LOWER CANADA. 



387 



military operations during the war of 1812—14. Sherbrooke^ at the mouth of the Ouse, 

 Maiden and AmherstJmrg are the principal places on Lake Erie. 



5. Canals. Ridcau Canal^ from Kingston to Bytovvn, affords a navigation by rivers and 

 akes of 160 miles, with an actual excavation of but 20 miles. It has 47 locks, with a total 

 lockage of 437 feet. JFelland Canal, connecting lakes Erie and Ontario, is 41 miles in length, 

 and sufficiently wide and deep to admit vessels of 120 tons. It overcomes the fall of Niagara 

 by 37 locks ; summit level 330 feet. A canal has been projected to unite the Thames at 

 Chatham with Lake Er'.e. 



6. Inhabitants. Government. Upper Canada is peopled almost entirely by Irish and Scotch 

 emigrants ; there are also many English, and some settlers from the United States. The ex- 

 ecutive administration is vested in a Lieutenant-Governor, with an executive council. The 

 legislature or Provincial Parliament is composed of a legislative council, and a House of As- 

 sembly ; the latter is chosen by the counties and the 3 towns of Kingston, Toronto, and Ni- 

 agara. The executive officers and members of the legislative council are appointed by the 

 king of Great Britain. 



7. Education. Religion. About one fourth of the inhabitants are Roman Catholics ; the 

 rest are principally Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists. There are but few Episcopalians, 

 yet the reservation of one seventh part of each township for the support of the Protestant 

 clergy, has been appropriated exclusively for their use. There is a university, called King^s 

 College., and another seminary, called the College of Upper Canada, has lately been founded. 

 Grammar and elementary schools have been established, and have received pecuniaiy aid from 

 the provincial legislature. 



CHAPTER XLIII. LOWER CANADA. 



1. Boundaries and Divisions. The British province of Lower Canada lies on both sides 

 of the St. Lawrence, having the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the E. ; New Brunswick and the 

 United States on the S. ; and Upper Canada on the W. Its northern limits are undefined. 

 It is divided into 40 counties, which are subdivided into seigniories and townships. The pop- 

 ulation is about 600,000. 



2. Rivers. The principal river is the St. Lawrence, which, issuing from Lake Ontario, 

 falls into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, after a course of 800 miles. Considering its head waters 

 to be the streams which flow from the central table-land of North America into Lake Superi- 

 or, and the great chain of lakes, with their outlets, the rivers St. Mary, Detroit, and Niagara, 

 to be parts of this river, the St. Lawrence has a course of about 2,500 miles, and in point of 

 depth, width, and volume of waters, is one of the principal rivers of the world. Below Lake 

 Ontario it expands successively into the lake of the Thousand Isles, lake St. Francis, and lake 

 St. Peter. It is navigable for ships of the line to Quebec, 400 miles, and for the largest 

 merchant ships to Montreal, 180 miles further ; the tide flows up about 500 miles. The other 

 rivers of Lower Canada are its tributaries ; on the north are the Ottawa or Ultaica, and the 

 Saguenay, large navigable rivers, flowing through a region little known ; the former is supposed 

 to have a course of 1,000 or 1,200 miles, but its navigation is much interrupted by rapids. 

 The Saguenay is remarkable for its depth, and is navigable for 90 miles to its falls ; — for 

 about 50 miles it has the appearance of a long mountain-lake, and the scenery around is wild 

 and magnificent. At its junction whh the St. Lawrence it is 840 feet in depth, being 600 feet 

 deeper than the latter river. The St. Maurice is also a considerable stream from the north, 

 and the Montmorenci, which falls into the St. Lawrence at Quebec, Is celebrated for its cata- 

 ract, which is 240 feet in height, and which, when the river is full, pours a large volume of 

 water over its precipitous bank. On the south the principal tributaries are the Sorel or Riche- 

 lieu, the outlet of Lake Champlain, the Chaudiere, with a beautiful cascade rushing down a 

 precipice 100 feet in height, and the St. Francis. 



3. Soil and Climate. The winters are long and severe ; the thermometer often falling to 

 40'^ below zero. The heat Is Intense for a short time in summer. The air is pure, clear, and 

 healthy. The country on the south of the St. Lawrence Is mountainous, and chiefly covered 

 with forests ; to the north the surface Is also In general broken and rugged, and rising by suc- 

 cessive banks, called steps or ramps, into an elevated table-land ; little is known of the interi- 

 or. The soil along the rivers is fertile, and the productions are similar to those of the northern 

 part of the United States. 



