States of the adjoining Republic are within easy reach by railway or steamer, and furnish a series of delightful tours. They may be arranged as follows: Route 1. To Lakes Champlain and George vid Rousés point. 2. Franconia mountains, Lakes Memphremagog and Willoughby, Mount Orford vid Newport (65 miles). 3. To Saranac and Chazy lakes and Adirondack mountains (the sporting region of northern New York) vid Rouse's point (50 miles), Plattsburg (82 miles), Ausable (102 miles). 4. To Cornwall (67 miles), Ottawa city (the capital) (166 miles), Kingston (172 miles), Cobourg (264 miles), Toronto (333 miles). The Thousand isles form the most picturesque feature of the Upper St. Lawrence. They commence near Kingston, and extend nearly to Brockville, a distance of fifty miles. The latter town, named after General Brock, the hero of Queenstown, is one of the prettiest places in Canada. Alexandra bay and the neighbourhood abounds in good shooting and fishing.

There are few countries more splendidly watered than Ontario, of which Toronto is the capital and chief city. Its innumerable

lakes and streams, as well as the great freshwater seas which form its southern boundary, abound with excellent fish, and form a very paradise to the enthusiastic angler. Good sport may also be found for the gun in the backwoods, where bears, wolves, lynxes, deer, and many other wild animals, are commonly met with.

Having briefly described the prominent and distinguishing features of the Dominion as a whole and distinct dependency of the Crown, and the nearest field open to British travel and settlement, we will now indicate the portions of the vast colony which at the present time offer the greatest inducements and most solid advantages to those in search of health, sport, or profit.

CHAPTER II.

QUEBEC.

AREA.-193,355 square miles; 129,000,000

acres.

POPULATION (in 1871).—1,191,516. Chief city, Quebec; population, 76,500.

Council of

HISTORY.-Settled in 1586. Administration appointed in 1663. Ceded to England by Treaty of Paris 1763. Constitution granted 1791. Confederated in 1867, up to which time it was known as Lower Canada.

Quebec is the central commercial province of the Dominion, and offers advantages to small manufacturers and traders unable to compete with the capitalists of the great European centres.

The rural population thrive mainly by agriculture and the product of the forest.

CLIMATE AND SOIL.-The rigour of the Canadian winter has been very much exaggerated. Its people are certainly amongst the hardiest and most vigorous. The snow, far from being a disadvantage, is almost as valuable a covering as manure, and under the spring thaws the effect of the winter's frost and snow is to make the land more friable, and to impart to the soil the vigour which makes our northern vegetation so sudden and luxurious. The soil is rich, and susceptible of the highest cultivation. In point of quantity and quality the crops in Quebec compare favourably with those of other parts of the continent. An instance illustrative of climate is that the sparrow at all seasons of the year may be seen flitting about. The soil of Quebec is extremely rich, and susceptible of the highest cultivation.

DIVISIONS, &C.-There are five main centres of colonisation-the Valley of the Saguenay, the Valley of the St. Maurice, the Valley of the Ottawa, the Eastern Townships, and Gaspe. There are sixty counties and twenty judicial districts in the province. The Crown offers for sale a large quantity of land on the south shore of the lower St. Law

rence. Lands taken from the Crown, whether for purchase or as a free grant, are subject to easy conditions of payment or settlement. In 1868 an Exemption Law came into force, giving full and fair protection to settlers. The province has also introduced, in a limited way, a system of colony settlements, by which lots of 100 acres each, prepared in designated townships, are offered to settlers who appear to be in a position to succeed.

STOCK-RAISING. Cattle-breeding is becoming quite an occupation in Quebec, and the province has sent back to England a class of cattle unsurpassed by her own best breeds. The lands in the eastern townships, "the Garden of Quebec," and north of the Ottawa, for pasturage, are of special excellence. They embrace nearly one million acres, and are offered at from 2s. to 2s. 6d. an acre. Dairy-farming is yet in its infancy, but the active co-operation and aid of the Government is giving to agriculture an impulse which must result in very important consequences to the province.

PRODUCTIONS.-Cereals, hay, and green crops grow everywhere in abundance. The total