little comparative value. To the traveller alone, wearied with his wanderings through interminable forests, these beautiful plantations and flowercovered fields afford an exhilarating prospect. Towards Long Point, in the neighbourhood of which there are also similar extensive plains, the country on each side of the road is tolerably well settled; but the houses of public entertainment afford the most wretched accommodations, and exhibit an appearance, both inside and out, which by no means induces one to form any great opinion of Canadian Hostelries.

I reached Port Talbot, on the 15th of September, and found that my friends had not arrived. As I was sitting a while after in a tavern, contiguous to the river, where I expected to have met with my father and his family, a lady and gentleman rode up to the door. When the lady entered, I rose and handed her a seat; the gentleman next appeared, and, on seating himself, enquired, as is customary in this country, whether I was travelling East or West? I told him, that I had already explored as much of the Western country as I then intended: and added that, during the last four months, I had travelled from within seven degrees of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, and that it was not my design to go much farther into the country, until I had seen my friends,-whom I daily expected from the East, safely and comfortably settled a few miles further to the Northward. This topographical reply a little surprised them, for it was too general,

and did not descend to such minutia as Americans

expect.

The lady, who appeared a good deal embarrassed or rather in a state of mental anxiety, said, with much apparent concern, "Alas, Sir! I fear your "friends in America are few, and your hope of "seeing them comfortably settled, like most "worldly hopes, vain and unfeasible!" I conjured her to explain herself, and, after some hesitation, she reluctantly complied; for her exclamation had undoubtedly been involuntary: "You are not alto"gether friendless! You have at least one brother! "I saw him, a few hours ago, in health but unhappy. He is travelling in this direction, and "will be with you in a few hours." With this expression on her lips, she rose from her seat, and retired hastily to an adjoining apartment, where, addressing the landlady, she continued, "About 66 eight o'clock this morning we overtook a number "of young men, all Europeans, among whom 66 was a gentleman evidently the brother of "this young man. They are the only surviving passengers of a large party belonging to the Fort "Erie Schooner, which was wrecked a few nights

66

ago on the United States' shore." I heard this with undefinable emotions, and, rushing into the apartment in which the lady was still conversing with the hostess, entreated her to tell me all that she knew of the melancholy catastrophe. She said, "About three o'clock on the evening of the 19th "of September, I saw your friends embark at Fort

"Erie for Port Talbot, on board a large schooner; "and from the great number of passengers who "embarked, and the indifferent quality of the ves

66

sel, the people of Fort Erie entertained seri"ous apprehensions for the safety of the travel"lers: The weather being very boisterous, and "the captain of the schooner, an inefficient and "unexperienced man. In a few days afterwards, "news arrived at Fort Erie, that the vessel had "been wrecked in the morning of the 21st, on the "shore of the United States; and that the few young men who survived, were taken up by a "New York schooner, and landed in Canada."

66

On hearing this doleful intelligence, I immediately set off to meet my brother and his fortunate companions. Before I had proceeded more than half a dozen miles, I met the whole party; and judged from their countenances, that the information I had received was not exactly correct. I told them what I had heard, and desired to know, whether or not I had been misinformed. My brother replied, that my information was in the main correct; that they had indeed been shipwrecked, but that no lives were lost, excepting that of a Mrs. Lewis, who died in consequence of severe cold and fatigue. I was also further given to understand, that my father and his family were all well, and in the United States, waiting only for a vessel· to bring them over to the shores of Canada. It is impossible to describe the sudden transition of my feelings, on hearing these joyful tidings: A few

moments before, I had the strongest grounds for believing, that my nearest relations were lodged in a cold and watery grave, where

No friend's complaint, no kind domestic tear,
Pleas'd their pale ghosts, or grac'd their mournful bier.

But now I could indulge the joyful anticipation of meeting them once more on British ground, restored, as it were, to life, and reprieved from appearing, in a manner which they did not expect and for which they might not be prepared, before Him who is the Judge of quick and dead." In. about a fortnight after this, they all arrived at Port Talbot, after having experienced much kindness from the inhabitants of the state of New York, during their continuance among them.

In the latter part of October my father removed his family from Port Talbot to Westminster, where he procured lodgings for them until a house was erected on his own lands. The township of Westminster is separated from that of London, only by the river Thames.

LONDON is situated about twenty-four miles North of Lake Erie. It is 927 miles from that part of the Atlantic Ocean which joins the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 607 miles from Quebec, 618 from the city of New York, and 125 from the seat of Government of Upper Canada. It has Oxford, a fine township, twenty-three years settled, on the East; Westminster, twelve years settled, on the South; Delaware, on the South West; Lobo,

on

the West; and unknown and uncultivated regions, on the North and North West.

On the 1st of November, 1818, it was entirely unsettled, and its surface studded with the various trees which are to be found in Canada. The Northern branch of the river Thames runs across its Eastern angle, and the Southern separates it from Westminster, while a great number of small rivulets pour their meandering streams through almost every allotment. The land is considered, if not superior to every township hitherto opened for location, at least inferior to none in the whole Province.

acres.

The township forms a square, and is divided into sixteen concessions, in each of which are 6,400 These concessions are sub-divided into lots of 200 acres, of which there are thirty-two in each. Between every two concessions, there are sixty-six feet set apart for roads, which are called concession lines. These, together with seven side-roads of equal width which intersect them at right angles, and are equi-distant from each other, comprise all the public roads in a township.

On the 26th of October, my brother and I, with six men carrying provisions and felling-axes, took our departure from Westminster, and, having hired a guide, proceeded into London, to fix upon the most desirable lot, for the erection of a house. Twelve hundred acres were assigned to my father for his own demesne, if I may so call it. We had therefore a large tract of land to explore,