. IMADA 



CANADA. 



.-i 



Um* oe the bonk* of the riven, there are prairies or natural meadows 

 of n<> groat extent, generally coming only tew thousand term, and 

 eoaUiniac oa them mll clomp* of lofty pin?*, white oak and poplar, 

 and Uwr*. The largest ofth*w prairie* we In the 



Milhbourhood of Long Point and th- river* Thirae. n.l Ouso. Th 

 larfwt rivtr of thU plain u the rUat**, whoM sources are in the 

 great swamp which oeeupis* the centre of the country. Its upper 

 courw U north and xrth a* far as London, whence iU general direc- 

 tion it *outh-wet It diKbargw iUelf into Lake St. Clair, after a 

 winding eoone of nearly 150 miW U U navigabl* for ve***l* a* far 

 M Chatham. 15 miUi from iU mouth, and for boate nearly to ite 

 owe* ; but it ha* a bar at ite entrance. The OHM, or Grand Kitcr, 

 rise* in the hill* south of Natewaaaun Bay, about SO milea from it, 

 and run* with a very winding ooone, first about 75 or 80 mile* south, 

 and then nearly the mate distance south-east, till it fall* into Lake 

 Brie at Sherbrooke. It hai more water than the Thames, and U 900 

 yard* wide at it* month, but the bar acroat ite entrance has only eight 

 feet of water on it. Kerertheleai it forma one uf the beat harbour* 

 on the north shore of Lake Erie. The river ii navigable about 25 

 mOea from ite mouth for schooner*, and considerably farther up for 

 Urge boate. The Wdlmd, or Ckippettay, which rise* between the 

 waat and of Lake Ontario and the banlu of the Ouse, runa east and 

 (all* into the river Niagara nearly three mil above the Oreat Falls. 

 For more than 25 milea from ite mouth ite depth varies between 9 

 and 15 feet. It haa given ite name to the canal which unites the 

 lakes Erie and Ontario. The Welland Canal was formerly navigable 

 only by vessels not exceeding 125 tons. It haa of Ute yean been 

 reconstructed ao as to give passage to vessels 140 feet long by 26 

 feet 4 inches beam, and of about 450 tons burden. The aqueduct 

 which carries the canal over the river Welland U an extensive stone 

 structure. 



We hare now to describe the third great section of Canada north 

 uf the St Lawrence, or that which extends from the Ottawa to the 

 Atlantic, and comprehends the greater part of Lower Canada. About 

 30 milea below Quebec is Cape Torment, in the neighbourhood of 

 which a mountain rises to the height of 1890 feet above the sea. A 

 line drawn from this point at right angles to the river divides the 

 northern countries into two portions, which are different iu features 

 and character. Between the mouth of the Ottawa and Cape Torment 

 the banks of the St. Lawrence are low, or of very moderate elevation, 

 M tar as Richelieu Rapid, 52 miles below Three Rivers ; but from this 

 point they begin to rise and assume a bold character, which continues 

 increasing to Cape Diamond, on which Quebec stands, and still more 

 towards Cape Torment. Where the banks are low the adjacent 

 country from 5 to 15 miles inland is level, or rises gradually to slightly 

 derated terraces. Beyond this level the country rises in moderate 

 hills with gentle slopes. The range of hills in the background begins 

 on the banks of the Ottawa near Orenville, and runs nearly parallel 

 to the St Lawrence in a north-east direction. In the parallel of 

 Quebec it turns east, and covers the country about that town with 

 numerous hills which are divided from one another by fine valleys. 

 The country has thus a different aspect in those districts where the 

 banks of the river begin to be high and bold. The soil of this tract 

 along the river is generally good. The country behind the range of 

 mountains has only been explored along the course of a few rivers. 

 It appears to contain very few tracte fit for agriculture in the narrow 

 river valleys. The intervening spaces are occupied by ranges of high 

 and bare rocks which contain numerous small lakea and swamps. 

