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CAUTLEY NEWBY, PUBLISHER, 80, WELBEOK STREET, OAYENDISH SQUARE. 1864. [nU RIOIT or TBAMILAnOM IS BHnTlD.] \ i f I 51 * TO JAMES WYLL, Esq!, M.P., *W., «To., THBas V ««•«»««« ARE IN.CB,.,!, AS AN •XPHWSIOM or RBOARD, THE AUTHOR, 11 :. I V '■ CONTENTS OF VOLUME L CHAPTER L THE YOTAOE OUT. PAOK. Embarkation — ^Arrival atMoville— A"BlackFa8t" in London- derry — Singularly-shaped Icebergs — Breaking of an Engine — The St. Lawrence — Scenery round Cape Gaspe — Pea^ and Perils of the St Lawrence. 1 CHAPTER 11. QUSBEa The Capital of Canada — Population— The First Colonists— The Citadel — Residences, Ancient anc* Modem — Municipal Neglect — Historical Memories — The Marine Horoital-- A Chapter of Aooidents—FStes d'Obligation— The Ship Buildt:ag Trade— Legend of the "Hermitage" 8 ¥ '¥ CHAPTER III. TOPOORAPHICAL SKETCHES. Scenic Beauties of Quebec— Dwellings of the JTabitant—FaWBoi Montmorenci — The Natural Kteps— Indian Village of Lorette — Burning of a Church — Peasant Life— The Legislative Bodies — Political Parties — The Parliamentary Library . 87 VI CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. IfflNISTERIAL CRISIS. PAGE. The New Canadian Cabinet — Sketches of its Members — Depart- mental Mismanagement — Financial Position and Prosperity of the Province — Purging the Pepartments^Policy of the Adminstration— An Unpopular Adjutant-General . . . 52 CHAPTER V. THE DEFENCE OF CANADA. Bejection of the Militia Bill — Passing of a Modified Measure— Recall of Colonel Lysons, C.B. — Supineness among Volun- teers — Strength of the Active Militia Force of Quebec — Canada a Spoilt Child— Spirit of the French-Canadian Press — Antipathy towards England — The New York Press Condoles with the Canadians — Annexation and a French Protectorate Denounced— Anglo-Federal Journals— Effective Volunteer Force of the Province 83 CHAPTER VI. THE UNIVERSITY OF LAVAL— THE GRAND AND LITTLE SEMINARIES. Grant of a Royal Charter— Prince of Wales' Visit— Institution of a Prize— Outline of the Buildings, Cabinets, Museums, etc. — Pupils and Professors — Government of the Seminary — The Late Rector — The Grand Seminary for Theological Students — Financial Position of the University — Costume of the Scholars in the Little Seminary — Residence of the Priests — Monseigneur De Laval — His Educational Labours— Chapel of the Seminary — Saintly Relics — A Combination of Mishaps. 101 CHAPTER VII. MORAL ASPECTS OF THE CAPITAL. Separate School Systems — The First School in Canada — How Common Schools are Supported — Educational Statistics — The Old Jesuit College Metamorphosed into a Barrack — Preponderance and Description of Crime — Visit to the Gaol —What Constitutes "Hard Labour"— The "Room of Records " — A Maniac — Gaol Dietary — Condition of the Prison and the Prisoners — Absence of Classification . . .118 CONTENTS.- tii CHAPTER VIII. LUNACY IN LOWER CANADA. — THE ASTLUM AT BEAUFORT. PAOB. LunaticB Originally Confined in Beligious Houses — ^Their Con- dition and Treatment — Sir C. Metcalfe's Philanthropic Exer- tions in their Behalf —First Receptions of Insane Persons at Beaufort Asylum — Pleasurable Emotions Created in their Minds by the Change of Scene and Discipline — Description of the New Building and the Grounds — Patients and their Occupations — Rationale of Treatment Adopted — Library and News Room — Effects of Religions, Esthetic, and Social Observances — Singular Examples of Mental Aberra- tion—The Beaufort Type of Insanity .... 129 CHAPTER IX. MONTREAL. Situation and Extent of the City— The " Mountain "—Judicial Divisions of the Province — Foundation of Montreal — Position of an Early Governor — ^The Coureurs de B '■if' ''I n 26 ENGLISH AMERICA. and when all the " patriots " had either heen hanged or appointed to office. A large tannery first became ignited, and the wind blowing freshly, the burning embers were distributed far and wide, so that the district of St. Roch, for more than a mile in extent, was one vast sheet of flame. Half consumed human bodies and the carcases of horses and cattle were strewed about in all directions. The very same day of the following month a similar calamity occurred in the St. Louis* suburb. By these catastrophes sixteen thousand persons were rendered homeless, while property to the amount of nearly six hundred thousand pounds was de- stroyed. During the ensuing month of June the theatre — for Quebec once possessed a temple of Thespis — ^was consumed during the exhibition of a diorama, when forty-five citizens, many of whom belonged to the upper classes, met with a fearful death. Shortly after my arrival in the city, two exten- sive fires occurred during the same week, laying bare entire districts, and throwing hundreds of the poor cottage-holders upon public charity both for food and shelter. The first took place in the St Louis' suburb, and raged fiercely the whole day, utterly demolishing house by house, and street by street, until within a wide area nothing could be observed but a stack of tall chimneys, grim • CONFLAGRATIONS. 27 charred ruins, that made one melancholy to look upon. With few exceptions all the houses were built of wood. This fire doubled in extent that of the preceding June. The second fire broke out the morning following in the populous and extensive suburb known as Boisseauville or St. Sauveur. Its ravages were more terrible than the other, and the amount of property involved was greater. In both instances the great drawback was deficiency of water. In a metropolis like Quebec, densely populated in some parts, and containing numerous old wooden fabrics that a spark is sufficient to ignite, an effi- cient fire brigade would appear indispensable. But there is no such institution. I much doubt whether there be even a fire engine. Of this, however, I am certain, that to the police is entrusted the duty of extinguishing fires, a feat they seldom succeed in effecting. Thi entire organization— nearly com- posed of kabitans — for the wide and numerous dis- tricts into ^' hich the city is divided, does not exceed f rt; or at most forty men. These are generall} ittered in pairs about those localities considered most in need of their presence. Certainly they are the most stupid and stultified looking mortals of their class that it has been my ill fortune to have encountered in any country through which I have travelled. They are far from being a preventive ' ■; m ■I ■ M '>. .B i kr k :li ?:■ .) till 1^ ! ' y 28 ENGLISH AMERICA. force; and as to interfering in street quarrels, which, by the way, are of frequent occurrence, they consider it the wisest policy to avoid them. Those districts laid bare by the awful calamities to which I have referred were not long in becom- ing re-populated. But, unfortunately, most of the newly- erected dwellings are likewise of wood, plastered over, and therefore equally liable to de- struction as the others. It seems unaccountable that with a municipal bye-law prohibiting the further erection of wooden structures, the same should be suffered without opposition or even remonstrance on the part of the civic authorities. The corporation is not free from censure in this matter ; for why pass an enactment for the security of life and property if they be not prepared to carry out its conditions? To create laws, and then connive at their infraction, or administer no punish- ment to the offenders, betoken a state of things over which I feel rather inclined to throw a veil. About the same time such havoc occurred in Quebec, conflagrations in the neighbouring woods were prevalent. Owing to this cause, the city for days was enveloped in dense smoke, giving to it the aspect of London during a November fog. These fires rapidly extended to the houses in the settle- ments. At Cape St. Ignace several barns were destroyed. Similar ravages took place at St. Denis. FETE D'OBLIGATION. 29 Along the line of railroad, as well as on the other roads contiguous to these fires, it was necessary for the scattered residents to seek shelter by effect-* ing their escape, so dense and suffocating was the smoke. One wood I myself witnessed on fire ten miles distant from the city. The sharp crackling of the branches, and the fierce roar of the mad- dened flames as they crisped round, and shot in forked curves high above the tallest trees, had a truly appalling effect. On the festival of St. Jean-Baptiste, which occurs on the twenty-fourth of June, the French population attempted to get up a " sensation.'' The dreary streets were for a few short hours galvanised into temporary life. Branches of maple trees were nailed along the wooden pathways at the distance of three feet apart, giving an enliven- ing appearance to the monotonous thoroughfares ; while sprigs of the same were entwined around the doors and wi ndows of numerous dwellings. In com- memoration of the day, high mass was celebrated at the Church of St. John, which was decorated with green branches and any number of flags, the most imposing being the Union Jack, and British colours, bearing the Prince of Wales* plume. The services having terminated, a lengthy pro- cession was formed outside the church, consisting of the St Jean-Baptiste Society, the pupils of I i 30 ENGLISH AMERICA. the public schools, the students of Laval Univer- sity and the Seminaries, some trade guilds, and a * few militia- men, preceded by a band of music. Along St. John's-road, a number of banners wafted gaily in mid-air. Looking downward from the church there seemed a vast array of them. One in particular struck me as being very conspicuous. It was an immense red flag, bear- ing large white letters, which I readily construed to represent some suitable device for the public fete. As I approached nearer, however, I was mortified upon discovering that the banner so prominently displayed was made the medium of an advertisement ; a certain tradesman thereby informing the public that he kept a " hay loft J" Fetes d' obligation are of frequent occurrence in Lower Canada ; and are strictly observed as general holidays by the Catholic population. Of these the feast of Corpus Christi is perhaps the most im- portant. On the anniversary of that particular day, at the solicitation of Baron Boilleau, I accom- panied him to the French Cathedral, where high mass was celebrated. Over one hundred priests and acolytes surrounded the grand altar, which was one dazzling blaze of light; in itself a gorgeous specimen of decorative art. These ministrants were habited in snowy surplices and purple 80uta7ies» Some of them bore silk banners, 'A THE FRENCH CATHEDRAL. 31 of red, white, and blue tints, fringed with gold and otherwise richly embroidered. A number of youths, tastefully decorated — literally all muslin and ribbons — carried light ornamental baskets laden with flowers; while there could not have been less than two dozen ecclesiastics bearing censers, which they manipulated in concert with wonderful dexterity, until the church was dark with perfumed incense that curled gracefully up in tinted waves towards the lofty dome. The diocesan would have been the chief celebrant had he not been in Rome at the '' canonization," in obedience to the command of the Pope ; and the archbishop's unfortunate mental malady prevented his attendance. After the religious celebration a " procession of the Host " took place within the walls of the sacred edifice — a ceremony which was repeated publicly in the streets on the subsequent Sunday. In the churches of Paris or Italy I have not witnessed the principal religious rite of the Roman Church celebrated with such gorgeous parade ; but the music was woefully deficient, and so was the singing; consequently I camu away grievously disappointed. This cathedral, called the " Church of the Immaculate Conception," was consecrated by the first Bishop of Quebec in 1606. During the siege in 1 759, it was greatly injured by shells discharged m f.:- 1. ♦ ^t % ! 32 ENGLISH AMERICA. from batteries on Point Levi; so that much of its ornamentation was destroyed, beside a nmnber of valuable paintings. Some of the latter, how- ever, have been restored. These consist of nine works by Vandyke, Blanohon, Vignon, Restoul, and Carlo Maratti. Ever since the year 1787 — as far back as the public records go — a regular ship-building trade has been carried on in Quebec. From that period to 1 824 inclusive, a cycle of thirty-eight years, the average number of vessels built annually did not exceed twenty-four, the highest numbers being fifty-eight and fifty-four in the years 1788 and 1811 respectively, and the lowest number, six, in the year 1792. From the year 1825 to 1861, on the other hand, the average number of ships built amounted to about fifty-six annually, the maximum number being ninety-five in 1855, and the minimum twenty-four in 1832. The number of vessels launched during the last decennial period was six hundred and eighty-two; but during the con- cluding five years of the decade they merely amounted to two hundred and eighty-one; thus exhibiting a considerable decline in this important branch of trade. The total number of vessels built at the port of Quebee since 1787 was two thousand nine hundred and 1 ' SHIP-BUILDING. 33 thirty-nine, their aggregate measurement reach- ing 890,201 tons. In March 1862, there were twenty-six ships on the stocks building under the inspection of Lloyd's surveyor. The gross tonnage of these vessels was 22,330 tons. The ship-building ^rms are about fifteen in number. Canadian- built vessels, now enjoying through the liberality of the French Government equal privileges with those of British build, are likely to prove advantageous to the ship -building interest of Quebec. Indeed, there is an increase of seven vessels and 3,000 tons in favour of 1862 over the preceding year. As early as 1749, when Quebec was the seat of Western French Empire, ship-building, con- sidering the capabilities of the place, was carried on rather extensively. Ships of war had been built for the French navy, until a prohibition arrived to discontinue the work, owing to the nature of the material — the American oak —not being considered so sound or useful as European timber of a like description. The shipping trade of 1862 contrasted most favourably with that of the four preceding years, judging from the comparative statement of the im- ports and exports, and the duties collected. In 1 86 1 the exports amounted to 8,316,3^2 dollars ; the im- ports to 6,434,360 dollars; and the duties to 6 ■;;■'> ji^J M- « . IV'. -i; M. r L, ....II'- :ii I' 1 f i ! iii i M r i ,1! i 34 .:* ENGLISH AMERICA. 494,103 dollars — sums greatly in excess of those given for the previous periods. The lumber merchants of Quebec generally carry on a brisk business during the season ; but the American war had caused a depression in the English markets on timber as well as on other ex- ports, which circumstance, combined with the ex- cessive quantity of the commodity brought down from Ottawa^ had rendered that branch of commerce very inactive. A faulty system of arrangement seems to exist between labourers and lumber masters, which injuriously operates against both. At one time the former are glad to earn from twenty-five to fifty cents, a day, whilst at another they will demand from one to two dollars — -just as emergency and scarcity of hands arise. In the suburbs is a habitation called the " Hermitage," which no one can be prevailed upon to inhabit. Its history is variously told. The received version is that it was constructed in 1712 by one of the French Intendants, Mons. De Bigot, as a place of confinement for a fair paramour, — the wife of Philbert, a Quebec merchant, — who proved false to her husband and subsequently false to her seducer. Herein she was confined for life, and deprived of holding converse with any human being. Her ghost is supposed still to haunt the " Hermitage." But this dwelling is not its only re- '\)t THE "hermitage. »> 35 sort, " when churchyards yawn." It is also sup- posed to re-visit the residence of her deserted spouse ; and several persons now living in Quebec speak confidently of having seen it. The house referred to is the building occupied as the General Post Office, an object of curiosity from the circumstance of a " Chien cT Or," or Golden Dog, being over the door. It is a gilt figure in relievo, representing the animal gnawing a bone, under which, by way of illustration, is the following doggrel : — " Je svis vn chien qvi ronge mon os ; En le ron^eant je prends mon repos, Vn jovr viendra qvi n'est pas encore venv, Ov je mordrai celvi qvi m'avra mordv :" Signifying "I am a dog gnawing a bone; in gnawing I take my repose. The day will come that I will bite him who has bitten me." This device is said to have been invented by the en- raged husband in testimony of the antipathy he bore Bigot, so notorious for having made such exorbitant drafts on the Treas^iry of France that one of the French Queens began to suspect that the walls of Quebec were not metaphorically but literally built of gold. Tradition gives more than one account of the Chien cCOr as well as of the " Hermitage," but it is agreed that the latter ■■•:'k'^~' I *1 !: I I i 1 36 ENGLISH AMEBICA. was a woman's solitary prison where she had been incarcerated through the jealousy of her seducer, and that the spirit of the sufferer re-visits the scene of her earthly sorrows. '#-. 37 CHAPTER III. m . •'■■'■.('" '"'if TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Scenic Beauties of Quebec — Falls of Montmorenci — Indian Village of Lorette — Burning of a Chvrch — Peasant Life — The Legislative Bodiea— The Parliamentary Library. The scenic beauties of this region are in point of loveliness perhaps unrivalled by any other scenery in the world. Among the prominent objects of interest are the Lake St. Charles, the Island of Orleans,— called the Isle of Bacchus by Jacques Cartier, from the luxuriant fruits and vines with which it abounded— dividing the St. Lavn^ence into two currents, and the cascades of Chaudiere, Lorette, and Montmorenci. The last is, indeed, a beauteous cataract, which discharges itself into the St. Lawrence. Narrowing into a channel of about forty feet, the Montmorenci river becomes pre- cipitated over a perpendicular ravine, about two hundred and fifty-feet, thundering down the dizzy precipice with such fury as to send up snowy Mii. ri.- : '■' -1 ; V m i 88 ENGLISH AMERICA. wreaths of vapour into mid-air, that are ever varying and assuming fantastic forms, so as to produce a fascinating effect upon the beholder. In winter, the spray thus flung upwards becomes frozen, and forms a solid cone of con- siderable altitude. When the wind is in a favourable direction the sound of these waters is distinctly heard in Quebec, seven miles dis- tant. A mile or two above the Falls the river becomes contracted between lofty vertical rocks, thereby increasing its velocity and forming here and there cascades of ten or twelve feet in depth. In this locality may be observed what are fami- liarly designated the " Natural Steps " — a geolo- gical curiosity. These appear to have been formed by the attrition of the neighbouring stream, occasioned by the melting of the snow imparting to it an augmented rapidity. These steps are so ex- tensive and regular in their formation as to make one fancy they were the laboured results of human art and not the operation of unaided nature. I made several visits to the delightful Falls of Montmorenci ; not so much for the purpose of observing the foaming cataract, dashing its snowy spray almost to the clouds, as of studying French Canadian peasant life. In few places can this be seen to greater advantage than along the village of Beauport, which extends almost the entire DWELLINGS OF THE- HABITANS. 39 distance from Quebec to Montmorenci. The form of the cottages, the appearance of the habitans^ the decorated crosses on the road side, are truly French. There is one thing, however, that distinguishes these people from their Norman ancestors, and gives to the village of Beauport an aspect not to be met with in similar districts of France. This characteristic feature consists in cleanliness, car- ried almost to an excess. The exterior of the houses and the door- steps — for a high door be- comes necessary during winter, when five or six feet of snow cover the ground — are mostly coloured white, while the small windows are filled with flowers^ imparting an air of gaiety to the village, quite charming to behold. Although the farms are small, they are well kept, and yield an abun- dant produce. In this region vegetation is very rapid, so that in two or three weeks after the snow disappears, the land is covered with verdure, fruits blossom, and corn and vegetables spring up without the aid of much human labour. Once, in driving along the St. Foy road along with Baron Boilleau and his amiable lady, he di- rected my attention to a column, not very long erected, to the memory of General St. Foix, a French officer, of whose military renown but one historian, I believe, has made prominent mention. This column is of iron, and looked very unsightly, 4 ■ '•'■■'•'*j 'Mi ■i'. • ';,■ B. 40 ENGLISH AMERICA. being partially covered with rust. When Prince Napoleon was on a visit to Baron Boilleau he was shown this evidence of French Canadian feeling, and, I was informed, promised to have a statue made of St. Foix, with which to surmount the monument. Nothing further, however, had been heard about the generous offer up to the time of my quitting Canada. Baron Gauldree Boilleau is a Frenchman, though not a French Canadian. In Quebec he holds the oflSce of Consul-General of France. He was honoured by the present Pope by being made Commander of the Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great, as a reward for the services he had rendered to the Church, while discharging the high functions entrusted to him by the French Government, in Asia, America, and Europe. Some few years ago the Baron married Miss Benton, daughter of the Honourable Thomas Hart Benton, United States' Senator, author of " Thirty Years in the Senate." Another daughter of the American legislator is the wife of General Fremont, of the Federal States army. In close proximity to the Falls is a mansion built by General Haldimand, once the Governor of the Lower Province. It was subsequently oc- cupied by the Duke of Kent, but is at present held by the proprietor of an adjacent saw mills. AN INDIAN VILLAGE. 41 Eighty feet above this Mansion, hanging like a spider's web, was once a suspension bridge, the towers of which only now remain. In the Spring of 1856 it gave way, burying with it a few people in the boiling waters below. Inspired with that restless and sateless curiosity inherent in most travellers, I was induced to visit the pretty Indian village known as Lorette, three miles distant to the westward of Quebec. Here reside the last remnant of the Huron tribe, with their chief and " Queen." Their residences are built in the French style, and the whole aspect of the district is essentially Norman. These Indians are frugal and industrious in their habits, and live partially by the manufacture of fancy articles, or grimcracks, which they sell to visitors, and by the cultivation of small farms. They entirely abstain from intoxicating liquors ; following in this re- spect the example of their ancestors, who, upon being converted to Christianity, solemnly vowed never to imbibe strong drinks, the great bane of their race. On my arrival I observed a large paper mill on fire, which had ignited the old Indian church. Between this church and that of the Santa Casa at Loretto, in Italy, from which the village takes its name, there existed, it is said, some resem- ( ■' !?; \ ■ti; ^iV. I ly 42 ENGLISH AMEBICA. blance. All the rich and elegant priestly vest- ments, and the sacramental vessels of pm-e silver, presented by one of the French Emperors, were fortunately secured and deposited with the venerable chief. It was a touching sight to have observed the squaws and Indians removing their household effects, including a miscellaneous collec- tion of furs, snow shoes, etc., lest they should be destroyed. The roofs of the little wooden houses, scarcely better than shanties, swarmed with young Indians of the sterner sex ; while numberless buc k ets filled with water were handed up to them by women and children, the contents being thrown over the roofs, thereby rendering them less liable to ignition. It was useless to have attempted saving the church, for the flames were so violent that it was speedily demolished. The stone resi- dence of the priests adjoining escaped uninjured. Both the "King" and "Queen of the Hurons" visited London in 1825, for the purpose of urging some claims oo the Government, on which occa- sion the " Queen" was presented by the Lord Mayor with a silver medal, of which mark of distinction she appeared exceedingly proud. Immediately inside of Prescott gate stands the Parliament House, a plain, inconvenient building, erected on the site of the old archiepiscopal palace. I THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. 43 ■1^ Upper and Lower Canada return one hundred and thirty members to the House of Assembly, being exactly sixty-five for each division of the Province. Prior to 1854, the Legislative Council, or mem- bers of the Upper House, were appointed for life by the Crown. The law rendering this body par- tially elective, first came into operation in 1855, when the Province was divided into forty-eight electoral divisions ; twenty-four for Eastern, and the same number for Western Canada. These forty-eight sections were again sub-divided into four classes, when the ballot was drawn of twelve electoral divisions each. The elections for the first division took place in 1856 ; for the second, in 1858; for the third, in 1860; and for the fourth, in 1 862. A candidate for the Legislative Council must possess a property qualification of two thousand pounds, and has either to reside in the division he represents or else hold an estate in the country. One-fourth of the members thus elected retire in succession every two years, but become legally eligible for re-election. Twenty- seven members are still in the Council who were elected by the Crown. By the same act the office of Speaker is rendered likewise elective. In order to counterbalance political and personal jealousies, which are very rife, the speakerships of both Houses are bestowed alternately upon Upper and •n ■(, ' |i s 44 ENGLISH AMERICA. Lower Canadian members ; an arrangement which appears to work well. The politicians of Canada comprise various grades, but they are generally classified under six denominations, viz : — Blues, — Persons who uphold the doctrine of the temporal power of the Roman Church. Rouges, — Those who oppose the Church of Rome on temporal questions. Tories, — A party almost extinct, but who once were the supporters of " the Old Family Com- pact." Conservatives, — The adherents and admirers of the J. A. McDonald and Cartier's administra- tion and policy. Hincksite Reformers, — Adherents to the policy of Baldwin, associated with that of the Grand Trunk. Clear- Grits, — OutrS Democrats. These em- brace every class of politician in Canada, so far at least as it has been possible for me to ascertain. The Premier having rendered me free of both Houses, I occasionally was accommodated on the benches while witnessing the proceedings of the legislative bodies. Ordinary parliamentary busi- ness was conducted with much gravity, order, and due dispatch. In the Lower House I was privileged ' HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT. 45 to hear an angry debate upon a public question, on which occasion a great deal of rough oratory and personal invective was displayed. The speeches were delivered in French and English ; an awkward arrangement, as many of the mem- bers are acquainted but with one language. Some of the English members possess remarkable natural talent ; but the deficiencies in their edu- cation are easily perceptible. Parliament was prorogued by Lord Monck abc^^t the middle of June. The ceremony of pro"- 'i. n was somewhat interesting, although, of cir^o, infinitely inferior to such a sight in the " old country." A guard of honour lined the streets from Lord Monck's residence to the House of Assembly, guns were fired from the platform, and nothing was omitted that could render the event imposing. Quebec returns three members to the provincial Legislature ; namely, one member for each ward. It possesses six newspapers, four of which are English, and two French ; viz : the Chronicle^ Gazette, News, Vindicator, Journal, and the Debate. Of the English journals two are Conserva- tives, one Radical, and the other Liberal. Both the French papers advocate the Liberal interest. And here I shall take the opportunity of giving an account of the Parliamentary Library. .;W m ':, kii ■■■.■■ » mm £!■ ;• .!:■ I i llilliiH i 46 ENGLISH AMERICA. During the union of the provinces in 1841, both Houses of the Canadian Legislature possessed extensive libraries. These consisted principally of parliamentary records, works of general history and jurisprudence, and a rare collection of books treating of America and Canada. By means of annual appropriations, these collections had in- creased in the year 1849 to about ten thousand volumes in the Legislative Council library, and to twelve thousand five hundred volumes in that of the Legislative Assembly. Upon the burning of the Houses of Parliament, then situated at Mon- treal, on the 25th of April, 1849, by a riotous assembly, during a time of high political excite- ment, both these fine collections were totally de- stroyed. On the 3rd July following, the Hon. A. N. Morin, Speaker of the Lower House, in a letter to the provincial parliament, thus alludes to this unfortunate calamity : — " The loss has fallen not merely upon the parliament itself, but generally upon the people of the Province, who, by the liberality of the members of both Houses, were permitted access to the books, in default of other opportunities of literary gratification and research, there being no other library in Canada, of any magnitude, to which the public were admitted.*' The Speaker was finally empowered by the Legis- PARLIAMENTARY LIBRARY. 47 lative Assembly, to communicate officially the grievous loss and deprivation the country had thereby sustained to the principal representative bodies in the mother-country and America, as the existing state of the provincial finances did not, at the time, warrant any considerable outlay for its reconstruction. It was suggested that these individuals should be made acquainted with the extent of the calamity, and their generous assist- ance solicited, by sending copies of such of their journals, statutes, or other printed documents, as could be spared to form a nucleus for a new library. This official application met with a very liberal response from the Secretary of State for New York ; Mr. Wynne, of Paternoster Row, London; the Parliamentary Agent ; the Executive Council of Nova Scotia ; and the Rt. Hon. the Speaker of the British House of Commons. The latter im- parted a very important aid, having presented a valuable series of journals and sessional papers of the House from 1801 to 1848 inclusive, compris- ing nearly fifteen hundred vohunes. " The worth of this collection," observes the first Report (2nd Aug., 1850), "as a repertory of parliamentary, historical, and statistical information, can scarcely be overrated. It will be found of immense utility to all persons engaged in the business of Icgisla- ; • ■';>■■.■ .'I .' ' t'l' • «, '• ' ■ ■■■■ ■■■t'v 1 (1 M .'■'V'. m 48 ENGLISH AMERICA. tion, or who may have occasion to refer to the origin and progress of those great questions which have occupied the attention of the British parlia- ment within the last half century." The appeal of the Canadian parliament to legislative and other representative bodies in foreign countries was not without precedent. In 1834, when the building wherein the sittings of the British parliament were held was destroyed by fire, entailing the additional loss of the libraries, a similar munificence was evinced by the Cham- bers of Peers and Deputies of France. These dis- tinguished bodies transmitted to our Lords and Commons splendid sets of their journals and other official publications, together with many valuable works of a general character. On the 3rd June, 1850, a standing committee of seven members was appointed to assist the Speaker in the reconstruction of the library, among whom was the late Sir Allan Mac Nab. A joint library for both Houses was finally recommended, and acceded to by the Legislative Council, who appointed four members on the part of that House to augment and assist the standing committee. A second report was presented on the 9th of the same month, when the sum of two thousand pounds was voted in aid of the national project. Up to 1854 the library had again increased to m RECONSTRUCTION OF THE LIBRARY. 49 > •'*?» 1 nearly seventeen thousand volumes, when, unfor- tunately, a second disaster occurred, by the acci- dental destruction of the Legislative Buildings in Quebec, on the 1st February of that yea" This time, however, the loss was not very severe. About nine thousand volumes were saved from the conflagration ; while the value of the remainder was obtained from various Insurance Companies — assurances having been effected upon the entire collection, previous to the fire. With the sum of money thus obtained, together with increased pecuniary assistance provided by the legislature, Mr. Todd, the librarian of the Legislative Assembly, was despatched to Europe during the ensuing year. His mission was not altogether confined to the purchasing of books towards again reconstructing the library, but had for its object a wider field. He was also instructed to solicit from the governments of England and France donations towards that desirable object. In the prosecution of this onerous and delicate enterprise Mr. Todd was eminently successful. The library speedily assumed an aspect very su- perior to that it had presented at any previous period. It now contains upwards of fifty thou- sand volumes in every department of literature. Some of the books are extremely rare and costly, such as Audobon's "Birds of America," five octavo VOL. L • D ^ mm i W. .' J, .'I r 'i.i;i i: li }.';' 50 ENGLISH AMEBICA. volumes, with four volumes of large folio plates, which cost 1200 dollars ; a splendid copy of Dug- dale's "Monasticon Anglicanum," the "Acta Sanctorum,** fifty-four volumes, in vellum ; and a fine collection of the Antiquities of Italy, etc. One excellent feature of this superb collection consists in its being accessible throughout the year, and especially when parliament is not in session, to the respectable portion of the com- munity. So far, it is essentially a public library, for the use and benefit of all literary persons in Canada, who possess the time and opportunity to avail themselves of its advantages. It comprises the best modern standard works in theology, history, metaphysics, science, and the arts, law, politics, political economy, and belles-lettres. All new publications of interest are added to the collection as soon as published. The library, moreover, embraces an extensive series of works on Canadian history, including a considerable number of MSS. obtained at no small labour and expense, illustrative of the early history of the Province. Additions are annually made to these, so that the future historian of Canada will have no reason to complain of a deficiency of material. The ponderous assemblage of books is for the present rather incommodiously placed in the MBBABT AT OTTAWA. gj temporaiy hvaldings used for fi,. i • , . i"g their «ojourf at c^i ' 'T'"*"* '*'"- thousands oi Z.r^ ^f^ ^^^-^ 'o^e versify, „,,der the care 7. / ^^'^ ^»'- In the new D»ri;! ! "■*'"**"' <^««'«rfi«». ^ocont^twoh^drediJri'Xr"*^'' D 2 hi :|i ',4 ' 5 ?