89

84

on Sugaring off he found a much better article than he
was in the practice of making as the corn meal was the
only thing he could attribute it to, he continued the use
of it and soon ascertained that it was a very great improvement
on the common method of making Sugar.

The receipt is as follows, to the sap required for
40 or 50 pounds of Sugar add about a pint of corn meal
put in while cold and boiled together.

April 17th 1841. W. Vansettart one of our Officers was the last
person this morning who crossed the ice for the season,
rather a dangerous and fool hardy experiment several
[thermo: 30-40] fissures having for these several days made their appearance,
a sure indication that the process of rotting had commenced
when it becomes excessively dangerous to venture
on its surface.

April 18th 1841. The opening of the navigation of the Ontario
may have been said to have commenced this day, by the
St. George Steamer having become unlocked from her icy
grasp after a period of 5 months. She attempted to cross
over to Garden Island but had scarcely reached halfway
when she again became immoveable in the drifted ice of
the current, where she remained fixed though under motion
of her paddles for some hours, while we were watching the
Steamer by aid of our telescopes from the Mess Room window
we descried a large eagle on the ice, devouring the remains
of some animal. The Officers attempted to reach within
range of their Rifles in a boat, but the noble bird was so
protected by means of the accumulated fragments of floating
ice that they could not approach sufficiently near the mass
which he continued without further molestation for three hours
to devour his Royal meal.