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Jacob Lindley's Account, 1793

SW_JL1793_Page_094

quarters of a mile wide, opposite the town. In this excursion I made the following observations: From Lake Erie up to this place, is eighteen miles. Each farm is laid out about forty perches on the river — mostly improved, with houses, gardens, and orchards; and extending back, where the land is level, and abounds with grass, and where hundreds of cattle thrive exceedingly, producing beef, butter, cheese, veal, &;c. in plenty. Their winters are about four months, in which it is requisite to feed stock. The country, at present, is excellently adapted for raising live stock. The soil is mixed, and various, clay, gravel, sand, &;c. Here are fine fields of wheat, and peas, but too wet for corn. Tile whole country is level, to a fault, without a stone, except on islandsin the mouth of the river Croeseel, and on the banks of the lake, which are generally limestone — these are monopolized by old Indian traders, and sold to the inhabitants, at a high rate, for the purpose of building their chimnies, &;c. Hog Island is in sight, above the garrison. It appears to be well timbered. I am told it took its name from this circumstance; being infested with rattlesnakes to such a degree that people were afraid to enter upon it; and, as the best expedient, theyturned on it a large herd of three or four year old swine. In time, the hogs destroyed the reptiles so that it became habitable, and thence was called Hog Island. Large rafts of excellent timber are brought into the king's yard, in this place, from the river Lau-trench; and some fine masts and beams, come by water out of lake Huron, quite through lake St. Clair. The changes of weather, are great and frequent here. There are no eels found in the waters, nor