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BY CAPTAIN R. G. A. LEVINGE. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. LONDON: HENRY COLBURN, PUBLISHER, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET. 1846. ,4 ■t -I 187054 ri 'Nl 1 Frederick Shoberl. Juuior. Printer to His Royal Highness Prince Albert, 51« Ruiieit Street, Haymuliet, London. -i ■i-i \ m J-' TO SIR RICHARD SUTTON, BART., OP COTTESMORE, ONE OF England's best sportsmen, Of TRANSATLANTIC LIFE are inscribed bt THE AUTHOR. ■ u-ii PKEFACE. It is much to be regretted, by every one who has at heart the promotion of British prosperity, that the province of New Bruns- wick should be so little known in England ; that a colony containing many millions of acres of excellent land, magnificent rivers, inexhaustible mineral wealth, and most ex- tensive coal-fields, should be passed over as unheeded as if it belonged not to the British empire. Even in Parliament llie advantages of emigration to Canada or the United States are frequently expatiated upon in glowing and persuasive terms, but very rarely is any notice taken of New Bruns- wick. •-•■.—.-»*.«-*-.«• vi PREFACE. Owing to the diffusion of information, by means of numerous publications respecting our other northern colonies, the stream of emigration has been directed that way ; so that, though some thousands who have left their homes in the Old World in search of new abodes annually find their way to the shores of this our nearest colony, yet few, and those of the most indigent class only, remain. In Canada, moreover, where public works have been of late years carried on, the government and private companies have held out strong inducement to emigrants by as- sisting them to procure lands; while the great public enterprises continually going on in the United States attract the great majority of the labouring classes, especially Irish, who eventually become settlers. In none of our colonies does the agricul- tural settler find so many advantages as in > I PREFACE, Vli New Brunswick. In the counties of Glou- cester and Restigouche, the most northern parts of the province, have been grown ex- cellent crops of wheat ; and scarcely an in- stance can be adduced in which the crop of grain of any kind has failed ; whilst, in the pro- duction of potatoes and other nutritious roots, New Brunswick cannot be excelled. Lord Sydenham, in a letter to Lord John Russell, which accompanied his Report on Emigration to Upper Canada, observes: — " Give me yeomen, with a few hundred pounds each, who will buy cleared farms, not throw themselves into the Bush, and I will ensure them comforts and independence at the end of a couple of years — pigs, pork, flour, potatoes, horses to ride, cows to milk, but you must eat all yon produce, for devil a purchaser is to be found : however, the man's wants are supplied and those of his .•■».o»*-«*^^*i»*k=i *'^-=- VIU PREFACE. family ; ho has no rent or taxes to pay, and he ought to be satisfied." So said Lord Sydenham of Canada ; and all this is true in regard to New Bruns- wick, with this essential and striking difference, that in New Brunswick there is a market, and a man may not only supply his own wants and those of his family, but actually accumulate money from the sale of his surplus produce. And, above all, no- where are the liberties so dear to English- men to be enjoyed in a higher degree than in this province. It is therefore to be hoped that the time is not far distant when a spur shall be given to enterprise ; when the tide of emigration, instead of flowing through this magnificent colony, shall be arrested in its course ; when mining and manufactures shall give employment to thousands of work- men, who, from the lack of such sources in PREFACE. IX pay, and la; and Bruns- striking here is supply ly, but sale of I], no- nglish- e than hoped I spur e tide rough ;ed in tures ^ork- )s in our own colonies, are forced to seek them in the United States. In placing before the public these volumes, the author takes leave to premise that, favour- able as may appear to be the picture which he draws of New Brunswick, he has no schemes of speculators or adventurers to second, neither is he biassed by any motive of personal interest ; in one or other of which too many works of this nature have originated. His main object has been to present facts and information derived chiefly from his own observation, particularly of a kind likely to prove useful to persons intending to settle in the country of which he treats. Subjects of less important interest have not been omitted; and he flatters himself that the sportsman in his own chimney- comer in Old England will be gratified, at least, if not warmed, by his account of the , !<»■ I \\ PREFACE. U •1 opportunities afforded in New Brunswick for the display of skill and dexterity in exercises in which it may never be his lot to partici- pate. Information concerning the haunts of game in North America is often not to be obtained at all, and, if so, often not to be relied on. It frequently happens, therefore, that, after hard fagging, and great perseverance, just as the sportsman is obliged to leave the country, he then, and not till then, disco- vers their favourite resorts. Many hints collected from the Indians, from personal experience in the pursuit of deer and other game, of fish and fishing, and of what is termed wood-craft, are offered to such sports- men whom accident, inclination, or duty may lead to the New World. If Brother Jonathan should feel rather sore about the sketches of himself and his V^ m ■w . f .!>L S'i'.4>^' WKV-/ »»a^,:ii«iC-U. I'-jia^***-* ^<.**9^xtsc:»^^tiiM&tt0t^^> fi 'i 4tm n itm m m¥ PREFACE. XI swick for exercises partici- i of game obtained elied on. It, after Be, just ave the ) disco- 7 hints »ersonaI 1 other vhat is sports- J may rather Id his hopeful progeny introduced into these vo- lumes, I can assure him in all pincerity that, if I have nothing extenuated, still less have I been prompted by the national anti- pathy too prevalent on his side of the At- lantic to " set down aught in malice." To the kindness of Mr. Perley I am in- debted for some particulars concerning the remnants of the two Indian tribes still resi- dent in New Brunswick, and for much sta- tistical information; This gentleman is a descendant of that Isaac Perley who first explored the St. John : he is the head of all enterprise in the colony. Government Emi- gration Agent, and last, but not least, Wun- jeet Sagamore, or head Chief of the Micmacs. R. G. A. L. London, June, 1846. f . t^ i. I; w ' ILLUSTRATIONS. VOL. I. 1. The Air Hole 2. Moose run down 3. Salmon 'Spearing by Torchlight VOL. n. 1. Caraboo showing Fight 2. War-dance, Wisconsin 3. "Treeing" a Bear - - Frontispiece. - 160 - 186 •^ / / Frontispiece. - 190 / 206 ^ -^•'i^Mf.; .',■■ ,ji--_.v«tjf>ii<5fe-« T~,»-t»;.. :,:k'itr.r««„ '!SMSSSl»J- ^:Mwrf«V-^)»«, ^ ' CONTENTS OP THE FIRST VOLUME. Preface . . . v CHAPTER I. Voyage out. — The Transport Service — Military Life in Country Quarters — Voyage across the Atlantic — Dense Fogs — ^Banks of Newfoundland — ^Forests of the New World—" The Maid of the Mist"— River St. John . 1 CHAPTER IL New Brunswick— Hints for Emigrants.— First settle- ment of -the Province — Greneral description — Government — ^Boundary question — ^Rivers — " The Stone Wigwam" — Wooden Bridge — ^Fish — ^Waterfowl — -The Bore — ^Mineral Productions — Whales — Cod — Mines — Divining Rod — Measures . . . . .12 CHAPTER nr. New Brunswick — continued. — Towns — Labrador dogs — Horse-dealing— -Cobbett — ^Agent for "Morrison's 1 ': (!. V ^ii 1 '. ■• I '' ' XIV CONTENTS. pills" — A fire — Amusing incident — Climate — Lumber, hard and soft wood — ^Below Nero — Effects of frost — Skating — Sleighing — Coasting — Sleigh Club — Corn-bin extraor- dinary — Perilous situation . . . 57 CHAPTER IV. Of the Milicete and Micmac Indians. — Origin of the Indians, a Quere — ^Fossil remains — Mr. Gesner — Micmacs, or " Salt-water" Indians — ^Boundary between them and the Milicete — Render homage to the Iroquois — Council fire still burns — Their Totems — Language — Papoose — ^Wigwams — Snow-shoes — ^Patterns — Old John and Cockney . . . . .94 CHAPTER V. New Brunswick. — Of the Birds and Beasts. — Passenger Pigeons — ^Wild and Water fowl — ^Novel way of gunning — Genus Tetrao — Birch and Spruce Partridge — Humming-birds — ^Wax-bird — Soiree of Owls — Lucifees— Skunk — ^Wild Cat — ^Novel mode of catching Wolves — Musk-rat — ^Porcupine — Hares — ^Bears and Chimneys — ^A sound sleeper — The Governor gammoned . . 127 CHAPTER VI. New Brunswick. — Of the Deer and Woodcraft. — Moose — Cervus Hibemicus, not Antediluvian — Caraboo— Accidents " will happen" — ^Virginian Deer — Toggery for the Woods — Snow-Shoes — " Mai k la raquette" prevented — Hints — ^Woodcraft-— Lose way — ^Escape being frozen 159 CONTENTS. XV -Lumber, hard 't — Skating — -bin extraor- . 57 1*1 J. — Origin of r. Gesner — -'; .\J ary between the Iroquois ^ -Language — y.\ Enormous forests stretch their shadows wide, And rich savannas skirt the mountain's side ; There bounds the moose, and shaggy bisons graze ; Scar'd by the wolf, the hardy reindeer brays ; The clambering squirrel trembles from on high. Fixed by the rattlesnake's rapacious eye ; Unnumbered pigeons fill the darkened air, Glut the tired hawk, the loaded branches tear; Fair swans majestic on the waters glide, The mason-beaver checks the flowing tide ; Gigantic rivers shake the thund'ring shore ; Dread Niagara's foaming cataracts roar ; In light canoe, the painted Indian rows, Or hunts the floundering elk through melting snows, Wields his huge tomahawk in deadly fray. And rends with shouts the reeking scalp away, Or smokes the fragrant calumet of peace. And, bound in wampum leagues, bids savage discord cease." Anon. ..•JT-T- — ■ ECHOES FROM THE BACKWOODS, CHAPTER I. VOYAGE OUT. And now there came both mist and snow, And it grew wondrous cold : And ice, mast-high, came floating by, As green as emerald. Coleridge. The Transport Service — Military Life in Country Quarters — Voyage across the Atlantic — Dense Fogs — Banks of Newfoundland — Forests of the New World — " The Maid of the Mist"— River St. John. In June, 1835, the transports destined to convey the left wing of a light infantry regi- ment to onr colonies in North America had " made its number" in the Cove of Cork. At VOL. !. B i ECHOES FROM this time the transport service was a disgrace to the country, and, although so many men-of- war, which might have been employed as troop- ships, were lying idle in our numerous dock- yards, yet the comfort of the soldiers troubled not the heads of those gentlemen " who sit at home at ease." It was not sufficient that the poor devils should be " food for powder," but that the fishes also should have their chance. A tub of a vessel, without a sailing point in her composition, was hired, and a mass of white paint, in the form of a parallelogram, smeared over her bows, the better to relieve the huge number by which she was designated. Water- tanks, heaps of biscuits, barrels of pork, and but one of rum ; a pennant, an ensign, a skipper, a fat mate, and a superannuated lieutenant of the navy, by way of agent, and a most ina- dequate crew, were put on board, and the transport was reported fit for sea.^ * In the month of July, 1836, the service companies of the Royal, or 1st Kegiment, landed at Quebec " after a long THE BACKWOODS. 3 was a disgrace I many men-of- loyed as troop- imerous dock- Idiers troubled en " who sit at icient that the • powder," but their chance, ng point in her mass of white jram, smeared lieve the huge lated. Water- of pork, and ign, a skipper, , lieutenant of i a most ina- ard, and the vice companies of ibec " after a long The service companies selected for duty in New Brunswick marched through Cork to the tune of " The girls we left behind us." The solemn vows of eternal constancy of the pre- vious night were echoed and wafted from a hundred balconies ; but — « O, Nelly Gray 1 O, Nelly Gray ! Is this your love so warm ? The love that loves a scarlet coat Should be more uniform !" We knew that a few hours would bring thither the new regiment, their band playing ** Rory O'More," or " Sich a getting up- stairs," and that the pretty faces of the Cork fair would light up, their best bonnets would be put on, first appearances being every thing. voyage," says Lord Charles Beauclerk in his sketch of the "Military Operations in Canada," rendered tedious from the crowded state of the ship. " In a transport of eight hundred tons, seven hundred souls were huddled together, — a num- ber greater by far than is allowed even to vessels carrying out emigrants : and, but for the judicious arrangements of the commanding officer, malignant disease must have been the result." B S ECHOES FBOM I Sucli is military life in country quarters, such is life everywhere ; so — How the I lives on his soldier i And spends half-a-crown out of sixpence ' a day ! He cares not a mar'vedi * how the world goes, The king finds him money, and quarters, and clothes. With a row-de-dow, row-de-dow, &c. The crowd and confusion of embarkation are not to be described : the squeaking of pigs, the quacking of ducks, the crowing of cocks, the din of French horns and kettle-drums, stray friends come to see the last of one, the curses and maledictions of the skipper, who was eventually obliged to be snubbed, and the firing off of soda-water corks, lasted until the old tub got under weigh in the most lubberly manner. Soldiers, as well as every thing else, shake into their places in a won- derfully short time ; one-third of the number are always upon deck, and are call 1 the 1 Sixpence was the daily pay of a British soldier pre- viously to 1792. 2 Marei,vedi, a small Spanish coin of the value of about a farthing. THE DACIvVOODS. '' quarters, such his pay, nee ' a day ! rid goes, era, and clothes, tv, row-de-dow, &c. f embarkation eaking of pi|»s, wing of cocks, kettle-drums, } last of one, the skipper, ► be snubbed, r corks, lasted |[h in the most well as every ices in a won- )f the number re call. -! the itish soldier pre- J value of about a »• ,i watch — act that they are employed as such, but there is room only for two-thirds below. Sea-sickness was urged by many of the officers as d reason why they were not *' in force ;" but sundry three-cornered billets, delivered to the last weather-beaten and amphibious-look- ing fisher for haddocks, who boarded us when off Cape Clear, and the strict injunctions over- heard as to committing them to the first post' office, induced a suspicion that to the aea could not be imputed all the sickness on board. A breeze sprung up, and, as the Emerald isle recei('' i V| > y iMi f Ji<;^ n f 10 ECHOES FROM ) sels on the stocks, proclaimed the commercial prosperity of the place, and presented a not unpleasing picture to our land-expecting eyes. All hands began peering through the tele- scopes, in hopes of getting a sight of " what like " were the natives among whom we ex- pected to pass the better part of three years ; and the flutter of a petticoat, or the appear- ance of a straw bonnet, was sufficient attrac- tion to draw all the glasses to that spot. The head-quarters of the regiment had arrived a week earlier, and had been ordered up the river St. John to Fredericton. It was our fate to occupy the town before us. Per- mission having at length arrived, we were disembarked, and marched to a range of bar- racks pleasantly situated on a rocky pro- montory jutting into the ' harbour, and com- manding the entrance of the river. No sooner had we stowed away our men than a party of us " Subs" rushed down into the town, hardly checking our pace to stare at some squaws THE BACKWO(JDS. n and their papooses ; nor did we stop until we arrived at a confectioner's, and obtained enormous bowls of the most delicious wood- strawberries and cream. We had just landed from a long sea-voyage; the thermometer stood at 85° in the shade ; in addition to which, the woods, being on fire, made the at- mosphere close and sultry ; while the excite- ment of landing, and the bustle of putting up the men, concurred to render this the most grateful feast I ever remember to have enjoyed, and such a contrast to our ship fare, that the gluttony of the proceeding must be pardoned. ■I m i i n ECHOES FROM I I I CHAPTER II. mi i NbVv BRUNSWICK — HINTS FOR EMIGRANTS. ^Warm and buoyant, in his oily mail, Gambols on seas of ice th' unwieldy whale ; Wide waving fins round floating islands urge His bulk gigantic through the troubled surge ; With hideous yawn, the flying shoals he seeks, Or clasps with fringe of horn his massy cheeks ; Lifts o'er the tossing wave his nostrils bare, And spouts the wat'ry colunms into air : The silvery aiches catch the setting beams, And transient rainbows tremble o*er the streams. Darwin, First settlement of the Province — General description — Government — Boundary question — Rivers — " The Stone Wigwam" — Wooden Bridge — Fish — Waterfowl — The Bore — Mineral Productions — Whales — Cod — Mines — Divining Rod — Measures. Those acquainted with the history of America will no doubt remember the expedi- tion for the discovery of heathen countries, fitted out by Henry VII., the command of 4 '-A THE BACKWOODS. 13 EMIGRANTS. * 't aail, 1 hale; •J h urge '- d surge ; he seeks, y cheeks; bare, r : ■i ams, ■:i e streams. 1 Darwin. 1 1 description — i -"The Stone I iterfowl~The lod — Mines — 1- history of ^'J the expedi- . 1 countries, )mmand of ■'^ which was intrusted to Sebastian Cabot, a Venetian adventurer residing in Bristol. In March, 1493, Cabot sailed from Bristol with a small fleet, and, proceeding in a due westerly course for some weeks, discovered a large island, which his sailors named Newfoundland. Thence, continuing his westerly course, he soon fell in with another island, (now known as Prince Edward's Island) from which he brought off three of the natives, who con- ducted him across to the mainland of Nortli America, on which he first landed in July, 1495, somewhere between Richibucto and Miramichi, on the northern shore of New Brunswick. This was the first landinir on the continent of America, for it will be remembered that Columbus did not reach the mainland until 1498. The English paid little attention to Cabot's discovery, but the French very soon frequented the Gulf of St. Lawrence in great numbers, attracted by the excellence and extent of the fisheries. The first permanent fishing stations 'I 14 ECHOES FROM \ were established about 1530, within the Gulf. In 1604, an expedition sailed from France under the Sieur Des Monts, and that expedition discovered the Bay of Fundy, and the principal river of New Brunswick, the St. John, so called from its havin"^ been first entered on St. John's Day (24th June) 1604. The party of Des Monts founded Annapolis, and various fishing and trading ports were established in its vicinity. In 1625, a patent was granted by Charles L to Sir William Alexander, after- wards Earl of Stirling, of nearly the whole of British America, and a large portion of the Northern States of the Union. Sir William made some few settlements, which existed for a short time, while various French adven- turers were possessing themselves of the country, under grants from the crown of France. A constant warfare was kept up between the several settlers and claimants, until the whole country was ceded to France by the treaty of Breda, in 1667. Nearly the whole of the territory now THE BACKWOODS. 16 known as New Brunswick was graited by the crown of France in seigneuries, between 1670 and 1688, when hostilities recommenced between England and France, and this part of America was recovered by the English. By the treaty of Ryswick, in 1696, it was again ceded to France. This peace was speedily followed by the war of the Spanish succession in 1702, during which Nova Scotia was re- conquered and permanently annexed to the British crown, but the rest of the country was ceded to France by the treaty of Utrecht in 1713. The provisions of this treaty were not fairly carried out by the French, which led to renewed hostilities ; and it was not until after the taking of Louisburg and Quebec, that France relinquished all her claims to the territory by the treaty of 1 763. After the capture of Quebec, the provincial government became anxious to secure the possession of the river St. John, and to pre- vent the French from resuming possession of •mam ! \ mm PI 16 ECHOES FROM its fertile banks. New England had also a particular interest in the matter, as the numerous attacks upon its borders by the Indians were generally planned and fitted out by the French on the St. John. In 1761, the Governor of Mfvsachusetts despatched an exploring party, consisting of twelve men, under the charge of Isaac Perley, and in the pay of that State, for the purpose of ascertaining the position of affairs and the state of the country on the St. John. They proceeded from Boston to Machias by water, and then, shouldering their knapsacks, took a course through the woods, and succeeded in reaching the head waters of the Oromucto, which they descended to the St. John. They found the country a wide waste, and no obstacles save what might be offered by the Indians to its being occupied and settled ; and with this report they returned to Boston. In 1763, a party of settlers arrived from Massachusetts in four vessels in the harbour OM THE BACKWOODS. 17 Ingland had also a matter, as the Ls borders by the lanned and fitted >t. John. of Mct'sachusetts arty, consisting of ge of Isaac Perley, te, for the purpose 1 of affairs and the e St. John. They Machias by water, knapsacks, took a and succeeded in of the Oromucto, e St. John, a wide waste, and ght be offered by upied and settled; Jturned to Boston, lers arrived from Is in the harbour of St. John. There were about two hundred families, in all about eight hundred souls, under the charge of the same Isaac Perley. They forthwith proceeded up the St. John to Maugerville, about ten miles below Frederic- ton, where they established themselves, and thus made the first British settlement on the St. John. In 1 765 all the country bordering on the St. John was erected into a county called Sunbury, with the province of Nova Scotia. In 1783, in consequence of the treaty re- cognizing the independence of the United States, many families, who had throughout the struggle maintained their loyalty, deter- mined to emigrate; and in May, 1783, a large fleet, with a number of these brave spi- rits who had abandoned all to maintain their allegiance, arrived in the harbour of St. John. It was then a wilderness. They landed, cleared away the trees on the site of the pre- sent city, and, being joined by many others M SI 18 ECHOES FROM in the course of the same year, they founded the city of St. John. On the 16th of August, 1784, a commis- sion was issued erecting New Brunswick into a province, and appointing Thomas Carle- ton, Esq., the first governor ; and on the 9th of January, 1785, the first legislative assembly met in the city of St. John. The area of New Brunswick is estimated to contain seventeen millions of acres : of these five millions of acres have been granted, two millions are deducted for water and waste, and the remaining ten millions (all fit for settlement and cultivation) remain at the disposal of the government. The population in 1824 was 74,176; in 1834, 119,457; in 1840 it was 156,162, and may now be esti- mated at very little short of 200,000. The government price of wilderness land is now two shillings sterling per acre, for ready money, or two shillings and sixpence, if paid by instalments in one, two, and three years, without interest. i THE BACKWOODS. 19 One side of New Brunswick fronts the Bay of Fundy, the other the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is intersected in every direction by large navigable rivers, offering great natural high- ways into the interior. The banks and valleys of these rivers, and their numerous tributaries, are generally very fertile, with many natural meadows, marshes, and in- tervals, yielding grasses spontaneously and abundantly. The principal river is the St. John, which empties itself into the Bay of Fundy, at the city of St. John, where there is an open har- bour at all seasons of the year ; the St. John is four hundred miles in length, taking its rise partly in Lower Canada and partly in the United States. Fredericton, the seat of government, is eighty-four miles from the sea, on the west or right bank of the St. John. The river at Fredericton is three quarters of a mile wide, and to that place is navigated by steamers of a large class, which run up and >/r I ■■'. 20 ECHOES FROM ,1 '. I down every day and every night — time eight hours. The Miramichi is a large river, flowing into the Gulf of St. Lawrence ; the two principal towns on this river are Newcastle and Chatham, a few miles from each other, on opposite sides, about twenty miles from the sea. Vessels of the largest class proceed to both these places to load with timber for Great Britain. Bathurst is at the mouth of the Nipisiguit, a large river flowing into the Bay of Chaleur. The country about Bathurst is yet very thinly settled, chiefly by Acadian French and Irish Catholics. The government of the colony is modelled after that of England, having three branches. The lieutenant-governor is appointed by her Majesty; a legislative council of eighteen members, named by the crown, answer to the peers, and a legislative assembly of thirty-four members, elected by freeholders only, is an imitation of the Commons. A privy council THE BACKWOODS. 21 of nine assists the governor. The members of it are appointed by the crown from the leading members of the legislative council and assem- bly, and hold offices during pleasure. At the time of our arrival, and during our sojourn in the country, the disputed terri- tory, or Boundary Question, was the all- absorbing topic. The real object of the Americans was, if possible, to substantiate such a boundary as would effectually cut off our winter communication with Quebec ; and, although they have gained considerably by the final settlement under Lord Ashburton, still it is a consolation to think that they have been defeated in their main object. As all has now been settled, the less said upon the subject the better ; but it may be remarked that a line of hills divides the head waters of the rivers, which flow eastwardly into the river St. John, from those which flow towards the Penobscot river, in the State of Maine, and, as the rivers are the channels by I i' \U m ECHOES FROM which all the timber, the only produce of the forest, is conveyed, those hills would have therefore been the natural and most useful boundary to both parties — such a boundary as exists between the Penobscot and Milicete tribes of Indians.^ With the exception of the settlements at intervals upon the coasts and along the course of the principal rivers, the great mass of country may still be denominated " Bush," this said Bush containing timber of enormous growth. Birch, beech, and the rock maple, grow upon the best land; and the cunning settler murks well "the hard wood ridge," and bids for it accordingly ; whereas the un- ' " Every one who has studied American affairs, even in ever so slight a degree, has in all probability been puzzled by this very boundary question. Great disgrace does and must always hang over the American Senate for the suppres- sion of the boundary line, which was agreed to and marked out by the American minister, Benjamin Franklin, acknow- ledging the British claim; the discovery of this important document was made by a Mr. Sparkes, an American histo- rian, who found it in the geological department of the Archives of France." — BuckinghanC s Colonies. THE BACKWOODS. S3 roduce of the would have most useful a boundary and Milicete Jttlements at ig the course peat mass of ;ed " Bush," of enormous rock maple, the cunning Tood ridge," reas the un- i affairs, even in ity been puzzled sgrace does and for the suppres- to and marked tnklin, acknow- this important merican histo- irtment of the 'es. initiated emigrant is often deceived by the healthy and flourishing appearance of the pine tribe, and does not discover until too late that soil which has reared such noble timber will but ill repay him for his outlay and trouble. That land which produces a mixed growth of hard and soft .?^ood is generally supposed to be the best, when cleared, for agricultural purposes. The St. John, the principal river of the province, is named by the Indians " Loosh- took," which is equiv.alent to OhiOj translated by the French, La Belle Riviere. It runs a very circuitous course, winding in an irregular semicircle, and exceeding four hundred miles in length. In its downward course it touches close upon the Rustigouche, to which river <^^here is a portage. The Grand Falls of the St. John are two hundred and ten miles from its mouth, and they constitute the greatest fall of water east of the Mississipi, with the exception of the Falls of Niagara. After '/^/T-:::::.^ ^1 u ECHOES FROM f If' ] :i > ' pursuing a southerly course, the river turns suddenly to the eastward, and contracts to half its uniform breadth. Quickening its current, it turns again suddenly to the south, and falls over a ledge of slate and limestone, seventy-four feet in perpendicular height, into a circular basin, where the water whirls round in a great eddy with resistless force. Below the Falls, the river contracts still more, and the water is hurried over a succes- sion of smaller falls, through a deep and rugged channel, with overhanging precipices from fifty to a hundred feet in height, for three quarters of a mile, when it is discharged into a wide basin below. The descent through this rocky channel is forty-five feet, making the total descent one hundred and nineteen feet. The water rushing through the rocky pass, as it is called, presents a scene of terrific wildness, its snowy whiteness contrasting strongly with the dark hue of the overhang- ing rocks and the sombre foliage of the the river turns id contracts to Quickening its ly to the south, and limestone, liar height, into ;er whirls round force. • contracts still i over a succes- rh a deep and ging precipices in height, for it is discharged descent through ve feet, making d and nineteen ough the rocky scene of terrific ess contrasting f the overhang- foliage of the THE BACKWOODS. S5 spruce which obtains an uncertain hold in the inequalities of the precipices. Fifty miles below these falls the river becomes navigable for steamers, which, at particular seasons, reach Woodstock from St. John. Some sixty miles below Woodstock is Fredericton, the capital of the province; and the distance thence to St. John, or rather Indian Town, at the outlet of the river, is eighty-four miles. It is curious that this magnificent river, fed by enormous tributaries and the contribu- tions of ountless lakes, after a course of upwards of tour hundred miles, and an unin- terrupted navigation by steamers for one hundred and forty miles of that distance, can be entered for about half an hour only in each tide by vessels of any size. The impedimt.^t arises from sunken rocks, and a steep shelf between the ircn-bound gates of granite on either side, but two hundred yards apart. As soon as the flood tide has risen suflS- VOL. I. c ^t A 26 ECHOES FROM ' ciently to attain the level of the sunken rocks, it has to contend with the downward flood from the river. This conquered, the water for the above-mentioned short half- hour remains slack, and it is only at that time that vessels can attempt the descent. There are pilots expressly for this passage. On one occasion, after an excursion up the river in a small yacht, I shot the rapid under the charge of one of that amphibious frater- nity. The ebb had then run off but one hour, and it was anything but agreeable to witness the terrific pace at which the vessel was hurled along through the hissing eddies, now swerving and then shooting oif, as if she would be dashed into a thousand pieces against the rocks ; but the practised eye of the pilot, and the quickness with which she answered her helm, took us without accident clear of all danger. The pilot afterwards confessed that we had had a " narrow squeak for it," and that iu ten minutes it would have THE BACKWOODS. 27 f the sunken the downward lonquered, the ed short half- ; only at that t the descent, or this passage, xcursion up the the rapid under iphibious frater- ,ff but one hour, leable to witness the vessel was ;ing eddies, now off, as if she housand pieces practised eye of with which she ithout accident ilot afterwards I" narrow squeak ,es it would have been impracticable. To avoid this rapid, the steamers to Fredericton are obliged to lie just above it at Indian Town, a short mile from the town of St. John. Great inconvenience existed from there being no bridge or other means of crossing the St. Jo^ .1 in the immediate neighbourhood of the city ; the only communication was by means of a "scow," a sort of large flat- bottomed boat, which crossed between Port- land and Carleton, a small village on the opposite side of the harbour, whence the road to St. Andrews and Fredericton branches off. The passage of this ferry in the winter was anythiug but agreeable, from the evapo- ration of the water when warmer than the atmosphere, with the thermometer down to a low degree. " The barber" so called is some- times so thick, that once, having embarked my sleigh to make the transit of this ferry, after some twenty minutes occupied in the operation, and after having, performed four c 2 ,v^/' If 28 ECHOES FROM times the distance, owing to the numerous eddies in which we had been whirled about — my horses, sleigh, and furs arrived on the opposite side a complete mass of ice. To obviate such occurrences, a Yankee conceived the bold scheme of throwing a Mooden suspension-bridge across, between tliis ferry and the rapid above-mentioned at the outlet of the river St. John. From two enormous abutments, most ingeniously put together, he suspended his bridge, the length of which was four hundred and thirty- five feet clear of the buttresses. It had the appearance at a distance of the most beautiful hice-work — when nearly completed, and after several persons had passed over it on foot, one morning, when on parade, we heard a tremendous crash ; in half an hour news arrived that the bridge had given way, and that several men were killed and many dread- fully wounded. With this smash was sunk some j£30,000, the greater part of the capital "fJi t THE BACKWOODS. 2.9 he numerous irled about — :rived on the rice. IS, a Yankee [ throwing a :oss, between ove-mentioned John. From 3t ingeniously is bridge, the red and thirty- It had the most beautiful eted, and after ver it on foot, ,, we heard a m hour news ;iven way, and id many dread- Lash was sunk •t of the capital subscribed by certain enterprising share- holders. The ruins have since been cleared away, no attempt having been made to re- build it. Two steam ferry-boats however have been established to cross the harbour, with ex- cellent and convenient landings ; four horses may be driven on board without detaching them from the carriage ; and the distance to Carleton on the opposite side occupies but four minutes. These boats are not only reported to be convenient, but I am told profitable: the little village of Carleton has increased rapidly since their establiisii- ment in 1839 ; and much of the business of the port is now transacted on that side of the harbour. The Bay of Chaleur and the river Resti- gouche, which falls into its western extre- mity, separate New Brunswick from Canada. The Bay of Chaleur is eighty-five miles lonpf, varying from fifteen to thirty miles in width, '//'' 80 ECHOES FROM and in the whole of its length and breadth there is neither rock, reef, nor shoal. The entrance of the Restigouche is three miles wide, with nine fathoms water — a noble entrance to a noble river. The Restigouche is two hundred and twenty miles long — its name, which is Indian, signifies " the river which divides like the hand," in allusion to its separation above the tide-way into five prin- cipal streams or branches. Dalhousie, at its entrance, is a very neat town, containing about one hundred and thirty houses, and one thousand inhabitants. The streets are broad and clean. In front of the town there are some excellent wharfs, with large and well sheltered timber-ponds. A crescent-shaped basin and an island form an excellent har- bour, where ships of any size can ride in perfect safety. The present extensive trade of Restigonche sprung up about 1825, since which time Dalhousie and Carapbelltown (twenty miles I I THE BACKWOODS. 