• > i 1 ". S' i V 4 I ite li' ! 52 ENGLISH AMERICA. CHAPTER IV. MINISTERIAL CRISIS. The New Canadian Cabinet — Sketches of its Members — Finan- cial Position of the Province — Policy of the Administration. Shortly after my arrival in Quebec, I found con- siderable political excitement prevailing among the people. This was occasioned in consequence of the old coalition government having resigned office upon being defeated in their project to carry the militia bill through the Legislative Assembly. A new administration was accordingly appointed by His Excellency the Governor-General, consist- ing of the following members : — Premier and Attorney-General, West. — Hon. J. Sakdfield Macdokald. Attorney-General, East. — Hon. L. V. Sicotte. Receiver-General. — Hon. James Morris. Provincial Secretary'. — Hon. A. A. Dorion. Postmaster-General. — Hon. M. H. Foley. Commissioner of Crown Lands. — Hon. W. M'Dougall. Minister of Finance.— Hon. W. P. Howlakd. Commissioner of Public Works. — Hon. U. J. Tessieb. President Executive Council. — Hon. T. D. M'Gee. Minister of Agriculture and Statistics. — Hon. Francis EVANTUREL. Solicitor-General, West. — Hon. Adam Wilson. Solicitor-General, East. — Hon, J. Abbott. mm--'^-- v.i SKETCHES OF THE CABINET. 63 ■•■'5»J And here it will be pertinent to subjoin a brief memoir of these politicians, more particularly as the majority of them belong, either directly or in- directly, to Great Britain. THE HON. JOHN SANDFIELD MACDONALD, Q.C. The estimable subject of my sketch, was born at St. Raphael, county of Glengarry, Upper Canada, in December, 1812. His early history is not devoid of romantic adventure, interspersed with a dash of wilfulness. At the early age of eleven he became a fugitive from his father's house. While attempting to escape far beyond parental con- trol, he was discovered just in time to prevent him from carrying out his intention. However, upon being brought home, he played the truant again, but this time with more success. Having wan- dered for a long distance, he was compelled by necessity to article himself to a store-keeper, at a small remuneration. After two or three years passed in this manner, his judgment ripened, and he began to feel the indignity of his position ; events which one or two himiiliating incidents seem to have effected. Finally, he suddenly threw up serving in a store, and decided upon studying law — a resolution to which his present high station is entirely attributable. Thus do great events spring from trivial causes. ,5- f';v^ t il '■■■■■ • ■, I V, ,: .Uli 'i ' I .:lu- >i!3 54 ENGLISH AMERICA. Ill ! In 1832, Mr. Macdonald studied law under the tuition of Dr. Urquhart. At the termination of two years he made such proficiency that at the competitive examination he took precedence of all his class-mates. He was called to the bar in June, 1840, having previously practised as an attorney, — an usual occurrence in Canada. His high reputation quickly obtained for him lucrative and increasing practice as an advocate. In March, 1841, he was elected to serve in parlia- ment, and not long since was the only member in the House of Assembly who had sat since the union of the provinces. Lord Sydenham had been sent from England to carry the Union into effect, and with that view many of the Lower Canadian elections, where the constituents had been opposed to the measure, were gained by violence. Mr. Cuvillier, the nominee of the government, was then elected speaker in opposi- tion to Sir Allan MacNab. In Canada, a speaker seldom retains his seat in that capacity beyond one session. Every new House of Assembly elects its own speaker, so that there are often several ex-speakers in the prime of political life who return to the floor of the House. The government at this time was composed of politicians whose differences were irreconcilable. Nor was the legislature itself free from placemen. HON. J. S. MACnnfALD. 55 Heads of departments were not presided over by representatives of the people in whom some con- fidence may be reposed. In 1839, Lord John Russell forwarded a despatch in which the alternative of either supporting the government or retiring from office was proposed to those who had seats in either branch of the legislatiire. Ihe manner in which the Union had been forced upon Lower Canada caused many representatives to join the Opposition ranks. Mr. Macdonald, although disagreeing with the government, being an Upper Canadian, could not sympathise wiiii Sir Allan MacNab, the Opposition leader of that section of the country. The rebellion, of which the effects had scarcely passed away, had reduced everything to a question of loyalty, especially m that portion of Central Canada which Mr. Mac- donald happened to represent. His position was delicate and peculiar. In conjunction with the Conservatives of Upper and the 0}.j)^?ition of Lower Canada, he voted against the government, but he never attended a party meeting and had no intimate alliance with members of the Opposi- tion. During the first session of that parliament re- solutions were passed establishing responsible government. With evident reluctance, but os- tensible good grace, Lord Sydenham accepted the :m ■rll : :■;, ; m ! r«*.- ,-< i.,Wr: ; >i^:-\- J\ ^ 5G ENGLISH AMERICA. principle. So adroitly were the preliminaries managed, that some of the resolutions proposed in the House were framed so as to make it appear as if the principle of executive responsibility had actually emanated from the government itself. The doctrines thus founded were attempted to be subverted by Sir Charles Metcalfe in 1843, and the elections that ensued turned upon a contest between the Governor- General and the late Council. . In this contest Mr. Macdonald espoused the cause of the ex-ministers ; rather a perilous ex- periment among the Highlanders of Glengarry, so remarkable for their loyalty. Singular to say, at the hustings he was returned by a larger majority than before. During the years 1848, 1852, and 1854 he was elected without a contest to represent his old constituency. In 1849 he was appointed Solicitor-General, under what is known as the Lafontaine- Baldwin government, which important post he filled until the autumn of 1851, when that ministry became dissolved. The following yea^ Le was elected Speaker, and maintained that position till the political rupture of 1854. In 1858 he was raised to the rank of Attorney- General in the Brown-Dorion cabinet. Until within a comparatively short time Mr. Macdonald had been connected with the Opposition, HON. J. S. MACDONALD. 57 when he abandoned the * clear-grit party * and became an * independent member.' Although an Upper Canadian, Mr. Macdonald has persistently opposed the doctrine of repre- sentation by population ; and notwithstand- ing being a Roman Catholic, has resisted the separate school system — a policy that has rendered him very unpopular with the priests, who have recommended from the altar that electors should give their suffrages to Protestant candidates in preference to him. The Highlanders, however, discarded the admonition and re-elected their old representative, who, he has assured me, never so much as issued an address to his constituents. Of the eighteen thousand inhabitants of Glen- garry county, nineteen-twentieths are of Highland Scotch extraction. Among these there were at the time of the last census more than three thou- sand three hundred Macdonalds, all of whom speak Gaelic. In 1840 Mr. Macdonald married a lady from Louisiana, the daughter of a Senator of the United States, who owned an extensive plantation, but who wa8,in 1843, unhappily shot in a duel. The Premier is of spare build, rather tall, and of the nervous type. His face is pale, but his brow is expansive and intellectual. Except to particular friends he is seldom very communicative, neither D 5 'm . i * 'i i'i If ! .\ I 68 ENGLISH AMERICA. does he shine as a speaker. His many amial3le and excellent qualities, however, more than atone for these slight natural deficiencies. The other members of the government fairly represented the mixed population of the country. Four of them, Messrs. Sicotte, Dorion, Tessier, and Evanturel, are French Canadians ; Mr. Abbott is an Englishman; Messrs. McDougall, Wilson, audMorrisare Scotch; Mr. Howland is of American birth; Messrs. M' Gee and Foley are Irish, the former being a Roman Catholic and the latter a Protestant. A few words in relation to each of these will not be irrelevant. THE HON. LOUIS VICTOR SICOTTE. This gentleman, who ranked as the Lower Canadian leader in the administration, is by birth connected with the French part of the Province. Like most of his colleagues he is a lawyer ; and in consequence of the radical difference between the two systems of civil law existing in Upper and Lower Canada, he is the French Attorney- General, as Mr. Macdonald is the English. These gentlemen, now close coadjutors, were at one time placed in a curious position of rivalry by party exigencies. In 1854 both were candidates for the speakership, and the ministry of that day, headed by Mr- Hincks, unexpectedly cast their votes for HON. L. V. SICOTTE. 59 Mr. Sicotte, the younger member, and the candi- date of the regular Opposition, in order to defeat Mr. Macdonald, the independent candidate. The consequence was, that Mr. Sicotte was elected, who continued to discharge the duties of his office until the dissolution, in 1857, with univer:sal satisfaction. His grave and dignified demeanom* well fitted him for presiding over a popular assembly; and his friends allude with pride to the fact that never once was there an appeal from his decisions in the chair. In 1858 he was for a few months Commissioner of Crown Lands, but retired from that position, being unable to agree with his colleagues on several points of their policy. THE HON. ANTONIE ARINE DORION Is the least known of French Canadian poli- ticians. Some twenty years ago, being then a young man just out of one of those rural colleges with which Lower Canada abounds, he attached himself devotedly to the returned exile, Lewis Joseph Papineau, who still lives, at an advanced age, on his estate on the Ottawa River. Papineau's conversational gifts, no less than the halo of ' martyrdom ' with which he was invested, gave him immense power with the young doctrinaires of Montreal and Quebec, many of whom were full \m i«: I i: 4' i li ii 11 ii W 1 1 .11 eo ENGLISH AMERICA, of promise, but few have ripened into influence or authority save the subject of this sketch. Mr. Dorion was elected for Montreal, in 1854, with Messrs. Young and Halton; in 1857, with Messrs. M'Gee and Rose; again in lSjS, after the crisis of that session; but in 18bl was left in a small minority by ex-Attorney-General Cartier. He has long been regarded as the leader of the Liberal portion of the French Canadians; and although temporarily without a seat in the House, his assistance was considered indispensable by Mr. Sicotte, in order to command in the legislature a Lower Canada majority. THE OTHER FRENCH CANADIANS Consisted of the Hon. Messrs. Tessier and Evan- tural, both of whom belong to Quebec. The former represents in the Upper House the division of the Gulf, and holds in the ministry the portfolio of Public Works. The latter, who is the son of an old vSoldier of Napoleon's wars, sits for the adjoining county, and is charged with the department of Agriculture. THE LOWER CANADIAN SIX Were completed by Mr. J. J. G. Abbott, a Mon- treal lawyer of higli standing, and Mr. Thomas D'Arcy M'Gee, whose name is, perhaps, more € s^^ HON. T. D. M GEE. 61 generally known out of Canada than that of any other member of the ministry. Of Mr. Abbott, who had but recently entered public life, little of interest can be stated ; but of Mr. McGee's career, which has been an eventful and chequered one, many curious circumstances are related both by the honourable gentleman himself and by others. One thing is certain that he never disguises his opinions or antecedents. THE HONOURABLE THOMAS D'ARCY m'gEE la a native of Carlingford, in the north of Ireland, and at the time of his appointment had but just attained his thirty-seventh year. At the early age of seventeen he left school and migrated to America without the consent of his family, land- ing at the desolate port of Quebec, a wild adven- turous boy, rich only in goldt u thoughts and aspirations, just twenty years to the day in which he was sworn in by Lord Monck, as President of the Executive Council. He followed the stream of the Irish exodus to the United States, and before he was twenty years old edited a weekly newspaper at Boston. Subse- quently he returned to Ireland at the invitation of the proprietor of a Dublin journal, and in 1848 became c■ ' N J , - !»! i 62 ENGLISH AMERICA. were as bitter and as juvenile as most of his party. He had not reached his twenty- third year, when he made his second unwilling exit from Irish ground. Though he returned to the United States deeply tinctm-ed with the revolutionary ideas of his school, he soon became disenchanted of democracy as exhibited in New York, strictly refraining from becoming a ^ citizen,' or mixing in the party politics of the Republic. He visited Canada in 1854, and during rsiibsequent years, when he made many personal frieixcls. Finally, in 1857, he took up his abode permanentlv in Montreal, for which city he was elected during the same year, and has since been twice or thrice re-elected by acclama- tion. Mr. M'Gee bears a high reputation as an orator and a debater ; to which gifts, as well as to ,his fine social qualities, he, in a large degree, may attribute his position. THE HOyOURABLE MICHAEL HAMILTON FOLEY Is a native of Tuam, but not of the fold of " the lion of the tribe of Judah." His youth and man^ hood have been entirely spent in Western Canada, where his personal popularity exceeds that, perhaps, of any of his colleagues in the ministry. In 1854 he was elected for North Waterloo, an Anglo- Dutch constituency, which has ever since ad- hered to him with proverbial constancy. During If; i HON. MESSRS. FOLEY AND ifcDOUGALL. 63 the crisis of 1848 lie held the office of Post- master-General, which honour has heen again conferred on him. As a practical man of business he is well qualified to discharge the onerous and important duties inseparable from such a posi- tion. mkm ■M THE HONOURABLE WILLIAM MCDOUGALL, A Highland Celt by descent, was born in the county of York, Canada West, and like the majority of his colleagues, is under forty years of age. Having edited for a length of time a very able party journal, entitled the If^orth American, he rendered his name familiar in connection with the press- Since 1858 he has represented South Oxford in the provincial parliament. Although not possessing in debate the readiness of Foley or the reputation of M'Gee, he is invariably listened to with respect, from the strong vein of common sense, and the accurate and abundant sources of information, that characterise his addresses. THE HONOURABLE WILLIAM PEARCE HOWLAND. This member of the cabinet has sat in Parlia- ment since 1857 for one of the Ridings of York, adjoining Toronto. He is of American origin, I believe of American birth ; and belongs to an old Quaker family. As a miller and corn merchant iii'^' iv|v j I i • i4 'I' 'i i .«,!| 1 I« M 64 ENGLISH AMEBICA. he is prominently connected with one of the most extensive and reputable firms in Toronto. For many years he has been President of the Toronto Board of Trade. Notwithstanding a singularly quiet and rather valetudinary look, he is said to possess in a high ^ogree the application and energy necessary to his office as Finance Minister. THE HONOURABLE ADAM WILSON, Solicitor-General, West, is a Scotchman, a lawyer of repute, and a resident of Toronto. He was first elected to parliament about the end of 1859, and has ever since represented North York. At previous elections he twice contested Toronto with Mr. Robinson unsuccessfully, but retained his rural constituency. He ranks as a Queen's Coun- sel, and holds a very leading and lucrative position in his profession. Such, so far as I could learn, are the antecedents of the ministry who composed what is termed the Mc'Donald-Sicotte administration. Since my re- turn to England, however, a few changes have been instituted, some of them unimportant, owing to further political complications having produced a partial disruption of the government. The Macdonald-Cartier ministry had held office through many vicissitudes, for about eight years, with the exception of the short prelude when the ^.JS^-jm. V !•• HON. ADAM WILSON. 65 'pill Brown-Dorion administration were in power, — a period of two days. In July, 1 858, the ministry were defeated relative to carrying out the Queen's decision respecting the removal of the seat of Government to Ottawa. The Brown-Dorion cabinet was there- upon hastily formed, when it received a vote of want of confidence in both Houses of the legisla- ture. Although having held office for several years, the John A. McDonald administration was continually changing some of its members. It was composed of coalition after coalition; and while avowedly Conservative, failed to satisfy the demands and desires of that particular class. The public, of all shades of political opinion, had, I apprehend, grown thoroughly tired of their rulers, and became desirous of a change, were it even from bad to worse. With a periodically diminish- ing revenue, it exercised no economy or foresight, while flagrant abuses were suffered to exist, for which no one seemed responsible. The " Report of the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts" printed, shortly after the change of ministry, by order of the Legislative Assembly, presents the financial position of the Province in a very serious aspect; while the recklessness, fraud, and jobbery it exposes, one would suppose almost beyond credence. With a public debt in outstanding debentures amounting to nearly sixty- ■It::. I irkL i I! I ■ 66 ENGLISH AMERICA. six million dollars, the deficit in the revenue had approached during four years to close upon five and a half millions. According to Mr. Galt> the late Finance Minister's report, this deficit has been as follows, omitting the cents :— In 1858 In 1859 In 1860 In 1861 Total Dollars. 2,635,610 461,979 768,793 1,476,868 6,233,260 Moreover, the public offices appear to have been imperfectly organized. Irresponsible per- sons in departments, were in the habit of giving orders for stationery, and other supplies, without ascertaining the cost. For these articles, the most fabulous prices would be charged, the money paid, and yet no certificates could be produced to show that the goods had been received by the various bureaus. Sometimes, in the collection of customs duties, so carelessly had supervision been exercised, that the amount expended was actually in excess of that received. For example, at Dunville, the charges upon collecting 1942 dols. 75 cents amounted to 1973 dols. 12 cents, or 30 dols. 47 cents more than the sum collected ; and yet no satisfactory reason could be assigned for this anomaly. The new administration evidently assumed the reins of DEPABTMBNTAL MISMANAGEMENT. 67 office under very trying circumstances. A few of its members, it is true, have had little or no ex- perience; but those who did not hold office in previous governments were considered to be en- dowed with fair natural ability and respectable administrative sense. A statesman, in the Eu- ropean signification of the term, Canada cannot boast of; nor is it likely that she will possess such a desideratum for many years to come. The Qteebec Chronicle, then the ministerial organ, in dilating upon the financial position of the Province, boldly averred that the time was not far distant when resort must be had to other sources of revenue than the customs duty upon imports and the sale of Crown lands. But direct taxation in any form is as repulsive to the Canadian as to the American mind. Although such a contingency is not improbable, and for many reasons would be desirable, it must be a strong government who would peril their existence by having re- course to such an alternative. How Mr. How- land, the Finance Minister, is to relieve the coun- try of the heavy burden of debt under which it groans, remains to be seen. The retrenchment or " cheese -paring" policy, as it was termed, initiated by the cabinet, did not appear calculated to restore the necessary equilibrium to this over-poised de- pendency of the British Crown. i-i m '■■ i Ml' 11 ^1' 3- ■IS '• K ".V \ .Vj'. 68 ENGLISH AMERICA. n The gross receipts for the financial year 1861-2 were 12,655,581 dollars. This amount, however, included 2,764,002 dols. received for debentures, and a further sum of 934,048 dols. on account of special funds, which are fluctuating, and in this instance unusually large. A reduction of the gross aggregate to about 9,500,000 dols. was, therefore, strictly produced by these two items. The total expenditure of the Province amounted to 14,742,834 dols., to meet which the Financial Minister had a revenue of merely 9,500,000 dols., leaving him a ponderous deficit of 5,200,000 dollars. Mr. Gait, the predecessor of Mr. Howland, a very able and distinguished statesman, was fully aware of the difficulty under which the country laboured. His shrewd and capacious mind readily perceived that the ordinary sources of revenue— in some instances exhibiting an average loss of twenty-six per cent. — did not iseep pace with the necessarily large and growing expenditure of the Province. With the view of replenishing, even but partially, an exhausted exchequer, and of providing for the increasing outlay consequent upon the develop- ment of the country having created fresh demands upon the administrative functions of the govern- ment, this financier meditated a few fresh sources of permanent revenue, so as to augment the fiscal receipts by two millions of dollars. AN EXHAUSTED EXCHEQTTER. 69 On introducing the Budget of 1862, in Committee of Ways and Means, Mr. Gait, in an elaborate and exhaustive speech, clearly pourtrayed the pecu- niary embarrassments under which he officially laboured. He, therefore, proposed a few additional sources of permanent revenue, such as the aug- mentation of the tariff duties on tea, coffee, sugar, molasses, rectified spirits, beer, tobacco, etc. ; to- gether with the institution of a stamp duty. These imposts he considered would create no dissatisfac- tion or raise any opposition in the minds of the people, who would not thereby be taxed per head more than they had been five years previously. The philosophical and statesman-like views enter- tained on fiscal legislation by this eminent and well-known financier, may be gathered from the following passage in the address to which reference has been made : — " In establishing," observes Mr. Gait, " the taxation of a country, it is desirable that we should endeavour to avoid as much as possible anything approaching to class legislation; that we should distribute the burdens on the members of the community as equably as possible, and that we should not offer any inducements or advan- tages to one class of our fellow-subjects over another. It is desirable, in considering the prin- ciples of taxation, .that we should take those taxes hm mm *i. ft- (.. . :*• ■ : a > . ■ v. .1 \\ 70 ENGLISH AMERICA. I, W i: which can be most readily collected, which are least likely to run counter to the moral sense of the community, and which can be collected at the least expense." These sentiments are fair, just, and every way creditable to a leading statesman. How Mr. Gait's successor in office intends to place the provincial exchequer permanently beyond such casualties as the fluctuations of special revenue, the sale of debentures, and receipts from trust funds, is a problem I cannot solve. It must have been a source of much painful anxiety to Mr. Howland and his colleagues that there should have existed a ponderous deficit in the revenue just at the time of their taking office. To remedy this state of things was, doubtless, a Herculean task, but one nevertheless that demanded to be resolutely undertaken. A deficit of over five millions of dollars, and the possibility of having to levy new imposts, were the remorseless Furies that incessantly pursued the financial Orestes. Accordingly one night, shortly after his induc- tion into office, Mr. Howland sent down to the House of Assembly the following amended resolu- tion upon the Tarifi" : — " That it is expediont, in addition to tlio ad valorem duties of oustomaon the following articlea, that speoitio duties be levied as follows : — Coffee, 3 cents, per lb. ; molassea, 5 cents, per gal« Ion; raw sugar, 2 cents, per lb. ; refined sufjar. Scents, j.orlb. ; oonfectionery, 3 cents, per lb. ; that the duty on tee. now im* NEW IMPOSTS. 71 posed by the sliding scale be repealed, and that a speoifio duty of 4 cents, and an ad valor&m of 15 per cent, be levied in lieu thereof; that in lieu of a specific duty, 18 per cents, per gallon on whiskey and 25 cents, on rectified spirits be imposed ; that a duty of 10 cents, per gallon be imposed upon kerosene, coal and petroleum oil, distilled or refined ; that scrap, brass and drain tiles, and articles for free list. regimental mess, be added to the " That it is expedient to increase the duty on spirits and beer distilled and brewed in the province, and on the licences of dis- tillers, rectifiers, and brewers ; that it is expedient that the additional duty on spirits distilled and made in the province be 9 cents, per wine gallon of strength proof, and so in proportion for greater or less strength than that proved by Sykes's hydro- meter ; that it is expedient that the additional duty on beer be three cents, per wine gallon, and the said additional duty shall take effect on and after such day as the Governor in Council shall, by proclamation, direct. That it is expedient that the additional duty on licences of distillers or rectifiers by any process other that filtration, to 160 dols., making a total duty of 200 dols. ; on licences of distillers or rectifiers by filtration only, 60 dols. — making the total duty 100 dols. ; on the licences of rectifiers by filtration, not being distillers, 60 d ;•' lation ; being considerably less than for the thrue preceding years. This, of itself, is a favourable omen, in -.nnuch as it shows that the proportion of debt per head of the popuhition has somewhat diminished. In 1861 the interest on the public debt was 3,286,457 dollars ; the amount when distributed amongst each individual of the population being one dol. thirty-one cents — a proportion less by three cents per head than in 1858. The ordinary ex- VOL. I. • IT ,1. . » % ENGLISH AMERICA. penditiire of the Province during the latter period was 8,939,809 dollars, being three dols. ninety- five cents, per head, while in the former year, 1861, the expenditure amounted to 9,318,180 dollars, or three dols. seventy-one cents, per head, for precisely similar purposes. This saving of twenty-four cents ])er head, on a population of 2,507,657, is equal to 601,837 dols., 68 cents. Notwithstanding the financial embarrassment under which Canada laboured during 1862, the country has been gradually increasing in popula- tion, wealth, nnd productiveness. In these re- spects, comprising a period of nine years, she has exhibited a very successful career, so much so as to inspire well-grounded expectations of a highly prosperous future. A few statistical details, for which I am partially indebted to the Census Returns, will place this assertion beyond dis- pute. In 1852 the population of Canada West was 952,004, while in 1861 it reached 1,396,091 ; sliowing an increase of over forty-six per cent. During the same period the population of Canada East was 890,261 and 1,111,566 respectively; giving an increase of twenty-five per cent, for that comparatively unprogressive division of the Province. M<»reover, the lands held in Upper Canada in 1852 amounted in acres to 9,825,915, and I' ..™, nm w » «■ > •■>■?« m *. msPEKirr or the p„,^,^^^_ of forty-six and t JTf '^' °' "" '"^oase three-fo«„h, per T;; f't 'f ^-'y-fi- and contrast between these two ^erioTL "^rr^ ^"^ • not so striking, but wp 1, ' ^ "<"""«' -ease neverthe ess '^. 'r^^co'-Merable in- 8,"3,408 acres ThileTniw^'''"^^^^ -- 10,223,959 a«res or f f *'^ '""°»°*«'l '» fourths per eenr' F 'r"'^-^«^«° and three- -der cultivation w^^feVsTs^t'r'^''^'^^ ' oran increase of twentylifl;! 'f'''"' ?«■• oent. The cash value of th t *'"'^^-'^"rtI's Canada in 1861 an^ountlta^rr ^I'P- I'ons, and the value of live stock T^ , '' ""''■ four millions of dollars wh! r "'"'"* ^^'^- *ho relative estima^d'vr.'f:"^''-^ Canada hundred and sixty-ei.ht and « I J''', ""^ °"« four and a half „ii„::X^„:^;«>^-'' twenty. i'erhaps the statistics of wheat' .n,I .u real« demonstrate more Zentjf.T ' "" criterion the affluence and pro "Sf th" ""' try. in this respect th„ P ^ ""' "oun- ing results. CW *! fr "".^''"'^^ ^'''''''•y- is 2 H:-i. ■ T--T^ I I, ill •, if ill: II VI li il i I I n i U \ t'r i ' ' ii: ViS' 76 ENGLISH AMERICA. grain are now grown where but one bushel was raised a few years ago. In Lower Canada, for the same periods, there is an increase of sixteen per cent, for wheat, and of nearly one hundred per cent, for other cereals — a remarkable result, con- sidering the peculiar character and habits of the people. Ciiruida presents unusual facilities for the growth of flax, the general cultivation of which, by iind. bye, will greatly augment the resources of the country. Farmers are now directing their att.?t}tion to this staple ; for in this product thciv ];as been an increase in Upper Canada from 59,6801bs. in 1852 to l,225,9371bs. in 1862— nearly two thousand per cent. In Lower Canada the product was 145,7551bs. in 1852 against 976,4951b8. in 1861 ; or an excess of nearly six hundred per cent. These details are important, inasmuch as they prove that Canada, taken as a whole, although experiencing temporary financial pressure, is ad- vancing with mighty strides in her glorious path of progress. That * a new broom swe- ps clean * is r> popular and trite apothegm; so "lie Canadian adminis- tration speedily commenced clearing out the foul Augean stable left by t' eiv predecessors, with an unsparing, almost a relentless hand. ' iletrench- A ■MM n* retrenchment' policy. 77 ment ' seemed the order of the day. Indeed the adoption of this principle became one of the strongest claims they possessed to public confi- dence and support. Hence the pruning knife was brought into rigorous requisition ; and use- less or cumbersome branches were felled from the departmental tree. Superabundant employSs were daily dismissed from the various public offices; and some cases seemed not only cruel, but almost bordering upon injustice. By the ^ snuffing out ' of one hundred and fifty pound clerks, a saving of eight thousand dollars in the Militia Department alone was said to have been effected. Still, all this cheese-paring economy would go but a small way towards making up a deficiency of five millions of dollars. Some journals were disaffected enough to avow wunt of confidence m the administration, and even to hint that the retrenchments then effect- ing were but temporary, and that, ultimately, one class of officials would be replaced by another. This, however, I cannot believe, judging from the character of those who held power. Having had the pleasure of intimate acquaintance with several members of the cabinet, my impression is that their intentions were honourable, and tliat they meant to retrench earnestly, until the finances of the Province were placed on a securer basis. The \0M \ ) -11 . W if 1 1 '1 !!•; I 78 ENGLISH AMERICA. previous government had left the country in a woeful position. There seems to have been a wil- ful and prodigal waste of the public funds ; and when the burden of debt became so excessive, and the revenue so deficient, to restore the Province to a state of financial equilibrium necessitated a labour almost as formidable as that of bringing order out of chaos, or of draining the ocean dry. The example set bv the Attorney- General, West, was assiduously imitated by his col- leagues in the government. A clear gain of two thousand dollars a year was said to have been ef- fected by the Postmaster-General, in dispensing with the services of one inspector, who, during the five years he was postmaster at Montreal, through his mismanagement, sufiered that de- partment to get into arrears of over five thousand dollars. In 1860 an investigation took place into he afiairs of the office, and Dr. Meilleur was re- moved. Notwithstanding that he avowed his inability to refund the amount of arrears, and that the direction of the Post-office gave anything but satisfaction, he was elevated to the dignity of Post-Office Inspcvtor. It was stipulated, how- ever, as one of the conditions of his appointment tk> the inspectorship, that he should not discharge any oi its duties ! The secretary of the depart- meat was depute to do the doctor's work, so the PURGING THE DEPARTMENTS. 