IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ■'-^s !? .** 1.0 LI ■50 ^^~ I^HB » 12(2 12.2 ^ 124 "^ IS |i£ 12.0 IL25 1111.4 K Rml I 1.6 ^ ^.%.. or^^' Photograjiiic Sciences CorporatiGn 23 WIST MAIN STRKT WfSSTIR.N.Y. 14SM (716)172-4503 s vv <^ 4^ ''i CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHIVI/ICiVIH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Irstitute for Historical Microreproductions / institut Canadian da microraproductions historiquas Technical and Bibliographic Notaa/Notas tachniquaa ^t bibliographiquaa The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. L'Institut a microfilm^ le sneilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a M possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la mAthode normale de filmage sont indiqufo ci-dessous. □ Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur r~~| Covers damaged/ D D D D D D Couverture endommagte Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture reataurAe et/ou pelliculAe r~~| Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque I I Coloured maps/ Cartes gtegraphiques en couleur Coloured inic (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) I I Coloured plates and/or Illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ ReliA avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion alcng interior margin/ La re liure serrie peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge intftrieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ ii se pftut que certaines pages blanches ajouttes lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte. mais. lorsque cela Atait possible, ces pages n'ont pas ttt filmies. Additional comments:/ Commentaires supplimentaires: r~~l Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagies □ Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restauries et/ou pellicul^es 0^ Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages d6color6es, tacheties ou piquAes □ Pa^es detached/ Pages ditach^es r^p/ Showthrough/ I — I Transparence nn Quality of print varies/ D Quality inigale de I'impression Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du materiel supplimentaire T s T VI N d ei b( ri{ re m I — I Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont ixi filmies i nouveau de faqon A obtenir la meiileure image possible. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est filmA au taux de riduction indiquA ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 26X 30X 1 1_ _l 17 12X 16X aox 24X 28X 32X The copy filmed here hae been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: Library of the Public Archives of Canada L'exemplaire film* fut reprodult grAce k la gAnArositA de: La bibliothdque des Archives publiques du Canada The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and In keeping with the filming contract specifications. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated Impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a prUnted or Illustrated impression. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol — ^ (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol ▼ (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Les images suivantes ont M reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition at de la nettetA de l'exemplaire film*, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprimte sent filmis en commen9ant par le premier plat et en termlnent soit par la dernlAre page qui comporte une emprointe d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second plat, salon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont filmte en commenpant par la premlAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'iiiustrat'jn et en terminant par Ea derniAre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaftra sur la dernlAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols ▼ signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hend corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre fiimto A des taux de reduction difftrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reprodult en un seul clichA, il est f llmA A partir de I'angle supArieur gauche, de gouche A druite, et de haut en has, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 LTJMBEEING ON THE EIYER DTJ LOIJP; NOTES OF A TRIP TO HUNTERSTOWN, ST. MAIjEICE TEEEITOET, CANADA EAST, BT CHARLES ROBB, CIVIL ENGINEER. JOHN LOVELL, PRINTER, ST. NICHOLAS STREET. 1862. ..■■% LUMBERING ON THE RIVER DU LOUP. I It is a common practice with persons who have lived for some time in Canada, and who fancy they have acquired considerable knowledge of the country, to express surprise at the ignorance of foreigners, and especially Englishmen, with regard to its geographical features and institutions generally. But if they would look a little nearer home, they would probably find that they themselves are ignorant of many matters of interest and importance, which are daily transpiring within the Province, and are exercising a powerful, though unobtru- sive, influence upon its present condition and future destiny. There are, even within the limits of the explored and par- tially settled regions of the Province, though aside from the main streams of thoroughfare and traffic, extensive tracts of country lying as yet comparatively unknown and imvisited ; but which are the sites of active industry, and are interesting dtUke to the political economist, the lover of the picturesque, the naturalist and the sportsman. These reflections have been suggested to the writer of this notice by a visit which he has paid during the summer of the present year to