with the winds
and tidal influences, and the waters of which are as salt as those of
the briny deep.

Here, in the mouth of the river, at the Bics, secure anchorage for
vessels may be found; but below, in the estuary, for a distance of more
than two hundred and forty-five miles, to Gaspe, there is but one port
of refuge, that of Seven Islands, on the north coast.

As the ship ascends the river from Bic Islands, a passage of about one
hundred and sixty statute miles to Quebec, she struggles against a
strong current. Picturesque islands and little villages, such as St.
Andre, St. Anne, St. Rogue, St. Jean, and St. Thomas, relieve the
monotony. But very different is the winter aspect of this river, when
closed to navigation by ice from November until spring. Of the many
tributaries which give strength to the current of the St. Lawrence and
contribute to its glory, the Saguenay River with its remarkable scenery
is counted one of the wonders of our continent. It joins the great river
from the north shore, about one hundred and thirty-four statute miles
below Quebec. Upon the left bank, at its mouth, nestles the little
village of Tadousac, the summer retreat of the governor-general of the
Dominion of Canada.

American history claims for the Roman Catholic church of this settlement
an age second only to that of the old Spanish cathedral at St.
Augustine, Florida. For three hundred years the storms of winter have
beaten upon its walls, but it stands a silent yet eloquent monument of
the pious zeal of the ancient Fathers, who came to conquer Satan in the
wilderness of a new world. The Saguenay has become the "Mecca" of
northern tourists, ever attracting them with its wild and fascinating
scenery. Capes Eternity and Trinity guard the entrance to Eternity Bay.
The first towers sublimely to a height of eighteen hundred feet, the
other is only a little lower. A visit to this mysterious river, with its
deep, dark waters and picturesque views, will repay the traveller for
the discomforts of a long and expensive journey.

Where the turbulent current of the Saguenay mingles angrily with that of
the St. Lawrence, there may be seen disporting in the waves the white
whale of aquariums, which is not a whale at all, but a true porpoise
(_Delphinopterus catodon_, as he is now called by naturalists), having
teeth in the jaws, and being destitute of the fringed bone of the
whalebone whales. This interesting creature is very abundant in the