31 I and breadth r shoal. The s three miles ,ter — a noble ,e Restigouche ttiles long — its les "the river I allusion to its into five prin- Dalhousie, at >wn, containing houses, and one reets are broad own there are arge and well crescent-shaped excellent har- Lze can ride in of Restigon'^he ;e wiiich time (twenty miles further up) have been built. The Resti- gouche, from Dalhousie to Campbelltown, is in fact a harbour. Opposite to Campbelltown, on the Canadian or Gaspe side of the river, is Mission Point, a Micmac settlement of about 400 souls ; it is on a beautiful meadow backed by lofty mountains, and is commonly called by the Canadians " Le Pre du Pretre." The salmon-fishing on the Restigouche is very extensive, and the fish of large size — one establishment at Campbelltown formerly shipped twelve hundred tierces of salmon annually. The length of the Miramichi, " the happy retreat," is estimated at two hundred and twenty miles. At its entrance into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, it is nine miles wide, from the north shore at Neguac to Point Escuminac on the south. This point, as its name, which is Indian, implies, is a long sand-spit, with a lighthouse at its extremity, beyond which a sandy shoal extends three '/'W'-^'*, ■' ^Mf fif t -Y^f.^,. 36 ECHOES FROM I )' ti m credit for his spirit and i nterprise, and the poor French settlers at the Neguac villages feel the benefit of it. At the end of September the large sea trout rush up from the gulf to the Burnt Charch River preparatory to spawning, and from fifty to sixty of these may be taken with the fly on each flood tide, none of less than a pound weight. Above Newcastle the river divides into two large branches, called the south-west and north-west Miramichi : about seventy miles up the south-west Miramichi stands Borer's Town, founded about twenty-five years since by Thomas Borer, an enterprising American, who carried on the lumber business upon a large scale and built the town. It bears a very striking resemblance to the villages in Yankee land, which spring up in the vicinity of saw-mills, being composed almost wholly of showy wooden buildings, with green Venetian and fancifal verandahs, and abundance of THE BACKWOODS. 37 he large sea to the Burnt pawning, and lay be taken , none of less divides into le south-west ibout seventy imichi stands ; twenty-five 1 enterprising mber business own. It bears the villages in n the vicinity nost wholly of reen Venetian abundance of ornamental woodwork, not always in the best taste. About seven miles above Borer's Town there is most excellent fly-fishing for salmon, commencing in July and ending in Septem- ber. The river is frequently full of fish, and the greatest impediment to the salmon-fishing is the immense number of large trout which continually seize the salmon-flies. The trout- f: ' '>g is capital, and, in all probability, I /* %^) be excelled in any part of the world : it would astonish the fly-fishers of the mother country. Late in the season the river swarms with grilse, affording excellent sport. At the mouth of the Miramichi, and on the whole north-eastern coast of New Brunswick, there is abundance of wild fowl of every kind. The immense flights of geese, ducks, and other migratory birds, which annually pass over to the northernmost parts of America, to breed during the summer season, remain on the coast for some time, returning to the south in Mt 38 ECHOES FROM the autumn. Those who have read Audubon's lagnificent work may form some idea of the countless thousands of birds which constitute " a flock " on these shores ; but any attempt at description by a less gifted pen would be quite useless. Those only who have seen these wonderful collections of waterfowl, and heard their surprising clamour, can form any idea of their extent, and, one might almost sa;% grandeur — they are indeed wonderful. The first British vessel which ever entered the Miramichi was the frigate which con- veyed the remains of Wolfe from Quebec to England in 1759 ; that vessel, having encoun- tored a storm in the Gulf, put in to refit, and to obtain a further supply of water. A barge was sent ashore for water, the whole crew of which were barbarously murdered by the Indians, incited, it is said, by some French soldiers stationed at a small fort on the river. Satisfaction, however, was taken on the spot, for the frifjate was placed abreast of th^ THE BACKWOODS. 39 rl Audubon's idea of the h constitute iny attempt n would be have seen terfowl, and m form any ight almost onderful. jver entered which con- 1 Quebec to ing encoun- ;o refit, and p. A barge whole crew ered by the )me French >n the river. [)n the spot, east of th^ French fort, which was soon battered to atoms. In going out of the river, the frigate was "brought up " at Burnt Church Point, all the buildings on which were battered down. A chapel, which had cost the French a sum equal to ^5,000 sterling, was set on fire and wholly destroyed, whence the point has since borne the name of " Burnt Ciiurch." This poinc is now the property of the Micmac Indians, who have their principal aettlement upon it, where they meet annually on the feast of St. Anne, (a6th July) to arrange all the business of the year. They remain toge- ther about a fortnight, when chiefs are elected or deposed, marriages contracted, children baptized, and the priests who attend instruct the young in the articles of the Roman Catholic faith, to which all the Indians of New Brunswick belong. The Tobique is one of the largest tribu- taries of the St. John, and flows into that river about twenty miles below the grand tm msiaam 40 ECHOES FROM ^l!t U "if falls i here is a settlement of the Milicete Indians, who possess several thousand acres oi ccellent upland . it has been explored bj^ Dr. Gesner. From one of his geolo- gical reports of the province, it appears that the tract of country on the shores of the Tobique, which comprehends several millions of acres, possesses most excellent soil on the uplands, and is better adapted, owing to the advantages offered by the river, to the circum- stances of a respectable class of emigrants and settlers than any district in New Bruns- wick or Nova Scotia. The climate here is milder than it is near the coast, the meicury not rising to more than 90° Fahrenheit in the middle of the day in July. A large ar^a in the district of tho little south-west Miriimichi, which flows into the Tobique, many miles above the mouth of the Wapshegan, (signi- fying, in the Indian tongue, *' a river with a wall at its mouth,") was overrun with fires a few years ago ; and the dreary appearance of THE BACKWOODS. 41 the Milicete ousand acres len explored f his geolo- appears that iores of the i^eral millions t soil on the owing to the 3 the circum- )f emigrants New Bruns- late here is the Tneicury jnheit in the arge arpa in ; MiKimichi, many miles gan, (signi- river with a with fires a pearance of ■•< this part of the country is to be attributed to that conflagration which took place about 1825; and the bright green forest is now reduced to a lifeless waste. It is probable that this conflagration was the same that destroyed the towns and vil- lages of Miramichi in October, 1825. It extended over an area of six thousand square miles, and for at least one hundred miles along the banks of the river: six hundred wretched persons perished in the flames, and a million's worth of property was destroyed. Great praise is due to the humanity shown by the people of England, who subscribed the sum of jg 100,000 for the relief of the suf- ferers ; nor was Jonathan, be it said to his credit, backward in contributing to that object. On leaving St. John, the road to Halifax follows the line of the Kennebeckasis as far as the head-waters of the Petitcodiac, which it crosses near its source - whence it follows the 42 ECHOES FROM course of that river to " the Bend," some hundred miles from the city of St. John. The scenery of Sussex Vale, through which this road passes, is excee lingly fine and striking ; in m-^ny of the bogs and swamps there are extensive deposits of bog iron ore, which might be worked with great advantage, being of good quality, and in the immediate neigh- bourhood of abundance of wood for fuel; and its proximity to the Westmoreland coal field ought to be a further inducem'snt to engage in its manufacture. The bogs also abound in the brown, yellow, and red oxides of iron, which will afford ochres for pigments. The river Petitcodiac is navigable for ves- sels of one hundred tons for thirty-three miles from its mouth, and the tide flows inland some six and thirty; but the most extraordinary feature of the river is "the Bore," Dr. Gesner's account of which is so interesting, that it must be its own apology for its introduction. " At the Bend," writes THE BACKWOODS. 48 Bend," some of St. John, gh which this and striking; ips there are I ore, which antage, being lediate neigh- ed for fuel; loreland coal iducem'nt to ie bogs also id red oxides or pigments. :able for ves- thirty-three e tide flows ut the most ver is "the which is so own apology end," writes fki.. that gentleman, " the stream, having entered from the south, turns suddenly to the west- ward, at the distance of twenty miles from its mouth. At this place the tide flows in and ebbs off in six hours, running at the rate of seven miles per hour. The flood tide is accompanied by a tidal wave called the bore, which at high tides is five, and sometimes six feet high. The rushing of this overwhelming wave produces a noise like that of a number of steamboats in operation, and is one of the most interesting spectacles the country affords. The salmon and shad, urged forward by the sweeping current, to avoid the force of the stream, seek the shallow water near the shores, where they are discovered by their wake, chased by wading sportsmen, and fairly caught. " At low water, extensive flats are laid bare ; these are composed of fine shingle and quicksands, which, with the bore and rapid tide, have been the cause of several ship- > 44 ECHOES FROM wrecks. The danger to vessels arises from venturing too early on the flood and too late on the ebb tide. In the fiist instance, they overrun the tide, and are stranded in the quicksands; in the second, the tide leaves them before they arrive in deep water. When thus situated, if they resist the fury of the bore^ the water washes the sand away from the leeward side : they roll over before the current, breaking their masts, and, finally, filling with sliingle, they are buried in a sandy grave. The bore is much higher and more violent in some parts of the river than in others, a circumstance probably arising from the configuration of the shore and the bottom of the river. " At the Bend there is a considerable vil- lage. The soil is chiefly of two kinds, the sandy and the clayey. Lime, if judiciously applied, would greatly improve both varie- ties, and the admixture of marsh and mud would increase the fertility of fields where THE BACKWOODS. 45 sels arises from m »od and too late f t instance, they tranded in the . ■„' the tide leaves _ 1 deep water. '""M resist the fury ./^ the sand away oil over before its, and, finally, •e buried in a ch higher and the river than obably arising shore and the nsiderable vil- ■ • iwo kinds, the if judiciously • e both varie- Tsh and mud fields where the clay is absent. There are large tracts of marsh on each side of the Petitcodiac, of which a portion has been diked, and is under cultivation. * The northern side of the coal district in this quarter was observed about ten miles from the entrance of the Petitcodiac. " Coal appears on both sides of the Meram- cook river, the Petitcodiac river, and ten miles north of Shepody. The whole length of the coal field of Westmoreland is upwards of seventy miles; its average breadth, esti- mating the area on each side of the Petitco- diac, is about seventy miles. ** At Slack's Cove and Drake's Cove excel- lent grind-stones are obtained from the nume- rous strata of sand-stone which there abound, and are the best stones for cutting and polishing metals hitherto found in America. The reefs are broken at low water, and masses of rocks are secured to large boats ; at high water they are brought to the shore, where m-"^ 46 ECHOES FROM they are cut by the workmen with great facility into grinding stones from four to eight feet in diameter, and from six inches to a foot in thickness. These are called * water stones,' and are extensively used in the United States, for grinding down and polish- ing all kinds of cutlery. Other grindstones of less dimensions are made from the rocks situated above the tide ; these are used for common purposes — the price of each stone delivered on the shore is from two to three shillings : they are sold in the United States from six shillings and threepence to nine shillings per stone. The trade is therefore profitable. ** The Shediac coast is famous for its oysters, which are so abundant that the inhabitants make use of their shells for manure. The harbour of Shediac is safe and convenient for vessels of large size ; but it is a curious fact that the numerous beds of oysters along these coasts are constantly lessening the THE BACKWOODS. 47 en with great from four to n six inches to ( called * water used in the )wn and polish- ler grindstones from the rocks e are used for of each stone 1 two to three United States )ence to nine de is therefore s for its oysters, the inhabitants manure. The md convenient it is a curious f oysters along lessening the 'r-:-m depth of the sea, and gradually filling up the bays. Lime prepared from these oyster- shells is reported to have great effect when applied to the light and sandy soil along this line of coast, and to render it very fertile." lu the neighbourhood of Fort Cumberland and the Tantamar Marshes there is excellent snipe-shooting, but the improvements r\id draining at present in progress will in a few years convert all into the richest land. The country about is very fine, and a brother officer described it as well worth a visit. He drove his horses from Halifax to Windsor, Kentville, Amherst, and back by Truro, and during his trip contrived to bag six hundred and fifty head of snipe and woodcocks. There are large tracts of peat in every part of New Brunswick wherever diCis is low ground : this is occasioned by the decay of mosses that are always found to flourish in low lands. This peat is valuable for fuel, but at present it is not necessary to use it i f H 48 ECHOES FROM for such a purpose, owing to the vast quantity of timber : however, by skilful management it may be converted into excellent manure. In many places there arc to be found beds of excellent clay of different colour, which are adapted for making bricks ; and Nature has been bountiful enough to place strata of sand beneath these beds, thereby affording to man an easy way of providing for his comfort in many respects ; for, without the sand, the clay would not answer for burning. In addition to a great supply of mineral ores, and the climate being such as to produce the most luxuriant growth of grain, according to official returns, 3,634,280 acres have been already granted to applicants for land in New Brunswick, and 13,792,272 remain still at the disposal of the Crown. Out of this quantity of land 440,000 acres ara cleared, but there are about 12,000,000 acres capable of immediate cultivation. The land in the southern part of the province is not near so the vast quantity Iful management xcellent manure. ) be found beds of olour, which are and Nature has ce strata of sand affording to man r his comfort in ;he sand, the clay ng. In addition \\ ores, and the roduce the most I, according to acres have been for land in New remain still at Out of this s ar3 cleared, but acres capable of e land in the is not near so THE BACKWOODS. 4d well adapted to agricultural purposes as in the other parts. The district of Gaspe is an extensive peninsula, about ninety miles in width from the Bay of Chaleur to the Gulf of St. Law- rence, with a coast line of two hundred and fifty miles from Cape Chat to the Eestigouche. Gaspe Basin, which lies between Cape Gaspe and Whale Head, runs about cixteen miles into the land, and is about five miles broad. This place is considered one of the best and safest harbours in America ; being capable of containing three hundred sail of vessels in perfect security. The inhabitants of Gaspe Basin are nearly all fishermen, most of whom are exclusively employed about the whale fishery. They fit out every season four or five schooners, of seventy or eighty tons each, manned with ten or twelve men, who are engaged in whaling during all the summer months. The fishery yields about twenty thousand gallons of oil VOL. I. D 50 ECHOES FROM annually, which i8 sent to Quebec for a mar- ket, and gives employment to about two hundred men. The whales are of the species called ** Humpbacks," and yield about three tons of oil each, but some of them have been taken of the length of sixty or seventy feet, yield- ing eight tons of oil. Each schooner has two whale-boats, with the usual outfit of harpoons, lines, and lances. The whales swim fast and are very shy. They appear off the entrance of Gaspe Basin in the spring, and the whalers follow them during the sum- mer to the Island of Anticosti and the north shore of the St. Lawrence, a wild and deso- late region, frequented by a singular race of Indians, known to the Canadians as "Les Montagnards," or the Mountaineers. They are supposed to be the last of the Algon- quins. This settlement in Gaspe Basin was formed in 1764 by Felix O'Hara, Esq., late judge of .■.^^tmfmn^—'' THE BACKWOODS. 61 lebec for a mar- t to about two ( species called •out three tons of have been taken twenty feet, yield- ch schooner has usual outfit of 3. The whales They appear off 1 in the spring, during the sura- tiand the north a wild and deso- singular race of ladians as "Les itaineers. They of the Algon- Jasin was formed q., late judge of the district of Gaspe, who emigrated from Ireland, and was the first person that settled in Gaspe for agricultural purposes. He was most deservedly and highly esteemed. The cod-fish caught and cured on the shores of Gaspe are generally of small size, but are much liked in foreign markets, from their being well preserved. This arises from the fish being caught near the shore, and being split and salted while perfectly fresh and firm. The process of cleaning the fish is carried on in a very neat and expedi- tious manner. The boats, as soon as they return from the fishing-bank, run alongside a stage, which is built over the water, on which they are thrown out. The first man who handles the fish cuts the throat with a single stroke of his knife; then he slides it along a sort of table to another, who whips off the head, and drops it, with the entrails, through a hole in the table into the water beneath, retaining only the liver, which is D 2 52 ECHOES FROM thrown into a tierce to make oil. The next man r lits the fish, and takes out the bone; and on ihe manner in which these operations are performed, in a great degree depends the quality of fish for market. When split, the fish are carried to a large covered building, where, after being well washed, they are rubbed with salt, and placed in little fiat piles on the fioor to drain ; after being sufficiently struck with salt, they are carried out to the Shingle Beach to dry, or, where there is no beach, are spread on long narrow wicker frames, or stages set up for the purpose. The labour of spreading and turning the fish is incessant and severe : they require to be frequently turned to prevent their being scorched by the sun or salt-burnt. The person who turns does so in a systematic manner, with his right and left hand alter- nately ; so that not one fish in thousands may be missed. After the fish are sufficiently cured, they THE BACKWOODS. 53 e oil. The next es out the bone ; these operations ^ree depends the irried to a large fter being well I salt, and placed : to drain ; after h salt, they are each to dry, or, spread on long es set up for the ding and turning e : they require svent their being It-burnt. The n a systematic eft hand alter- thousands may itly cured, they m are collected and laid in small circles with the tails outwards ; these circles are continu- ally built upon, each row being larger than the one below it, until the pile is about three feet high, when the circles begin to diminish, so as to form a conical roof; this is covered with birch-bark, and stones are laid upon it. The piles are thus rendered impervious to the heaviest rains, and in this position the fish are left to season before being packed for expor- tation. The bait used for cod are herring and the caplin, a peculiar little fish, which when dried, is considered a great luxury for the table. In the latter part of the season, when other bait becomes scarce, clams are used, and the fishermen complain that they f*-<»quently have more labour and undergo more fatigue in procuring bait, than in taking the cod afterwards. The state of the law and the administra- tion of justice in Gaspe have caused much discontent for some time past, and commis- ■toditM^^ v. I vl I 54 ECHOES FROM :o les sioners were sent from Quoljec last year t report the true state of matters. In Gaspe there are not ouly lead min but also extenrdvo beds of coal, not existing in geological reports, but actually to be found and worked,. A company has bfien lately established in London by toja char- ter, for the purpose of carrying on the lisheries and working the mines of Gaspe. The agricultural district of Gaspe may be said to commence at New Carlisle. To the westward the land is not only better, but the inhabitants are less devoted to fishing and more to farming. ^ In all countries, however civilized, amongst some of its inhabitants there will be found a strong superstitious belief in divination, prac- tis'^d more or less by some of its votaries. This is the case in New Brunswick, and an absurd belief in the powers of divination prevails to a great extent. A system ori- ^ For further particulars see Appendix. OM lebec last year to ttfS. oiily lead rnines^ cod, not existing It actually to be oinpany has been >n by roya chai^ carrying on the lines of Gaspe. of Gaspe naay be Carlisle. To the ily better, but the d to fishing and civilized, amongst re will be found a 1 divination, prac- B of its votaries, runswick, and an ers of divination A system ori- Appendix. THE BACKWOODS. 55 i ginally to be traced to the Druids, to awe their superstitious followers, called " the mineral or divining rod," has been introduced into the province from the eastern American States, and has found votaries among persons otherwise intelligent. The power of divina- tion is supposed to be contained in two small phials fixed on pieces of whalebone, and borne by the seventh son of a seventh son. This is the person who alone can be success- ful, and is always supposed to be infallible. This rod is used for the purpose of discover- ing concealed money and all kinds of mi- nerals; even in places where they have no real existence, except in the mind of the infatuated. Much the same sort of supersti- tious belief exists in Ireland, where they listen to the supposed dreams of some old hag, who declares that in her sleep she has been informed of the identical spot where in some " rath" is to be found the " crock of gouW so much sought after by the pisantry. 1 /!■ 1 V. ' 1 i ^ it * 56 ECHOES FROM The measures of length, surface, and weight, are the same as in England ; the measures of capacity, the same as in England before the introduction of the imperial measure. The rate of exchange with Britain is fixed by estimating the Spanish dollar at 5s. cur- rency, and 4s. 6d. sterling; but the actual rate of exchange is 24s. currency for the sovereign. To bring sterling to currency, add one fifth ; to bring currency to sterling, deduct one sixth. IM th, surface, and n England; the me as in England of the imperial h Britain is fixed loUar at 5s. cur- ; but the actual currency for the : to currency, add sterling, deduct THE BACKWOODS. 57 t '.? CHAPTER III. NEW BRUNSWICK. — CONTINUED. The ice was here, the ice was there, The ice was all around ; It crack'd and growl'd, and roar'd and howl'd, Like noises in a swound ! Coleridge's Ancient Mariner. Towns — Labrador dogs — Horse-dealing — Cobbett — Agent for "Morrison's pills" — Afire — Amusing incident — Climate — Lumber, hard and soft wood — Below Nero — Effects of frost — Skating^— Sleighing — Coasting — Sleigh Club — Corn-bin extraordinary — Perilous situation. Fredericton, the capital of the province, is built on an extensive plain encircled by a range of high lands in the rear, which rises from the river at the lower extremity of the plain, and closes in to the river above, leaving a level space, nearly four miles long, and a mile wide at the broadest part. The river forms a beautiful curve around this plain; D 5 58 ECHOES FROM ii and near the centre of the town, at what was formerly called St. Ann's Point, there is a fine view of the river Nashwaak, which falls into the St. John directly opposite. The hiirh grounds which surround Fredericton form a beautiful steeply inclined plane, on which several public and private buildings have been erected. King's College, on the acclivity of this hill, is 1 71 feet long, and 59 feet wide, with projections ; it has a massive cornice with pediment; and the principal material of the building is the dark gray stone found near its site. It consists of a basement with two lofty stories ; contains twenty rooms for students, with the necessary accommodations for the principal professors, attendants, and servants. The situation of the college is healthy, and commands a fine view of the town and adjacent country. To the east- ward, there is a full view of the river and the surrounding country, as far as the Oromucto. own, at what was Point, there is a waak, which falls ^ opposite. The I Fredericton form 1 plane, on which jildiugs have been )n the acclivity of and 6Q feet wide, I massive cornice principal material gray stone found ' a basement with twenty rooms for ^ accommodations ;, attendants, and ►f the college is fine view of the y. To the east- of the river and as far as the THE BACKWOODS. 59 A bishop has lately been appointed to New Brunswick, and Fredericton has been con- stituted an episcopal city. The erection of a cathedral, to cost £30,000, has just been commenced. Fredericton is 84 miles from St. John. Steamers perform the distance in eight hours; and, when the river becomes frozen, it forms, for the greatest part of the way, the sleigh-track between the two cities. When approached by water from St. John, the quiet and rural situation of this compara- tive village is most pleasing. The river, here three quarters of a mile in width, glides smoothly, silently, and unruffled, past the neat wooden range of barracks, with their grassplot and fine old weeping willows, under the broad shade of which, in the cool evening of the Indian summer, the ladies of Fredericton may listen to soft music. On the slope of the range of hills behind the town. King's College, with its roof of iron, shines resplen- dent in the sunshine ; and, on the opposite 60 ECHOES FROM side of the river, the blue emolce from the wigwams of the Indians curls up in wreaths against the dark line ot the pine forest, and, reflected in the glassy surface of the river, presents a picture of perfect repose. On the day on which I first approached it, the heat and mirage gave it that appearance only to be seen in the best works of the inimitable Claude. Government House is placed some three quarters of a mile up the river, on the same side as the town; it is a handsome stone building of three stories, with wings and a semicircular portico, in a pleasant park and near the banks of the river. In few of the colonies are the governors more commodiously or comfortably housed than in New Brunswick ; and no expense has been spared of late years in furnishing and perfecting the house and grounds. At this time, the amateurs of the Labrador dog might have been gratified to see sixteen or eighteen of this noble breed ' 1 i smoke from the s up in wreaths pine forest, and, ce of the river, repose. On the shed it, the heat pearanee only to if the inimitable iced some three vevy on the same handsome stone th wings and a easant park and In few of the re commodiously New Brunswick; red of late years the house and amateurs of the een gratified to ;his noble breed THE BACKWOODS. 61 rush into the water, and contend for the Governor's prize— his walking-stick. They were of the true sort, with fine intelligent countenances ; and when they emerged from the river, the water ran from their silky and jet-black coats as from a tarpauling covering. Some twelve miles below Fredericton is the town of Oromucto, situated on the mouth of the river of that name, where it joins the St. John. In New Brunswick they have had the good taste in general to preserve the Indian names of the rivers, which invariably express their character. Thus the "Oro- mucto" signifies "the deep rolling river;" the " Washadamoak," which is passed lower down, is the " River of Rapids," and the " Beggaguimmick," a stream above Frederic- ton, is the " Dancing Stream," the " Richi- bucto," the " River of the Burnt Country," &c., &c. It is a thousand pities ever to change such names for such as are compre- »-A«-4 ..-j,*-. lik 62 ECHOES FROM T 'I l!' I m '4 hended in the vile catalogue from which the Yankees generally contrive to select the most inappropriate. Opposite to Gagetown, a small village 30 miles below Fredericton, is the Geraseg, or outlet of the Grand Lake ; and lower down is " The Mistake," a long creek, the entrance to which is of equal width with the main stream, and has so much the appearance of being the channel of the river, that few are they who have made the upward trip in either sail or row boat but have, after a long sail or a tough row, discovered the end of the deceit- ful creek, and been obliged to return to the main stream. The scenery of St. John is decidedly fine : on either side alluvial meadows of the richest soil produce fine hay crops; and, like the valley of the Nile, are regularly " top-dressed" by the periodical floods of the river. Further down is feimd the entrance to Belleisle Bay, where the winter road from St. John de- from which the to select the jmall village 30 ;he Gemseg, or i lower down is I, the entrance with the main i appearance of ', that few are d trip in either r a long sail or d of the deceit- ) return to the decidedly fine : I of the richest ~ and, like the " top-drossed" iver. Further Belleisle Bay, St. John de- THE BACKWOODS. 63 bouches upon the river, whence it follows its course on the ice to 7t redericton. Occasionally a large vessel is seen on the stocks in the numerous lateral creeks or still waters off the main river. From the junction of the Nerepis with the St. John, the latter expands into a fine sheet of water. The bay of Kenebekasis opens on the left — that passed, the channel of the river becomes again confined by bold rocks, fringed with spruce firs : here and there an Indian wigwam peeps from among them, while an occasional birch canoe, silently and cautiously paddled along shore, contrasts its gay cargo of gaudy-coloured workmanship with the dark shadows of the firm, and gives a picturesque finish to the Ions: course of the river St. John, or " Looshtuok." On the 18th day of May, 1783, the first of a sturdy band of loyalists lai ded upon the rocky peninsula where now stands the city of St. John. It was then covered with h dense and tangled forest, and the first comers cleared 64 ECHOES FROM away the trees and underwood only sixty-two years since, from a spot of ground now covered with costly buildings, and daily thronged with eager crowds, busily engaged in carry- ing on a thriving, prosperous, and extensive trade. From this small beginning a city has sprung up, which, with its suburbs, now numbers nearly 30,000 inhabitants, and carries on a large business with all parts of the world ; and even before the roots of the trees which were cut down by the loyalists have rotted away, or their toils and privations have ceased to be a subject of conversation, there is to be found every means and appliance of refinement and luxury, and all the sub- stantial comforts of modern days. The city stands on rugged, rocky, and uneven plots of ground ; but, within a few years, large sums have been expended in levelling and filling up, so that the streets now present excellent thoroughfares, inclined on easy slopes. St. John, being an incorporated city, >fel only sixty- two ,nd now covered iaily thronged aged in carry- and extensive ning a city has suburbs, now nts, and carries parts of the )ts of the trees loyalists have ►rivations have 3rsation, there ind appliance I all the sub- 79. cy, and uneven a few years, 1 in levelling 8 now present led on easy rporated city, THE BACKWOODS. Q5 i m is governed by a mayor, recorder, six alder- men, and six assistants, under the style <." " The Mayor, Aldermen, and Commonalty of the city of St. John." The mayor, recorder, common clerk, sheriff, and coroner, are ap- pointed by the governor. The aldermen and assistants are chosen annually by the free- men of the city. The port of St. John is convenient and safe, and sufficiently spacious to accommo- date a great number of vessels. The ebb and flow of the tide is from twenty-four to thirty feet perpendicular ; and one of the most important advantages of the harbour is, that in the most severe winter it is free of ic*}. Within the harbour is a valuable fishery ; several thousand barrels of gaspereaux are taken annually, with many thouynad salmon and shad. The salmon are now sent by the steamers, packed in ice, to Boston, where they fetch high prices ; and this fishery has become exceedingly valuable. h i ■ ; I 1M 66 ECHOES FROM The imports into St. John consist chiefly of British manufactures and colonial produce; the exports are lumber, fish, furs, oils, and lime, masts, spars, and other timber. Ships of a fine class are built here of the spruce £,nd birch of the country : they sail well, look smart and taunt on the water, and, although not in general treated to copper, answer the purpose for which they have been built. From the Bays of Miramichi and Chaleurs, Chinecto and St. Andrew's, besides bays and rivers too numerous to specify, are launched others equally fine. Here, as in Holland, the stranger is often surprised to come suddenly upon a huge vessel, construct- ing in the settler's kitchen-garden, to launch which lie has to trust to his own ingenuity, and to Providence for a deluge. Besides the steamers which ply on the river, between St. John and Fredericton, there is steam communication to Annapolis and Windsor in Nova Scotia, to St. Andrew's and '>3' PMPPu-~-«epers and that > " mine host " > inquire what orse, which he tixious to buy seived the fol- THE BACKWOODS. 69 " Mr. Scoales will not take less than ^UJS for his gray hcse till he alters his mind." The streets of St. John are laid out regu- larly, and at right angles. King's Square, at the top of the town, I have seen filled with the militia of the district ; as fine and as loyal a body of men as any in her Majesty's domi- nions. In the late war, the 104th Regiment or New Brunswick Fencibles, were raised here, sent over the Portage to Quebec on snow-shoes, and did good service for the mother country. The original settlers of St. John were, as before stated, loyalists, who left the United States when they obtained their Independence, and raised the few fishing-huts which then stood in " Bush " into the city of St. John. At the same time, many negro families arrived, who are still located in the " back slums." As to * lions," they must of necessity be few. The house inhabited by Lord Ed^^^prd Fitz- gerald is still standing — a mere log hut, by < i ill I -J < M M I ■^i r ■ ? *i! It V 70 ECHOES FROM comparison with the smart houses built by the present generation. Cobbett was stationed here, and married a wife who lived on Fort Howe Hill. He says in some of his writings that he fell in love with her (as he was going to parade) at the door of a small log hut, where she was busily employed in scrubbing the milk-pails. He was sergeant-major in the same regiment with Lord Edward ; and wrote, when stationed here, a clever treatise on the tides and navigation of the Bay of Fundy. The greatest living curiosity, at the time I was stationed there, was the agent for " Mor- rison's Pills." That compounder of bread and gamboge, and prince of quacks, had most judiciously selected the fattest and most healthy-looking commercial ambassador to puff off his concoctions ; and a peep at the bloated charlatan must have been the strongest recommendation to the efficacy of his me- dicine. At tbo time of our arrival, the town of St. ML THE BACKWOODS. 