46 



ceivable below Quebec ; numerous villages, for 

 the most part built round a handsome stone 

 church, seem to invite the traveller s attention ; 

 while single houses and farms at agreeable 

 distances appear to keep up a regular chain of 

 communication ; in fact, whoever passes from 

 one city to the other, whether by water or by 

 land, will not fail to have his senses highly gra- 

 tified, and to meet with many subjects worthy 

 both of observation and reflection. About 45 

 miles below Montreal, on the south side, is the 

 town of William Henry or Sorel, built at the 

 entrance of the river Richelieu into the St. 

 Lawrence, not far from which the latter spreads 

 into another lake, the last in its progress to- 

 wards the sea ; it is called St. Peter s, is 25 

 miles long and nine broad ; like most of the 

 others, this has a group of islands covering 

 about nine miles of the western part; between 

 them two distinct channels are formed, the one 

 to the south being the deepest and clearest, is 

 consequently the best for ships ; the banks on 

 each side are very low, with shoals stretching 

 from them to a considerable distance, so that 

 only a narrow passage, whose general depth is 

 from 12 to 18 feet, is left unobstructed. About 

 45 miles from William Henry on the north side, 

 at the mouth of the river St. Maurice, stands 

 the town of Three Rivers, the tliird in ^anlt 



