OF THE RIVER SAINT LAWRENCE. 



269 



The navigation at and below Quebec soon generally becomes obstructed through the 

 large accumulation of drift-ice in the tideway, which fills up most rapidly, and sometimes 

 to the extent even of almost the whole surface of the river, for eighty miles down its 

 course, before the end of January. 



The manner of its accumulation is chiefly to be observed in the bays and indentations, 

 where accumulations go on increasing until an occasionally higher tide than usual floats 

 large fields of ice into the stream ; this, of course, generally drags along the shore of the 

 river, or becomes attached to older drift-ice, or to stones and rocks, which it grinds and 

 rubs to a smooth, rounded, moutonnee surface, recognizable on all rocks subjected to gla- 

 cial action, and a " bordagc" accumulates, having a width and thickness chiefly affected 

 and modified in form by winds and tides. 



The experiment of landing a detachment of the British army at Bic, in the last week 

 of December, shows that, for practical purposes, the river, although generally open at that 

 point for about a month after the closing of the upper navigation, cannot be reckoned on 

 with any degree of certainty so late as the time at which that landing was effected. 



W I N T E R AND LU M 15 E R I N G. 



The progress of civilization and of trade, however, in Canada, has developed occupations 

 for the farmers in winter, who avail themselves of the frozen rivers and lakes to move 

 heavy loads of produce which could not be carried over the unmetalled roads of this vast 

 district of soft surface clay and marl, and, therefore, winter is now looked for with almost 

 as much interest as the harvest. 



The lumbering operations of Canada arc almost all performed in the depth of winter, 

 and while there is a great depth of snow, the trees generally being felled when there is 

 from two to three feet of snow in the woods. These arc then hewed down to suitable sizes, 

 and hauled out by horses, on the snow or across the ice to the frozen streams, upon which 

 (hey are moved forward, first singly, then in drams, — a number of which go to form a 

 raft, — and in this state, at the opening of navigation, they travel for many hundreds of 

 miles, down rivers, across lakes, and overcoming rapids by means of slides or shoots, having 

 a slight depth of water to facilitate their movement. The author, however, refrains from 

 entering upon tins subject, although it is sufficiently interesting, as including some rather 

 remarkable engineering structures and process of manufacture, affording fitting subjects 

 for a paper which could be better supplied by those who have had long practical expe- 

 rience of this great element of the wealth of the British North American Provinces. 

 Statistics, however, are added, in the Appendix marked 32, which afford very useful infor- 

 mation touching the quantity, value, and description of the export of lumber from Quebec 

 for some years past. 