71 J town of St. John was built almost entirely of wood, and had the bad luck to be burnt down, more or less, every four or five years ; and that part which escaped one conflagration was generally included in the next. At this time there existed but one house — with the exception of the banks— built of stone, the inhLbitants of which were known as the Stonehouse P s, the better to distinguish them from their wooden connexions. One night after mess, a messenger arrived from the mayor, stating that a fire had broken out in the town. A strong armed piquet was instantly despatched : scarcely had they left the barracks, before a second messenger made his appearance, reporting that fears were en- tertained lest the whole town would be con- sumed. All hands then turned out, and went down at the " double march." It blew a gale of wind. The thermometer stood at 7" below zero, the fire raged, every thing was frozen up, and no water was to be obtained, except ll \^ 1 1 iji ■iii J :•! 72 ECHOES FRO^f in the immediate neigh fourhood of the wharfs. The scene of confusion was beyond description. Gentlemen, either from over-excitement or in- ebriation, floundered into tar-barrels, took fire, and rushed about requesting to be extin- guished; one had, j)artly from the above cause, partly from fatigue, sat down in a wheelbarrow on one of the quays ; it was within the influence of a hose, the spray from which, aided by 39° of frost below the freezing point, soon made him part and parcel of the barrow. A friend found him, and no one being at hand, he was wheeled off to be cut out. To the ladies it appeared the greatest pos- sible fun, throwing beds, wardrobes, and all their finery out of the windows, and trusting to friends to carry them to the banks or other places of safety. On the part of the autho- rities of the town, there was neither order, system, nor regularity observed ; it was every one for himself, and the soldiers for them all. THE BACKWOODS. 73 In the hope of cutting off the fire, grappling - hooks with long ropes attached to them were thrown over houses, and by the force of a hundred men pulled bodily «' The officers and men worked like hordes ' ' was to no purpose : The grappHng-hook plucks rafters from the walls, And hca])s on heaps the smoky ruin falls. Blown by strong winds, the fiery tempest roars, Bears down new walls, and pours along the floors. The file raged unchecked, as ashes and burn- ing shingles were carried by the wind, and fresh houses and streets ignited. Notwith- standing the flames and the exertion of the men, so intense was the cold, that many of them were frost-bitten. All hopes of extinguishing the fire being abandoned, one of the authorities sent to the commanding-officer, requesting that guards might be despatched to the different roads lead- ing out of the town ; for that sleigh-loads of plunder (the bells being taken off the horses to !' ' I VOL. I. E IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 U&tM |25 ■50 "^™ m^U ■^ 1^ 12.2 us. 12.0 U2 U m |l.25 III 1.4 III 1.6 M 6" ► Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WCST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S80 (716) •72-4S03 74 ECHOES FROM ' }. enable them to get away unheard) were carried off, and boats were employed by sea for the same purpose. I proceeded with the picquet to one of the roads ; the cold was so severe that we were obliged to run up and down to keep the blood in circulation, and had not enjoyed this jog-trot exercise long, when the sergeant reported that an unnaturally fat woman was coming along, and at a very slow pace, considering the state of the atmosphere ; hinting, at the same time, at some comparisons with a lady of Carlton (on the other side of the river), who a few days previously had blessed the province with four little Bluenoses^ at one birth. She was examined, and safely delivered of quantities of plunder, which she had swathed round her body. Alongside of the South Market Wharf lay a tier of vessels, and, some powder having ex- ploded, the one nearest to the wharf was in * All persons born in the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are called Bluenoses. i ij THE BACKWOODS. 75 imminent danger. An inhabitant of the town, Mr. W , went up to Corporal Harrison, who, with a party of the regiment, had saved upwards of two hundred casks of spirits on the said wharf — ^and slapped him on the back — " Corporal," said he, " we are not afraid of a little powder." — " No," replied Harrison — " nor a great deal of fire either." The heat had by this time become so intense as to set fire to the fore-topsail of the brigan- tine — and a second explosion almost imme- diately took place. All hands then left the vessels to their fate, and all of them must have perished, had it not been for the gallant conduct of the above mentioned Corporal Harrison and private John Burgess, who went aloft, and by means of the signal-hal- liards, with a bucket attached to each end, managed to keep the sails sufficiently wet to stay the progress of the flames and to pre- vent further mischief. The tide then began to make, and a boat with some sailors £ 3 76 ECHOES FROM :ti came to their assistance : a rope was made fast to the wharf, and the vessels were hauled clear of the fire and further damage. Corporal William Harrison and Private John Burgess, for their daring conduct on this occasion, were presented with the freedom of the city of St. John. Quere, would they not have benefited much more by a ten pound note ? Towards daybreak the fire was at its greatest pitch. Numbers of casks, filled with oil and blubber, took fire. The effect was sublime, and the liquid sheet of flame was seen for sixty miles in all directions.^ ' By this fire, which broke out on *'■ '• 14th of January, 1 837, and consumed 1 15 houses and stoi any of them valuable and full of merchandize, more thai^ one-third of the " busi- ness " part of the city, i^o^iaining buildings and property to the amount of £250,000, was swept away. In August, 1839, another destructive fire swept off about 200 buildings, likewise in the business part of the city ; and these two great fires have been followed by others of less amount. The erection of wooden buildings is now prohibited by law ; many massive ranges of stone and brick at present oc- cupy the places of the old wooden shanties, and the town wears an altogether different appearance. THE BACKWOODS. 77 Notwithstanding the changes from extreme heat to intense cold, the climate of New Brunswick is particularly healthy. The sum- mers are fine ; fogs occasionally prevail at St. John, and in the immediate neighbour- hood of the Bay of Fundy. The autumn (so expressively termed " the fall ") is delightful, particularly the two latter months known as " the Indian summer," at which time the early frosts tinge the leaves of the hard wood with the brightest colours imaginable. The effect of this varied foliage, of every shade of yellow, scarlet, and purple, when contrasted with the deep greens of the fir tribe, is striking in the highest degree, and can only be com- pared to a painter's pallet, or a modern picture of " La Jeune France " school. This season is most enjoyable, and the sunsets are glo- rious. About Christmas the snow has fallen, and the frost may be said to have fairly set in. The sun shines bright and clear in the deep blue heavens. Though the thermometer 78 ECHOES FROM may be down to five-and-twenty degrees below zero, there is something particularly exhila- rating in the dry, clear air. The nights are proportionably fine, and the northern lights may be seen in all their glory, often assuming that beautiful rose colour nowhere to be wit- nessed so grand as in the northern latitudes. Then the lumberers repair to the backwoods in search of the pine and spruce fir, which grow to enormous heights, often two hundred feet, perfectly straight and healthy, and so close together as to be self-pruned ; a knife should never be applied to any of the fir tribe (a pernicious practice too often perceptible in English plantations), it only causes the tree to bleed. The axes of the American lum- berers are totally different from those used in the old world. The haft, made of hickory, is curved, and has a knob at the end ; in de- livering the stroke, the axe is swung as high as the head, the hands slipping up to the knob. Two backwoodsmen will fell one of these huge THE BACKWOODS. 79 pines in an incredibly short time. Of course when a tree is thus cut breast high, in addition to perhaps three feet of snow upon which the man may have been standing, there is a waste of timber which, although not thought of in the forests of America, would be a seri- ous consideration in England. When felled and snagged, one end of the tree is placed upon a small sleigh, and dragged out of the bush by oxen. It is then piled along with others upon the frozen rivers, and the mass is carried down by the stream when the ice breaks up ; passing in its progress through lakes, and from river to river, till it reaches the St. John, where the logs are claimed by their different owners, formed into rafts, and finally descend to St. John, whence they are shipped for England. A propos to timber, it is a curious fact that, in the forests of North America^ should the primeval growth be hard wood, oak, beech, birch, hickory, maple, &c., and be cut down en -•»/-*"**'»• ».•*. ****^. -^ -i 80 ECHOES FROM masse, pine or firs spring up in their stead, and vice versa: further, should the second growth be allowed sufficient time to attain any size, the same effect will ensue on felling that, and so ad infinitum. The same thing may be observed in the forests of Carniola and Bohemia ; it is the case in all natural forests, and was also remarked by Franklin in the sterile districts inhabited by the Esquimaux. The cold daring the winter nights is very severe. The sentinels are frequently obliged to be relieved every half hour, and the officers, so long as they are beardless, may enjoy horizontal refreshment in peace; but when they obtain those manly appendages, yclept whiskers, they find that turning in bed becomes hopeless, and, being " brought up with a round turn," discover that they are frozen to the sheets ; and we were told that families have been awakened by their house becoming roof- less, owing to the intensity of the frost having extracted the nails by which the shingles 1 ii II ■'1 ' ^H^l\ *\^ \\ . HH li r 13 ii THE BACKWOODS. 81 were fastened to the rafters. Provisions are brought into St. John frozen hard, and they will keep perfectly well so long as the frost lasts ; it is ludicrous enough to see pigs, hares, and large cod-fish frozen stiff, and carried by a leg or tail over a man's shoulder like a musket. One evening a discussion as to the degree of cold led to a bet, and the commanding officer's orderly was sent to ascertain what the thermometer stood at outside the window. The major's servant ingenuously brought the thermometer into the room, and looked at it by the light of the fire; the mercury, thus suddenly astonished, naturally ran up at a tremendous pace. In the conversation which took place between him and the ol i^rly he was overheard exclaiming, " Wait till it stops, Bob ! Now, tell the major it is at forty- five notches above Nero." . Skating, sleighing, and dancing are the araiisements of the opulent ; so anxious were some of the young ladies to make their delfiit, E 5 ;^ U 82 ECHOES FROM i ifi that at one of the balls a fair creature, whom the morning's kfon had advanced only to the third figure of the quadrilles, stood up to dance with a brother officer ; on arriving at Vetef she deliberately walked off, and returned to her place, exclaiming, " Now I guess I'll sit down ; I don't know any more," leaving her partner to make his peace with her vis-d'Vis. Yachting on the frozen Kenebekasis was but a frigid amusement at the best. The manufacture of an ice-boat is simple enough : over two long skates are placed any construc- tion sufficient to hold the party, and a long pole is lashed across at right angles, which prevents the boat from capsizing. When the wind is high, she flies over the ice at a most terrific rate ; and goes so near the wind, that the least touch of the helm sends her round, when she is instantly off again on the other tack. A favourite amusement is coasting. On moonlight nights, a party repair to the top of some steep frozen descent, and ladies THE BACKWOODS. 83 and gentlemen in pairs seat themselves upon little sleighs or coasters, and push them off*. After a thaw the frost makes the surface of the snow as slippery as glare ice ; the pace is then awful, and the roll in the snow propor- tionate. They are steered in their headlong descent by a slight pressure of the heel ; but the Bluenose ladies, being more au fait at it than we were, sat in front and guided them. The meeting of the Tandem Club was a very gay affair ; twice in each week, twenty sleighs, painted of the most gaudy colours, and decked out with furs of all kinds, trimmed with fringe of different colours, drove off from the barracks or other rendezvous. The last married lady was selected as chaperon, and there were plenty of fair candidates for the drive. The brass band and merry bells added not a little to the cheerfulness of the scene. The sleighs used in New Brunswick are of all forms and kinds — from that constructed with a couple of ash-poles (a nick alone dis- I I I ] ■i, IMil I I,: I 84 ECHOES FROM tinguishing where the runners terminate and the shafts commence) with a few boards placed across to support a barrel, in which the victim sits or stands, to the double or single sleighs on high runners, not forgetting the Madawaska Cariole, the height of luxury and the perfec- tion of locomotion, and in which you recline, covered up to the chin in furs. It is abso- lutely necessary in the construction of a sleigh that the " runners" should be a good distance apart, and " flare out" sufficiently ; for, should the road be covered with ice and " bogged up" in the centre, the sleigh will slide to one side with great velocity, particu- larly when turning a corner sharp. This is called " skwinfff" and the slightest impedi- ment on the ice will then be sufficient to upset the sleigh. When a " slew" takes place, it is necessary to pull the shaft-horse with it ; a beginner is sure to do exactly the reverse, and is certain to be capsized. Even a high wind is sufficient to blow a sleigh round in an ex- THE BACKWOODS. 85 posed situation, and upon " glare ice," when an upset is likely to happen, unless the runners " flare out" well at bottom. I originally purchased a sleigh with faulty runners ; and had several upsets and smashes, on which occasions the v«reck alone of the "conveyance" reached barracks. One day, out sleighing on the Kenebekasis, the ice was glare, and in the most perfect order: there was not the slightest draught, and my horses were trotting along merrily at the rate of twelve miles an hour, when, all at once, a squall of wind caught the sleigh and spun it round; and the runners at the same time encountering some roughness on the surface, the sleigh was upset, and the horses, as is generally the case, instantly set off at full gallop ; for some time I was held in by the apron, and slipped along on my side, keeping a tight hold of the reins. The leader was galloping like a Caraboo, and th» shaft-horse giving occasional kicks at the mass of encum- 86 ECHOES FROM I ' :\ brance about his heels. At length the apron gave way, and, still holding on by "the ribbons," I was jerked off in the manner of one of those wings used in gymnastic acade- mies, to be as quickly banged against the splash-board ; and, four or five of these coups coming in quick succession, I was obliged to shorten my hold of the reins, and, the dis- tance between the shaft-horse's heels and my head being in consequence much diminished, I thought with the knight " that discretion was the better part of valour," and — let go. On getting up and shaking myself, I saw my servant, who had been pitched out of the hind seat, some three quarters of a mile behind, and the distance between him and myself preserved in perspective by sundry cushions, skins, linings, and bits of fringe; and, on turning to look after the sleigh, I had the felicity to see the horses still going " Derby pace," and just debouching from the ice, " steering wild" for a gap in a " zigzag" THE BACKWOODS. 87 I fence. Bang they went against the rails, giving the coup de grace to the proceeding, and going well away into the woods with the shafts dangling about their heels. I then built a new sleigh. The painting and trimming up of the sleigh depend much upon the taste of the pos- sessor ; the general colours are dark bodies, with scarlet runners. I found that a white ground, picked out with bright vermilion, and bear and buffalo skins, with a liberal quantity of deep scarlet curtain fringe, and scarlet cloth, cut into scallops, arranged in studied confusion, the whole furnished with a huge pair of moose-horns in front, looked extremely light and gay on the snow ; and the white, from being relieved by the vermilion, had no dirty appearance when contrasted with the snow. The horses bred in the province are com- pact little animals, and trot at a tremendous pace, particularly upon glare ice ; so docile -! :' 1 .0 \ y ■ } ,, 88 ECHOES FROM f are they, from being brought up in the house as part of the family, and so attached are the Bluenoses to them, that a man, hearing I pos- sessed a gray horse (a famous trotter) which he had bred, came a long distance to see him. Two years had elapsed since he had sold him ; he might have been " a whisperer ;" but no sooner had he entered the stables, and spoken to him, than the horse reared upon his hind- legs, and showed every symptom of recognition and delight. I drove that horse and another, without the least preparation, from St. John to Fredericton in ten hours ; the ice was in good order; the distance eighty-four miles. An officer of the 52nd made a match against a stage-driver, a noted character in the pro- vince, to perform the same distance. One of the driver's horses dying from over-exertion, the gallant captain was enabled to win his match in six hours and a half ! A propos to the sagacity of the horse — awkward disclosures will out. It happened i^' THE BACKWOODS. 89 that a friend of mine had embarked largely in farming, and, according to the usual free- masonry of his fraternity, maintained that it was a losing concern — and that all of his trade profess all and every year of their lives, although the crops were fine, that they never paid him. A horse was the means of discover- ing that which a Scotch steward either could not find out, or found it more convenient to wink at. One evening, just as the workmen were going home from their daily labour, one was suddenly called to hold the horse of a gentleman, who had just arrived. Pat came forward with a flourish, his hat well on one side, with an illigant cock, poised upon one hair, as poor Power loved to appear in the " Irish Lion," till unluckily the horse, whose olfactory nerves were not to be deceived, gave it a gentle push ; off rolled the castor, and out tumbled a shower of oats. " Murder will out," they say, and now my friend discovered why his land would not pay ; his labourers •i t I ,1. *■ ^\$J^ II i , s ' X- •n I It 90 ECHOES FROM being in the daily habit of carrying off hat- loads of corn. The drivers of the stages and the inhabi- tants, if halting either for refreshment or for the night, never care to bring their horses cool into the stable, or even to rub them down; but, on the contrary, the perspiration is allowed to freeze upon their coats, which are a mass of hoar-frost by the next morning. They never catch cold, nor are they the worse for it. It is the custom in this province, and indeed in most of the States, to drive without bearing reins and with snaffle-bits ; and so quiet are the horses in harness, that breeching is but rarely used. The drivers in general put the horses into a full gallop, and charge down hill, either when in a waggon or a sleigh — the impetus carrying them some distance up the opposite slope. It would be ridiculous to see horses borne up, champing tbeir bits and tossing the foam from their proud heads, ^ THE BACKWOODS. 91 without the corresponding appendage of a fat and jolly-looking coachman, to whose hands the guidance of a perfect London " turn- out" is entrusted ; and the amusing author of " the Bubbles" has remarked that, as we bear up our horses to the utmost extent, the Ger- mans go into the opposite extreme, and take great pains to tie the heads of theirs down ; but it appears to me, that for work, to say nothing of the comfort of the animal, the Bluenose arrangement is preferable. Towards the spring, when the ice is expected to break up, the horses are driven with long cords (acting as safety reins), fastened round their necks with a running knot. Should the ice give way, the driver immediately hauls upon the rope until he has, pro tem.^ strangled the animal. The air, thus confined, inflates him ; he floats, and is easily dragged out upon the sound ice, when, the cord being cut, he jumps up, seldom or ever the worse for his immersion. ; •)|'^ 92 ECHOES FROM Every fresh fall of snow obliterates the beaten sleigh-tracks; and, in order to avoid doubtful ice, or air-holes, it is customary to mark out the different crossings over the frozen bays or rivers, by fixing young fir- trees into the ice at intervals : no one can ima- gine, until caught in a North American snow- storm, what a guide and blessing they are. Never shall I forget returning to St. John, after a hunting expedition, accompanied by an inhabitant of that place, and being obliged to cross the Grand Bay and part of the Kenebekasis; frozen sheets of water, just above the tide-way ; and over which we had sleighed in perfect safety in the morning. The moon shone clear and bright, and we had crossed one half of the Grand Bay ; when, all at once, we heard strange sounds, like the clang of hundreds of rifles discharged on all sides in the surrounding forests : it was soon evident whence the noise proceeded — from the effect of the noonday's sun, the ice was THE BACKWOODS. 9S breaking up. It was a route but seldom ventured over, and was not, for that reason, marked out with fir-branches. I was con- fident that, so far, I had kept the right course, and urged on the horses, who snorted and showed evident symptoms of terror. Suddenly the moon became overcast, black clouds began to gather and darken the heavens ; a tremen- dous storm came on, and the snow beat thick and fast in our faces. We came to a crack in the ice at least a yard wide, which extended across the whole bay ; there was no time to be lost in searching for a narrow place, as the cracking of the ice became tremendous ; so there was no alternative left but to run the horses at the chasm, which they cleared in gallant style, and, by keeping them in full gallop, in ten minutes we were safe on the main land. Next day boats were to be seen upon the water; the ice having totally dis- appeared. 94 ECHOES FROM I'' I r i "'ft iii ' s V Ihj; f^l CHAPTER IV. OF THE MILICETE AND MICMAC INDIANS. Lo ! the poor Indian, whose untutored mind Sees God in clouds, or hears him in the wind ; His soul proud Science never taught to stray- Far as the solar walk or milky ,way ; Yet simple Nature to his hope has given Behind the cloud-topped hill an humbler heaven ; Some safer world in depth of woods embraced. Some happier island in the watery waste, WTiere slaves once more their native land behold. No lends torment, no Christians thirst for gold. To be, contents his natural desire. He asks no angel's wing, no seraph's fire ; But thinks, admitted to that equal sky, His faithful dog shall bear him company. Origin of the Indians, a Quere — Fossil remains — Mr. Gesner — Alicmacs, or " Salt-water" Indians — ^Boundary be- tween them and the IVIilicete — Render homage to the Iroquois — Council fire still burns — Their Totems — Language- Papoose — ^Wigwams — Snow-shoes — Patterns — Old John and Cockney. The colour, appearance, and general habits of the Indians inhabiting North America, have been often ably described; as often THE BACKWOODS. 95 quite the reverse. And, as the public have lately had the works of Catlin before them, and the Ojibeways as living models, little re- mains to be said. It would be quite absurd in this slight sketch of the Indians inhabiting New Brunswick to recapitulate the many con- flicting opinions, or to enter into the argu- ments pro and con. — how or by what means the continent of America ' was peopled origi- nally ; whether Behring's Straits ever were or ' " In America the same difficulties present themselves in relation to the origin and propagation of races as in the old world. The most recent inquiries authorized the distinction of two families inhabiting America; first, a race called Toltuan, belonging originally to Mexico and Peru, which from the shapes of the skulls found in the graves and the accompanying relics, give evidence of greater civilization tlian belongs to the present natives ; and, secondly, a people which, extending over the greater portion of the vast con- tinent, embraces all the barbarous nations of the new world, excepting the Polar tribes, or Mongolian Americans, which are presumed to be straggling parties from Asia, such as the Esquimaux, Greenlanders, and Fins. "In the native American, there is no trace of the frizzled locks of the Polynesian, or the woolly texture on the head of the Negro. The hair is long, lank, and black ; the beard is deficient ; the cheek-bones are large and prominent ; the I '-I i I. r if 1 i ,i 96 ECHOES FROM I h 'iKhi \ were not at any former period dry land, or whether rocks or islands existed in these straits ; or by what means (if it even were so) men were ferried over from Asia to people the continent of America. All this I must leave to the fertile imaginations of such men as will try to convince the world that Green- land once formed a part of North America ; that the Esquimaux understand the language of the natives of that country ; and that the birds and beasts (however much they may have degenerated by the migration) originally came from the old world. I have nothing further to adduce, for my part, than that, unless the ark was affected by the Gulf Stream during the forty days that it continued on lower jaw broad and ponderous, truncated in front ; the teeth vertical and very large ; the nose is decidedly arched, and the nasal cavities of great size. They ought not to be called the copper-coloured race. The colour is brown, or of a cinnamon tint. As in the old world, the colour varies, and the darker shade does not always correspond with the climate or vicinity to the equator." — Sir Charles Bell on "Anatomy of Expression." 11 Ifei '^a-i^ THE BACKWOODS. 97 the face of the waters, and that, as it neared the coast of America, a couple of alligators took that opportunity of swimming ashore, that species of reptile must have suffered dreadfully from cold in their " overland passage" either by way of Greenland or Behring's Straits.' Apropos of antediluvian theories, Mr. Gesner has discovered the bones of a large fossil elephant, which had been originally mistaken for wood, and sold in the market of St. John as such. These remains are in his possession, and he has obtained such information as may probably lead to the discovery of the skeletons of other gigantic animals which have long since ceased to exist ' While permitting myself to speak lightly of the con- flicting opinions of those gentlemen, who each arrange creation to suit their particular theories, I am far from meaning to jest on the sublime descriptions of Genesis. I believe that it has been proved by ship-builders that the dimensions of this wonderful ark are the most perfect that could have been thought of. There cannot be a more striking instance of that divine wisdom "which ordercth all things well." VOL. I. F I 11 .,1 1 i / 98 ECHOES FROM on tbc earth. Mr. Gesner is descended froia the celebrated Conrad Gesner, who first dis- tinguished the genera of plants from a com- parison with their flowers, seed, and fruit. He was employed in making a geological survey of the province, during which time he managed to collect a capital museum of its natural productions, which he sold to the Mechanics' Institute of the city of St. John for ^600. There are in New Brunswick two tribes of Indians, differing most widely from each other in tlieir language, customs, implements, and habits of life ; and this striking difference in almost every particular, between two people inhabiting the same country, and evi- dently sprung from the same common stock, constitutes not the least remarkable point of interest among the many whicli attach to this singular race. First in order, not only as the most nume- rous, but as possessing both moral and phy- ^'i THE BACKWOODS. 99 sical superiority over the others, are the Micmacs, a tall and powerful race of men, who frequent the north-eastern shores of the province, bordering on the great Gulf of St. Lawrence ; and who form part of an Indian nation which extends over Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, Newfoundland, Prince Ed- ward's Island, and Gaspe. The less nume- rous and inferior body are the Milicete, who frequent the St. John and its tributary waters. The Micmacs are strongly attached to the sea-side, near which they are generally found; and, from this circumstance, the Milicete commonly call them " the salt v ater Indians." Their hunting grounds, over which they range uncontrolled, and of which they are supposed to have the sole possession, emlnace the whole north-eastern coast of N')w Brunswick from Bale Verte to the Bale des Cluileurs, and thence extending back to tht head-waters of all the streams on that iBt, which flow into the Gulf. F 2 1 100 ECHOES FROM 1' ' r ,ir n The hunting country of the Milicete com- prises all the extensive territory watered by the St. John and its numerous tributaries, whether flowing from the eastward or the westward. The boundary between the Mic- mac and Milicete hunting countries is such a line as will separate the waters flowing east- wardly into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, from those which flow westwardly into the river St. John. The westward boundary of the Milicete hunting country is a line which will separate the waters flowing eastwardly into the St. John from those which flow westwardly into the Penobscot river, in the State of Maine ; at the sources of the eastern tributaries of the river, the hunting country of the Penobscot tribe commences. This last mentioned tribe reside within the limits of the United States, yet they speak the Milicete language, and render homage to the chief of the Milicetes in New Brunswick, whom they regard as their head and leader. M THE BACKWOODS. 101 The whole number of Milicetes at present in New Brnnswick is a little short of five hundred ; the number of the Micmacs some- what exceeds one thousand. The village of the Milicetes is situated on the right bank of the St. John, about ten miles above Frede- ricton, and on the same side of the river. In the village there is every kind of habita- tion, from the slight birch-bark wigwam up to the comfortable two-story dwelling-house, owned by an Indian, who, by superior indus- try and intelligence, has attained a situation above his fellows. The Milicete language is a dialect of the Huron, the language of the Iroquois, of which once powerful confederacy they formed a branch tribe. The council fire of the Iro- quois is yet kept burning at Caughnawaga, an Indian village, on the south side of the St. Lawrence, a few miles above Montreal, where the great chief of the nation resides. A deputation of the chiefs and principal men i( ^ V I-' '. '.w! 1 i! ii i\ \l i\ 102 ECHOES FROM I H if w of the Milicetes proceed every third year to Caughnawaga to report the state of affairs, and take part in the grand council of the nation which is there held. Those acquainted with Indian history will remember that the Iroquois nation was formed by the celebrated confederacy of the Six Nations, who received the designation of Iroquois from the French, but were called Mingoes by the English. They present the only example of intimate union recorded in the history of the Aborigines, and were by far the most powerful body of Indians upon the continent of America. They consisted originally of five nations, namely, the Mo- hawks, the Onondagoes, the Senecas, the Oneidas, and the Cayugas. About 1717, the Tuscaroras joined the confederacy, and formed the sixth nation : since that period, they have been sometimes known as the Five Nations, but more frequently as the Six Nations. These several nations were subdivided into various THE BACKWOODS. 103 tribes and families, and this subdivision was an important part of Indian policy. The number of these tribes among the various nations was different and perhaps indefinite; they usually extended, however, from five to six, twelve, or fifteen. Each has a distinct appellation derived from some familiar animal, as the bear tribe, the eagle tribe, or the wolf tribe, and the figure of the animal giving name to the tribe became the totem, or armorial bearing, of every individual belonging to it. When it became neces- sary to identify a person in any of their rude drawings, or in later times, when one of them was required to affix his mark to any instru- ment prepared by the white man, his totem was first made, and then any particular cha- racteristic was added which might apply to him individually. The totem of the Milicete is the beaver, and a member of the tribe who wished to designate himself would first sketch the figure of the beaver, and then place be- r; h ' i n ^1 I •i 104 ECHOES FROM neatli it his own peculiar totem or crest, such as the hawk, or pigeon, the minx, eel, or salmon. Before the arrival of Europeans in America, the office of giving names was deputed to the wise and aged Indians, who had the best knowledge of the ancient names of their forefathers, and were most capable of invent- ing new ones. At that period, such names as " the sloping sky " — " the pleasant flowing stream " — " the sparkling light " — " the roar- ing thunder " — *' the leaping panther ' — " the cloud that rolls beyond " — " the noon-day sun" — were in common use ; but their present de- signations have been acquired very differently. The Indians of New Brunswick were first converted to Christianity, and taught the prin- ciples of the Catholic faith to which they religiously adhere, by the Jesuit missionaries, a class of men of whom it must be admitted that, whatever may have been their sins in the old world, they have in the new been known chiefly as the friends, protectors, and civilizers THE BACKWOODS. 105 of a race, forsaken or trampled upon by nearly all besides. When they baptized their converts, they conferred upon them names selected from the calendar of saints ; and these names, with those borne by the descendants of French officers, or the early French settlers who intermarried with the Indians, now form nearly the whole of the appellations borne by the Milicetes and Micmacs. In making up the enumeration of these people, Mr. Perley found the names of St. Jerome, St. Chrysostom, St. Boniface, St. Hilaire, St. GeofFroy, St. Augus- tin, St. Antoine, St. Gregoire, St. Remigius, St. Athanase, and St. Denys, occurring very frequently, while among the women Le found quite as common Ste. Angelique, Ste. Pelagie, Ste. Genevieve, Ste. Anastasie, Ste. Monica, Ste. Veronica, and the like. Many families bear the names of those from whom they have descended among the French ; and among the Micmacs, the St. Juliens, the De PommevilleSj the De Bois, the Des F 5 ■* I '. 106 ECHOES FROM Dames, the La Roqiies, and the La Bognes, are all very numerous. One tall, handsome, sub-chief, who resides at the Milicete village, is the descendant of a French officer of en- gineers, and bears the name of his proge- nitor. Vassal la Conte ; and at the same village, a very pretty young squaw, an orphan, bears the romantic name of Cecile le Belmont. With their names the Indians of the pro- vince acquired much of the dress of the early settlers, who were principally Basques, Bre- tons, and Normans ; and the picturesque Basque dress is much in vogue with the Micmac squaws to the present hour. The language of the Micmacs is a dialect of the Algonquin, of which powerful nation they once formed a large and influential por- tion. The Algonquin nation formerly num- bered twenty-two different tribes — the Mic- macs, Elchemins, Abenakis, Tokokis^, Pas- tuckets, Pokanokets, Narragansetts, Regnoils, Mohegans, Lenni-Lenapes, Qoxmen, (as the Delawares styled themselves), Nanticokes, M THE BACKWOODS. 