as a few miles above are some very heavy rapids; but this has been remedied by a canal from near Montreal to Lachine, about eight miles. During the former war this was not the case, as every thing intended for the upper country had to be conveyed by land to the water of Lake St. Louis, when they were embarked in batteaux and taken up past the rapids of the Cedres and Cascades to Coteau-du-lac. This latter place should form the end of the Montreal district, which would extend from Fort William Henry, down the Richelieu to Isle aux Noix, on the east, along the frontier to St. Regis on the south, and to Coteau-du-lac on the northern shore of the St. Lawrence, with Bout de l'Isle for the chief depot.

Great changes have taken place since the above period by opening the passage of the Ottawa and forming the Rideau canal, which gives a second line of communication to Kingston and Lake Ontario running about forty miles back, instead of immediately in view of the American side of the river.

Before attempting to describe the benefits derived from this canal, it is proposed to give a slight sketch of the district we have just proposed to form, from the Richelieu to St. Regis.

An army defending the La Cole country through which the River Chateau-gay takes its course and empties itself into the St. Lawrence, would have rallying places where reinforcements could be efficaciously supplied from the chief depot at Bout de l'Isle, while the northern shore of the St. Lawrence would be unmolested. There should be some fort erected on Nun's Island at the mouth of the Chateau-gay on Lake St. Louis, for if the enemy passed through that river they might cause some annoyance to Montreal.

It is evident the Americans can never enter into any competition with us, below the cascades, so long as we maintain the superiority at sea, and the positions commanding the ship channels of the St. Lawrence; the means of our defending this district are unlimited,

The next point to be considered is the Rideau canal; this was not in existence during the last war, nor were there any settlements on the Ottawa, now there is a city which is about to become the seat of Government. This alone might seem to show the great increase of the population in the last thirty years, and as the district is mostly settled with half-pay officers, pensioners, and emigrants, direct from the old country, and having also the advantage of being out of the immediate neighbourhood of troublesome visitors from the south of the St. Lawrence, people will be found loyal and most willing to defend their property, and in order to keep invaders at a proper distance they will be always ready as a support to defend those who may be more in advance.

The defence of the entrance of the Ottawa river is a point worthy of consideration. It falls into the St. Lawrence at the head of Lake St. Louis; at the junction there are several islands, namely, Isle Perrot, Bizarre Island, and a branch runs back of Montreal İsland, forming Isle Jesus.

Before the construction of the Rideau Canal, joining the Ottawa with Lake Ontario, all stores, passengers, &c., had to cross from St. Anne's, on Montreal Island, to L'Isle Perrot, by a flat boat, a scow; then another ferry to Vandrieul, and thence by batteaux up the

rapids to Coteau-du-lac. This was an affair of some days, as the boats had to be shoved up by poles the greatest part of the way till they arrived near Cornwall, from thence to Prescott, when they care to the Lake of One Thousand Islands, from whence it is all fair sailing to Kingston.

This was the route for every thing to the Upper Province last war, and as the greatest part of it was within view of the American shore, and often there was no escort for the batteaux, it is surprising that anything ever found its way to Lake Ontario.

Among other things which were conveyed by this route was a frigate. She had been framed and put together in England, was taken to pieces, shipped to Quebec, and thence to Kingston, where she was again put together to navigate Lake Ontario; the frame was conveyed past the rapids by horses; it was put piece-meal upon waggon-bodies, wheels of timber-waggons and sledges; when the day's work was done, or a person had finished his contract for conveying a part a certain distance; then it was thrown down and left to another contractor to carry on. Thus this ship was strewed over a distance of above 100 miles, all in pieces; yet the Americans allowed it to be taken up without any attempt to injure it; had a few men gone over anywhere with their axes they might have done it considerable injury. At last it was collected at Prescott, and formed into a raft. Two light howitzers were put upon it, and a detachment of Artillery, under the command of Lieutenant Evan Morgan, R.A., and in due time it arrived, was put together, and sailed on the Lake just as the war was finished. Some of the timbers had originally gone from Canada, as a timber merchant discovered his own mark upon some of the large pieces. All the cordage, and stores of every description, and even sailors to man the ships, were sent up by this route without being molested.

