Montreal. 77 



from four to fix degrees greater, than he 

 had marked it. He had likewife marked 

 in his journal, that the ice in the river St* 

 Lawrence ' broke on the 3d of April at 

 Montreal, and only on the 2oth day of 

 that month at Quebec. On the 3d of May 

 fome trees began to flower at Montreal* 

 and on the I2th the hoary froft was fo 

 great, that the trees were quite covered 

 with it, as with fnow. The ice in the ri- 

 ver clofe to this town is every winter above 

 a French foot thick, and fometimes it is 

 two of fuch feet, as I was informed by all 

 whom I confulted on that head. 



SEVERAL of the friars here told me, that 

 the fummers were remarkably longer in 

 Canada, fince its cultivation, than they ufed 

 to be before; it begins earlier, and ends 

 later. The winters on the other hand are 

 much fhorter; but the friars were of opi- 

 nion, that they were as hard as formerly, 

 though they were not of the fame dura- 

 tion ; and likewife, that the fummer at 

 prefent was no hotter, than it ufed to be. 

 The coldeft winds at Montreal are thofe 

 from the north and north-weft. 



Augujt the ad. EARLY this morning 

 we left Montreal, and went in a bateau on 

 our journey to Quebec* in company with the 

 fecond major of Montreal, M. de Sermon- 



vil/e. 



