152 Collingwood to Samia. 



destined to make it one of the most attractive watering 

 places in the Great West. The roads or streets that wind 

 around the harbour or among the grove-Hke forests of the 

 island are naturally pebbled and macadamized ; the buildings 

 are of every style, from an Indian lodge to a substantial 

 English house. There are several large hotels, with atten- 

 tive hosts, ever ready to contribute towards the comforts of 

 their visitors. There are billiard-rooms and bowling alleys ; 

 in the stores are to be obtained Indian curiosities ; and the 

 Indians themselves who resort to the island, may be ranked as 

 curiosities to those who have never before seen them. Taking 

 steamer here either for Sarnia or Goderich, on our return, we 

 enjoy a lovely sail down Lake Huron, the Canadian side of 

 which forms one of the finest portions of America. The tract 

 of land called the Huron District, being the north-western 

 part of Canada West, is extremely fertile, and watered by 

 numberless streams, insomuch that in a tract south-east of 

 Goderich, within a space of 30 miles, eighty-seven rivers and 

 brooks take their rise, or nearly three to a mile. Yet the 

 whole southern portion of Lake Huron is deficient in good 

 harbours, the principal ones being Goderich and Saugeen. 

 Long sand bars aref found across the mouths of the streams, 

 and this is especially noticeable at Aux Sables, the river 

 running parallel to Lake Huron for eleven miles, the space 

 between being only a sand bar. Geologists tells us the 

 cause of this is, that the prevailing wind, being from the 

 north-west, inclines the stream in the opposite direction at 

 its mouth, so that the waves of the lake being neutralized by 

 the force of the current, the sand or mud contained in both 

 naturally deposits itself in the still water. In the north-east 

 centre of this section of the country is an extensive swamp 

 of about 30 miles in length, lying on the very highest land 

 in the district, which feeds most of the streams that run in 

 either direction. This swamp is wonderfully productive of 

 cranberries, and quite a traffic is carried on in that article. 



