Fort St. Fred€rk. 37 



boats clofe under the weftern fhore of the 

 river, and then the hills would have pre- 

 vented their being {t^x\ from the fort. 

 Therefore the fort ought to have been 

 built on the fpot where the mill ftands, 

 and all thofe who come to fee it, are im- 

 mediately ftruck with the abfurdity of its 

 fituation. If it had been eredled in the 

 place of the mill, it would have com- 

 manded the river, and prevented the ap- 

 proach of the enemy -, and a fmall ditch 

 cut through the loofe limeflone, from the 

 river (which comes out of the lake St. 

 Sacrement) to lake Champlain, would have 

 furrounded the fort with flowing water, 

 becaufe it would have been fituated on the 

 extremity of the neck of land. In that 

 cafe the fort would always have been fuf- 

 ficiently fupplied with frefli water, and at 

 a diftance from the high rocks, which fur- 

 round it in its prefent fitaation. We 

 prepared to-day to leave this place, having 

 waited during fome days for the arrival oi 

 the yacht, which plies conftantly all fummer 

 between the forts St. John^ and St.ivWtr/V.- 

 during our ftay here, we had received many 

 favours. The governor of the fort, Mr. 

 L^lfignariy a. man of learning and of great 



* Saint Jean. 



'^^ C 3 polite- 



