ough weather.

The contractors made a railroad for five miles to the mountain, to
fetch the stone for filling-in the piers.

The voyage across Burlington Bay is very pleasant and picturesque, the
land being more broken, elevated, and diversified than in the lower
portions of Canada West; and the Burlington Heights, so important a
position in the war of 1812, show to great advantage. Here is one of
the few attempts at castle-building in Canada called Dundurn Castle,
the residence of Sir Allan Macnab. It is beautifully situated, and,
although not perhaps very suitable to a new country, it is a great
ornament to the vicinity of Hamilton, embowered as it is in the
natural forest. Near it, however, is a vast swamp, in which is Coot's
Paradise, so named, it is said, from a gentleman, who was fond of
duck-shooting, or perhaps from the coot or water-hen being there in
bliss.

Hamilton is a thriving town, exhibiting the rapid progress which a
good location, as the Americans call it, ensures. The other day it was
in the forest, to-day it is advancing to a city. It has, however, one
disadvantage, and that is the very great distance from its port, which
puts both the traveller and the merchant to inconvenience, causing
expense and delay. How they manage, of a dark night, on the wharf to
thread the narrow passage lined with fuel-wood for the steamboat I
cannot tell; but, in the open daylight of summer, I saw a vehicle
overturned and sent into the mud below. There is barely room for the
stage or omnibus; and thus you must wait your turn amidst all the
jostling, swearing, and contention, of cads, runners, agents, drivers,
and porters; a very pleasant situation for a female or an invalid, and
expecting every moment to have the pole of some lumber-waggon driven
through your body.

Private interest here, as well as in so many other new places and
projects in Canada, has evidently been at work, and a city a mile or
two from its harbour, without sufficient reason, has been the result.
But that will change, and the city will come to the port, for it is
extending rapidly. The distance now is one mile and a quarter.

After great delay and a sharp look-out for carpet-bags and leather
trunks, we arrived at Young's Hotel, a very substantial stone
building, on a large scale, where civility and comfort made up for
delay. It was English.

As it was night before we got settled, although a very fine night, and
knowing that I should start befo