192 EXCURSION TO BEAR CREEK MR GOOSE. 



ed a property on the banks of the Thames, four miles below 

 Chatham, inherited from his father, who was one of the origi 

 nal settlers. Mr Goose was a sensible, well-informed man, of 

 a weakly constitution, and had let his farm on shares to a 

 Yankee, by which he obtained half the produce for his labour. 

 Mr Goose rode a brown mare, with a filly foal running at her 

 feet, in the language of the country styled a colt, a term 

 applied to the young of the mares, without regard to sex. My 

 friend C- - and I rode chestnuts, or sorrels, without shoes, 

 the reins were stout ropes, and the saddles without panels 

 or girths. On, however, we jogged up the Thames, and 

 crossed over to Bear creek, which we reached about four 

 o clock, and got some refreshment at the house of Mr Goose s 

 brother-in-law, whom we found sowing wheat. The ostensible 

 object of our journey was to examine some lots of land which 

 had been offered us by letter in the township of Dawne, and 

 regarding the situation of which WQ could not obtain informa 

 tion till arriving on the creek, when we learned it was in the 

 opposite direction where we were, and so swampy that no per 

 son could live on it. We then commenced descending the 



stream, and passed the night with Mr B , friend to Mr 



Goose, sleeping soundly on the floor. Next morning, we de 

 scended the creek four or five miles below, where its waters 

 are on a level with those of Lake St Clair, and crossed over to 

 the Thames, which we passed below Chatham in a canoe, swim 

 ming the horses by its side. Here we parted with Mr Goose, 

 much pleased with his conduct, paying him $4, or 16s. 8d. 

 sterling, for the services of three horses and himself two 

 days. 



The soil, on the banks of the Thames, varies from soft sand 

 to strong clay, and may generally be termed heavy loam. Our 

 first and most easterly line from the Thames to Bear creek 

 was poor sand, gradually improving to fine loam on approach 

 ing the creek. The banks of the creek showed the richest 

 description of sandy loam ; and much of what is termed bot 

 tom land, more especially above Mr B s property, is per 

 haps too rich for first crops. This richest of land, extending 

 to both sides of the creek, and containing a thousand acres, 

 was unoccupied, for sale, and could have been bought at about 



