Of the immense multitude of smaller lakes which cot er the inland parts of Canada, it is only a very short of the most remarkable that can here be given. Farther nest arc, the Lake of the Woods, which has its name from the quantity of wood on its banks, is of an oval form, about 75 miles long and 40 broad, with a muddy bottom, and in some places of great depth; Lake Winipic, or Ouinipique, the reservoir of several large rivers which discharge themselves into Hudson's Bay, is about 200 miles long, and 100 broad, full of small islands, and well stored with fisl.. bounded on the north side with banks of black and grey rocks, and on the south with a low and level country ; Lake Bourbon, formed by the waters of the river Bour bon, which runs a great way southward, near to the northern head of the Mississippi, is about 80 miles long, and nearly as much in breadth ; Lake of the Hills, or Lake Athabasca, or Great Slave Lake, from which Mackenzie's river extends its course to the Arctic Ocean, is about 200 miles in length, and 100 in breadth, and scarcely within the boundaries of Canada. On the north of the St Law rence. the principal lakes are, Lake Manikauganzich, at the head of the black river, which falls into the St Lawrence to the east of Saguenay, near the coast of Labrador, and which is about 60 miles in circuit ; Lake St John, on the river Saguenay, about 90 miles in compass, and bordered with pine trees ; Lake Mistassin, at the head of Rupert's liver, very irregular in its shape, but nearly 200 miles in circumference ; Lake Temiscanzing, on the Utawas river, which falls into the Cataraqui ; and Lake Nipising, on the French river, which runs into Lake Huron, about 100 miles each in circumference. On the south of the St Lawrence, the only one worth mentioning is Lake Cham plain, at the head of the river Chambly or Sorel, and al most entirely within the territories of the United States. It is 120 miles in length and 15 in breadth, well stored with fish, and situated in the midst of a beautiful and fer tile country.
The mountains of Canada have never been properly examined, either with a view to describe their ranges, or to ascertain their structure. The principal ridge is in the northern part of the province, in the direction of south west and north-east, giving rise to many rivers, which flow chiefly to the south-east. There are few mountains towards the south-west of the colony ; but between Que bec and the sea, they are more numerous. The whole extent of Canada may be considered as a granitic coun try, occasionally accompanied with calcareous rocks of a soft texture, and in horizontal strata. The region of the calcareous stones seems to extend in a line north-west, beyond Lake Michigan, as far as the sources of the Mis sissippi, and thence to those of the Saschachawin, joining at length the great chain of the Stony or Chipewyan mountains, which again may be considered as a continua tion of the Cordillera of the Andes. All the great lakes of Upper Canada are placed in the line of contact between those two vast chains of granite and limestone. At the narrowest part of lake "Winnipeg, for instance, where it is not more than two miles broad, the west shore is skirt ed by calcareous rocks, about 30 feet high, while, on the opposite shore, there are still higher rocks of a dull grey granite. In the lower province, particularly, the granite predominates. A calcareous stratum, indeed, found un der the St Lawrence at the fall of Niagara, seems to pro ceed along the lied of the river as far as Quebec ; the isle, on which the city of Montreal is built, is of a calca reous nature ; the immediate bed of the fall of Montmo rency is a horizontal shelf of a black grey limestone, of the kind called primitive or crystallized ; and the banks .nf the St Lawrence, as also of the other rivers in Lower Canada, are chiefly composed of a schistous substance, generally in a decayed and mouldering condition. But still in every quarter, even among these other substances, the granite is found in strata, more or less inclined to the horizon, but never parallel with it. There are veins of lead ore near the bay of St Paul, north-east of Quebec, which yield a few grains of silver. A considerable quan tity of iron ore is found in the neighbourhood of Trois Rivieres ; and copper on the south-west of Lake Supe rior. No coal has yet been discovered in Canada, but it is supposed to exist in the environs of Quebec, and is known to abound in Cape Breton.