Hunterstown, in the St. Maurice Territory, the head-quarters of the Hunterstown Lumber Company; and by short excursions which me had the opportunity of en- joying while there to the scenes of the operations of that company. Having been much struck with the extent of these operations, and the admirable system on which they were conducted, we made many inquiries, and gathered many facts in regard to them which seem worthy of being recorded ; and which we propose to embody with such brief notices of the physical and social condition of this district, as our very hasty reconnoissance enabled us .to make. The district of country to which this sketch refers is situar ted on the North Shore of the St. Lawrence, about 70 miles from Montreal, and 110 miles from Quebec, and extends about 50 miles back from the river, or rather from Lake St. Peter, into which the St. Lawrence here expands itself. It is traversed throughout its entire extent in a north and south direction by the River du Loup en haut^ a stream of very considerable size, and of remarkable purity and beauty ; which taking its rise in a chain of lakes in the northern part of the territory, underlaid by the Laurentian rocks, at an elevation of probably not less than 500 feet above Lake St. Peter, breaks through the barriers interposed by the hard bands of rock in this foi-mation, giving rise to a succession of falls and rapids ; and thereafter holds its peaceful course through the flat country occupied by the Silurian rocks for a distance of ten or twelve miles to its embouchure at Lake St. Peter. Such is the general character of all the streams flowing through the St. Maurice territory, the Maskinong^, Du Loup, and St. Maurice River itself; and as their headwaters are situated in a country abounding in pine and other useful kinds of tunber, and present unusual facilities for artificial control and regulation, they have long formed the sites of lumbermg operations. Probably none of the other rivers named are, however, nearly so favorably situated in these respects as the River du Loup ; and its superior advantages have been recognized and turned to profitable account by a company of enterprising Americans, which was incorporated in the year 1858, under . the title of " The Hunterstown Lumber Company," for the special purpose of manufacturing lumber. However the Canadians may affect dislike or jealousy of thoir brethren from the other side of the lines, it is certain that it is to them that they are mainly indebted for pointing out the road to success in the development of their natural resources ; and although our acute and far-seeing friends are no doubt actuated by motives of self-interest in their investments in Canada, the results tend greatly to the advantage of the land of their adoption, and their labors deserve every encouragement at the hands of the government and people of Canada. It must not, however, be inferred from what i«e&-have said, that the whole of the tract of country whose boundaries we have designatedjwas originally occupied, or is now possessed by the company, or that they were the first to settle and insti- tute industrial operations in that locality. That portion of it which lies between the borders of Lake St. Peter and Hunterstown — a distance of sixteen miles — ^be- longs to the Seigniories of Grandpr^ and Dumontier, and is in fact one of the oldest settled parts of Canada. At the present day it present-s all the well known and often described char acteristics of French Canadian scenery and occupation — a level tract of country divided into farms consisting of long nar- row strips of land abutting upon the main road, each with its neat painted or whitewashed cottage by the way-side, giving to the whole the appearance of a continuous village — a soil originally very rich and fertile, and no doubt heavily timbered, but now exhausted by a villainous system, or want of system of cultivation, and with every vestige of the original forest vege- tation swept away — and a numerous and apparently happy and contented population. -..;... The roads through the seigniories are very good ; and the way-side crosses, the gaudily painted cottages with their cur- vilinear eaves, thatched bams, long sweeping well-poles, and detached clay built ovens, in the form of enormous tortoises, 6 5; give an air of picturesque quaintness to the landscape, remind- ing the traveller of the descriptions of rural scenery in old France. Throughout the whole extent of the seigniories, with one exception, which;«ip» shaU presently name, ire observed no tavern or house of entertainment ; but here and there might be seen, dangling by a string at the comer of a cottage, a bot- tle with a sprig of spruce stuck into it ; a significant emblem, 4M presume, of the fact that spruce beer might be had within. The exceptional case w^ referred to is an excel- lent hotel at the celebrated St. Leon Springs, about fivd miles from Lake St. Peter ; very pleasantly situated on the bank of the river, and a place of most agreeable summer resort to the toil-worn citizen, or valetudinarian seeking to enjoy the undoubted benefit of its mineral waters. ' ' '^'^ ; The property more immediately acq aired and controlled by the company consists of the Township of Hunterstown, adjoin- ing the seigniories to the north, and comprising about 40,000 acres in one block, of excellent farming and lumbering land, helvi by them in fee-simple ; together with about 350 square miles of Timber Limits to the north of the township, held un- der a license from the Crown at the usual nominal rates ; and abounding m pines of the largest and finest