Part 4

The squirrels, this year, contrary to the bears, migrated from the south, from the territory of the United States. Like the bears, they took to the water on arriving at it, but as if conscious of their inability to cross a very wide piece of water, they bent their course towards Niagara River, above the falls, and at its narrowest and most tranquil part crossed over into the British territory. It was calculated, that upwards of fifty thousand of them crossed the river in the course of two or three days, and such great depredations did they commit on arriving at the settlements on the opposite side, that in one part of the country the farmers deemed themselves very fortunate where they got in as much as one third of their crops of corn. These squirrels were all of the black kind, said to be peculiar to the continent of America; they are in shape similar to the common grey squirrel, and weigh from about one to two pounds and a half each. Some writers have asserted, that these animals cannot swim, but that when they come to a river, in migrating, each one provides itself with a piece of wood or bark, upon which, when a favourable wind offers, they embark, spread their bushy tails to catch the wind, and are thus wafted over to the opposite side. Whether these animals do or do not cross in this manner sometimes, I cannot take upon me to say; but I can safely affirm, that they do not always cross so, as I have frequently shot them in the water whilst swimming: no animals swim better, and when pursued, I have seen them eagerly take to the water. Whilst swimming, their tail is useful to them by way of rudder, and they use it with great dexterity; owing to its being so light and bushy, the greater part of it floats upon the water, and thus helps to support the animal. The migration of any of these animals in such large numbers is said to be an infallible sign of a severe winter[4].

Footnote 4:

In the present instance it certainly was so, for the ensuing winter proved to be the severest that had been known in North America for several years.

On the sixth evening of our voyage we stopped nearly opposite to Point aux Iroquois, so named from a French family having been cruelly massacred there by the Iroquois Indians in the early ages of the colony. The ground being still extremely wet here, in consequence of the heavy rain of the preceding day, we did not much relish the thoughts of passing the night in our tent; yet there seemed to be no alternative, as the only house in sight was crowded with people, and not capable of affording us any accommodations. Luckily, however, as we were searching about for the driest spot to pitch our tent upon, one of the party espied a barn at a little distance, belonging to the man of the adjoining house, of whom we procured the key; it was well stored with straw, and having mounted to the top of the mow, we laid ourselves down to rest, and slept soundly there till awakened in the morning by the crowing of some cocks, that were perched on the beams above our head.

[Sidenote: OSWEGATCHEE RIVER.]

At an early hour we pursued our voyage, and before noon passed the last rapid, about three miles below the mouth of Oswegatchee River, the most considerable of those within the territory of the United States, which fall into the St. Lawrence. It consists of three branches, that unite together about fifteen miles above its mouth, the most western of which issues from a lake twenty miles in length and eight in breadth. Another of the branches issues from a small lake or pond, only about four miles distant from the western branch of Hudson’s River, that flows past New York. Both the Hudson and Oswegatchee are said to be capable of being made navigable for light bateaux as far as this spot, where they approach within so short a distance of each other, except only at a few places, so that the portages will be but very trifling. This however is a mere conjecture, for Oswegatchee River is but very imperfectly known, the country it passes through being quite uninhabited; but should it be found, at a future period, that these rivers are indeed capable of being rendered navigable so far up the country, it will probably be through this channel that the chief part of the trade that there may happen to be between New York and the country bordering upon Lake Ontario will be carried on. It is at present carried on between that city and the lake by means of Hudson River, as far as Albany, and from thence by means of the Mohawks River, Wood Creek, Lake Oneida, and Oswego River, which falls into Lake Ontario. The harbour at the mouth of Oswego River is very bad on account of the sand banks; none but flat bottomed vessels can approach with safety nearer to it than two miles; nor is there any good harbour on the south side of Lake Ontario in the neighbourhood of any large rivers. Sharp built vessels, however, of a considerable size, can approach with safety to the mouth of Oswegatchee River. The Seneca, a British vessel of war of twenty-six guns, used formerly to ply constantly between Fort de la Galette, situated at the mouth of that river, and the fort at Niagara; and the British fur ships on the lakes used also, at that time, to discharge the cargoes there, brought down from the upper country. As therefore the harbour at the mouth of Oswegatchee is so much better than that at the mouth of Oswego River, and as they are nearly an equal distance from New York, there is reason to suppose, that if the river navigation should prove equally good, the trade between the lakes and New York will be for the most part, if not wholly, carried on by means of Oswegatchee rather than of Oswego River. With a fair wind, the passage from Oswegatchee River to Niagara is accomplished in two days; a voyage only one day longer than that from Oswego to Niagara with a fair wind.

[Sidenote: FORT GALETTE.]