79 latter had but to draw his stipend— a pleasant sort of sinecure, certainly. I mention this circumstance as illustrative of the recklessness of the former administration, who were as remarkable for their prodigality as their successors became for their parsimoniousness. • Then again, the Commissioner of Crown Lands, who only commenced the work of re- trenchment, had in a short time caused a saving to the Province of several thousand dollars per annum, by dispensing with the services of super- fluous officials. The Finance Minister also had retrenched to the extent of fourteen thousand dollars annually ; and it was confidently expected that before he had ceased applying the pruning knife that sum would be at least quadrupled. This wholesale, if not wholesome, reform was carried even to the Court of Queen's Bench of Upper Canada. The Clerk of the Court receives a salary of eight hundred pounds a year, and his duties had hitherto been delegated to super- numeraries, employed and paid by the Province. These the Premier had ordered to be discharged or else renumerated by the Clerk of the Court out of his income. The result has been a positive saving to the public revenue of three thousand dollars annually. In the Court of Common Pleas a similar policy in- ;Sl ■ -■ J'^W 1 : 'v-i- i 1 : •'*>.«■ 80 -•/ ENGLISH AMERICA. If was adopted. By these and other meditated re- trenchments it was estimated that the annual ex- penditure of the civil service would be perma- nently diminished by four hundred thousand dol- lars, or eighty thousand pounds. In the face of such palpable occurrences there were public organs which inveighed against the policy and purposes of the government, designating the retrenchment scheme as nothing better than a * sham.' The Quebec Daily News was one of these. That journal accused the administration of appointing their friends to office right and left ; observing that no less than eight or ten appointments had been made in the Militia Department to fill the vacancies created by those recently dismissed; that the office of Inspeotor of Custom-houses had been re-estabii^hed — an office abolished by the previous government t!iree years before ; and that this contemptible higgling plan of discharging decrepid and invalided, although faithful, public servants ; of sending one set of needy adventurers adrift to make room for another still more needy and unscrupulous, while pretending to purge the departments and initiate a spirit of economy into the civil service, was so hollow and transparent as to be deserving of the utmost contempt. Now was it without grounds that this bitter oppo- sition had been evoked. One Saturday Mr. Nash, BBI r, . : «■■.: . , AN UNPOPULAR ADJUTANT-GENERAL. 81 Deputy Adjutant-General for Upper-Canada, was suddenly suspended, and on the following Monday Mr. Walker Powell, ex-member for Norfolk, quietly stepped into his place. This ill-advised appointnent speedily raised up a storm of vitu- peration against the ministry. It was r>ublicly stated that Mr. Powell was anything qualified for the responsible office into which u id been thrust, while his loyalty became more luan sus- pected. I was informed that he made a practice of displaying the * Stars and Stripes * from his resi- dence every Fourth of July, and that the American Standard sometimes got torn down by his incensed fellow-townsmen. It was more than rumoured that the post of Adjutant-General of Militia was conferred on Mr. Powell by the Premier on the requisition of another member of the cabinet, who was said to have been under obligation to the family of the individual thus promoted. Had such been the case, it savours too much of that purblind policy pursued at Washington, while it evinces the adoption of the principle by the ad- ministration that ' to the victors belong the spoils,* or, in other words, the perquisites of office. It cannot be denied that the local government of the Province has at all times very arduous duties to perform, and no small difficulty in en- E 5 I;,: I iil ^, '^> IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I itt Ui M2.2 S* lag "^ £ 1^ 12.0 ■IMto 6" ^ V- |][|«^k^ll dCjtJllC6S Corparadon n WMT MAIN tTmr WIMTIi,N.V. 14110 (71«)ftr^4••• 82 ENGLISH AMERICA. deavouring to smooth down the ruffled sea of faction, which is ever restless and boisterous. Between the people of Upper and Lower Canada a great gulf is fixed that no administrative policy can bridge over. There is the representation by * double majority,' and by * population ' parties, while the people of both sections of the Province are always jealous of their assumed rights and privileges, which each consider to be ignored by the other. In Canada West the Protestant and Roman Catholic members are invariably at loggerheads, and a politico-religious party amongst the latter have been for some time battling for a separate school system. Again, in Canada East, the French population are provokingly exacting, and do not amalgamate with the other European settlers. They want this portion of the Province exclusively for the French ; have an objection to people of other countries living amongst them ; and are opposed to progress in every way. Even their loyalty is questionable, although they may display the British flag in their chapels on ft%e days. 83 IH" ; CHAPTER y. THE DEFENCE OP CANADA. Rejection of the Militia Bill —Passing of a Modified Measare— Recall of Colonel Lysons, C.B. — Sapineness among Volun- teers — Strength of the Active Militia Force of Quebec— Antipathy towards England — The New York Press Condoles with the Canadians — Annexation and a French Protectorate Denounced— Anglo-Federal Journals. A false impression was created in England by the voting down of the Militia Bill in the Canadian parliament upon its second reading, which circum- stance was so lar denunciatory of the principle in- volved therein. Some averred, and no doubt the statement was accredited in Great Britain, that the Roman Catholic population of Upper Canada were more or less disloyal to the Crown ; that their representatives in the House of Assembly, naturally enough, shared the principles and pre- dilections of the constituencies by whom they had been elected ; and that had they suffered the proposed Militia Bill to pass it would have savoured of hostility to the Federal Government of America, mm '■!fcjjrl".»,l* ,H-'ia m i- i' .1 1 i ( ■ f '■ 1 1 :k iii I 'I Hi ii 84 ENGLISH AMERICA. while it would involve an amount of attachment to the Crown and constitution of England, for which they had no desire to receive the credit. Disloyal constituencies there may exist, and disloyal repre- sentatives also, but I am convinced that the great mass of the Canadian people are staunchly and unswervingly attached to British rule. On the subject of the rejection of the Militia Bill I have held several conversations with the Premier and other members of the new or * Liberal ' administration, by whom I was assured that no disloyalty was intended by its rejection. So far from opposing the principle therein in- volved, a modified bill for a similar organization was introduced by the government, somewhat analagous to the volunteer movement at home. The paramount objection to the measuve of the previous ministry was the expense it would have entailed on the Pro- vince, which, owing to the adverse operations of the American war and other causes, had produced a , deficit of five millions of dollars below the ar' il revenue. The customs receipts alone, froii .e 1st January to the 13th May, 1862, had been less by five hundred thousand dollars than they were for the same period of the previous year. An ad- ditional grant of seven hundred thousand dollars had been voted for the completion of the Parlia- ment Houses at Ottawa ; while the redemption of MODIFIED MILITIA BILL. 85 <^ municipal bonds and the Seignorial Tenure formed a combined item of nearly two million four hun- dred thousand dollars. How then, it was gravely asked, could one million of dollars additional be vof 3d for the purpose of organizing a militia force and placing it upon a proper footing ? The new government, to their credit, have appropriated two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for this object ; just one- fourth of the amount proposed in the sup- plementary estimates of the previous ministry ; and forty thousand dollars in excess of the regular annual appropriation for the purpose of colonial defence. Had the rejected bill been brought for- ward during the excitement occasioned by the Trent difficulty, it would have met with no dis- couragement from the Opposition ; indeed, would have been carried without a dissentient vote. The amicable relations subsequently existing between England and America, in conjunction with financial pressure, induced hostility to the mea- sure, creating the ministerial crisis so humilia- ting to the Conservative party. The modified Militia Bill introduced by Colonel Haultain, on behalf of the new government, and carried through both Houses of the legislature, contains but eleven short clauses, amending the act previously in force. Section twenty- two of this act is repealed, and a new section substi- W:- ■ j; ti 86 ENGLISH AMERICA. tuted, to the effect that the active militia in time of peace shall be composed of volmiteer forces, and that they shall be armed and formed at such places and in such manner as may from time to time be designated by the Commander-in-Chief. The total strength of each volunteer corps is not to exceed ten thousand officers and men in the first class. Each volunteer is to receive clothing while on drill or service, or six dollars a year in- stead. Brigade-Majors may be appointed, not exceeding one for each military district, to be re- munerated at the rate of four hundred dollars annually. The fortieth section of the old act is likewise repealed, and a clause inserted, giving to the active militia fifty cents, each day during the twelve days* drill imposed, and allowing a dollar additional for each horse. The pay of the militia, if called out for active service, is to be similar to that of regular troops. Power is also given to appoint one hundred drill sergeants, at the re- muneration of one dollar and a half per day, when employed. In the event of a war with the Federal States, volunteer regiments of militia may be enlisted for general service during the war, in addition to the active and sedentary militia. By the tenth section of the act, the Commander-in-Chief is empowered to sanction the organization of associations for the purposes # COLONEL LYSONS. 87 of drill, and of independent companies of infantry, consisting of professors, masters, or pupils of universities, or of persons engaged in or about the same, who are to provide thei^* own arms, accoutrements, and clothing, and to receive no pay. I was invited to dinner one evening at the hospitable mansion of the late Mr. Stewart Derbi- shire, the Queen's printer — a generous-hearted, highly-gifted, and popular English gentleman; who, for services rendered to Spain, was honoured with the ribbon of a noble oi Jer. Amongst the distinguished company present was Colonel Lysons, C.B., who had been despatched to Canada some months before by the Imperial government in order to organize the militia, and who, upon being recalled, was about to sail for Europe.* He appeared greatly chagrined at the failure of his mission and the frustration of his plans. During the evening he afforded me considerable insight into the merits and advantages of the rejected bill, which left no doubt on my mind that in a military sense he was right, however impracticable may have been the Hi i^C , 5 ■'■■".'.kj'JtiU * Colonel Lysons has since revisited Canada, and oooupies the distinguished military post of Quarter- Master General in Mon* treal, an office which his high soldierly talents and attainments will, doubtless, enable him to fulfil both with honour to him- self and advantage to the service. i 1 1 88 ENGLISH AMERICA. 4 carrying out of its details. Next day I received from him a pamphlet, which he had written, entitled '' Parting Words on the Rejected Militia Bill." The gallant author's object evidently was, judging from the perusal of this brochure.^ to correct misrepresentations with respect to the intentions of the Commission in regard to the volunteers of Canada, who had shown zeal and devotion in preparing for the defence of their country. Colonel Lysons observes : — " Had the proposed system been carried out, I cannot but think that it wouH have gained popularity day by day in its working in the rural districts, and would soon have become so com- pletely interwoven in the habits and ideas of the people that nothing would have interrupted its welfare." He concludes by remarking : — " In taking leave of the people of Canada, I can assure them that I have conscientiously laboured in their cause, and have recommended what my experience in military matters has led me to believe was necessary for their safety in case of attack. I feel certain that no amount of desultory drill, no amount of theoretical know- ledge without practice, will be a sufficient protec- tion to them in the hour of danger. Nothing short of a broad organization, which will enable APATHY AMONGST VOLUNTEERS. 89 this Province to put forth her whole power in the very best formation, under the most advantageous circumstances, will enable her to preserve her liberty and her independence in case of a war with the neighbourmg States." And here it is but just to mention that the popular clauses in the defeated bill were of the ex-ministry's initiation; the obnoxious clauses having been forced upon them by the Commission. It was thought that two hundred and fifty thou- sand dollars voted in the supplementary estimates by the new cabinet would, if properly and judi- ciously applied, more than double the active militia force then existing. The volunteer movement in Quebec had only just commenced to crawl. In no part of Canada was such sluggishness and supineness manifested amongst the militia forces. Should the citizen soldiery happen to be called together for purposes of drill, but few of them would muster. Owing to this apathy, ofiScers of battalions and companies thought it advisable not to summon their respec- tive corps at all. "I have raised several companies," observed the Honourable Mr. Couchon, ex-Commissioner of Works, one day to me, " but I could never get my men together. Sometimes they could not even be found." .'•I- h'M - 1 *■• '>ft\ i i 90 ENGLISH AMERICA. From notifications in the local journals, I dis- covered that a few energetic commanders of com- panies attempted the experiment of inducing the volunteers to assemble for instruction, though I believe with dubious results. The annexed return, exhibiting the strength of the Active Volunteer Force in Quebec, was, upon my solicitation, kindly furnished to me by the Adjutant-General : — DENOMINATION OF COBPS. Quebec Field Battery ... Ist Quebec Foot Artillery Company 2nd ditto 8rd ditto 4th ditto Quebec Engineers .... Ist Levi's Troop of Cavalry Ist Quebec ditto . . . - 2nd ditto 3rd ditto 7th Battalion Rifle Volunteers 8th ditto 9th ditto Major Comeil's Volunteer Rifle Company Civil Service Rifles .... Total strength STRENGTH. 70 men. 84 60 80 60 60 43 63 60 64 640 421 400 60 107 2112 It is much to be lamented that the volunteer body should be found in such a comatose condi- tion, although one would surmise that the pre- sence of a large garrison would stimulate the stolid spirit and dormant energies of the people. The debates in the British parliament, on the defences of Canada (which directly followed the CANADA, A SPOILED CHILD. 91 rejection of the Militia Bill), and the comments of influential metropolitan journals thereupon, produced a very strong and irrascible feeling throughout the Province. The Canadian press bristled with sharp strictures upon those English peers and English editors who presumed to school and to scold Canadians into the adoption of a policy which Canadians themselves considered impracticable. A good deal of grumbling and growling was indulged in, mingled with not a little sulkiness ; while England was plainly and pertly told to mind her own business — that Canada must not be dictated to — that Canadians know their own affairs best, and would not be forced like slaves at the crack of the English manufac- turers' whip-lash I One journal, somewhat remarkable for croaking and crotchets, asserted that " the rejection of the Militia Bill brought in by the late government was but a pretext for the present ebullition of ill-humour," and that " the true grievance is to be traced to the fiscal policy which this country has thought proper to adopt." The truth is, that Canada has become a spoiled child of the mother- country. She has, from her infancy, been so delicately nurtured and petted that she cannot brook being chided, but grows fretful and restive upon being reprimanded for her faults or directed ■'iiiii m :r ^ V ' i ''C 92 m ENGLISH AMERICA. her duty. The New York press, and the Herald in particular, expressed sympathy for the Canadians, who were said to be "sharply stung by the snubbing and sneers " they had received, and to be the victims of "studied contempt and studied indiflference." Even the Herald went so far as to observe, " We should not be surprised if the reaction of feeling produced by the recent display of English indifference to them should lead to the Canadians either setting up for them- selves or annexing their territory to the United (Northern) States I" This affected sympathy of the New York press was, however, estimated at its proper worth; and several journals vehemently de- nounced the vile insinuations therein contained. The Canadians do not possess such defective mental vision that they could be imposed upon by so flimsy a disguise. The desire for * annexation ' is entirely unknown in Canada. There is no party in the Province who favour such a project. " In the depths of our colonial ignorance and pre- judice," observes the Chronicle^ " we fail to see the advantages that would accrue by rending a connec- tion with the greatest and most beneficent Power in the world for one whose political theories and prac- tices are of the narrowest and most retrograde kind. We cannot detect the gain to be derived from 'annexation' v. a 'FRENCH PROTECTORATE.' 93 giving up a condition of peace and prosperity to become a participant in civil war, with all the ruin and misery it entails. . . \ . In a word, we regard the idea of annexation as a solemn humbug, which among Canadians is never approached but with derision ; and the sooner our neighbours quite comprehend this truth the better for them. It may save them a fatal faux-paa some day." These sentiments, I feel persuaded, properly represent the feeling of the whole Canadian po- pulation. Discussing the mooted subjects of a French protectorate and annexation with the Northern States, Le Journal de Quebec thus flat- teringly refers to the benefits conferred upon Canada by her existing relations with the mother- country :— " We are in a most exceptional posi- tion, and he would be blind indeed who cannot understand the immense advantage we enjoy in living under the shelter of the British flag ; and guilty — yes, extremely guilty — those men who, for a local and momentary triumph, would attempt to drive us to another state of things." The writer then discusses in an able manner the in- evitable evils that would ensue should the country enter upon a new state of political life. Canadians aver that English people know but little about either the inhabitants or the resources .!■■ I • f^-':'*'' ! ij; rm '. ; (:. ^'■'^A m m :.j r, 11 rill I. m ^ii !l : ! ^ ■■'k 94 ENGLISH AMERICA. of their country. If such statement be true there are abundant excuses for our alleged ignorance in these respects ; but there can be no such ex- tenuation for that of the Americans. And yet th;-t ;■ s Wk ' ■ , ; .f{. ' .■:'■■'. y '\' J 1 /V- !■ ; ■ ': ^fif'rf I w. '•; .!■• ''■■ f ■, ■ '. ; i- ■. '' ' i' i,' ■; ' . ''{' . ■ ' V . i ' ,. --■b - \ - ! 1 : ^i * ; i ' 1 la 1 •ir'.-i A ■' \ . . \ ■ii ■ 1 . \ 1 . 1 ' I. .■ii ' '4 '-'' ' h Ml&i i I'm Iw'' i irl BjBg;^ ^^Bt-^ - M^ Ivffl K : ]^1 BBC'.:. tiSi n| I^B> r' Ktm ™;'. 1 1 •■■ ii Su -;'i 'ill t 1 1 '{\XX ■'• ' xiE i^haii mm I I ; '■il 96 ENGLISH AMERICA. composure under the severe castigations she re- ceived from certain noble lords and the public journals, under the belief that when this country was duly informed of the complicated causes that led to the throwing out of the Militia Bill, and the consequent dissolution of the government, that her loyalty would not be impeached. Her " withers " did not " wince " under the castiga- tions she received, however undeserved. Nor had she then, as now, the slightest desire of throw- ing off the English yoke, pluming her young wings, and " Soaring away with a scream of conscious power " — whither the oracle did not say. People are not addicted to * tar and feathering ' in Canada; but were the writer who advanced such unsavoury and disloyal sentiments there at one time, I am inclined to think that institution would have been improvised for the nonce. It is but just, nevertheless, to observe, that the debates in the English parliament upon our colo- nial defences met with a very unfavourable recep- tion from one portion of the Canadian population. French journals generally employed most tren- chant language in denouncing the sentiments uttered in those discussions. The leading French organs in Quebec are Le Courrier du Canada^ and Le Canadien. The former had been Conserva- tive in its principles, but was subsequently reputed SPIRIT OF THE PRENOH CANADIAN PRESS. 97 to be under the influence of the Catholic priest- hood. With regard to the latter, it became the avowed organ of the French members of the newly-formed Cabinet, who purchased it about a month previous to the ministerial dissolution. This journal was conducted by M. Barthe, whose hostility to England is well known, having pub- lished some few years since a brochure entitled " Canada Reconquered by France." Animadverting upon Lord Palmerston's ob- servations on the occasion of the debate, Le Courtier contended that his lordship could not have meant what he said, or have spoken more adversely of a colony that he was about to abandon to its fate; that the Government of England had assumed a fearful responsibility; that the policy of that country was based upon egotism and fear ; that the allusion to the danger from America was but a pitiable excuse, and, finally, that the abandonment of Canada was a project deeply seated in the breast of the British parliament. Conunenting on the same fertile topic, Le Canadien grew vituperative and surly, and growled like a bear with a sore head. " It is useless," this uneasy and querulous organ remarked, " to disguise the fact, that Canada understands her duties and her interests better than to change her VOL. I. r ,;•- I t'. »> I . • III ■r-'\. f f' 98 ENGLISH AMERICA. obligations from day to day merely to suit the views of England. It is an absurd idea to talk of enrolling our peaceable agricultural population for soldiers, and placing them upon our already exhausted treasury. From that we should be led to the construction of gunboats, the raising of bastions, the fortifying of posts, and the forma- tion and defence of strategic points — thus incur- ring fabulous expenses. Such is the extravagant folly of those who endeavour to charge Canada with a million and a half for the purchase of the Hudson's Bay Company. We may as well put Canada up to auction Let England henceforth understand that the colonies are not children, but must be treated as those who have arrived at maturity, upon fundamental questions affecting their destiny The Cana- dian parliament to-day, as in 1812, has been faith- ful and true in its determination. There is no recoil but before impossibilities, and who will dare push us to that /*" Such is the gist of the rabid article that ap- peared in Le Canadien. My impression is that Canada had been more or less traduced by certain members of the British parliament, and by one at least of the leading journals. The rejection of the Militia Bill had given rise to much false conjecture. THE VOLUNTEER FORCE. People at home naturally enough inferred that this act of the Canadian legislature reflected in- juriously upon the loyalty of the Canadians gene- rally. So far as regards the real merits of the intended measure, I did not hear a dissentient or disparaging voice ; but, however excellent, it was utterly impracticable, and therefore was voted down. Out of a sparse population of two and a half millions it would surely be difficult to raise a body of active militia one hundred thousand strong. But even if this could have been accomplished, how were farming labours to be carried on meanwhile? The necessities of the country would not admit of such an abstraction of labour, and at a particu ar season of the year, when the crops required to be cut and garnered. The eflfective volunteer force of Canada, existing and recognised by the Government at the time the projected Bill was introduced into parliament, amounted to 14,219. Of these 10,615 were in- fantry, 1687 were artillery, and 1615 were cavalry, in addition to 200 engineers. Other corps were undergoing drill instruction, and only awaiting Government recognition to be armed, accoutred, and regularly enrolled. These unrecognised com- panies would have raised the aggregate militia force of the Province to something over 16,000 effective troops. The new act, however, author- F 2 lfo-;avti m-^ 1*. ' 100 ENGLISH AMERICA. ised the enrolment of 10,000 additional volunteers, thereby augmenting the active strength of that defensive body to 26,000. So far Canada con- sidered she had done her duty, and as much as could reasonably have been expected from her. Hence she chafed under the animadversions flung so reck- lessly upon her energy and her allegiance, as though she were some political changeling, who had evinced no attachment for her natural parent. Another consideration is that in Canada there are very few individuals who can properly be desig- nated wealthy. Everybody has to labour in one sphere or another, and labour constantly too. When this circumstance is duly weighed, it will be found that our colonists are neither regardless of their obligations nor indifferent to the just demands of the English Government ; and that an active force of 26,000 volunteers, raised under such conditions and disadvantages, is an honour- able evidence of Canadian loyalty. Of this I feel fully persuaded, judging from the universal, un- disguised sentiment of the people, that should England unfortunately become embroiled in hostili- ties with the Federal States, and Canada become the battle-ground, there would not be wanting willing hearts and brawny hands to fight in de- fence of the flag that " Braved a thousand years, The battle and the breeze." 101 CHAPTER VI. THE UNIVERSITY OF LAVAL. — THE GRAND AND LITTLE SEMINARIES. Grant of a Royal Charter— Prince of Wales' Visit —Institution of a Prize— Outline of the Buildings, Cabinets, Museums, etc. — Pupils and Professors — ^The Late Rector — The Grand Se- minary for Theological Students — Financial Position of the University — Costume of the Scholars in the Little Seminary — Residence of the Priests— Monseigneur De Laval — His Educational Labours — A Combination of Mishaps. The principal educational institution in Quebec is U Universit4^ Laval, It was commenced in 1852, upon the grant of a Royal Charter by Queen Vic- toria, on the joint recommendation of the Executive Council of Canada, Lord Elgin, the Governor- General, and Sir John Pakington, the Colonial Secretary. The cost of its construction amounted to forty-five thousand pounds. In appearance it is extensive, but unimposing ; the main building being of oblong form, two hundred and eighty feet long, fifty feet wide, and five storys high. It has a flat roof, with a sanded platform running the entire extent of the edifice, railed round with strong wooden pillars. Here the students li^ll' m ^H %4! in^^H -'"M'ilH^I • BS^^BB^^^^^H if^^^H imM ' '''*'' Sn^^l ''^'i^nl 1 v-tsf^n^^H <^:i|.nM / {QtII^^B ( -X«.;,r.-.»-.JD .' , ,;' 1, ■ fH'''.'! ■ ; {■'^' ' * ■ . ' ■;*'>.- . .' I- ' « 1 f , :;r$:'i ,' ' » '■? , ' J w ■■' . ■•i:iv'.y.l mm i * 1 '. ■ » .1 -^■■.' '/■ '■ . ' = ' i .».■ ' .^ ■ } 4 ' ' , ■ i I '■I \h ■;!'v ;■ 1:. lilU'' t ' ll 102 ENGLISH AMERICA. occasionally walk, talk, smoke, and otherwise recreate themselves. On one side of the platform is a capacious water tank, always supplied so as to be available in case of fire. The site espe- cially the view from the summit — commands an xtensive prospect of the majestic St. Lawrence, and the vast amphitheatre of massive mountains that lift their rugged crests as far as eye can stretch, until their misty forms are lost among the clouds. When the Prince of Wales visited Quebec, he generously contributed the sum of two hundred pounds to the University, so that a prize has been founded, called the " Prince of Wales' Prize," for which the pupils annually compete. Long prior to the grant of the Royal Charter and the erection of the new building, a scholastic foundation stood, and still stands, upon this spot, to which Pius IX. has accorded the privileges of a university. It is divided into two branches, distin- guished as the Grand Siminaire and the Petite 84- minaire. The branch attached to both colleges is now termed the University. Here the principal arts and sciences are taught under competent professors, two of whom belong to the Anglican communion. This seems a very politic arrangement, as the privi- leges of the institution are open to pupils of every creed. The great hall, wherein public ceremonies take THE CABINETS AND MUSEUMS. 103 place, degrees are conferred, and public lectures are delivered, is one hundred and fifty feet in length, and can comfortably accommodate over two thousand persons. Galleries extend all round this department, to which ladies are exclusively admitted. On the ground floor, a room is ap- propriated to Indian antiquities. These consist of skulls, stone pipes, pottery, axes, arrows, and tomahawks, the last of which, in all probabihty, have been embued in the blood of the white man during many sanguinary conflicts. On one of the pipes a fox's head is carved, and so excellently is it executed as to impart to the figure a semblance of life. In the centre of another department was dis- played a valuable collection of medical instruments, manufactured in Paris for the institution. These were careftilly protected against atmospheric in- fluences by tight-fitting glass cases. Similar cases, only difiering in form, were arranged at either side of the Museum, wherein are preserved a rare collec- tion of casts, skeletons, and human bones, origi- nally brought from the French capital. The University likewise possesses a fire-proof chemical laboratory, on the plan of that at King's College, London ; replete with every modern im- provement This department is under the super- intendence of a talented American, Dr. Sterry Hunt, F.RS. The Cabinet of Natural Philosophy I- j. .'Ti V: 'W 104 ENGLISH AMERICA. i is similar to that at Brussels, and cost about three thousand pounds. For the most part the ex- tensive apparatus was manufactured in Paris and London ; but a portion of it came from the States. In addition to these are Geological and Minera- logical Museums — the latter embracing a rich collection expressly prepared by the late eminent Abb6 Haiiy, whose name is extensively known in European scientific circles. In other departments of a like nature, I observed French and Canadian specimens. These are likely to become extensive, as the local Government have pledged themselves to present to the institution specimens of minerals aud geological fossils. In an adjacent room was a magnificent array of crystals, said to be highly valuable. Another apartment was devoted to zoology ; but, save a carabou, or Canadian deer, badly stuffed, there was nothing to excite parti- cular attention. There is a spacious, well-lighted, and airy lec- ture room, for the elucidation of history and phi- losophy. The professors' chair is of Canadian black walnut, a timber almost undistinguishable from rosewood. Over the chair stands, boldly displayed, the coat-of-arms of the Faculty of Arts, consisting simply of an open book, surmounted by entwined laurel leaves. An immense apartment, embracing two storys formed into one, is appro- PUPILS AND PROFESSORS. 105 priated to the Library. Therein are deposited twenty-eight thousand volumes, comprising his- tory, theology, science, Latin and Greiek classics, and numerous works in English, French, Spanish, and German. The proportion of English and French literature is about equal. Two excellent reading rooms, are set apart for the use of the students — to one of which only those who are studying medicine gain admission. The dissecting- room is a large, well- ventilated, and appropriately furnished chamber, possessing every modern ap- pliance. To this apartment no pupil has access without one of the professors being present. Such I regard as a salutary arrangement, which may be beneficially followed in other schools of a simi- lar oJiaracter, both at home and abroad. There are three terms in each scholastic year, each of three months' duration. The pupils are required to be familiar with English and French ; lectures being delivered in both languages, at the option of the professors. About sixty-five young men were attending the University at the time of my visit ; some of whom came from various parts of Europe and America. A private apartment, or robing-room, is assigned to each professor — and there are no less than thirty attached to the various chairs — an arrangement productive no less of public order than of private comfort. F 5 ; K'' k; 'i * ^ t \\ir'M mi ' t' < : ■; 1 ■ H ; : fl ■ i \ ■ 1 'A 111 li 106 ENGLISH AMERICA. The Council Chamber is spacious and hand- somely furnished. Over the mantel-piece was a full-sized portrait of the Rev. Monsieur Casault, who died a short time before, and to whose funeral people flocked from, all parts of the Province. The portrait referred to was presented to their Superior by the professors a* few months previous to his decease, in testimony of their es- teem and veneration. Casault was the Legislator and Bector of the University, and fulfilled his responsible trust with zeal, ability, and honour. In close proximity to the chief edifice is a lofty structure used as a t)oarding-house by the stu- dents. This is capable of acconamodating fifty persons. It contains an excellent saloon, ftir- nished with a pianoforte, a smoking room, soreral studies, and every requisite for domestic comfort and cleanliness. A well arranged garden is at- ached to the college, adjoining whijh is an ex- tensive playground. The entire group of build- ings, which are laid out in quadrilateral form and cover a large area, may be classified as follows : Firstly, the Grand Seminary, where students live who are preparing for the priesthood ; secondly, the Little Seminary, or college for the study of Classics ; thirdly, the University for the prosecu- tion of the several sciences. Connected with both colleges is a very antiquated French structure, THE SEMINARY. 