11 



Thames in its widest part to 80 miles. For nearly 2000 

 miles, including the Lakes Ontario, £rie, and Huron, it it 

 navigable for ships of200 tons burden, and the remainder of 

 its course for batteaux, (flat bottomed boats,) of from 10 to 

 20 tons burden. It docs not preserve the same name 

 throughout its course: from the Sea to Montreal it is 

 called the St. Lawrence ; from Montreal to Kingston the 

 Cbtaraqui or Iroquois ; between Lakes Ontario and Erie 

 the Niagara; between Lakes Erie and St. Clair the 

 Detroit ; between Lakes St. Clair and Huron the St. 

 Clair; between Lakes Huron and Superior, the Narrows 

 or Fails of St. Mary. The first steam boat that plied on 

 the St. Lawrence was launched in 1812; there are now 

 many — some of large burden— employed conveying goods 

 and passengers between Quebec and Montreal and between 

 Quebec and Halifax in Nova Scotia. The navigation at 

 Quebec closes by the freezing of the river at the end of 

 November, or beginning of December, and opens in April. 

 Below Quebec, the river is seldom frozen over, but the 

 masses of floating ice agitated by the tide, render navi- 

 gation impracticable. The Ottawa originates in Lake 

 Temiscaming. more than 350 miles N.W. from its junction 

 with the St. Lawrence, near Montreal. In 1839 a survey 

 was made to ascertain the possibility of connecting the 

 Ottawa with Lake Huron by navigation. Numerous smaller 

 rivers amply supply the communication between the several 

 districts of each province. One of the most singular rivers 

 is the vSaguenay which falls into the St. Lawrence near 

 Quebec. The depth at its mouth has never yet been 

 ascertained ; it is probably the deepest of rivers, having 

 been tried in vain with 330 fathoms of line. The height of 

 the banks rising from 300 to 2000 feet is as extra* 

 ordinary as the depth of the stream. 



The Lakes or inland seas of Canada, chiefly in the 

 Upper Province, are innumerable ; the principal are Lakes 

 Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. The following is a 

 statement of the size of these magnificent " meetings of 

 the waters." 



Lfngth, Width. Circumference. Depth. 



Lake Superior 360 miles 140 miles 1500 900 feet 



Huron S50 220 1000 900 



Erie 270 G3 C58 200 



Ontario 172 59 467 600 



The Erie Canal * connects the waters of Lake Erie with 



those of the Hudson. Lake St. Clair, the smallest of 



•The great United States* Erie Channel is a vast achievement : it is 363 

 miles lonfr, and was eight years making, being completed in 1825, at a cost 

 (including the Champlain Canal) of 9,000,000 dollaii : (he ex^)ense was born« 

 chiefly by the State of New York, 



C 



