ST THOMAS PORT STANLEY. 181 



rienced on the horrid roads of the Huron tract. Dining at 

 St Thomas, we walked to Port Stanley, where we remained 

 for the night. Next morning we returned to St Thomas, in 

 the midst of a heavy rain, which confined us to the house for 

 the greater part of the day. 



St Thomas seems healthily situated on a bend of Kettle 

 creek, about 200 feet above its waters. Three years ago it 

 consisted of thirteen houses, now there are about fifty. Mr 

 Gregory, at whose hotel we stopt, then had four beds, now 

 he has twenty-five, and is engaged in enlarging his house to 

 twice its present size. There are other two good hotels in 

 the village. 



Port Stanley is situated at the mouth of Kettle creek, and 

 has a tolerably good harbour, formed by wooden piers jutting 

 into the lake. This is almost the only port at present on the 

 north side of Lake Erie, and from its proximity to London 

 and St Thomas, its trade will greatly increase. A steam&amp;lt;-boat 

 commenced this season to ply regularly from Buffalo, by which 

 a number of British emigrants reach the London district by 

 way of New York and the Erie Canal. Steam-boats also touch 

 in passing from Chippaway to Sandwich and Chatham. 



Kettle creek is a small stream running in a deep channel, 

 the banks being clay, and nearly 200 feet high at its mouth 

 on the shores of the lake, from the bosom of which we saw 

 the moon rise majestically, while examining the banks. On 

 Kettle creek there is a carding, grist, and saw-mill, a distillery 

 and brewery, situated between St Thomas and Port Stanley. 



At Port Stanley I conversed with a party of emigrants 

 encamped on the wharf, from Argyleshire, Scotland, who had 

 come by way of New York, and seemed in comfortable cir 

 cumstances. The males of the party had gone into the coun 

 try in search of relations, who had settled some years before, 

 and the females were anxiously looking for their return. Se 

 veral women, apparently on the verge of seventy years of age. 

 and infant children, were amongst the number. A middle-aged 

 woman complained to me of the dirtiness of the beds at Port 

 Stanley, and the extravagance of the charges. On the pre 

 ceding night she had been charged Is. for a bed. Water to 

 wash her children s faces could not be obtained, and the party 