107 having massive stone walls, looking as though they were built for purposes of defence. Herein the ecclesiastics, or masters, reside. All the scholars in the Petite Sdminaire wear a peculiar costume, consisting of a blue walking coat with facings of white braid, a cap of similar material, and a sash of green se|ge. This livery, although absurd enough, certainly looks far less grotesque than the monkish habiliments worn by the pupils of Christ's Hospital • Respecting the financial position of the Laval University there is little to say, further than it is far from flourishing. Since the opening of the institution— just seven years from the time of my visit — over seventy-four thousand pounds have been expended. For the year 1861 the disburse- ments were 14,626 dollars, while the receipts from all sources merely amounted to 2,693 dollars, thereby leaving a deficit of 11,933 dollars. With such a paucity of pupils, the low , charges de- manded, and inadequate resources, I cannot see how the University can be efficiently maintained without liberal parliamentary appropriations. And here it will be expedient to make a few remarks respecting that ancient institution, the Seminary of Quebec. This establishment was originally founded and endowed by Monseigneur De Laval de Montmorency, the first Roman Ca- rt.. im 1i 108 ENGLISH AMERICA. .iliiii ■Ml tholic Bishop of that diocesCj in the year 1663. At the outset it was principally intended for the education of a few candidates for the priesthood. "When the Jesuit Order was abolished by the French Government, the members of the Semi- nary flung open its doors to the youth of the country ; although the resources of tjie institution scarcely warranted such a generous act. Pro- fessorships were duly inaugurated, and the ordi- nary branches of education began to be taught Twice, during the life of its founder, were the buildings of the Seminary burnt to the ground. The first fire occurred in November, 1708, during the absence of most of the ecclesiastics ; when the bishop, who resided on the foundation, had to escape half-dressed from the burning edifice. The French Court, upon an urgent representa- tion being made to it, granted an annual pension of four thousand livres towards its reconstruction and sustentaj:ion. After four years' labour had been bestowed upon the new structure, and when not far from completion, it was again set on fire through the negligence of a workman. The edifice was finally rebuilt, but was again almost totally destroyed by fire during the siege of 1769, just previous to the famous battle of the Plains of Abraham, which won Canada for the British Crown. The disasters of the Seminary were not GOVERNMENT OF THE SEMINARY. 109 even yet complete ; for it was once more partially consumed in 1772 — a combination of mishaps truly. The authority of the Seminary resides in a Board of Directors (one of whom is Superior), who are elected triennially. The other officers consist of two assistants ; the Procureur, a director of the theological department, or Grand-Simi- naire; the director and principal Prifet des Etudes of the college; and the steward, or Assistant' Procureur. All of these, with the ex- ception of the last-named, are appointed annually by the Board. The ecclesiastics, or members of the Seminary, receive no emoluments. The foun- dation simply guarantees to them " food and rai- ment in sickness and in health." They make no special vows, like members of monastic orders. Hence they are at liberty to resign their offices and leave the institution whenever any important cause arises to justify such a course. The pupils number over two hundred, about one-half of whom are pensionnaires, maintained on the founda- tion. In this institution no fees are paid for tuition. The boarders are required to pay 17/. 10«. per annum ; but in case of absence for eight days or over, a deduction is made accordingly. The day scholars disburse ten shillings in the Fall^ and a similar sum in the Spring, to meet the cost of ^1^ ■/■. •»'«•■ .:• I : , I. m K : 1 ,Ui \y^ rVjl m m 110 ENQLISH AMERICA. wood, candles, etc. Large sums of money arising from the sale of property bequeathed to the insti- tution by several wealthy individuals in France, previous to the French Revolution, and which has been recovered since the restoration of the Bour- bons, have enabled the directors, since 1820, to re-build the Seminary on a more extensive scale than the original edifice. Having been introduced, and politely conducted over the entire range of buildings by the Recorder, J. Crimazie, Esq., LL.D. (who likewise holds the^hair of the Faculty of Law), and the Se- cretary, the Rev. Thomas E. Hamel, I was finally shown into the Chapel of the Seminary. Here are preserved valuable paintings by French Masters. The leading subjects are " The Flight of Joseph," by Jean Baptiste Vauloo, painter to the King of France, but who afterwards resided in London, where he obtained great fame ; " The Wise Men of the East," by Bourien; **The Ascension," " The Day of Pentecost," and " St. Jerome Writing," by the brothers Champagnes ; " The Trance of St. Anthony," by D'Avignes; and " Peter's Deliverance," by De la Fosse, a disciple of Le Brun, and whom Louis XIV. sent to Rome to complete his studies, where he imitated Titian and Paolo Veronese, and became an excellent colourist Being addicted to large compositions, SAINTLY RELICS. Ill he was much engaged in royal palaces and public buildings ; and was finally invited to England by the Duke of Montague, who employed him in or- namenting his town residence, which occupied the site upon which the British Museum now stands. In addition to the works already mentioned, I observed excellent paintings by Halle, D'Hullin, Guillot, De Dieu Lagrenee, and Monet ; but to my apprehension the most exquisitely executed of them all is a small oval picture representing " Two Angels," by Charles Le Brun, an illustrious French painter of Scotch extraction, who is said to have drawn figures with charcoal at three years of age I . At either side of the grand altar, my at- tention was attracted to a large cabinet containing human skulls, and sundry fragments of bones, displayed in divers forms, and enclosed in a glass case — a shocking and repulsive sight. " I perceive. Monsieur," I observed to the priest who accompanied me, " that you have got relics here; have the goodness to inform me whose they are ?" "Oh," rejoined the ecclesiastic, evidently startled at the boldness of my interrogation, " they are the relics of unknomn saints.*^ I said no more, but cogitated considerably upon the candid, if not lucid, confession of the good but simple priest, who so far essayed to dispel my ;^:-l.- T] • 1 1 , ♦■; 112 ENGLISH AMERICA. heretical ignorance. After all, what a comforting doctrine is implicit faith ; from what mental misery and perplexity does it not sometimes save us I Altogether my visit to Laval University was highly pleasurable. I regard such an institution, if properly conducted, and efficiently supported, of vital importance, and as calculated to break down the strong barriers of religious resentment and political party-feeling, so prevalent through- out Canada. In this seat of learning, Protestant and Catholic youth, while acquiring proficiency in the arts and sciences, may also learn lessons of no less advantage, because purely of a social character. The attrition of thought, similarity of pursuits, and continuity of intercourse neces- sarily engendered, will tend to foster those amenities of life, and that urbanity of demeanour and suavity of mind, calculated in themselves to destroy sectarian prejudices and party predilec- tions — the unmitigated banes of the Province. 113 CHAPTER VII. MORAL ASPECTS OF THE CAPITAL. Separate School Systems — How Common Schools are Sup- ported—Educational Statistics — The Old Jesuit College IMe- tamorphosed into a Barrack — Preponderance and Description of Crime — Visit to the Gaol — What Constitutes "Hard Labour" — The " Boom of Records " — Condition of the Prison and the Prisoners — Absence of Classification — Gaol Dietary. Notwithstanding that the system of public in- struction has been but ten or twelve years in ope- ration, elementary education is widely diffused throughout Canada, and schools are rapidly ad- vancing in number, organization, and efficiency. Both sections of the Province enjoy separate school laws, adapted to the religious elements prevailing in either. The common schools are supported partly by Government, and partly by local, self- imposed taxation, and occasionally by the pay- ment of a small monthly fee from each scholar. One of the best educational institutes in Quebec is the High School. It was originally founded by the Rev. Dr. Cook, of St. Andrew's Church, who has been chairman of the Board of Directors Ill "T ■ .: sr v; V! I i ■'^■■' ] ! . i 1 114 ENGLISH AMERICA. I, since its establishment. The first Rector was the Rev. Daniel Wilkie, LL.D., who died in 1852, through whose exertions this establishment be- came raised in importance. Annexed is a synopsis of the elaborate educa- tional statistics collected by the Inspectors of Schools, with reference to the district of Quebec, taken from the latest published returns : — Elementary Schools 629 Pupils - 34,957 Primary Schools 41 - 2,541 Dissentient Schools 11 365 Academies 14 997 Colleges 4 898 Normal School - 1 94 Educational Convents • 17 - 3,323 Independent Schools - 110 ■ 5,924 Total Institutions • 827 i> . 49,099 It is somewhat remarkable that out of over 49,000 scholars, only 6,400, or thereabout, attend the Roman Catholic public schools, including the University of Laval ; and this, amongst a com- munity of at least two-thirds French Canadians. When it is considered likewise that the convent schools afford the best education, the fact appears the more unaccountable. The first school in Canada was opened in Quebec as far remote as 1632. At this time it contained but two pupils — a negro lad and an Indian boy, who were instructed in the rudiments of the French tongue, and initiated in the art of writing. THE OLD JESUIT COLLEGE. 115 The following year the number of scholars in- creased to twenty, and by the assiduity and enthu- siasm of its founder, this institution ' became the nucleus of the famous Jesuit College — a seat of learning wherein the course of study had been similar to that pursued in the College of Louis- le-Grand, Paris. The history of the Jesuit College may be suc- cinctly told. Two years after Champlain had re- sumed the government of New France, namely, in 1633, the foundation of the original College was laid. At this time there were but fifteen priests and four lay -brothers in Quebec, the latter being employed in the instruction of youth. The idea of establishing such a seminary was first en- tertained by the eldest son of the Marquis de Qamache, one Rene Rohault, who had joined the Jesuit confraternity ; to further whose project his family gave six thousand crowns in gold to the General of the Order. The capture of the city by the British retarded the prosecution of the plan ; but after the Restoration, the original design was carried into execution. Accordingly, the founda- tion was laid with great ceremony in December, 1635. Five years after its erection the College was completely destroyed by fire. It was subse- quently re-built in its present form, and on pre- cisely the same site, and must, doubtless, have M \ ,..,.. J i Ji5 i^ 116 ENGLISH AMERICA. ;!il looked imposing in its day. It is a large, quad- rangularly-shaped stone building, and covers a considerable area of ground. The edifice looks gloomy and prison-like, and the open space within recalls anything but the idea of those umbrageous walks where the Jesuit fathers were wont, after the manner of philosophical sages of old — inter sylvas academi qucerere varum. Just as in England prior to the Keformation, the members of the Jesuit Order in Canada had acquired immense revenues. These were obtained by private purchases, by royal grants, and by the bequests and donations of devout and admiring Catholics. In 1764 the King of France abolished the dangerous confraternity, when its members sank down to the condition of humble citizens. The last Jesuit connected with the College was Father Casot, who died in 1800, when the property of the Order fell to the Crown, in which it is still vested. The spacious building is now devoted to the purposes of a barrack. Having thus far treated of education, I now come to consider the condition of crime in Quebec. This I am enabled to do, owing to the kindness of his Honour the Judge of the Sessions of the Peace, who caused tabular statistics to be spe- cially prepared for my information. The total number of prisoners arrested by the CRIMINAL STATISTICS. 117 city police, from the 1st of January to the 31st of December, 1861, amounted to 3,441. Of these 2,547 were men, and 894 women. The offences with which those persons were respectively charged are classified under twenty-eight heads, which it is unnecessary, and would prove weari- some, to particularise. I find, however, that the largest proportion of offences is manifestly trace- able to inebriety. For example, the number of persons arrested for " drunkenness and impeding passengers" was 1,363 men and 289 women, making a total of 1,652; while those charged with breaches of the peace and resisting the police —very probably also the effects of intemperance — amounted to 198 men and 44 women, or an ag- gregate of 242 persons. The next largest numbers charged with positive infractions of the law are as follows :— Larceny, 101 males and 45 females, altogether 146 cases. Then 87 persons were arraigned for offences against the bye-laws. The number of persons ar- rested for the higher class of offences is compara- tively small, viz., murder, 1 ; manslaughter, 1 ; assault with intent to maim, 4 ; having on the person deadly weapons, 6 ; stabbing and wound- ing, 9; robbery with violence, 3. The number of " vagrants, and persons claiming protection for ,,,-^» N n l-tM 118 ENGLISH AMERICA, the night," amounted to 1,192, — 720 males and 472 females. It is certainly difficult to accredit that in a country like Canada, where labour is affirmed to be scarce and well remunerated, so many houseless wanderers should be found in one city during the brief period of twelve months. Surely there must be *' something rotten in the state of Denmark " when such misery and destitu- tion exist. Of the 3,441 persons arrested by the police, and arraigned before the stipendiary magistrate, 1,892 were discharged (possibly for want of sufficient evidence to criminate) ; 384 were liberated upon pajrment of fine; 1,032 were committed in defaul*, of payment; 37 were bound over to keep the peace ; 35 were committed for trial ; 7 were com- mitted for trial but admitted to bail ; and 53 were summarily convicted of larceny and other offences of a directly criminal nature. Out of 21 insane persons, one only was removed to the Lunatic Asylum. These returns, however, must not be re- garded as the true condition of criminality in this city. The police are inadequate to prevent, and too unsophisticated to discover crime. With a thoroughly efficient police organisation, the periodical criminal statistics would exhibit a more formidable array of derelicts than the re- THE GAOL. 119 turns at present show, although for one city of a young colony the figures are strange aud startling enough. While in Quehec, I visited the Gaol in com- pany with the Honourable J. Maguire, Judge of the Sessions. This building, situated in one of the best localities in the centre of the Upper Town, was erected during the administration of Sir James Craig, at a cost of 15,000/., which sum was defrayed by the legislature out of the public treasury. The building was first occupied in 1814. Its length is one hundred and sixty, and its breadth sixty-eight feet. Adjoining the same, with a miserably confined court-yard between where the male prisoners occasionally take exer- cise, is the House of Correction for women. The entire structure is now in a most dilapidated con- dition, so much so, indeed, as to be almost unin- habitable. Besides the incapacity of the Gaol to accommodate the increasing number of prisoners, its internal, arrangements are extremely deficient, and even wofully behind the age. A new prison, however, was in course of erection on the St. Foy Road, contiguous to the classic Plains of Abraham ; but although the site is appropriate, I cannot speak approvingly either of the style or the plan of the structure. When this edifice will be completed there is no telling ; nor do I believe >!• MM i f- V' ml mm :'.f ' - 1 f -i 120 ENGLISH AMERICA. that the Apollo of the Board of Works could give any definite information on the subject, did he essay to oracularise. Private bickerings and ca- balings had arisen between the architect and the builders, so that the former refused to certify for the works of the latter, and no compensation under such circumstances could be obtained from the Commissioner of Works. It was thought that the contractors would eventually have to abandon the undertaking. These remarks I make parenthetically, so now I revert to the old prison. At the time of my visit there were 115 prisoners confined therein (73 males and 42 females), either under sentence or awaiting trial ; although I was informed by the jailer — a very common-place in- dividual — that the inmates generally averaged 120. Of these 115 prisoners, two were committed for murder on the high seas ; one for wounding with intent to murder ; and the others comprised larceny, inebriate, and assault cases. No attempt whatever is made at classification ; nor, perhaps, would the resources of the Gaol admit of its being done thoroughly. Criminals ofevery grade freely associate together both by day and night; for their sleeping cells abut upon their day rooms, or rather form enclosed recesses in these ill-con- structed apartments. PRISON DISCIPLINE. 121 In the men's ward I observed nine persons in a single room ; while in the women's wards there were as many as nineteen prisoners in one room, and seventeen prisoners and five children in another. No wonder that the jailer should have observed to me — " I assure you, sir, they go out much worse than they come in I" — a statement I was fully pre- pared to endorse. "The inspection of a prison like the present Gaol at Quebec," observes the Inspector, in his Report for 1860, " is unavailing. It is a mere temple of Cloacina, and a school of iniquity. With such materials nothing can be effected, and we must await, however impatiently, the new buildings, which will supj y the means of abetter organisation." The undeviating occupation of the male dere- licts consists in picking oakum, which, lest it should perchance hurt or spoil their delicate fingers, is previo- soaked in warm water until it becomes as j ^t and soft as clay in the hands of the potter, i^ow the London pickpockets and other felons, sentenced to " hard labour," would relish such a pleasant mode of killing time I Contrary to the Prison Inspectors' rules, the pri- soners are suffered to smoke — an arrangement VOL. L a .1*,. i^. I;f*l - .': ni : 'i *■ ■ It jH i! I 111! ' i I 122 ENGLISH AMERICA. that, in consequence of the disagreeahle odour permeating the building, is ahnost essential to render incarceration in such exiguous, foul-smeU- ing wards bearable. Certainly, the trenchant rebuke of the inimi- table Sidney Smith does not apply to this penal establishment, however characteristic of others, namely, that " Since the benevolent Howard at- tacked our prisons, incarceration has become not only healthy but elegant, and a jail is precisely the place to which any pauper might wish to re- tire to gratify his taste for magnificence as well as for comfort." The unconquerable repugnance to cleanliness manifested by the criminal classes generally, is very remarkable, and might furnish a subject for interesting inquiry to the social science philo- sopher. " Prisoners dread the bath, sir," remarked the jailer ; " some of them do not have an ablution until they come in here." Iron bars having been foolishly placed in wooden sockets outside of the windows when the building was constructed, facilities were afforded for prisoners to cut away a portion of the framewoiii, remove the obstruction, and so escape. Fifteen years ago it was not an unusual 'the room of records.' 123 re )0 occurrence for a number of felons to effect their freedom in this manner during a single night. Even in broad daylight the venture has been successful. Since the prison guard was instituted no escape has taken place ; but such a precau- tionary measure should, assuredly, long before have been adopted. One apartment in the prison is designated * The Room of Records,' in consequence of the various felons from time to time confined therein, having carved their names and the dates of their incarceration on the floor, so as wholly to deface it. They take a secret pride in thus per- petuating their infamy. In illustration of the irradicable propensity to theft manifested by a certain class of offenders, the jailer informed me that some time back he had missed a silk pocket-handkerchief and another article of trifling value. After much fruitless inquiry, and re- peated examinations of the prisoners* rooms, the missing articles were flnally discovered con- cealed in the wall and beneath the flooring, a portion of which had been neatly and dexterously cut out, and the purloined property deposited therein. Subjoined are the several dietaries for prisoners confined in the common Gaols of Canada : — 2 ■ v.a»- \'Pit I )| 124 ENGLISH AMERICA. Class I. Prisoners confined for any time not exceeding four' teen days. Breakfast. — One pint of oatmeal gruel and six ounces of bread. Dinner. — Twelve ounces of bread. Supper. — Same as breakfast. All prisoners to have in addition one pint of soup at dinner twice per week ; those at hard labour to have the same quantity four times per week. Class II. Prisoners not employed at hard labour for periods exceeding fourteen days. Breakfast. — One pint of oatmeal gruel and eight ounces of bread. Dinner (two days). — One pint of soup and eight ounces of bread. Ditto (other two days). — Five ounces of cooked meat without bone, eight ounces of bread, and half a pound of potatoes. Ditto (three days).— Eight ounces of bread, one pound of potatoes, or a pint of gruel when potatoes cannot be had. Supper. — The same as breakfast. ^fl£*l GAOL DIETARY. 125 Class III. Prisoners employed at hard labour for any time ex- ceeding fourteen days but not more than six weeks. Breakfast. — One pint of oatmeal gruel and eight ounces of bread. Dinner (two days). — One pint of soup, and eight ounces of bread. Ditto (three days). — Six ounces of cooked meat without bone, eight ounces of bread, and half a pound of potatoes. Ditto (two days). — Eight ounces of bread, one pound of potatoes, or a pint of gruel when the former cannot be had. Class IV. Prisoners employed at hard labour for any period exceeding six weeks. Breakfast. —One pint of oatmeal gruel and eight ounces of bread. Dinner (two days). — One pint of soup, eight ounces of bread, and six ounces of cooked meat. Ditto (four days). — Eight ounces of bread, and half a pound of potatoes. Ditto (one day). — Eight ounces of bread, one pound of potatoes, or one pint of gruel when potatoes cannot be had. Supper. — ^The same as breakfast mi i'i:ii''^- ! 1-1 '' m 126 ENGLISH AMERICA. 1 These regulations embrace the tables of diet for male prisoners. Those for women are some- what similar, though considerably reduced in scale; in some instances as much as one-half. Generally, however, the difference does not exceed a couple of ounces. "Water and salt are allowed in abundance. This is not the place to treat of prison reform ; if it were, I should certainly re- commend that the diet of prisoners be kept low ; for, as an eminent English divine and sati- rist once observed : — - "There is nobody so gluttonous as a thief, and he will feel much more bitterly fetters on his mouth than on his heels." It is not an unusual occurrence for lunatics to be brought to gaol, where they remain five or six weeks, and sometimes longer, before they are trans- ferred to suitable refuges. As many as seven in- sane persons are in prison at the same time. One poor, wretched object I observed chained in a cell. Gyves were placed round his bare leg, and fastened to a strong ring in the centre of the apartment. He look ed exceedingly ferocious — and no wonder I — from the barbarous treatment he re- ceived. I did not conceive it possible to witness such a sight in any portion of the Queen's do- minions. Another demented creature laboured under the delusion that he was going to be burned. 't*; A MANIAC. 127 The day preceding my visit he made his way to one of the lofts and buried himself in oakum, so that the jailer thought he had effected his es- cape. My presence in the prison eeemed to have augmented his delusion, for he remarked : , " Ah, I know 'tis all over with me now. I am to be burnt directly, and you have come to ar- range all about it I" • Nothing that I could say seemed to alleviate the horrible impression. Of course, you cannot reason a madman out of his delusions ; perhaps you rather augment his disease by the endeavour. I had not left the cell in which the wretched maniac was confined many minutes, when one of the prisoners rushed up to the jailer and informed him that whvn the poor fellow had his dinner served up, he seized a knife and attempted self-destruction by making a wide gash in his throat I Surely, it is highly objectionable that the insane should be sent to such places, where, so far from assuaging their mental maladies, they are certain to become aggravated. " Inspectors say that there is no room for any more inmates in the lunatic asylums, and hence they are thrust in here, to the great disturbance of prison order and decorum." Such was the explanation afforded to me in extenuation of a grievous ii\justice and inhu- vm 't*' '.*'■ vt '■tie' m J:f.t f . .> ^ .:h:^ m il • \\l\ i 11 128 ENGLISH AMERICA. manity, which the Legislature should speedily remedy. From the " General Rules and Regulations for the Common Gaols, framed by the Board of In- spectors under the Consolidated Statutes," I find that the responsibility in such cases devolves on the sheriff. Rule twenty-six is to the following efiect : — * Under our present laws, unfortunate luna- tics are frequently placed, provisionally, in prison. While there they should be treated with all tenderness and care, and bestowed as carefully as circumstances will permit. It is, however, to be recollected that a common prison is altogether unsuited for these afflicted creatures, and it is therefore the duty of the sheriff* to take such steps as the law prescribes for the early removal of persons of this class to a proper lunatic asylum." J'' m 129 CHAPTER VIII. LUNACY IN LOWER CANADA. — THE ASYLUM AT BEAUPORT. y.i •:! Lunatics Originally Confined in Religious Houses — ^Their Con* dition and Treatment — Sir C. Met(»lfe'8 Philanthropic Exer- tions in their Behalf — First Receptions of Insane Persons at Beauport Asylum — Pleasurable Emotions Created in their Minds by the Change of Scene and Discipline — Descrip- tion of the Nev«r Building and the Ground8--Patients and their Occupations — Rationale of Treatment Adopted — Library and News Room — Effects of Religious, ^sthetical, and Social Obseryances — Singular Examples of Mental Aberra- tion — The Beauport Type of Insanity. In the picturesque village of Beauport, distant nearly five miles from Quabec, the Lunatic Asylum for Lower Canada is situated. The his- tory of this institution is interesting, if only as an illustration of the growing intelligence, philan- thropy, and enterprise of our colonists. Towards the close of the last century an order in Council was passed, authorising an appropria- tion for the maintenance of insane persons in the Lower Province. Individuals labouring under aberration of mind were at this period entrusted G 6 ■'i.■'. ^-^ «t w^^ 136 ENGLISH AMERICA. > ;!»- transpired since he had last seen leather." Another patient, who had been immured twenty years and always evinced a turbulent disposition, demanded a besom and commenced sweeping lustily, insist- ing that the other patients should likewise employ themselves. He observed to the physician : " These poor people are all fools. Now, if you will give me a constable's staff, you will see how I'll manage them and make them work." The effects of a mild and soothing system of treatment were soon apparent in the improved health and spirits of the inmates of Beauport Asylum. They became stronger, eat and slept better, and some improved so far as to be restored to reason. In the majority of cases, however, mental disease had grown chronic or organic, and the faculties of the brain had been so weakened by long disease as to preclude any possible hope of recovery. On the 1st October, 1845, the number of insane persons in the temporary asylum was eighty- two. From that period, to the 1st October, 1848, there were admitted two hundred and thirty-four cases, the greater number of whom had, for years previously, been subjected to treatment that tended to confirm and aug- ment their mental maladies. Of these cases forty -three were brought to the institution within one year, suffering from a first attack of disease. t THE NEW BUILDING. 137 Twenty-one of the latter were discharged, only- two of whom subsequently exhibited symptoms of relapse. The temporary asylum having become inade- quate to accommodate the number of insane periodically crowding its wards, Dr. Douglas and his colleague entered into a further arrangement with the Government. The result was, that an elegant and commodious structure was erected on the same property, which is indisputably a com- mendable monument to private and philanthropic enterprise. The building is constructed of grey limestone, hammer-dressed, and laid in courses. It is roofed with slates — a very unusual thing in Canada— and surmounted with a handsome dome and lantern. The frontage, including the wings, is four hundred and eighteen feet in extent. The edifice itself consists of two stories, with base- ment and attics — the former being devoted to oflSces and furnace rooms. Apartments appro- priated to the physician and superintendent are on the first story. On either side is a refectory, forty feet long, together with extensive corridors. The remainder of the story is divided into dormi- tories. The attics embrace large work-rooms in front, and sleeping rooms in each wing, at the extremity of which the " lodges " are situated, consisting of four day and thirty-two sleeping IP--' ■i' .' (.'■'■ I ' ■/. .,11 t ' ' #;: i ;: ' i i« i i-,4 138 ENGLISH AMERICA. rooms. Heat is supplied by means of seven furnaces placed in the basement story. Hot-air flues of German brick distribute in winter the heated air equally throughout the entire building, while, in summer, the same assist in maintaining a system of complete ventilation. The asylum is lighted by gas manufactured on the premises — a very complete apparatus having been imported from Scotland for this purpose. The gasometer is placed in a stone building specially prepared for its reception, and the gas is produced from coal at an expense little above the cost of oil ; while the trouble, dirt, smoke, and danger inseparable from the ordinary means of lighting, are avoided. The original kitchen, not sufficing for culinary purposes, a new one was constructed of stone (forty- five feet by twenty-five feet in extent and two stories high) in the rear of the principal building. The upper stories are appropriated to dormitories for the domestics. By the aid of steam and gas the cooking is now exclusively effected. This ar- rangement is found not only cleaner, but more efficient, manageable, and economical than the usual method ; while, at the same time, it prevents the risk of fire. The house formerly devoted to laundry purposes and the manufacture of gas has been greatly increased in size, in which is erected an THE OUTHOUSES AND FAKM. 139 English-made tubular boiler of thirty-five horse- power, which generates steam for cooking, and for warming the workshops and a portion of the centre building. A range of workshops have likewise been constructed for blacksmiths, tailors, shoemakers, and other handicraftsmen, whose labour is turned to profit and mutual advantage. Bedsteads, beds, boots, shoes, and clothing — in fact, almost everything needed by the patients, are manufactured in the establishment. 0:\c "ndred and fifty acres of land are under cultiv . k the field-work being entirely per- formed by the inmates. Cattle are reared on the farm, and daily slaughtered to supply the wants of the institution. The Riviere des Taupieres flows along three sides of the asylum, affording an abundant supply of the purest water. This is conveyed to large cisterns? placed in different parts of the building, by means of cast iron pipes, from a subsidiary reser- voir situated on the north side of the stream. A powerful force-pump in the basement acts as a fire-engine, and is connected with a cast-iron pipe that traverses the institution. In this pipe several fire-plugs are inserted, to which India- rubber hose can be attached. Similar plugs are fixed to the water pipes in each lavatory. Upon the bail dings, lands, outhouses, bakery, and work- i.-?i. 'If? ^. '■ tt ■ -, .1 ' if 'I '• - ii ".:■>?: Is' ,' v: miv> ir I' X 1.2- !i; m ! 