Between Montreal and Trois Rivieres. 83 



deeper there ; 6ut the boats prefer the 

 north-weft fide, becaufe it is nearer, and 

 yet deep enough for them. Beiides this 

 ifland there are feveral more hereabouts, 

 which are all inhabited. Somewhat fur- 

 ther, the country on both fides the river is 

 uninhabited, till we come to the Lac Sh 

 Pierre ; becaufe it is fo low, as to be quite 

 overflowed at certain times of the year. 

 To make up for this deficiency, the coun- 

 try, I am -told, is asf thickly inhabited fur- 

 ther from the river, as we found it along 

 the banks of the riven 



LacSt..Pierrei$zpzrt of the river St. Law- 

 rence* which is fo broad that we could hardly 

 fee any thing but fky and water before us* 

 and I was every where told, that it is feven 

 French miles long, and three broad. 'From 

 the middle of this lake as it is called, you 

 fee a large high country in the weft, which 

 appears above the woods. In the lake are 

 many places covered with a kind of rufh, 

 or Scirpus palujlris, Linn. There are no 

 houfes in fight on either fide of the lake, 

 becaufe the land is rather too low there ; 

 and in fpring the water rifes fo high, that 

 they may go with boats between the trees. 

 However, at fome diftance from the (hores, 

 where the ground is higher, the farms are 

 clofe together. We faw no iflafids in the 

 F 2 lake 



