I 
158 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA t 
owing* to the quantity of yellow sand that if 
washed up from the bottom of the lake; in 
calm weather the water is clear, and of a deep 
greenish colour. The northern shore of the 
lake is very rocky 3 as likewise are the shores 
of the islands, of which there are several clus¬ 
ters towards the western extremity of the lake; 
but along most parts of the southern shore is 
a fine gravelly beach. The height of the land 
bordering on the lake is very Unequal; in some 
places long ranges of steep mountains rise from 
the very edge of the water * in others the shores 
are so flat and so low, that when the lake is 
raised a little above its usual level, in conse¬ 
quence of a strong gale of wind setting in to¬ 
wards the shore, the country is deluged for 
miles. 
A young gentleman who was sent in a 
bateau with dispatches across the lake, not 
long before we passed through the country, 
perished, with several of his party, owing to 
an inundation of this sort that took place on a 
low part of the shore I must here observe, 
that when you navigate the lake in a bateau, 
it is customary to keep as close as possible to 
the land ; and whenever there is any danger of 
a storm, you run the vessel on shore, which 
may fte done with safety, as the bottom of it 
is perfectly flat. I before mentioned the pe¬ 
culiar advantage of a bateau over a keel boat 
in this respect. The young gentleman alluded 
