The current location of London was selected as the site of the future capital of Upper Canada in 1793 by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe. Simcoe named the settlement after London, England and renamed the river. However, this choice of a capital site in the midst of extensive hardwood forests was initially rejected by Guy Carleton, (Governor Dorchester), with the comment that "access to London would be limited to hot-air balloons".