THE ALLEGASH AND EAST BRANCH. 
251 
years before my first visit to Maine. Since then the lum¬ 
ber of the upper Allegash and its lakes has been run 
down the Penobscot, that is, up the Allegash, which here 
consists principally of a chain of large and stagnant 
lakes, whose thoroughfares, or river-links, have been 
made nearly equally stagnant by damming, and then 
down the Penobscot. The rush of the water has pro¬ 
duced such changes in the canal that it has now the 
appearance of a very rapid mountain stream flowing 
through a ravine, and you would not suspect that any 
digging had been required to persuade the waters of the 
St. John to flow into the Penobscot here. It was so 
winding that one could see but little way down. 
It is stated by Springer, in his “ Forest Life,” that 
the cause of this canal being dug was this. According 
to the treaty of 1842 with Great Britain, it was agreed 
that all the timber run down the St. John, which rises 
in Maine, “ when within the Province of New Bruns¬ 
wick .... shall be dealt with as if it were the produce 
of the said Province,” which was thought by our side to 
mean that it should be free from taxation. Immediately, 
the Province, wishing to get something out of the Yan¬ 
kees, levied a duty on all the timber that passed down 
the St. John; but to satisfy its own subjects “made a 
corresponding discount on the stum page charged those 
hauling timber from the crown lands.” The result was 
that the Yankees made the St. John run the other way, 
or down the Penobscot, so that the Province lost both 
its duty and its water, while the Yankees, being greatly 
enriched, had reason to thank it for the suggestion. 5 
It is wonderful how well watered this country is. As 
you paddle across a lake, bays will be pointed out to 
you, by following up which, and perhaps the tributary 
