GRAND RIVER AGRICULTURE. 157 



Nellis Settlement, one of the most beautiful spots in the 

 province, will be destroyed by tlie submersion of the islands 

 and flats. The soil of the Indian Reserve, including what 

 was sold to government, as seen by me on the east side of the 

 Grand River, is chiefly clay of medium quality, with very 

 little vegetable mould on the surface. In a distance of nearly 

 twenty miles, I observed only one or two streamlets joining 

 the river, which does not augur favourably of the lands 

 abounding in water, unless the springs flow in a westerly 

 direction towards the Welland or Chippaway River. The 

 prevailing wood is oak. 



The agriculture on the Grand River embraces the cultiva 

 tion of wheat, oats, clover, and Indian corn, by the white 

 population, the Indians confining their attention chiefly to 

 Indian corn, and occasionally a little wheat. The female 

 Indians bestow considerable attention on the cultivation of 

 Indian corn, which is planted on the best of land by the river 

 side, and infinitely surpasses any thing I saw belonging to the 

 white population. In many cases the crop was eight feet 

 high, and almost always has intermingled with it a few plants 

 of the sunflower, still more luxuriant than the corn, the large 

 yellow flowers of which bending towards the sun, impart a 

 high degree of richness and beauty to the crop. 



At eight A. M. on the 21st August, the party at Mr W s 



broke up, Captain A on horseback for Blenheim, S 



and the mutton-bone stealer for Hamilton, and C and I on 



foot for Brantford. The morning was fine, and the road being 

 through the Indian Reserve on the banks of the river, we 

 enjoyed our walk for some time. But towards noon the 

 powerful rays of a vertical sun shone on us, while the banks 

 and trees excluded every breath of air, and we suffered con 

 siderably from heat. My friend on two occasions petitioned 

 for a few minutes rest, when we reclined under a tree to cool, 

 almost naked. We reached Brantford to dinner, a distance 

 of twenty-four miles, and learned the thermometer stood at 

 ninety-four degrees in the shade. In the evening we walked 

 around Brantford, having quite recovered the fatigue and 

 broiling we underwent in the early part of the day. 



People frequently speak of the danger of drinking cold 