107 Powhatans, Shawnees, Miamis, Illinois, Chip- pewas, (latterly called Ojibbeway), Ottawas, Menoraonies, Lacs, Foxes, and Kickahoos, which were again subdivided into more than a hundred tribes. The Lord's Prayer, in the Milicete language^ is as follows : — " Me-tox-sen' a spum-keek ay-e-en sa-ga-mow-ee tel- mox-se'en tel-e-wee-so-teek. Cheep-tooke wee-chey-u-leek spuni-keektaun e-too-chee-sauk-too-leek spum-a-kay-e'en. Too-eep-nauk-na-meen kes-e-kees-skah-keel wek-a-yeu- leek el-me-kees-kaak keel-mets-min a-woo-lee. Ma-hate- moo-in ka-te a-le-wa-nay-ool-te'ek el-mas we-chee-a-keel rae-koke-may-keel ne-ma-hate-hum-too-moo-in. Li the Micmac language, the Lord's Prayer, as corrected by the Richibucto Indians from the version printed at Quebec in 1817, reads thus : — " Noorch enen waa-soke a-bin, chip-took, tal-wee-sin me-ga-(lay-(le-mak. Waa-soke tee-lee-daa-nen chip-took igga-nam-win oo-la nee-moo-lek naa-de-la-tay-se-nen. Naa-tel waa-soke ai-keek chip-took ta-lee-ska-doo-lek ma- ga-nii-guek ay-e-mek. Tel-la-moo koo-be-na-gal es-me- a-gul opch nega-atch kees-kook ig-ga-nam-vvin uce-loo-iien. Ta-lee a-bik-chik-ta-kaa-chik wa-gai-nee-na-met-nik elk- keel nees-kaama-bik-chik-too-in el-wa-wool-ti-jeck, Mel- kee-nin maach win-chee-gul mook-ta-gaa-liu kccs-e-na- waam-kil win-che-gul ko-qui-ak too-ack-too-iu. \ 1 'If i : 108 ECHOES FROM It is said that in all the vast extent of Canada and the United States there are but three radical or mother tongues — the Sioux, the Algonquin, and the Huron. The Sioux is rather a hissing than an articulation of sounds. The Huron language has great (dig- nity, pathos, and elevation ; and the ancient missionaries did not scruple to compare it with the finest languages known. The Algonquin, however, they say, excels the Huron in smooth- ness and elegance ; and, so far as Mr. Perley was able to judge from the Micmac dialect, it far excels the Huron in power, compre- hensiveness, and lofty imagery. Both lan- guages, it may be remarked, have a dual number, and in other respects resemble the Greek. All the changes of mood, person, tense, and number are formed by change of terminals. Upwards of two thousand terminals are made on one radix in the Micmac language. It is, therefore, difficult to speak it in all its purity with correctness ; yet enough of it THE BACKWOODS. 109 may be learnt in a few weeks by a person acquainted with the French, English, and Latin, to converse in it sufficiently well for all ordinary purposes. The females, when young, are often ex- ceedingly handsome ; and that prominency so observable in the cheek-bones of the men is among the women but faintly marked. Their noses are, in general, aquiline, and finely shaped, and their eyes possess a pecu- liar, soft, and languid expression ; the teeth are fine, white, and even; and their mag- nificent long black hair is carefully parted down the centre, and plaited behind in two long tails, through which is generally threaded some bright-coloured ribbon. I have often seen their plaits reach nearly to the ground. Their figures in early life are fine, with hands and feet peculiarly small; but their gait is ungraceful, as they turn in their feet, and shuflfle along with a lateral jerk of the whole body at every step. i 't-',l p 'I fc, ft ::i I' .1 i f. i 110 ECHOES FROM Although very handsome women are to be met with among them, they are by no means to be taken ns a type of the tribe. They are, in general, plain-looking, and many aio frightful. Indeed, all soon lose every trace of good looks, owing to the hardships which they endure, in addition to child-bearing and ex- posure to all sorts of weather, and that too in a climate so variable as theirs. No where, with the exception of the unfortunate female peasants of Bavaria, have I seen the weaker sex sc degraded. The squaws carry the papoose, and often very heavy burdens ; make the greater part of the canoe, and, when completed, have to assist in propelling it; in short, they do all the drudgery : it is, therefore, not to be wondered at that they should become bloated, unwieldy, and prematurely old. I do not recollect to have ever seen a good-looking middle-aged woman among them. The manners of both sexes are never vulgar. THE BACKWOODS. Ill because they are always naturally courteous. When they appear in full dress, the squaws wear a conical-shaped cap or head-dress of blue or scarlet cloth, embroidered with white beads, and edged with ribbons ; a long frock, reaching a little below the knees, with scarlet or blue cloth leggings ; in finishing them the seams are not turned in, but, on the contrary, the wider they can contrive to have the surplus cloth on the outside, the more it can be bedizened with ribbons, beads, and wampum. Their mocassins, made from moose leather, are beautifully embroidered with beads. The Milicete tribes use beads instead of the hair of the moose, or porcupine quills are employed for this purpose by most of the tribes in Upper and Lower Canada, and in the far West. The front of their dress is fastened with a number of circular silver buckles, the largest being placed at the top, and so diminishing as they descend ; but they are more orna- mental than useful. These constitute their V I 112 ECHOES FROM trinkets, which they always carry about upon their persons ; and, as cloth is to them ex- pensive, tlie men generally appropriate that to their own use ; and the poor squaws are to be most commonly seen in old chintzes and Manchester cottons : and, with a blanket, which serves in the severity of the v/inter as a cloak by day, and as a bed at night, this completes the toilette and wardrobe of a squaw of the Milicete tribe. To the adorning of the lords of the crea- tion everything is sacrificed among the Indian tribes without exception. As we say of the feathered tribe, at least, fine feathers are supposed by them to make " fine birds." The male, in the latter case, is always of more gaudy plumage than his mate; so the Indian shines resplendent in his decorations and paint, and his unfortunate squaw hides " her diminished head." His head-dress, when in gala costume, is fashioned somewhat like that described above as worn by the THE BACKWOODS. 113 women, but descends much further down the back, and having two pointed horns of the same material, not unlike horses' ears, on the top of the head : these are embroidered with beads ; and the flap which hangs down behind is striped with ribbons of different colours. The coat or hunting-frock does not reach so low as that of the squaw ; it is, in general, blue, with scarlet cuffs and collar, richly worked with beads and scarlet cloth let into all the seams as in a lancer's jacket. A broad crimson ribbon generally gives a very pretty finish to the bottom of the coat, and across the back and shoulders is a mass of embroidery. I have seen some chiefs of the Penobscot tribe with scarlet coats, almost a mass of beads. This is very magnificent ; but the white beads, in my opinion, show much better on the blue. From an embroidered shoulder- belt or baldrick is hung the powder-horn ; and their knives, tomahawks, and tobacco- pouches or pitchnaugans' skins (entire) upon I 11 V •'• i U ''..'. *1B' m : ■ I citwr '-11 -rifc I 114 ECHOES FROM which embroidery is attached, are suspended through their belts of wampum. When the costume of this tribe is well " got up," it is almost magnificent. Papoose is the name applied either to the infant of the Indian, or the wooden kind of box or portable cradle in which the unfortu- nate child is bound. Before the infant is placed in it, the arms are extended down the sides and swathed round and round with cloth or other bandages, until it becomes like a mummy, in the manner practised by the Roman mothers at the present day. This confinement and distortion of the limbs during infancy are alleged by many to be the cause of the awkwardness of the Indian's gait when grown up. The swathing being completed, the child is placed on its back in the case, and fastened in it with hoops of hickory or ash. On the move, the squaws carry the papoose on their backs ; and, when employed, hang it up on the nearest branch. The e cause THE BACKWOODS. 115 operation of swathing occupies much time, and the child often remains for long periods thus encased. Nothing but the face appears ; and the situation of a papoose thus suspended is anything but enyiable, and may easily be discovered by a swarm of mosquitoes and black flies, attracted to the exposed part of the unfortunate brat. When old enough to be released from this cruel imprisonment, they are suffered to run about naked, and to roll themselves in the mud, until they become sufficiently hardened. " The young idea" soon " learns how to shoot," and to perform astonishingly with the bow and arrow — a practice entirely relinquished by the adult portion of the community, since the Birmingham catch-penny pieces, the vilest of guns, have been introduced into America — though with these they contrive to direct a ball at one hundred yards with the precision of one fired from the best rifle turned out of Moore's or Lancaster's shops. *: i ri'f ' t 116 ECHOES FROM sill \ 31 Every Indian tribe has its peculiar form and pattern for every thing they make and wear — their canoes, wigwams, or snow-shoes ; their embroidery on birch-bark, cloth, or leather ; in moose hair, wampum, or porcupine quills. The Indian instantly knows, by its fashion, to what tribe the slightest ornament or utensil belongs. All the manufactures of the Milicete are more graceful in their forms and propor- tions than those of any other tribe I ever saw in any part of North America ; and many of their patterns, now that fresco painting has come into vogue, would be beautiful for borders to arabesques, or might be copied in worsted work for the modern species of tapestry which occupies so much of the time of ladies at the present day. Their canoes are made of one entire piece of bark stripped from the canoe birch, (betala papyracea) which attains to the height of seventy feet, and is often three feet in diameter. It is best when obtained in the winter mouths — THE BACKWOODS. 117 fire is then applied to make the tree peel — and a " winter bark" canoe is the article of most value among the Indian's effects. It is difficult to find a tree sufficiently clean and free from knots; and the growth of every canoe birch sapling of any promise is jealously watched by the Indian. Who can say that the hatchet has not been dug up, and that the flame of war may not have been kindled in the olden time for so trivial a cause as a roll of birch-bark ? The gunwales of the canoe are made of fir, and the ribs and flooring of white cedar, (the lightest of all the kinds of American timber), over which the bark is stretched, and the whole thing is sewed together with the fibrous roots of the white spruce, about the size of a quill, which are deprived of the bark, split, and suppled in water. The seams are coated and made water-tight with the gum of the spruce or balsam firs. Their average weight may be one hundred and i> ■ . '■ ft 118 ECHOES FROM \}' f .!) twenty pounds, their length varying from six- teen to twenty-one feet. An Indian thinks little of carrying one of them on his head ; in addition to, perhaps, a hind-quarter of a moose deer, or some such weight, on his back ; and will trudge along at a pace that would soon tire our best mountain sportsmen. Into one of their canoes can be packed enormous loads. I have often seen a family, fifteen or sixteen in number, besides all their goods and chattels, stowed away in a birch canoe, about nineteen feet in length ; and, when loaded in this way to the very water's edge, they will fearlessly hoist an old blanket by way of a lug-sail, and "carry on," when a tremendous sea is running. In order to preserve their canoes during the winter season, they bury them in snow — a practice which fully answers the purpose. Nothing can be more graceful on the water than a Milicete canoe ; at the same time, so frail are they, that it generally costs the uninitiated several THE BACKWOODS. 119 om six- thinks I head; ;er of a on his ,ce that rtsmen. packed family, ill their a birch d, when ■'s edge, nkot by " when >rder to : season, e which can be Milicete re they, several good duckings, by way of apprenticeship, before he learns the use of the paddle, or even to preserve his equilibrium in them. The economy of the Indian's hut or wigwam is perfect. A number of poles are fastened together near their apex, and the lower ex- tremities extended until the required base is obtained (and they can be likened to nothing seen in England but the piles of hop -poles In Kent after the hop harvest is finished) ; over this skeleton work are extended sheets of birch bark sewed together. A sufficient aperture is left at top to allow the smoke to escape, and to U-' duty for a chimney. The entrance is cut out of the roll of bark; and an old blanket or piece of cloth is suspended by way of door. This covering of bark and the whole building may be taken down ani ren- dered transportable in a few minutes. When about to make a permanent camp, or to remain for my length of time in one par- ticular spot, great neatness may be observed h h 8 wW am 'i' * ii if / ■ i >■■ 120 ECHOES FROM in the interior economy of their wigwams. The floor is covered, for a space extending round the whole circumference, with the ends of the branches of the silver fir, broken short off and placed one over another, slanting towards ths centre. In the midst is the fire, and four laths of fir accurately determine the finish of the divan and the commencement of the kitchen department. In their cuisine they have made but little progress; and a stone trough, or an old frying-pan, is the utmost limit to which their culinary imple- ments extend. About their wigwams is to be seen the Indian dog — a cross, in which that of the fox evidently predominates — and the sharp-pointed ears, long, slender, black hairs, and bushy tail, denote their origin. The bodies of these dogs are exceedingly long, their legs as re- markably short. They are very small, and so light as to be able to run over the snow when covered with the slightest crust: they THE BACKWOODS. 121 have, therefore, a great advantage when in pursuit of large game, which in that case flounders through it. These dogs are very stanch, and, when once put upon the track of a moose or bear, will not leave it until they bring the one to bay, or " tree" the other. In the winter season, they do good service for the Ind'-^.n, and are harnessed in couples of two, four, and six, to small sledges. Neither the Micmacs nor the Milicetes dis- figure themselves with pa'nt, or by tattooing : probably the custom has worn out, since their adoption of the Christian religion, and from the length of their intercourse with the European settlers. The Micmac nation, owing to the exertions of Mr. Perley, their adopted chief, have all taken the pledge ; and, in all proba- bility, by the endeavours of that gentleman, the Milicetes will be induced to follow their example : but at the time of our sojourn in the province, many of the Milicetes were to be seen drunk about the si, eets of St. John. VOL. I. G ( h. 122 ECHOES FROM It is, nevertheless, a remarkable trait in the Indian character, that, however they may indulge in the vice when in a town, it is a point of honour with them, when engaged to go on an expedition into the woods, not to touch spirits. I once took an Indian off from St. John in a hurry, to hunt ; and, although I knew that he had been in a state of inebriation for three days previous, and the effects of the debauch had not " died in him," yet when, after a tough chase of four hours and a half, on snow- shoes, I offered him my brandy-flask, he shook his head as he replied, " Me no touch dat in woods, never ;" and he persisted in his resolution in spite of my persuasions. Notwithstanding the long intercourse they have had with Europeans, and so much as they have been thrown into contact with them, they will not adopt European customs ; and they have an innate aversion to civilized life. Great exertions have often been made on the :;": aj tl gI tl oj THE BACKWOODS. 123 t in the ley may , it is a engaged is, not to . John in :new that , for three e debauch 1, after a ', on snow- flask, he no touch sted in his IS. jourse they much as with them, ;toms; and vilized life, aade on the part of different governors to inculcate do- mestic habits, to induce them to cultivate the soil, and to build houses. One of the chiefs, old Louis Bear, if I recollect right, at the particular request of one of their excel- hncies, built a stone house of two stories. When completed, he requested that the governor would come and see what he had done. He had built a house, and had laid out a great deal of money in the construction of it; but, on a close inspection, it was discovered that he had built his wigwam inside. I have been informed that the Indians of the Micmac tribe, generally taken into the woods by the oflScers of the Halifax garrison, are an extremely lazy set, very few of them good hunters; and those that are so give themselves great airs. The family of the Glodes, near Annapolis, and the Indians in that village, are excellent hunters, as are also old Saccobe, Joe Lola, Louis Polcis, Louis G 2 f r 124 ECHOES FROM Bear, and John Sabbattis, of the Milicete nation (should they be still living). They are the most trustworthy and faithful in the woods; and this tribute, in the shape of a recommendation to any one about to follow the chase in the neighbourhood of Annapolis, in Nova Scotia, or from St. John or Frederic- ton, in New Brunswick, is paid to their honesty and good-will, by one who had every reason to be satisfied with their exemplary conduct. I never could persuade my faithful pilot of many trips in " the woods," John Sabbattis, to sleep at an inn, when en route for distant hunting grounds ; nor would he eat under the roof of one, but would steal off and re- turn at the appointed hour. The Indian, when hired for an expedition, must be treated kindly ; he is fed and paid commonly at the rate of a dollar a day ; and there is nothing that they will not do for you, provided you treat them with common attention. Much insight into wild life is gained by so doing. ■^ THE BACKWOODS. 125 much woodcraft lost by a contrary proceed- ing; and a good sportsman i: in general gifted with sufficient tact to discover this. Should any one, however, be unsportsman- like enough to bully the Indian in the woods, his high sense of honour will cause him to keep his engagement inviolate ; he will do his duty by his employer so long as their agreement lasts. But such is his indepen- dence of spirit, that he will never again go out with that man ; and no sum of money will induce them so to do. — One anecdote of John. An admirer of nature, and a would-be sportsman, but whose proficiency in the art had not advanced him beyond or entitled him to other appellation than that of Cockney, heard of the magnificent scenery on the Musquash lakes ; and, being anxious to com- bine a little amusement with sight-seeing, engaged John to take him in his canoe, and fish, en passant the magnificent rapids, i ! 126 ECHOES FllOM A ^vofVa which connect this still waters, and creeks w fine chain of lakes. All V»b lus . MA in Inaian fashion. Ihe leiio" acerone did m ^^„„j, behaved, however, "> •'"^"Z" ^j.^ „ u „= lift would have treatea pretty much as he woui •. „t a coffee-house, and finally waiter at a conee ^hile John Tnhn for not cleaning his boots , A „„ inflexible silence. The sports- preserved an infl X b ^^.^^ ^^^ :;;;7ria;:-L..ntedto.oa rond^in.e,andappUedtoJohnto~ pany him; this the Indian flc^yef ,, Our friend stared, and a ked reason. John very coolly replied, Mono r -n with you-me always used to walk again witn yo" «alk woods with gentlemen. THE BACKWOODS. 127 ct this faithful fellow woods eated a ly d-d lile John e sports- vith the d to go a 10 accom- refused to i him the , "Me no ^s used to CHAPTER V. NEW BRUNSWICK — OF THE BIRDS AND BEASTS. Where beasts with man divided empire claim, And the brown Indian marks with murd'rous aim, • « * * « * Or seeks the den where snow-tracks mark the way. And drags the struggling savage into day. Goldsmith. Passenger Pigeons — Wild and Water fowl — Novel way of gunning — Genus Tetrao — Birch and Spruce Partridge — Humming-birds — Wax-bird — Soiree of Owls — Lucifees — Skunk — Wild Cat — Novel mode of catching Wolves — Musk-rat — Porcupine — Hares — Bears and Chimneys — A sound sleeper — The Governor gammoned. In the months of June and July, the " pas- senger pigeons," described by Wilson as darkening the sun for days, when on their migratory flights, arrive in New Brunswick. Their favourite resorts are the neglected clearances overgrown with wild raspberries and strawberries, which are their favourite !.•' i ,. - '••»**, ^-* 128 ECHOES FROM :. I /f ■! food; also the great mosses and barrens, covered with cranberries and whortleberries, where they are to be found in great quantities, and from amongst which they rise singly or in pairs, are strong on the pinion, and afford excellent sport. They have a long wedge- shaped tail ; and, if the ends of it are cut off previously to putting them into a trap, they are so astonished at the moment they attempt to fly, that they go off quite as game as the best blue rocks of " Red House" celebrity. The woodcock of the New World is much smaller than that of Europe, and, in the plumaqje, differs materially, inclining more to a fawn colour, particularly on the breast, where the shades of that colour are beautifully delicate. They appear in the spring for a short time, on their migration northward, and on their return are to be found from the middle of August until driven south by the frosts, which set in generally by the end of October. Their haunts are in the alder and rl' Pf I THE BACKWOODS. 129 cedar swamps, along the outskirts of the " Great Bush," and the margins of the clear- ances, particularly where they have been suffered to copse. In Upper Canada and the United States, they are very partial to the Indian corn or maize, when planted in low lands. They are very quick on the wing, and when flushed get up with a shrill whistle. The woodcock of the Western Isles is the same as that of North America ; and I have heard that there they are to be met with in great numbers. What has been said of the habits of the woodcock applies to those of the American snipe; but the latter is rather larger, flies much more heavily, and, in consequence, is more easily killed than the European snipe. It is to be found in abundance at Musquash, on the St. Andrew's road, on the Water- borough, at Gagetown, Sheffield, in the islands on the St. John river, on the Gemseg, and in the Grand Lake meadows. G 5 > f jf i ^ 1 : ti ;m 1 1 ■ Iw '• it •■* I i^ 130 ECHOES FROM •*!f A high-couraged pointer, particularly of the Russian breed, is best adapted to find woodcocks in these woods, when, by fastening a bell round their necks, you can never be at a loss to know when they have come to a point; a practice generally followed on the Continent and in the Pontine Marshes. There woodcock-shooting is managed precisely as in New Brunswick, and the cover is generally so thick, that the only chance is to shoot the birds at first sight. Should any of my readers have pursued this game in the neighbourhood of Tre Ponti, they may have encountered that prince of cacciatori, Scapellata, who kills more woodcocks than any man in Italy ; but he is a most provoking dog to follow, for, amongst other poaching contrivances, he has a habit of imitating the noise made by a cock when flushed so completely as to deceive the sportsman, to cause him perpetually to cock his gun, and as often to curse the unfeathered biped from whom it proceeded. i > THE BACKWOODS. 131 The duck tribe are very numerous, includ- ing the wood-duck, harlequin, and blue- winged teal. An Indian will kill from forty to fifty ducks and geese in the day, on the Grand Lake meadows and Musquash marshes : with his watchful habits, his guarded move- ments, and the colour of his canoe, exactly corresponding with that of the sedge and bul- -iishes, he is the man of all others to surprise vai^rfowl. On one of our visits to the Musquash marshes we saw numbers of the black duck, so called in New Brunswick, but which is more properly " the dusky duck," (Anas ohscurus.) These birds take the place of the common wild duck and mallard of Europe, and, although I never saw the latter in North America, I believe that they are often to be met with, precisely similar in every respect. The black duck is rather larger, and is of a dark, dusky colour, with wing feathers of a beautiful copper green. The female is ECHOES FROM Tke the common wild duck, but with a deeper shade of plumage. We tried evory possxble way to get shots at them, by waiting for their " pass" to and from their feeding-grounds at early morn, and at the last glimmering of twilight, by creeping upon them through the rushes, by having them driven, and by silently attempting to drop down upon them in a canoe, all to no purpose — not a duck was bagged ! But that they were to be shot was certain, and we were told of a gentleman farmer, or sort of squireen, who, it was said, contrived to kill numbers. He lived in a log-house on the opposite side of the marsh to our quarters. We determined upon paying him a visit, in order, if possible, to obtain the desired infor- mation as to the manner of shootinsr black ducks. After some little difficulty, we succeeded in finding Lis habitation, but the " bird" hiL> self had flown. We were not doomed, how- THE BACKWOODS. 133 ever, to wait long in suspense, for the report of his gun at once pointed out his position, on reaching which we found the black duck hunter carefully ensconced in a thick tuft of flaggers, at the edge of a great flooded marsl , evidently the feeding-ground of the waterfowl tribes. Our friend had well chosen his posi- tion ; a couple of black ducks lay by his side ; in his hand he held a book, and across his knees lay one of those antiquated long guns, known as " Queen Anne's pieces." On inter- rogating him as to his method of surprising the ducks, we received for answer, " Why I peruses a novel until the ducks come up near enough, and then I guess I guns 'em." This was conclusive; and, without wishing to "take a leaf out of his book," we left the gentleman farmer to the perusal of " Peter Simple," and to the diversion of waiting for a shot. The birch partridge, (tetrao umbellus) or ruffed grouse, and the spruce periridge, (tetrao Canadensis), or dusky grouse, are Ir ! ■If I* I ! I -rf^JZi 134 ECHOES FROM i\ I i! f .^^1 beau I specimens tf the genus Tetrao, and » -e constantly met with in all parts of the forests. They perch upon trees; and, when suddenly disturbed in the Great Bush, will fly up into the nearest tree, when the whole covey or pack become an easy prey to the American sportsman, who begins by shooting the lowest bird first, and so on ; otherwise, should he kill one upon the upper- most branches, its fall would disturb all be- neath, and they would instantly fly off: how- ever, when come upon suddenly, amongst brushwood or in clearances, they wilj get up and fly, like red grouse. The birch pr^tridge is often called '* the pheasant" by the Americans, and Wilson describes the stateliness with which they move about, with their broad, fan-like tail spread out ; the drumming, as it is usually called, is a singularity of the species. It is performed by the male alone, and is a kind of thumping, or noise, resembling that produced by striking THE BACKWOODS. 135 etrao, parts trees ; Great , when yprey ins by so on; upper- all be- ': how- mongst get up d "the Wilson ey move I spread 3alled, is erformed lumping, r striking two full-blown ox-bladders together, but in- finitely louder ; the strokes at first are slow and distinct, but gradually increase in rapidity, till they run into each other, resembling the rumbling sound of very distant thunder, dying away gradually on the ear. After a few minutes' pause, this is repeated, and in a calm day may be heard nearly half a mile off. " This drumming is most common in spring, and is the call of the cock to his favourite female. It is produced in the following manner : — the bird, standing on an old pro- strate log, generally in a retired and sheltered situation, lowers his wings, erects his expanded tail, contracts his throat, elevates the two tufts of f3athers on the neck, and inflates his whole body, something in the manner of the turkey-cock, strutting and wheeling about with great stateliness. After a few manoeuvres of this kind, he begins to strike with his stiffened wings in short and quick strokes, which be- come more and more rapid until they run into I 1 136 ECHOES FROM U \l J: one another, as has been already described. This is most common in the morning and evening, though I have heard them drumming at all hours of the day. By means of this signal, the gunner is led to the place of his retreat ; though, to those unacquainted with tho sound, there is a great deception in the supposed distance, it generally appearing to be much nearer than it really is." There is another peculiarity appertaining to this bird, which I have never seen men- tioned by its many describers : it is that of burying itself under the snow. This was first pointed out to me, when on a hunting expedi- tion, by Sabbattis's desiring me to prepare for a shot. After straining my eyes in all direc- tions, I was not a little surprised to see old John stoop gently down at my feet, and press the snow with his hand, when, with a whirr, whirr, a fine birch partridge burst from the snow, and flew off, shaking a shower from his pinions. When about to ensconce themselves, THE BACKWOODS. 137 they charge into the snow with all their might, directing their flight so as to be near the surface, the impetus carrying them some way into it, sufficiently far to prevent foxes and lynxes being attracted to the spot; indeed, so small is the orifice in the snow, the particles of which naturally fall over it, that the un- practised eye might pass numbers of these birds thus concealed. The initiated will, how- ever, soon detect a sea-green spot of reflected light in the disturbed snow. Numbers of these birds become an easy prey to the Indian, who, in the early months of their winter hunting, when the snow is so soft that the birds can easily hide in it, however other game may fail, need never go supperless to bed. Lloyd, in his " Northern Field-Sports," men- tions this same peculiarity in the habits of th black cock and capercailzie, during the Scan- dinavian winter. Among the most pleasing of our summer visitors were the humming-birds (Trochis V! 1 ■ \ \ |. % \ I i 138 ECHOES FROM Colubris) of the red-throated species, the only one known so far north. Their plumage is principally green, with a gold and orange- coloured necklace about the throat, which showed resplendent in the sun as they would sport into our rooms, following its beams, or haunt the mignonette-boxes placed on the window-seats. We were driven to shooting them with sand, as the only means of obtaining possession of them ; but the proceeding was devoid of cruelty, as it only stunned the beauties for the moment, and enabled us to secure them alive. They subsist entirely on the juice of flowers, preferring those which are cupped. The wax, or cedar bird, (Ampalis Ame- ricana) which is also called "Recollect," is one among the many beautiful of the feathered tribe which pass their summers in New Brunswick. Most of the secondary feathers of the wings are tipped with pieces of a bright vermilion substance, resembling THE BACKWOODS. 139 chips of red sealing-wax ; and as this bird chiefly inhabits the cedar swamps, where he makes a surprising chattering, Wilson con- cludes that Nature has armed the feathers in this astonishing manner, to protect the ends of them from the wear which would be caused by its constant fluttering amidst the cedars.* There are owls of every species, from the great horned, standing nearly three feet high, to the diminutive little barred. Golden ex- patiates in his *' History of the Six Nations" on the great superstition of the Indians ,!!l il I 'i ' I quote from old Wilson, having had his admirable work on American Ornithology by me in North America, and I invariably found liis remarks faithful and correct. Not 80 the generality of the numerous writers on this sub- ject, at the present day ; many of them compiling from books, and totally disregarding Nature. Witness the dressing which one of the fraternity receives from the intelligent author of "Essays on Natural History." No modern writer displays such sound good sense, no one can give such a natural appearance to his preserved birds as Mr. Waterton. I low diiferentfrom the wretched, wooden- looking, stuck-up abortions generally to be seen in most museums 1 140 ECHOES FROM with regard to those birds, and the terror they have of them, and mentions how much it displeased them to hear any one mimicking their hooting. No such superstition exists among the Milicetes ; for I well remember my first essay at ** camping out'* in the woods. The party consisted of two others, with Sab- battis and old Saccob^. We had passed the day in fly-fishing amidst the deep black pools and cascades, into which the rivers connecting the Musquash Lakes are broken. Grand sport had we had that day, and it was with the highest degree of satisfaction that we stretched ourselves upon the aromatic bed of silver firs, prepared by our faithful Indians. The night set in gloriously, one of those in the Indian summer to be appreciated only in the woods. The clear moon shone through the lofty pines, and was reflected from the silvery lake, between their taper stems. The crackling of the dry pine logs, and the stream of smoke from the willow-bark and tobacco sten inys( imm erabj THE BACKWOODS. 141 ierror much eking exists er my ^oods. Sab- jd the : pools lectiiig d sport ith the retched [ silver those in only in through rom the 18. The e stream tobacco in our tomaugans had long sent all the mos- quito tribe to the arms of their particular Morpheus. Every fresh pile of the dry timber caused a flame which illuminated the spoils of the chase; here falling upon a J rgo porcupine, suspended from the branch of a tree, a black duck, a heap of gold-coloured char, mottled with blood-red spots ; there, upon our rifles, rods, and implements of de- struction; now, on a pair of ragged nether garments hung up to dry ; then on the copper- coloured and weather-beaten features of the Indians, as they lay stretched upon the bare ground on the opposite side of the fire. Scarcely had the balmy effects of that delicious, dreamy sort of sleep, known to those who have lived in the woods, fa\t*nj upon us, when I was awakened by a holloa from the stentorian lungs of Sabbattis. On shaking myself and looking about, I discovered an immense assemblage of the acknowledged emblems of wisdom gazing at the party with '1(? 142 ECHOES FROM ?■?! hi if) i, i; owls' eyes. They had been collected by the wonderful powers of mimickry inherent in the Indians, who had assembled this soiree of owls as much for our amusement as for a sort of introduction to camp-life. Saccobe and John now both set to work in earnest, and great fun it was. Their imitations of the difterent hootings were so faithful, that it was scarcely possible to say which was the voice of the bird, which that of the Indian. Every fresh arrival joined in chorus until the birds had the best of it, and fairly beat the Redskins. Up we jumped, en chemise et sans culottes ^ and, one seizing a rifle, another a brand of the blazing pine, we put them all to flight. Thus ended my lirst night *' in bush." The following will be found a good and simple receipt for preserving the skins of birds and animals, and any so prepared will be found to retain their elasticity for any length of time : — white oxide of arsenic, mixed with soft soap, to the consistency of i, 1 by the srent in wiree of )r a sort obe and ,nd great different i scarcely ;e of the rery fresli birds had Redskins. culotieSf , brand of to flight. i." ^ood and skins of jpared will ;y for any )f arsenic, isistency of THE BACKWOODS. 