Mexico weekly ledger., 1897-07-01

yet the city covers double the area,
and is justly proud of its extensive
public parks, beautiful private gar
dens, elegant villas and broad ave-
nues. The drives in some of the
suburbs are extremely picturesque and
q few hours recreation in driving
through the parks and along the lake
shore will prove delightful and in
structive.
Bidding goodbye to Toronto, the
tourist on the way to the Thousand
Islands will naturally select the Grand
Trunk railway, which offers an excel
lent and quick service to Kingston or
Gananoque, from which places steam
ers ply to all the island resorts.
MONTREAL.
Montreal is the commercial metrop-
oils of Canada, firmly planted at the
base of Mount Royal. Ii the approach
be at evening, a lovely sight will be
witnessed. Over the intervening
darkness and the vast rolling river,
the myriad lights of the great city
CLEAN and glisten. In the foreground
the lights are peculiarly brilliant, the
most powerful electric lights being
used to promote the unloading and
loading of the tall-masted ships that
lie along the four miles of harbor.
Behind the lights slope upward to the
base of Mount Royal, and at either
extreme huge mills belch forth vol
umes of red flame. On the river the
bright Examinations of huge palace
passenger steamers arriving from the
west, or continuing on to other ports
further down the river, or the smaller
lights Of the ferry boats, add variety
to the scene.
Montreal is a city of about $50, 900
inhabitants, and is located at the head
of navigation for ocean going vessels,
nigh a thousand miles from the At
lantic. Further progress is barred by
the rapids of the river, the decent of
which in the skillfully handled river
steamers forms one of the delights of
the traveller. Navigation, however,
does not stop at Montreal; smaller
vessels take the cargoes of the great
ocean ships and the products of the
city by canal and river for many hun
dred of miles into the inland towns of
the continent. This great trade with
the west and northwest has made
Montreal a wealthy city, and the evil
dences of it r plain in the lines OF
massive warehouses, the magnificent
public edifices, the beautiful churches
and elegant private residences.
LACHINE RAPIDS.
Lachine Rapids is the most formula
BILE of all, the most difficult of naviga-
ton and the last of the rapids. The
steamer, after emerging from it's first
pitch, rises firmly on the surging bill
lows, fanked by rocks on each side,
steers straight in the swift current,
guided by the steady eye and sure
plotting of the man at the helm. Con-
v~ersation is almost impossible, the
grandeur and magnitude of the scenes
all around inspire silence, and no
wonder that tourists annually make
the drumming of the rapids'' a worthy
link in the chain of their travelling
tour through the Dominion. The
| steamer now comes in full view of one
of the greatest wonders of the present
age, the Victoria bridge (now being
reconstructed on a more elaborate
plan, commensurate with the demands
of increasing traffic., owned by the
Grand Trunk Railway, spanning the
noble st. Lawrence, two miles long,
the longest, the largest and one of the
most costly bridges in the world. 1t
was opened with great ceremony by
Fl. R. e., the Prince of Wales, in 1861,
and the golden spike driven by him
can still be seen on its massive side.
The scene, whilst passing under, look-
ing up from the deck, is impressive.
After passing this marvel of engineer
ing skill, the tourist has the splendid
panorama of the fine city of Montreal
spread out before him the most prom
inent object being the two towers of
the church Notre Dame.
Our meeting promises to be most
pleasant, as there will be general ex-
%cursions on the river after the bust
meas sessions n closed. A little
pleasure mixed with business is a
good thing, especially during the
summer. r. NJ. WHITE.