Joke and Fun during our 
whole Voyage. These little Histories happen I understand very often 
in these Indian Countries. 
A very nice Canadian Boy, moitié noir et moitié blanc, presented 
himself at our Tent and enquired for Mr. McGillivray. The elder Mr. 