140 ENGLISH AMERICA. shops, upwards of twelve thousand pounds have been already expended. Every architectural arrangement and modern improvement that could in any way conduce to the comfort, enjoy- ment, welfare, and safe keeping of the insane, have been adopted, without regard to the pecuniary sacrifice thereby involved. The rationale of treatment adopted, while it embraces supporting and tonic measures, is yet far from altogether ignoring or rejecting moderate local depletion and other antiphlogistic remedies. It does not appear, from what I could learn, that pharmaceutic treatment, per se, has influenced the results to any marked extent; while the moral treatment, sedulously pursued, has in- variably been accompanied by corresponding bene- ficial results. This remedial mode of action may justly be regarded as the most important and the most difficult that could be undertaken, because it depends principally for its judicious exercise upon observation and experience. It may be defined as the employment of means best fitted to restore the sufferer to a healthy habit of thought and action. Of the various modes by which the patients are induced to practice self-restraint, regular employment is found to be most effica- cious. Those kinds of occupations are preferred, both on moral and physical grounds, which are EXERCISES AND AMUSEMENTS. 141 accompanied by considerable bodily action — are agreeable to the patient, and opposed to the illu- sions of his disease. In accordance with these views the male patients are occasionally em- ployed in the extensive farm and gardens (con- taining one hundred and sixty acres) connected with the institution, with the happiest effects both as regards their general health and ultimate recovery. Other employments have been intro- duced, but agricultural occupations are those which have proved uniformly beneficial, and have justified the estimation in which they are held. Suitable out-door work has not yet been devised for the women ; useful labour having been found more beneficial than mere physical exercise. The consciousness to the insane of Jiaving done some good, either for themselves or their fellow crea- tures, affords them much satisfaction, and even happiness. Such exercises and amusements as bagatelle, back-gammon, and drafts, are powerful remedial auxiliaries, and are therefore repeatedly brought into requisition. The asylum is supplied with a library, news- papers, and magazines, which advantages are eagerly seized and intensely enjoyed by a certain number of the inmates. The pleasing and gently stimulating entertainment thus afforded produces a charm which only those who are mentally M 'ill . : i:^ •i ! 1 |J ^^i VOL. I. » 1,1 r 146 ENGLISH AMERICA. one would suppose incapable of harming a fly, used to gratify his destructive propensities when a mere youth by cutting off the tails of his brother's carriage horses. For this offence he was com- mitted to prison. During his incarceration, having managed to get near a fellow-prisoner who was using an axe in chopping wood, he succeeded in getting hold of the weapon, with which he severed the poor wretch's head from his body. This patient has been over fifteen years in the asylum, and never gives trouble to his attendants. Another inmate is an English woman, who has been incarcerated ten years. She first met with her husband when travelling in a railway carriage, made a hasty match, and got married in Liver- pool. Subsequently, she resided with her husband and family at Sherbrooke, in the eastern counties of Canada. Some time after her husband's decease, she laboured under the delusion that she had a commission from Heaven to break all the windows of widows' houses. Armed with a plen- tiful supply of stones, she accordingly went abroad, and commenced the work of demolition. Of course she was secured and finally transferred to the asylum. A female of middle age has been an inmate of the institution for fourteen years. Unhappily she had been seduced when a girl ; and this misfortune so preyed upon her mind that id at SINGULAR DELUSIONS. 147 incurable insanity is the result. The poor creature appeared exceedingly wild and intractable. "Who is that English gentleman?" she re- marked to the doctor ; " he murdered my father and myself I" A third female patient delusively fancies that she is afflicted with all manner of diseases at the same time, and gives much trouble to the physicians. The butcher to the establishment possesses a capital knowledge of all that apper- tains to cattle, but his madness is characterised by excessive garrulity. "He would talk till to-morrow," said Dr. Douglas to me, "provided he had any listeners." One case is very peculiar. It is that of a man named Marshall, who was once employed for several years as a clerk in the Commissariat De- partment. He imagines that he has been ill-used, and that the British Government is. indebted to him some fifteen millions of pounds. On the subject of his peculiar grievance he has corresponded with the late Duke of Wellington, from whom he re- ceived an autograph letter assuring him that his Grace would inquire into the case. Marshall's first demand was for the comparatively trifling sum of 75,000/. ; but as the War Office did not deem it expedient either to acknowledge or liquidate the claim, the authorities were informed that the H 2 •:j;i! i d ■ i .1 views of the chief monuments of antiquity. These he has collected into several quarto volumes, together with typographical descriptions and explanations from the agile pen of his son, the Rev. Mr. Douglas. Having inspected the asylum, we adjourned to dinner. After that repast was finished, we started off in a light barouche a distance of several miles for the purpose of fishing in the river St Charles — angling being a favourite sport with the doctor. For part of the way the road was pleasant to get over, but when we reached the mountain the jolt- ing between broken pieces of rock and deep ruts was excruciating. In fact, we had to make a highway, in the absence of a regular road. For- tunately the horse did not break his neck, though he endangered ours. We could not get nearer than within a mile of the river, owing to the deep decline, and other obstructions ; so we had to walk the remainder of the distance. The sight of the river had an exhilarating effect upon my companion, who, having prepared his line, walked right up to his hips in the water without taking the trouble to change his garments. I was not exactly in the proper mood for fishing, and certainly was determined not to get wet for the sake of the questionable pleasure the occupa- tion afforded. Consequently, I angled for somo H 6 ; ii W^ 1 ;v' • f» , t.!i ". ■ ■ii u : 'i^J^ y- w r, ji '■ i |i *t m '* : ' ^5 t ■ '1* ^ !■ K ,/, i^^ 154 ENGLISH AMERICA. brink of I mor, but my industry not being rewarded, I flung down my rod in despair — not to resume it ar»'ain. Dr. Douglas continued in the water for nearly two hours, al- though his " catch" was bu ' iu' ilfferent — anything but a commensurate recompense for his industry. Finally, quite tired out, we started off by the way we came, encountering similar, if not more formidable diflSculties than before. was truly glad when I reached Glenalla again, where I was regaled with some of the fish my host had ca,ught. Later in the evening we adjourned to the " Egyptian Museum" — a saloon in the house, filled with numerous relics and mum- mies, discovered or procured by the doctor while in the East. In this sanctum sanctorum^ quite unique in its way, I spent a highly agreeable evening, s^patted on an ottoman, a la Turque^ drinking very strong coffee and smoking Turkish tobacco out of a genuine chebouque — rather a pleasurable contrast to the sombre experiences of the day. The night of suffering that ensued, however, I shall never forget. The tortures in- flicted on Tantalus were light compared to mine. Whether it was the effect of visiting the asylum, of drinking the coffee, of smoking, or of the three combined, I cannot say, but my brain became excited to a high pitch. No amount of cham- {( A ^w \\i > DREAM FANCIES. 155 pagne it would be possible to imbibe could have produced anything like the abnormal condition under which I laboured. Even when tired nature had induced brief snatches of intermittent repose, my half-extinguished thoughts reverted, with stubborn obstinacy, to the harrowing scenes of the previous day. Again I observed, in all their hideous deformity, and with keener perception, the glaring eyes, the dejected looks, the imbecile acts, and heard the wild shrieks and clamorous importunities, of the several hundred maniacs whom 1 had before encountered, until — 0, horror of horrors I — I partially fancied that my own brain had collapsed in presence of the crushing spectacle. - . ill f : n I! ' lil \ «i n \\\ \\ 166 CHAPTER IX. MONTREAL. ■W V Situation and Extent of tho City— The «* Mowutain "— Jiidioial Divisions of the Province — Foundation of Montreal — Position of an Early Goverja(jr— The Coureurs de Bois — Social .ind Commercial Progrec? — Eailroads and Canals — Tnrnsforma- tions — The Corpon.(>on — Assessed Property — Conspicuous Public Edifices — Eyeaorea— Scotch Settlers —Nelson's Monu- ment — The Volunteer Mo^ emeut — Allegiance of the People —Prince of "Wales' Fishla.; Olub— Evils of Garrison Life. Montreal is an island thirty-two miles long and nearly eleven miles broad, covering an area ex- ceeding ten thousand acres. It is situated at the confluence of the Ottawa river with the St. Law- rence, and is distant from Quebec one hundred and sixi:y-eight miles. The town was originally laid out by imperial command, when Canada formed part of the French empire, so that vessels could proceed as high up the channel as possible. To the eastward the shores are several feet above the level of the St. Lawrence, but fall lower in the opposite direction towards Lachine. There are two mountains in the vicinity, the larger of which is situated to the rear of tho city, and ornamented with numerous handsome villas and FOUNDATION OF THE CITY. 157 1 gardens. Its summit is densely covered witli trees. Romid this circular hill is a favourite and fashionable drive, affording a prodigiously ex- tended prospect, over which the eye wanders admiringly. On the eastern side of the " Moun- tain '* are luscious orchards, which in the season supply choice fruits of delicious flavour, among which may be mentioned the Pomme de Neige and the Pomme Gris. This city was once the capital ; but now simply forms portion of a district. The entire Province is judicially divided into five districts; three superior, embracing Quebec, Three Rivers, and Montreal, and two inferior, such as St. Francis and Gaspe. These all possess courts of judica- ture. In the superior districts the jurisdiction of the Court of Queen's Bench is unlimited ; but is circumscribed in the inferior by the power of ap- peal. It is imperative that all prosecutions for capital offences be heard in the courts of superior districts. Montreal, the second city in political dignity, but the first in commercial importance, of English America, presents an agreeable and interesting study, no less for the philosopher than the tra- veller. It was founded in 1642, by one M. de Maisonneuve, Governor of the Island, on the site of an Indian village, called Hochelaga, and dedi- ■■'■ , :>l i ,-i -': m 158 ENGLISH AMERICA. cated, amid public rejoicings, to the Virgin Mary as its patroness and protectress. For a long time it bore the appellation of Ville Marie. In 1644, this beautiful domain became the property of the Sulpician Or ^r at Paris, by whom it was subsequently transferred to the Seminary of the same religious fraternity at Montreal. Ever since 1663, when Louis XIV. resumed his right over the island, and changed its direction from an ecclesiastical mission to a temporal government, has its prosperity increased. Under British rule, especially, its commercial progress has been marked. But what a striking contrast does Mon- treal present in this year of Grace, and during 1735, at which time Baron Lahontan visited it ? when M. Perot, the governor, had but a thousand crowns a-year salary, and was driven to trade with the savages to augment his resources — when the bailiff of the town got nothing by his place — when merchants effected two hundred per cent, in exchanging comparatively worthless kettles, axes, knives, and such commodities, for valuable skins and furs — and when, in fine, the streets of Mon- treal witnessed the dissipation and rioting of pedlars, called Coureurs de BoiSy who lavished, eat, drank, and played all away, so long as their goods held out ; but when they were gone, sold their embroidery, lace, and clothes, until they PROOFS OP PROGRESS. 159 were compelled to make another perilous voyage for subsistence. The city is laid out in the form of a parallelo- gram, and contains about two hundred streets, and a population, within the city limits, of ninety- One thousand, nearly one-half of whom are French, and the remainder of British and other origins. An additional population of ten thou- sand four hundred occupy the suburbs, augmenting the total number of inhabitants to one hundred and one thousand four hundred. Montreal pre- sents the appearance and possesses the elements of a great and growing city. Within the short space of nine years its population has increased over thirty-two thousand, and during the same period its entire aspect has changed. Tangible signs of progress, strangely blended with the decayed and decaying relics of the pasf, meet the traveller's eye on every hand. The contrast is most striking and agreeable. In a leading street may be observed an old tottering shanty, with the walls rickety and the wooden roof falling in, the height of the fabric not having been originally — that is when it stood erect — more than that of an ordinary sized man. Alongside of this odious- looking, over-grown sentry-box, rises up a massive structure of elaborately cut stone, haughtily frowning down upon the humble neighbouring M ■m m W' 160 ENGLISH AMERICA. tenement. Commerce is a mighty magician, truly. In an incredibly short time her magic wand makes the solitary places glad, and the wilder- ness to rejoice and blossom as the rose. Another evolution of her mystic sceptre — more potent than the golden wand of Mercury or the fabled power of Midas — and rude huts are transformed into stately palaces, and Indian canoes converted into mighty ships that sweep the ocean against wind and wave I Montreal has indisputably made rapid strides during the last dozen years, and is still pushing forward with rapidity and energy. Dilapidated buildings are constantly being razed, and fine massive structures take the place of unsightly ones. Several of the modern edifices are not inferior to the public buildings of Liverpool or Manchester— while a few of them may even vie with those of London. Although the unfortunate American struggle had materially injured the Canadian trade — as it has similarly affected the commerce of European countries— still the bustle and din of industry were unceasing in the streets of this noble city ; nor were the spirit and enterprise of its thriving denizens much damped, or cramped, by the tem- porary lull under which many branches of com- merce laboured. Montreal, being at the head of SPIRIT AND ENTERPRISE. 161 the ship navigation, possesses peculiar local advantages for trade and commerce. The rail- roads and canals, already in successful operation, will, doubtless, in due time, considerably enhance her business facilities and resources. The city corporation consists of twenty-seven members, and the annual revenue from assessed property is considered to reach one hundred and sixty thousand dollars, which sum is freely expended in effecting city improvements. To speak truly, I was scarcely prepared to find the "island city" so noble, prosperous, and thoroughly British. The tangible evidences of commercial greatness and social advancement were unmistakeable. Everywhere my eye alighted upon public buildings, not only substantial, but ornamental and unique. Now, when it is con- sidered that splendid churches, a court-house, banks, a fine market hall, groups of warehouses, stores, and handsome private residences, besides the Victoria Tubular Bridge, have mostly sprung up during the last few years, there canl'3 no hesitation in awarding due merit to the Mon- trealers, whose social progress has been so un- paralleled. It will not be considered an elimination of truth to affirm, that few people on the whole continent of America have manifested so much spirit or enterprise. A number of manufactories i;r iKi\ :|; ■ U: :. 11 \ ' ; 'Mii bi '»;J im :i!i Nil 162 ENOLISH AMERICA. 11 im m have likewise been established within the past five or six years, worked by water power, while the inventions for the economisation of human labour therein are singularly ingenious. But to these I shall, by and by, more fully refer, as I attach great importance to the manufactories of a country, for they afford a fair criterion by which to form an estimate of a people. Conspicuous among the public edifices are the English Cathedral and the Cathedral of N6tre Dame, each unrivaled in its way. The former is a rare specimen of skill and beauty. One draw- back is the site, which happens to be low, although the lofty "Mountain" in the back ground enhances its picturesqueness. One Sunday morning I attended the service, and was pleasingly but strongly impressed by the aptitude and atti- tude of the worshippers. I have not seen, nor would I desire to see, a more respectable, decorous, and even devout congregation. The spacious building was well filled, only a few seats being vacant. I shall never forget the effect produced upon my mind when one of the officiating priests read the following passage of our beautiful Liturgy : — " Lord, save the Queen :" Nor the fervour of soul with which the congre- gation repeated the response : — SCOTCH SETTLERS. 163 "And mercifully hear us when we call upon Thee." It was the best refutation of the calumnies so busily bruited about Canadian disloyalty. Dr. Fulford, the metropolitan, is in high repute, and enjoys the reputation of a distinguished scholar. The discourse I heard from him was both eloquent and practical. Throughout the Province the French element is singularly unprogressive ; doubtless, therefore, the old Saxon and Celtic blood has rendered Canada what it is. In perambulating the streets of Montreal, and while observing the fine modern warehouses and stores, built of cut-stone, I was struck by the number of Scotch patronymics, both engraved on brass plates and painted over the doors. In fact, Scotch merchants and manufac- turers are amongst the wealthiest and most im- portant men in the country. I was for a time the guest of Mr. Thomas Morland (formerly of Wigtonshire, in Scotland) who, besides being a merchant, is the proprietor of an extensive saw manufactory. This gentleman occupies a very high social position in his adopted city. Although but a young man, he is a justice of the peace, president of ever so many boards, and officially connected with several charitable insti- tutions. I mention these facts to show that I .■'.,^.'3 ■ : V , , .J 1, m ■') !.■• \i \\ ^ \m 164 ENGLISH AMERICA. Scotclimen, when thej thrive in Canada, do not forget those higher claims and duties that devolve upon members of a social community. Notwithstanding there is much in Montreal to be admired, there is much also to be condemned. People erect fine houses and imposing public buildings, but seem to ignore those minor im- provements which, however apparently trivial, are of great consequence to a flourishing city. The pathways and roads are almost as bad, and in some instances worse, than in Quebec. In the leading streets the pathways are composed of dif- ferent materials. Here and there was a small patch of flagstone in a most dilapidated condi- tion. A little further on was a brick pavement, not at all unsightly or unpleasant to walk upon, provided the bricks are not broken to pieces, rough or uneven, which was too frequently the case. Adjoining this again was a plankway, with the boards either rotten from age or partially devoured by rats — a species of animal that flourishes wonder- fully in a Canadian climate. The roads were equally faulty, and became impassable after much rain. The drainage, too, was very imperfect ; and I should not be surprised if much illness was engendered thereby. In the neighbourhood to the rear of St. Lawrence Hall — a palatial hotel, kept by a warm-hearted Irish gentleman, who nelson's monument. 165 is major of a Militia regiment — property had be- come so depreciated that land and residences were to be procm*ed comparatively for little' or nothing. Still, few purchasers could be obtained, and all owing to defective drainage. One night I visited the Theatre Royal, situated in this locality, but the odour became so oflfensive that I was compelled to quit the house during the performance of an interesting comedy. With such a rapidly increas- ing population as Montreal possesses, the munici- pality should have done something effectual towards obviating so dangerous an evil. The public health is at least as deserving of attention as the "almighty dollar." It is not when a great plague shall have broken like a storm-cloud over a fated city that remedies are to be applied. Nelson's Monument in Notre Dame Street forms an important ornament to Montreal. It consists of a handsome Doric column, enriched by mouldings of artificial stone, rising to an altitude of fifty feet. On the summit is a square tablet surmounted by a full-sized statue of England's naval hero, habited in full uniform, and decorated with various insignia. The face of the statue looks towards the west, while the countenance appears as if intently watching the termination of some mighty event. Resting on a square pedestal about eleven feet from the ground, this monument f'i <- 1 , 1 ; a. [• I , I r ' , ■ i ■ ,- •>»': I ■■' i ! ■ V <■ » 1^4 m 166 ENGLISH AMERICA. t i;,| has a highly imposing effect. The pedestal itself is embellished on all sides with figures emble- matical of events in Nelson's life, viz., the battle of the Nile, the interview with the Prince of Denmark after the engagement off Copenhageii, and the battles of the Nile and Trafalgar. One or two of the panels are particularly neat in their design and execution ; such, for instance, as the elegant figure of a crocodile in bas-relief emblematical of tlie battle of the Nile. The plinth of the base is further ornamented with cannon wad other appropriate trophies, together with a circular laurel wreath surrounding the annexed inscription :— In Memory of The Right Honourable Vioe-Admiral Lord Viaoount Nelson, Duke of Bronte, Wiio t^noioated his career of Naval glory in the Memorahle Battle of Trafalgar, On the 2l8t of October, 1808, After inculcating by Signal This Sentiment, Never to be forgotten by his Country, "ENGLAltr) KXPECT8 EVEUY MAN WILL DO HIS DUTY." Thiri Monumental Column was erected by the Inhabitants of Montreal, In the Year 1808. The statue surmounting the column is formed of arfificial stone. It is recorded that when it Jay in the manufactory in London, a sailor who liad served uiidor Lord Nelson, found his way in, and, struck with the resemblance of the figure to «;, DEFENSIVE PREPARATIONS. 167 I VJ [> the original, embraced it enthusiastically, ob- serving : — ** This is a grand figure of the noble admiral. I hope it is made of good stuff, and will be as lasting as the world !" " I have nothing to fear on that score," replied the artist, *' for his lordship has been in a hot fire for a week without intermission." *' Ah, master," rejoined the tar, *^ I find you know something about the character of the brave admiral; for there never was a British officer that could stand fire better than he !" It is due to the inhabitants of Montreal to mention that a strong desire was evinced by them to protect the rights and liberties which they enjoy under British rule, should occasion arise for an exhibition either of their patriot- ism or their resistance. Nor were the Trench Canadians found wanting in their allegiance. For example, immediately after the '' Trent affair," the Honourable M. Coursol, J idgc of the Sessions, proposed to the Government to raise a regiment of French Canadian Volunteers within a mouth. This proposition was accepted, and within a brief period the services of thirteen com- panies had been tendered to the authorities. Ten of these companies were formed into a regiment, duly placed under the instruction of compe- inr 168 ENGLISH AMERICA. I i i f m tent drill-sergeants, and continued their exercises throughout the entire winter. Early the following year arras, accoutrements, and overcoats were distributed to them. When officially inspected along with other volunteer troops, they exhibited considerable acquaintance with military duties, and their discipline was excellent. During my stay in Montreal, their summer clothing had arrived from England. This regiment is called the 4th Battalion Volunteer Rifles, or Chasseurs Canadian, and is under the command of Lieut.- Colonel Coursol. The volunteer movement in the " island city," exhibited unmistakeable signs of energetic life, and was daily growing in effectiveness and im- portance. To the kindness of Colonel Dyde, the commandant, I am indebted for the following in- telligence respecting the condition of that defensive organization in Montreal. The active force, technically termed " Class A," * consists of eleven regiments, embracing 2 Troops of CHVttlry, 1 Field Battery. 2 Companies Foot Battery. 1 Regiment Foot Artillery. 1 Regiment Light Infantry. 1 Oompauy of Engineers. 1 Regiment (ChasseiirR Canadiens) Rifles, 1 Regiment (Hochek'gu; Liglit Infantry. I Regiment Royals (r>th Infantry). 1 Regiment (Victoria) Rifli'f*. 1 Regiment (Priuue of Wulen} EiOtiS, M THE FLOWER OF THE ARMY. 169 These form combinedly a force of three thousand four hundred men, although generally estimated at four thousand five hundred. When the Prince of Wales was in Montreal he reviewed the last- named regiment on Logan's Farm, and was so well pleased with its soldierly bearing that he honoured it by allowing the same to be called after himself. On that occasion it was com- manded by Colonel Wily, who has since been superseded by another officer. In addition to the Volunteer Regiments above enumerated, there is also a sedentary force, which, if necessary, could be speedily organised. It amounts to about nine or ten battalions ; but it is to be hoped that no occasion will arise for the services of either being brought into requisition. I do not mean to reflect invidiously upon the loyalty of the French Canadians of Quebec, when I state that the same class in Montreal have evinced deeper attachment to British rule. As nearly as I could learn there were over four thousand British troops located in the city, some in temporary barracks. These may be regarded as the flower of the army, and cousisted of the Royal Artillery Corps, four hundred and ninety- three privates and twenty-four officers ; the Royal Engineers, one hundred and thirty-one privates and nine officers; the Military Train, VOL. I. I i^; 1^ ■ii ^ ' f. itf 170 ENGLISH AMERICA. "'ii' J •■ 4: ';#^: two hundred and twenty-eiglit privates and eleven officers; the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, eight hundred and seventy-five privates and twenty-five officers ; the 2nd Battalion Scots Fusilier Guards, eight hundred and sixty-three privates and thirty-six officers; and the 16th and 47 ih Regiments, consisting respectively of eight hum) red and fifty-nine privates, thirty-six offi- ;ers. and seven hundred and seven privates and tliirty-two officers. The appearance of the troops on p:u'ade afforded much pleasure to the citizens ; and when the military band performed on stated occasions in the Champ de Mars, the public was generally attracted thither. Of course such a large body of troops imparted great animation to the city. Amongst the few private clubs in Montreal is one called '> EDITORIAL AMENITIES. 173 at Montreal, jaded and sun burnt, with the trophies of our day's toil. There are four newspapers in Montreal, which, considering how public journals are managed in Canada, seem fairly conducted. Most of the space is devoted to advertisements, and these are frequently printed in such prominent type as to give the journals a very unsightly appearance. An editor's post I consider rather a sinecure in English America. Editors write little — perhaps have little to write about ; at all events, the two or three columns of each journal devoted to news are generally made up of short paragraphs. Sometimes these savour of personal pique, after the manner, as painters say, of .the Yankee prints. One day the scribe of a certain paper informed the scribe of another that he was " training for the gallows " the boys who sold his journal in the streets. The organ editorially referred to was an evening print, entitled the Witness ; which certainly, to do it justice, did not lay claim to great pretensions. Its editor was " a northern man," from New Orleans, from which city he had to retire upon offending the secession- ists, who, I was informed, threw his type into the street and broke up his press. I was amused one very wet evening by a little ragged urchin enter- ing the vestibule of the St. Lawrence Hall, having i^ J .. t m i \r. it :El 174 ENGLISH AMERICA. a bundle of the Witness under his arm. Both the papers and the vendor were equally saturated with the rain. At first the papers were offered for a " copper " each (one half-penny), the legi- timate price. After a while they became depre- ciated in value, and were to be had " two for a copper.*' Finally, as there was but slight pre '- pect of selling one, the poor shivering urchin roared out, "The Witness ^ the Witness; three for a copper I" but no one seemed to think them of value even at such a reduction. Upon ascertain- ing that the lad, who certainly was most per- severing, had lost sixpence by his purchase, I handed him this small amount, partially to get rid of his presenco and importunities. Some of the graver evils attendant upon garri- son life were, unfortunately, but too apparent during my stay in Montreal. Two military mur- ders had taken place, while cases of insubordination and mutinous conduct on the part of soldiers, were of frequent occurrence. Scarcely a week passed without a court-martial having been held upon some delinquent. Threats, especially, seemed to have been freely indulged in ; while in more than one case premeditated assassination had been arrested in an incipient stage of perpetration. One night a gunner of the 10th brigade of Foot Artillery, named Farrel, was discovered in bed with his : ; SCENE ON THE CHAMP DE MARS. 175 carbine and ammunition concealed beside him. This man was accused of having uttered threats against the life of a corporal connected with his brigaue. Shortly before Private Morrissey, of the 16th Regiment, Ko. 4 Compan^% while en- gaged at rifle practice at Chambl made similar menaces to Colour-Sergeant Ra i n. When arrested a bayonet was discove l concealed beneath his clothes. Again, two privates of the 47th Regiment deserted from St. Helen's Island, near Montreal, taking with them their clothing, accoutrements, and other articles. One of the deserters was the soldier on duty as sentry, who actually fired at the party in pursuit, wounding one man in the shoulder. Their arrest, however, was effected a few miles from the city, while the fugitives were en route for the Western States. On these men courts-martial were held in due course ; the reading of which was attended by public ceremonies, one of which I witnessed. One Monday afternoon all the troops in garri- son were ordered out for parade on the Champ de Mars, an enclosed piece of ground east of the town. Although no public notification had been made of the occurrence, an immense concourse of people assembled to witness the cere- mony of sentences of courts-martial being read against two military delinquents. The ■•' ''r.^' '"its W$ ti :: IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^ >% 1.0 1.1 1.25 « m 12.2 : m 12.0 Si!i& 1.4 11.6 ^V»'" 0^ ^ ^ FhotogFaphic odBDCSS Corporation 93 VMIT MAM STRUT WRWTRR.N.V. I4M« (7U)l7t.4IM 4^ ..V .■'•/'■■■■>•{ 'Iv. ^,H. i I i ity I 5 ...J 178 CHAPTER X. INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES AND SOCIAL CONDITION OF THE "island CITY.*' Mr. Anthony TroUope's Strictures — The Victoria Iron Works- Nails and Nailers — Rolling Mills — Scientific Process of Pud« dling — The Royal City, and Canal Flour Mills — Economiza- tion of Labour — The Canada Marine Works — Vicissitudes of the Confederate Privateer, Sumpter — The Sugar Refinery- Advantages of the Lachine Canal — The Montreal Ocean Steam Ship Company— The Geological Museum— Educa- tional Institutes — Condition of Criminality. It is to be regretted that Mr. Anthony Trollope should have dismissed Montreal in so off-hand and cavalier a manner when treating of that city in a recent publication. Had the respected author of " North America " but have taken a little more pains, he would, assuredly ive dis- covered that there were many persons v.^a things in the thriving city of Montreal worth knowing and seeing beside Sir William Logan and the Geological Museum. For miles along the banks of the Canal he might have observed factories clustered together, from which the hum of in- dustry constantly went forth, passing over MANUFACTORIES. 179 altogether the busy marts and temples of com^ merce within the city itself. To some of these factories I performed a daily pilgrimage ; and I must confess that I was pleasingly astonished at the resources of the country and the enterprise of its people. The manufactures of a city or country, no less than their ordinary commerce, must be viewed as so many elements of prosperity and material wealth. I reiterate that those of Montreal surprised me much. I was not prepared for the discovery I had made. Within the past five or six years, or even a briefer period, a variety of manufacturing resources have been developed. Along the banks of the Lachine Canal — the basin of which is two hundred and fifty feet wide — factories and mills are closely congregated ; the machinery of each being altogether worked by means of water-power. One leading feature of these establishments is, that machinery is made to do what in the old country is accomplished by human hand. In Canada labour of this descrip- tion is scarce ; and hence, ingenuity or necessity, which we are told is the " mother of invention,'* has been exercised to beneficial purpose. Having been supplied with letters of introduc- tion to the principal manufacturers and mill proprietors, I eagerly set about visiting the i N»lf-f • ■-•v;-' !j 180 ENGLISH AMERICA. prominent objects of interest. The first manu- factory to which I wended my way was the Victoria Iron Works (the reader will observe how loyal the people are), where I noticed a rolling-mill for nail plates in operation, specimens of which article had been sent to the late International Exhibition. This mill turns out twelve tons per day, chiefly from Scotch pig iron, puddled at the works. One hundred and twenty hands are em- ployed, and two thousand tons of plates were produced during the working months of 1862. The works were commenced as recently as 1859, and, I believe, were the first of the kind started in the Province. There is another rolling-mill in the suburbs of the city, and two nail and spike factories, in one of which 1 lost my hearing for some minutes, owing to the deafening clamour of the heavy cutting machines — fully a dozen of them being simultaneously in operation. And here let me crave the reader's indulgence while I say a few words respecting nails and nailers ; two very necessary aids to civilization. English wrought nails were exclusively employed in Canada before the year 1851. Shortly after- wards the manufacture of cut shingle nails was established at Montreal ; but although larger cut nails were imported into the Upper Province from the United States, those manufactured in Eng- .i; I ) NAILS AND NAILERS. 