CANADIAN LOCAL HISTORY. 69 



the rise and fall occasioned now and then by the preralence or 

 absence of certain winds.] The baj abounds with wild fowl and 

 fish of various kinds ; the River Trent afibrds a salmon fishery. 



In passing from the head of the Bay of Quinte into Lake Ontario, 

 you cross a very short portage in front of the township of Murray, 

 being the isthmus between it and the peninsula of Prince Edward ; 

 at the end of the portage, and before you enter Lake Ontario, is a 

 small lake, exceedingly beautiful, and the land on its banks extremely 

 good ; to the northward of this portage it is proposed to make a canal, 

 to connect the waters of the bay with those of the lake. The circum- 

 stance of two small streams rising near each other, and running 

 different ways, seems to point cut the facility of the measure. The 

 cut, which Campbell (in his " Notes on the Political Survey of Great 

 Britain ") calls Ear'l Gower's canal, seems to be well suited to this 

 country, where labour bears so high a price, and where the rooting 

 up of immense trees is so great a difficulty to encounter. 



[John Campbell, LL.D., 1708-1775, a voluminous Historical, 

 Biographical and Political writer. The allusion is probably to the 

 second Earl Gower who, in 1786, became Marqiiis of Stafibrd.] 



A little to the westward of the portage and proposed canal, is the 

 harbour of Newcastle, a situation well suited for commerce and pro- 

 tection, and sheltered from all winds ; a knoll on the peninsula 

 afibrds a healthy site for the town. 



After leaving Murray, in going to the westward along the shore of 

 Lake Ontario, you pass the townships of Cramah6, Haldimand and 

 Hamilton, which are now settling ; and arriving at the township of 

 Hope, you find excellent mills ; from thence there is a portage to 

 the Rice Lake. 



You then pass by the fronts of Clarke, Darlington, and Whitby ; 

 and coming to Pickering, you meet with an excellent salmon and 

 sturgeon fishery, at a river called Duffin's Creek, which is generally 

 open, and large enough to receive boats at most seasons of the year. 



After leaving the township of Pickering, you pass under the high 

 lands of Scarborough, and arrive at the township of York. 



All the townships on the north side of the lake are well watered 

 by small streams, at the mouths of which are ponds, and low land 

 capable of being drained and converted into meadows. In the rear 

 of the township of Murray is the township of Seymour ; in the rear 

 of Cramah6 is Percy in the rear of Haldimand is Alnwick ; and in 



