C 94 > 



Above this whirlpool, which I havejufi: now 

 been mentioning, is the bay of St. Paul, where be- 

 gins the plantations on the north fhore, and where 

 there are woods of pine-trees which are much va- 

 lued ; here are found red pines of an extreme beauty, 

 and which are never known to break. The fupe- 

 riors of the feminary of Quebec are lords of this 

 bay. A fine lead mine has been lately difcovered in 

 this place. Six leagues farther up the river is an 

 exceeding high promontory * at which terminates a 

 chain of mountains, flretching more than four hun- 

 dred leagues to the weftward ; this is called Cape 

 Si ourmente, probably becaufe he who thus chriften- 

 ed it had met with fome hard gales of wind under 

 it. There is good anchoring here, where you are 

 furrounded with iflands of all fizes which afford ex- 

 cellent fhelter. The mod confiderable of thefe is 

 the Ifle of Orleans, whofe fertile fields appear in 

 form of an amphitheatre, and agreeably terminate 

 the profpecl. This iQand is about fourteen leagues 

 in circuit, and was eredted into an earldom in 1676, 

 under the name of St. Lawrence, in favour of Fran- 

 cis Berthelot, fecretary-general of the artillery, who 

 had purchafed it of Francis de Laval, firft bifhop 

 of Quebec. It had then four villages in it, and 

 now has pretty populous parifhes. 



Of the two channels which this ifland forms, that 

 to the fouth only is navigable for fhips. Even 

 fhallops cannot pafs through that to the north, ex- 

 cept at high- water. Thus from Cape Tourmente, 

 you muft traverfe the river to get to Quebec, and 

 even this is not without its difficulties ; it is incom- 

 moded with fhifting fands, on which there is not at 

 all times water fufficient for the -large ft fhips, which 

 obliges thofe who pafs this way not to attempt it, 

 except in the time of flood. This difficulty might 



be 



♦ 



