10 Dr. Bigsby's Sketch of the Topography 



The bays of York and Presquisle are the best, and almost 

 the only harbours on the north shore west of Quinte Portage ; 

 and the mouth of Genesee River in the middle of the south 

 shore, is the nearest port to Niagara, and yet is seventy-five 

 miles from it. The small indentures are always shallow and 

 obstructed with sand-bars, as also are the mouths of the rivers 

 in all parts of the lake. 



The eastern half of Ontario is much broken by bays and 

 inlets ; the largest and most remarkable being on the north 

 side, called the Bay of Quint^. It is twenty miles from the 

 east end of the lake, and is very singularly formed between the 

 irregular peninsula of Prince Edward's County on the south, 

 and the main of the Midland District on the north. Its length 

 through its various windings is fifty miles, and the breadth 

 varies from one to five miles. It has several arms in various 

 directions, from two to six miles long. A neck of land twelve 

 hundred yards across, part marshy and part of sand, separates 

 its upper end from a round lagoon two miles in diameter, which 

 communicates with the open lake by a shallow and very short 

 breach in the sand bank which forms the south side of the 

 iagoon. The distant hills of the main, the frequent and high 

 cliffs which overhang its wide-spreading basins of water, oc- 

 casionally diversified by woody isles, and surrounded by farms 

 and villages, impart a great share of beauty to the bay of 

 Quint^. The peninsula of Prince Edward is indented with 

 coves and points, and contains on its south side two lakes di- 

 stinguished as the " East and West Lakes," the first being 

 twelve miles round, and the second, sixteen. They communi- 

 cate with Lake Ontario. 



The three bays adjoining Kingston at the north-east ex- 

 tremity of the lake are very small, but are of great importance 

 as furnishing convenient and defensible harbours for ships of 

 large burthen. As the geological appearances in their neigh- 

 bourhood are of interest, I shall be somewhat minute in their 

 topography. 



Kingston is by much the largest and most regular town on 

 Lake Ontario, and improves rapidly. It is placed close to the 

 water, on a rough slope, on the west side, and at the entrance 

 of the bay called Kingston Harbour, where the shore is bold 

 and well adapted for the construction of wharfs. This har- 

 bour is used by steam-boats and merchant-vessels. It stretches 

 up northerly for 1^ mile, terminating about a swampy island 

 called " Bell's Island," in a mai'sh tour miles long, which re- 

 ceives the small stream named Kingston River. The bay is 

 six hundred yards across opposite the town, and widens to- 

 wards its bottom to twelve hundred. The land to the west 



and 



