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Show TRAVFLS T l1 I' OUGH Up PER CAN ADA: There were fomc buildin[>;S on the ifland at that time, but it ~as bce_n c u·tc dLfntcd fine<.: , on acco ~tnt of the ; rnt dl il1cn1ty f gcttmg to lt l · 1 :11 ·cr w1 throlwh the !lrong rapids . Dunn~ t 1c w.1r, an o. ' •w ln' d cJm- 1 ·lklt)iol 1e of the Canadians, nntwit hfl:andi ncr their rcmo n ~r;tn cc, _to Ir na I< e an ,a tt mF1t to rc,H ;h t1 ·e ifhnd at an improper fcafon, pcn01ed, With a p-rc:tt nnmbcr of 11cn, in going thith ' J". Of the whu1<.: party one al~ne e(cn.p ·d W·l t h h.I S 1!·Irt:.. rl'he St · ]- "a wrcncc is here about two mile· wide. 1 h"s even in~, t 1e fe concl of our voyarre, th bate·H x .~ere dr.awn np for the ni.:,ht at the bottom of ' ' L · Cote~u du L:tc, h~ l 1:1 of the Lak ·, an j w..: 1 itchd onr tt;nt on the m.lr~ m >f a wo d, .· t a h~tle di ancc from the river. The nc t m. min~, we pr"ccccled ag<1 111 on toot for about two 1111 1c s, r11e11 ,.• e ca· e to a tavern, hc: re we waitccl the arrival of the b· tcaux. The 1corlc ot t 1is h ut: w Te Enghfh. From h~ n cc upwards there are but few Ft nch to be met with. . \!1/c were dtrain ·d here ner1 rly 1alf the day in ·nJcavounng to procur, a frdh man, one of the conduEI:or ' ~ crew having been feized with an in termittent fcv r. At Ltfi: a man f1 om a neighbouring fcttlemenl made his appearance, and we 1 roceeded on our voyage. We now entered Lake St. J~ra n~ois, which is about twenty-five miles in length, and five in breadth; but the wind being unfavourable, we were prevented ji·om proceeding farther upon it than Point au B.lU de t, at which place the bound.t ry l ine ·ommences, that {eparates the upper from the lower rovincc. Wh"n the wind comes from the fouth-wcfi, the immcnfe bodv of water in the lake is impelled direCtly towards this point, and a (i.1rgt: breaks in upon the beach, <lS tremendous as is feen on the fca - ihore. There was one folitary houfe here, which proved to be a tavern, and ,1fforded us a well dreit fuppcr of venifon, and decent accommodation for the night. 'I'he next day the wind was not more favourabl ; but as it was confiderably abated, we were enabled t0 profecute our voyage, coafting along the tnores of the lake. This was a mofi laborious and tedious buiinefs, on account of the numerous bays and inlets, which the wind was not fufficiently abated to fuffer us to crofs .at their mouths: notwithfianding 3 all I S L E AU X R 1\. IS I N ~·. all the di tTiculties, however, we had to contend with, we advanced 11 a rly twe nty five n ilc in the onrfe of th day. At the h ·ad of Lake St. Prans;ois, we b 1 eJ on a ftnall ifland, called " Ifle aux Raifi ns," on account of the number of will vines growinupon it. Th bate, ux men gathered great quantiti..:s of tht.: grapes, whcrcwith the trees were loaded, and alfo an abundance of plumbs, which they devoured with great avidity. Neither of the fruits, however, were very tempting to perfons whofe palate had been accufl:omed to the tafl:e of garden fruits. The grapes wer four, and not larger than peas; and as for the plumbs, though much brgcr in lizc, yet their tafte did not differ materially from that of floes. Beyond L'Ifle aux Raifins, in the narrow p::~rt of the river~ there arc feveral other illa nds, the largefi of which called L'iflc St. Regis, is near ten miles in length. All thefe ifland fl:ill continue in the poiTe£lion of the Indians~ and many of them, being fituated as nearly as poffible in the middle of the river, which here divides the Britifrt territory from that of the United States, it yet remains to be determined of what territory they form a part. It is fincerely to be dcfired that this matter may be adjuficd amicably in due time. A ferious altercation has already taken place about an ifland fimilarly fituatcd in Detroit River, that will be more particularly ment;oned hereafter. The Indians not only r tain poffe(fion of thefe different iihnd , but likcwilc f the whole of the foutheafl fhore of the St. Lawrence, fituated within th bounds of th · United States; th y likcwife have onfid r:tblc {hips f l:.llld on the oppofitc fhorc, within the BritifJ1 dominions, bordering upon the river; thelc they have refervcd to themfelvcs for hunting. The Iroquois Indians have a village upon the Jfle of St. Regis, and another alfo upon the main land, on the fouth-eaft fhore; as we paifed it, fev r:.d of th,: inhaoitants put off in canoes, and exchanged unripe head * f Indian corn with the men for bread.; they alfo brought with the n fomc v ry fine wilJ du k and fifh, which they difpoftd of to us on very moderate ter 1s. 1t The heads of J ndian corn, before they become hard, arc dle ~ mcd ,, gre1t Jdic1cy; th mo!l approved method of drcfiing, is to parboil, and afrerw: rds roalt them. Mm2 On |
