Travels in Lower Canada

Lamenting that there had been no scientific, objective study of Canada by anyone from the United States, Joseph Sansom commenced his travels through lower Canada in the summer of 1817 with the express purpose of finding out the "sentiments of the people, or the comparative situation and future prospects of that country." Providing observations of both the natural world and the human culture of Lower Canada, Sansom attempts to describe this area without comparison to her neighbor to the south. Sansom travels through the Lake Champlain region, Quebec, and Montreal, amongst other areas, while detailing the "Peasantry of Canada," a "History of Canada," the "Language of the Iroquois," and providing a "Description of the Beaver, in Canada." This is one of the first accounts of the people, places, and history of Lower Canada.