St. JMiiiiricc and Saguenajj. 219 



again observed to improve until it meets the ridge of high 

 liiils running from near the Grand Pille rapids towards the 

 river Batiscan. 



A great proportion of good land has been discovered to 

 exist in thevallevs of the Batiscan and St. Anne extendina: 

 as far as the river Jacques Cartier, capable of supporting a 

 large population. This tract contains but few swamps 

 and is well watered with numerous lakes and rivers. — 

 These rivers, after having their native mountain heights, 

 cncrease in size and flow through a country well covered 

 with hard-woud ; but the land in the immediate neighbor- 

 hood of the hills is encumbered with the bowlder-stones so 

 common in most [larts of Lower Canada. 



In following the course of these rivers to the lakes from 

 whicli they derive their source, a wild and rocky country 

 Is entered, abounding in steep precipices and ranges of 

 liigh hills covered with a light sand. The hollows between 

 these hills almost invariably contain lakes, formed by the 

 expansion of the rivers passing through them ; the timber 

 growing aroiuul their shores, as well as on the sides of the 

 liillp, consists of birch, poplar, and balsam, with occasion- 

 ally Bome pine, and a slight mixture of maple. The 

 small rivers and streams, tributary to the Batiscan and 

 Jac(|ues Cartier, are full of heavy rapids, and these rivers, 

 for a considerable distance into the interior, have occasion- 

 ully small strips of what is termed interval land, reaching 

 from the shores to the foot ol the mountains, but decreasing 

 in quality and growth of timber as they recede from (he 

 valley of the St. I>nwrcnce. Around many of the lakes not 

 far within the mountain ri<lgc a sprinkling of hard-wood, 

 tucli at young beech, black bircli, elm. and black ash, are 

 now and then di^covero<l among (he young growth of 



