94 AGRICULTURAL NOTICES. 



Canada, the booksellers of Niagara informing us a pocket 

 one of the country never had been published, and almost 

 nothing could be learned about mails and stages, which near 

 ly placed us in the situation of pursuing our route blindfold. 

 Dining at the village, we returned to the Pavilion in an 

 extra, which corresponds to the post-chaise of Britain ; and I 

 took an opportunity of delivering some letters by the way. 

 Queenstown and Niagara are mean dirty-looking villages, ap 

 parently without trade, and very unlike the clean bustling 

 places on the opposite side of the river. The bar-rooms of 

 the hotels we entered were filled with swearing tipsy people, 

 and the establishments badly conducted, from the stage-coach 

 to the presenting of butter ; which, instead of being, as in the 

 States, hardened by means of ice, was an unclean liquid. 



Between the falls and village of Niagara the soil is partly 

 clay and partly sand, both seemingly of indifferent quality, 

 and bearing bad crops. The farm-houses are untidy, and 

 the fences look old and dilapidated. No trace of recent im 

 provement could be discovered, and the state of agriculture 

 seemed stationary. 



I had a letter to Mr , whom I was requested to visit, 



as he had been nearly half a century in Canada, and possessed 

 some fine farms in the neighbourhood of the falls. On 

 enquiring at the landlord of the Pavilion, if he knew any 

 thing of the gentleman to whom the letter was addressed, 

 I learned he was a little king in this part of the world, with 

 whom the landlord himself had served when a boy. Impressed 

 with the rank of the person, I asked if I might venture to 

 breakfast with him next morning. Yes, was the reply, you 

 will be sure to get every thing of the best. The import of 

 my question being misunderstood, I was told it was unneces 

 sary to announce my visit beforehand. I requested an extra 



to be in readiness to carry us to , and retired to rest, 



meditating on the treat expected from walking over some of 

 the finest farms in Canada, in company with King - 

 Next morning rain fell in torrents, which detained us till after 

 breakfast, when we travelled by the way of St David s, and 

 at length the extra drew up at the door of a small wooden 

 cottage. No time was lost in delivering and reading the 



