Travels through the states of North America and the provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, during the years 1795, 1796, and 1797

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t •:> .... 'j.'RAVF.t.S TllROUGU ;UPPER CANADA: <'rom lh!s fi.at~me 1t ,it no·· only flj} e:1ro e;vid~nt that th St. Lawrenc opqH; n (he rter p·dl~H!;C to t11 hi s dun any pf tlu:J other rivers, but: alC that the port.1gcs .tre lhort r than 'n any of the ot 1er rontt:.,; t1 ' vmt.t.o ·~ ?,1' ~ilc> f;.!wcr, :ltlll p·oods may be tranfp'Ortcc~ in the f~mc bo~ l d ')¥J~ )l,; ;'...,: y fi·c n f hmttcal to the lal-cs; whereas lll c~J~lvcylllg go< d th th·r tiiii<F/rnm \ hfbin t•ton or N w Yor -, it .is n ·eefhry to em1 loy ~t .~.~·r ·nt lw t,, an! !llcn n c,tc h diili.:r ·nt river, or cl[e t · tran f1~ rt tl c at th~.:t 1~10 \'L' •. 1 n C<lrriJg 's over the 1 ortag · from one nv r to. ~ 11 oth r. 1-t i· al rty~ :an objc '~ f importance to avoid a porttg~·, as 1 Y c:· uy, c Wlg~ · n th ll1l de vt' conv<'tmc.c the CXJ ence of arriJ6e i. in­r . ~{: d~ : 1d d l' ir; clll ~J( itLonal rilk of p)Jlage from the gooJs p·t f1wtr thiOtt.tJ,h i 1e hands of a greater numbe:· of people. Inckpcndent o_f t;}v!f(; coni't.Jorr. i )J.1S, the St. :G:1.Wrencc will, on ; t!f.)lhcr a· ount, bs ft>w:d :t t~ ore 1 un.o ious ·hal 1el t · n nny othe.r for the carryin(l' on f tmdet bet\ e .1 the oc, .1! ~uJ. the lakes. Cc n!~an tl y fu pplit.:d from that inmv~ nf rdcrvoir of w.ltcr, Lake Ot t"Jri c~, it is jf)CVer fo low, cv n in the dridl: {t.lfiJn , · s no.t to he;: fut1iL.:icntly c p tp float h den bateaux. The fm 11, Hr · ~mlG, on th contrary, wltidl Qnn a HudC n', Hiver~ the ;ltO\Vll\..lC.r :1i1J. tbc Miil;Hippi with the bl<.e", nrc ficquently fo dried up in fu·mmcr time, that it i:; fi::arccly} of1!bk to paf':> along them iu c1.n.ocs . For upwards of four months .in the fttmm r of 17QC>, thc 1\tiohawk River w..1s {o ow, that it wa totally impraclic:tbl to tranfport merchandize alo'lg it Ju ing the grentcr part fits courfc, and the traders in tbe h, ck ountry, after. w:-~i!ing for a 1 ·n~~th of time for the goods they \V.tnt ·J, were und r the nccdfity at bfi of h<J.ving them forw.n:dcd hy l.tnd ca1 riage. The navi­gation of this river, it is f.tid , b ·c01n~s worfc every year, and unlefs fcvcr, 1 ]ong canals arc cut, there will b~ ;u1 en to the .wa.tcr t mmun1cation hetyveeo New York and Lnk~ Ontario by that coutc. The AU •J·hany River find French Creek, v\hich connect the Patowmac with Lake Erie, ~r equally affect d by droughts; indeed it is only during flood s, occa­fioncd. by the melting of tln~ fi1ow, 01~ hy hc.1 y falls of r.1in~ that goods c:tn be tranfport wi h cafe ei.thcr by the one..: xoute o~ the oth r. J;ly far the greater part of the tr. de to the Jakes is at prcfcnt centered at Montreals fo1: the B;titifh merchants not only can convey their goods from ' LArE T R AD E. from thence to the bkc<> for one third lcf5 than wh:H it cofl:s to convey th fame goods thit H.:r 1iom New '{ork, but they can likewife af1ord to fell tlll.:m, in the firfl: infiancc, confidcrably cheaper than the merchants of the United States. The duties paid on the importation in~o Canada of refined fu (rar, fjJirit , wine, and coffee, arc coniidcrably Ids th:ln thofc paid on the impurt:ttion of th f.unc omrnoditics into the U11itcd States ; and all Briti01 hanl warc, :1nd l ry goods in general, arc admitted duty frce into Clllada, whereas, in the United t;Hc·, they ar" char<r able, on in•portation fi· m Europe, with a duty of fift ·en p r cent. on the value. To attempt to levy d11ties on foreign manu6C1ure fent into the fiatcs from C.11uda would I e nn idle :1ttcmpt, as from the grc.lt extent of their frontier, and it ; contiguity t Canadn, it would at all times be an eafy matter to {end the goods clanddl:incly into them, in on.kr to avoid the duties. The trade arricd on from 1\fontrcnl to the lahs is at pre{(·nt very conilderable, and incrcafing every year. Alrc:~dy arc there extcn­iive fettlcmcnts on the Briti01 fide of Lake Ontario, at Niagara, at Toronto, at the Bay of Canti, and at · Kingfl:on, hich contain nearly twenty thoufand inhabitants; and on the oppo!ite {hur , the people of the itatet. are pu01ing forw::ml their fcttlcmcnts with tht utmofi vibour. On Lake Eric, and along Detroit River alfo, the fcttlements are in­crenfing with afioni11ling rapidity, both on the Britiih and on the oppo~ flte fide. The importance of the back conntry tra c, and ,the trade to the 1ak s is in hlCt the back country trade, has already been demonfirJtcd; and it has been !11ewn, tl1.1t every fca-port town in the Unittd States hns in~ crcafcd in ll/.:C in proportion to the qunntum it njoy ·d of this trade; and that thofe towns mofl: convcnicntly fitllated for c.nr 'ing it on, were thole that had the grcatefl: O)are of it; as, tl e re~ rc, the Owrcs of the lake incrcafe in population, and of courfc as the demand for European ma.nuhtl:m ·s incr afcs nmongft the inhabitant~, we m:1y cxpeet to fc Mvntreal~ which of all the fea-ports in North Am rica is the moil con- 0 o vcni 'tltly