 The larger rivers have their origin to the west of the mountain range, 

 break through it, and fall into the St. Lawrence. Those which join it 

 to the south of the Richelieu Rapid are navigable for 20 miles and 

 upwards from their mouth, but ore obstructed by rapids and cataracts 

 higher up. The rivers which discharge themselves into the St. Law- 

 rence north of Richelieu Rapid are for the moat part too rapid to be 

 navigated ; they are used in the spring to float down the timber to 

 the mills situated near their mouth. The largest of these rivers is the 

 St. Maurice, whose upper branchex rise for in the interior behind the 

 mountain range. They are three in number, and each of them passes 

 through a considerable number of large lakes. They unite near 48 

 H. lat, from which point the river runs in a south-east direction with 

 imtii-rous bends to iu mouth near Three Rivers, a course of above 

 150 miles. It i navigable for boate to La Tuque, about 100 miles 

 from ite mouth, but there are some rapids which must be avoided by 

 abort portages. The country extending north-east from Cape Tor- 

 k U almost entirely unknown, except the valley of the river Sague- 

 The coast has a forbidding appearance. From Cape Torment the 

 I continue* unbroken, except by the beds of rivers and rivulete, 

 I it lowers 15 or 18 mile* below the mouth of the Saguenay. It 

 risen from the water-edge with a steep ascent to an average height of 

 800 or 400 feet, but in some places of 2000 feet Farther down it 

 subside* in approaching the Bergeronnes, and sinks to a moderate 

 elevation at Pontneuf, about 40 miles below the mouth of the Sague- 

 nay. Bat towards Pointe dea Monte the banks rise again, and con- 

 tinue at a great elevation to the boundary of Labrador. The interior 

 u described by the natives as consisting of rocky cliffs and rugged 

 hills of inoomndenble elevation dispersed over barren plains, and with 

 thick foreste studded with crooked and stunted pine*, birch, fin-, and 

 cedar. Small lakes and swamps abound over the whole tract. The 



Saguenay issues from Lake St John, which coven about 540 square 

 mflea and receive* several large rivers, of which the Wmtehuan and 

 the Aa*uapmou**oin are the moat considerable ; but their course U 

 very imperfectly known. Around Lake St John are ome tracte of 

 cultivable land. Two rivers issue from the east part of the lake, 

 called the Grande and Petite Discharge, and unite after a course of 

 abont 40 or 50 milea, forming an island 38 miles long with an average 

 breadth of 1 7 miles. After their junction the river is called Saguenay, 

 and runs nearly 100 mile* to ite mouth near Tadouasao. For about 

 half the distance the banks are rich and fertile, but in the lower half 

 they are formed of rocks rising from 200 to 1000 feet in height The 

 current of the Saguenay is very quick, though ite depth is great ; it 

 is navigable for vessels of any size for about 70 mile* to Ha- Ha Bay, 

 which Is a good harbour. The tide ascends to the union of the two 

 Discharge*, and rises about 15 feet A mass of turbid water brought 

 down by this river darkens the stream of the St. Lawrence for many 

 miles. 



In the south section of Lower Canada there is a mountain range at 

 the source* of the Connecticut River, on the boundary-line between 

 Canada and the United States, which runs east-north-east to the origin 

 of the St. John River, and thence nearly due north till it approaches 

 within about 20 milea of the St Lawrence Kiver. It then turn* 

 north-east, and continues in that direction parallel to the river, ite 

 rocky heigh U often advancing to the very edge of the water 

 this mountain range, which terminates in capes Roziere and Gaspe, 

 the country is divided into three regions, one lying to the west of the 

 mountain range which runs north, the second forming the narrow 

 tract along the St. Lawrence, and the third comprehending a small 

 part of the basin of the St John Kiver. The western districts of tli.' 

 first region form an almost level plain, on which, at considerable dis- 

 tances, a few isolated mountains rise abruptly above the surfac. 

 summit of Rouville Hill is 1100 feet above the level of the St Law- 

 rence. This flat country extends almost to the river St Francis; 

 but towards the south the surface becomes progressively hilly, till it 

 assumes a mountainous character towards the lakes of Memphramagog 

 and St. Francis. The banks of the St Lawrence are low, and partly 

 marshy, especially on the shores of Lake St Peter ; but lower down 

 they gradually begin to rise, and at the mouth of the Chaudiere they 

 are high and bold, and continue so to Point Levy, opposite Quebec. 

 The western level districts have the best soil in Lower Canada, from 

 which wheat is exported to Great Britain. This is probably the most 

 l>i>l>ul, >us and best cultivated part of Canada. Between the St Francis 

 and the Chaudiere the soil varies very much in fertility, and large 

 portions of it arc still covered with forests. 



The Oiambly, also called Richelieu, St. John, St. Louit, and Sorel, 

 the largest of the rivers of Lower Canada which fall into the St Law- 

 rence from the south, rises in Lake George, in New York state, which 

 lake is united by a short passage to Lake Champlain. Issuing from 

 Lake Champlain, the C'hambly is a wide river, but it grows gradually 

 narrower as it proceeds north, so that at ite mouth it is only 250 yards 

 brood, while near Lake Champlain its width exceeds 1000 yards. The 

 upper course ia rnther violent, and at some places broken by rapids ; 

 lower down its current is regular and gentle. It is navigable for 

 decked vessels 12 or 14 miles from its mouth, and to Lake ('ham plain 

 for boats and canoes. From St John there is a ship navigation to 

 the towns on Lake Champlain. By this river the produce of part of 

 the state of New York contiguous to Lake Champlain is brought to 

 Montreal At the mouth is the town of William Henry, or Sorel. 

 The course of the Chambly in Canada is above 70 niilen. The Si. 

 Francis rises in the lake of St Francis, which is about 18 or 20 miles 

 long, and very irregular in breadth. The river issues from ite west 

 side, and runs about 30 miles south-west, where it turns to the north- 

 west, and soon afterwards uniting with the river Magog, flowing from 

 Lake Memphramagog, it continues ita course north-west to it* junc- 

 tion with the St. Ijjwreuce, a distance of about 70 miles. The nume- 

 rous rapids and falls render the navigation of this river difficult and 

 laborious ; yet the trade upon it is considerable. The Clumdiire rises 

 in the lake of Megantic, north-east of the sources of the Connecticut, 

 and flows about half of ite course north and the other half D 

 north-west It is not navigable, owing to the rapids and fall* i 

 ing one another in quick succession. About four miles from ite mouth 

 are the Chaudiero Falls, which are 130 feet high, the breadth of the 

 river not being more than as many yards. Few falls can be compared 

 with these for picturesque beauty. The course of tin- riv, r in more 

 than 100 miles. The country along the St Lawrence, below tho 

 month <>f the Clmiidiore, rises from the banks of tho river in irregular 

 ridge*, with generally a steep ascent, and attains a considerable eleva- 

 tion at the distance of 10, 15, and 20 miles from tho river. It then 

 forms a sort of table-land, which descends gently towards the river 

 St John. East of Point Levy the banks soon begin to lower, and for 

 some extent are of moderate elevation. At St Anne they ri." 

 isolated cliffs of considerable height, and continue so to Kamouraaka 

 and St Andrew's. Farther down there is, close to the river, a steep 

 ascent, varying between 150 and 200 feet; and this elevation is still 

 considerably increased opposite Bio Island. From this part to Cape 

 Roziere it maintains nearly the same height and character, except at 

 a few places where the rivers descend from the mountains. A very 

 small part of this country is fit for cultivation, and the population is 