181 land continued to be used in Lower Canada, board and larger cut nails growing gradually into use. For a number of years these descriptions of nails were manufactured at Sault au Recollet and Lower Lachine by means of water-power, and by steam-power in the city. At present all nails are produced by water-power, supplied from the Canal. Until the e^ablishment of rolling-mills, in 185T, nails were cut from imported sheets and hoops (shingle nails are still cut from such); but since these mills hai "^ been erected a dimi- nished quantity of sheets are imported, and the mills turn out the remainder. The two puddling and rolling-mills of Montreal are capable of supplying nails in sufficient number to meet the requirements of the entire Province. During the six months ending November, 1861, the estab- lishments of Messrs. Peck and Snell, proprietors of the Victoria Works, have manufactured about three thousand tons of nail plate. The quantity of this material imported for the five years end- ing 1859, averaged four thousand tons per annum. In 1860, about two thousand tons of nail plate were produced from " scrap '' iron, but since then it became apparent that the available quantity of that material was entirely inadequate to supply the mills. This circumstance has led r 1 .* ■"■■t. ''.Hi I '"'■I;. ' ; J ]>^ V: ' ■ t . if* Sii'' '?! r'il .1 1 ■ • 'I . (.H !f In ^, ii '" 182 ENGLISH AMERICA. to the erection of puddling furnaces at both mills, and) necessarily , to the importation of several thousand tons of "pig" metal, chiefly of Glengar- nock, Collness, and Blair Brand, which is tech- inally called " No. 4 iron," a close-grained metal known better in England as " forge pig," and adapted for the manufacture of malleable iron. Several hundred tons of ore have likewise to be periodically imported, most of which comes from the mines at Port Henry and Lake Champlain. The furnaces are constructed of fire-bricks, brought from Jersey City and Troy, about one hundred thousand of which had been used during the year. The fire-brick and fire-clay, at present imported from Great Britain, although admirably adapted for foundry purposes, are of no use whatever for "puddling," or heating furnaces. Apropos of heat, let but the reader fancy the author wending his wary way through those immense factories — furnaces to the right of him, furnaces to the left of him, seething and flaming — and on one of the hottest days of a Canadian July I Perhaps a brief description of the process of "puddling" may be alike interesting to the scientific and non-scientific reader. Nearly all metals are capable of being broken to atoms just at the instant they become fused, heat having PROCESS OP ** PUDDLING." 183 destroyed the cohesive affinity of their particles. This is precisely the case with pig iron in the puddling furnace. Having first been brought to the required temperature, the broken metal is charged into it when the flame is fully turned on. And here it becomes necessary to observe that a puddling furnace is composed of chambers that receive the metal over which the flame from the grate passes, and the heat of which is intensified by the refraction from the low roof. As soon as the metal is about to become fused, the fire is slackened by means of a damper on the chimney top; and the charge, having acquired a kind of semi-fluidity, is easily broken into minute pieces and scattered over the furnace. At the same moment the temperature decreases the entire mass thickens, and the cohesion of the atoms is destroyed, when the iron breaks down into the consistency of cream. Cinders and other refuse are next tbi>wn on. The damper is then lifted and he flame turned on, so that the molten mass under operation in a few seconds begins to heave, swell, and emit jets of deep blue flame, which is termed *' fermentation." This dark blue flame is a highly important feature in the process, and is occasioned by the escape of bicarburet of l'. 1^3 ■'1 1 i| t i ■^^8 jii'' ffl i i t 1 1 ' ! ii ! ' '■ '' t{-..^- i| ,;' Vf..... ■I 184 ENGLISH AMERICA. ri r i-f sulphur, a most injurious compound if suffered to remain in malleable iron. The stirring or " puddling '* is now vigorously continued, when the iron begins to drop, or " dry," as it is termed ; the fermentation ceases from the exhaustion of carbon ; and the metal appears to clot or become tenacious — a process technically known as " coming to nature.'* Next, it is gathered into balls; when, having been exposed to a strong welding heat for a few minutes, these balls are removed to the " squeezers" for the purpose of imparting consistency to the iron, as well as giving to it the necessary shape. Finally, it passes through the " rolls," when it comes out a long puddled bar of rough malleable metal. The fibre — upon which the strength of all malleable iron depends — is occasioned by this compression. The entire operation does not occupy more than two hours. The bars are then allowed to cool, when they are removed to a powerful shears, cut up into the required lengths, piled, heated in a furnace, and finally rolled out into the sheet iron of commerce. This "puddling" process is, perhups, more deserving of the appellation of scientific, than any other branch of iron manu- facture. At all events, it is very instructive and interesting. I candidly avow, however, that I HI FLOUR MILLS. 185 should not like to again bear the intense heat to which I was subjected for the purpose of wit- nessing the same process a second time. The quantity of coals consumed by the two manufactories to which I have alluded, amounted in 1861 to six thousand tons, a large portion of which was brought from the Albion mines of New York. In the works of Mr. Snell, only Picton coals are used, as the furnaces for both puddling and heating are supplied with blast, to which a strong coal, like that of Picton, and being free from sulphur^ is especially adapted. There are three immense flour mills at Montreal, called the Royal, the City, and the Canal Mills, through the first of which I was politely conducted by one of the proprietors. These structures are not so extensive as the great flour mills of Rich- mond, Virginia, which I had seen the year before; nevertheless they are very capacious, and possess peculiar features of novelty. The warehouse por- tion of the Royal Mills is one hundred feet in height by seventy-five feet wide. It has a frontage of one hundred and sixty feet, while the milling department is sixty-five feet square and seventy feet in elevation. The building has eight stories, and from the gravelled flat roof a fine view is had of the busy city and the St. Lawrence. These mills contain forty-four grain bins, having a ■Wk^ m u ' il ■■ ' • \\ lihiii: I • :■■ m 186 ENGLISH AMERICA. III depth of from twenty-four to thirty- six feet, while the capacity of the warehouse exceeds two hundred thousand bushels. The grinding capacity of the mills is reckoned at eight runs a stone ; there are four millstones, and every two make what is called " a run." Five hundred barrels of wheat can be ground daily with ease. The most remarkable feature about these mills is the introduction of " elevators," by means of which a wonderful economy of human labour is realised. The elevators are worked by water-power and remove grain from vessels to the bins. One was in operation during my visit, and I was surprised to find that, while grain was being taken from a barge in the Canal up into the warehouse and weighed, it was transhipped into another vessel lying alongside. By means of elevators a barge could be loaded or unloaded in an hour ; a pro- cess that would otherwise occupy an entire day, even with the assistance of a large number of hands. There is a " barrel elevator" in the mills for the purpose of raising barrels from one story to another. Even the very barrels are filled and weighed by means of machinery. The complica- ted and varied work of the Royal Mills is accom- plished by the aid of twenty men and boys — an economisation of labour truly wonderftil. The proprietors are Englishmen. The grandfather of THE MARINE WORKS. 187 one served in the British army, and he himself fought in the Rebellion — a true Loyalist I will be bound. Among the objects of interest are the Canada Marine Works, covering fifteen acres of ground, upon which are erected a foundry, boiler, and finishing shop supplied with all kinds of modern tools. The maphinery is driven by a condensing steam engine, besides a large sawing and planing mill worked by steam-power. A considerable portion of the ground is employed as a shipyard, containing two basins, each five hundred feet by one hundred feet in extent. This property was purchased by the present proprietor about seven- teen years ago From 1845 to the autumn of 1862 inclusive, ninety-four vessels were built and launched from this yard. These were principally constructed for the lake and river navigation; the models combining the highest speed with the great- est carrying capacity on a light draught of water. Among these vessels may be mentioned those excellent steamers plying between Montreal, Toronto, and Hamilton, that connect the Lake Erie steamers and all the Great Western travel to Chicago, with those on the Ottawa route ; as well as the numerous vessels that are engaged in the intermediate traffic of all the small towns and villaores on the St. Lawrence and its tributaries. ■:^ '■■:::-■ i ■■■ ■.••! ■;■ ■■'»: ^\ "^^i '! .I'ir I... ■ '-i !• :| 4 ■; i m * i 188 ENGLISH AMERICA. At the Marine Works were also built the steamers Beaver and Muskrat, for Messrs. Jackson, Peto, and Co., the Grand Trunk Railway contractors. The last mentioned vessels were employed exclu- sively to assist in the construction of the Victoria Bridge. After a while the railway company had so much interfered with the carrying trade that ship building was almost brought to a stand still, — the engineering department entirely so. In consequence of this depression the proprietor was compelled to look abroad for orders that could not be procured at home. For this purpose he journeyed to Cuba, where he fell in with a merchant named Don Pedro Lacoste, with whom he entered into a contract (in the spring of 1858) to build a steamer on the screw-propelling principle. The vessel was ac- cordingly completed, named the Colon^ and dis- patched for Cuba in the month of November fol- lowing. Subsequently she was sold to run between Havanna and Vera Cruz, when her name was altered to that of the Marquis de Habana. During the civil war in Mexico she was purchased by General Merriman, in order to be employed as an armed steamer, and was one of the two vessels captured at Vera Cruz by an American frigate, and taken to New Orleans, where she lay till the winter of 1860-61. She was finally disposed of THE SUMPTER. 189 m as a prize ship, and received the appellation of the Sumpter, This vessel is no other than the celebrated Confederate privateer, the daring ex- ploits of which during the American troubles have become so notorious. So much for the vicissitudes of a ship I During the year 1861 the carrying trade had increased to such an extent as to supersede in a great measure the monopoly so long enjoyed by the Grand Trunk Railway. The consequence was that an impetus had been given to ship-building, so as to revive this branch of industry, and afford pleasing indications of a rapid increase. The workshops at the time of my visit were again open, having been leased to a person who carried on the engineering department therein, which business had likewise partaken of the general improvement. The proprietor of the works was then completing the construction of a dry dock, formed out of one of the basins. This dock is sufficiently capacious to accommodate four of the largest steamers that navigate the river and the upper lakes. From its commanding position, being far above the highest flood that can affect the St. Lawrence, it is admirably suited for general purposes and for winter quarters. In going over the yard I noticed a steam-boat on the stocks, which, I was informed, made the number m -I'f^^^ ih'^m (* 190 ENGLISH AMERICA. of vessels constructed here exactly one hundred and eleven. The Sugar Refinery is likewise an object of interest. It commenced work in January, 1855, and had, accordingly, been in operation seven years. About seven-eighths of the white sugar consumed in the Province are produced here ; the remainder being imported from various countries when the price happens to fall a little lower than the cur- rent value of that article in Montreal. The capacity of the works is equal to the requirements of Upper and Lower Canada for several years to come ; that is if immigration does not set in very rapidly. The great difficulty experienced consists in the extremely limited market that the country affords for refined sugar. For this reason the manufacture of the commodity is discontinued during two or three months every year. The quantity of raw sugar consumed in Canada is estimated at about seven thousand tons annually ; the product being white and yellow sugar, and a moderate quantity of syrup. The refinery estab- lishment of Messrs. Redpath and Co. is very complete, being replete with every modern im- provement. The building — which is extensive — machinery, etc., cost fifty thousand pounds, while an equal amount of capital is employed in carry- ing on the business. The animal charcoal re- i THE LACHINE CANAL. 191 quired in the manufacture is made on the premises, the gas from the bones being used to light the same. But I must say no more on this head, lest perchance I should be the innocent means of creating in the reader a disgust for refined sugar. In addition to«the factories enumerated there are several others that I had not leisure to inspect, such as the Steam Saw Mills, the Oil and Colour Works, the Candle Works, the Chemical and India Rubber Works, and an immense establish- ment for the manufacture of doors, window- frames, etc., by means of water-power. The existence of such places is indicative of the energetic character of the people and of the growth and wealth of the city. To the facilities afforded by the construction of the Lachine Canal, ail those results I have been describing must, of course, be attributed. This Canal was executed by the Provincial Go- vernment at a cost of two millions of dollars ; but the pecuniary benefits that have, and will arise from this outlay, are beyond computation. Not only has it enabled vessels to pass the Lachine rapids, but it has afforded manufacturing facilities equivalent to at least four million horse-power. It has, in fact, revolutionised primitive ideas, so that where the tottering wind-mill once stood is m •t, I'M .'(I J il m 192 ENGLISH AMERICA. lii't itSJr now erected imposing water-works, built strongly enough to last for ages. To the same cause may likewise be traced the material and commercial prosperity of Montreal itself, which this Canal and the works upon its banks have converted into the grand trading and manufacturing centre of the Province. Incalculable advantages have accrued not only to Montreal, but to the whole Province, by the establishment of steam communication between Canada and Great Britain. In these benefits this country largely participates. But a few years ago and the voyage from Quebec or Montreal to Europe would occupy six or seven weeks, and in case of adverse winds, considerably longer. Du- ring this time the Provincial Government had been directing its energies and resources to the development of the Canadian trade; a conside- rable portion of which has been diverted into American channels. As the large subsidies granted by the British and United States Govern- ments to their respective lines of steam- vessels, operated injuriously upon the colonial commerce, it became absolutely necessary that a direct mail service between Canada and Liver- pool should be founded. Accordingly, a postal contract was entered into between the Canadian Government and Mr. Hugh Allen, of Montreal, ATLANTIC PASSENGER TRAiTIC. 193 for the conveyance of mails fortnightly to and from Quebec in summer, and Portland, Maine — the eastern terminus of the Grand Trunk Railway — in winter. At length a weekly service was esta- blished, the Colonial Government granting a subsidy of eighty-four thousand pounds annually for this purpose. The "Montreal Ocean Steam Ship Company" has proved a desideratum of no ordinary importance. It possesses a fleet of seven vessels, ranging from one thousand seven hundred to two thousand five hundred tons burden. All these are first-class ships, specially built for the Canadian trade, at a cost of over half a million sterling. The service, notwithstanding its well-known dangers, has been maintained with singular regularity. For example, the average passage during the year 1861 was thirteen days to westward and twelve days to eastward — a result which compares favour- ably with that of any other line crossing the Atlantic. The number of passengers carried in 1861 was twelve thousand two hundred and seventy-nine ; or about three thousand eight hun- dred and seventy-five eastward, and eight thousand four hundred and four westward ; while in 1862, the number conveyed was expected to exceed that of any previous period. This line of transit has decidedly one advantage, namely, that VOL. I, * ay m ■ ■'' .'^- >^ m, '-1 194 ENGLISH AMERICA. * tf. the distance from Liverpool, vid Deny and Cape Bace, is two hundred and fifty miles shorter than that of New York. During the summer of 1866, this line was partially opened, but the weekly voyages were not regularly instituted before the spring of 1869. The " Montreal Ocean Steam Ship Company's " fine fleet of vessels are run at an annual outlay of three hundred thousand pounds, which immense sum has to be provided from the passage monies, freights, and the subsidy paid by the Canadian Government. It is rather a singular anomaly that while Great Britain contributes largely to postal com- munication with almost all her other colonies and dependencies, as well as with foreign countries, from Canada alone does she receive a contribution to her postal revenue, without be- stowing any recompense. In 1867 the Post Office revenue of Great Britain received from Canada, through her mail service, five thousand six hun- dred and seventy two pounds, and in 1860 over eleven thousand pounds ; an amount likely to be augmented year by year. The " Montreal Ocean Steam Ship Company " also possess a line of steam vessels which ply every three weeks from Montreal to Glasgow, and vice versd. Upon visiting the Geological Museum I was SIR WILLIAM LOGAN. 195 t» .ny ply gow, was greatly edified, if not instructed. Mr. Anthony Trollope says that he " could have listened to Sir William Logan for the whole day '* discoursing on geology, although he understood nothing of that science. At the time of my visit Sir William happened to be in England at the International Exhibition (where, by the way, there were some choice specimens of Canadian ores and marbles), so I was politely conducted over the Museum by my friend Mr. Sterry Hunt, F.R.S., who spoke eloquently and unctiously upon such hard and dry subjects as stones, fossils, and flints. An elaborate discourse of an hour's duration upon geology and mineralogy, although entertaining, did not leave me much wiser than before. I had an opportu- nity, however, of further admiring the pure, un- flagging devotion with which scientific men devote themselves to their profession. Sir William Logan's acquaintance I was fortunate enough to make on a subsequent occasion ; and I was really charmed with the character and man- ners of that distinguished scientific veteran. And here it will not be irrelevant to mention some particulars respecting the Geological Survey of Canada. This Survey, which is entrusted to a Commission under the direction of Sir William Logan, was commenced twenty years ago. It began on a K 2 m mm :i''^*.'il ■■mm^^ v;: ♦ S' 196 ENGLIS9 AMERICA. comparatively small scale, but has grown in ex- tent and importance as its results have become more known nnd appreciated by the Canadian people. Sir William Logan is aided in his arduous labours by an assistant geologist, Mr. Alexander Murray; by a mineralogist and chemist, Mr. Sterry Hunt ; and by a palaeontolo- gist, Mr. Billings — each of whom has acquired an European reputation owing to his scientific researches. In addition to these gentlemen there is a staff of field explorers, artists, and draughts- men. The task of the ofiicers connected with the Geological Survey in such a country as Canada, is an exceedingly varied and onerous one. In the first place, they must fulfil the duties of land surveyors and topographical en- gineers ; for in many parts of the Province to which their researches carry them, they find them- selves necessitated to survey rivers, triangulate, and, in short, to make a geographical map of the country in which they may subsequently lay down their geological observations. The labour of such investigations is difiicult enough in a country like England, where accurate maps arfd good roads are to be found. But in Canada the geo- logical surveyor has frequently to draw his map as he travels along, or to find his way on foot, or in canoes (with Indian guides), through almost NEW CANADIAN FOSSILS. 197 lost interminable mUes of wilderness, where the foot of civilized man has never trod. The longitude of the principal points in Canada have been determined by the new method, which employs the electric telegraph in transmitting ob- servations from station to station. By this means, together with the excellent Admiralty charts of Admiral Bayfield, the Geological Survey had just completed a large map of British North America, the topographical details alone having occupied several years in their execution. I was shown the proof-sheets of this wonderful specimen of skill and industry, upon which the draughtsman was inserting the names of places. So excellent was the penmanship that the lettering could scarcely be distinguished from the fine copper-plate en- graving. The department in which this map wa being prepared, contained an innumerable variety of maps of all sizes, all of which had been con- sulted in its construction. The engraving was executed in Paris, and certainly reflects great credit upon those to whom the work had been entrusted. The careful study and elucidation of the organic remains observable in Canadian rocks devolves upon Mr. Billings. This gentleman has already " figured " and described several hundred new fossils from Canada, and thus contributed, in no rJ,::-.i'' (.:■ ■■r i:l ^-'1 'I' " !| ■'A :■ 198 ENGLISH AMERICA. slight degree, to the advancement of North American geological science. I was intensely in- terested by hearing explained how the study of a minute fossil shell has furthered the identifica- tion of a metal-bearing formation, and thereby proved of high economic importance. It would thus appear as if fossils had become the Alpha Beta of geologists. The study of the minerals, ores, and mineral waters, in their chemical and eco- nomical relations, is the "speciality"* of Professor Sterry Hunt, whose investigations, in what is termed the "chemistry of geology," have rendered his reputation extensive in Europe no less than in America. That gentleman very patiently explained to me the geology and chemistry of the famous western Petrolium oil-wells, which he seems to have made a particular study. A large octavo volume treating of the geology of Canada, wherein are summed up the observations scattered through- out the geological reports of many years, was in the press. It is illustrated with several maps, which, together with the typography, so far as I could judge from the proof-sheets, was executed in a manner highly creditable to the Province. The Museum itself is arranged upon the plan of that in Jermyn Street, and includes specimens of all the ores, marbles, building stones, and other EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 199 economic materials of the country. I was attracted by the large masses of rich iron ores, similar to those of Sweden ; by the fine marbles, of which Canada possesses a vast variety ; by the roofing-slates and soap-stone ; and by the litho- graphic stones and granites, ^e best specimens, I was informed,^ had been removed to the London Exhibition, the entire mineral collection from the Province having been specially prepared under Sir William Logan's direction. One of the chief attractions of the Museum consists in the collec- tion of fossils. It includes many thousand specimens, carefully moulded, attached to which are brief printed descriptions. This institution, so useful, instructive, and abounding with such numerous geological specimens, is supported by a parliamentary grant of about four thousand pounds a year. I trust the reader will discover that I have not paid quite an idle visit to the Museum of Geology, and though I finding much that had been told to me hard to digest mentally, or associate in my mind with any definite idea, nevertheless that I gathered some entertain- ing, if not exactly instructive, information. The educational institutions of Montreal are numerous, and, judging from the various official reports I have glanced at, are sufficient for the *■■■ ■■^\: W 'til ■i '■ ' ♦ -m '■■II, ,;, 200 ENGLISH AMERICA. requirements of the population. The most pro- minent of these is the McGill College — an elegant and imposing structure^ salubriously and promi- nently situated in the west end of the city. The Hon. James McGill, a prosperous merchant, by his last will, bequeathed the estate of Burnside— on which the college stands — containing forty- seven acres of land, with the manor house and buildings thereon erected, in addition to ten thousand pounds, unto the " Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning," as estab- lished by Act of Parliament in the reign of George III. The only condition was that one of the colleges to be comprised in the said university should be named and perpetually distinguished by the appellation of "McGill College." At the date of the bequest the value of the property was estimated at thirty thousand pounds. In 1856 a public meeting of influential citizens was convened, to take into consideration the financial position of the college, when the sum of fifteen hundred pounds was raised. The revenue derived from these sources has, however, proved inadequate to meet the growing claims of the institution ; while the legislative aids, upon which the governors greatly depended, have been materially diminished by the introduction of the IS le )f le bd le in REVENUE OF THE COLLEGE. 201 system whereby the distribution of public monies is made through the Superintendent of Education. And here I may observe that only 19,092/., out of the annual appropriation of 68,000/., for the maintenance of superior education, are distributed to the universities of Lower Canada, and to the colleges and high schools that are nurseries to the same. The principal portion of the grant, owing, it is said, to the erroneous construction placed upon the Act of 1856, is afforded to schools simply of an elementary character, and scarcely equal to those maintained out of the Common School Fund. Notwithstanding the partial assistance received, and the exercise of rigid economy, the income of the college still falls short by six hundred pounds of the amount necessary to defray its current expenditure, besides being burdened with a debt of six thousand pounds. Professors, teachers, and students are thereby alike impeded in their work by the want of books, apparatus, and other appliances, which deficiency the profes- sors are often necessitated to supply out of their own pockets. The absence of suitable accommo- dation is likewise severely felt. The Faculty of Arts, for example, has outgrown its apartments. The rooms of the Faculty of Medicine are at least • K 6 ■ t. ' ' ;-■■:•;■• il 1;,' l" !«5;:'ti :ii: V , •."1 .; '. .iiii ^:IM 202 ENGLISH AMERICA. m inconvenient ; while the Faculty of Law possesses no class rooms for its special use. So great at one time had heen the pecuniary pressure, that the governors were compelled to incur a personal liability of eight hundred pounds to meet exist- ing deficiencies and to carry on eflfectively the educational departments of the institution. The embarrassment under which the McGill Col- lege unfortunately labours is ascribed to an unex- pected degree of success. It may especially be at- tributed to the rapid increase of a demand for that higher education which it is the province of the college to supply, and which the Board of Gover- nors manifestly regard as their duty to provide, even at the risk of overtasking the resources of the foundation. Its rapid growth under such pres- sure has been so far beyond what might rea- sonably be expected, that it has become difficult to make its income keep pace with its extending usefulness. Unless sufficient means be obtained from private or public resources it cannot possibly be cf Tied on with the same degree of efficiency. Mr. McGilPs endowment was long anterior to the establishment of any Protestant college in Canada. Since then hundreds of thousands of pounds have been bestowed, by annual appropria- tions, upon Roman Catholic schools in Lower WANT OF PERMANENT PROVISION. 203 Canada; while in the upper portion of the Province several colleges have been established, all of which participate more or less in the grants of public monies. The University of Toronto, for instance, enjoys an endowment of 226,000 acres of land, conferred by Royal grant in 1858, from which a sum exceeding 294,000^. has been already derived ; and yet in addition it receives a bounty of over 1,100^. annually. Upper Canada College — an institution founded in 1832 —was en- dowed by various grants between that period and 1845, with 63,000 acres of land, which has yielded 55,434/., nevertheless it receives a periodical gift of 1000/. sterling. It becomes the more surprising, therefore, that no permanent provi- sion has been made for McGill College, although the gross emoluments received by that institution from public sources, since 1854, do not altogether amount to one quarter of the annual revenues of the Toronto University, or to one tenth the value of Mr. McGill's bequest. Not only was the late founder warranted in believing that his exertions to establish a university would be supported by a grant from the Crown lands, but the members of the Royal Institution were subsequently led to expect that they would have been spared the heavy outlay of erecting college buildings, and that the j%p^ .l-l i m % I tun 204 ENGLISH AMEBICA. :■ 9 ^'f ■" 'ii • w"'* ' « '"■' *!'; ''?'■'■ ^'|:, m endowment would have been rendered available for the future maintenance of the institution. During 1819, Lord Bathurst, then Colonial Secretary, instructed the Governor-General (the Duke of Richmond) to adopt, with as little delay as possible, the necessary measures for erecting upon Mr. McGill's property a suitable building for the instruction of youth. His Grace was authorised to defray the expense of the same from the funds in the hands of the Receiver of the Jesuits* estates. For reasons, however, un- known to the governors, these liberal intentions were never carried into effect. The McGill College is the only educational es- tablishment in Canada of an unsectarian cha- racter. As such, it possesses the confidence of the Protestant community of every religious deno- mination. The university affiliated therewith is more than a mere private institution. It partakes of a public, and even provincial character. Not only does it confer degrees upon the stu- dents of its own colleges, but, under certain regulations, of those scattered throughout the Province — a boon fraught with the highest ad- vantages. The governing body is appointed by the Crown, and is removable at pleasure. Lord Monck, the Governor-General, is its visitor. Six- ROMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS. 205 teen scholarsbips in the Faculty of Arts are at the disposal of his Excellency. He possesses besides the presentation to the same number of scholar- ships in the High School department, a building erected a considerable distance from the college estate. These scholarships exempt the students from the paymeat of tuition fees. There are thirty- five professorships in the University, of which Dr. John W. Dawson, F.G.S., is the Principal. The increasing desire on the part of students to take advantage of such educational facilities, is evinced by the number that have matriculated from the years 1854 to 1860 inclusive, namely, 97, 110, 164, 167, 174, and 205; thereby exhibiting a progressive annual increase. In addition to these must be included the teachers in training and normal schools, as well as the pupils in high and model schools ; making an excess for 1861 of 528, or a total number of students in connection with McGill College of 833. There are a variety of other educational in- stitutions in Montreal, the good effects of which will, in after years, be perceptible among the community. The Jesuits, monks, and nuns, have the education of the Roman Catholic youth, much, if not altogether, in their own hands. Annexed is an accurate statement of the number ■-''?i'''i^ ■ 1 -i^V r ■ ^ H'": ■■4 m In. '■> it ■i ,1 . ■I V w rs ^06 EKQLISH AMERICA. of scholars, male and female, in the Boman Catholic schools at the time of my visit : — DESCRIPTION OF SCHOOL. SCHOLARS. Minor Seminary, conducted by the Priests of St. Sulpioe 198 Students in Theology (same school) St. Mary's College (Jesuit Fathers) Schools of the Friars of the Christian Doctrine Schools of the Sisters of Notre Dame . Schools for Male and Female Orphans . Schools of the Sisters of Providence Schools of La Maitrise . Schools of Salle d'Asile . Irish Independent Schools Other Schools and Academies . Jacques Cartier Normal School Model School attached to same . 