The soil of Lower Canada consists of a light and loose blackish earth, ten or twelve inches deep, lying upon a stratum of cold clay, very fertile, but soon exhausted, unless regularly recruited by a supply of manure. The best of it is generally found on tde banks of those rivers whie;, flow into the St Lawrence, especially the Onelle, de Stitt, Chambly, and de Loup. That of the upper pro., ince, however, is greatly superior, and the country much mot e level, and better adapted for cultivation. In Canada there can scarcely be said to be more than two seasons of the year, summer and winter. The snow has scarcely disappeared, when the heat of summer is ex perienced ; and the season of vegetation is prolonged through the autumn months, till suddenly checked by the rapid return of winter. The range of the thermome
ter is very extensive, seldom less than 120 degrees, generally rising in summer to 92, and frequently falling ill winter to 28 below zero ; that is, from 60 above to 60 below the freezing point. At midsummer it has been observed occasionally as high as 96, and in winter as low as 40 degrees below zero ; but the medium temperature in December and January is 22 below the freezing point. In the months of July and August, the heat is peculiarly oppressive ; and in September the weather is most plea sant. In October and November, the snow begins to fall, and the frost becomes daily more severe. hi De cember and January, winter reigns in all its majesty, and the cold is very intense ; but the air, by means of the congelation of its aqueous particles, is uncommonly dry ; and has not nearly so severe an effect upon the feelings as a moist atmosphere with a higher temperature. When the cold dry air enters a heated apartment, its drying power is astonishingly increased, and its effects upon the furniture are very surprising. In the course of a winter, the pannels of the doors frequently shrink so much, as almost to fall out of the frame, while the frame itself shrinks to such a degree, that the bolt loses its hold. In the month of March, the sky is clear, the sun shines bright, and his heat begins to be felt. In April, the in fluence of his rays is very considerable ; and, in the first week of May, the snow has nearly disappeared, the ice on the rivers and lakes is broken up, the ground suffi ciently soft for farming operations, and vegetation re markably vigorous. In the settled parts of Upper Ca nada, the climate is greatly milder, and the winter of shorter duration, frequently passing without much frost, and sometimes with scarcely any snow.* Neither Lake Ontario, Lake Eric, Lake Huron, nor Lake Michigan, are subject to be frozen to any great distance from their coasts ; but Lake Superior, from its more northerly si tuation, is usually- covered with a solid body of ice fur an extent of 70 miles from land. In the region to the north west of Lake Superior, extending to the Stony Moun tains, and then northwards to the latitude of 72°, the cli mate and soil arc completely Siberian. The ground is generally flat, bare of trees, (unless here and there a few of stunk,' growth,) interspersed with lakes, marshes, and an infinite nuniber of streams, and incessantly swept by stormy icy winds from the north-west. From the latitude of the earth is frozen throughout the whole course of the year ; and at trading posts, be tween 50° and 56°, it was found impracticable to dig wells, even in the month of July, the earth tieing thawed only to the depth of three feet. In what may he called cultivated Canada, however, in the upper province, and especially towards the west, the climate bears a nearer resemblance to that of Europe, in the same latitudes ; and there is very little difference to lie found, except such as may proceed from the icinity of high moun tains covered with snow. The longer continuance of frost and snow in Lower Canada, for nearly six months in the year, has been attributed to the immense desert regions, which stretch towards the north; and it is chiefly when the wind blows front the north-east quarter, where the mountains of ice are found, that very great quantities of snow fall in that province. The utmost depth of snow in the woods, when it is not drifted by the winds, is usually six or seven feet ; and the ice on the rivers gene rally acquire:, a thickness of two feet and upwards ; but, on the borders of St Lawrence, it sometimes exceeds even six feet. The climate of the lower province, how ever, has been observed to he rapidly ameliorating ; and by a meteorological table it has been ascertained, that in the space of fifty-eight years, the medium cold of its winter has lost eight degrees of its wonted severity in the neighbourhood of Quebec. The period also, at which the river St Lawrence is shut up by the ice, is nearly a month later than when Canada was first coloniz ed. This has been ascribed to the clearing and cultivating of the lands, and it is not improbable that this cause may have had some small influence ; but the tracts thus im proved bear so small a proportion to the whole extent of the country, and this amelioration of the climate has also been so conspicuous even in those districts, which are still in an absolute state of nature, that it seems more rational to refer it to some more extensive and predomi nating operation in the system of nature. (See this sub ject discussed more fully in Volney's new of the United States, p. 266.) It has been mentioned also, (but whether to be considered as a cause or as an effect of this improve ment of the climate, it is not very easy to ascertain,) that the inland waters are decreasing, and that many lakes are draining and filling up by the earth, which is carried down by the rivers from the higher grounds.