552 



The Camouraska schooners are well known at 

 Quebec for the large quantities of provisions they 

 are laden with, such as grain, live-stock, poultry, 

 butter, maple-sugar, &c., besides considerable 

 freights of deal planks and other timber. The 

 general aspect of the country in this part of the 

 district of Quebec will always attract the notice 

 of attentive observers. From the bank of the 

 river, which is not much elevated, a plain that, 

 generally speaking, is very level, stretches almost 

 to the foot of the north-east range of mountains : 

 the even surface of this tract is, in various 

 parts, singularly embossed with abrupt masses 

 of solid rocks of granite, destitute of any thing 

 like a covering of soil. From the crevices in 

 them spring a few dwarf pine-trees, rising a 

 little above a thick foliage of creeping shrub- 

 bery, issuing from the same places, and spread- 

 ing over nearl}'' their whole summits : in cir- 

 cumference, some of them cover from three to 

 perhaps half a dozen acres, and vary from 

 twenty to about thirty yards of perpendicular 

 height. From the position, appearance, and 

 exact resemblance of these terra jirma islands 

 to those of Camouraska, between which and 

 the shore the bed of the river is almost dry at 

 low water, a naturalist will be strongly excited 

 to believe that what is now the continent was, 



