FACE OF THE COUNTRY AND SOIL. 209 



The banks of the river Thames are nearly on a level with 

 the waters of Lake St Clair, and gradually rise on approach 

 ing Chatham, where they are fifteen or twenty feet high. 

 They have long been cleared of the forest, descendants of 

 French settlers residing below, and those of British Loyalists 

 above. Both classes of inhabitants seem to cultivate only 

 what is necessary to supply their wants, and have made no 

 inroads on the forest or prairie for many years. The extent 

 of cultivated land is limited, and everywhere celebrated in 

 Canada as the best in the world. The soil on the south 

 banks of the Thames, from Chatham to its mouth, varies from 

 the finest brown-coloured loam to indifferent sand, the former 

 being of limited extent. I do not mean to damn this favourite 

 spot with faint praise, but while I admit there is some loam as 

 good as man could wish, I contend it is not generally of such a 

 description. No competent judge of soil need remain long 

 in doubt on this point who visits the situation, and I shall 

 only particularize a field above Mr John Goose s house, which 

 was being fallowed when I was there, and which I pronounce 

 not good soil. The state of the crops might be adduced in 

 evidence of my opinion, especially that of Indian corn, which 

 was not equal to that on some parts of the shore of Lake 

 Erie, more especially that belonging to John Macdonald. 



Of the land in the interior of the Peninsula, I am un 

 able to speak, with exception of what was seen passing from 

 Chatham to Lake Erie, and which I found of superior qua 

 lity. I have already noticed that few running streams join 

 Lake Erie, and the same remark is applicable to Detroit 

 river and Lake St Clair. Several rivers are laid down on 

 maps as flowing into the south side of Lake St Clair, but at 

 the time of my visit the mouths of all of them, with a single 

 exception, were closed with sand on the margin of the lake ; 

 and I could not determine whether their waters filtered through 

 the sand bars into the lake, or those of the lake into the 

 channels or canals running into the land. 



The greater part of the inhabitants in and around Amherst- 

 burgh and Sandwich, the banks of Detroit river, Lake St 

 Clair, and the mouth of the Thames, are descendants of the 



