o6 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA i 
farther removed from the shore than the resf, 
is called Prisoner’s Island, having been allotted 
for the residence of some of the American pri¬ 
soners during the last war. There were some 
buildings on the island at the time, but it has 
been quite deserted since, on account of the 
great difficulty of getting to it through the 
strong rapids. During the war, an officer, 
who had compelled some of the Canadians, 
notwithstanding their remonstrances, to make 
an attempt to reach the island at an improper 
season, perished, with a great number of men, 
in going thither : of the whole party one alone 
escaped with his life. The St. Lawrence is 
here about two miles wide. 
This evening, the second of our voyage, 
the bateaux were drawn up for the night at 
the bottom of “ Le Coteau du Lac,” the Hill 
of the Lake; and we pitched our tent on the 
margin of a wood, at a little distance from the 
river. The next morning we proceeded again 
on foot for about two miles, when we came 
to a tavern, where we waited the arrival of the 
bateaux. The people of this house were 
English. From hence upwards there are but 
few French to be met with. 
We were detained here nearly half the day 
in endeavouring to procure a fresh man, one 
of the conductor’s crew having been seized 
with an intermittent fever. At last a man 
