1892-93.] THE JOURNAL OF CAPTAIN WALTER BUTLER. 283 



the ice into the lake ; rowed till 9 o'clock ; came up to the Duck Islands 

 and saw the islands called the False Ducks about south from the real 

 Ducks; the distance I take to be better than 12 miles between the 

 real and the False Ducks as they appear from here. The vessels, if I 

 remember well, made the distance more. Those islands afford a safe 

 retreat for vessels in case of a storm. The islands are much alike, about 

 a mile round and nearly circular distant from the main, four miles and 

 from each other one. The weather calm, rowed across a very deep 

 bay of 20 miles down and about ten directly over. This bay is much 

 larger if taken from the point of a large island to the east and the Ducks 

 to the west part of the main, and the large island on the east side of the 

 bay from the Ducks appears like a number of small islands and in many 

 places a single tree is only seen. Many persons not acquainted with the 

 passage have taken down the bay supposing it to be the entrance of the 

 river, and in coming from the river have imagined the main to the west 

 to be islands from its appearance, and go likewise down this bay. 

 Traders go in two days to the before mentioned small lake inhabited by 

 the Missassaugas. Continued rowing till the mouth of the Caderouqua 

 Bay, the wind coming fair sailed into Caderouqua harbour. The 

 distance from our encampment to Caderouqua about 32 miles, the land in 

 general very low and swampy back ; the points rocky and shallow for 

 some way out. There is so much of a sameness in the appearance of the 

 land from the highlands to the river that a few miles off in the lake there 

 is no knowing one place from the other. Nothing but the walls of the 

 barracks and houses remain of the Fort. It appears never to have been 

 a place of strength, neither do I think its situation will admit its being 

 made so, the land very stony and ground back to command it. It has a 

 fine safe harbour for shipping. The little island opposite the Fort 

 improved in the French time is now covered with small trees. 



I am told vessels cannot sail out of Caderouqua to the lake but with 

 a north or north-west wind. An east and south wind are fair winds for 

 ships once clear of the river to Niagara. The above are all the observa- 

 tions I made on the north shore of Ontario, which would have been more 

 perfect but for the severity of the weather, which prevented me taking 

 notice of many parts of the shore, neither did I think these remarks 

 would have been seen or would have been more particular. 