description, as well as many other valuable kinds of timber which we shall hereafter specify. These limits comprise the entire water- shed of the River du Loup, and are intersected in all direc- tions by its tributary streams, which are fed from lakes of considerable dimensions ; thus giving unusual facilities at all parts and under all circumstances for the conveyance or "driving" of logs down the river. Within the whole extent of the township and limits there is no point distant more than five miles from a stream navigable for logs ; and the reservoir capacity of the lakes, some of which are ten or twelve miles in circumference, is such that in the driest season there is always abundance of water at command for floating the logs over the shoals and rapids. The vast practical importance of thus aa having the depth of the streams in a lumbering country under control will be appreciated by all who are practically conver- sant with the details of the operations. In other districts which do not possess these advantages, the whole year's labor is frequently lost from the logs sticking in a dry season, or great expense is incurred in keeping a large force of men on hand waiting for the rains to swell the streams. Another most important advantage possessed by this company is the absenvie of competition on the river, giving them the full con- trol of all their movements without danger of coming into col* lision with rival interests. For many years previous to the acqmsition of this property by the present company, lumbering was carried on to a limited extent in the township, and the produce was manufactured at the village of Hunterstown, at the south-eastern angle of the toTmship where a succession of falls occurs on the main stream of the River du Loup, yielding unlimited water-power. Here, in addition to ilie saw-mill, which was kept working without intermission for fourteen years, cutting deals for the Quebec market, a grist-mill with four runs of stones had been erected by the previous proprietors, and a store established for the supply of the lumberers and farmers throughout the township. In carrying on operations on a large scale, however, as designed by tiie Hunterstown Lumber Company, it was ob- vious that a land transportation of sixteen miles of their manufactured produce to the shipping port would seriously curtail their profits ; and accordingly, having purchased thirty acres of land at the mouth of the Biver du Loup, they erected there extensive steam saw-miUs, with all the modern improve- ments,capableofmanufacturing^milUon feet, board measure, of lumber annually. The " Upper Mills," as they are now called, at Hunterstown, have consequently been allowed to fall into disuse, except such portions of the establishment as are requirr^d to supply the wants of the inhabitants of the town- ship—such as tho gristrU^iU, clapboard and shingle machine If! I I and the store. The saw-mill also, though fallen somewhat to decay, is most useful in supplying the local demand ; and there is ample scope for the addition of further branches of industry to the establishment at Hunterstown. ' ' • ' • ■• The amount of water-power available for manufacturing pur- poses at and near the village is very great, there being a total fall of nearly fifty feet on the main stream at this point. A woollen factory might be carried on here with undoubted success, as ample supplies of the raw material could easily be obtained ; and the abundance of maple, birch and other woods adapted for the manufacture of furniture, suggested to our minds the idea that that business might also be very profitably followed here. In our examination of the rocks around the village, we discovered extensive bands of decomposing and compact feL spar, apparently of the kind so extensively used in England for the manufacture of porcelain and the finer descriptions of pottery, as well as for other purposes in the arts ; quartz also and the other materials for the pottery manufacture are very abundant. On some parts of the property copper ore, plumbago, ochres and other valuable mineral products have been discovered, and although the time at our disposal did not admit of such explorations, we should judge it quite probable^^^ from the geological position of the district, that it may coil- tain mineral deposits of importance. ^ The total population of the township at this date, probably does not exceed seven hundred, of whom about five hundred are settled around the Upper Mills, or Hunterstown village, which contains about sixty houses and tenementsforlaborers,alarge and commodious house for the managers, store-houses, &c., all belon^g to the company ; besides a farm of 500 acres undor excellent cultivation, together with bams, oflBces and stabling for a hundred horses. They have sold about sixty farms within the township ; and the banks of the river, which flow? through it in a very winding course, are bordered by i&* wido intervales of very fertile alluvial land, much of which is already under cultivation, yielding excellent crops of oats, barley, hay, &;c. Hunterstown already possesses the ad- vantage of a daily mail, and as the lumber lands and all the tributaries of the River du Loup are situated above and at no very great distance from the village, its situ- ation as the key of the whole district is remarkably well chosen. An extensive region lying immediately to the north of these limits, along the banks of the Matawin River, is exceedingly well adapted for settlement, and has already received much attention from the government of Canada with that view ; the main road to this region when opened