60 266 8968 8144 800 419 80 476 489 674 63 121 Total number of Scholars . . 10,238 The Protestant youth of Montreal have likewise adequate provision made for their instruction. The total number of Protestant children attend- ing superior schools and academies amounted in 1860 to 3,946, making an excess upon the year 1859 of 263. For the above particulars I am indebted to M. Chauveau, Superintendent of Education for Lower Canada. In the different school municipalities of Canada East, the amounts levied during 1860 for primary education were as follows : — Assessment, or vo- luntary contribution to equal amount of grant, 114,424 dollars; a sum less by 1,368 dollars than in the previous year. The amount of assess- ment levied over and above that required to equal SUPPORT OP EDUCATION. 207 the grant, and of special assessment for the liqui- dation of debt, was 123,939 dollars, being an in- crease of nearly 16,000 dollars compared with the receipts of 1869, which exceeded by 20,779 dollars those of the previous year. It thus appears that the sum levied by annual assessment exceeds more than two-fold that afforded by Government for educational purposes ; the latter being 116,000, and the former 238,364 dollars. This result appears the more remarkable from the fac# that when first it was suggested to give the municipalities power to double the assessment for educational purposes, people raised their voices against the proposal, affirming that no compulsion could be adopted, and that they would not voluntarily consent to such a tax. The returns for 1862 likewise exhibit highly favourable results. Schools had increased by one hundred and fifty -six during the year ; while the number of pupils had been augmented by nearly eight thousand, making the aggregate total 188,636. The contributions show an excess of 16,609 dols., having already increased 22,360 dol- lars in 1861. Local contributions in support of education amounted to 642,728 dollars, viz : — CONTRIBUTIONS. Bates to equal the provincial grant Bates over that amount . Monthly fees Bates for building school houses . DOLS. 110,966 134,038 281,930 16,799 ' , ' . ■ -' V J ■ ■ ' I ' . . Jl. 208 ENGLISH AMERICA. 1 When the Government grant of 11:0,966 dollars be added to the above sums, it will give 653,694 dollars as the total expenditure for educational purposes in Lower Canada in 1862. Over one- sixth of the population attended school, while the average contribution reached close upon sixty cents, per head of the population, or about three dollars and fifty cents, for each pupil. The three Normal Schools had two hundred pupils in attendance during the season of 1861-62—90 male and 110 female. Of the male pupils 41 weife at the Jacques Cartier, 10 at M'Gill, and 39 at Laval ; of the females, 68 were at M*Gill, and 62 at Laval. The three schools have accorded the following diplomas since their foundation : — Teachers of academies, 16; model schools, 219 ; of common schools, 274 — total, 509. But as diplomas for two or three grades have been successively granted, the schools have really only educated 406 teachers. Of these M'Gill has educated 167 ; Laval, 160; and Jacques Cartier, 72. Three hundred and seven diplomas have been granted to schoolmistresses, and two hundred and two to schoolmasters, most of whom are employed in teaching. - -* And now I shall give the reader a glance at the dark side of the picture, namely, the criminal aspects of Montreal. From the statistics CRIMINAL STATISTICS. 209 ftirnished to me, I find that, in proportion to the population, the number of delinquents is exceedingly high. This circumstance is the more surprising, as the active causes mainly in- ducive to crime are not in operation to such an extent in Canada as in the old country. From the Ist of January, to the 3 1st of De- cember, 1861, the total number of apprehensions were 7,802 ; 5,681 males and 2,121 females — a large proportion out of a population of 96,000. Of these apprehensions, however, 2,208 were simply to afford protection to destitute persons, so that but 5,594 strictly constitute criminal offenders. But even these form a large array of offenders for a single colonial city, where labour is scarce and work well remunerated. I fear, nay, I am convinced, that much of this crime may be attributed to intemperance ; for in such respect, the habits of the people are far from irreproachable. Those persons apprehended for drunkenness, and for drunkenness combined with disorderly conduct, numbered 3,655, or very nearly one-half of the entire committals ; while the apprehensions and convictions for breaches of the peace (possibly attendant upon inebriety) amounted to 587. From the same statistics I discover that juvenile delinquency is rather predominant in the Montreal district. The total I ; -i.- -. '■: ■' i ■ 210 ENGLISH AMEBIOA. '11 I V I Sf 'I' 'f\ number of offenders whose ages ranged from ten to twenty years is 1,108, or about one-seventh of the entire criminal population. Taking the total number of criminals, their nationality may be thus classified: — Belonging to Ireland, 3,664 ; French Canadians, 2,057; English, 1,024; Scotch, 527 ; British Canadians, 270 ; United States, 136 ; from other countries, 1,124. The gaol of Montreal is a comparatively new and substantial building, very well adapted for the purposes of a prison. It is situated in the suburbs. On the day of my visit (July 26th) it contained three hundred and thirty- four inmates, there being nearly an equal proportion of each sex. Of that number thirty-one were untried. The aver- age age of the prisoners was thirty years. Daring the year 1861 , the greatest number confined at one time was three hundred and eighty-one. * I /, 211 CHAPTER XL Hilt, If' . FETES AND FEASTING. . rll Vieit of the Governor- General - Civic and Military Display — Soene at the Wharf— The Public Reception — His Excellency's Beply to the Corporate Address — The Cortege— Concert at the " Crystal Palace " — Banquet at St. Lawrence Hall— The Levee — Dramatic Performance by Military Amateurs — Grand Review and Mimic Fight on Logan's Farm. ! 's";v The first visit of the Governor- General to Montreal was productive of unusual excitement. Since the Prince of Wales honoured the city with his presence, no such enthusiasm had been mani- fested. On Monday, June 30th, the Mayor issued a proclamation, embodying the official announce- ment that his Excellency would arrive in the city at four o'clock p.m., on the following day, and inviting ^Uhe citizens generally to unite with the Corporation in giving a most cordial welcome" to the distinguished visitor. This civic appeal seemed indeed a work of supereroga- tion, so far at least as stimulating the loyalty of the people was concerned ; nor do I believe it had much effect in enhancing the public display. Lord Monck and his suite had left Quebec in the ■ K 1 212 ENGLISH AMERICA. Queen Victoria (a small screw- steamer, specially chartered for the occasion) on Monday evening, and during his journey to Montreal, called at Sorel, and other small towns, where he was publicly received and presented with addresses. About three o'clock on Tuesday, July 1st, all the troops in garrison, in addition to several Volunteer regiments, turned out in honour of the occasion. The former were arranged in double line along every street through which the cortege was to pass, from the Wharf to the St. Lawrence Hall, where handsomely furnished apartments were provided for the noble guest, and his attendants. Along the Albert Wharf a guard of honour, composed of the Grenadier Guards, was drawn up ; a company of the Prince of Wales' Volunteer Rifles performing a similar duty in the rear. Both the Guards and the citizen soldiers had each their bugle band. The huge bearskin shakos of the Grenadiers (which I understood they wore for the first time), and the prim uni- forms of the Volunteers had a highly imposing effect Guards of honour, composed of the Fusiliers and the Victoria Rifles were also dis- played in front of the St. Lawrence Hall, from the dome of which palatial hotel the English standard proudly waved. Crowds of eager spec- tators congregated adjacent to the landing place SCENE AT THE WHARF. 213 where his Excellency was to disemhark ; and it required great exertion on the part of both military and police to prevent the dense masses from encroaching beyond the circumscribed boun- dary. Hundreds of persons might have been ob- served blackening the decks and mounted on the rigging of vessels, high as they could climb, and even out upon the yard-arms, to testify their allegiance to her Majesty's representative. An accident occurred in consequence (that, fortunately, did not prove serious), which was witnessed by Lord Monck and his party, as the Queen Victoria happened to be approaching the Wharf at the time. A vessel in the Albert Basin lay close to where the steamer had to be moored. Every portion of this schooner (apart from the deck, which was crowded) where it was possible to stand or climb, or maintain a position by the exercise of strategy or agility, was occupied. The entire ship looked one black mass of human life. Owing to the immense number of people distri- buted so unequally over the vessel, especially on the rigging, it evinced signs of unsteadiness for a moment, then swayed to and fro, and finally gave one sudden bound, careering to the port side until her bulwarks almost touched the water. Numbers of persons were suddenly dashed from the rigging, or else threw themselves off, during M ; .: '■:.4 iw . il 5 iii': '.I" i;:': ■••! ?i! 214 ENGLISH AMERICA. a momentary paroxysm of terror, upon those on deck, while others jumped into the river. The panic was severe and general. The spectators on shore nearest the vessel caught the alarm, and endeavoured ineffectually to escape from the ship's masts, that seemed in unpleasant proximity to their heads. So compact was the crowd that no individual composing the huge living block could move an inch even at the peril of his life I Providentially, the schooner, upon being relieved of its excessive burden, heeled to the larboard side, and quickly righted again ; consequently, no more serious disasters occurred than those occasioned by fright and the sousing in tBfe St. Lawrence. It was surprising in what an incredibly short time the entire rigging of the vessel became cleared of its adventurous occupants, just with the same rapidity as a prestidigitateur would per- form a conjuring trick. Hie Presto ! and they disappeared on to the deck and — into the water! The gentlemen who assembled on the Albert Wharf in readiness to receive his Excellency, comprised the Mayor (who wore his collar of office) and Corporation, the Honourable the Premier, and the Honourable Messieurs M'Gee and Dorion, General Sir W. F. Williams (the hero of Kars), Commander of the Forces in Canada, General Lord Paulet, Honourable Colonel Percy, m i'M :-^ THE queen's representative. 215 Judge Coursol, the Recorder, and a few city- Counsellors. The author was also privileged to form one of the group. Precisely at four o'clock, as previously announced, the Queen Victoria steamed alongside the Wharf, when the lusty and prolonged acclamation of human voices almost drowned the thunder of the guns fired from the fort on St. Helen's Island. Those cheers had for me a deep signification. I learned from them and through them the political sentiments of the people, and how devotedly they were attached to English institutions and to our good and gracious Sovereign. The scene at the Wharf was pic- turesque and exciting. All the vessels in port had their colours gaily streaming. But when Lord Monck and his suite disembarked, and the military band struck up the National Anthem, popular enthusiasm had reached its highest pitch. People waved their hats and raised their voices in a deafening shout. The reception of the Governor- General was brilliant and intense ; so much P'^ at sensibly to move the honoured visitor. Lord ]\ ick's suite consisted of Major-General Doyle, Colonel Paynter, Mr. Godley, Private Secretary, Captain Retallack, Military Secre- tary, Lieut-Colonel de Salaberry, Lieut-Colonel Irvine, and Mr. Brand. Between his Excellency and the members of the Cabinet, General 1^ Hi I ,.i 1 "•* HtM ^ I! Illl !i- !il I'll m \ 216 EKOLISH AMERICA. Williams and others, a very warm greeting took place. Immediately after this friendly recognition, the Mayor, Mr. Beaudry, approached the Gover- nor, and presented an address of the usual character, which, owing to the fact of his having been a French Canadian, he read most imper- fectly, repeatedly stumbling in his attempts. During the reading Lord Monck several times bowed his acknowledgments. His Excellency, in a clear, sonorous, and im- pressive manner, then read the annexed reply to the Corporate address — a reply that deeply affected those who heard it : — " Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen, — I thank you heartily for your cordial welcome on my visit to the city of Montreal, as the representative of our Severe' ^n. I receive with pleasure the assu- rances of your feelings of loyalty and fidelity to the Queen— feelings which I am certain would develope themselves into action should it become necessary to defend her Majesty's Crown and dignity in this part of her dominions. The domestic dissensions which still unhappily pre- vail amongst the inhabitants of the United States Republic, must be a cause of deep regret to all who desire the progress of mankind and the development of civilization, more especially to those who, like yourselves, from close juxta- ^ THE CORTEGE. 217 it id \y position, have so many interests in common with that people. I rejoice to think that Canada has been spared the infliction of war, and I fer- vently pray that foreign attack and domestic dissension may ever be strangers to her shores. I thank you for the expression of your wish to render my stay, amongst you agreeable ; and I assure you I promise myself great pleasure in making myself acquainted with your city and its institutions." His Excellency having concluded his reply, which was received with greetings, was conducted to a carriage and four, in readiness for his recep- tion. He was attended by the Honourable Mr. Sicotte,Attorney-General, East, General Williams, and the Mayor, the escort consisting of a troop of cavalry. A line of carriages followed, occu- pied by civic officials, military officers, ministers, and private gentlemen. Tlie cortige slowly wound its way along the leading streets, and finally drew up in front of St. Lawrence Hall. All the line of route was thickly lined with spectators ; the windows of stores and private houses were filled principally with gaily attired ladies, who waved their delicate hands and virgin pocket handkerchiefs gracefully in the air, while around and above tbem were displayed the British flag and other inaiyniay VOL. I. I* ■•11, •i:' :f M. 218 ENGLISH AMERICA. M t 1^1 many of which were suspended by cords midway across the thoroughfares. The ovation was magnificent. Both the day and the pageant were equally fine, and nothing was wanting that could impart Sclat to the Governor's reception. As a wind-up to the day's proceedings, a grand military concert was given ; previous to which Lord Monck inspected a battery of Montreal Volunteers. Both took place in the Crystal Palace— an immense structure, hideously ugly, originally erected as a banquet hall during the visit of the Prince of Wales. To compensate in some degree for the dreary look of the interior, several banners were displayed in front of the building, rendering the coup cToiil on entering tolerably imposing. Evety available seat was occupied by well-dressed spectators, many of whom had travelled hundred of miles to auspicate the visit of the Governor- General. Shortly after nine o'clock his Excellency arrived, attended by General Williams, Lord Paulet, General Doyle, and other distinguished officers. Just before Lord Monck had taken his seat on the daiSf the band struck up *' God Save the Queen.*' The effect of the National air was highly ex- hilarating, and created much enthusiasm. After- wards a brigade of Volunteer Artillery, under Major Hogan, went through a variety of evolu- il'l! GRAND MILITARY REVIEW. 219 }y tions ; and with their battery of four field pieces, which they trailed and otherwise exercised in the body of the hall, greatly contributed to the en- tertainment of every one present, for considerably over an hour. Drill being over the artillerists were drawn up in front of the platform, when his Excellency descended from the dais, and in the course of some well-timed observations remarked, that " he would not presume to express his opinion on the performance of the battery, but that of the distinguished Generals beside him, who were more conversant with military matters ; and their opinion was highly gratifying." An excellent concert succeeded, and as a/inaley three lusty cheers were given for Lord Monck, while the band again repeated " God save the Queen " — an air that lighted up every counten- ance, as it evidently touched every heart. Later in the evening his Excellency witnessed a well got up dramatic performance given by the garrison amateurs at the Theatre lioyal. The dress circle looked very brilliant, owing to the intermixture of scarlet coats and spreading crinolines. Next morning, at the early hour of eight o'clock, a brilliant review was held on Logan's Farm, situated in the suburbs. About three thousand troops assembled upon a magnificent plateau, skirted on one side by a handsome grove L 2 4..; •4': ■'■sl .9 m '1 ^5 I 1 ] '1 1. 1 ;S-. ! 220 ENGLISH AMERICA. and by a deep ravine on the other. The regi- ments on the ground comprised an Armstrong battery of nine guns, under Major Penn ; the Royal Artillery (Colonel Furner); Royal En- gineers (Captain Gordon) ; Grenadier Guards (Hon. Colonel Percy); Scotch Fusilier Guards (Colonel Dalrymple) ; 16th Regiment (Major Garrett); and the 47th Regiment (Colonel Kelly). The troops, as they arrived on the ground, formed into line on the eastern side of the plateau, facing in a westerly direction ; the battery taking up position on the extreme right, and the 10 th Royal Artillery on the left. When the troops had all formed into line a few rounds were fired from the Armstrong guns, creating a sound that made the very earth tremble. Directly afterwards the Governor-General ap- peared on the field, mounted on a spirited charger, attended by General Williams, Lord Paulet, General Doyle, and their respective staffs, llie scene was most impressive and imposing — indeed, a grander military spectacle I have seldom beheld on the American continent, or even in Europe. An additional charm was imparted to the effect by the surrounding landscape. Westwardly, the broad turgent St. Lawrence pursued its silent course along thickly-wooded banks and islands, exposing rising and thriving villages here and there, in- ■»' IHWIWffI' msf g lfiput ^ aitt>^' iW!aK»3S>llfK" EFFECTS OF A SORTIE. 221 dicated by unpretending-looking churches with tall spires, that glistened like mirrors in the morning sunlight. Further, and Montreal spread out to the wandering eye, while the numerous turrets and minarets which adorn that city deluded the imagination into the belief that one was in an Eastern land. More westwardly still appeared the great Victoria Bridge — that noble monu- ment of modern engineering skill — with the village of Laprarie on the opposite shore; the cottage roofs sparkling like moon beams on a limpid lake. After the troops had been inspected, a grand mimic fight took place. The firing of the Guards was excellent ; so much so as to call forth flattering encomiums from several officers. Although every soldier discharged his piece as quickly as it could be loaded, nevertheless so uniform and precise was the firing that it appeared unbroken. Upon the 47th Regiment being thrown out as a skirmishing party, they made a sudden sortie, and, approaching within disagreeable proximity to groups of spectators on foot and in carriages, caused no slight panic by the unex- pected discharge of their rifles full in the civilians* faces. A general " stampede " ensued ; the ladies screamed, and the horses became restive. How- ever ludicrous in itself, it possessed a degree of seriousness; but, fortunately, no accident occurred n 11 •!■ 222 ENGLISH AMERICA. in consequence. When the engineers were with- drawn from the copse they had been defending, all the troops deployed into line, and then into column. While the " military salute " was being given, the band played the National air. The sight was highly imposing ; and I am not aware that the citizens of Montreal had ever before witnessed so brilliant a military y^^^. In the evening a grand banquet was given to his Excellency Viscount Monck, by the citizens, to which I had the honour of being invited. About two hundred guests were present, consisting of the city authorities, military officers, members of the Government, of both houses of the Legislature, and of the learned professions, in addition to all the leading residents. The capacious dining saloon of the St. Lawrence Hall was tastefully festooned with cedar branches, and further adorned with the Royal Arms, portraits of the Queen and the late Duke of Wellington, besides several banners bearing appropriate devices. A military band was in attendance. The banquet was recherche in every respect, and the order and arrangement were alike faultless. As there is a closer affinity existing between civilisation and the culinary art than at first sight appears, I subjoin the " Bill of Fare," which, together with the musical programme and the list of toastS) was neatly printed in gold : — lumg i im ' .. 223 m DINNER BILL OF FARE. Thursday, July 3, 1862. SOUP. Green Turtle. A la Reine. FISH. Boiled Salmon, Lobster Sauce. KNTBBE& Petit Pat^aux Huitres. Rix de Veau'Piqu^au Petit Pois. Cotelettes d*Agneau au Champignon. Supreme de VoLiille aux Truffles. JOINTS. Roast Filet of Beef, with Yorkshire Pudding. Roast Lamb, Mint Sauce. Roast Ducks. Roast Ham, Champagne Sauce, ., Boiled Round of Beef and Greens. Boiled Turkey and Oyster Sauce. Boiled Leg Mutton and Caper Sauce. Boiled Tongues. VEGETABLES. New Potatoes. Green Peas. Cauliflowers. Lettuce. Asparagus. Cucumbers. Spinach. Venison. Guinea Hens. Lobster Salad. aAMB. Ducklings. Spring Chickens. Chicken Salad. ^'^^■■i! ■^■M '"■ '»)i PASTRY. Plam Pudding. Fruit Jelly. Strawberry Bavaroise. Cliarlotte Russe. Gi)oseberry Pastry. Merengues, with Cream. Italian Cream. Nugas. Pyramids. Ice Creams. Grapes. Oranges. Fancy Cakes. DESSERT. Pine Apples. Strawberries. Apples. Nuts, dec, drc WINES. Champagne (Green Seal and Lac d'Or.) Sparkling Hock and Moselle. Sherry. Port CI • ret. Sauterne. Cider Cup. Claret Cup. Coffci^ and Liqueurs. !• -in >m 224 ENGLISH AMERICA. The Mayor, in proposing the toast of " The Queen," and " The Prince of Wales," gave utterance to the most loyal sentiments, which were received with every testimony of an equally loyvl feeling on the part of those present. His Worship then gave " The Health of our nohle guest, Lord Monck," the response to which was enthusiastic. ' In an appropriate speech, his Excellency re- turned hearty thanks for the high honour conferred upon him, and adverted to the critical position of Canada in language that could not be misunder- stood. He observed that " he was not vain enough to take so grand a demonstration as a personal compliment. He accepted of and regarded it as an evidence of the loyal feelings by which they were actuated, and of attachment to that Sove- reign whose representative he was. The kindness they had shown him," he continued, " had em- boldened him to make some remarks, not in an official capacity, but in the capacity of one who took a warm interest in all that concerned them. He was afraid that what he was going to say would abolish some of the feeling produced by the remarks of the chairman. The latter told them that Canada occupied a position that had never before been attained by any country of similar size. But we had the entire control of our own !X ' U ' JB.;W,"il," "^S." CRITICAL POSITION OF CANADA. 225 affairs ; our commerce and our frontier were pro- tected without our aftc. .rards being called upon to bear any part of the expense. He was bound to tell them, as a friend, that this state of things could not exist much longer. The plain truth had better be told at once. There was but one quarter from which Canada could be attacked, and that was from over the frontier. Up to the last year there was no other excitement than that of commercial action ; but to-day, he regretted to say, the whole nation was turned into one vast camp. The change was observed with pain and regret by the mother-country and by ourselves ; and the return to peaceful industry would be gladly welcomed. It would be madness if one did not recognise the existence of a large army in that country. He did not make this remark be- cause he entertained any apprehension that they should be attacked, but in the words of one older and more sagacious, he would say that if they wanted to be independent and on terms of inti- macy with the neighbouring country, it could only be by being prepared to defend ttiemselves from attack. It was not necessary that they should anticipate attack, but they should constantly be in a state of sufficient defence. These were the words of the most able English statesman — he L 5 ,;>ft? iiii' : ■f >.■■ ^- ioa ')'■'■! I| 226 ENGLISH AMERICA. meant the Prime Minister. In case of aggression, they might depend npon it the whole resources of the empire would be put forth to defend Canada, no matter from what point the attack came. They must, however, remember that Canada formed part of the empire, and would have to become liable for some of the expense. Although he did not wish to make any assertion as to what would be expended by England or by the , Colonies, still he was sure that England would deal it out with no niggard hand. England could not, in case of invasion, supply men to defend Canada; but stout hearts and strong hands would then be found in Canada, and he was satisfied that they would not be wanting in such an emergency. The people of Canada should put forth some effort to prevent the risk of an attack. He thought it his duty, as a friend, to lay these views before them, and he therefore had the more agreeable task of alluding to the won- derful development of industry among them. Canada, and Montreal in particular, might look forward with confidence to the future. Their pro- gress for several years past had been as remarka- ble as it had been satisfactory. They might be told that they had not a fertile soil ; but he believed that those nations which had to struggle against Siy^jrwrww* -y-^- M', I ' g g tfg w AN ILL-TIMED EXPRESSION. 227 .« nature were those which afterwards went forth and conquered not only their fellow men, but all the difficulties of life r Lord Monck's address was listened to with breathless attention^ and evoked repeated plaudits. A brilliant assemblage of ladies occupied the gallery. These were evidently delighted at the manner in which the "lords of creation" enjoyed the profuse bounties of nature so lavishly spread out before them. The elegant effect of the saloon was heightened by three massive chandeliers, and by branches arranged at either side. One* slight occurrence, however, slightly marred the harmony of the proceedings. The Mayor in proposing one of the toasts that, as chairman, fell to his lot, observed that " it was better for Canada to be connected with England, because it was cheaper that such should be the case." Now, the Mayor happened to be a French Canadian who understood and spoke the English language very imperfectly. The unfortunate and ill-timed expressions to which he gave utterance may have been the result of his inacquaintance with our forms of speech, or else may have been simply a lapsus linguae. At all events, he gave con- dign offence for having estimated Canadian loyalty at so low a rate. Should he again become a can- didate for civic honours, I fear he would be in a v; 3 •'•i # 228 ENGLISH AMERICA. ^ i sorry minority. Animadverting upon the Mayor's inadvertence, a French Canadian observed to me a short time afterwards : — " Sir, there is more security for life and property under the English flag than we could either have or hope for under that of any other nation ; and therefore, if necessary, I shall fight and die to preserve Canada a British dependency. Why should our Mayor have taken so contemptible a view of our allegiance as to suppose it could be actuated by mere monetary considerations ?" Next daj Lord Monck held a levee, in the saloon of the St. Lawrence Hall, which was numerously and influentially attended, more so, indeed, than upon any similar occasion. The leading people of the Province vied with each other in testifying their deep loyalty and attach- ment to Her Majesty through her representative. Considerable effect was added to the spectacle by the uniforms worn by the Officers of the line and the Militia — a display enhanced by the robes of the clergy, professors of colleges, and members of the bar. The tout ensemble was admirable ; and the proceedings were conducted with con- summate order and courtly state. # 229 CHAPTER XII. KAKOUNA, "the BRIGHTON OF CANADA. »» Quitting Montreal — On Board a Steamer— Town of Sorel—Its Historical Interest — Cascade of Chambli — Riviere du Loup— Kakouna— Topography of the Place — French Canadian Lodg- ing- House Keepers— CNeill's Hotel— Fashionable Life at this Watering Place— ^A Gifted Jehu— A Yankee Speculator— An "Artist" par ewcelU'nce— An Indian Encampment — ^Visit to a Convent — The Catholic Church — Sunday Auction for the Benefit of a Soul in Purgatory — Drive to the Falls — A Strange Story — Atmospherical Phenomena in the Lower St. Law- rence. I LEFT Montreal on a sultry July evening, in one of those steamers which ply daily between that city and Quebec. These river boats present a most unsightly appearance, being clumsily built, after the American fashion, and having their machinery upon deck. For the most part the accommodation is unexceptionable. The saloons embrace the entire length of the vessels, at either side of which are confined state rooms, wherein two tiers of berths are fitted up. In the centre of the saloons tables of an oblong form are placed, upon which meals are served at appointed times. Here also are pianotortes for the use of r;. !-; ii:' , t. I ■■4 [• Mli'is i|; -..ft ■= 230 ENGLISH AMERICA. passengers ; and volatile maids and gawky strip- lings, during the voyage, pass the evening in dancing, singing, and playing, to the manifest delight of the " old folk," in whom such an ex- hibition probably revive the recollection of long buried joys. Ladies who seek retirement have private saloons specially appropriated to their use, and gentlemen addicted to "liquor," can obtain all the refreshment they require at the "bars," in which suffocating cribs the most jovial of the voyageurs sit, stand, smoke, and drink at night for hours together. The boat in which I journeyed had over two hundred souls on board, a number rather above than below the general average, although judging from the quiet appearance of Montreal, no stranger could believe that so many travellers passed through it daily. With the exception of Sorel there is no place of interest along the St Lawrence until you arrive at Quebec, and the scenery is exceedingly tame, monotonous, and uninteresting. The little unpretending town of Sorel possesses more or less of historical importance. The first mission for the propagation of the gospel in Canada, was established here. Here also the first Protestant church was erected, the bell of which is the oldest on that side of the Atlantic. The first Protestant settlers were United Empire I >1 TOWN OF SOREL, 231 Loyalists, who gave up their property in the States rather than become subjects of a foreign Power. The place itself takes its name from one Sieur de Saurel, a French engineering officer, who built a fort at the mouth of the Richelieu, to defend it from the ravages of the Indian tribes who then infested that region. The re- mains of an old moat are still observable, said to have been the scene of a terrible struggle between the French and those marauders. Along the banks of the Richelieu was quartered, in 1777, the army of General Burgoyne. From the time of Sir Frederick Haldimand, who built the Go- vernment cottages, both the Governors- General, and the Commanders-in-Chief, have made this spot their summer residence. Two members of the reigning Royal Family have visited Sorel — viz., the Duke of Clarence, then serving in the navy, and the Duke of Kent. Upon the presen- tation of an address to the former, his Royal Highness was pleased to sanction the change of the designation of the town to that of his own, William Henry. In the neighbourhood a certain river conveys the waters of Lake Champlain to the St. Lawrence, after having formed a cascade of two leagues at Chan^bli. Sorel, at one time carried on a great trade in beaver skins. Several tribes of Indians ^... "I 1' ■i\ •^1 fi t ^ ii ■I" J' 232 ■*# ENGLISH AMERICA. used to resort hither in vast numbers to exchange their furs and skins for other goods. At eight o'clock next morning the steamer ar- rived at the Quebec Wharf, where another boat — the Magnet — was in readiness to convey passengers to Riviere du Loup, a distance of one hundred and twenty six miles on the opposite side of the St. Lawrence. A scene of confusion ensued, owing to the searching for, and changing of luggage. A porter seized my portmanteau, carried it off somewhere, and it was fully half-an hour before I could find either, and only just as the cry was given — " all aboord." But this is quite an usual occurrence, and decidedly detracts from the pleasure of travelling. These minor arrange- ments upon which so much temporary happiness or misery depends, are managed much better at home. After a while, however, one gets accus- tomed to such annoyances so as to regard them as inseparable concomitants of travelling in English America. The neighbourhood of Riviere du Loup is ex- ceedingly picturesque. Huge mountains, mostly bleak, barren, and uninhabitable, meet the eye, while rugged cliffs extend for miles along the broad island-dotted St. Lawrence, frowning in defiant majesty. But even in this region the busy hand of man has not been idle. Here and there, sac ASPECTS OF THE PLACE. 