244 Topographical Notices. 



It is certainly true that there is a considerable extent 

 of barren ground along the Ottawa. The mountain ridge 

 which nari'owly skirts that river, from the Long Sault 

 upwards, occupies a great portion of its northern shores, and 

 while these barren heights are almost constantly in the view 

 of the traveller, it is also true that there is seldom any where 

 much display of fertility immediately along the water, the 

 good tracts being generally lined with strips of drowned or 

 stony land. Notwithstanding these appearances, however, 

 there continue to be, far above the present settlements, 

 very extensive tracts of excellent soil on both sides of the 

 river, sufficient, without looking far into the interior, to 

 render it a subject of interest, by what means they may be 

 laid open for settlement. 



As to the main body of the country between Lake Huron 

 and the Ottawa, its southern extremity from the Simcoe 

 waters to the last surveys on the Ottawa, has been traversed 

 by two exploring parties, and in this direction a barren 

 rocky range of high lands is described to extend nearly 

 across the whole. Respecting the lands north of this, it 

 has hitherto been very difficult to obtain any distinct intel- 

 ligence, as they have been frequented only by a few illiterate 

 servants of the traders. But it appearing ahnost certain, 

 from various corroborating reports, that immediately to 

 the north of these explored tracts, the country became less 

 elevated and more fertile, the journey, of which the follow- 

 ing observations are the result, was luulcrtaken in order 

 to examine into these important circumstances. 



The nature of the country as far as a journey of this kind 

 could ascertain it, though dift'ering materially from \vhat 

 report had described, has far exceeded my most sanguine 

 expectations. P'rom the unfavourable accounts which 



