386 



UPPER CANADA. 



the Beavers, &c., are all tribes of the same race, living at the northward. Between the North- 

 ern Indians and the Esquimaux, there has generally been a savage and irreconcilable war. 



17. History. The portion of the American continent first seen by Europeans seems to 

 have been early visited by the Scandinavian colonists of Greenland ; it was the coast of Lab- 

 rador, re-discovered by Cabot in 1497. Verazzani afterwards visited the shores of the present 

 British Territories in the service of France, in 1524, and Cartier first penetrated into the gulf 

 and river of St. Lawrence in 1534, and the following year. In 1610 Champlain ascended as 

 far as the upper lakes, and at the same time Hudson entered the great bay that bears his name. 

 Soon afterwards the country now forming the Canadas took the name of New France, that 

 portion of the Provinces on the Atlantic having been previously occupied by the French, 

 under the name of Acadie ; yet in 1621 the latter was granted by King James the First of 

 England, under the name of Nova Scotia or New Scotland. Repealed wars between Eng- 

 land and France also involved the British and French colonies on this side of the water in 

 hostilities, but in 1763 New France and Acadie were finally ceded to Great Britain, and the 

 French power in this quarter was thus annihilated. New Brunswick was separated from Nova 

 Scotia in 1784, and in 1791 the Province of Quebec was divided into the two provinces of 

 Upper and Lower Canada. In 1S12-14, a war between the United States and Great Brit- 

 ain led to several invasions of Canada by the former. In 1837 numerous risings took place in 

 the Canadas against the constituted authorities, but the spirit of revolt was checked by 

 the British troops, and the constitutions of the two provinces were declared by the British 

 government to be suspended. A union of the two provinces with a new constitution, so 

 as to throw the local legislation into the hands of the British population, seems now to be the 

 •ntention of the mother country. 



CHAPTER XLII. UPPER CANADA. 



1. Boundaries and Divisions. Upper Canada, a colony of Great Britain, is bounded on 

 the N. and W. by New Britain, E. by Lower Canada, from which it is in part separated by 

 the river Ottawa, and S. by the United States, from which it is separated by the great lakes. 

 Its northern and western hmits are undefined. It is divided into 25 counties, which are subdi- 

 vided into townships, and contains a population of 300,000. 



2. Face of the Countnj., Climate^ and Soil. The surface presents an alm.ost unbroken 

 level, with a fertile soil, and a mild and healthy climate. 



3. Rivers and Lakes. The Ottawa and St. Lawrence, with the great lakes, wash its bor- 

 ders, and afford important advantages for trade. The Thames, flowing into Lake St. Clair, 

 and the Ousc, into Lake Erie, are the principal rivers within its limits. The river JSTiagara, 

 which separates New York from Upper Canada, is the outlet of Lake Erie, and discharges its 

 waters into Lake Ontario after,a course of 36 miles. The whole descent, from rhe level of 

 Lake Erie to that of Lake Ontario, is 330 feet. Grand Isle, or Ararat, an island 12 miles in 

 length by 7 in breadth, divides its channel for some distance, but below that island the waters 

 are again united. Here they become broken by rapids, for the distance of nearly a mile, and 

 at length are precipitated over a ledge of rocks, 165 feet high, forming the celebrated falls of 

 Niagara, which have already been described. Lakes J^ipissing and Simcoe are considerable 

 sheets of water. 



4. Totens. The capital is Toronto, lately York, on Lake Ontario, with 10,000 inhabitants. 

 Its harbor is shallow, and the country around is barren. Kingston, on the same lake, is the next 

 largest town of Upper Canada. It is agreeably situated, and well built, containing several 

 public edifices, and about 5,000 inhabitants. The harbor is excellent, and ships of the line 

 can come close to the shore. It has a flourishing trade, and in summer the port is crowded 

 with the various kinds of lake and river craft. The English government has a dock-yard here. 

 There is a great number of thriving villages in Upper Canada, which though lately built in the 

 midst of the wilderness, contain from 1,000 to 1,500 inhabitants. Bytown on the Ottawa, is 

 connected with Hull in Lower Canada, by a fine bridge of 11 arches, and 800 feet in length ; 

 Brockville and Prescot are on the St. Lawrence ; Dundas and Hamilton are rapidly increasing 

 villages, at the west end of Lake Ontario. London, on the Thames, is a flourishing town with 

 2,000 inhabitants. Goderich, recently built on Lake Huron, is the most western settlement. 

 J^iagara, Qneenstown, and Chippewa, small towns on the river Niagara, became the scene ot 



