50 Eastern Townships. 



landscape, and in the months of June or October it appears 

 like a rich green or variegated carpet. Looking towards the 

 south you see a country much resembling North Wales or 

 Switzerland, in regard to scenery ; the mountains being 

 a continuation of the great Appalachian chain, and the 

 waters of Lakes St. Francis and Aylmer are clearly 

 visible. Lake St. Francis, whence issues the river of that 

 name, is about forty miles north-east of Sherbrooke. It is 

 about fourteen miles long, and from one to two wide ; the 

 country around is very sparsely settled, and the lumberer is 

 the chief pioneer of civilization in this part of the Townships. 

 Great quantities of valuable lumber are obtained yearly 

 throughout the whole of this region, and the principal part of 

 the lumber sawn at Brompton Falls, by C. S. Clark & Co., in 

 their extensive mills, is obtained from the forests about this 

 lake. Quite contiguous is Lake Aylmer, through which the 

 waters of the above lake pass on their course down the river 

 St. Francis ; this is also a pretty expanse of water. About 

 twenty miles south of these lakes, and about forty south- 

 east of Sherbrooke, near the boundary line of the State of 

 Maine, is Lake Mcgantic, the source of the Chaudiere River, 

 whose banks have gained notoriety from the gold discoveries 

 recently made there. The lake is about sixteen miles long, 

 and two in breadth ; the country around it is not much 

 settled yet ; and still sufficiently remote from the haunts of 

 civilization for the beaver to be found on its tributaries. 

 The St. Francis Indians frequent this section of country, as 

 affording them good hunting grounds, and the lake itself 

 abounds with fish, their principal article of food. This 

 region, however, from the richness of its soil, must soon 

 become peopled. The mountains in the vicinity of the lake 

 have a considerable altitude, but their general aspect is not 

 so picturesque as that of the shores of some other lakes 

 hereafter to be described. The Chaudiere River, which 

 issues from this lake, passes through a valley of about 100 



