and big ones, too.

Coming from the mountainous regions of the Hudson, we saw little in the
way of scenery that arrested our attention until we beheld the St.
Lawrence, though one gets glimpses now and then, as he is whirled along
through New Hampshire and Vermont, that make him wish for a fuller
view. It is always a pleasure to bring to pass the geography of one's
boyhood; 'tis like the fulfilling of a dream; hence it was with partial
eyes that I looked upon the Merrimac, the Connecticut, and the
Passumpsic,--dusky, squaw-colored streams, whose names I had learned so
long ago. The traveler opens his eyes a little wider when he reaches
Lake Memphremagog, especially if he have the luck to see it under such
a sunset as we did, its burnished surface glowing like molten gold.
This lake is an immense trough that accommodates both sides of the
fence, though by far the larger and longer part of it is in Canada. Its
western shore is bold and picturesque, being skirted by a detachment of
the Green Mountains, the main range of which is seen careering along
the horizon far to the southwest; to the east and north, whither the
railroad takes you, the country is flat and monotonous.

The first peculiarity one notices about the farms in this northern
country is the close proximity of the house and barn, in most cases the
two buildings touching at some point,--an arrangement doubtless
prompted by the deep snows and severe cold of this latitude. The
typical Canadian dwelling-house is also presently met with on entering
the Dominion,--a low, modest structure of hewn spruce logs, with a
steep roof (containing two or more dormer windows) that ends in a smart
curve, a hint taken from the Chinese pagoda. Even in the more costly
brick or stone houses in the towns and vicinity this style is adhered
to. It is so universal that one wonders if the reason of it is not in