On Lake Ontario we had afloat at the close of the war-The St. Lawrence, 98 guns; the Prince Regent, 36; the Pscyche (the frame ship) 36; the Montreal, 28; the Niagara, 20; two brigs, and a large transport, with some other small craft of schooners, &c.

The general distances of the main posts in Canada along this route are nearly equal, and a rough calculation may easily be made :From Quebec to Montreal, 180 miles; Montreal to Kingston, 180; Kingston to Niagara and Toronto, 180; Niagara to Fort Erie, 36; Fort Erie to Amherstburgh, 200; total, 776 miles.

The actual measured distance is given as 790 miles; so there is only about 20 miles out, which is not of very great consequence, but this distance is easily remembered taken on the average of 180 to each place.

On the St. Lawrence we have the following distances:

There are canals now which save much labour along here.

Another district should be formed in the triangle formed by the Ottawa, Rideau, and the St. Lawrence. Notwithstanding the exposure of the St. Lawrence front of this division, it does not offer an advantageous route for a serious invasion, because the command of the St. Lawrence is now of diminished consequence, as we have the Rideau to look to for communication with Upper Canada; neither would it be chosen for the line of advance to Montreal, as the command of Lake St. Louis could always be held by us without competition.

It has to be ascertained, with reference to invasion from this quarter, whether the Americans, descending the St. Lawrence with a fleet of boats, under the protection of an army on its banks, could not cross to the Isle of Perrot, thence to St. Anne's, or Chateau Brilliant, on Montreal Island, protected from our steamers, which ought to be built for this service, by their artillery on the Vandrieul shores.

This was part of their project in 1813, before they were so signally defeated at Chrystler's Farm.

To prevent the approach of the enemy to Lake St. Louis, the islands at the foot of the rapids of the cascades should be fortified; they can always be within reach of relief by the lake.

On this district should be a depot fully as extensive as that at Quebec, for being well inland it would not be so liable to attack as if nearer, and there are some fortifications on the canal where it could be placed; the principal parts of the stores for Kingston Dockyard, &c., could be deposited here, as there is easy communication through the canal which debouches there, and stores could always be conveyed from thence, up the Bay of Quinté, and then by the river Trent to Lake Simcoe, from thence to Toronto. There is a good road, Yonge Street, about forty miles, through a part of the country that has been settled above fifty years, by peaceable Dutch Quakers-a very peculiar people. And from Lake Simcoe again, there is a water communication to Penetangueshene on Lake Huron; there are good harbours here, and at Nottawasaga, which ought to be fortified, as a refuge for our vessels navigating from Fort Erie to Lake Huron. There might also be a small second-class depot at Lake Simcoe, as that would supply Toronto and Penetangueshene with such extra stores as they might require to replace their own as they should become exhausted.

The Rideau should be the chief depot in Upper Canada, not even second to Quebec, as it would require such an extensive store for the naval supplies on Lake Ontario, the Dockyard at Kingston, and for the shipping as well at the Grand River on Lake Erie. An examination of the map will explain this at one view.

Kingston is a place of such importance that we must devote some time and attention to it.

The dockyard is situated in a bay at the eastern extremity of Lake Ontario; it is separated from the main shore on which the town is situated by a deep bay, which runs up to the mouth of the Rideau Canal. The dockyard is defended by a strong work on the hill above it called "Fort Henry ;" this is also fortified on the land

side and commands all approaches that way. It has two strong stone towers, on top of which some heavy guns are mounted; there are quarters for a number of men in each, in the second storey, and a magazine in the tower; if the fort was taken, these towers would defend themselves for some time. There are other guns covering the approach to the dockyard by the lake, but the plane over it is too much elevated, as it would be rather a plunging shot to fire into the dockyard; however, to obviate this, another fort was erected on Point Frederic, in advance of the yard, and had a heavy battery, a fleur de l'can, which commanded every approach by water and also the entrance to the Bay leading past the town to the mouth of the canal—and as it is not much above half a mile across to the town, it is quite commanded should an enemy get possession of it.

