136 



premises of Mr. Grant. During tlie months be- 

 tween May and November bateaux to and from 

 Kingston and various parts of Upper Canada 

 are continually arriving and departing, which 

 always occasions a great deal of activity and 

 bustle of business. The nature of these craft 

 may be very shortly described : they are flat- 

 bottomed ; from 35 to 40 feet in length, terminat- 

 ing in a point at each extremity, with about 

 six feet of beam in the centre; the usual freight 

 is four or four and a half tons; they are worked 

 by oars, a mast and sail, drag-ropes for towing, 

 and long poles for setting them through the 

 strong currents or rapids ; four men manage 

 them in summer, but in the fall of the year an- 

 other is always added, one of whom acts as a 

 guide. In the bateaux of the merchants the 

 cargoes upwards are a general assortment of 

 merchandise, for which they bring down flour, 

 wheat, salt provisions, pot and pearl-ashes, and 

 peltries. The time employed in the voyage to 

 Kingston is from 10 to 12 days ; but the return 

 does not take more than three or four. They 

 usually depart in brigades of from four to 

 fifteen boats, in order that their crews may be 

 able to afford mutual assistance in ascending 

 the rapids : each brigade is under the direction 

 of one man, who is called the conductor. From 

 La Chine also the canoes employed by the 



