ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY. 335 



ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY. 



St. Lawrence presents a complicated structure in its primary system ; but in its sedimen- 

 tary rocks, it is, like all the northern counties, extremely simple. In its topography or physi- 

 cal geography, there is a great uniformity ; that is, we do not find any parts of it rising to 

 great heights. All the higher lands attain but a moderate elevation, and a large proportion of 

 the surface is but a few hundred feet above the level of the river St. Lawrence. 



To give some brief details of its surface, I remark, that the two tiers of townships border- 

 ing the river are level. The rivers, when they have reached this part of the county, are 

 sluggish, or have but a moderate current ; and if they have falls, they amount to only a few 

 feet. This space extends twenty miles east of the river, and a few miles farther in the northern 

 part of the county. * 



The two next tiers of townships may be called hilly. The streams flow with greater 

 rapidity. The remainder of the county, which lies to the southeast, embracing a district 

 wholly unsettled, may be termed mountainous, though by no means extremely so. All the 

 elevations are merely moderate, and fall far short of those in the western part of Essex. 

 Through this region, the rivers flow not only with rapidity, but we find upon them many 

 heary falls ; still, even here, some of them have long distances of still water and batteau 

 navigation. 



I do not propose to enter into farther details of topography. It is sufiicient to state the 

 general features, when there are no essential deviations from the ordinary levels of a country. 

 We may regard the whole slope as facing the northwest ; the southeast portion as being com- 

 paratively rapid ; the middle portion as moderate ; and the northwestern, or the two tiers of 

 townships upon the river, as being quite moderate, or with only a sufiicient descent to give a 

 drainage to the country. 



A feature of St. Lawrence, more striking in its character, arises from tlie number of large 

 rivers which have their origin not far from the eastern border of the county. Rising in the 

 wilds of Franklin and Hamilton, and partly in the adjacent part of St. Lawrence, they all flow 

 first but a little north of west ; but when they have reached the central part of the county, 

 their course is nearly northwest, and after continuing a few miles in this direction, finally get 

 around into a course parallel with the St. Lawrence river itself, in which course they traverse 

 a large part of the county before they empty themselves into this mighty flood of waters. 

 This disposition appears to have been produced by the change in the character of the rocks ; 

 the great change in the direction of the waters takes place near the junction of the primary 

 with the transition rocks, and probably was occasioned partly by the denudations which have 

 been efiected in former times. We find, too, that the lakes near the St. Lawrence lie with their 

 longer axis parallel with the course of this river, and their beds seem to have been channelled 

 out by streams or currents of water which have flowed over this country in ancient times. 



