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line to the mouth of the river being about 60 miles
out of the 160. From its junction with the St. Lawrence
decked vessels of 150 tons may ascend from 12 to 15
miles, then the navigation is carried on by canoes rafts
and small crafts of all descriptions. From St. John
we reached La Prairie a small town on the banks of
the St. Lawrence. While they were getting the mail
ready I had an opportunity to ascertain the depth
of Ice on the St. Lawrence from a hole cut by the people
in the Inn to obtain a supply of water which I found
to be about 15 inches, not including the frozen snow
which had become a portion of the floor, but the pure
ice alone. The carriage being ready and all on board
we bid farewell to La Prairie, and descending on the
ice and in 40 minutes found ourselves in the city
of Montreal a distance of nine miles in a straight
line across the river. The tract across being pointed
out by the branches of trees stuck into holes in the ice.
This is a practice well established by laws throughout
the whole Frozen regions of America, on all lakes,
rivers and streams, that are to be crossed by the public.
The different parishes being compelled to mark
out the various routes before they venture on the ice
by this means a continued Line is preserved during
the whole winter, the object to keep down the snow
and to form a proper road. Montreal is an Island
on the St. Lawrence, on which stands the city of the
same name. It has a fine appearance as you approach
with its compact masses of buildings roofed with
sheets of tin and overlapped with church spires glittering