118 SCENERY OF LAKE ONTARIO. 



Pavilion house at Niagara falls, assured us had been des 

 patched for York before we left his house on the 3d July, had 

 not reached its destination, and not having received an answer 

 to a letter written to him on the subject, I resolved to enquire 

 personally. Next morning I got on board the steam-boat, 

 King William the Fourth, for Niagara. 



The scenery, when sailing up Lake Ontario, is uninterest 

 ing. Dark coloured monotonous forests fringe the low shore, 

 on which, at different intervals, are the meanest habitations 

 of civilized men ; and now and then a puny vessel, with dirty 

 sails, appears in view. On approaching Hamilton, the 

 landscape is more varied from, the heights and little lake, 

 twelve miles in circumference, on which the village is situ 

 ated, and divided from the main lake by a stripe of land eighty 

 yards wide, through which there is a canal lined with wood. 

 When going through the canal, the rope passing from the 

 helm to the wheel in the forecastle, where the pilot of all 

 American steamers takes his station, gave way, and the vessel 

 narrowly escaped destruction. Six hours were spent in land 

 ing and shipping merchandise at Hamilton on Sunday. Many 

 of the steerage passengers were tipsy, and some quarrelling. 

 I walked into the woods to escape the scene. The stillness 

 of a Scotch Sabbath is better appreciated after sojourning 

 in a foreign land. 



The steamer reached Niagara at ten o clock. At four next 

 morning I proceeded in an extra to the falls, which were 

 visited before breakfast. Mr Chrystler assured me the lug 

 gage had been despatched as stated at the time ; and on my 

 return I discovered it in the lobby of a hotel at the village of 

 Niagara, where it had arrived from the Pavilion house the 

 night before. At noon I got on board the daily steamer for 

 York. The day was so cold that people clothed themselves 

 in great-coats in crossing the lake, and many became sick 

 from the agitation of the waters. 



On 14th July I found some wheat crops near Niagara 

 almost ripe, the cherry-trees stript of fruit, and the graceful 

 blossom of the sweet chestnut fading. 



