This place extends about 600 miles in length, and 450 in breadth: the air is pretty much the same as in Old England: the soil is, for the most part, barren; but where it is cleared and cultivated, it affords good corn and pasture. Here is fine timber, and fit for building, from whence pitch and tar may be extracted. Here also hemp and flax will grow, so that this country will be capable of furnishing all manner of naval stores. It abounds likewise with deer, wild fowl, and all sorts of game. On the coast is one of the finest cod-fisheries in the world. European cattle, viz. sheep, oxen, swine, horses, etc., they have in great abundance. The winters are very cold, their frosts being sharp and of a long duration — their summers moderately hot; so that the climate, in the main, seems to be agreeable to English constitutions.

I SHALL close the description of the American colonies with a short account of the soil and produce of French Canada. Its extent is, according to their map, 1800 miles in length, and 1260 in breadth.

The soil in the low lands near the river St Lawrence will indeed raise wheat, but, withal, I found it so shallow, that it would not produce that gram above two years, unless it was properly manured. About 20 miles from the said river, so hilly and mountainous is the country, that nothing but Indians and wild ravenous beasts resort there. However, they have plenty of rye, Indian corn, buck-wheat, and oats; likewise of horses, cows, sheep, swine, etc. But I have observed that fruits of any kind do not come to such perfection here as in some of the English settlements, which is owing to the long duration and excessive cold of their winters.

The summer is short, and temperately hot. The climate, in general, is healthy and agreeable to European constitutions. And so much for the provinces in North America.