44 CHANNELS AND ISLANDS. 



the little churches of St. Lawrence and St. John though standing 

 near the shore, since we had no one to point them out to us. The 

 two lighthouses, that of St. John village with its white revolving 

 flash every half-minute, which is visible ten miles, and that of St. 

 Lawrence village with its fixed white light visible eight miles, would 

 also have escaped our notice, as we passed them in the daytime and 

 not the night, but that the white towers seen from the wharf attracted 

 our attention. On leaving Berthier a small fixed light on a Httle 

 island, known as Belle Chasse Island, guided us towards the entrance 

 of that part of the channel known as the Middle Traverse. Leaving 

 the North Channel, separated from our route by a shoal of rocks 

 and reefs on the north, and the South Traverse, similarly separated 

 on the south, we pursued our way, by this time guided by the fixed 

 light on the western end of Crane Island, which with Goose Island, 

 forms a very narrow, meadowy, and muddy strip of land, some fif- 

 teen miles long between us and South Traverse, until we had safely 

 passed the dangerous shoal in the centre of the Traverse ; then, 

 coming into clear open water, we saw the light boats of St. Roque 

 on our right, and Isle aux Coudres on our left as we sailed easily 

 and pleasandy along the now safe passage before us. Soon the 

 captain with the chart showed us our position, and a hasty glance 

 as we passed this little island, about twice as long as it is broad (5^ 

 miles by 2^), lying snugly tucked away in a baylike enlargement 

 of the north shore, revealed but a glimpse of Notre Dame Church 

 steeple as we passed to the open water beyond. Here we came 

 for the first time upon the open river, a distance of about eleven 

 miles across from Mai Bay (which is ninety miles from Quebec and 

 noted for its salt-water bathing and trout fishing, the sports of its 

 summer visitors, who are often quite numerous) , with its bold, rocky 

 point on which a light is situated while the shoals are only a quar- 

 ter of a mile from shore on the north, to Riviere Quelle, with its 

 summer pleasure grounds and hotel only ninety-two miles from 

 Quebec on the south bank of the St. Lawrence ; only a little below 

 which point, this hilly region of earthquakes bears the name of Les 

 Eboulements. But it is now Sunday, and the ladies have fixed their 