Fort de la Galette was erected by the French, and though not built till long after Fort Cataraguis or Frontignac, now Kingston, yet they esteemed it by far the most important military post on the St. Lawrence, in the upper country, as it was impossible for any boat or vessel to pass up or down that river without being observed, whereas they might easily escape unseen behind the many islands opposite to Kingston. Since the close of the American war, Fort de la Galette has been dismantled, as it was within the territory of the United States: nor would any advantage have arisen from its retention; for it was never of any importance to us but as a trading post, and as such Kingston, which is within our own territory, is far more eligibly situated in every point of view; it has a more safe and commodious harbour, and the fur ships coming down from Niagara, by stopping there, are saved a voyage of sixty miles up and down the St. Lawrence, which was oftentimes found to be more tedious than the voyage from Niagara to Kingston.

In the neighbourhood of La Galette, on the Oswegatchee River, there is a village of the Oswegatchee Indians, whose numbers are estimated at one hundred warriors.

The current of the St. Lawrence, from Oswegatchee upwards, is much more gentle than in any other part between Montreal and Lake Ontario, except only where the river is considerably dilated, as at lakes St. Louis and St. François; however, notwithstanding its being so gentle, we did not advance more than twenty-five miles in the course of the day, owing to the numerous stops that we made, more from motives of pleasure than necessity. The evening was uncommonly fine, and towards sun-set a brisk gale springing up, the conductor judged it advisable to take advantage of it, and to continue the voyage all night, in order to make up for the time we had lost during the day. We accordingly proceeded, but towards midnight the wind died away; this circumstance, however, did not alter the determination of the conductor. The men were ordered to the oars, and notwithstanding that they had laboured hard during the preceding day, and had had no rest, yet they were kept closely at work until day-break, except for one hour, during which they were allowed to stop to cook their provisions. Where there is a gentle current, as in this part of the river, the Canadians will work at the oar for many hours without intermission; they seemed to think it no hardship to be kept employed in this instance the whole night; on the contrary, they plied as vigorously as if they had but just set out, singing merrily the whole time. The French Canadians have in general a good ear for music, and sing duets with tolerable accuracy. They have one very favourite duet amongst them, called the “rowing duet,” which as they sing they mark time to with each stroke of the oar; indeed, when rowing in smooth water, they mark the time of most of the airs they sing in the same manner.

[Sidenote: ISLANDS.]

About eight o’clock the next, and eighth morning of our voyage, we entered the last lake before you come to that of Ontario, called the Lake of a Thousand Islands, on account of the multiplicity of them which it contains. Many of these islands are scarcely larger than a bateau, and none of them, except such as are situated at the upper and lower extremities of the lake, appeared to me to contain more than fifteen English acres each. They are all covered with wood, even to the very smallest. The trees on these last are stunted in their growth, but the larger islands produce as fine timber as is to be found on the main shores of the lake. Many of these islands are situated so closely together, that it would be easy to throw a pebble from one to the other, notwithstanding which circumstance, the passage between them is perfectly safe and commodious for bateaux, and between some of them that are even thus close to each other, is water sufficient for a frigate. The water is uncommonly clear, as it is in every part of the river, from Lake St. Francis upwards: between that lake and the Utawas River downwards it is discoloured, as I have before observed, by passing over beds of marl. The shores of all these islands under our notice are rocky; most of them rise very boldly, and some exhibit perpendicular masses of rock towards the water upwards of twenty feet high. The scenery presented to view in sailing between these islands is beautiful in the highest degree. Sometimes, after passing through a narrow strait, you find yourself in a bason, land locked on every side, that appears to have no communication with the lake, except by the passage through which you entered; you are looking about, perhaps, for an outlet to enable you to proceed, thinking at last to see some little channel which will just admit your bateau, when on a sudden an expanded sheet of water opens upon you, whose boundary is the horizon alone; again in a few minutes you find yourself land locked, and again a spacious passage as suddenly presents itself; at other times, when in the middle of one of these basons, between a cluster of islands, a dozen different channels, like so many noble rivers, meet the eye, perhaps equally unexpectedly, and on each side the islands appear regularly retiring till they sink from the sight in the distance. Every minute, during the passage of this lake, the prospect varies. The numerous Indian hunting encampments on the different islands, with the smoke of their fires rising up between the trees, added considerably to the beauty of the scenery as we passed it. The Lake of a Thousand Islands is twenty-five miles in length, and about six in breadth. From its upper end to Kingston, at which place we arrived early in the evening, the distance is fifteen miles.

