I left Guelph early in June with Mr. Prior, the Company's agent at
Goderich. Our road after leaving Springer's in Blenheim lay through the
township of Wilmot to the southern boundary of the Huron tract, and
from thence nearly in a straight line to the town of Goderich at the
mouth of the river Maitland, on Lake Huron, on our route for a distance
of nearly seventy miles, being bounded on the east by the townships of
North Easthope, Ellice, Logan, McKillop, Hullett, and the east part of
Goderich to the west, by South Easthope, Downie, Fullarton, Hibbert,
Tucker Smith, and the west part of Goderich.

This road was a mere sleigh-track through the woods, newly cut out, and
rarely exceeding twelve feet in width. At this time we saw only three
log-cabins during the whole way, these being about twenty miles apart
from each other. These three were kept by Dutch or German emigrants,
who supplied travellers with whiskey and provisions--when they had any-
-which was not always the case. Indeed, I can testify, to my sorrow, to
the uncertainty of finding a decent table provided for guests by these
foreigners; for I once had to stop at old Sebach's, the centre house,
for the night, and being tired by a long day's march through the snow,
I had calculated on making a capital supper. Not that I expected
anything better than tea, fried pork and bread and butter, to which,
hungry as I was, I should no doubt have done ample justice. Judge,
then, of my astonishment and disappointment, when mine hostess placed
before me a piece of dirty-looking Indian meal-bread, and a large cake
of beef-tallow, and, to wash down this elegant repast, a dish of crust
coffee without either milk or sugar, assuring me at the same time in
her broken English, "That she had nothing better in the house till the
return of her husband, who had gone fifty miles to the mill and store
for a supply of flour, groceries, and other fixings."