It receives the waters of the great lakes from Lake Ontario and conveys them to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is nearly half a mile wide at its commencement, and 90 miles wide at its mouth. The name was originally given to the Gulf, and afterwards extended to the River, by Cartier, an early French navigator, in 1534, in honour of a saint in the Romish calendar. Soon after its commencement, it expands into the "Lake of the Thousand Isles;" a portion of the river, the scenery of which is most beautiful and romantic, being studded with islands, some of which are many acres in extent, and others only a few feet square, and most of which are covered with red cedar; some are only just above the surface of the water, and others are abrupt and craggy rocks, jutting up perpendicularly to the height of 30 or 40 feet. Sometimes you pass through a narrow channel, between rocks, where, at a short distance, you would imagine there was scarcely room for a boat to pass. In passing through the lake, during the last summer, in company with a German who had travelled over Germany, Switzerland, and France, he declared that in point of natural beauty, the scenery of the Rhine was not to be compared to it. He acknowleged that the addition of old castles and pictureque ruins, added charms to the scenery of the Rhine, that were wanting in that of the St. Lawrence; but that in true natural beauty, it was far from equal to the Lake of the Thousand Isles.
           There are several rapids in the river, some of which it is difficult, and others impossible for sailing vessels or other craft to ascend; and steamboats and vessels, conveying goods between Kingston and Montreal, have been in the habit of descending the rapids, and returning by the Ottawa River, being towed by steamboats through the Rideau Canal. The principal of these rapids, are the Galoppes Rapids, Point Iroquois Rapids, Rapide Plat Rapids, Farren's Point Rapids, the Long Sault Rapids, The Coteau Rapids, The Cedars Rapids, the Cascades Rapids, and the Lachine Rapids The Galoppes Rapids are situated at about six miles below Prescott. The current in the river is very strong, varying from six to ten miles per hour. The first class steam passage vessels can overcome these rapids, as those at Point Iroquois, Rapid Plat, and Farren's Point in the natural state of the river; but to enable trade vessels generally to ascend the Galoppes, improvements are in progress, which consist of one guard lock, one lock with a lift of between seven and eight feet, and a lateral cut or canal two miles in length. The Point Iroquois Rapids occur at about 12 miles below Prescott; to enable vessels to ascend them, a canal has been constructed about three miles in length, with a lock having a lift of about six feet. This work is not quite finished, but will be completed during the present year. The Rapide Plat Rapids are about 19 miles below Prescott, and to overcome them, a canal has been made about four miles in length, with a guard lock, and a lift lock having about eleven and a half feet rise. The Farren's Point Rapids are about 33 miles below Prescott. The improvements here consist of a canal about one mile in length, with a lock having about four feet lift. The next rapids are those of the Long Sault; these are serious, and may indeed be called insurmountable obstacles to ascending the river; they have been avoided by the construction of the Cornwall Canal, which is about 12 miles in length, and commences at the village of Dickenson's Landing, eleven miles above the town of Cornwall. The next work connected with the St. Lawrence is the Beauharnois Canal, the object of which is to open a communication from Lake St. Francis to Lake St. Louis, avoiding all the rapids of the Coteau, the Cedars, and the Cascades, which occur in the portion of the St. Lawrence between those lakes.
           During the season of 1844 it was stated, and generaly believed, that a new channel had been discovered through the Cedars Rapids, with a considerable depth of water; and it was supposed, therefore, that no obstruction existed to the passage of vessels, drawing from eight to nine feet water, down all the rapids to Montreal. However, it appeared that this was a mistake; for as the proprietor of the steamboat St. George was endeavouring to take his boat (drawing six feet water) through the newly discovered channel, she struck so heavily in several parts of the Coteau and Cascades Rapids as to make it necessary to run her into the entrance of the Beauharnois Canal, to prevent her from sinking.
           The several works of the enlargement of the Lachine Canal are nearly completed, and are expected to be sufficiently so to allow of the passage of first class vessels, which then will be enabled to run up from Montreal to Toronto and Hamilton; and, through the Welland Canal, to Lakes Erie, St. Clair and Huron. Below Montreal, the St. Lawrence is navigable for first class vessels from the ocean.
           There are many islands in the St. Lawrence, some of large size, and others mere rocks. Of these, the largest above Lake St. Francis, are Gore Island, opposite the townships of Leeds and Landsdowne; and Sheek's Island and Cornwall Island, opposite the townships of Cornwall and Osnabruck. Below Lake St. Francis, there are many islands, the principal of which is the Island of Montreal; but as these are all in the Lower Province, to which the present work does not extend, it is necessary to omit a description of them. The base of the islands in the St. Lawrence is limestone, and they are mostly covered with cedars, and other trees of the pine tribe.
           There have been expended on the improvements of the St. Lawrence up to the 1st of July, 1844, the latest date to which the returns have been published --