The length of time required to ascend the River St. Lawrence, from Montreal to Kingston, is commonly found to be about seven days, if the wind should be strong and very favourable, the passage may be performed in a less time; but should it, on the contrary, be adverse, and blow very strong, the passage will be protracted somewhat longer; an adverse or favourable wind, however, seldom makes a difference of more than three days in the length of the passage upwards, as in each case it is necessary to work the bateaux along by means of poles for the greater part of the way. The passage downwards is performed in two or three days, according to the wind. The current is so strong, that a contrary wind seldom lengthens the passage in that direction more than a day.

[Sidenote: THE MISSISSIPPI.]

The Mississippi is the only river in North America, which, for grandeur and commodiousness of navigation, comes in competition with the St. Lawrence, or with that river which runs from Lake Ontario to the ocean. If, however, we consider that immense body of water that flows from Lake Winnipeg through the Lake of the Woods, Lake Superior, &c. down to the sea, as one entire stream, and of course as a continuation of the St. Lawrence, it must be allowed to be a very superior river to the Mississippi in every point of view; and we may certainly consider it as one stream, with as much reason as we look upon that as one river which flows from Lake Ontario to the sea; for before it meets the ocean it passes through four large lakes, not indeed to be compared with those of Erie or Superior, in size, but they are independent lakes notwithstanding, as much as any of the others. The Mississippi is principally to be admired for the evenness of its current, and the prodigious length of way it is navigable, without any interruption, for bateaux of a very large burthen; but in many respects it is a very inferior river to the St. Lawrence, properly so called. The Mississippi at its mouth is not twenty miles broad, and the navigation is there so obstructed by banks or bars, that a vessel drawing more than twelve feet water cannot ascend it without very imminent danger. These bars at its mouth or mouths, for it is divided by several islands, are formed by large quantities of trees that come drifting down from the upper country, and when once stopped by any obstacle, are quickly cemented together by the mud, deposited between the branches by the waters of the river, which are uncommonly foul and muddy. Fresh bars are formed, or the old bars are enlarged every year, and it is said, that unless some steps are taken to prevent the lodgments of the trees annually brought down at the time of the inundation, the navigation may in a few years be still more obstructed than it is at present. It is notorious, that since the river was first discovered, several islands and points have been formed near its mouth, and the different channels have undergone very material alterations for the worse, as to their courses and depths. The River St. Lawrence, however, on the contrary, is no less than ninety miles wide at its mouth, and it is navigable for ships of the line as far as Quebec, a distance of four hundred miles from the sea. The channel also, instead of having been impaired by time, is found to be considerably better now than when the river was first discovered; and there is reason to imagine that it will improve still more in process of time, as the clear water that flows from Lake Ontario comes down with such impetuosity, during the floods in the spring of the year, as frequently to remove banks of gravel and loose stones in the river, and thus to deepen its bed. The channel on the north side of the island of Orleans, immediately below Quebec, which, according to the account of Le P. de Charlevoix, was not sufficiently deep in the year 1720 to admit a shallop of a small size, except at the time of high tides, is at present found to be deep enough for the largest vessels, and is the channel most generally used.

[Sidenote: NAVIGATION.]

The following table shews for what vessels the St. Lawrence is navigable in different places; and also points out the various breadths of the river from its mouth upwards:

Distances Breadth in Names of Places. in miles miles. ascending.

─── ─── ───

At its mouth 90

At Cape Cat 140 30

At Saguenay River 120 18

At the lower extremity of the 110 15[5] Isle of Orleans

At the bason between the Isle 30 5[6] of Orleans and Quebec

From Quebec to Lake St. Pierre 90

Lake St. Pierre 30 14

To La Valterie 10 1

To Montreal 30 2 to 4[7]

To Lake St. Louis 6 –¾

Lake St. Louis 12 4

To Lake St. Francis 25 ½ to 2

Lake St. Francis 20 5

To the Lake of a Thousand 90 ¼ to 1 Isles

Lake of a Thousand Isles 25 6

To Kingston, on Lake Ontario 15 2½ to 6

───

743

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Footnote 5:

This island is 25 miles in length and 6 in breadth, the river on each side is about 2 miles wide.

Footnote 6:

Thus far, 400 miles from its mouth, it is navigable for ships of the line with safety

Footnote 7:

To this place, 560 miles, it is navigable with perfect safety for ships drawing 14 feet water. Vessels of a much larger draught have proceeded many miles above Quebec, but the channel is very intricate and dangerous.

During the whole of its course the St. Lawrence is navigable for bateaux of two tons burthen, except merely at the rapids above Montreal, at the Fall of the Thicket, and at the Long Fall, where, as has been already pointed out, it is necessary to lighten the bateaux, if heavily laden. At each of these places, however, it is possible to construct canals, so as to prevent the trouble of unlading any part of the cargoes of the bateaux, and at a future day, when the country becomes rich, such canals no doubt will be made.

