62 



the St. Lawrence ; and although much gratification was experienced 

 during its whole course, it was not till reaching Brockville that we 

 really felt our presence in a foreign land. Here the river is extended 

 to a lake, and much interspersed with islands ; this portion has there- 

 fore been admirably designated the ' Lake of a Thousand Islands.' 

 These islands are of sizes varying from a few yards square to many acres 

 in extent, mostly wooded and rocky, in many cases rising from five to 

 thirty feet above the level of the water ; a few have been partially 

 cleared and cultivated, and have neat residences upon them. During 

 our course from Brockville to Kingston, we visited several of the un- 

 cultivated islands, and proceeded over their surface with much diffi- 

 culty, owing to the numerous large trunks of trees which had been 

 blown down at various periods. Many of these gigantic masses, com- 

 posed chiefly of white pines and hemlock spruces, measured from ten 

 to fourteen feet in circumference. Several were so completely de- 

 cayed as to have their surface green with Hypnum moss, forming 

 seed-beds for young trees of various descriptions. Arbor-vitass were 

 abundant on them, having their tender roots ramifying through the 

 decayed mass. In no instance did we observe a plant of seedling 

 pine on any of the stems of the fir tribe. 



" The principal tree growing on these islands was the Arbor-vita3 

 {Thuja Occident alls), which generally surrounds the rocky places ; 

 then came the oaks, ashes, hickories, elms, sugar-maples, with the 

 poplar-leaved and black birches [Beivla pojmlifera and lento), and 

 generally in the centre were the white pines and hemlock spruces, 

 evidently requiring more shade and damp than the deciduous trees ; 

 being rarely seen in their natural condition wholly exposed. Rubus 

 spectabilis was in beautiful flower among the rocks, also the Indian 

 hemp {Apocynum androacemifolium). On the surface of the soil un- 

 der the trees we observed considei'able quantities of the following 

 herbaceous plants ; viz., Scrophularia marylandica, Teucrium cana- 

 dense, Cypripedium humile, Fumaria glauca, with Lycopodium com- 

 planatum and dendroideum. 



" On reaching Kingston, forty-eight miles above Brockville, we 

 remained for several days, and made excursions during our stay in 

 various directions. The first was towards the north-east ; proceeding 

 from the town, we came upon several extensive portions of level lime- 

 stone rocks, nearly destitute of surface soil ; from their size and posi- 

 tion they greatly resembled the tombstones in a burying-ground. In 

 the crevices of these rocks many large plants of Juniper were growing; 

 this variety diff'ered from the British by being more glaucous in colour. 



