SAINT LAWRENCE RIVER 



5157 



SAINT LEGER 



of the north bank above Quebec terminates in 

 the bold bluff upon which the city is built. 

 Below Quebec the bluffs on the north shore 

 merge into hills, and the hills into mountains 

 which culminate in Cap Tourmente, towering 

 2,000 feet above the water. Beyond the river 

 the mountains seem to roll into one another 

 until they disappear on the northern horizon. 

 The south shore is low and ascends gradually 

 to a range of low hills in the distance. 



The Thousand Islands. For a distance of 

 forty miles after leaving Lake Ontario the river 

 has a width of from four to seven miles, and 

 scattered over this area are about 1,750 islands; 

 some are several acres in extent, while others 

 are mere points of rock. Many of the islands 

 private property on which wealthy Cana- 

 dians and Americans have built beautiful sum- 

 mer homes, not a few in the form of medieval 

 castles of most picturesque appearance. The 

 scenery of the islands, with their precipitous 

 rocks and shady groves, is beautiful, and the 

 climate is healthful, offering an almost ideal 

 for the summer. 



Tin- waters of the Saint Lawrence run swift 

 and clear past the islands, which are near the 

 famous rapids. There are large hotels, which 

 are regularly visited by steamers. Alexandria 

 Bay, the largest town in the park, is a noted 

 Miinmer resort. The islands were formed by 

 a spur of the Laurentian highland, which ex- 

 tends from Ontario southward across the Saint 

 Lawrence River into the state of New York. 



The Saint Lawrence Islands Park consists of 

 twelve reservations among the islands, which 

 are set apart as places of outdoor recreation 

 and rest for the public. Pavilions and open- 

 air stoves have been provided for the conven- 

 ience of campers, and caretakers see that the 

 grounds are kept clean and attractive. 



The Rapids. The descent of the river before 

 iuim Montreal is made chiefly by a series 

 of rapids, which are caused by the outcropping 

 of irregular layers of rock in the bed of ih- 

 stream. Tin- most noted rapids are thq Long 

 Sault, the Cedars, the Cascades and the La- 

 < -him . just above Montreal. In each rapid tin- 

 water rushes down a rocky slope and is broken 

 into waves, whirling eddies and masses of spray. 

 Excursion steamers make daily trips from Kings- 

 fin to Montreal during the summer, and thou- 

 sands of tourists experience the thrill of "shoot- 

 ing the rapids." Since the boat must pass 

 through a tortuous channel at a terrific speed, 

 the piloting of these steamers requires unusual 

 >kill and nerve. But the boats are cousin i< 



especially for running the rapids, and accidents 

 are almost unknown. Canals around each of 

 the rapids are used by the boats on the return 

 voyage and also by freight boats in both direc- 

 tions. 



Navigation. The largest ocean vessels have 

 always been able to ascend the river to Que- 

 bec, and by dredging the shallow places in the 

 channel the river has been made navigable for 

 them as far as Montreal. Steamers from the 

 Great Lakes not drawing over fourteen feet of 

 water make regular trips to Montreal during 

 the open season by using the Welland Canal 

 (which see) and the canals around the rapids. 

 The meeting of ocean and inland traffic at 

 Montreal has made that city the great com- 

 mercial metropolis of Canada. The Saint Law- 

 rence is not only the great waterway of the 

 Dominion, but also one of the most important 

 commercial routes of the world, and upon its 

 waters are borne the ships of many nations. 



History. The Saint Lawrence River was dis- 

 covered and named by the French explorer, 

 Jacques Cartier, in 1535. The Indians de- 

 scribed it as the "river without end." Cartior 

 extended his explorations as far as the island 

 of Montreal, where he found the Indian town 

 of Hochelaga. The broad channel extending 

 ward led him to believe that he had found 

 the much sought passage to China, and it was 

 not until the great inland seas which form its 

 source were discovered by Cartier that the ori- 

 gin of the river was made known. WJ.R. 



Consult Johnson's The Picturesque Saint Law- 

 rence; S. B. Dawson'e Saint Lawrence, Its Basin 

 and Borderlands. 



Krlnted Subject*. The reader is refern .1 t<> 

 the following articles in these volumes : 

 Cartier. Jacques Montreal 



Great Lakes Saint Lawrence, Gulf of 



SAINT LEGER, Icj'cr, or sil'injcr, BARRY 

 (1737-1789), a British soldier who served in the 

 Revolutionary War in America and in the 

 French and Indian Wars. Entering the army 

 in 17.">(). he \\:is sent to America, served under 

 Abercrombie and under Wolfe at Quebec. In 

 the r:ini|:nnn of 1777 Saint Leger, thru lieu- 

 tenant-colonel, was sent with an expedition to 

 capture Fort Stanwix with the assistance of Sir 

 John Johnson and his Indians, and fought tin- 

 I MI tie of Oriskany against General Herkimer, 

 who was mortally wounded in the action. A 

 few days later General Benedict Arnold drove 

 Saint Leger's men towards Canada in disorder. 

 :ml for the rest of the war the latter confined 

 himself to guerilla operations on the boi 