There is a small island near Point Frederic which ought also to be fortified, as it has nearly the same direction as the battery on the point, but also commands two channels leading into the lake of the "Thousand Islands," through which boats might get in foggy weather and land below Fort Henry-any where in fact. But as the roadstead for our fleet, if we had one, is just about here, it would not be 80 easy to force the way down; but forty years must have made sad havoc among the old ships laid up in ordinary about that time. This subject is one of the greatest importance, and the axiom mentioned before cannot be too strictly enforced and brought into notice, viz.: "That whoever commands the Lakes, commands Upper Canada."

Upon this everything hinges, and as our Government seem to be in earnest, if they wish to save this loyal colony they ought to send out some hundreds of shipwrights and carpenters, et hoc genus omnes, without delay; they would find abundance of timber about in the neighbourhood to commence upon, and they might even send into the woods to cut it, so as to have something to begin with in the spring; though the timber would not be quite seasoned, it would be better than nothing, and perhaps some of the old ships might be patched up to make a start. The Americans out-number us far upon these lakes in small trading vessels, and if we do not manage to catch them while they are frozen up, we may give up the business at once.

To return to the Fortifications, it is necessary that a strong one should be constructed upon Murney's point (or at Mississaqui point) above the town. There was one at each last war, and round the town was a stockade, flanked at different points by blockhouses enclosed in earthern redoubts. What state these may be in now, Quien sabe! There is also a small island,-Snake Island, which lies in the middle of the Ship Channel, which had a blockhouse and a few guns upon it it cannot be held, it is so small; but as everything must come close to it, a few shots could be fired at the first ship, and give the alarm at Kingston.

There were two small posts some distance below Kingston, on the shore of the lake of the Thousand Islands, capable of containing about two companies each, called by the euphonious names of Gannanoqui and Cattarraqui-the latter is the Indian name for Kingston; they served to keep a look out for any approach that might be made,

through the Islands, to take Kingston in the rear, for the southern coast of this lake forms part of the state of New York.

About 30 miles up the lake is the Bay of Quinte: this is formed by a peninsula, called Prince Edward's Island; (which has the best soil in Canada, and is mostly settled by Dutch;) the water between it and the main land is sufficient to float a frigate; it is connected by a portage of three miles only to the main land, and during the war goods of all descriptions for Toronto, &c., went up through the Bay, and were carried across this Isthmus, boats and all, to the outer lake. The beautiful river Trent empties itself in here, and forms a communication with Lake Simcoe, passing through some other smaller ones on its way. In order to secure a second and inland line of communication up these waters, which lead all the way to Penetangueshene, on Lake Huron, it is necessary to fortify the eastern or lower entrance into the Bay of Quinte, with a good strong work ; also another at the other end upon the old carrying place, or portage. This would secure that tract of land pretty well, as the shores of Lake Ontario along to the river Humber near Toronto are precipitous, and a landing could not be easily effected.

The city of Toronto is a very important place, and cannot be passed by with impunity; it is situated at the side of an extensive bay, formed by a long, low, sandy point, miscalled "Gibraltar." On the end of this there was a small blockhouse; but as the city has become a place of great importance since the last war, a larger fort should be constructed here, it being on the plane of the water, and extending some distance into the lake, no fleet could well approach the entrance to the bay. There is also a considerable fort on the high bank near the city, which quite commands the bay on the water side, and a good distance inland on the other: it used to accommodate an entire regiment, and a company of artillery.

As was said above, this would form a support against any attack that might be made to injure the depot on Lake Simcoe, by getting up Yonge street. The inhabitants here will not fight, as their principles as Dunckers, or Quakers, prevent them; yet they will work, by allowing their teams and waggons to be taken, and they will follow to take care of them and their cattle, for the conveyance of troops, stores, &c.

Having so far disposed of another district back from the frontier, it will be necessary to proceed due south across the lake for about 23 miles, to the entrance of the river Niagara.

This is indeed an important and interesting point. Most of the hard fighting was done here, and in case of invasion it is pretty sure to be the place where the struggle will take place. It is the most vulnerable part of Canada, and of the greatest importance at the same time.

The river Niagara divides the Province from the State of New York; it is navigable as far as Queenstown, about seven miles. There are forts on each side, nearly opposite to each other. Fort Niagara belongs to the Americans, and Fort Mississaqui to the British. Niagara is one of the oldest forts in America: it was built by the first French traders, to secure their furs from the Indians, and a refuge for them