[Sidenote: THE ST. LAWRENCE.]

Although the lakes are not immediately connected with the Atlantic Ocean by any other river than the St. Lawrence, yet there are several streams that fall into the Atlantic, so nearly connected with others flowing into the lakes, that by their means trade may be carried on between the ocean and the lakes. The principal channels for trade between the ocean and the lakes are four in number; the first, along the Mississippi and the Ohio, and thence up the Wabash, Miami, Mushingun, or the Alleghany rivers, from the head of which there are portages of from one to eighteen miles to rivers that fall into Lake Erie; secondly, along the Patowmac River, which flows past Washington, and from thence along Cheat River, the Monongahela and Alleghany rivers and French Creek to Presqu’ Isle on Lake Erie; thirdly, along Hudson’s River, which falls into the Atlantic at New York, and afterwards along the Mohawk River, Wood Creek, Lake Oneida, and Oswego River, which last falls into Lake Ontario; fourthly, along the St. Lawrence.

The following is a statement of the entire length of each of these channels or routes, and of the lengths of the portages in each, reckoning from the highest seaport on each river that will receive vessels of a suitable size for crossing the Atlantic to Lake Erie, which is the most central of the lakes to the four ports:

Length Length of Way of the in Portages. Miles.

─── ───

From Montreal 440 22

From Washington 450 80[8]

From New York 500 30

From New Orleans 1,800 1 to 18[9]

Footnote 8:

When the navigation is opened, this will be reduced, it is said, to 50 miles.

Footnote 9:

According to the route followed from the Ohio to the Lake.

[Sidenote: THE ST. LAWRENCE.]

From this statement it not only appears evident that the St. Lawrence opens a shorter passage to the lakes than any of the other rivers, but also that the portages are shorter than in any of the other routes; the portages are also fewer, and goods may be transported in the same boats the whole way from Montreal to the lakes; whereas in conveying goods thither either from Washington or New York, it is necessary to employ different boats and men on each different river, or else to transport the boats themselves on carriages over the portages from one river to another. It is always an object of importance to avoid a portage, as by every change in the mode of conveyance the expence of carriage is increased, and there is an additional risk of pillage from the goods passing through the hands of a greater number of people. Independent of these considerations, the St. Lawrence will, on another account, be found a more commodious channel than any other for the carrying on of trade between the ocean and the lakes. Constantly supplied from that immense reservoir of water, Lake Ontario, it is never so low, even in the driest season, as not to be sufficiently deep to float laden bateaux. The small streams, on the contrary, which connect Hudson’s River, the Patowmac, and the Mississippi with the lakes, are frequently so dried up in summer time, that it is scarcely possible to pass along them in canoes. For upwards of four months in the summer of 1796, the Mohawk River was so low, that it was totally impracticable to transport merchandize along it during the greater part of its course, and the traders in the back country, after waiting for a length of time for the goods they wanted, were under the necessity at last of having them forwarded by land carriage. The navigation of this river, it is said, becomes worse every year, and unless several long canals are cut, there will be an end to the water communication between New York and Lake Ontario by that route. The Alleghany River and French Creek, which connect the Patowmac with Lake Erie, are equally affected by droughts; indeed it is only during floods, occasioned by the melting of the snow, or by heavy falls of rain, that goods can be transported with ease either by the one route or the other.

By far the greater part of the trade to the lakes is at present centered at Montreal; for the British merchants not only can convey their goods from thence to the lakes for one third less than what it costs to convey the same goods thither from New York, but they can likewise afford to sell them, in the first instance, considerably cheaper than the merchants of the United States. The duties paid on the importation into Canada of refined sugar, spirits, wine, and coffee, are considerably less than those paid on the importation of the same commodities into the United States; and all British hardware, and dry goods in general, are admitted duty free into Canada, whereas, in the United States, they are chargeable, on importation from Europe, with a duty of fifteen per cent. on the value. To attempt to levy duties on foreign manufactures sent into the states from Canada would be an idle attempt, as from the great extent of their frontier, and its contiguity to Canada, it would at all times be an easy matter to send the goods clandestinely into them, in order to avoid the duties.

The trade carried on from Montreal to the lakes is at present very considerable, and increasing every year. Already are there extensive settlements on the British side of Lake Ontario, at Niagara, at Toronto, at the Bay of Canti, and at Kingston, which contain nearly twenty thousand inhabitants; and on the opposite shore, the people of the states are pushing forward their settlements with the utmost vigour. On Lake Erie, and along Detroit River also, the settlements are increasing with astonishing rapidity, both on the British and on the opposite side.

[Sidenote: MONTREAL.]