NORTH AMERICA. 



cereals cannot materially exceed 40,000 square 

 miles, containing, however, within this space a 

 singularly small proportion of irreclaimable sur- 

 face. This cultivable block increases regularly in 

 width and fertility, from its commencement on the 

 Lower St Lawrence to the shores of Lake Huron. 

 Below Quebec to say nothing of the precarious 

 nature of the crops there may always be seen, on 

 one or on both sides, the primeval forest. Between 

 that city, again, and the basin of the Ottawa, a 

 gradual improvement shews itself even on the 

 north side ; and towards the south, there stretches 

 away to the frontier of the United States a broad 

 belt of generally undulating character, probably 

 the best field in the country for the blending of 

 pasturage and agriculture. From the basin of the 

 Ottawa inclusive, the parallel of the south end of 

 Lake Nipissing may be said to cut off, towards 

 the south-west, the entire residue of the practic- 

 able soil, in the shape of a roughly defined tri- 

 angle, which, as a whole, is at least equal in the 

 growth of grain in general, and of wheat in par- 

 ticular, to any region of the same extent in the 

 whole continent. 



In the matter of communications, Canada is 

 unrivalled. The St Lawrence, with its lakes, puts 

 it in connection at once with the most commer- 

 cial sections of the United States, and with the 

 open ocean. The navigation of this great water- 

 system has been much assisted by art. Below 

 Montreal, Lake St Peter has been deepened so as 

 to admit vessels of over 1800 tons burden; and 

 above that city, a series of cuts, skirting the 

 rapids, admit sea-going vessels into Lake Ontario. 

 Beyond this, the Welland Canal, a magnificent 

 achievement, connects Lake Ontario with Lake 

 Erie, affording passage for vessels of large size, 

 and thus escaping the insuperable obstacle of the 

 Falls of Niagara. The 'Allan' line of steamers 

 plies weekly between Liverpool and Montreal in 

 summer, and between Liverpool and Portland in 

 winter. In addition to the navigation of the main 

 artery, there are numerous canals and navigable 

 streams and lakes throughout the province. Of 

 the former, the principal is the Rideau Canal, 

 connecting the river Ottawa with Lake Ontario. 



Over and above all these facilities in the way 

 of navigation, Canada is not deficient in roads of 

 every description. The government has laid out, 

 in the newer and remoter townships, two great 

 systems of highways ; seven lines for the Upper 

 province, and five for the Lower ; subsidising, as it 

 were, the same by free grants of 100 acres to each 

 holder of land on both sides of every route, under 

 condition of residence and cultivation. The 

 Grand Trunk Railway of Canada is the longest 

 line in the world owned by any one company, and 

 under one management. It has an unbroken line 

 of communication from Portland to Lake Huron 

 and Detroit. In 1881, progress began to be made 

 with the gigantic undertaking of a railway for the 

 Lakes through Manitoba, the North-west Terri- 

 tory, and British Columbia, thus connecting the 

 Atlantic provinces with the Pacific. The com- 

 pany received large grants of land along the line, 

 and undertook to finish the railway within ten 

 years, the British government guaranteeing a 

 loan. The Canadian Pacific Railway was com- 

 pleted in 1886, much within the specified time. 

 The Megantic International and the Intercolonial 

 give Montreal railway communication with St John 



and Halifax, the chief cities respectively of New 

 Brunswick and Nova Scotia. 



The climate of Canada presents very opposite 

 extremes of heat and cold, and the transition from 

 the one to the other is much more sudden than in 

 Great Britain. Notwithstanding this, however, 

 it is healthy. The spring in Canada generally 

 commences about the end of April, and the fields 

 are well covered with vegetation by the beginning 

 of May. The thermometer rises in summer to 

 from 80 to 90, and even above 100 ; but the 

 average heat of the summer is generally about 75. 

 Spring, summer, and autumn extend from the end 

 of April to October. ' As indications of the climate 

 of Canada increasing in warmth as you ascend 

 the river, it maybe stated that the Isle of Orleans, 

 immediately below Quebec, is famous for its 

 plums, and the island of Montreal for its apples ; 

 and from the neighbourhood of Toronto to the 

 head of Lake Erie, grapes and peaches ripen 

 without any aid whatever. Melons, again, of 

 large size come to maturity, through the settled 

 parts of the province, in the open air ; and pump- 

 kins and squashes attain enormous size, some 

 of them near Toronto having weighed 300 Ibs.' 

 Winter commences in November, when thick 

 fogs and snow-storms are frequent. By the 

 middle of December, the ground is generally 

 covered with snow, and the frost, especially in 

 Lower Canada, becomes sometimes very intense, 

 the thermometer sometimes falling to 25 below 

 the freezing-point. 



In Upper Canada, again, about Toronto, the 

 sleighing season, which, at Quebec, lasts for five 

 months, is seldom longer than as many weeks. 

 The sky of a Canadian winter is generally almost 

 cloudless, the air bracing, and, from the absence 

 of wind, in spite of the low temperature, the cold 

 is not felt to be disagreeable. From Quebec to 

 Montreal and upwards, the St Lawrence and other 

 rivers, and also the lakes, cease to be navigable ; 

 but the firm icy surface serves as a road for the 

 sleighs and carioles ; and although the entire face 

 of nature is now changed, yet the snows and 

 frosts of Canada are hailed as ushering in a season 

 which brings with it no small amount of social 

 enjoyment. 



The chief towns in Canada are Quebec and 

 Montreal in the province of Quebec; and Toronto, 

 Hamilton, Ottawa, London, and Kingston in the 

 province of Ontario. Ottawa, the new capital of 

 the Dominion of Canada, is picturesquely situated 

 on the south bank of the river of the same name, 

 about 90 miles from its junction with the St 

 Lawrence. At the west end of the city, the river 

 rushes over the magnificent cataract known as the 

 Chaudiere Falls ; and at the north-east end there 

 are other two cataracts, over which the Rideau 

 tumbles into the Ottawa. The immense water- 

 power of the city is made use of in numerous saw- 

 mills, which send forth vast quantities of sawn 

 timber. The finest buildings in the city, and 

 among the finest on the American continent, are 

 the Houses of Parliament for the Dominion. The 

 population in 1871 amounted to 21,500, and has 

 of late increased rapidly. 



The city of Quebec stands on the extremity of 

 a precipitous cape, on the north bank of the St 

 Lawrence, opposite the island of Orleans. It is the 

 great military stronghold of British North America, 

 completely commanding the navigation of the 



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