143 paste. Alum, burnt in a wood fire till all the water has bubbled out, and then pulverized, may be rubbed upon the skins of specimens for the same purpose, and may do very well as a makeshift where the former materials can- not be obtained, until the skins can be given to the preserver. But they do not come out as pliable or as well as those prepared with the arsenical soap. Bears, and lynxes, called lucifees, are the only animals of prey in New Brunswick; vermin are very numerous ; among these is a species of polecat, called a skunk, of which the Indians are in great dread, and which they hold in utter abhorrence. This animal is disgusting beyond description ; in appearance the skunk is very pretty — black, with white, longitudinal stripes. When attacked, it rolls itself up in a ball like the porcupine, bedewing its bushy tail with the most horribly fetid liquor, which is secreted in a small bag near the rectum, and with this I i M^ii ■1 ■ In wii ^ 'mm 'f B li mi M 'i ■ W » M i ftpn if •i IHiti 1 mli t [ i 144 ECHOES FROM it liberally besprinkles its assailants. No living thing can stand the odour ; and, should this irresistible weapon of defence touch any part of the dress, it must be immediately burned. Men have been known in New Brunswick to have had an encounter with one of these animals, and to have been obliged to strip off every thing, and return to civi- lized life almost au naturel. In passing along a road on a hot day, it is easy to tell if a skunk has crossed it within twenty-four hours ; and horses will make a great piece of work should they get a 7iiff of one. The Indians, nevertheless, contrive to kill them, cut out the bag containing the fetid fluid, and eat them as a " delicacy." In New Brunswick there are two species of the lynx, the first named by the French Loup Cervier, whence the English corrup- tion, Lucifee ; the other, the wild cat. The Loup Cervier, when full grown, measures four feet from head to tail, the tail four inches. ! m hai THE BACKWOODS. 145 It is generally of a light gray, interspersed with minute spots of black : the tips of the ears and tail are jet black, the throat, breast, and belly white. In shape, it is thick and strong, in height about eighteen inches, the fur long, but thick and fine, extending to the feet. It is fierce and powerful, destroys many hares and partridges, and frequently commits depredations among sheep ; has very sharp strong claws, and climbs trees with great facility. It never attacks man, and is generally taken in traps, baited with a piece of mutton or venison. It is very destructive to deer, passing from tree to tree, until it gets directly over its prey, when it pounces from a lofty branch, and rarely fails in fas- tening upon the deer's back, holding on by teeth and talons, until the victim sinks from pain and exhaustion. The Wild Cat is about one quarter less in size than the Loup Cervier, has shorter hair on the legs, and a longer tail, without the VOL. I. H I 11 * • I ; 'I W \i 11,: ■•«' I PI If I : i: ■ it .'' li' I, Uii' f! • ! 146 ECHOES FROM black tip. In other respects it resembles the Lo' p Cervier in nature and habits. Wo .\ es are not indigenous to the province, but Lave made their appearance in New Brunswick, following the deer, likewise a stranger, which they have driven before them from the eastern States. A Mr. Andrews, of St. Andrew's, who carries on an extensive " logging" business, contrived very ingeniously to make great slaughter among a pack of wolves. His saw-mills are on the Lepraux River, about twenty miles from St. John. He was at his camp, about ten miles from the mouth of the river, and about one mile from its shore, in the early part of December, with three of his men. About ten o'clock in the even- ing, the howling of wolves was heard some short distance off, and in a very few minutes, some forty or fifty of them made their ap- pearance, and in a short time the top of the camp was covered with them ; — but, a torch m^- : in THE BACKWOODS. 147 of birch-bark having been lighted up, the whole drove scampered off. Mr. Andrews at once thought of a plan to capture some of his unwelcome visitors. Himself and men went to work the next morning, and made about fifty or sixty stakes, three and a half feet long, ex- ceedingly sharp, and hardened them by putting the ends in the fire: and, having driven them in the ground about the camp, with the sharp end upwards, about throe deep, they prepared torches made of white birch-bark, and, early in the evening, secured themselves in their camp. About the same time as on the former evening, a large number of wolves again made their appear- ance, and, as before, took possession of the top of the camp, — about fifty in number — looking down at the inmates through tiie hole in the top of the camp, left for the smoke to escape. Immediately the torches were lighted up, and the drove of wolves H 2 i ' rm> ^^'#1 I / f 148 ECHOES FROM j scampered off in all directions, leapin*:; from the roof of the camp on tlie shaip stakes; and in this way fifteen of these ferocious animals were destroyed, The excessive light of the torches through the chimney-hole caused so great a darkness near the ground that it prevented the wolves from seeing the fcitakc!^, and they consequently leaped upon them. The musk-rat is an amphibious animal, and resembles the beaver in it.-^ habits. It is about fifteen inches in length, its tail about a foot, and similar to that of a rat. It is less afraid of man than the beaver, and is very frequently found in ponds and creeks in the cultivated parts of the country. In ponds and low marshes it generally builds houses, very similar to those of the beaver; but on the banks of rivers it burrows in the alluvial soil, and brings forth a large litter of young. These the Indians take as soon as they are of sufficient size, in August and THE BACKWOODS. 149 September, by digging. The skins are not of much value then, but the flesh is excel- lent, and the Milicetes, who are excessively fond of them, devour immense numbers. In the spring, the musk-rats, or, as they are more generally called, musquash, are driven from the usual haunts by the floods of melted snow and ice, and are then obliged to roam about for some weeks. They are shot chiefly in the evenings, while swimming and seeking food, and their skins form an article of commerce. The fur is used by hatters, and a large portion of the beaver hats — all those of the second quality — are made of the fur of the musquash, which is substituted for that of the more expensive beaver. The musquash feed chiefly on the roots of the water-lily, and a large species of fresh-water clam, a shell-fish which abounds in all rivers and ponds in New Brunswick, The mink is of the otter tribe, but smaller, and proverbially black. Its tail is flat and I 1.50 ECHOES FROM ■*' ) I ! i hairy. It subsists in the same manner as the otter, but is more destructive of poultry, which it kills by taking off the head and sucking the blood. The fur is very handsome when in full season ; the pitch naugans^ or fur purses of the Indians, are made of the skin of the mink. The porcupine is covered with long brown hair, mixed with stiff, hollow spines, about the size of a small wheat straw. These are of a white colour tipped with black, sharp at the end, and are commonly called quills. It (i Hs in hollow trees, or in cavities under theii r jots ; and feeds on nuts, buds, and the cones of the balsam fir {abies balsamifera). Its flesh is palatable and nutritiojs. The quills are much valued by the Indians, who dye them of various brilliant colours, and use them in ornamenting their mocassins, belts, birch -bark baskets, and boxes. The Micmac name of the porcupine is ** Madawas" and hence *' Madawaskoy* or THE BACKWOODS. 151 *' the country of the porcupines,^' the name by which the territory above the grand falls of the St. John is known, and about which so much has been said, in reference to the Ash- burton treaty. A few beavers are still to be found in the northern or upper part of New Brunswick, although fast yielding to the encroachment of civilization. There are many racoons in the province, but it is a rather curious fact that none are to be found in the Madawaska country above the great falls. Hares are very numerous in New Bruns- wick. Rabbits do not exist ; but the hare in these countries is a different animal from the European,* inasmuch as it *' goes to ground " Lepus Americanus of Linnseus. Tail short, hind-legs half longer than the body, tips of the ears and tail gray. Inhabits North America, shelters by day under and in the hollows of trees ; does not burrow, breeds twice a year, brings five to seven young. Fur gets longer and more silvery farther north ; eight inches long : hind-legs longer than common hare; flesh good. f| ill \i 152 ECHOES FROM under the roots of trees and into decided burrows, which is not the case with the latter. The ears are lon<^, and become perfectly white durinf^ winter. The market at St. John is plentifully supplied with them during the winter months, when they are brought in frozen. Numbers of the spruce partridge likewise come in frozen at the same time. Wherever the forest has suffered from fire, raspberries spring up in quantities ; these are the favourite food of the bear. In winter bears lie in a torpid state in some hollow tree ; a scathed pine is generally selected, sur- rounded by a thick undergrowth of birch and raspberries, which have succeeded the devas- tation caused hv the fire. The greatest care is taken by Bruin to obliterate all traces of his abode ; but, owing to the searching eye of the Indian, certain scratches of the ani- mal's claws on the charred surface of the tree disclose his winter quarters, when an axe soon prostrates the tree, which, bursting in its >l THE BACKWOODS. 153 fall, bundles Bruin out, to his great asto- nishment. The only opportunity I ever had of shoot- ing a bear was when, lying down to rest upon a cranberry barren, a huge she-bear came trotting along with her cub, when, just as I was in the act of firing at her, the Indian knocked up the riiie. They will parry any blow made at them with an axe with the greatest ease, and, when accompanied by their young, the Indians generally give them a wide berth, for, if then wounded, they will rush upon their assailant. In the chase of the bear, the Indians prefer slugs to a single ball, as the latter, unless it strikes point-blank, will not penetrate the skull, and, if not killed dead (by being shot through the brain or heart), they will often suddenly spring up and show fight. But n- very experienced hand will hu^ a bear, and choke him, by dexterously seizing him by the windpipe. H 5 i i 154 ECHOES FROM u A brother officer and myself purchased a couple of bear-cubs, so young- that they were obliged to be reared with the greatest care. A Scheidani bottle was filled with milk and the muzzle covered with vellum, from which they contrived to suckle themselves perfectly ; this I mention, having read of the great diffi- culty of rearing very young bears. For six weeks they stuck to their bottle, and were the most innocent and interesting little blue-eyed rascals, very playful, and would lick any one's hands like a calf. But as they increased in stature they took to climbing and malpractices, until they became an absolute nuisance. They would climb up any thing from the big drum to a chimney. One fine day, a review was ordered, and, as most of the officers' servants were in the ranks, they took the precaution to lock their masters' doors. On the parade being dismissed, one of them, who had locked his master's door carefully, was not a little surprised to find a shaving-brush stowed THE BACKWOODS. 155 away in s. boot, a powder-horn in a ju;^, and tooth-brushes in that piece of furniture which " the most absent man in the world" put into his bed, placing himself where it usually stands. This was the servant's account, whether true or not ; the chimney was the only way by which they could have entered. Many reports of this sort obliged us to tie up the no longer little Bruins; and, their mischievous practices increasing, they were made over to another regiment when we moved to Upper Canada. Apropos to the convenience of chimneys to gentlemen of the light-fingered fraternity. A story is told of a regiment quartered in Porto Bello Barracks, (Dublin ) which was ordered to muster as strong as possible on the "Fifteen Acres," and, as before stated, all hands were to attend, a trick of the above kind was played by a species of sable bipeds called chimney-sweepers, who got over the barrack wall at some convenient distance I i'l h i ^' 156 ECHOES FROM y' U li I .9 from the sentinels, and, by beginning at one end, succeeded in sacking and carrying off a quantity of epaulettes, sashes, and roba of that sort generally to be found lying about in officers' quarters. The thieves who haunt the Dublin barracks are the most inveterate in the world. A flagrant case occurred to an officer whom I relieved on guard at the royal barracks. He had lain down on his bed and fallen asleep, and when he awoke to a sense of his situation, it was not like the hard-goers of the old Irish school, immortalized by Sir Jonah Barrington, to find that his head, after a three nights' debauch, was so firmly fixed in a fresh plaistered wall that it required to be dug out with a pickaxe ; but to discover the loss of both of his epaulets, which had been abstracted by one of a certain class of females haunting the locale, who actually cut them off his shoulders whilst enjoying his " beauty sleep." THE BACKWOODS. 157 That my friend was a pretty good sleeper may be inferred from an adventure he had when dining out in the neighbourhood of Durrow. He had gone in a hack-chaise, which, during the time that he was enjoying his claret, was left standing before the hall-door. My friend, who found sundry chasse caflfes, or rather " night-caps" of " raspberry poteen," excellent, got quietly out of the room, "whilst the horses were putting-to," and tumbled into the " yellow agony," calling lustily to the boy to drive on. He fell asleep in a moment, and only awoke in *he morning to find himself still before the door of his hospitable entertainer, the " putting-to " having existed only in hix own imagji-ation. Mais revenoHn a nos mniitons. The flesh of a young bear is excellent ; and tb'< paws, in particular, are reckoned a ;^reater bonne-bouche than the tongue of the reindeer, the hump of the bison, the tail of the >>^aver, or mouffle of the moose. So delicious is it, that, ■^ 158 ECHOES FROM on one occasion, the governor of the province, a gourmand and courtier, on his way to the seat of government, dined at the mess at St. John, and ate plentifully of a haunch of bear, smothered in currant-jelly, made most com- plimentary speeches as to the known reputa- tion of the ^^ comme-il'fautmQ%^,'' begged to know how they contrived to have such capital mutton, and wound up by declaring he had never eaten better in his life. I^.i y. » THE BACKWOODS. 159 CHAPTER VI. ■,5 lA NEW BRUNSWICK — OF THE DEER, AND WOOD- CRAFT. ■ turn figere damas, Cum nix alta jacet, glaciem ciliin flumina trudunt. Thus nature, like an ancient free upholster, Did furnish us with bedstead, bed, and bolster ; And the kind skies (for which high Heaven be thanked !) Allowed us a large covering, and a blanket." Moose — Cervus Hibernicus, not Antediluvian — Caraboo — Accidents *' will happen" — ^Virginian Deer — Toggery for the Woods — Snow Shoes — "Mai a la raquette" prevented — Hints — Wood-craft — Lose way — ^Escape being frozen. New Brunswick was the favourite resort of the moose, but in the early settlement of the province, they were destroyed in thou- sands, for the sake of their hides and tallow. At present they are rarely to be met with, but are, according to the accounts of the Indians, likely to become numerous again, as - \iia::r;nj. - - -te - —.--- 160 ECHOES FROM I h "■''\ 4 . vr^ I n \ they are gradually finding their way back from Canada and Maine, in search of their favourite "moose-wood," so plentiful on the upper St. John. That the moose deer, or elk, cervits alces, at present irihabiting the continents of Northern Europe and America, is a totally different ani- mal in its construction from the so-called fossil moose, found in the bogs of Ireland, has long since been ascertained. Of this the want of the brow-antlers in the moose-deer or elk is of itself sufficient proof. Pennant, in his Arctic Zoology, writes — '* I lament that I am not able to discover the animal which owned the vast horns so often found in the bogs of Ireland, so long and so confidently attributed to the moose." He quotes the size of diffe- rent horns which have been found sometimes ** eight feet long, fourteen between tip and tip, furnished with brow-antlers^ and weighing three hundred pounds ; the whole skeleton is frequently found with them." t I i way back cli of their tiful on the ms alces, at )f Northern ifferent ani- e so-called Ireland, has lis the want -deer or elk Qant, in his it that I am hich owned the bogs of f attributed ize of diffe- l sometimes tip and tip, d weighing skeleton is (4 us, O If I ' (I [;.! I THE BACKWOODS. 161 This deficiency of the hrow-antlers alone would at once prove that it is not the same animal : however, I add some very important and curious facts relative to the " cervus Hiber- nicm,'' as furnished to me by Mr. Glennon, of Suffolk Street, Dublin, whereby it will be clearly seen that they were not antediluvian, and that they bore in their configuration a great simi- larity to the present faUow-deer — cervus dama. The moose-deer inhabiting North America is the same species as the elk of Europe — the term moose being no other than the name given to that animal by the Algonquin In- dians, once the most powerful tribe in North America ; " moosu" (the final u is hardly pro- nounced) being their name for the elk. The French Canadians call it the " Original." The horns of the elk or moose-deer at present inhabiting the continents of Northern Europe and America have no brow-antlers, but a mere continuation of the palm snags, and rarely are found to measure above four feet from tip to ! ) I f. ! I [ u i ^ 162 ECHOES FROM tip, in a straight line, whereas those of the fossil moose, so called, (cervus Ilibernicus), have been found to measure nearly ten feet across. Mr. Glennon has at present a set of horns that measure in a straight line from tip to tip nine feet six inches, and by the curve sixteen feet six inches, and in a perpendicular line, from the nose to the nearest spike, six feet three inches. The reindeer, male and female, have horns, and the brow-antlers are fingered, palmated, standing edgeways, and are a continuation of the great palm. The stag's or red deer's horns are round and not palmated, and have a continued row of brow-antlers on each horn, or to where it is crowned at top, numbering from one to four. There is therefore no species of the deer tribe at the present time existing, having; brow- antlers and palmated horns, but the fallow- deer. Further, the skull or os frontis of the THE BACKWOODS. 163 cervus Hibernicus is short by comparison with the great length of the horns, which would give it the exact appearance of the fallow- deer ; whereas the present moose-deer or elk has an unusually large, long, and ugly head. Mr. Glennon has in his possession a ske- leton of the cervus Hibernicus, which is nine feet six inches long, seven feet six inches from the coffin bone of the hoof to the top of the bony process of the dorsal vertebrsB, ci .d seven feet six inches from the hoof-bones of the hind foot to the top of the pelvis bone. When stand- ing with the head and neck reined up, it would have required eighteen feet head -room. From the contour of the skeleton, it has the appear- ance of standing square hip to shoulder, like our common fallow-deer, which he declares to be decidedly the only living type of that stupen- dous and noble animal : and, like the fallow- deer, the female was without horns. Mr. Glennon has further informed me that, together with Mr. Lesly Oglevy, a gentleman i y. \ 164 ECHOES FROM h of great research, he has travelled through the greater part of the counti'^s of Cork, Kerry, and Waterford, in which there are scarcely any deposits of calcareous tuifa, which consiist of pulverized limestone, vegetable and mineral acids, an I decomposed vegetable mould ; in these are found the cervus II i- bernicus, and not in shell marl, as it is vul- garly supposed — " as it would take," I quote his own words, " more fresh and salt water shells than ever existed from the time of NiyAi to the present day, to form such beds of calcareous tuffa as those contained in Ire" iand, and in which the remains of the fossil deer are discovered." And, after stating that he has discovered that neither the male nor female had a wagging tail, as he can prove by several bones attached to different pelvises, he comes to the most important point of all, and he goes on to give his reasons for believing that the cervus Hibernicus, or fossil moose- deer, so called, is not antediluvian. dii de( hoi THE BACKWOODS. 163 rough Cork, e arc which le and retable as Hi- is vul- [ quote i water iirae of ih beds in Ire* le fossil ing that lale nor prove by pelvises, i of all, )elieving moose- " I likewise believe that the animal has been slaughtered by man for food long after Noah's time; and, as a proof of the above assertion, I am enabled to dip r their re- mains by landmarks and diffi . ^ t^ables, such as the hippuris, or mau ., or Ger- man rush, the dwarf willow, and always in the neighbourhood of Danish raths or forts, as they are c&Ued. And, further, as another proof of their having been killed by man, I have found in one pit six perfect skeletons of the male, and one head of which I could not find one single bone belonging to the skeleton ; and many of the bones of those composing the six had marks of hatchets or choppers upon them; and buried with them in the same hole I found the bones of oxen, horses, pigs, and birds." The caraboo (the reindeer of Europe) differs in many respects from the rest of the deer tribe. Both male and female have horns, the antlers are of all shapes, those ' Ta ^A yj /a ■v '/ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 121 u^m U^ I.I 2f lii "" 1^ us. 12.0 u W|< IL25 m 1.4 i 1& 1.6 PhotografJiic Sciences Corporation f," ^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. USSO (716)872-4503 '^ l««-\ ^ *^% ..V I I 1! li if I I 166 ECHOES FROM of the buck being larger, and more straggling than the female's. The hoof is large, round, and shaped like an ox's, and, from the peculiar formation of the feet, which divide nearly up to the first or fetlock joint, the animal is en- abled to gallop over glare ice, clanging his hoofs together with great noise. A New Brunswick lumberer declared to me, that he once drove a caraboo on the Grand Lake, when frozen over (a sheet of water some fifty miles in length), and after an exciting chase on skates, he succeeded in tiring him fairly out, and killing him with his axe. All other of the deer tribe browse upon leaves, the young shoots of trees, or under cover. The caraboo, on the contrary, love to ^ feed upon the mosses growing on the great barrens or plains, in the spruce fir forests, called caraboo barrens (upon which the large American cranberry grows). In winter, so long as the snow remains soft, they scrape it up with their feet to get at their favourite i' THE BACKWOODS. 167 braggling e, round, e peculiar nearly up raal is en- nging his A New le, that he and Lake, some fifty iting chase him fairly owse upon 1, or under try, love to the great fir forests, the large winter, so sy scrape it lir favourite mosses ; but, when it is frozen too hard, they are driven to feed upon the hanging lichens, and on the stunted firs, struggling to vegetate on the spongy soil. They find pickings, too, under the banks and along the edges of the frozen lakes. Further, Nature has endowed these animals with such instinct, that, towards the spring of the year, when the heat of the noon-day's sun has melted the surface of the snow in the woods, no power can drive them into it, where they would sink up to their bodies and be easily overtaken ; but they will remain upon the frozen lakes, round and round which they gallop until they drop dead. The venison is not so good as that of the moose or the common deer. The deer (cervus Virgmianus) were not indigenous in the New Brunswick forests, but have found their way up from the Eastern States, driven it is said by the wolves. They are about the size of the red deer of Europe, are the most graceful of their species, \/ith a long tail, which when alarmed and in the act 1 i ] I ,1, I' 168 ECHOES FROM of bounding through the forests, they have the power of turning over their backs : it is an object very perceptible in the woods, from its whiteness, and, when seen in this position by the hunter, he may receive it as a warning that it is the last of the animal that he will see that day. They have been very numerous in the province of late years ; but their old enemies the wolves have found them out and are fast thinning them off: they are seldom to be seen east of the St. John river, never in Nova Scotia. The months of March and April are the best to hunt the caraboo. After a fresh fall of snow, I used to sleigh as far as Mather's (a tavern so named after its landlc an old soldier, and a jolly dog), and there, leaving my horses, set off on snow-shoes, accompanied by an Indian, in a south-westerly direction, some ten or twelve miles, to the Bald Moun- tain, ^ the neighbourhood of which is the favourite haunt of caraboo. ^ The Bald Mountain, so called from a large cap of white THE BACKWOODS. 169 tliey have backs : it ihe woods, en in this eive it as a mimal that ) been very years; but found them ff: they are John river, pril are the a fresh fall Mather's (a an old lere, leaving accompanied rly direction. Bald Moun- ^hich is the arge cap of white Lg The Indians, so eager in the chase, are dis- gusted beyond measure at any failure in killing or at missing a shot on the part of the white man. With ever so ordinary a gun, they contrive to shoot true with a single ball. They have the greatest possible respect for a good shot ; and I had established my reputa- tion among them, as such, by the merest acci- dent. I was in old Saccobe's canoe — his favourite canoe the " Waptook " (wild goose), and was accompanying Mr. Gesner and a large party, who were ascending the Salmon river, at the head of the Grand Lake, upon a geological survey. Six or seven canoes were paddled in line up the beautiful river, granite on its summit, is the great feature of that part of the country, and well repays the trouble of climbing to the top, by the magnificent view (unlike any thing in Europe) ob- tained over the great forest, interspersed with countless frozen lakes. To the north, the view extends over the line of the Oromuc as far as Fredericton and the St. John's river ; to the eastward, over the Bay of Fundy, and the coast of Nova Scotia ; and to the south lies Fassamaquoddy Bay, studded with thousands of islands — most especially striking is the stillness which reigns over the whole. VOL. I. I .t i }. I ! 170 ECHOES FROM when Saccobe pointed out a small bird of the dotterel tribe, perched upon the top of a fantastically-shaped rock of granite, in the midst of the stream, about eighty yards oft*. I took up my rifle, and knocked the bird over. A simultaneous shout from all the Indians reverberated through the woods, echoing far and near ; and I lay down that night on my " spruce bed," an established " crack shot " amongst the Milicetes ; but I repeat that it was a lucky shot, and the probability is that I should not have succeeded again in twenty times. However, my reputation suffered a severe reverse the following winter when in company with Sabbattis. I had followed the trail of nine caraboo for two days. By the state of the frozen tracks, the Indian can tell to a few minutes how far the game is ahead : John at last declared we were close to them. A frozen lake lay below us. We walked a great circle to ascertain whether they had left it. After THE BACKWOODS. 171 H long fag, and just as we had completed the circle, we debouched upon a narrow point, running into the lake, when we saw them all, following in Indian file, and browsing along the banks. Unperceived, we slipped off our snow- shoes, and raced to the other side of the point ; and, the wind being favourable, lay down in the hopes of their feeding our way. I had a German rifle, one barrel smooth, but both loaded with ball : the deer came so close that I fancied by rolling down a second ball I should have a better chance of killing more than one. Fired — missed — the balls flew too high ; one had slightly rased the skin, but did no further damage; the rifled barrel missed fire, snow having got into the nipple. John was frantic, and, being a Catholic, invoked all the saints in his calendar — a very limited one. The deer, which immediately started off" on my firing, were now as suddenly stopped by John's shouting and roaring, and formed up in a half circle in front of us. John thun- 12 I I !l 172 ECHOES FROM deied out " Load !" I shook in the powder — the ramrod stuck in the greased rag, and no power could move it, at least, not his ; he tore at it with his teeth, and blasphemed to a fearful average. I put on a cap and fired off ramrod and all ; one went oif limping and we in chase ; but the traces and blood in the track became fainter; he was evidently gaining strength, so we gave in, and abandoned the chase. This is mentioned also as an instance of the great fag and disappointment which fre- quently occurs to the caraboo hunter. It is useless to pursue them, for, when once alarmed, if not wounded, they will gallop right ahead for four and twenty hours : — fresh tracks must be searched for, or the hunter may as well leave that district. The operation of walking upon snow-shoes is a knack in which those only succeed who have a liking for it. The soldiers of the regi- ment were drilled upon them previously to i t;. fi THE BACKWOODS. 173 their march over " the Portage " to Quebec, in 1837; and while some picked up the method at once, others floundered about, and only accomplished it with the greatest fatigue. These snow-shoes, upwards of four feet in length, are of an oval shape ; the light bow or fraroevt^ork is made of tough ash, in the manner of a racket ; and a fine network of the sinews of the caraboo is threaded across it. They are attached to the feet by thick thongs made from the skin of the same ani- mal ; these are crossed over the toes ; by which the snow-shoes are dragged or rather jerked forward. There is so much spring in them when well constructed, that, when the snow is in good order, and the walker in good practice, thirty miles a day may be accom- plished with comparative ease. It is neces- sary to wear three or four pair of thick woollen socks under the mocassins to prevent the toes from being lacerated ; — the Indians substitute a piece of flannel doubled, and I '1 ■• 1^ -' 174 ECHOES FROM which, perhaps, is preferable. On coming to a descent when on snow-shoes, by sitting down npon them, and holding the heels fast to guide them, one slides down in the manner of a montagne Russe. The produce of the chase is dragged out of the woods upon thin boards, eight or nine feet in length, called tabaugans, turned up at one end to prevent their hitching in the snow. The venison is packed upon them, and covered over with a blanket. With the exception of going up hill, the labour of hauling them is not great, as they slide over the snow : when descending, they are slid in front, and restrained by the tow-line. A dress made of white blanket, which from its texture throws off the snow, and from its colour is not observable in the woods, is best suited for winter hunting. The coat should be made as a hunting shirt, or double-breasted. The waist is confined by a broad leather belt, from which hangs a scabbard to hold the THE BACKWOODS. 175 hunting-knife, and through it is thrust a small axe or tomahawk. To these should be added a tinder-box, a pocket compass, and a pocket pistol^ containing a small quantity of brandy for the use of self, to be used medicinally, as the teetotallers have it ; for, as I have said, an Indian, however drunk he will get in the towns, makes it a point of honour never to touch spirits when in the woods : his duty is to carry bis- cuits, salt pork, a kettle, and a frying-pan, rolled up in a blanket, which serves as a cover at night. A certain degree of tact is required in selecting the spot best adapted for camping for the night, and it is necessary to begin the operation two hours at least before sundown. Firewood, water, and shelter, are indispen- sably necessary. Numbers of white pine are to be found of an enormous growth, which, having died from old age, stand bleached and scathed among the living mass. One of these, when cut down, will, as it falls, I f .1 176 ECHOES FROM splinter into a thousand pieces. The laro^est slahs serve to cover in the back of the camp, and the remainder are piled close to the fire — this burns like tinder. A live tree must like- wise be cut and hewn into len^^ths for back logs, which, from being green, burn but slowly. The fire made, the snow is shovelled out with the snow-shoes to the required size, until the frozen earth is quite cleared, over which is then laid a thick covering of the ends of the branches of the silver fir, broken off short by the hand, and layer placed over layer in the manner of a tile roof, slanting towards the fire. Two upright forked sticks are driven into the ground, across which is laid a long pole, and against it, at an angle, the pine planks (when a pine is not to be had, then birch-bark or fir branches are used), and the snow which was shovelled out is packed round the outside to make all air- tight. The camp completed, the snow-shoes THE BACKWOODS. 177 are stuck upright in the snow, at a sufficiently moderate distance to dry them gradually ; the socks, kc.f are hung upon the cross beam overhead, and the venison and tabaugans ho placed that wolves or lynxes may not take u fancy to them. Thus encompassed by a wall of snow some three feet high, and with one's feet towards a roaring fire, it is sufficiently snug ; but to- wards morning, when the fire burns low, although your feet may be enjoying tlie luxury of an even temperature, your head and shoulders recline in that of some twenty or thirty degrees below the freezing point. When awakened, therefore, at intervals by the in- tensity of the cold, an armful of the dry pine wood comes into play. An Indian hates to be roused to perform this oflfice. He either does not feel the cold, or is too idle to stir, and I always found that they disliked it more than being asked to carry great weights for a whole day, or other severe fag ; in fact, it is I 5 ' I i i\\ J:i 178 ECHOES FROM the only sort of trouble they object to. I therefore always \h a middle place between the shad and her- rin;2, having the general characteristics of •4r> botV and similar habits. Vast quantities THE DACKWOOUS. 180 I spring has its In the ihain of ng their I in the ^-fishing valuable e in its ig, as to the len (( )m three ng head, th small ntre, ab- 1, back a holds? md her- istics of uantities are pickled and smoked both for home and foreign consumption. Tliey begin to ascend the rivius in April, and continue ascending until July. Tliey are taken in quantities, with large landing-nets, in the pools below the rapids, in the eddies, and in the cavities of the rocks. Bass is a Dutch name for a species of perch known as the rock bass, or striped bass, {porca lalmw.) On the sides are parallel lines, like narrow ribbons, eight in number, whence the name of striped bass. Next to mackerel, this is the handsomest of the native fishes of New Brunswick. Striped bass are sea fish, but principally subsist near the mouths of rivers, which they ascend as higl as they can conveniently go. On the approach of winter, instead of striking out into the deep water of tiie open ocean, the bass finds a residence in ponds, coves, rivers, and quk't arms of the sea, where, un- disturbed ti.id comfortable, it remains till the 190 ECHOES FROM ^ following spring. The bass weighs from three to forty pounds. The largest are taken during the winter, by night-lines, on the Gem- sey, and the deep, still streams called the " thoroughfares," which connect the grand lake with its tributary lakes. Such great de- struction of bass has taken place on the northern rivers of New Brunswick, particu- larly the Richibucto, by cutting holes in the ice, and lifting the fish out with dip-nets in very severe weather, when the bass were lying in a torpid state, that special enact- ments have been made to prevent this waste of the finny tribe. In sharp tide- ways, during the summer, they are readily caught with trolling tackle and a small fish as a bait : with a salmon rod they afford fine sport. I would fain say something of the flies best suited to the New Brunswick waters ; but on this subject no two fishermen ever agree : it is proverbial that doctors differ, that ladies THE BACKWOODS. 