part of the river, and is an extensive range of very heavy ordnance, besides some 13 inch mortars, which, if properly served, must destroy any vessels which might attempt to pass, or come near enough to injure the town.

The river opposite to Quebec is about 100 feet in depth, and affords good anchorage: for a considerable way above Quebec it is navigable for ships of any size. Indeed, large ships go as high up as Montreal, which is near 200 miles. above Quebec.

The site of Quebec seems to have been destined by nature for the capital of an empire. The surrounding country is magnificent; and it is seen to great advantage from Cape Diamond, which overlooks the great river, and is the termination of the plains of Abraham.

It is a very difficult thing to convey by words a correct idea of any town, or give a just notion of the situation of a place, and the appearance of its surrounding scenery. In reading the description of a place, we naturally draw a picture of it in our own mind; but it is always an

erroneous one. Nothing but a model, if properly executed and coloured, or a panorama, the most excellent of all sorts of painting, can enable one to form so correct an idea of a place as to supersede the necessity of visiting it.

Of

I recollect how much I was struck with the difference between the picture I had drawn in my own mind of many places of consequence and celebrity, the descriptions of which I had read, and their real and true appearance on inspection. these the most striking were London, Lisbon and its magnificent Cintra, Gibraltar, Montpellier, Lyons, Paris, and many other places of note on the continent of Europe. Although the picture I had drawn to myself of Quebec was not correct, yet it was fully as near the truth as I expected it would be.

I do not pretend to be a great proficient in the topographic art, but the drawings of Quebec are, in general, so very erroneous, or at least so inadequate to the end proposed, that the aid of description seems extremely necessary, in order that a

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tolerably correct idea of the place may be formed.

The general course of the river St. Lawrence is from south-west to north-east. Above the island of Orleans, the St. Lawrence expands, and a bason is formed by the junction of a river called the St. Charles, which comes from a lake of the same name, situated amongst the mountains towards the north. After passing an Indian village, about ten miles from Quebec, called Lorette, situated upon elevated ground, the St. Charles takes its course through a plain, which is separated from the great river by a ridge of high land, about nine miles in length, extending from a place called Cape Rouge, to Cape Diamond. The general breadth of this ridge is from one to two miles. Cape Diamond is a bold prcinontory, advancing into the river St. Lawrence, of an elevation of 350 feet above the river, nearly perpendicular; and the bank the whole way to Cape Rouge is nearly of the same elevation, rising from the river almost perpendicular: the ridge slopes towards the north till it reaches the

valley, through which the river St. Charles runs. This ridge of land has every appearance of having been an island, surrounded by the great river. The valley is full of large round stones, and other matter, which indicate the presence of water at no very remote period, and the operation of a strong current.

On the north-east, or lower end of the peninsula, Quebec is situated; and the line of its fortifications runs from the river St. Charles, across, to the top of the bank which overlooks the St. Lawrence; the distance is about half a mile: and from the line of fortification to the point of Cape Diamond the distance is about a quarter of a mile: within this space stands the city of Quebec. It consists of an Upper and Lower Town: the Upper Town may be said to be situated on Cape Diamond, at least upon the side of it, which slopes towards the river St. Charles. It is much elevated above the Lower Town, and separated from it by a line of steep rocks, which run from the cape towards the river St. Charles. Formerly the river St. Lawrence, at high water, came up close to these

rocks; but as the tide rises and falls here about fifteen feet, it gave an opportunity of taking from the river a considerable space; wharfs were built at low watermark, and even at some places beyond it, and the intermediate ground filled up to such a height that it remained dry at high water. Upon this situation streets were laid out, and houses built. These streets run from the upper side of Cape Diamond down to the river St. Charles, a distance of about half a mile; they are of considerable breadth, and the houses are large and commodious; those next the river have attached to them very extensive warehouses (called, in the language of Quebec, hangards), and vessels come close to the wharfs to discharge their cargoes; at some of them the vessels remain afloat at low water, at others, which are not carried so far out, or where the river does not deepen so suddenly, the vessels lie dry at low water.

The Lower Town is not included in the fortifications, but the passes to it are commanded by the batteries in the line of fortification, which surrounds the Upper Town;