up must undoubtedly pass through Hunterstown vil- lage. The numerous lakes comprised within the townships and limits, and the reaches of the noble river which meanders through them, now dashing over falls and rapids and anon gliding peacefully between level and fertile banks, afford every variety of picturesque scenery, such as can rarely be sur- passed ; and are beginning to attract the attention of artists, several of whom we found had visited the place this season in search of subjects for their pencils. These lakes literally swarm with the finest trout in the world ; and to those sportsmen who are fortunate enough to have the privilege of penetrating to them, will yield a glorious reward for the labors and hardships they may have to encoun- ter ; not the least of which, at the season when we visited them, consisted in the attacks of the black flies anu jqos- quitoes, who seem to have been expressly deputed by the Great Spirit, with microscopic tomahawk and invisible poison- ed arrow to avenge the extermination of the native Indian tribes upon all the white skins who dare to invade these remote solitudes. In proof of its superiority as a fishing ground we may mention that last season. General Sir Fenwick Williams of Kars, having expressed a wish to enjoy his favorite ••> '!i I: 10 K: fWO .vf elp&tk of ftngling for ft ^reek within tk. scoessible distanee from MontreiJ, ir&8 reeoim&ended by the knoinag ohm to select ^t^ locality, and had no cause to regret his choice. We had oecaaon, daring pu ezcundon to one of these lakes iHth a ^ikr object, to observe the variety and distribntind of the timber trees in their native forests, the nature and extent of the Inmbering operations, and the means by -sMch tike logs were floateu during an unusually dry season to the mouth of the river. Fortunately during tiie time of our vint tiie men were employed in "driving'* the logs which had been cut imd collected during the winter ; and we had the pleasure of witnessing a "jam " of about tiiree quarters of a mile in length, where the ^ole river to that extent was cov^ ered wii^ pine logs ; the foremost rank being grounded vap&a a shoal, and the whole awaiting the arrival of other detach- ments from the roMT, when a riight artificial flooding of the river (which can, H necessary, be accomplished at any time to tiie extent of about five feet) by opening some of tiie sluices at tiie mouth of the lakes, would float the entire mass over the shoal. We were hifbrmed that from 22,000 to 26,000 logs, tike produce of last winter's lumbering, were then being driven down to the mills ; and when all collected, would cover the river to the extent of about two miles. Very many of tiie logs we saw were over three feet in diameter ; and tiie aver^ age might be about 20 inches, and all seemed to be of remarkably good quality. As an illustration of the great mo to which the timber sometimes attains on this property, we wore credibly informed of a single pme cut thereon in 1856 which yielded the amacing quantity of 13,000 feet, board measure, of good lumber. The other descriptions of timber of economic importance which this territory yields in inmost mexhaustible abundance are Spruce, Tamarack, Beech, Maple, and Birch. It is com* puted that the aggregate amount of merchantable pine timber in the township and limits will exceed 200 millii;ifh Itrgo fwd flouriahing, is capable of bewg very greasy woreag^d* ytHk Uttle adcUtional outlay or larwble, mi atiU ylelduig » yery baadaome profit upon tbo capital invested. Tb« greateiit drawback is the want of a class of set^ecp wbo sheuld con^ bino the reqfuisite qualifications for good fanners aj;Ld good iiomberers. If the township were settled witb stvprdy m^r iprants from the old eountiy, there would be no difficulty im ^electing fixun then fit persons to carry on advanta^ously the mills and other iftanufiictories, for whi<^ the gi^at abwft* 4anoe of water-power and couYenience of bringing the produce tQ nuurket, alford woh &cilities and inducements; and loii^ before the materials for the lumbering business, 9it present W active operation, were ei^\pted, the farms would be ap improved as to render the property extremely valuable, aofL the country would b^ so tiiickly setUed thsjt there would b$ jVnple scope for the profitable e;mploymeiM> Qf 411 the wat^r^ |iower in foetories of varioos kinds. The lumber and tunber trade in Canada is ef y^tt and iqr oreasing inQH>rtance, and the productii of our forests will long (K>ntaime, as heretofore, to constitute one of the great s^aj^ (urtides of export, second in importance only to our bread* |ti^ ; m lact, considering tilie great amount of shipping ^ tracted to our ^ores by tbiui trade, i,t e^ercisea perhaps % greater influence on our commerce thaii my other* Canadft «iq9orts asmually about 80 million oubic feet of timber in the mwgh state, and about 400 mmion feet, bofupd measnre, of sawn lumber. ^ revenue derived by the Popvinpe during X86Q| ^ timber cut in the forests amounted tp ahoi^t |600,Q0Q« For the prosecution of such a business on an eztensive^i iaie and lucrative scale, we know of no district so &vorahly qitnated as that we have atteni^ted to describe ; combining i^ it does sueh advantages lor getting the logs with ease wad segqlarity to the nte of manufacture and port of shipment { i«ch fKoismtj and focilities of «Qinmnni««tion with all thP 15 principal markets, both in Canada and the United States ; and such admirable arrangements and system, ahready in fall operation, and producing handsome returns, although yet capable of almost indefinite expansion. Montreal, Ist July, 1862.