191 n three taken e Gem- led the 3 grand reat de- on the particu- s in the p-nets in Lss were il enact- lis waste Tier, they de and a rod they flies best but on agree : it lat ladies differ, that statesmen differ — but no people so much as fishermen in the momentous affair of the choice of flies. It is well known to those whose experience is worth consulting, tliat the fly which will kill well in one water would not be looked at by the fish in another; and, moreover, trout are so capricious, that the fly at which they will rise freely for one hour in the day, the next they will not even look at ; or, if they do, it is to rise false and endeavour to drown it by slapping at it with their tails ; and thus it happens that many fish are caught by being " hooked foul," as the fishermen term it. It may be given as a general rule, however, that as the insects of the new world are both larger and brighter than in the old, so the artificial flies should also be large and gaudy: and, if the angler be not artist enough to tie his own flies, and wishes to provide himself with a batch previously to visiting North America, let him select those only which 192 ECHOES FROM Mould be preferred by the cockney sportsman. All the lists of palmers, or, as old Izaac has it, " the dun-fly, the stone-fly, the red-fly, the moor-fly, the tawny-fly, the shell-fly, the cloudy or blackish-fly, the flag-fly, the vine- fly: there be — of flies, caterpillars, and canker- flies, and bear-flies — and, indeed, too many either for me to name or for you to remem- ber," with their sober relations, the lake-flies, may be left in the shop for the use of the floggers of our hackneyed streams and lakes, whose knowledge of the art has been derived from a careful perusal of Izaac Walton or Sir Humphrey Davy ; or from dear-bought expe- rience, which teaches discrimination bet\^een the shades of the " copper," " mulberry," or "purple claret" — the "pale" or "brown cinnamon," or " sooty olive." Let the Ame- rica bound fisherman then select those most bedizened with gold tinsel, and mude of the brightest colours. There is a saying among fisherme;'. "a bright THE BACKWOODS. 193 Sportsman, d Izaac has ) red-fly, the bell-fly, the ly, the vine- , and canker- i, too many u to remem- ihe lake-flies, e use of the ais and lakes, been derived (Valton or Sir bought expe- ition between nulberry," or or " brown Let the Ame- ct those most I mude of the mer. "a bright fly on a sunny day," " a dark one for a cloudy day" — but in America both salmon and trout will at all times and in all waters prefer the most brilliant.^ ' An angler, of great experience, pointed out the above passage to me, and said that, " although he perfectly agreed with me, and was convinced that all practical fishermen would be of the same opinion, he had remarked a direct contradiction in many of the works on angling." I there- fore took the trouble to look over several ; from which I give, on one side, opinions which bear out my statement, and afterwards those which contradict it. Pro. Con. 1. It is a general rule by 1. A darker fly^ with the all practical fishermen whom wings formed of the feathers I know, that, so far as it can be followed, a darkfiy must be fished upon a cloudy day, a bright one on a sunny day ; and for this simple reason, that on dark and gloomy days dark fiies are to be found on the water, and vice versa. 2. If the water be full, and somewhat coloured, your flies may be of the larger and darker kind ; if, on the con- trary, the water should be low and clear, and the day of a starling, or a bald coote, &c., will also be found of service when the day is ra- ther bright, and the water clear. — Stephen Oliver's Recollections of Fly-fishing, in Westmoreland, ^c.,p. 110. VOL. I. 2. Should the clouds dis- appear and it become bright, change your flies for darker ones. — Sir H. Davy. Sal- monia, p. 112. I will mention a circum- K f I 194 ECHOES FROM i! I 1 For salmon the more gaudy the better — bright orange bodies, and a brilliant blue are always good. These colours imitate the natural dragon-flies of the country. Golden pheasant is sure everywhere. bright, your fly should be stance which every accom- dressed accordingly. — Hqf- plished fly-fisher ought to land's Anglers' p. 205. Manual, know — putting the dark flies on for the bright gleams of the sun, and the gaudy flies when the dark clouds ap- pear. — Ibid. p. 137. 3. The author of the "Hints 3. And note also, that the for Fly-fishers," published in light fly does usually make "The Sporting Review" for most sport in a dark day; April, 1841, states, after quoting the above, in direct contradiction of Younger's and of Stodart's views on the same subject, "the two last quotations seem to be con- tradictory of the first, and go to the very opposite ex- treme of Mr. Hofland, and equally wide of the true principle"— S.R., v., 270. 4. Small light - coloured flies are for clear waters and clear atmospheres; large, dark • coloured flies when and the darkest and least fly in a bright or clear day. — Izaac Walton, p. 184. 4. The sun proves c/owrfy ; then must you set forth either your ground bait tackles, or of the brightest of l[ THE BACKWOODS. 195 e better — it blue are mitate the y. Golden every accom- isher ought to Dg the dark flies iright gleams of the gaudy flies ark clouds ap- , p. 137. Lote also, that the yQ9 usually make in a dark day ; :est and least fly or clear day. — o«, p. 18 1. an proves ciowrfy.' you set forth dr ground bait 0ii\LQ brightest oi For the large sea trout of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, when £3hing in tide-ways or at the mouths of harbours, the flies must be very large and gaudy, and should be tied with natural scarlet feathers, (no scarlet dye is so bright when wet,) obtained from the tail- feathers of the gray parrot, or those of the scarlet tanager (tanagra rubra). I do not, however, mean to recommend that the fisher- man should go about visiting with a pair of pincers in his pocket, in order to harass old ladies by his cruelty in extracting the vice versa. — Besfs Art of your flies. If the sun proves Angling; p. 140. bright and clear, then must you put on the darkest of your flies, thus must you to work with your flies, light for darkness, and dark for lightness. — Thomas Baker s Art of Angling^ p. 140. N.B. The best rule is to fish the flies upon the water, and for which Nature will furnish the examples to be imi- tated : by a close examination it will be found that, on dark and cloudy days, dark flies are to be found on the water, and vice versa. He who fishes by rule and not after Nature is no fly-fisher. K 2 ^11 : i,l 196 ECHOES FROM r said feathers from their pet birds ; but when fairly obtained they are good. Should he have the opportunity of getting those of the "curry curry," or South American Curlew, he will obtain a still more briHiant colour than that of either the scarlet tanager or those fea- thers contained in Poll's tail. No natural scarlet can rival it, except perhaps the top- knot of the ivory-billed woodpecker, the feathers of which are admirably adapted to match as hackles. The flies should be ribbed with a liberal quantity of large round gold thread, until they become entirely scarlet and gold, and so long as a particle of the feather or tinsel remains on the hook they will con- tinue to kill. For trout fishing, for the above stated rea- son, viz., the size of the insects, " river flies," so termed in England, are absolutely useless ; the fish in New Brunswick will not look at them. Good-sized " lake flies," and those only of the brightest colours, will have any chance. J ^. THE BACKWOODS. 197 but when Should he lose of the Curlew, he colour than ►r those fea- No natural ips the top- pecker, the adapted to Id he ribbed round gold r scarlet and ', the feather ley will con- e stated rea- " river flies," itely useless ; not look at Ind those only e any chance. The difficulty of obtaining any information about the mystery of dyeing is very great ; it is not to be expected that the shopkeeper, whose existence in many cases depends on his skill in the art, will disclose the secret whereby a particular process of making a certain colour may be known, and by these means get into the hands of his rival in trade. And if perchance a person, by dint of bribery, flatters himself that he has obtained the secret, in all probability there is some item in the receipt omitted, which gives it a pecu- liar shade different from the original — the least difference being fatal to the fly. One story, apropos to this nicety of shade. There lives in an humble cottage on the shore of Clonave, a character well known to most of the floggers of the Westmeath lakes ; and few there are of them, when fishing Lough Dereverragh, who have not paid a visit to Matty Blake, to obtain, with the silver hook, that addition to their basket, which may make up f' m M ik' 198 ECHOES FROM the aeficiency of their own skill, or prevent a laugh at going home empty — and on a day when the inmates of the more aristocratic boats take drift after drift, and change over from shore to shore, Matty's " cot " may be seen taking short " falls" under Clonave or Derragh ; and the boatmen of the former, who have not been able to shout " cookoo," have repeatedly called attention, exclaiming, " Matty's in a fish." The interior economy of his cot is delightful. It is flat-bottomed, as are all of this sort of craft ; and that it was watertight no one could gainsay, from the fact of sundry pieces of turf floating about in the bottom ; at one end, under some grass and flaggers are generally from eight to ten fish, nearly as broad as they are long, and in weight varying from three to eight pounds ; at the other a thick piece of the root of a flagger is lying on one of the natural knees of oak (which serve to keep the fabric together), into which piece of flagger are Ir? THE BACKWOODS. 199 stuck the different flies, and various shades of the green drake, which Matty has from tihie to time tried upon his casting-line.^ Matty Blake's forte, however, lies in his success in dyeing a particular shade of colour callod the *' sooty olive," and for his skill in fixing the yellow dye, so necessary in match- ing the natural colour of the " green drake." Whether he has any midnight dealings with the banshees, who are said to hold their revels under the hawthorn bushes of Kiltoom, is not known, or in the ruined vaults of Mor- timer's Castle, where " Fairies, by moonlight, oft are seen, Tripping round the smooth sward green ; Iler beams reflected from the wave, Afford the light their revels crave." ' The lake fishermen may take " a wrinkle" from this ; for, instead of being obliged to return your flies wet into the box or book, or to stick them into your hatband — from the latter of which you can only extract them by means of a knife or pair of scissors, and having when re- quired from either of the former, some half dozen scattered about by the winds, you will find it much more convenient, to saj nothing of the tax on your patience, when the fish F I n w i fi I! 200 ECHOES FROM Some there are, however, who affirm that it is from a particular kind of peat, other- wise turf, that he extracts his celebrated " sooty ;" and that in the well smoke-dried thatch of Matty's cabin on Clonave lies the whole secret. Be that as it may, there is no such colour to be found elsewhere — and Matty keeps his secret inviolate. But to my story. It so happened that a friend of mine, who had often paid a visit to Matty's ** cabin," for the purpose of buying flies, was fishing on Lough Dereverragh, and, in spite of his smart rod and well-appointed boat, could not raise a fish or a " cookoo" ; ^ and observing that from the humble cot they were constantly thrusting out a landing-net, and as constantly securing a fine fish, our friend went alongside, are " mad up" and dashing at " the drake," to be able to extract the fly you wish to put upon your casting-line in an instant from the pulpy substance of the flaggers. ' " Cookoo" is the shout of emulation given by the boatmen on the Westmeath waters, to announce that " the fish" is in the "landing-net." m that it tt, other- 5elebratecl loke-dried e lies the bliere is no and Matty my story, mine, who cabin," for fishing on his smart not raise erving that constantly constantly t alongside, to be able to casting-line in aggers. given by the unce that " the THE BACKWOODS. 201 and asked *' on what shade of the drake they were killing?" "On the yoUy huff, plaise your honour," was the reply. My friend tried all the shades of yellow buff he possessed, not forgetting " the monkey ;" and, although the fish were ** mad up," and dashing at the drakes, as they freed themselves from their cases, and struggled forth on their flight over the water; and although the trout were swallowing them in dozens, as their wings got entangled in the streaks of froth, still he could not " stir" a fish ; and finally went in for luncheon at a rude pier made of huge stones on the shore of Clonave. After indulging in pigeon- pies, mayonaise of chicken, cold punch and *' a weed," Matty's cot came alongside, in one end of which was reared his rod, and upon the casting-line, as an upper dropper, hung the identical " yolly buff," which had done so much execution in the morning. Matty extended himself on the green turf, for which his locale is famed, and K 5 \ fv 202 ECHOES FROM waited an expected chanpfe in the weather — the fish having suddenly " gone down." My friend entered into conversation, and began an examination of Matty's " foot link," and contrived to detach from it the " yoUy buff;" ho then jumped into his boat, and desired his men to "give way," at the same time chucking half a crown to Matty, as he called out that he was ** sold," and that now it was his turn. Matty very quietly replied, " Yer honour's welcome to it; they're off the * yolly buff' for this sason ; and after those bloody white clouds pass over, about half past three, they'll * be mad up ' on the pale shade of the'e/eV^y buff.'" The Indians have the means of staining porcupine's quills, moosehair, or wood for baskets of very brilliant colours, but these they keep strictly secret. Mr. Perley, of New Brunswick, tried, but in vain, to learn their processes ; and, as he did not succeed, it is un- likely they will ever be discovered. The preparations are considered sacred, and the eather — n." My [1(1 began ink," and e ''yoUy boat, and i the same itty, as he 1 that now tly replied, they're off after those ut half past pale shade of staining r wood for ;, but these fley, of New ) learn their leed, it is un- vered. The red, and the THE BACKWOODS. 203 slightest information has never been known to be given on the subject. A few receipts are given below, which, after much pains and many experiments, have been found to turn out in general clear, bright, and true; and those most appropriate for the North Ameri- can waters, such as the ambers, different shades of blue, green, scarlet, blood-red, and gold, are marked with an asterisk. The more sober colours, such as the cinnamons, browns, and olives, instead of being entirely omitted, are left on the chance of their being useful to the home-bound fisherman. And by steeping the fur or feathers intended to be dyed in a solution of al am, previously to putting them into the colouring liquid, they will be sufficiently /i'>ec?, and will not fade. One word as to the best material for making body or dubbing. First of all, not only as the most brilliant and clear when held up to light, is the fur of the white seal ; but in the water, which is of much the most importance, it is I III m I ■^ ' U 204 ECHOES FROM the most lively and transparent of any kind of fur. Next comes pig's down; and last and worst, mohair, which becomes so sodden and dead in the water as never to be used, except in the case of not being able to obtain either of the former. N.B. Should you, after dyeing any colour, find that it does not please you, or that it has faded, do not cast away the stuff; for, by simply boiling the dyed hair in alum water, it is a singular fact, that the mordant which holds the dye has the peculiar property of obliterating it ; and thus much useless waste, often of a precious material, is avoided. DYEING COLOURS FOR ARTIFICIAL FLIES. All furs, hackles, feathers, &c., previously to being put into any dyeing liquor, must be prepared in alum water (except such dyeing liquor as may have vitriol in it). Black. — Two ounces of logwood; half an ounce of shumach, boiled a sufficient time in half a pint of water ; wet the stuff, put it in and boil it well ; take it up and cool it ; return it, and boil it again ; take it up again and cocl it ; then add one ounce of copperas ; boil it again sufficiently. THE BACKWOODS. 205 my kind and last sodden be used, able to ly colour, liat it has ; for, by im water, ant which operty of ess waste, ded. L FLIES. to being put 1 alum water 1 in it). an ounce of )int of water ; ike it up and up again and boil it again Olive. — Two ounces of fustic; half an ounce of logwood ; boil well ; put in the stuff after wetting ; boil all well ; take it up to cool ; add one ounce of copperas ; return it, and boil it sufficiently. Brown. — l. Three ounces of redwood; two ounces of fustic ; boil it well : let it cool ; put in the stuff after wetting; boil it well; take it up, and cool it; put in one ounce of copperas; return the stuff, and take your colour. 2. Two ounces and a half of logwood ; five ounces and two drams of fustic ; half an ounce of shumach ; three ounces of copperas ; half an ounce of alum ; three ounces of redwood. *Deep Blue. — 1. Indigo, dissolved in warm water, with a mixture of vitriol. 2. Fourpennyworth of arsenic, dissolved by boiling a quart of water for one hour ; dip the feathers or furs, and the oftener repeated the deeper the dye. 3. Add a little logwood and copperas for a brown. N.B. Let this liquor cool before it is used. *Green. — ^Threepennyworth of Spanish indigo (pul- verized) ; two ounces of oil of vitriol ; mix together ; put a small proportion of this mixture into warm water, boiling hot for a light blue ; a greater quantity for a middle-coloured blue; and a still greater quantity for a deep-coloured blue. Turmeric, added in small quantity, will produce a shade of green. ♦Blood Red is made, first, by steeping in madder : second by steeping in Brazilwood. Should the colour be thought too high, dilute with urine. •Yellow may be dyed in the following manner : with turmeric, or the bark of the crab-apple tree. ('pp':y" fit % ft 206 ECHOES FROM Sooty Oli\'E. — 1. One pennyworth of fustic, two ounces of turmeric ; boil the fustic, and steep the hackles therein when milk-warm. 2. Boil the turmeric and steep the hackles therein (pigs' fur may be boiled in this). This dye will produce the following shades, viz ; — brown olive, sooty olive, yellow and gold. N.B. The hackles to make sooty olive must be a natural black, and the hackles to make a brown must be a natural red. *Orange. — Oranetto for an orange colour. Steep the hackles when boiling hot. *GoLD Colour. — 1 . First dip in fustic, boiling hot, wash in cold water, then dip in turmeric boiling hot. The na- tural black hackles with this dye will make a sooty olive, the red a brown one. 2. To dye red and black hackles a beautiful amber. Steep them in one pennyworth of fustic and one penny- worth of the best indigo. 3. Take a small teacupful of ground or powdered fustic, let it boil gently in more than half a pint of pure water, dissolving one pennyworth of Spanish indigo, and pour it into the fustic ; let all boil together slowly ; put into this red, black, or any hackles, and after ten minutes all will be dyed. The red hackles will become a beautiful amber, the black a colour bordering on amber, the gray a trans- parency very beautiful. Hares' ear may be dyed in the same manner. *To dye crimson hackles. — Having prepared the hackles first in alum water, that they may hold the dye, boil them in madder till they have absorbed a considerable quantity of the dyeing matter ; then wash them thoroughly, and THE BACKWOODS. 507 fustic, two the hackles therein (pigs' produce the olive, yellow t be a natural I must be a ir. Steep the iling hot, wash hot. The na- a sooty olive, autiful amber, md one penny- or powdered a pint of pure ibh indigo, and Lowly; put into ;en minutes all iful amber, the J gray a trans- be dyed in the ared the hackles le dye, boil them iderable quantity thoroughly, and boil them In a separate vessel with cochineal, (an earthen vessel is better than a saucepan) and when you have dyed the hackles well in this, add a very small quantity of copperas to clear the shade. This shade can be darkened ad libitum by the addition of more copperas till you have as many as you fancy. *Yellow. — Dyers' weed or rocket, so called, will aiford a beautiful yellow. This plant is very common, and is to be found in meadows, pastures, walls, and barren uncultivated places.* Magnificent as is the fly-fishing in New Brunswick, it is not without its desagremens. Clouds of countless insects beset the face, hands, or any exposed parts of the piscator. Persons there are, it is true, who are not annoyed by mosquitoes, which here abound. But against the attacks of a small species of black gnat or sand-fly, even the tough skin of the Indian is not proof. These fasten on the forehead and behind the ears, and cut like a knife: to keep them off* is impossible. By anointing themselves with the fat of pork or bear's grease, the Indians contrive to keep themselves free from their venom. But the white man suffers dreadfully. * Keseda Luteola. (Irish buigh mor.) (, "ff • ': I i ■ If ■ EC ' \ h <.] SI 208 ECHOES FROM Camphorated olive oil, with a few drops of oil of almonds, or any other bitter oil added, is recommended. No one should go into the woods in the fly season without a small pot of this mixture ; for, should his patience be exhausted by the repeated applications neces- sary during the time he may be intent on beguiling the finny tribe, when he lays him- self down to rest at night, it will tend much to allay the pain and inflammation caused by the sting of insects, and he will be sure to thank his stars that he possesses such a luxury. drops of >il added, ) into the small pot itience be ons neces- intent on lays him- tend much caused by be sure to ^s such a THE BACKWOODS. 209 CHAPTER VIII. NOVA SCOTIA — A FORTNIGHT IN BUSH. I really do think there is no luxury equal to that of lying before a good fire on a good spruce bed, after a good supper and a hard moose, chase in a fine clear frosty moon- light starry night. Lord E. Fitzgerald. While round, in brutal jest, were thrown The half-gnawed rib and marrow-bone. Marmion. The Start — Annapolis — Micmac Village — Flappers — Trout — Lakes — Rivers — Still Waters — Tracks — Moose — The Death — Potatoes — Indigestion — Turtle — Lampreys — Stone Pipes — Calling the Moose — ^Emperor of China. Rifles, guns, fishing-rods, blankets, axes, tomahawks, salt pork, biscuits, and a couple of birch-canoes, the whole under the charge of Francis Glode, a Jlicmac Indian, were put on board the steamer for Annapolis ; and, all ! ^!i 210 ECHOES FROM (1. the preparations for a fortnight's sojourn " in bush" being completed, Captain E — and myself started from St. John's, in the month of August, to hunt the moose in Nova Scotia. On nearing the coast, the land loomed in the most extraordinary manner, and masses of trees of a gigantic growth hung suspended, as it were, in the heavens. The Wicklow mountains may at times be seen to loom in the same way long after losing sight of the Irish coast ; or, as poor Power would have said. " after you had seen it clane out of sight." The bay of Annapolis is landlocked on either side by the iron-bound coast of Nova Scotia, and the entrance to it through straits wooded to the water's edge is most striking ; the canoes of the Micmac Indians, hunting the porpoise, which covered the water at the time, added not a little to the picturesque effect. Suddenly the bay opened, and, after an hour's steaming, the *' Maid of the Mist " landed us ^t Annapolis, where we were joined THE BACKWOODS. 211 by the chief of the tribe, Charles Glode, (our guide's brother,) and another Indian, supposed to be the most accomplished moose-hunter in the province ; he spoke no language but that of his nation, was a fine athletic fellow, and lived entirely by the produce of the chase. The result of " consultation was, that we were to strike the head- waters of a river about ten miles south of Annapolis, and follow it through a chain of lakes uhtil it finally emptied itself into the Atlantic below Hali fax. The hunting ground once settled, the Indians shouldered the provisions, and, placing the canoes on their heads, went off at a long trot, and we, who had only our rifles to carry, found quite enough to do to keep pace with them. An Indian path led to a Micmac village of some twelve or fourteen lodges, where they halted for their hunting-knives, toma- hawks, and other necessary apparatus for the I ill '^ 1 it I: '■^ i r 212 ECHOES FROM chase ; and we smoked the pipe v."ith their squaws. Happy mortal ! he who knows Pleasure whiv.h a pipe bestows. Curling eddies climb the room, Wafting round a mild perfume. On leaving the village, we struck directly into the woods, following in Indian file. On reaching the first lake, it was found necessary to stanch the canoes before launching, an operation easily performed by applying lighted torches of bark to the gum and resin with which the seams are covered ; when melted sufficiently, the Indian wetted his thumb, (in the manner most convenient to himself,) and plastered the resin anew over the seams. That finished, we paddled across a lake, crossed a portage, and halted for the night on the shores of the second lake ; and, whilst the Indians were making the camp, a stream close by, full of trout, came most apropos for supper. Trout thus fresh caught and fried THE BACKWOODS. 213 ith their 5k directly 1 file. On 1 necessary ncbing, an ring lighted resin with hen melted thumb, (in imself,) and the seams. )ss a lake, the night on and, whilst ap, a stream b apropos for rht and fried with salt pork are excellent, and any one who has hunted in the woods of North America can also appreciate a kettle of boiling hot tea ; so refreshing after fatigue, and doubly so on the first day. when fresh from a town life, and bef^ore condition has given full play to tue muscles. In the middle of the night we were awakened by the most mournful and painful shrieks, as though a woman was suffering torture, and screaming for assistance. It was the cry of " the Loon," or " Great Nor- thern Diver." They make these noises when alarmed by the sight of bears. One of the Indians snatched up a rine and disappeared ; he returned towards morning, but without having got a shot. The Indians can imitate the cry of the loon, and, by concealing themselves in the brushwood on the edges of the lakes, and waving their hats, will call them within shot, but they dive so instantaneously, that the click of a copper cap, or a flash in the r tu ^1 S14 ECHOES FROM pan, is sufficient to give them warning, and they are under water before the shot can reach them. But by suddenly jumping up with a great noise, you may alarm the bird, when his first impulse will be to open his wings for flight — his second to dive ; then is the moment to catch him. But, unless you are very close to him, he will carry off a large charge of shot. The following morning, several lakes and portages were crossed in a thick fog. On its suddenly clearing off, we found ourselves in a beautiful lake covered with islands or rather huge rocks of granite and porphyry, of all manner of fantastic shapes and forms; and in the midst of several broods of flappers (young wood ducks ^). The Indians were instantly all excitement ; off they set in chase, straining every nerve, the canoes flying through the water at a most astonishing rate. The flappers dived whenever closed upon, ' Dendronessa sponsa. < -% THE BACKWOODS. 215 until, after two hours of paddling and ma- noDuvring, some six or eight were caugh*^, No bad things for supper, when hunger does duty for Cayenne pepper and Ilarvey sauce. The broad outlet from this lake being broken up into a succession of rapids, the skill of the Indians was put to the test, and the canoes often made tremendous lurches, pluiiging head-foremost into whirlpools ; but the Indians, ever on the alert, fended off and preserved tiieir equilibrium apparently with- out eft'ort. An Indian never does an awkward thing — when hunting, he never steps upon dry twigs, or any thing likely to alarm the ears of the most watchful animal — he moves without noise — he looks before him, behind him, and from right to left, at every step — he observes the patches of moss, any peculiarity or marked feature, the trees and their branches, which he invariably recognises, should he cross them again. In his cauoe he is equally '1 u 11)! 216 ECHOES FROM i on the look-out ; along the shore, or in, or under the water, nothing escapes his notice ; his paddle propels his canoe without noise or splash ; his carriage, his manners, and his movements, are all grace, all ease, because they are natural. This river was full of largo trout, and the merry salmo huko of Sir Humphrey Davy, which, when hooked, jump to tlie height of four or five feet out of the water. There was also a large species of char, averaging from one to three pounds, as broad and thic^k as they were long, their bellies of a depp gold colour, covered with blood-red spots — excel- lent to eat, playing very strong, and affording undeniable sport to the angler. So eager would they rise, that five or six would race at the flies at the same time, and would con- tinue to do so, when wings, body, hackles and all were completely stripped off the hooks ; I caught a fine fish of three pounds weight, attracted by the " ghost of a fly," a t .;■■■ THE BACKWOODS. 217 )re, or in, or J his notice ; lOut noise or ers, and his jase, because rout, and the iphrey Davy, the height of vater. There lar, averaging oad and thick of a dppp gold spots — excel- and affording sr. So eager iix would race nd would con- body, hackles ipped off the three pounds St of a fly," a mere bit of tinsel, the only remnant of what had been a mulberry claret, and had done execution in Ireland, when the drake " was upon" Lough Dereverragh ; in fact, they would rise at any thing moving through the water. The rivers teemed with fish ; and, as we could catch any number, we made a few casts into each eddy where the largest fish lay, and which invariably rose first. It was impossi- ble to fish from the banks, they were so overshadowed by the forest ; we were, there- fore, obliged to cast the flies from our canoes, and it required no little skill to kill three large trout which were constantly upon one's casting-line at the same time, and that when sitting in a birch-canoe in a rapid river. Occasionally we could land upon a rock, or large stone, and fish the pools from thence, but it was a slippery operation at best, and could not always be effected. But the fish- ing was excellent, and flies had never been cast in these streams before. As every VOL. I. L li^,. v < L 218 ECHOES FROM thing in the New World is on the mammoth scale, so are the insects— the large flies used upon the Westmeath lakes are the correct size and exactly the thing, both in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. But the wear and tear of tackle is great. I had, luckily, materials for making them. The tying amused the Indians not a little, and to them the whole operation of fly-fishing was a source of great curiosity and delight. The ends of the moose-wood bitten off, the brushwood broken and trampled down, the water-lilies pulled up and in part eaten, and the numbers of fresh tracks, were certain signs of mcose being in the immediate neigh- bourhood ; it was, therefore, deemed imprudent to light fires or make a camp. The canoes, turned over, afforded sufiicient covering for our heads, but the night was cold and we were obliged to forego our kettle of tea, most sensibly felt a ; the greatest privation after a hard day's fag. We started at daylight next 1 ^- THE BACKWOODS. 219 be mammoth •see flies used the correct oth in New But the reat. I liad, them. The , little, and to y-fishing was delight, hitten off, the ed down, the ,art eaten, and were certain mediate neigh- med imprudent The canoes, it covering for ,s cold and we tie of tea, most irivation after a ,t daylight next morning, but in a fog, paddling carefully along the " still waters." These " still waters," so called by the In- dians, are boggy ! M'l —%■**•■"**■*-••»*> 222 ECHO.^S FROM < f It '\ had ided. A few seconds and we should have lost him : we arrived in the nick of time, however, and he dashed off at full speed. I fired. The ball passed through his heart ; he made a tremendous bound straight up into the air, and fell upon his back, dead. It was a noble animal, seventeen hands high. A second moose had been seen on the island whence they had driven the one already bagged, and, my companion being anxious to shoot it, we went off in pursuit, and after a similar chase he succeeded. The Lake of the Nightingales being evi- dently the resort of moose ; the inlets and outlets full of fish ; t!ie beauty of the spot to which the chase had accidentally led us, and the Indians being ravenous to devour the meat, all led us to determine to make it head- quarters. A camp was accordingly con- structed in orthodox Indian fashion, and long poles were placed across to dry the venison upon. Sabbattis proceeded with great glee THE BACKWOODS. 223 to s^iin and cut up the moose, and, before a fire could be lit, commenced devouring the raw fleshj without bread or salt, and, when cooked, they all ate of it until they literally could not stir. Like pike, they will gorge themselves, and then sleep or rest until hunger again drives the.n forth in search of food. The moofle, a lump of fat about the nose of the moose, is esteemed a great delicacy by epicures. TLIo we reserved for ourselves, together with the bones, from which, by roasting in the fire, we obtained the most delicious marrow, excellent when eaten with dried biscuits. The meat is the best of all wild venison, and the tongues are as good as those of the reindeer. These were hung up to dry, and reserved for our friends in the old world. As the Indians had over-eaten themselves to such a degree that their locomotive powers were any thing but dubious, we gave their 224 ECHOES FROM n* V i digestion fonr-and -twenty hours to recover, and occup ourselves in fis'iing and recon- noitring the forest, where, for the first time, we saw the potato in its natural state, grow- ing in stringy bunches about the roots of the spruce firs ; but they were bitter and unpa- latable, generally about the size of a filbert, and not exceeding that of a walnut. Some of the pines were enormous; at least two hundred feet high; perfectly straight, and would square three. The total absence of the white cedar (so common in every swamp in New Brunswick) surprised me : and it is worthy of remark that, although the boundary between the two provinces is not a natural but merely an imaginary one, yet, that line once crossed into Nova Scotia, the cedar ceases to be found.^ Neither are the deer, so common in New Brunswick, to be met with in the other province, to the Indians of which ' The Bluenoses declare that branches of this cedar placed amongst clothes or furs will keep off moths. THE BACKWOODS. 225 ) recover, ind recon- first time, ate, grow- 3ots of the and unpa- f a filbert, ut. Some least two raight, and absence of rery swamp : and it is le boundary t a natural that line the cedar re the deer, 36 met with ,ns of which of this cedar moths. they are wholly unknown ; and, on one occa- sion, when I had taken Francis out hunting with me in New Brunswick, he ran after one for the best part of the day on snow-shoes, and came back remarkably sulky at not having got a sight of it. The Milicete Indians declare that these deer will not cross the St. John's river. The stomachs of the Indians having had a liberal four-and-twenty hours' rest, my com- panion repaired to the " still waters," where he got nine shots at moose in the one day ; and I, accompanied by John, carrying a quarter of a moose on his back, went half a day's journey to a settlement, where, as he expected, we exchanged the meat for salt sufficient to preserve the skin for stuffing. We got, likewise, a mess of potatoes, much prized by them medicinally after a moose de- bauch, as on this occasion. The Indians did not wish us to kill more moose, nor would it have been sportsmanlike L 5 'D ^ \ \ 226 ECHOES FROM 80 to do, as we could make no use of the meat; but it was often tantalizing when, suddenly descending a rapid, tht y would swing the canoes round, hold them fast with their poles, and point to a huge moose, who would take himself off at a long troi,. On one occa- sion, however, the temptation was too great, and a ball from my rifle passed through the ear of one. So quick-sighted are the Indians, that all three at the same moment exclaimed, " It has gone through his ear." These Indians carve pipes out of a porous kind of stone (soap-stone) found in the beds of torrents, and called by them pipe-stones ; it is soft, works well, and resembles the green lava of Vesuvius. During the intervals be- tween repletion and the chase, Sabbattis made one, which I still possess ; it is exqui- sitely finished. On the front of the bowl, in alto-relievo, is a deer's head and horns; on the reverse and either side, Indians' head, the character of which, and the accompanying THE BACKWOODS. 