54 >b i749» 



on account of the ice which then begins 

 to difTolve, it fometimes happens to rile fp 

 high as to overflow a great part of the 

 fields, and, inflead of fertiHzing them as the 

 river Nile fertiHzes the Egyptian fields by 

 its inundations, it does them much damage, 

 by carrying a number of gral^^^s and plants 

 on them, the feeds of which tpread the 

 worft kind of weeds, and ruin the fields, 

 Thefe inundations oblige the people to 

 take their cattle a great way off, becaufe 

 the water covers a great trad: of land ^ but 

 happily it never ftays on it above two or 

 three days. The caufe of thefe inundation^ 

 is generally owing to the flopping of ice 

 in fome part of the river. 



The Zizania aquatica, or FoIIe Avoine 

 grows plentiful in the rivulet, or brook, 

 which flows fomewhat below Prairie. 



"July ihe 24th. This morning I went 

 from Prairie in a bateau to Montrealy upon 

 the river St. Lawrejice. The river is very 

 rapid, but not very deep near Prairie^ fo 

 that the yacht cannot go higher than Mon^ 

 trealj except in fpring with the high water, 

 when they can come up to Prairie^ but no 

 further. The town of Montreal mzy be i^tn 

 ^l Prairie, and all the way down to it. On 

 our arrival, there we found a crowd of 

 people at that gate of the town, where we 



were 



