reached New York, was of much interest to me, owing-
to the great variety of fine scenery. After leaving
Niagara by rail, we ran through a ravine, and at
Lewiston took the boat for Montreal, making a short
stay at Toronto on Lake Ontario. At Kingston we
entered the St. Lawrence, a fine majestic river, with
its “ Thousand Islands,”—in reality their number is.
nearer 1,800, most of them very tin y ; they and the
“ rapids,” which interrupt the steady flow of the
stream, in some places assuming serious obstacles to its
navigation, added much to make the journey most
enjoyable. Our'progress down these foaming rapids
was very fast, about twenty miles an hour, and the fall
with in a mile is computed at fifteen feet.
Montreal was reached in due time, the handsome
town and public buildings explored, the rink and the
Royal theatre visited, “ The Lively Indian 1 being the
title of a sparkling comedy performed at the la tte r |
and within a few more days I continued my route,
crossing the St. Lawrence by the tubular bridge, and as
far as Rochepoint by rail. Here, on reaching Lake
Champlain, I took my passage on board the “ Adiron-
dak,” and spent a most agreeable twelve hours in
watching the beautiful scenery. The lake being-
narrow, both shores were nearly always within view,
sloping down in wooded and park-like undulations.
On landing at Whitehall, I took the train to Saratoga,
the Harrogate of days gone by, where I spent a few
days very pleasantly; it is a lively spot, with
its park and springs, and its fashionable company.
Thence the rail carried me to Albany, where I transferred
myself and bag to the deck of the “ Vibbard,” to
descend the Hudson, all my heavy traps having been
sent on direct from San Francisco to New York; and
here I may add my mite to the general admiration of
the American system of booking and transferring
luggage. Within a couple of hours we passed Athens,
—the people of the State of New York have a liking for
classical names: they have their Rome, Syracuse,
Utica, Carthage, etc. An hour later Catskill, with Prospect
House, occupying a splendid position on the brow
of a hill, which is a favourite summer resort of the New
Yorkers; and along the banks of the river I noticed a
number of enormous ice-houses, built of wood, with
gangways running up to the roof to admit the blocks
of ice raised by elevators. Newburgh, and after that,
West Point, the great military college, we caught a
glimpse of, and at six p.m. we reached the American
emporium of commerce, where I was fortunate in
finding a vacant room at the Fifth Avenue Hotel.
New York reminded me of Liverpool on a larger