Smith's Canadian gazetteer - ElectricCanadian.com

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descriptions of the country have only travelled along the reertilar stage roads
(which are always carried over as much level gi-ound as possible), and have
seen very little of the interior of the country. The surface of the greater portion
of the Upper Province is rolling ; and there are many portions that are
very hilly. A range of hills or ridges, that may almost be termed monntains,
mns through the townships of Albion and Caledon, and on to Lake Huron,
terminating in the Blue i\lountains on the Georgian Bay: one of these mountains
is said to be about 2000 feet above the level of the lake. By looking at
the map of the country, and noticing the sources and the courses of the streams,
it is easy to form a tolerably correct judg-nient of the relative height of the land.
Thus it will be seen that the ridge of land running through the townships north
of Toronto must be considei-ably above Lake Ontario; as the rivers taking their
rise in it, and which flow into Lake Sinicoe, after passing down the .falls of the
Severn, through the Georgian Bay and Lake Huron, the rapids of the River St.
Clair, Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie, the rapids and the Falls of the Niagara
River, enter Lake Ontario ; and, after performing a circuit of nearly SCO miles,
pass down within from twenty to thirty miles of their source.
The following is the quantity of land surs-eyed in Upper Canada, and the
manner in which it has been disposed of; together with the estimated quantity
still remaining unsurveyed:
Acres.
There were originally surveyed in Upper Canada, including the
surrenders by Indian tribes 18,153,219
"Which has been appropriated and disposed of as follows:
For support of Protestant Clergy 2.407.687
For Education—King's College, Toronto 225,944
" LTpper Canada College 63,642
Grammar Schools...'. 258,330
To the Canada Company 2.484,413
U. E. Loyalists, and for various claims 10,-;04,663
Indian Reservations not disposed of 808,540
Land remaining on hand 1,500,000
Unsurveyed Lands in Upper Canada 13,592,320
Of the unsurveyed land 9,1 19,260 acres are supposed to be of a sufficiently good
quality for cuhivation; and 4,472,960 acycs bad land, unfit for cultivation.
Canada West is divided into twenty districts, w^hich are again subdivided
into counties, ridings and townships. The districts vary in size. ;is do also the
townships; the W^estera District containing twenty -nine townships, and the
Prince Edward District only six. As the large districts become settled up, and
contain a sufficient population to form two districts out of one, they are generally
divided ; thus the Colborne District was formed from the Newcastle, the Simco<
from the Home, and the Huron from the London. Some townships contain as
many as 90,000 acres, and others not more than 20,000. Most of the townships
are laid out in square blocks, but some of them are divided in a manner that
defies description—leading one to form the conclusion that the original surveyors
seldom commenced their work until (iftiv dinner. The townships are
divided into concessions, Avhich are generally sujiposed to run north and south,
or east and west; but these vary very much according to circumstances. When
a river runs through or bounds a ti)wnship, the front lots are always laid out to
face the river, no matter in wliat direction its course may lie. The concessions
arc again subdivided into lots of 200 acres, each, and half lots of 100 acres.
About half the .surveyed lands of Upper C^anada has been purchased from the
Indian tribes since the year 1818; the dates and (|ua;itities of which, together
with the remuneration received by the Indians for tuem, are bhown in the
annexed statement.