227 56 of the ig when, uld swiiig vith their vho would [ one occa- too great, irough the tie Indians, exclaimed, of a porous in the heds )ipe-stones ; es the green ntervals be- Sabbattis it is exqui- ;he bowl, in d horns; on ns' head, the Bcompanying ornaments, are decidedly Egyptian. I was much struck on finding the same ornaments, frieze, and even the same character of heads, in one of the tombs lately discovered in the Necropolis of the Tarquinii, near Cornetto. The outlet of the lake was full of lampreys in their migration from the sea, lying in coils upon beds of sand which they throw up them- selves; and they were so thick that, upon lowering a stick with some hooks attached to it, and jerking it up suddenly, three or four were pulled out at a time. In the shoal parts of the lake, we speared terrepins, a large kind of fresh-water turtle, of a beautiful sea-green colour, weighing from six to eight pounds, and full of eggs, much esteemed by the In- dians, which were not bad roasted. The Indians having despatched three or four dozen of lampreys, though without the bad effect which is said to have followed a like excess on the part of one of our early kings, and imitating ourselves the resignation 1 \ 228 ECHOES FROM i ( of the guardsman, who made up his mind, before he embarked for Egypt, that he could rough it upon a beefsteak and a bottle of claret, we contrived to do the like on an ex- cellent supper of venison, grouse, turtles' eggs, and a dish of fish ; and, having lit our pipes, and stretched our feet towards a roaring fire, we might truly say with Goldsmith, Oh, luxury ! thou curse by Heaven's decree, How ill-exchanged are things like these for thee ! John gave the following description of the manner of *' calling the moose," which takes place about the end of September or beginning of October, when the frosts have set in. As fires cannot be lit, nor tobacco smoked, this species of hunting is attended with great privation and hardship. Then is the rutting season ; the antlers of the male have attained their full growth ; and he is in truth a noble animal. When the moon is at its full, the Indians proceed with the greatest caution to the still waters, and take up a position in their THE BACKWOODS. 229 } mmd, le could ottle of n an ex- les' eggs, ,ur pipes, ting fii^e, e, r thee ! ion of the bich takes . beginning jet in. As noked, this with great the rutting Lve attained ■uth a noble its full, the caution to ition in their canoes amongst the adjacent brushwood. They are provided with a piece of birch-bark, rolled up into the shape of a speaking-trumpet, by blowing through which they imitate exactly the lowing made by the female when in ex- pectation of a partner. John described it as glorious, when perfect stillness reigned over the forest, to hear the bulls, sometimes three or four together, first at a long distance, and by degrees nearer and nearer, rushing on, bellowing and roaring, knocking each other over, trampling down the brushwood, and dashing through the streams, until they come so close to the hunter, that they have no time to discover the deception, before a ball from the unerring aim of an Indian's rifle stretches them life- less.^ ' From Father Repas' account of his residence at the court of Pekin, we find that the Emperor of China amused himself by "calling" deer much in the manner practised by the Indians in Nova Scotia ; he says, p. 79, " The Emperor took part in another species of sport un- Vi 230 ECHOES FROM known in Europe. He set out by night with all the great company above mentioned, and, when within two miles of the spot selected fur the sport, he left the army and ascended the top of the hill with six or seven hunters clothed in stag- skins from head to foot. Here one of the hunters put on a kind of mask, resembling a stag's head with horns, and con- cealed himself among the bushes, in such a manner that at first sight he might be taken for a stag, while the emperor and the others crouched down close by, all being armed with good guns, to the end of which were fixed small pieces of stag's horn. The stags are followed by several does, which they will not allow any other stag to approach. Early in the morning, they instinctively raise a cry of chal- lenge ; the other stags arrive, and a fight ensues, which con- tinues until one is slain, when the victor takes possession of his rival's herd of does. One of the hunters now blows an instrument which both in shape and sound very much re- sembles those with which our herdsmen call the swine, and which closely imitates the belling of the stag. At this sound the stags hasten to the hill, and seeking their supposed rival, they come within gua'shot and meet with their death." THE BACKWOODS. 231 I the great ^o miles of id ascended led in stag- ira put on ft ns, and con- nner that at the emperor )eing armed [ small pieces scverul does, to approach. I cry of chal- 19, which con- I possession of now blows an lery much re- ,he swine, and At this sound upposed rival, ir death." CHAPTER IX. A RACE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES. " Sir, our pills! ! !" — A Yankee naval officer introduce^ the assistant surgeon. Star-bespangled banner — Flying Artillery — Crimping System — Table d'Hotes — Whales and Peas — Mercantile Fowls — Sea Speculations — Sky-blue -r- Yankee's Shav- ing — Frigid Baptists — C anals — Ontario. The novelty of a New Brunswick life having a little worn off, three of us started, about the end of August, for a race through the northern States, as far as the Falls of Niagara. The steamer to which we coni.!.,-ed ourselves passed through the Bay of Passama- quoddy, the waters of which, studded with a thousand islands of all shapes a^.d sizes, are beyond description beautiful. Eaatport, a frontier town of the State of Maine, was our i in 1 1 If Mi ■M ! ; M m V I i 232 ECHOES PROM first landing-place. Over the fort floated the star-bespangled banner, at least half an acre of bunting — ** The stars to illumine our friends, the stripes to punish our enemies.'' This fort was garrisoned by a company of horse artillery. It was composed entirely of deserters from our regiments quartered from time to time in New Brunswick. These regi- ments being infantry, the men had, of course, never learned to ride, and rarely to exercise great guns. Nevertheless, they did duty as flying artillery in the United States. They wore fancy-coloured waistcoats under sky- blue jackets, trowsers of the same colour, with broad yellow stripes down them ; their boots turned up at the toes, like skates, the trowsers only reaching half way down their legs. The whole was .jrowned by a frightful leather cap, with a huge brass letter to denote their com- pany ; but it is only fair to remark that their barracks were as clean as an unlimited allow- ance of whitewash could make them. THE BACKWOODS. 233 ,ted the an acre friends, I'pany of itirely of red from lese regi- )f course, exercise I duty as 5S. They ider sky- lour, with leir boots trowsers legs. The ather cap, pheir corn- that their :ed allow- We recognised a rascal who had deserted from St. John's not long before. He was walking about, dragging a nine-pound shot fastened to his leg (by which we concluded that he had already got into a scrape), smoking a cigar, and looking as it he did not care a d — n for General Jackson or z:aj one else. We heard, soon after we left Eastport, that, this company having been ordered to Florida, to quell an insurrection of the Seminole Indians, the majority of them deserted on their march to Boston. They were, however, retaken, and sent on. Upon my return to New Brunswick, I saw a letter from the last of the survivors to his brother, recommending him and his comrades on no account to desert their colours for the American service, he being the only one who had escaped the toma- hawk of the Indians, or the deadly pestilence of the swamps. The difficulty, however, of preventing de- sertion was, in spite of all warnings, very I i t 234 ECHOES FROM \,r\>' great in New Brunswick. Yankee agents followed the men, enticed them into crimping houses, and plied them with drink, and, when sufficiently intoxicated, they were put on board fast-sailing schooners, which got under weigh whilst they lay in a state of uncon- sciousness. On coming to themselves, many might have returned, had they not been plied with more rum, and dreaded the consequences of their iirst transgression. There was but one instance of a man's returning in the two years we remained in New Brunswick. The officers of the United States' army, whom we met at Eastport, from having seen much of Indian life, were very agreeable ; and the commandant, in particular, who had served in the Far West, was a most gentlemanlike man. His daughter, a young lady of fourteen, understood I^atin and Greek, and was looking fovward to her return to school at Boston to learn Hebrew, and finish her education. The steamers to Portland had blown up, or THE BACKWOODS. 235 le agents crimping ind, when J put on got under of uncon- Ives, many been plied nsequences ce was but in the two rick. ates' army, laving seen ■cable; and bad served [ntlemanlike of fourteen, was looking it Boston to lation. down up, or been burnt, so we were obliged to go round in a schooner, on board of which there were the most dreadful set I ever recollect to have encountered. One man got up at table to let another pass down, who immediately dropped into the vacant place. The civil man remon- strated — in vain ; the answer he received was, " Well, I guess you shouldn't have got up then — Hell — I shall keep it now." After dinner, the majority sang psalms, until dis- persed by a drunken slumberer singing " Yankee Doodle," and " Hail, Columbia." It was midnight when we landed at Port- land. After going the round of the hotels, which were full, we discovered a large recep- tion room, filled with " shake-downs," in one of which we found a fellow-passenger already ensconced. He had turned in with all his clothes on, as he had done during the three nights on board the schooner, what the Yankees term " all standing," viz., in boots, great coat, &c. He had besides heaped the ■l! , 236 ECHOES FROM %! I( clothes fron all the other beds on his own, though th? room was hot to suffocation ; of these, however, we soon dispossessed hira, and betook ourselves to horizontal refreshment in the best manner we could. We were much struck with Portland, which is a very neat town : double rows of trees on each side of the streets; the houses clinker- built, and painted in bright colours, divided from the street and each other by gardens and parterres. From the top of the Obser- vatory, there is a grand view, commanding the town, harbour, and its islands, and Mount Washington, a bold hill, in shape resembling Soracte, bounding the horizon to the north- east. The ladies were well dressed, well chaussed, and well coiffed a la chinoisef with a well- gummed cr^ve-cceur in front of the ear, do- mestically termed by them a " spit curl." For the first time we here dined at a regular American table d'hote. The consumption of THE BACKWOODS. 287 his own, ation; of [ him, and shment in ind, which of trees on 3S clinker- Lfs, divided by gardens the Obser- ommanding and Mount resembling the north- ^11 chaussed, nth a well- Ihe ear, do- lt curl." |at a regular sumption of food was fearful ; some left the table in seven minutes and a half; from that to fourteen the room was cleared, and we were left alone. Boiled green Indian corn, plaistcred over with butter, seemed the favourite dish, and most excellent it was. They held it at both ends, gnawing it round, ridge after ridge, like a man playing pandean pipes. Some, in their hurry, transfixed whole fowls and dragged them bodily on to their plates. One man, addressiniv me in mercantile phraseology, said, " Stranger, I guess I'll trouble you for the balance of that fowl," meaning what remained of it on the dish. On another occasion, a brother officer, travelling with his wife, was dining at Boston, on the first day green peas made ^heir ap- pearance. He saw the dish making its rounds, and one man between himself, his wife, and the peas ; he therefore made sure of getting some for her ; but no — the brute having swept the whole contents of the dish iuto his plate, gave n (" 1, 1 i ■ t 238 ECHOES FROM the dish an exulting shove, and, turnin;^ roand, exclaimed, " I guess I'm a whale at pc^as, by G — ."^ It is painful to >ritness the unlady- like practice of arranging peas along the blado of a knife and eating them off by rows, at cnce dispelling the charm of a young and pretty tace ; nor was the substitution of forks for tuGthpicks a redeeming trait. ^ Tlowever, it is but justice to the Amnicans to state that no later than at the close of the seventeenth century, we find a royal " whale at peas." A King cl England (a Dutchman, it is true,) of whom the Duche^!^ of Marl- borough, in her apology for her condact, observes : — " I give an instance ox his vulgar behaviour at his own table, when the Princess cf Wales* dined with him. It was in the beginning of his reign, when she was with child of the Duke of Gloucester. There happened to be a plate of peas, the first that had been st^en that year. The King, without offering the Princet-j the least share of them, ate them every one himself. Whether he offered any to the Queen I cannot say; but he might do so safely enough, for he knew she durst not touch them. The Princess confessed, when she came home, she had so much mind to the peas, that she was afraid to look at them, and yet could hardly keep her eyes off them." * His sister-in-law, the Princess of Denmark, afterwards Queen Anne. ,t jeas, by xe unlady- g the blado by rows, at young and ion of forks •nican3 to state lecnth century, r ol England (a chcM^ of Marl- erves:— "Igive own table, when It was in the lild of the Duke of peas, the first without offering them every one Queen I cannot for he knew she ifessed, when she )ea8,that she was lly keep her eyes mark, afterwards n ti THE BACKWOODS. 239 From Portland we embarked on board a magnificent steamer for Boston. There were upwards of four hundred persons on board, half of them ladies. The gentlemen's cabin was one hundred and eighty feet long. The doors of the ladies' cabin were left open, in consequence of the excessive heat. There were many unprovided with berths, and they lay about in beautiful confusion, most of them in great dishabille. These steamers have much the appearance of floating bazaars, every sort of amusement going on, from eating, drinking, and gambling, to swapping and speculating, even to the taking advantage of the miseries of their fellow-passengers: it being a common prac- tice, when the steamers are crowded and a rough passage expected, for individuals to take a number of berths on the chance of sea-sick bidders; — three, four, or even five times the original price being then given. ^ \ 240 ECHOES FROM lit " The Tremont House," the crack hotel of Boston and of the United States, was full, but we were well put up in the " American," a new house. We had now got fairly into American hours — breakfast from seven to eight, dinner from one to two, and tea six to seven. Tea and coffee made the only dis- tinction of the first and last, for meat was equally served at all. The bedsteads in the hotel fell to pieces on touching a spring, an ingenious invention in a town where fires so constantly occur. There A '^ no fewer than four on the night of our arrival; but they are wonderfully soon got under, the fire-engine department being well organized. *' But fires are getting fainter, IncendiarismV fat, For there's a clever painter Will put a stop to that. Though form'd of wood, he's shown Each house will 'scape all right ; — He'll paint them so like stone. They will not catch alight !" crack hotel of s, was full, but * American," a ;ot fairly into from seven to , and tea six to the only dis- , for meat was fell to pieces on s invention in a r occur. There le night of our ■uUy soon got nent l>eing well e's shown all right ;- ;one, bht!" THE BACKWOODS. 241 We lionized in due order the park, called the Common, full of magnificent old elms, of which the Bostonians take great care. We hired excellent hacks, and visited Mount Auburn, the cemetery of the aristocracy of Boston — Spurzheim is buried here — and returned through Cambridge, the largest college in the States, and by Bunker's Hill, where they have erected a monument to com- memorate the battle which ?/w won. Lafavette laid the foundation-stone. The ladies here are not so pretty as those of Portland, and the men are generally tall, but wretchedly ill- made, and, from the habit of stooping over their desks, become round-shouldered, have a slovenly gait, and the unmanly habit of shaving off their whiskers gives them a sky-blue or leaden appearance. No independent Yankee ever thinks of shaA'ing himself. They study the comfort of that operation much, and the chair in which they sit has a board or platform for the head V 1 1 i lit II* 1 ! VOL. I. M [ I 242 ECHOES FROM •li to rest upon, which is raised or depressed by a screw to the desired height ; when adjusted, the artist, generally a Negro, seizes the pa- tient's nose between his forefinger nnd thumb, and shaves him slick. He then powders the face as a finale. We tried the process, and found it rather comfortable. At Eastport a woman operated. A New Englander travels so much, that a wardrobe would be in the way : he therefore gets everything "all stand- ing," a complete suit, and when worn out he buys another ; rarely has he a change of any- thing, with the exception of fronts, one of which, tied on after shaving, does duty for, and has all the appearance of, a clean shirt ; but like TopffeTs Monsieur Vieuxbois, *'il change de linge bien rareraent." His kit, therefore, not being extensive, packs easily into a small valise, and is conveniently car- ried in one hand ; brushes, combs, tooth- brushes, and round-towels being generally to be found suspended from the walls in most of the hotels and steamboats. THE BACKWOODS. 243 depressed by hen adjusted, eizes the pa- Br and thumb, 1 powders the ) process, and A-t Eastport a ;lander travels Qld be in the in designated by the Yankees *' Hell in Harness." Owing to its serpentine con- struction, we progressed but slowly. The railway not being finished, we took the " stage " at Worcester. The stages in all parts of the United States are conducted on the same principle — -abominable, cooped-up contrivances, holding nine inside, three on each seat, the centre one having a wide lea- ther strap to support the backs of those who have the bad luck to be the last on the list. There are no outside places, and tlte^efore there is no hope of any relief from the horrors of a hot day and a full coach. The "drivers," whom it would be treason to call coachmen, change, with their teams, every fourteen or sixteen miles, are kind to their horses, and drive with "the reins in both hands," as they say in " Ould Ireland," " and the whip in the other." They are little, M 5 250 ECHOES FROM ,i I round-shouldered rascals, sitting on the box with their chins almost resting on their knees, and arms extended to full length, clean their own horses, and drive them entirely in snaffle- bits, giving them great quantities of water, three or four times during the stage : upon occasion, the coach is driven bodily into ponds, rivers, or lakes. In America, as on the Continent, carriages are always passed on the right hand. England is the only country where the reverse is practised, and her chil- dren in the New World have adopted the Continental practice in contradistinction, I suppose, to the habits of the mother-coun- try; but, The laws of the road are a paradox quite, For when you are travelling along, If you keep to the left you'll be sure to be right, If you keep to the right you'll be wrong. Nations differ as to the treatment of horses on a journey ; a Yankee will give them as much water as they can drink to induce tliem |[ i "^lim THE IJACKWOODS. 251 m the box ;heir knees, clean their y in snaffle- s of water, tage: upon into ponds, as on the passed on mly country nd her chil- idopted the stinction, I other-coun- ite, [> be rig?it, ig. nt of horses ve thein as nduce tlieni to " go ahead ;" in England it is considered to have a contrary effect ; the Italian vettu- rino employs a head-dress of bells ; and Pat is not without his own contri vp.noe, a bundle of hay, tied to the end of the pole, causing a constant exertion to reach what is attained only at the end of the journey. But the ingenious inhabitant of the " Emerald Isle" has many other such inventions. He will open and slam-to the doors of a post-chay, to flatter the animals into a belief that the carriage has been lightened of its load. Apropos to such Hibernian devices, I recol- lect being obliged to plead as in excuse to a fair lady in Carlow for being late at her dinner, the fact that the driver of our car, having left us in the middle of the road, in a downpour of rain, to light his *' dudeen," a. loose, half-starved horse, grazing in an adjoining ditch, had taken a fancy to \he hay of which our traces and collars were made, and eaten so much of it, that we \' .1 y 'K I, 252 ECHOES FROM f :'' were detained till the harness was renewed. But the good old days when the post- chaises were thatched, one door nailed up, no steps to the other, and the ostler made his appearance with " a fork to raise the windies with, plase your honour," have vanished before the enlightened " tay-drink- ing" disciples of Father Matthew. The country we passed through to North- ampton was but partially cleared, the tide of emigration having set to the west, the lands being there more fertile, requiring leos labour and clearing, and to be had for less money. We passed the Connecticut river by a covered wooden bridge, eleven hundred feet long, and arrived at Northampton, the beau ideal of a country village, with its white cottages and green jalousies ; magnificent and gigantic elms, single or in groups, part of the primeval forest, judiciously spared, added to its beauties. This is the fatheilu,nd of the Temperance system, which is carried to so ^ ' ■ v^ -' t w K 'i n w mmm f THE BACKWOODS. ^53 as renewed. I the post- f nailed up, ostler made to raise the lOur," have " tay-drink- T. gh. to North- [, the tide of St, the lands g leos labour 3S3 money. river by a hundred feet on, the beau ,h its white .gnilicent and I, part of the ed, added to liiiid of the irried to so disagreeable an extent that we were able to get only sour cider at the inns, and often not even that. A meeting in support of these doctrines was going on in the evening ; an immense assemblage, chiefly of women, were edified by a man holding forth, till he worked himself into a perfect frenzy ; we left him arguing strenuously that any person who sold spirituous liquors was a murderer in the sight of the Lord. At our next halt, Pittsfield, we hired hacks, and visited a village of Shaking Quakers : they wear much the same kind of garb as their brethren in the Old World ; but we could not see them shake, as they do that only when the spirit moves them. A com- municative old gentleman of the persuasion told us the world had formed erroneous opi- nions of tbeir women living in common — for, on the contrary, they separated man and wife.^ ' This sect originated with a woman of the name of' Anne Lee, of Manchester, who, Lmving with her associates, III ' :! 4 254 ECHOES FROM In this country of sectarians, the ceren^-ny of making a Baptist, and the ordeal they go through, must be one of the least agreeable, committed various offences against deconim, wns glad to take refuge in America. This woman, with her vulgar and fanatical horde, under the name of shakers or believers, established themselves at a town named Union, not far from Cincinnati. Mr. Tell Harris, in a series of letters published in London, thus describes these bedlamites : " The bell for worship put an end to the discussion; the men, dis- encumbering themselves of their coats and neckcloths, formed into squares six deep ; and, a pair of folding doors being thrown back, discovered the women drawn iip in the like manner, each party having four on their right, who in the sequel appeared to be the regulators of their motions : two men then addressed the assembly on the manner in which the Divine Being had been pleased to communicate with some of his creatures, and that he still manifests hiai- self to them by inspiration ; quoting the example of David and others, as proofs that dancing, singing, and clapping of hands, are acceptable offerings of praise to him. A few verses, the burden of which was ' dancing or agitation of the frame, a sign of devotion,' were next sung, accompanied with slijjht motions of the feet, increasing and exalting the voice as they proceeded. The hymc being ended, a short prayer was offered, that their hearts and lips might be moved in praise ; a general movement now of the feet took place, accompanied with clapping of hands, twirling on their heels, leaping, shouting, screaming, while the regula- tors on tne flanks sung with some little variation, ' lo diddle ! ho diddle! lo diddle ho!' ceasing at intervals, to recover THE BACKWOODS. 255 le cereiL . ny eal they go ,t agreeable, m, was glad to rith her vulgar :ers or believers, Union, not far series of letters jdlamitcs : " The n ; the men, dis- and neckcloths, of folding doors drawn np in the eir right, who in >f their motions : the manner in to communicate 1 manifests hiin- cample of David and clapping of ;o him. A few agitation of the ng, accompanied ind exalting the g ended, a short 1 lips might be of the feet took ids, twirling on hile the regula- tion, ' lo diddle ! vals, to recover particularly during the winter months : a hole is cut through the ice ; the candidate for baptism is lowered through, and up comes at once a Baptist and an icicle. Yet, notwith- standing what is before them, there are many who present themselves for immersion, or, as the knight's bard has it. To dive like wild-fowl for salvation. And fish to catch regeneration. ^Yom Albany a railway took us to Saratoga, the Baden-Baden of the New World. The season was over, so we saw nothing of the amusements of tlie place. We met with a from the violent exertions ; some, however, unable to resist the violence of their feelings, continued to start sud- denly, screaming and leaping in such a manner, that a stranger could not suppose them any other than unfortu- nates who had eluded the vigilance of their keepers. At the expiration of an hour, their worship ceased, perhaps from mere exhaustion ; the men put on their coats, the women such of their caps and handkerchiefs as had been displaced in a twinkling, the folding doors separated them again, and each, by opposite doors, retired to their own apartments. I then left them, convinced and thankful that, to be a believer indeed, it is not necessary to be a Shaker." i i. .1 if' it P I' 256 ECHOES FROM i : l it l**P' IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 1.25 1^128 |2^ no "^^ HHl Ui Ih 122 ^ 1^ 12.0 ^1^ 6" ^ ^ y Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. USSO (716) S72-4S03 "':^V^ "9,'' '/. ^ J^#^ % .^ Si ^ J ^J^ 258 ECHOES FROM ' M which are fine in their way — a succession of dark amber-coloured Falls, like the dark waters of the Caernarvonshire rivers. From Utica we had again to follow the Erie canal as far as Syracuse ; whence, skirting a long lake, we descended the Oswego river, as far as the town of that name, situated at its outlet in Lake Ontario. Here we embarked in a steamer on its dark blue waters, and by sun-down had run the land out of sight. The following morning we landed at Toronto, the capital of Upper Canada, which looked dirty and uninteresting. From Toronto the Transit steamer crossed daily to Fort George, at the mouth of the Niagara ; in her we took our passage, and were duly unshipped at the fort, where a " stage '* waited to convey passengers to the Falls. The drive along the banks of the Niagara river to Queenston is most lovely. On the left flows the sea-green Niagara, Its banks covered with black walnut, hiccory, THE BACKWOODS. 259 succession of :e the dark vers. From le Erie canal irting a long river, as far uated at its re embarked iters, and by .f sight. The Toronto, the looked dirty imer crossed outh of the )assage, and >rt, where a igers to the anks of the most lovely. Niagara, Its ut, hiccory, acacia, and butternut trees, and on our right stretched away fertile fields of Indian corn, and orchards crowded with apple and peach trees, the latter in such quantities, that the pigs are fed on the fruit. This beautiful scenery continues to Queenston, half-way from the town of Niagara to the Falls, where we had to climb a hill, on the summit of which is erected a well-executed column to Sir Isaac Brock, who drove the Americans over the river in 1812. The view from this monu- ment is one of the finest I ever looked upon. Beneath, the river, green as a vein of mala- chite, flows through the above described rich country, until it meets Ontario, which is bounded in the far horizon by blue outlines of hills some sixty miles distant. Evidently the Falls commenced at this point, breaking their way up to their present site, seven miles further, where they have had a check, and where, in all probability, they will ever remain; for, so long as the river \' ,1 «l 1 .If ir I ' III 260 ECHOES FROM was confined to a narrow space, they conti- nually receded. At present, the .mass of water is broken into two Falls, checked for ever by the extended width of the current. Small fragments may wear away and break off, as did a small piece of the Table Rock a few years ago, and some such event was the probable origin of the famous hoax in the Buffalo paper, stating the cataract to have entirely disappeared ; but, for ages to come, the Falls of Niagara must bear the same character, and be confined to their present locale. A few inches they may recede, which can only add to their sublimit- One of the party, who was . anxiety and excitement, had extended himself at full length upon the top or rather roof of " the stage" — outside places, as before stated, exist not in the contrivances of the New World which do duty for coaches — and had taken up this position, fancying that he should get first view of the Falls. Indeed, all one's |i KM THE BACKWOODS. 261 I, they conti- }he iinass of checked for the current. Y and break ["able Rock a vent was the hoax in the ract to have ges to come, ar the same their present ecede, which anxiety and self at full oof of " the stated, exist New World d had taken } should get d, all one's "auricular" nerves were on the stretch to catch the slightest murmurs of the mighty cataracts, and the veriest zephyr was enough to draw forth an ejaculation. We were now close to them, and, passing through an oak forest, the branches from which frequently swept the roof of the stage, suddenly oar friend exclaimed — "Listen! — there they are ! — don't you hear them ?" As he uttered the last word, we heard a distinct murmur, a decided rippling noise, followed by an execration ; and it was instantly apparent whence the noise had proceeded — a bough of a huge oak had hitched in the nether end of our friend's best Stulz *' cut- away " coat, and had divided it completely up the back to the very shoulders — this of course caused a hearty laugh, in which he most good-humouredly joined. The torn habili- ment was skewered together in the best manner that we could contrive; and soon afterwards we began to hear distinctly the 11 m I ■ i 262 THE BACKWOODS. roar of waters, and another half hour brought us to the Falls of Niagara. No one can, either by description of pen or pencil, give the smallest idea of these Falls. It is as impossible as the endeavour of the artist to portray the Alps of Switzerland, the Jungfrau, or Mont Blanc. The best de- scription I ever met with of Niagara, was a Yankee remark scribbled in Mr. Starkey's book of visitors who pass to Termination Rock, " AN ALMIGHTY FALL OF WATER." hour brought iption of pen )f these Falls. Bavour of the F Switzerland, The best de- [iagara, was a Mr. Starkey's I Termination L, ATER.' APPENDIX. No. I. HINTS TO EMIGRANTS. From Mr. Gestier''s JReports on New Brunswick. The province contains about 16,5000,000 acres ; of this 12,000,000 acres are capable of immediate cultivation, and 1,000,000 may be reclaimed in a more advanced state of agriculture. I have esti- mated that, including the great marshes of West- moreland, only 440,000 acres are cleared.^ By obtaining a credit of the government for fifty acres of land, any person, with a family, having a capital of ^12 currency {£9 12s. sterling), can maintain such family until the first crop is produced ; and, with sobriety and industry, in six years he can pay for the land with the interest on the first pur- ^ From ofRcial returns, 3,634,280 acres have been granted, and 13,792,272 remain at the disposal of the Crown. U'i 1 y ii t'l I i' : K *■ r" I I • ' I 264 NEW BRUNSWICK. chase, and purchase fifty acres more on credit. The above may be performed in less time than six years ; but I have taken this period as a medium estimate. The lands along the southern coast of the pro- vince are in general much less fit for cultivation than those of the interior and northern shores. The settlers are also exposed to the dense fogs of the coast, but which seldom reach more than twenty miles from the seaboard. The soil, from being derived from granite and other hard rock, is more scanty along the southern coast ; and it is frequently too strong to be extensively cultivated. There are, nevertheless, many small tracts of good upland, and some fine intervals along the rivers and smaller streams. Twenty miles from the southern seaboard, the lands improve, and the whole northern side of the province may be said to be capable of being tilled to advantage. The quality of the soil, however, differs in different districts ; and there are many extensive tracts of waste land of a superior quality. The several counties have been classed in regard to the lands they contain fit for immediate settlement, in the following order : — St. John. There is but a very limited quantity of good ungranted land in this county. The lands I HINTS TO EMIGRANTS. 265 e on credit. ,ime than six 18 a medium t of the pro- )r cultivation thern shores, dense fogs of li more than 'he soil, from er hard rock, ast ; and it is ely cultivated, tracts of good the rivers and seaboard, the irn side of the )f being tilled I soil, however, lere are many )erior quality, ^d in regard to ite settlement, led quantity of The lands eastward of Quaco, and those recently laid out between Quaco and Hammond river, are in general broken and stony, and the gravelly nature of the soil is seldom discovered until the land is cleared of its timber ; there are but few intervales > in this county. King's County. There is a large area of superior land for settlement southward of Sussex vale, and at the head of the mill stream. Weitmorland, In the county of Westmorland there still remain some fine ungranted tracts ; they are chiefly situated at the heads of Pollet and Coverdale rivers, and Turtle Creek, and also at the sources of the Washademoak. The soil in general is a sandy loam, and it is easily worked. There are some intervales still ungranted. QueetCs. In Queen's county there are a number of tracts of excellent ungranted land. There is ; large tract between the Nerepis Boad and Gagetown, including the Victoria settlement ; also, south- ward of the Nerepis Koad, upon both sides of the Washademoak river, above Long's Greek, and between Salmon river and New Canaan settlement. Some of these soils are a deep red loam. Lime- stone was found to be abundant on both sides of the ' Alluvial flats adjacent to the rivers, which are annually overflowed, and yield abundant hay-crops. VOL. T. N f i ■ 1 1 111 r 266 NEW BRUNSWICK. St. John: it will be soen at the farm of Mr. Merritt, and at the south entrance of the Washademoak. Charlotte. The best ungranted lands in this county were seen in the direction of the Maga- guadavie river : and there are intervales along the principal streams. The northern part of this county abounds in granite rocki^. The lands in the Tryon settlement are in general rocky, and a part of the soil is meagre. Sunhury. Almost all the ungranted land in this county is of a good quality, and probably not more than one half of its surface is disposed of. There are some good intervales. York. The best ungranted lands in this county are situated on the south-east side of the Nashwaak, and near the main south-west Miramichi and Taxas river. Carleton. Almost all the lands in this county are of a superior quality. Between the St. John and the main south-west Miramichi, there is an immense tract of fertile soil, with belts of intervale along the streams. Very extensive settlements might be opened in this quarter. Farther west- ward thei ? is a mountainous ridge j even here there are some superior lands, and the scenery is truly Alpine. The Tobique river passes through a fine HI farm of Mr. ince of the wads in this of the Maga- ales along the part of this he lands in the ty, and a part ed land in this bably not more laed of. There in this county the Nashwaak, Vliramichi and in this county the St. John 1, there is an ilta of intervale ve settlements Farther west- even here there icenery is truly through a fine HINTS TO EMIGRANTS. 