182 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
peculiar to this neighbourhood. It is of 
an extraordinary large size,, and deep red 
colour; not confined merely to the skin, but 
extending to the very core of the apple; if the 
skin be taken off delicately* the fruit appears 
nearly as red as when entire. We could not, 
resist the temptation of stopping* at the first of 
these orchards we came to, and fora few pence 
we were allowed to lade our boat with as 
much fruit as we could well carry away. The 
peaches were nearly out of season now, but 
from the few I tasted, I should suppose that 
they were of a'good kind, far superior in fla¬ 
vour, size, and juiciness, to those commonly 
met with in the orchards of the middle states. 
The houses in this part of the country are 
all built in a similar style to those in Lower 
Canada ; the lands are laid out and cultivated 
also similarly to those in the lower province; 
the’/nanners and persons of the inhabitants are 
tli6 same; French is the predominant language, 
and the traveller may fancy for a moment, if 
he pleases, that he lias been wafted by enchant¬ 
ment back again into the neighbourhood of 
Montreal, or Three Rivers. All the principal 
posts throughout the western country, along 
the lakes, the Ohio, the Illinois, &c. were 
established by the French; but, except at 
Detroit and in the neighbourhood, and in 
the Illinois country, the French settlers have 
become .so blended with the greater number 
/ 
