The plan conceived by General Simcoe for peopling and improving Upper Canada seems, as far as he has communicated it to us, extremely wise and well arranged.
...
A chief town or capital must not be seated on the frontiers, and much less under the guns of the enemy's fort. He has since thought of York, situated on the northern bank of Lake Ontario, nearly opposite to Niagara; it is in this place he has quartered his regiment, and he intends to remove thither himself when he shall withdraw from the frontiers.
York, from its extent, security, and situation, offers an excellent road. The communication between Lake Ontario and Lake Huron is facilitated by several rivers and small lakes. The surrounding territory possesses a good soil, and affords all possible means to improve the trade on the lake. Even in a military point of view its situation is very advantageous. The banks of Lake Ontario are likely to be first peopled by the Americans, and to become most populous; and Lower Canada will always prove to them an object of jealousy and evny rather than Upper Canada. On this ground it is extremely important, to choose a situation, which renders it more easy to succour such points as are most exposed to an attack. Yet Governor Simcoe seems to have relinquished the idea of establishing his residence, and the seat of government, at York.

Governor Simcoe intends to make York the centre of the naval force on Lake Ontario.

During our residence in Naryhall, Messrs. Dupetitthouars and Guillemard took the opportunity of the return of a gun-boat, and made an excursion to York. Indolence, politness to the Governor, and the conviction that I should meet with nothing remarkable in that place, united to dissuade me from this journey. My friends informed me on their return, that this town, which the Governor had fixed upon as the capital of Upper Canada, before he thought of building a capital on the Thames, has a fine extensive road, detached from the lake by a neck of land of unequal breadth, being in some places a mile, in others only six score yards broad; that the entrance of this road is about a mile in width; that in the middle of it is a shoal or sand-bank, the narrows on each side of which may be easily defended by works erected on the two points of land at the entrance, where two block-houses have already been constructed; that this is two miles and a half long, and a mile wide; and that the elevation of the shore greatly facilitates its defence by fortifications to be thrown up on the most convenient points.
Governor Simcoe intends to make York the centre of the naval force on Lake Ontario. Only four gun-boats are, at present, on this lake; two of which are constantly employed in transporting merchandize; the other two, which alone are fit to carry troops and guns, and have oars and sails, are lying under shelter until an occasion occurs to convert them to their intended purpose. It is the Governor's intention to build ten similar gun-boats on Lake Ontario, and ten on Lake Erie. The ship-carpenters, who construct them, reside in the United States, and return home every winter.
There have not been more than twelve houses hitherto built in York. They stand on the bay near the River Dun. The inhabitants do not possess the fairest character. One of them is the noted BATY, the leader of the German families, who, according to the assertion of Captain Williamson, were decoyed away by the English, to injure and obstruct the prosperity of his settlement.
Notwithstanding the navigation of this river, there is a portage of thirty miles between York and Lake Simcoe, by which the merchandize, that comes from Lake Huron, might reach that place in a straighter line. The barracks, which are occupied by the Governor's regiment, stand on the road, two miles from the town, and near the lake; desertion, I am told, is very frequent among the soldiers.
In a circumference of one hundred and fifty miles the Indians are the only neighbours of York. They belong to the tribe of the Missassogas.

The friends of Kingston further allege... that York is an unhealthy place, and will long remain so, from the nature of the ground, which separates the bay from the lake.
Dupetitthouars, who is a zealous partizan of York, as far as he considers it in the light of an establishment for the navy, cannot help allowing, that it has the air of being an unhealthy place. General Simcoe apparently possesses the love and confidence of all the inhabitants and soldiers. But his projects are deemed too extensive; and, above all, too costly, in proportion to the advantages, which England is likely to reap from their being carried into effect.

Mon. 29th - We were prepared to sail for Toronto this morning, but the wind changed suddenly.  We dined with the Chief Justice, and were recalled from a walk at nine o'clock this evening, as the wind had become fair.  We embarked on board the "Mississaga," the band playing in the ship.  It was dark, so I went to bed and slept until eight o'clock the next morning, when I found myself in the harbour of Toronto.  We had gone under an easy sail all night, for as no person on board had ever been at Toronto, Mr. Bouchette was afraid to enter the harbour till daylight, when St. John Rousseau, an Indian trader who lives near, came in a boat to pilot us.

On Thursday last his Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor, accompanied by several military gentlemen, set out in boats for Toronto, round the Head of the Lake Ontario, by Burlington Bay; and in the evening his Majesty's vessels the Caldwell, and Buffalo, sailed for the same place.

Captain Butler from Toronto arrived here, and gave a very good account of the behavior of the Mississagays, Chippawas, Michilimakinacs, &c., during their residence there, and by their speeches, and everything else, seemed to be very hearty in our interest. He is to set off from here on the morrow.

Captain Fonda arrived here from Toronto, where he said the trade was over for this season; and that they had a great deal of goods yet on hand, which he offered to sell at prime cost, but could not dispose of them. He says the Indians all behaved extremely well who came there to trade; that they sell gunpowder at a bear skin for a pound.

Captain Fonda came to acquaint me he was going to Toronto, as he could not dispose of his cargo here...

I embarked at Montreal the 13th Sept. 1760 (with Captain Brewer, Captain Waite, Lieutenant Brheme, Assistant Engineer, Lieut. Davis of the royal train of artillery, and two hundred Rangers) about noon in fifteen whaleboats...

...The wind being fair the 30th, we embarked at the first dawn of day, and with the assistance of sails and oars made great way on a south-west course, and in the evening reached the river Toronto, having run seventy miles. Many points extending far into the lake occasioned a frequent alteration of our course. We passed a bank of twenty miles in length, but the land behind it seemed to be level, well timbered with large oaks, hickories, maples, and some poplars. No mountains appeared in sight. There was a track of about 300 acres of cleared ground round the place where formerly the French had a fort that was called Fort Toronto. The soil here is principally clay. The deer are extremely plentiful in this country. Some Indians were hunting at the mouth of the river, who run into the woods at our approach, very much frightened. They came in however in the morning, and testified their joy at the news of our success against the French. They told us "that we could easily accomplish our journey from thence to Detroit in eight days: that when the French traded at that place, the Indians used to come with their poultry from Michilimackinac down the river Toronto: that the portage was but twenty miles from that to a river falling into Lake Huron, which has some falls but none very considerable." They added that there was a carrying place of fifteen miles from some westerly part of Lake Erie, to a river running without any falls thro' several Indian towns into Lake St. Clair.

I think Toronto a most convenient place for a factory, and that from thence we may very easily settle the north side of Lake Erie.

We left Toronto the 1st of October steering south right across the west end of Lake Ontario. At dark we arrived at the south shore, five miles west of Fort Niagara, some of our boats being now become exceedingly leaky and dangerous.

The evening of the 27th, I sent 3 whale boats with a party of above 30 men to reconnoitre Fort Toronto, and on their return, propose to send to destroy it.

At night Lieutenant Francis returned from Toronto, and reported that the enemy had burned and abandoned that post, and destroyed many things which they could not take along, viz. working utensils, arms, &c.

also desired I would send some person to the Mississagay town, near where Toronto stood, to hear what he should say to that nation...