267 country for agriculture, where gypsum and lime- stone are abundant. The river is skirted with excellent intervales. These lands are not granted, and offer every advantage for settlement. Near the banks of the St. John, the Grand Falls, and at Grand River, the land is good, and limestone is plentifully scattered over the county. Kent. There are some good soils in this county ; many of them are, however, light and sandy. Northumberland. The good land in this county is too extensive to require any particular descrip- tion, and there is much intervale along the streams. Gloucester. The above remark will apply to the north-eastern part of Gloucester. There are, nevertheless, some low and swampy grounds in this quarter. Restigouche. The lands near the mouth of the Bestigouche are mountainous and broken. South- ward of Dalhousie and Campbelltown there is a large tract of superior land ; upon a part of thin tract the Colebrooke settlement is situated. There are good lands upon the upper part of the river. The interior of Gloucester and Bestigouche countie.s have not been explored. N 2 ill 268 PRICE OF PROVISIONS AND CLOTHING. No. II. RETURN showing the Average Retail Price of Provisionti and Clothing in the Colony of New Brunswick, in the quarter ended 31st Dec, 184&. ui I' r i. \ AllTICLKS. Salt beef Fresh ditto Mutton Lamb Veal Fresh pnrk Salt ditto Fowh Bacon Salt butter Fresh ditto Fresh milk Cheese Eggs Potatoes Bread, best wheaten . • . Ditto, seconds Best wheat Hour Second quality ditto . . . Oatmeal ....... Coals Candles Firewood, cord of 128 cubic ft. Common soap Tea Coffee (green) Rice Sugar, brown Ditto, loaf Salt Pepper Salt fish, dry, the cheapest . Ditto, green Beer Porter, London Men's stout shoes .... Women's ditto Snow over-shoes .... Men's shirts, cotton . . . Flannel Cloth for coats Cotton for gowns .... Fustian Velveteen ... ... Quknllly. per lb. ft It per pair per lb. per quart per lb. per dozen per bushel 41b. loaf 61b. loaf barrel 196 lbs. It per cwt. per chaldron per lb. per lb. per bushel per lb. per quintal the barrel per gallon per bottle per pair each per yard Avrniiir I'rltH la Sirrllnr I 1 1 1 8. n 1 3 15 10 9 2 2 1 10 16 1 6 6 10 3 1 7 1 2 d. 34 3 3 3 3 2h 3* 3 4 9 10 3 ft 9 9 10 6 9 H 10 3 5 Bi 4 10 3 6 10 3 4 6 6 7 3 3 M. H. PERLEY, Government Emigration Agent. OTIIING. roviitiflnM and Clothint^ unded3l9tDec., 1845. 1 bs. AvrniRr t'ricci In Sirrllnr Ji 8. d. H a 3 3 3 n H 1 3 4 9 10 3 A 9 3 9 10 I IS 1 10 9 1 2 6 9 1 H 2 10 3 f> 61 1 4 10 10 16 3 1 6 10 6 3 6 10 3 4 1 6 7 6 7 1 3 2 3 WAGES OF MECHANICS. No. III. 26U RETURN showing the Average Wages of Mechanics and others in tho Colony of New Brunswiclc, for the 3 Months ended 3lst Dec, 1646. \ HIiliNl k Lowtil Avf ri|c V/tLget'Aitntr V/tg** AT(r«(«Wa(H urr Annum Katrt per Olt-m par UIrm ptt ill«m wlihuiil nnard or Tnd* or Ctllinf . Mllhoul Hoard with Kiiard wllh Itnard LndflnK, and aiid and (InSlerllnr.) In Storll'ig. Lodglnf, In Slerlliir. LodKlof, In Slvrllnir, Hlflinb Lowetl, Bread and biscuit s. d. s. d. 8. d. •&. d. £ s. d. baiters . . . • • • • • • 20 Butchers . . . 4 6 2 6 32 Brickinakers . . 3 to 5 2 to 3 6 Bricklayers . . 6 to U 6 3 to 6 Blacksmiths . . 6 3 30 Curriers . . . 5 3 33 Carpenters and joiners . . . 5 6 3 6 3S Cabinetmakers 6 6 3 9 35 Coopers . . . 4 9 3 ?iO Carters .... 4 6 3 24 Cooks (women) . • • • • « • 10 Combmakers . / Dairy women . . No employ- meat. • • • • • • 7 10 Dressmakers and milliners . . . 2 3 1 3 10 Farm labourers . 3 1 3 18 Gardeners . . . 4 6 3 25 Grooms .... • • ■ • • ■ 18 Millwrights . . 6 4 40 Millers . . . . 6 6 4 32 Painters . . . 6 6 3 6 Plasterers . . . 6 (5 4 Plumbers and r glaziers . . *' Very little employment. Quarrymen . . 3 1 3 18 Ropemakers . . • • • • • • 35 Sailmakers . . • • • 6 6 32 10 Sawyers . . . 4 to 6 2 6 to 4 6 .12 10 Shepherds . .S No employ- ment. Shipwrights and boatbuilders . 3 9 to 5 2 to 4 30 Shoemakers . . 3 6 to 4 2 6 to 3 26 Slaters & ahinglers 5 3 6 Stonemasons . . 4 to 5 6 3 to 4 32 10 Tailors .... • • • • • • 30 Tanners . . . • • • • ■ • 35 Wheelwrights • • • • • • 35 Whitesmiths . \ 4 6 3 28 i I Emigration Agent. M. H. PERLEY— G. E. A. 270 IMMIGRATION TO NEW BRUNSWICK. ; 1 w cc O o < 3 O"" cc" 5:*" S" 1 90 > m ; Q. (^ a- re & ri a. • • 5' . B' • 5' ^ 5' O 9 3 . cu . Oq . CW . CW H SO <» 1 No. of deaths 3 on board or in 3 Quarantine. so :2 o 1 1 c» 1 No. of births iS S OH on board or In I— • 5 D o Quarantine. 3 h9 10 00 o 3 2 l-> to lU it^ to 00 F £ Q SO GO CO rr CO 1— i 1 'JO CO >I 1 1 1 C_| w 00 I-* HJ H o O o s ■u ^ w 1 3 bildren be U years a year. Z 2! o to 1 o» W «I ? z 2? CO o» ^ lU 1 5 5.5 w S3 1— ' 00 M 2 -i so ? 1— ' to 00 1 2 P o H- O *. 1 P- i! 2! CO **s * I-" H- OD 1 ft ^ g ^1 00 00 1 ? o ts to s •• «D 1^ *^ p CL p 2_ hS (O 1^ Ui 1 JtT w — o, «o t Ll>; M J 1 5' 00 to oi o 1 ft o «^ H- m 1 M B* 00 to ^ Ci F H- • 1"? s cu OJ tn •- 1 n CM 00 Oi i(^ « 9 C *^ !> B a ci. 5" 1 § s- TO l-H H £? - f? CO X D 05 • • • • 4 to 1 yr 1 year 5 ►0 bo w CA9 to to g2 c^ er 1= ^ *» w IW (B po s to O to 00 ar s ^ o c Oi Wi 05 1^ ™ § (— ' 09 KJ tA> to ? lb. to »- o» Oi B c O f- tD » oo to — Oi ? 1' !:.' ■B > o w p CO 7 H 3 » • > O H 0. of Vestela to Arrived. s 0. of deaths board or in 3u—t S g » N* » > S & N^ I S > " H rt O 5 ^ V O ^ B r»? •z 1 5.* w ^ ? ~ o ts ? I S 2" so ^ q Sib CO •| ^ , n 1— 1 - o w 1 ■* , O' S ~i 1 CO (♦ (B o S fj M H 3 C^ a* s t 3 M* 00 *^ o> PRICES OF FARM STOCK. 271 No. V. RETURN, showing the prices of Agricultural Produce, Farming Stock, and implements of Husbandry in the colony of New Brunswick, on the 31st December, 1845. ArUclet. Quantity. Sterling Oollart at 4s. 3d. each. Remarks. Wheat . . . per bushel £ a. 5 d. 9 Barley , . do. 3 9 ^ Rye . . Maize do. do. do. 3 2 5 9 6 6 Large quantities ot' >-each imported from abroad. Buckwheat do. 3 9 Beans do. Not cultivated for sale. Peas . . do. 6 3 Potatoes do. 3 Hay ... . Good Cart Horse Useful riding ditto per ton about •> 3 15 20 Potatoes are exces- sively bad and dear, owing to the failure of the crop. Yoke of Oxen . ,t 18 Sheep, per score 11 9 Good Milch Cow ,( 5 Breeding Sow . >• 1 15 Pigs, each . . 1, 4 6 A cart of the de-"l scription used > by farmers J about 7 10 A Waggon ditto It 10 A Plough . . >» 2 10 6 Harrow . . . ,t 1 10 Country Plough 91 2 Sledge for winter >» 3 10 Government Emigration OflRce, St. John, New Brunswick, M. H. PERLEY. 31st December, 1845. I!i .272 NEW BRUNSWICK. No. VI. REFLEXIONS ON THE PRESENT STATE OF NEW BRUNSWICK IN REFERENCE TO A PROPOSED LINE OF RAILWAY. Government Emigration Office, St. John, N. B., Nov. 10, 1845. Sir, Since forwarding my last quarterly return, I have received various documents addressed to me officially, by persons in England, relative to the formation of a railway from Halifax to Quebec, through this province, and proposing the colo- nization and settlement of the line of country traversed, in connection therewith. As the pro- posal expressly refers to immigration on a large scale, I have felt it my duty to bring the subject under His Excellency's consideration, and at the same time respectfully to offer some remarks upon the matter as connected with the business of this office. It may be considered as a settled principle in England, that, whether for facilitating commerce, or improving land, railways are the best instru- ments that can be used. If such be the case in PROPOSED LINE OP RAILWAY. 273 PE OF NEW OPOSED LINE Office, 10, 1845. ly return, I ressed to me lative to the : to Quebec, ig the colo- of country ^.B the pro- on a large the subject and at the imarks upon ness of this principle in commerce, )est instru- the case in England, abounding as it does in wealth, in a high state of cultivation, with the best and most nu- merous means of inter-communication, and teeming with population, what would be the effect of rail- ways in a young country like New Brunswick, yet poor and struggling into existence, with but few and imperfect roads, and a population which barely reaches one soul to every hundred acres of its extent ? If the difficulties attendant upon the settlement of a new country be taken into consideration, there can be no doubt that much has been effected in New Brunswick within the brief period which has elapsed since its first settlement by British sub- jects. Yet all that has been done is comparatively trifling, when considered with reference to the extent of country yet ungranted and uncultivated, and the abundant resources it possesses. As a field for the pursuits of agriculture, the prosecution of commercial enterprise, and the formation of flourishing settlements, this colony offers powerful inducements. It is blessed with a rich and pro- ductive soil J it abounds with trees of the greatest utility and value, and is watered by innumerable rivers and streams. It rejoices in skies that are bright and cheerful, and a climate salubrious in the extreme, congenial to the growth, not only of the N 5 I m^ ^W fi .1 274 NEW BRUNSWICK. \> I necessaries, but many of the luxuries of life. Above all, it has the happiness to enjoy institutions and forms of government, modelled upon their proto- types in the mother-country, which secure British laws, and British freedom to all its inhabitants. With these numerous advantages, it may be asked, why New Brunswick has not made greater strides in the progress of improvement, and why its population is yet so scanty. The reply is, that the want of roads and efficient means of communi- cation keep the great body of the country yet in a state of unbroken wilderness, isolates it from the neighbouring colony of Canada, deprives it of com- mercial avenues, and renders the progress of settle- ment and improvement so very slow, in comparison with what might reasonably be expected from the bounties which nature has lavished upon it. In considering this subject, it is important to state the extent of wilderness in New Brunswick and the progress of its population, as to which, I beg to submit the following statistics. The area of this province is estimated in round numbers at seventeen millions of acres — of these five millions are said to be granted — two millions are deducted for water and waste, and the remaining ten millions, all fit for settlement and cultivation, are yet in a state of wilderness, ungranted, and at H flife. Above titutions and their proto- jecure British habitants. I, it may be made greater ent, and why- reply is, that I of communi- mtry yet in a 5s it from the ves it of com- press of settle- in comparison icted from the )on it. important to iw Brunswick s to which, I ited in round res — of these -two millions the remaining cultivation, mted, and at PROPOSED LINE OF RAILWAY. 275 the disposal of the government. The ungranted lands are thus distributed : — In Restigouche and Gloucester counties . 1,828,000 acres. „ Northumberland 2,216,000 „ „ Kent 552,400 „ „ Westmorland .... 532,000 „ „ Saint John .... 126,000 „ „ Charlotte 480,000 „ „ King's .... 244,000 „ „ Queen's 470,000 „ „ Sunbury .... 413,000 „ „ York 1,280,000 „ „ Carleton .... . 2,080,000 „ Total . . . 10,221,000 acres. With regard to population, the increase stands thus : — In 1783 (province established,) 12,000 souls. „ 1803 .... 27,000 „ „ 1824 .... 74,176 „ „ 1834 . . . 119,457 „ „ 1840 . . . . 156,162 „ Prior to the year 1818, partial emigration from the United Kingdom had occasionally taken place to this colony ; but after that period it began to flow in a regular and steady stream. From 1824 to 1834, the emigrants to New Brunswick amounted to 48,000 ; yet the increase of population between those periods was only 45,000. From 1884 to 276 NEW BRUNSWICK. Li i'\ I-' ! 1840, the increase of population was 36,000 — a number far short of the immigrants who arrived in the province during the same period. It is clear, therefore, that New Brunswick is not greatly in- debted to immigration for the increase of its popu- lation during the last twenty years, which may be principally attributed to the natural multiplication of its inhabitants. The immigration of the present season has some- what exceeded six thousand souls — about one half of whom have departed for the United State^ attracted by the greater demand for labour there, and by the cheapness and rapidity of travelling, by steamers and railways, which enable immigrants to reach the western country, where fertile lands can be procured on easy terms, and where every facility exists for transmitting farming produce to the Atlantic sea-ports and a ready market. It cannot but be matter of regret, that so many of Her Majesty's subjects, who cross the Atlantic and arrive annually in this colony, cannot be settled on vacant crown lands, but should pass through this fine province, and become, more through necessity than choice, the subjects of a foreign government. I have repeatedly had the honour to state, in my reports on immigration, that the remedy for this IS 36,000— a rho arrived in It is clear, ot greatly in- e of its popu- which may be multiplication son has some- )bout one half nited States, labour there, travelling, by immigrants to tile lands can every facility uce to the It cannot nany of Her Atlantic and ot be settled )ass through lore through of a foreign state, in my ledy for this PROPOSED LINE OF RAILWAY. 277 untoward state of things would be the commence- ment of some great public or private work in New Brunswick, tending to open up the interior of the country — and none would seem to be bettor adapted for the desired end than the establishment of the proposed line of railway through the heart of the province. It will not escape His Excellency's observation, that, of the ungra'~ted lands in the colony, there is not more than one-tenth west of the river St. John, and that the remaining: nine-tenths are to the east- ward of that river. The formation of a line of railway through this vast tract of wilderness would afford abundant employment for a long period to an immense number of emigrant labourers, who would thus become acquainted with the work of the country, and be trained up to the necessary dex- terity and skill essential to the success of settlers in the forest. By means of cross roads and branches, assisted by the infinity of lakes, rivers, and streams, every part of the province would be rendered readily accessible, and the farmer in the remotest district would possess the means of reach- ing market with ease and certainty. No objection would exist, as at present, against taking up land in the interior of the country, where the soil is excellent, on account of its soUtude, the difficulty 278 NEW BRUNSWICK. of reaching? it, or the almost impossibility of bring- ing its products to a market. The numberless advantages which would be afforded by a railway through New Brunswick, connecting it with the neighbouring colonies of Canada and Nova Scotia, would for many years render it capable of absorbing annually thousands and tens of thousands of immigrants from the United Kingdom, who would find a happy home in a British colony, where they could maintain their allegiance to their sovereign, and by prudence and industry attain to comfort and independence as freeholders and lords of the soil. Every acces- sion of population, whether composed of indigent or wealthy individuals, provided it consists of able-bodied men, would be highly desirable in a country where land is abundant and inhabitants comparatively few. It does not fall within the line of my duty to animadvert upon the effects which the proposed line of railway would have upon the mercantile interests of New Brunswick, by facilitating commercial inter- course, and opening up new sources of trade, by developing the mineral wealth and great natural resources of the country. But I may, however, be permitted, in conclusion, to observe, that a railway to unite the colonies of Canada, New Brunswick, TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 279 (ility of hring- ch would be V Brunswick, Iff colonies of r many years illy thousands ,nts from the k happy home >uld maintain d by prudence independence Every acces- 0d of indigent consists of esirable in a Id inhabitants f my duty to proposed line itile interests lercial inter- of trade, by ;reat natural however, be |hat a railway Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, into one common bond of union, by drawing together their remotest extremities, uniting their energies, and consolidating their strength, cannot be viewed otherwise than as a great national object. The slow progress of settle- ment and tardy increase of population would thereby be accelerated " with railroad speed," and greater progress in those respects would be made in ten years under the influence of railways, than under the present order of things will probably take place during tlie next century. The advantages ofi*ered to these colonies by railway communication are so varied, so numerous, and so ovei*whelming, as scarcely to be within the grasp of the most compre- hensive mind, but would inevitably lead to results alike glorious to British North America, and the great empire of which it forms a favoured portion. I have the honour to be, M. H. Perley, Government Emigration Agent. Alfred Eeade, Esq., Private Secretary, &c., Fredericton. 280 TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK. No. VII. NOTES ON THE TREES OP NEW BRUNSWICK. ■ \ji- l\i^ Gray Oak — Quercus Borealis, or Quercus Atn- bigua. Red Oak — Quercus Rubra. — Neither of much value from their small size. Butternut — Juglam Cathartica, attains a large size and bears abundance of large nuts of good flavour ; wood much used at present by cabinet- makers. White Maple — Acer Eriocarpum. — Very pretty white wood, not unlike sycamore. When spotted, it is called Bird''s-eye Maple. Red-flowerinsj Maple — Acer Bubrum. Sugar Maple — Acer Saccharinum. — Maple sugar is made from this tree. Moose Wood — Acer Striatum. — The name of moose-wood was given to this species of maple by the first settlers, from observing that the moose, an animal now becoming scarce in this region, sub- sisted during the latter part of the winter and beginning of spring on its young twigs. The moose-wood bears a very large flower, which when beginning to unfold is rose-coloured, but afterwards w it K. tUNSWICK. Querctts Am- ther of much attains a large nuts of good it by cabinet- Very pretty Vhen spotted, im. -Maple sugar ^he name of of maple by |;he moose, an region, sub- winter and Itwigs. The which when it afterwards TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 281 pure white. This tree is found most vigorous in mixed forests, when the woods are composed of the sugar maple, the beech, white birch, yellow birch, and hemlock spruce. In these forests it constitutes a great part of the under growth. Mountain Maple — Acer Montanum^ called low maple in New Brunswick. Dog Wood — Gornm Florida. — Among the eight species of dog-wood which have been observed in North America, this species alone is entitled by its size to be classed with the forest trees. It is most interesting from the beauty of its flowers. Canoe Birch — Betula Papyracea. — The canoe birch attains its largest size, which is about seventy feet in height and three feet in diameter, on the declivity of hills and in the bottom of fertile valleys ; its branches are slender, flexible, and covered with a shining brown bark, dotted with white. The heart or perfect wood of this tree, when first laid open, is of a reddish hue, and the sap is perfectly white. The wood has a fine glossy grain, and con- siderable strength. Tables and other furniture are frequently made of it, and stained in imitation of mahogany. On trees not exceeding eight inches in diameter, the bark is of a brilliant white, and is almost indestructible by time. The bark of the birch is applied to a great variety 282 TREES OF NEW DRUNSWICK. :, f PI ^t of uses. It forms the wigwam of tho Indian, and many, if not all, hin utensils in tho forest. Tho settlers place large nheets of it immediately be- neath the shingles of the roof, to form a more impenetrable cover for their houses. Baskets, boxes, and portfolios are made of it : the latter are frequently embroidered with silk or moose hair, dyed in a great variety of most brilliant colours. But of the many uses to which it is applied, none is more important than the construction of canoes, and for this purpose it cannot be replaced by the bark of any other tree. To procure a proper piece for a canoo, the largest and smoothest trunk is selected. Wheu the tree is felled, a longitudinal incision is made along the tree for twenty or twenty- five feet J two circular incisions are made at each end ; the bark is loosened a little with the knife or a wedge, and almost immediately springs from the tree. To form the canoe, the seams are stitched with the fibrous roots of the white spruce about the size of a quill, which are deprived of the bark, split, and suppled in water. The seams arc o o-.t )d vih the gum of the spruce or balsam fir. White Birch — Betula Popttli/oUa. — The trunk of this species is clothed in a bark of as pure a white K. TREIJS 01 NEW BRUNSWICK r 2ba 10 Indian, nnd forest. The mediately be- forin a more OS. Baskets, it : the latter lilk or mooje most brilliant it is applied, onstruction of ot be replaced ocure a proper loothest trunk a longitudinal oty or twenty- made at each the knife or :ings from the stitched with tbout the size irk, spiit, and r id . i/h the —The trunk 3 pure a white ns iliat of the canoe birch, but its opideniu.s, whm separated from the cellular integument, is incapable of being divided into thin sheets, which constitutes an essential difference. Ye[\owiyivc]i— OetulaLutea.— C]i'uf[yu»ei\ for (\U'\. Black Birch — i/«?<«/a Lenta, or lietula NU/ra. — This tree forms the birch timber, of which large quantities are annually exported : it is also much used in ship-building. Common Alder — Alnus Sen'ulata. Wild Cherry-tree — Cerasus Virginiana. Red Cherry-tree— C^ra«M« Borealis. — Both these bear abundance of fruit, of a pleasant flavour but slightly acrid. The fruit makes capital cherry hmmce. Balm of Oilead, or Balsam Poplar — PopiJits Bakamifera. American Aspen, or Common Poplar — Populns Tremuloides. White Beech — Fagtts Sykestris. — Red Beech — Fagm Ferruginea. — Very common ; the white beech is valuable for ship-building, particularly for floor timber and bottom planks. Hornbeam — Carpinus Virginiana. — Not very common ; wood very hard and heavy. Hornbeam is valuable for every purpose to which its small size pencils it to be applied. i K Li ' 284 TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK. Iron Wood — Carpinus Ostrya. White Ash — Fraxinm Americana. Black Ash — Fraxinus /Sa»^6M(?^/b/^a.— The black ash is comparatively of little value to the white ash, of which great use is made in North America for almost every purpose. Coachmakers use it for shafts, frames of carriages, bodies, sleighs, and sleds. It is useful for chairs, water-pails, butter-boxes, sieves, spinning-wheels, hay -rakes, and numberless other purposes. White Elm — Ulmas Americana. Red Elm — Ulmm Rubra. Bass Wood, or American Lime — Tilia Ame- ricana. Red Pine — Piniis Rubra : in Canada Pin Rouge, and by the settlers Norway Pine. — Large quantities exported. Gray Pine — Pinus Rupestris. — Not common j of little value. White Pine — Pinm Strobm. — This is the great timber pine of commerce, generally called by tim- bermen, " the pumpkin pine,*" from its softness and whiteness. The largest trees grow in the bottoms of soft, friable, and fertile valleys, on the banks of rivers composed of deep cool, black sand, and in swamps filled with the white cedar, and covered with a thick and constantly humid carpet of spagnum. This .—The black to the white )rth America ers use it for b, and sleds, butter-boxes, I numberless -Tilia Ame- a Pin Rouge^ ge quantities common ; of is the great lied by tim- softness and the bottoms mks of rivers d in swampB with a thick num. This TREES OP NEW BRUNSWICK. 285 ancient and majestic inhabitant of the North Ame- rican forests is still the loftiest and most valuable of their productions, and its summit is seen at an immense distance aspiring towards heaven, far above the heads of the surrounding trees. American Silver Fir, or Balm of Gilead Fir — Ahies Balsamifera. — From this tree the well-known Canadian Balsam is obtained. This substance is naturally deposited in vesicles on the trunk and limbs, and is collected by bursting these tumours and receiving their contents in a bottle. White Cedar — Cupressis Thyoides. — The foliage is evergreen : the wood is light, soft, fine-grained, and easily wrought. When perfectly seasoned, and exposed for some time to the light, it is of a rosy hue ; it has a strong aromatic odour, which it preserves as long as it is guarded from humidity. The perfect wood resists the succession of dryness and moisture longer than that of any other species, and for this quality it is much valued. It is now much used for fishing-boats, and all the boats used by the whalers are built of it. American Larch — Laryx Americana. — The In- dian name is Hackmatack. The early Dutch settlers named it Tamarack — the French Canadians call it Epinette Rouge. In the northern parts of New Brunswick, where it is extensively used in 286 TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK. t ship-building, it is called Juniper. The wood of the American Larch is superior to any species of pine or spruce, and unites all the properties which distinguish the European species, being exceedingly strong and singularly durable. Turpentine is never extracted from it in America, as is done from the native species in Europe. The American Larch is a magnificent tree, with a straight, slender trunk, eighty or one hundred feet in length and two or three feet in diameter. Its numerous branches, except near the summit, are horizontal or declining. The bark is smooth and polished on the trunk and longer limbs, and rugged on the smaller branches. Black (double) Spruce — Abies Nigra. — In Ca- nada, this spruce is called Epinette Noire, and Epiiiette h la hi^re. The knees of vessels are gene- rally formed of black spruce, and immense quan- tities are annually sawn in New Brunswick into deals (or planks three inches thick) for exportation. From the young branches is made the salutary drink known as " spruce beer." The twigs are boiled in water, a certain quantity of molasses or maple sugar is added, with a little yest, and the mixture is left to ferment. The " essence of spruce" is obtained by evaporating to the consistence of an extract. Spruce beer is an effectual preventive of scurvy. The fishermen of Newfoundland and the ;k. TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 287 The wood of any species of operties which flg exceedingly entine is never done from the »rican Larch is slender trunk, th and two or rous branches, al or declining, the trunk and aller branches. Hgra. — In Ca- \te Noire, and jssels are gene- mmense quan- Irunswick into or exportation. » the salutary The twigs are of molasses or yest, and the ence of spruce"'"' nsistence of an preventive of dland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence drink large quantities of the spruce beer, mixed with rum, which drink they call " callibogus." It is considered an admirable corrective of their diet of very fat pork, (clear sheer) and keeps the men in good health. If the beer is made with white sugar and the rum be old, the drink is excellent. White (single) Spruce — Ahies Alba. — In Ca- nada Epinette blanche. — Much inferior to the fore- gomg. Hemlock Spruce— J. i/gs Canadensis. — The hem- lock spruce is always larger and taller than the black spruce. It attains the height of seventy or eighty feet, with a circumference of six to nine feet, and uniform for two-thirds of its length. Moist grounds appear not to be in general the most fa- vourable to its growth. In size it falls far short of the white pine, or pinus strobtts, which is the giant of American forests. Hemlock bark is ex- tensively used for tanning in New Brunswick ; no other bark is used for that purpose. American Arbor Vitie, or White Cedar — Thuya Occidentalis. — This is the most multiplied of the resinous trees, after the black and hemlock spruces. A cool soil is indispensable to its growth. It is seldom seen on the uplands among the beeches and birches, but is found on the rocky edges of the in- 288 TREES OP NEW BRUNSWICK. I ! numerable rivulets and small lakes scattered over this country. It frequently occupies in great part, or exclusively, swamps from fifty to one hundred acres in extent, some of which are accessible only in the winter when frozen. The branches of the white cedar will keep off moths when placed amongst clothes or furs. Boxes of rod cedar (cedar of Lebanon) will do the same, as also sandalwood. It is the powerful odour which has the effect upon the moths, and which they cannot bear. A more curious fact is that rats will not gnaw the wood of the hemlock- spruce, and therefore in New Brunswick it is used for corn-bins, ceiling cook-cellars, &c. The wood is said to be very bitter and poisonous : at all events, rats will not touch it — a hemlock plank often stops their depredations. There is no native Willow in New Brunswick which can rank as a tree ; and I have some doubts whether the Alder should be classed as such. The foregoing list comprises all the forest trees yet known or noticed in New Brunswick. Future research may discover others, but they cannot exist in any quantity or to any extent. CK. TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 289 J scattered over !S in great part, ;o one hundred accessible only ar will keep oflf othes or furs, ion) will do the s the powerful the moths, and curious fact is of the heralock- iswick it is used &c. The wood IS : at all events, lank often stops few Brunswick l,ve some doubts as such. the forest trees Iswick. Future ley cannot exist No. VIII. ON THE FOREST TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK. SUBSTANCE OF A LECTURE DELIVERED BY M. H. PERLEY, ESQ., AT THE MECHANICS* INSTITUTE. In introducing the subject, the lecturer said that, in order to elucidate it clearly, it would be neces- sary to take a brief glance at the geographical posi- tion of New Brunswick, and notice some of its principal features. A large map of the province was exhibited, and the lecturer said, that the area of the province, in round numbers, was seventeen millions of acres : that of these seventeen millions, five millions were granted, and two millions were deducted for water and waste, leaving ten millions ungranted and all fit for settlement at the disposal of the Crown. Of the five millions granted, only 500,000 acres were officially reported as being cleared and cultivated ; and, deducting this quantity, with a liberal allowance for water and waste, it would be seen that New Brunswick contained no less than fourteen millions of acres, covered with a dense forest. The southern part of the province (St. Andrew's) was stated as being in lat. 45° north, and Dalhousie, the northern extreme, in lat. 48°. The trees which covered the country were described as those which VOL. I. O 290 TREES OP NEW BRUNSWICK. flourish in greatest perfection between the pa- rallels of 43° and 4G° north, and might be divided into two great classes. The first class comprises the resinous trees, such as the pines and spruces, which cover the low grounds and bottoms of the valleys ; these are called " Soft wood lands." The second class consists of the deciduous or leafy trees, such as the maple, birch, and beech ; these grow on level ground or gentle declivities, and form what are called " Hard wood lands."" Between the 43rd and 46th parallels, these two great classes are found in nearly equal proportions ; but, proceeding from the 46th degree northward, the leafy trees become more rare, and the resinous trees more abundant. Below the 43rd degree, on the other hand, proceeding to the south, the resi- nous trees are found less common, and the others soon lose their predominance in the forest, by be- coming mingled with the numerous species of oaks and walnuts. The lecturer stated, that in North America, be- yond the parallel of 48°, all trees become dwarfish and but few varieties are found ; that beyond 49S only dwarfish shrubs exist up to 50° north, beyond which there are only mosses and barrens, across that extensive tract of country stretching from Canada to the Arctic Ocean. K. TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 291 (veen the pa- ^ht be divided ;lass comprises 3 and spruces, >ottoms of the Hands." The or leafy trees, 1 ; these grow and form what lels, these two al proportions ; ree northward, id the resinous 3rd degree, on outh, the resi- ,nd the others forest, by be- pecies of oaks America, be- come dwarfish it beyond 49°, north, beyond larrens, across Iretching from It was clear from the lecturer's statements, that this province, situated between the parallels of 45® and 48°, occupies a favourable position on the con- tinent of North America for furnishing a variety of large and valuable forest trees. Of these, the lec- turer said he had prepared a list, which he now for the first time submitted to the public — he was not aware that any similar list had been heretofore prepared, and he offered this as the result of the information he had derived from the works of the best naturalists, and of his own observations during some years among the forests, in different parts of the province. It was not offered as a perfect and complete list ; but he trusted that, so far as it went, it would be found correct. The lecturer then entered into a detailed descrip- tion of several species mentioned in the list, and exhibited some very fine specimens of native wood, particularly butternut, of good size and excellent quality, from the valley of the St. John, and larch and poplar of fine quality and large size, from Mi- ramichi. Subjoined is a correct copy of the list of forest trees exhibited at the lecture : — Gray Oak Red Oak Oak — Two species. . Quercus Borealis. . Quercus Rubra. o2 292 TREES OP NEW BRUNSWICK. J Butternut White Maple Red-ilowei-ing Maple Sugar (Rock) Maple Moose Wood Mountain (Low) Maple Dog Wood Canoe Birch White Birch Yellow Birch Black Birch Common Alder Walnut — One species. . Juglans Cathartica. Maple — Five species. . Acer Eriocarpum. . Acer Rubrum. . Acer Saccharinum. . Acer Striatum. . Acer Montanum. Comus — One species. . Comus Florida. Birch — Four species. . Betula Papyracea. . Betula Populifolia. . Betula lutta. . Betula lentfi. Alder — One species. . Alnus Serrulata. Cherry — Two species. . Cerasus Virginiana. . Cerasus Borealis. Wild Cherry Tree Red Cherry Tree Poplar — Two species. Balsam Poplar (Balm of Gilead) Populus Balsamifera. American Aspen . . Populus Tremuloides. Beech — Two species. White Beech . . . Fagus Sylvestris. Red Beech . . . Fagus Ferruginea. Carpinus — ^Two species. American Kombeam . Carpinus Americana. Iron Wood . . . Carpinus Ostrya. =1 A athartica. carpum. itm. 'uzrinum. turn. anum. mda. lyracea. juUfolia. a. itlata. \rgimana. )realis. alsamifera. 'emuloides. estris. •uginea. mericana. ^strya. TREES OP NEW BRUNSWICK. 293 Ash — Two species. White Ash . . . Fraxinus Americana. Black Ash . . . Fraxinus Sambuci/olia. Willow — Three species. Black Willow . . Salix nigra. Champlain Willow . . Salix lagustrina. , Shining Willow . . Salix lucida. Elm — Two species. White Elm . . . Ulmus Americana. Red Elm . . . Ulmus Rubra. American Lime — One species. Bass Wood . . . Tilia Americana. Pine — ^Three species. Red (Norway) Pine . . Pinus Rubra. Gray Pine . . . Pinus Rupestris. White Pine . . . Pinus Strobus. Spruce — Four species. Black, or Double Spruce Abies Nigra. White, or Single Spruce . Abies Alba. Hemlock Spruce . . Abies Canadensis. American Silver Fir . Abies Balsamifera. Cypress — One species. White Cedar . . . Cupressis Thyoides. Larch — One species. American Larch (Hackmatack)jLarjj? Americana. Juniper — One species. Arbor Vita) (Red Cedar) . 'i huya Occidentalis. END OF VOL. I. I ft i Frederick Shoberl, Junior, Printer to His Royul Hif;1>nesg Priuce Albert, 51, Bupert Street, Huymarl k . ! ?bness Pfiuce Albert, lion. \/>