ed knolls, or, in some places, deep, swampy moss-beds
nearly three feet in depth. From the Saguenay to Quebec the mountain
ridge along the shore of the St. Lawrence is unbroken, save where
streams find their way to the Great River, but beyond this coast-border
the country is in some places level, in others undulating, with hills of
moderate height, and well-watered valleys. From Quebec westward to the
St. Maurice, which joins the St. Lawrence at Three Rivers, the land
rises in a gentle ascent from the banks of the Great River, and presents
a rich tract of fertile plains and slopes: in the distance, a lofty
chain of mountains protects this favored district from the bitter
northern blast. Along the north bank of the St. Lawrence, from the St.
Maurice, the country toward the Ottawa is slightly elevated into table
ridges, with occasional abrupt declivities and some extensive plains. In
this portion of Canada are included the islands of Montreal, Jesus, and
Perrot, formed by the various branches of the Great River and the
Ottawa, where their waters unite. Montreal is the largest and most
fertile of these islands; its length is thirty-two miles and breadth
ten; the general shape is triangular. Isle Jesus is twenty-one miles by
six in extent, and also very rich; there are, besides, several other
smaller islands of considerable fertility. Isle Perrot is poor and
sandy. The remote country to the north of the Ottawa is but little
known.

On the south shore of the St. Lawrence, the peninsula of Gaspe is the
most eastern district; this large tract of country has been very little
explored: so far as it has been examined, it is uneven, mountainous, and
intersected with deep ravines; but the forests, rivers, and lakes are
very fine, and the valleys fertile. The sea-beach is low and hard,[150]
answering the purposes of a road; at the Cape of Gaspe, however, there
are some bold and lofty cliffs. Behind the beach the land rises into
high, round hills, well wooded; sheltered from the Gaspe district to the
Chaudiere River, the country is not so stern as on the northern side of
the St. Lawrence; though somewhat hilly, it abounds in large and fertile
valleys. The immediate shores of the river are flat; thence irregular
ridges arise, till they reach an elevated table-land fifteen or twenty
miles from the beach. From the Chaudiere River westward extends that
rich and valuable country now known by the name of the Eastern
Townships. At the mouth