54 '749- 



on account of the ice which then begins 

 to diflblve, it fometimes happens to rife fo 

 high as to overflow a great part of the 

 fields, and, inftead of fertilizing them as the 

 river Nile fertilizes the Egyptian fields by 

 its inundations, it does them much damage, 

 by carrying a number of grafles and plants 

 on them, the feeds of which fpread the 

 worfl kind of weeds, and ruin the fields. 

 Thefe inundations oblige the people to 

 take their cattle a great way off, becaufe 

 the water covers a great tradl of land $ but 

 happily it never ftays on it above two or 

 three days. The cayfe of thefe inundations 

 5s generally owing to the flopping of ice 

 in fome part of the river. 



THE Zizania aquatica, or Folle Avoine 

 grows plentiful in the rivulet, or brook, 

 which flows fomewhat below Prairie. 



July the 24th. THIS morning I went 

 from Prairie in a bateau to Montreal, upon 

 the river St. Lawrence. The river is very 

 rapid, but not very deep near Prairie, fo 

 that the yacht cannot go higher than Mon- 

 treal, except in fpring with the high water, 

 when they cap come up to Prairie, but no 

 further. The town of Montreal may be feen 

 ktJFVvttr/lj and all the way down to it. On 

 pur arrival, there we found a crowd of 

 people at that gate of the town, where we 



were 



