FACE OF THE COUNTRY. 87 



situation of the town, communicating with Lake Erie, and the 

 extensive waters to the west, by means of the Erie canal., which 

 is carried over the river in the middle of the town by an aque 

 duct of free stone, 800 feet long with Lake Ontario by a 

 railroad with Montreal by the St Lawrence, and with New 

 York by the Hudson, together with its splendid water power, 

 renders its increase of wealth and population almost without 

 limits. 



Next morning we set out for Lewistown by way of Lock-, 

 port, travelling on what is termed the ridge-road, a natural 

 formation extending round the south end of Lake Ontario, 

 at a distance of eight or ten miles from the present waters, 

 and nearly a hundred feet higher. It is from twenty-five to 

 fifty feet wide, fifteen to twenty feet above the surrounding 

 country, and composed of sand and gravel. The road is sup 

 posed to have formed the margin of the lake at some remote 

 period of the world, but I had not sufficient opportunity to 

 form an opinion on this point. 



The country through which we travelled, after leaving Ro 

 chester, is more recently settled than any yet seen, the fields 

 being thickly covered with black stumps overtopping the wheat 

 crops ; and the felling and burning of trees was going on in 

 all directions. The houses were mere log-huts, and wanting 

 in external comforts. The warm state of the weather induced 

 the inhabitants to throw open the doors and windows, affording 

 an opportunity of seeing the internal arrangements, and I can 

 testify to their well-stored tables and general neatness. The 

 crops were bad, and much of the soil so inferior as not likely 

 to repay those engaged in clearing it of timber. 



After a fatiguing ride, we reached Lewistown, a thriving 

 village, at midnight, and found the bar-keeper and porter of the 

 hotel intoxicated, which was the only instance of the kind I 

 met during my transatlantic tour. By this time we had learned 

 to take things as we found them, and in a few minutes our 

 baggage and selves were in bedrooms without assistance. 



