ille is a very pretty little village, exhibiting much
industry.

Bronte, or Twelve Mile Creek, is the next village, very small indeed,
with a pier, and then Port Milford, which is one mile from Wellington
Square, a place of greater importance, with parallel piers, a
steam-mill, and thriving settlement; near it is the residence of the
celebrated Indian chief Brant, who so distinguished himself in the war
of 1812. Here also is still living another chief, who bears the
commission of major in the British army, and is still acknowledged as
captain and leader of the Five Nations; his name is John Norton, or,
more properly, Tey-on-in-ho, ka-ra-wen.

That which I wished particularly, however, to see, was now close to
us, the Canal into Burlington Bay.

Burlington Bay is a little lake of itself, surrounded by high land in
the richest portion of Canada, and completely enclosed by a bar of
broad sand and alluvial matter, which runs across its entrance. In
driving along this belt, you are much reminded of England: the oaks
stand park-like wide asunder, and here, on tall blasted trees, you may
frequently see the bald eagle sitting as if asleep, but really
watching when he can rob the fish-hawk of the fruits of his piscatory
toils.

The bald eagle is a cunning, bold, bad bird, and does not inspire one
with the respect which his European congeners, the golden or the brown
eagle, do. He is the vulture of North America rather than the king of
birds. Why did Franklin,[1] or whoever else did the deed, make him the
national emblem of power? He is decidedly a _mauvais sujet_.

[Footnote 1: I think, however, I have read that the philosophic
printer gave him a very bad character.]

The Canal of Burlington Bay is an arduous and very expensive
undertaking. The opening from Lake Ontario was formerly liable to
great changes and fluctuations, and the provincial work, originally
undertaken to _fix_ the entrance more permanently, was soon found
inadequate to the rapid commercial undertakings of the country.
Accordingly, a very large sum was granted by the Parliament for
rendering it stable and increasing the width, which is now 180 feet,
between substantial parallel piers.

There is a lighthouse at each end on the left side going in, but the
work still requires a good deal of dredging, and the steamboat,
although passing slowly and steadily, made a very great surge. In
fact, it requires good steerage-way and a careful hand at the helm in
r