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Show TRAVELS 1 IJROUGII LOWER CAN ADA: [;me time, there would be evident danger of its being .filled with water. Several times, as we paflcd through the breakers, the water da(hcd over the fides of our bateau. Tremendous and dange rous, how ver, as the rapids arc at this fpot, they arc much lefs fo than fame of thofe met with higher up the River St. Lawrence. The water of the Uta was River is remarkably clear, and of a bright grecni{h colour; that of the St. Lawrence, on the contrary, is muddy, owing to its paffing over d ep bed of marl for fame miles before it enters into Lake St. Louis. For a confiderable way down the lake the waters of the two rivers may be plainly difl:inguilbed from each other. The r:.1pids immediately at the mouth of the fouth-we!l: branch of the I St. Lawrence are cal1ed " Les Cafcades," or, '' Le Saut de Trou." In laden bateaux it is no arduous tafk to {hoot down them, but it is impoffible to mount again!l: the !l:rcam even in fuch as are empty. In order to avoid the lciborious talk therefore of carrying them along the {hare pa!l: the rapids, as ufed formerly to be done, a canal with a double lock has been made here at a great expence. This canal extends but a very little way, not more than fifty yards perhaps. Beyond this there is a fucceHion of ether rapids, the fir!l: of which, called" Le Saut de Bui!fon ,· on account of the clofenefs of the woods along the iliores on each fide, is fo firong, that in order to pafs it, it is nece!fary to lighten the bateaux very confiderably. If the cargoes are large, they arc wholly taken out at on ce, and fent forward in carts to the di!l:ance of a mile and a half, paD: all the ra1 ids. The men are always obliged here to get out of the bateaux, and haul them along with ropes, it being wholly impraB:icable to counteraB: the force of the current by means of poles alone. The paf1:1ge of thcfe rapids is fa very tedious, that we here quitted the bateaux, took our guns in hand, and proceeded on foot to "Lc Coteau des Cedres," the Hill of Cedars, about nine miles higher up the river. In going thither you foon lofe fight of the few {haggling houfes at the cafcades, and enter the rece!fes of a remarkab] y thick wood, whofc fokmn gloom, togt:ther with the loud roaring of the waters at a di!l:ance, and the wilrl. appearance of every objeB: around you, infpirc the mind with a fort of pleafing horror. As you approach " Le Coteau des Cedres," the country RA PI DITY OF TilE CURl ENT. _,r. ~U) ountry affumcs a foftcr af}1cct; cultivated fields and ne~t cottl ~cs oncL: more appear in view, and the river, infiead of being agitated by tremendoLlS rapids, is h ere fcen gliding on with an even curr nt between it lofty banks. The village of the IIill of Cedars contains about thir ty houfcs, :unongfl which we were agreeably furpri icd to find a remarkably ne t and excellent tavern, kept by an l~ngliDt woman . We remained here until three in the afternoon, when wt: again fet off on fvot, 1 artly for the pkafure of beholding, fi-om the top of the fieep banks, the many noble and beautiful profpcC.1:s laid open before u , and partly for the plc.tfurt: of flopping occafionally to chat with the lively F rellch girls, th at, during this delicious feafon of the year, L'lt [pinning in groups at the door of the cottages. Abou t five o'clock the bateaux overt ok us· bttt af:. >r J)rocccclino- in ' b them for about two miles, we again Jande i to dc;:~.pc the tedious procci~ of alccnding fref11 rapids . Thc(e arc c.1 leu the npids " dn oteau dtt Lac St. Frans; is ;" they arc fcvcral miles in length, and thouzh not the mofl: d.mgerou s, arc yet the mofl: tremendous to appearance of any in the whole river, th e white bre. kers being difiinCl:ly vilibk at the difiancc of four milcs; fomt: travellers have gone fo far as to rcprcient them as even more terrible to thc behold 'r than the f.1ll of Niag.tra, but this is a very c aggera tl d a count. Boats arc here C<lrl icd down with the flrt:am at the rate of fourtc n or fifteen miks an h our, according to the bcfl information I coulJ procure on the fuhjcD:, though th t.: '.1nadian b atmt:n and others dccbr that th y arc carried down at tht: rate of twcr ty 1 1iJes in the hour. At (one of tlv::rapid:o, highc.r up the ri ver, the currult is conGder.1bly (wiftcr th: n at this place. In defcending the(c r<tpid tlwy pafs throu0 h th t: br :tkers in the miJdle of the river, but in going up they kccp lofc in to tl tc fhor , ar t the north-w ·fi fide, and being hcrc fh-.l tt:red b}' a nurnerott cluil:cr of iflands, which break the force of the currt:nt, and luving the hcndit of a fhor t canal and locks, they get p fi the rapids with lef:' tfl1iculty even than they pafs the ca(cadcs. One of the j lands her...:, f:u th T rumov ,d from the D1ore than the rcfl:, i, called Prif(mers IOanll, baving be n dlott ·J for the rcfidence of fome of th American prifoners dllriJ g t e lafi: war. M m There |
