57 



America possesses a climate peculiar to it- 

 self; the quantity and prevalence of heat and 

 cold seems to be governed by laws materially 

 differing from those that regulate the tem- 

 perature of other parts of the earth. It h 

 certain that a person would be materially led 

 astray were he to form an opinion of the tem- 

 perature of Canada from the analogy of local 

 situation ; it lies, for instance, in the same 

 parallel of latitude as France, but instead of 

 exhaling the exquisite fragrance of flowers, and 

 ripening delicate fruits into delicious excellence, 

 as is the case in that country, its surface is co- 

 vered with accumulated snows for nearly one- 

 half of the year, and vegetation is suspended 

 for the same period by continued frost. Yet this 

 circumstance is unattended with so much rigour 

 as any one would be disposed to suspect, and 

 notwithstanding the apparent severity, Canada 

 enjoys a climate that is congenial to health in 

 an eminent degree, and highly conduces to 

 fertilize its soil. Heat and cold are certainly 

 felt to extremes ; the latter, both for duration 

 and intensity by far the most predominant, is 

 supposed to derive much of its force from the 

 following cause, viz. the land stretches from the 

 St, Lawrence towards the north pole, which it 

 approaches much nearer to, and with a less in- 

 tervention of sea than that on the old continent ; 