233 m sy at either side, long lines of wooden cottages ex- tend — the domiciles of French Canadians — and as the walls and shingle roofs of these buildings are generally whitewashed, they present a very cleanly if not interesting appearance. About six p.m. the steamer arrived at its destination, when I speedily got into a carriage and drove to Kakouna (a joUrney of some half-a-dozen miles), to the cottage occupied by General Williamson, formerly of the United States Army, who had invited me to spend a few weeks with himself and jx: amiable niece. .. t' ouna, or Cacouna, is an insignificant village on the border of the St. Lawrence. This " Brighton of Canada,'' as it is somewhat atfectedly called, seems to afford wonderful attraction to Canadians during the sultry summer months. I am at a loss, however, to discover what those attractions are. I never visited a more dreary or woe-begone place in my life. It would make a capital penal settlement ; and as there is a difficulty in know- ing how to dispose of the more dangerous class of criminals in the colony, I would suggest that Kakouna be converted into a receptacle of this kind. In the background is a bare flat-country, sparsely inhabited, with a miserable human habitation dotted about here and there, appearing like specks in the distance. In the foreground is the '■M l-i», !!■■ :'4 234 ENGLISH AMERICA. I! 'i river St. Lawrence, half liidden by woods and out-houses, and bounded by bleak, rugged cliffs, which frown on you from the opposite shore. The village itself consists of some two hundred straggling wooden tenements, low, and incom- modious, the property of the habitans^ which they let out to visitors at exorbitant prices during the " fashionable '■* season. These simple-looking French Canadians are notorious adepts at swindling, although from their isolated position, their limited wants, and their priest-ridden condition, one would scarcely look for such a trait in their character. They are likewise ineffably mean and parsimonious ; and, notwithstanding the possession of every necessary, would nevertheless receive the crumbs from your table as abjectly as the veriest mendicant. In illus- tration of their sharp practice the following incident will suffice. A friend of mine, desiring to pass a few months at this place, commissioned an agent in Quebec to procure for him a furnished cottage. Finally, such was apparently obtained, though the rent demanded was extortionate, owing to the concourse of visitors to Kakouna during the season. Judge, kind reader, of my friend's sur- prise when, upon taking possession, he discovered that the cottage contained no other furniture than two tables, two beds, a chair, and a water jug I A BATCH OF NOTABLES. 235 No redress could readily or easily be obtained, so my friend had to exercise patience, and procure, as a matter of favour, necessary articles from the sympathising proprietor of Russell's Hotel in Quebec. . There is an hotel at Kakouna, which is closed during the greater part of the year, kept by a genial Irishman, named O'Neill, who, I was in- formed, fed his guests almost exclusively upon ham and eggs. Certainly, very little else could be obtained in this remote region ; and those visitors who could not " rough it," were com- pelled to procure luxuries either from Quebec or Montreal. One morning I encountered at the hotel a number of distinguished people, including the Premier's wife and daughters ; the daughters and relatives of other Ministers; the President of the Executive Council ; Baron Boilleau, the French Consul-General, and his lady; and persons of similar social grades. They appeared to have had a pleasant time of it, notwithstanding the Canadian fishy-flavoured ham. Dancing par- ties were got up occasionally in the evening, when the guests, who numbered ten ladies for one gentleman, whirled themselves round and round, in a room of small dimensions, to the music of a very indifferent instrument. Why it is that people resort to this locality every v-4 236 ENGLISH AMERICA. II: i ih season is more than I can divine. To my mind it is the most dreary-looking spot that could well be selected ; the only prospect being uncultivated forests, the river, and towering bluffs, when the fog does not obscure the vision. A single week here is quite enough to aflflict one with chronic ennuiyewen with all the accessories to comfort that could pos- sibly be procured. The only specimen of animated nature to b<} found are wild mules, gaunt bristly pigs, with long legs, bony bodies, and donkeys* ears, excepting huge flies, ducks, and chickens. The flies are most villanously pertinacious and provoking. They gather round your bed at day- light, and buzz hoarsely into your ears, while they bite like hungry mosquitoes when they have the chance. To guard against assault I was compelled to protect my face with the bed clothes, preferring to be half smothered than exposed to their unmerciful attacks. I have come to the conclusion that, with all its disadvantages and draw-backs, Kakouna is a dernier ressort, owing to its being the only watering place in Canada. Why so many people who wish to be esteemed " fashionable " congregate in Kakouna is, as I have before remarked, beyond any conjecture of mine. The sea-bathing, unquestionably, is very good — when the tide is in j but the difficulty of getting to the beach is great. One has to des- A CANADIAN SUPERSTITION. 237 cend dizzy precipices, sprinkled over with masses of slippery slate, that there is imminent danger of breaking one's neck, or else being toppled over the huge, steep, rugged cliffs. Once I ac- complished the feat in a very awkward manner, holding on to the rocks occasionally for support, and so descended in safety. For no x. ..aly con- sideration would I venture upon such an exploit again ; and yet I was told that ladies most in- trepidly ran the risk, albeit the slimy pathway down the declivity is not nearly as wide as the crinolines so extensively worn in Canada, as well as in Europe. The real attraction of Kakoupa consists, I apprehend, in a puerile, insensate su- perstition, to which all Lower Canadians are more or less addicted— namely, the virtues believed to exist in the salt water ; although there is an ex- cellent sulphur spring in the neighbourhood, to which nobody resorts. Visitors to this place are in the habit of drinking and gorging their stomachs with the sea water daily ; and many, when returning to their homes, bring away the same in bottles. Great virtue is considered to be inherent in it ; and it is regarded something after the manner that the Irish Roman Catholics do the " holy wells " of their country. n As in a dull village of this kind time hangs heavily, and amusements are circumscribed, it is i; I / i:i:| I,! 1 i4;i I ^ ■ I .M r- ■i'j 238 ENGLISH AMERICA. M * 7' all but impossible to escape ennui. One foggy evening, after having walked about a mile, I en- tered the parlour of the hotel as drenched as if I had been dipped in the neighbouring river. Reader, dilate no more on the miseries of a No- vember fog in London ; an August fog in Kakouna beats it hollow I Well, in this dingy apartment were congregated some fifteen or twenty ladies, in the prime of life, and in the bloom of womanhood. Such a grave assemblage of women I have seldom seen. Some were engaged in needlework ; others were reading, or affecting to read ; but every countenance was sombre, even to a painful degree of expression. Scarcely a word was interchanged — a circumstance, consider- ing the character of the company, which struck me as remarkable. I thought within myself what sacrifices people made to the idol Fashion, and how much happier those individuals would have been in their ^own homes, and among their re- spective families. But then, what is happiness, compared to the opinion people entertain of you ? It is not " the thing " to remain in town during the whole year. To violate social arrangements in this respect, would be considered unpardonably vulgar, ev0h for a Canadian. Hence the necessity for " keeping up appearances." The general routine of life during the Kakouna A GIFTED JEHU. 239 season consists in sleeping, eating, bathing, driving, dancing, and, though last not least, love making. Sometimes, by way of variety, beds are placed in hay- carts, and the " young people " take rides through the country in groups of a dozen or more. This the ladies call " perfectly delightful," and I have no doubt it is, although I have not been tempted into trying the experiment. Occa- sionally the visitors of both sexes find themselves in dire perplexity for music by which to measure their steps, when they trip it on the green sward on picnic occasions. Kakouna only possesses one musician, whose services can be had for a consi- deration. This individual is the driver of a caliche, but also acts in the capacity of a wagoner. In fact he follows a variety of occupations, rendering his presence very unce: > lin when his services are needed as a votary of Apollo. A French gentle- man observed, respecting this gifted Jehu : — " Dis be man of omnibus vocation. Sometime he make de pig-pen ; sometime he drive nail in shingle on de house ; den he cut me hare, shave me herd, make me shoe, ana den he make de music for de dance." « During my brief stay in the village a Yankee speculator, or, more properly, peculator, arrived 'there — where will not this class of adventurer ■'I ♦ 'J'l m w If! H li: ■I: iv 240 ENGLISH AMERICA. penetrate ?— in order to dispose of Brummagem jewellery. He hired the baker's shop for the oc- casion, which simply consisted of a small room ten feet square. Outside the door was displayed a white flag, upon which was printed in bold characters the following notice : — " Great Royal Gift Store — ( ♦ Something Isew." Each evening an auction took place, when some mock auctioneer ascended the platform, formed by a couple of planks supported by a few empty flour barrels. Thus propped and perched up, with his head bobbing against the ceiling of the apart- ment, this man endeavoured to dispose of cheap and trashy wares to caUehe drivers and village girls, who filled the room almost to suflbcation ; some of whom actually danced with joy over the tinselled trifles and garish gewgaws which were knocked down to them for what the mounted vendor designated " a Yankee six- pence.'' Pipes containing foul tobacco were freely smoked during the occasion, and as the only means of ventilation was the door, which was generally blocked up, the condition of the at- mosphere became consequently insupportable. Such a compound of villanous smells are not often experienced. However the contents of the !\ \ V AN INDIAN ENCAMPMENT. 241 " Royal Gift Store " may have been deserving of the appellation, this, I will be bound for it, was altogether "something new." Owing to the large influx of English-speaking visitors to Kakouna, an enterprising French- Canadian "artist" honoured that village with his presence, and opened a temporary phqtographic studio, in some out-of-the-way place. As a ludi- crous specimen of French-English, I subjoin an announcement (verbatim et literatim) issued by him : — ;i "Portraits I Portraits! at very Good Cheap I — The undersigned artist invites the parishioners of Cacouna, who wish to have their portrait taken and profit of the good cheap to come and visit the numerous portraits which he shows at the little building situated near the road which conduct to the river St. Lawrence. They will assure themselves of the portraits offered at very good cheap and with a very fine box.'* This composition is a curiosity in its way, and will, doubtless, provoke a smile. One day I visited an Indian encampment in close proximity to the village. The wigwams, which were formed of birch branches, covered with birch bark, stretched along the shore and vol. I. M 1 1 ' -'M \ ■ •1 'i Ah '^% ■ '« J ! 'A ■ ■ i |fi'-'^ 't TW Ifil Wli t'i^^« m ift ;*•; ;4B ■M if i w ii ? . lit' 242 ENGLISH AMERICA. had rather a picturesque appearance. I found the men and women very industrious. Some were occupied in building canoes ; others in pre- paring food ; but the majority of the squaws were busily engaged in making baskets, fans, and other fancy articles, out of Indian grass and reeds. A few of ^the aged squaws wore breast-plates of tin. These are termed "Niskman;" and are only used by those tribes who pride themselves on their caste and follow the superstitious customs of their order. Most of those people, however, were apparently members of the Roman Catholic faith, judging from the beads and crosses I ob- served suspended in their wigwams and the " Miraculous Medals " around the women's necks. I conversed with two of the Indians, who seemed very intelligent, and could speak French well and English fairly. They answered all my questions with readiness and clearness. The Indians of Lower Canada wander about during summer in order to vend their commodities, bTit on the ap- proach of autumn return to their various settle- ments. They are considered a quiet, harmless, inoflfensive people ; and one of them assured me that his band never touched ardent spirits. Accompanied by General Williamson and his niece, I visited the convent of the Soeurs de la Charite— a very excellent establishment. ) W IV liJlJliB I 1 II A LOTTERY BAZ^AB. 243 although entirely constructed of planks. The ladies— one of whom is from England — got up a lottery bazaar of fancy articles, including a num- ber of things, from dolls and dolls' bedsteads up to sacerdotal vestments, all of which were to be raffled for in the evening, and the proceeds devoted to the completion of the nunnery, still in an unfinished state. I was gallant enough to invest a trifle in the purchase of tickets (which I did not accept) at the solicitation of the fair attendants, who were presided over by the sisterhood, with some of whom I got into converse, as well as wi 1? two ecclesiastics who happened to be preseat. One was a thin, spare, cadaverous individual of most ascetic appearance, who might easily have been mistaken for a Carthusian monk. The other was an obese, round- waisted, jaunty, jolly looking fellow, the beau-ideal of the fat, fescennine friars of olden time, who laughed and quaffed and illustrated the maxim in their own persons, that those who would lead a good life !.ad need to live well. After leaving the chapel of the convent to which I was conducted by ma Mere Superieure, I entered a reception room below stairs, wherein a few of the nuns were engaged. On a small square table in the centre of the apartment, I observed, nicely arranged, a number of common clay pipes, together with tobacco and cigars. M 2 ■if-- ' u . ' V. ■I,' 1 m i 244 ENGLISH AMERICA. Upon opening the door and noticing these articles my risibility became unrestrained, and the good sisters, quickly realising the suggestion which had produced my merriment, positively laughed outright themselves. Afterwards I was informed that the strange commodities alluded to — and they certainly seemed to me ludicrously out of place in a conventual establishment — were for sale, in order to aid the bazaar, which eventually produced a very handsome sum. This religious community only numbered five ladies. The head establishment is at Quebec ; that at Kakouna being but an affilia- tion or branch of the " mother house." These daughters of St. Vincent de Paul employ them- selves in a very useful manner. They teach school, visit the sick, and fulfil many other acts of mercy and charity. Most of the " sisters " are young, and some appeared both interesting and intelligent. There is a Roman Catholic Chapel m the vil- lage capable of accommodating one thousand persons. It is to me a matter of astonishment how these French Canadians realise funds suf- ficient for the erection of large churches and the maintenance of their clergy ; and yet, go to any village and you are struck with their efforts in thene respects. Tithes are paid to the priests ; and I have heard of farmers who refused to im- #1 •tides good which iighed ^rined ithey Be in a order a very jT only lent is affilia- These them- teach 3r acts sters " resting he vil- ousand shment ds suf- ind the to any ■orts in priests ; to im- SUNDAY AUCTION. 245 prove their holdings because of the extra levy that would be made upon them by their spiritual directors. The first Sunday after my arrival I attended the Catholic Church — the only place of worship at present erected — where a high mass was per- formed in a very low manner. Only one priest was dressed in canonicals. Oa either side of the high altar were arranged groups of choristers habited in surplices. The singing was so bad and the voices so " out of tune and harsh," that I was compelled to retire long before the service had concluded. Such raising and straining of the vocal chords no delicate ear could abide. The noise was intolerable, and could only be compared to the bleating of a flock of sheep, or the bellowing of some scores of oxen. Had there been anv in- strumental music the cracked hoarse voices would have acted upon the auricle with Itss violence ; as it was the effect was not only disagreeable, but painful. After mass the congregation assembled outside of the church in a wide open space, where caUches and other vehicles were drawn up in a line. Shortly afterwards an auction took place ; a usual occurrence, with which the devotional exercises of the morning are terminated. On this occasion a little porker was put up, and finally knocked down '•*' for the benefit of a soul in Pur- I; "^i 'it ' "^ t V.-. t M,.:. Jk Si \^. i 246 ENGLISH AMERICA. gatory !" Such was the laudable object ostensibly assigned by the auctioneer, in bad French, although, properly speaking, the proceeds of the sale were to go into the pockets of a priest, for repeating a mass or masses for the repose of some spirit which had departed this life, and about whose comfort the proprietor of the said porkling was solicitous. Finally, notices were read re- specting cottages and lands to be offered for sale during the week. During these proceedings boys were busily occupied selling raspberries, which grow wild and in profusion about this part of the country. One evening I drove to Riviere du Loup with the double object of obtaining a glimpse of the Falls, and having a look at the town, for it possesses that dignified appellation, having been "incorporated" a few years since. In some parts the road was very bad, and even dangerous, and occasionally impassable on foot. Pools of stag- nant water overflowed the road in close proximity to cottages, almost entering the very doors, and yet the habitans were either too indifferent or too indolent to fill up the hollows. The Falls are situated nearly half-a-mile from the town, and although inferior and less imposing than those of Montmorenci, near Quebec, are never- theless worth a visit. The water, which was not A STRANGE STORY. 247 then voluminous, has a descent of one hundred feet through a crevice in a rock, upon the summit of which I mounted, and gazed down upon the roaring cataract beneath. Nature around seemed wofuUy bare and barren ; in fact, I do not re- member ever having visited so utterly wild a place. The town of Riviere du Loup is built upon an acclivity, from which an extensive view of the St. Lawrence can be obtained. The cottages are more or less detached, and a few appeared somewhat ornamental, for so dreary a locality. Fifteen hundred inhabitants are scattered about ; but, judging from appearances, a stranger would not regard the population to be one quarter of that number. I noticed several half- clad, dirty, barefooted children, and some wretched looking hovels here and there ; nay, I have even observed entire families pent up in barns and in huts scarcely good enough for swine, which caused me to observe to my fellow-tourists: — " After all said about England, the peasantry of the * old country ' seem to me far better off, and to be far better fed and clothed than many of the same class I have observed in this." A romantic story is told concerning Riviere du Loup, which goes far to prove that fact is some- times stranger than fiction. About thirty years ago a vessel which had sailed from England m Y-'M * : h '% ' 0, ■fi 248 ENGLISH AMEBICA. P • • 1 happened to be wrecked upou the coast. A bar or ledge of rock traverses the St. Lawrence north and south, near this point, rendering the greater portion of the river unr; vigable, and leaving but a narrow passage thr »ui;}i an aperture for the entrance and exit o. ships. During squally weather vessels are sometimes driven upon these rocks, or else towards the shore, and meet with speedy destruction. On board the foundered vessel I have mentioned was an English gentle- man named George Edward Ewell, son of the Governor of Columbia at that period. This young man was fortunately saved from drowning by a fishermau, one of a class who exclusively in- habited the coast, although at such a compara- tively recent date. He was taken to the fisher- man"'s log hut on the beach, for not even the nucleus of a village was in existence then. At first the stranger had great difficulty in making known his wants, being unacquainted with the French, and especially the patois spoken by the people by whom he was surrounded. After a while, however, he managed to pick up sufficient knowledge of the language so as to render him- self understood. It being the winter season, and no i)ossible communication then opened up be- tween Quebec and Riviere du Loup, he was compelled by necessity to remain an unwilling AN AGREEABLE SURPRISE. 249 "■■•■- ■^*>., guest of the hospitable fisherman for several months. The fisherman had a daughter, a very un- comely-looking person, for whom the English- man formed an attachment, and to whom he eventually became allied. Shortly after his marriage he returned to his native country, where he sojourned nearly four years, owing to the death of his father (who for some time previous had resided in London) and the delay produced by the legal arrangements consequent upon the settlement of the patrimonial estate. Meanwhile his wife had received no tidings of her wealthy lord; and her friends twitted her for her folly in espousing a husband whom they persisted had deserted her, and whom she would never see again. Certainly, there was apparent cause for grave upbraidings and the worst suspicions. After much weary, and perhaps hopeful waiting, the fugitive did return at last, with a splendid carriage, livery servants, and a showy equipage. Upon his arrival he was greeted as " Lord George Edward." He re-joined his spouse in her father's humble cottage, but soon afterwards built a commodious stone edifice — the only one in the locality — which still remains an object of attraction and curiosity to visitors. The romantic husband did not relish his new surroundings, so M 5 .'«•> ■(^1: m- 4- e 4! 250 ENGLISH AMERICA. he gave himself up to fishing and carousing, making boon companions of the fishermen. This career did not last long. Ewell died three years after his return, leaving a widow and aa only daughter. The former being in posses- sion of a large estate, soon attracted the atten- tion of suitors from distant quarters. Among the rest was a French physician named Boleau, whose persevering overtures were finally accepted. The doctor's brother finally got married to the daughter, thus securing the entire property to themselves. Rumour with her busy tongue reported that the doctor and his wife did not live happily together. One thing is certain, she was never seen driving about or in company with him ; while it was averred that she never went abroad or received visitors, but led a life of per- fect seclusion. What fiction can be stranger than the facts thus recorded ? , , The atmospherical phenomena of summer in the Lower St. Lawrence are certainly well worthy of the descriptive pen of some future Jean Paul. I have gazed wonderingly and almost enchantedly upon skies which, if pourtrayed upon the canvas of Turner, I should have been tempted to pronounce wholly out of Nature. Whether it is that the vapours engendered between the Mexican Gulf stream and the Arctic counter current of this ATMOSPHEBICAL PHENOMENA. 261 ' 3 i; ] entire coast are draughted inward by every easterly and southerly wind ; or whether from the immense local evaporation occasioned by the high temperature of the mid hours of a Canadian summer's day, following on cool, not to say chilly, nights, or from the combined operation of both causes, certain it is that never did heat and moisture play such pranks upon the eye and the imagination.' Within the short space of twenty minutes I have seen the huge expanse of waters before Kakouna— seven leagues across, from shore to shore — wrapped in a thin white gauze, through which phantom ships seemed to steal without the aid of the winds, when suddenly the vapour has been rolled up as completely and almost as rapidly as a theatrical curtain. During certain hours of the day the exhalations became lifted up in masses, bow-shaped, pillar-shaped, and bird-shaped. Indeed, some of the sunsets on this great river were the most gorgeous I ever beheld. At times the St. Lawrence appeared as though it were one vast sheet of flame ; while the tall cliffs in the distance seemed to reflect its brilliancy— almost too glowing for the eye to gaze upon. Then the sun would sink, when the waters and bluffs presented the appearance of a blackened mass, almost distressing to behold. At night I have seen the stars in all their Arctic 'J 11 A' I > J '•-:; li .■:' '^ \ 252 ENGLISH AMERICA. glory, and the weird Aurora Borealis, with its ghostly glow, like Plato's twilight, or the Scan- dinavian Ragnarok, which is to close the era of existence both for gods and men ! Further east- ward, on the Labrador coast, and in Newfound- land, I have beci told what I have nowhere seen mentioned, that the Aurora can be distinctly heard at night, rushing overhead, with a sharp, swift sound, like the flight of innumerable rockets. So old residents have assured me. Of course I pretend to no personal knowledge on the subject. I had arranged with the Honourable D'Arcy M'Gee to make a trip with him to the River Saguenay before proceeding to Quebec. Accord- ingly, we drove down, in defiance of an inundating rain storm, to Riviere du Loup, for the purpose of meeting the steamer which plied from thence to that magnificently stern region, where, by some mighty convulsion of nature, a huge moun- tain had been ripped asunder, opening up a deep gorge for the river to pass through without caring to smooth down the marks of the rupture. How- ever, we experienced the painful mortification of observing the vessel steam away from the Wharf before it was possible to reach it. I had no alternative but to take refuge for the night in a neighbouring hotel. No further opportunity THE KING OF RIVERS. 2?3 occurred of viewing the majestic scenery of the Saguenay— a river wide and deep, situated at the debouchure of the St Lawrence, having bare and precipitous rocks at either side, rising in awful grandeur nearly two thousand feet above that dark- browned sullen, sluggish tide, " Whose gloomy shore Skylark never warbles o'er." For seventy miles up this wonderful Hver is navigable for vessels of the largest tonnage. Then occur rapids and cataracts — " Boiling, wheeling, foaming, thundering down ;" when, at the extent of forty leagues it issues from out Lake St. John, beyond which for over two hundred miles, in a north-westerly direction, it pursues its ruffled but unflagging course. The peculiarly sombre colour of this " King of Rivers," as it has been aptly styled, is by some travellers attributed to the presence of pitch-pines on its banks, intensified by it prodigious depth, and the shade of its lofty margin. Few sights on our globe are said to be more majestic or impressive. - V *■ ■ I % ri-\ 254 ENGLISH AMERICA. CHAPTER XIII. RETURN TO QUEBEC. f «■ French -Canadian Pretensions — The Exodus from the States — Yankee Emissaries Discomfited — Outrages by Federal Senti> nels at Niagara — ^A Volunteer Hero — The Turf Club Races — Military Murders. On returning to Quebec early in August, I found that a controversy of more than local interest had sprung up between the French and English press and their several representatives in the new Cabinet. The point at issue was the settlement of the waste lands of the Crown, especially in Lower Canada, where one hundred millions of unoccupied acres were alleged to be available, and more or less capable of cultivation. The policy of throwing open these waste lands on equal terms to all comers, whether natural bom subjects of her Majesty, or foreigners desirous of entering into British allegiance, had long been advocated by Mr. M'Gee, to whom it was confi- dently expected — indeed the announcement was official — that the immigration portfolio would be entrusted. But the French-Canadian population CANADIAN " KNOW-NOTHINGISM." 255 of Canada East, who for many years had become more intense and exaggerated in the assertion of what they call their "nationality," formed a strong combination against this arrangement, so that the Ministry at this period were undecided as to what course they should adopt. The French journals — of which there are four published at Quebec, one at Three Rivers, one at Sorel, two at St Hyacinthe, one at St. John on the Richelieu, one at Ottawa, and three at Montreal — had all clamourously united in the cry of "Lower Canada for the French." Against this species of Know-nothingism Mr. M'Gee was the only Lower Canadian statesman who had the moral courage boldly to contend. The contest was exceeding embittered, and seemed likely to be protracted, especially as the British population appeared su- pine on the question, while the other party acted with hierarchical unanimity. To illustrate the extent of French-Canadian pretensions, 1 transcribe the following propositions from an issue of the Gazette de Sorely embodying the conditions on which alone a Lower Canadian Minister may look for support from the patrons of that journal : — n "'■ \ I HI l|!i' " Firstly — Firm opposition to the Intercolonial Railway. •'i 256 ENGLISH AMERICA. "Secondly— Seat of Government in Lower Canada at Quebec. " Thirdly — Colonisation of Lower Canada by French-Canadians as much as possible, and by means of homogeneous immigration, viz., French, Belgian, and Swiss. " Fourthly —Supreme effort of the Government for that end. " Fifthly — Encouragement of commercial rela- tions and closer intimacy with France." Every British subject at home as well as in the colony is interested in the issue of this grave contest ; which was then expected to have become the turning-point in the fate of the McDonald- Sicotte administration during the ensuing session of the provincial Parliament. It was thought that the Montreal district and Upper Canada would probably be found arrayed on one side, and French Canada — that is, the country from Three Rivers downwards to the Gulf — on the other. The British, however, are to their opponents nearly as two to one ; but, unfortunately, they are neither so compact nor so resolute in the asser- tion of their rights as the French are in the maintenance of their exclusive " nationality.'* " This Lower Canadian rivalry," said a gentle- man to me, whilst conversing upon political sub- THE NORTHERN EXODUS. 267 jects, " is entirely attributable to the pri\ ileges and immunities granted by England to these people when she took possession of Canada. The policy was short-sighted, however liberal. Had the English Government then abolished French laws and the French language, the Lower Canadian population would have been compelled to amalgamate more freely with their English fellow-subjects ; and the country would have been saved an infinity of trouble, while its prosperity, instead of being retarded, would unquestionably have been advanced." About this time a general exodus had set in from the Federal States, to various portions of the Province, a movement indubitably induced by the President's threatened conscription. As many as four hundred people passed over the Niagara Suspension Bridge in one day. Through Detroit the rush had been tremendous. The trains arrived laden with young and middle-aged men from all parts of the West, who were " flying to Canada like cravens to escape the draught.'* So observed a local journal. People were cross- ing the frontier in shoals. The railway " cars " and the steamboats were crowded to inconveni- ence. Many of the refugees were mechanics, and young men between the ages of eighteen and thirty, and consequently liable to the first '■\ .■■ -Ik t "'■ ■ I'. 'mi ik -fi '.'i :■■! •I' I: If 258 ENGLISH AMERICA. draught. Amonj; the rest were Federal soldiers — deserters from the army — and others who had fled from a land of terrors, to escape Southern fever or Southern bullets. One day a train en- tered London, containing about fifty young Northerners. When jumping on to the platform, one of them ejaculated : — " Hurrah, boys I here we are all safe at last I * God Save the Queen,' and ^ Rule Britannia I' " An officer belonging to the Military Train addressed me from Montreal in the following strain : — " Since you left this city it has become quite inundated with supporters of the Union, who require change of air during this hot season, pour vasser le temps. Some persons have been so un- generous as to intimate that the presence of these people is attributable to their efforts to avoid con- scription — a statement which neither you nor I can accredit." Indeed this incursion was unparalleled. The newspapers of Upper Canada were unanimous in recording the immense influx of persons who, by some means or another, had contrived to smuggle themselves across the frontier. So great was the legion of visitors that in certain towns no accom- modation could be obtained either in hotels or lodging-houses; while the phrase "American m GUARDING THE FRONTIER. 259 ii* y '■■'■ in refugee " had become as common in Canada as Italian or French refugee used formerly to be in New York. • For several weeks did this "skedaddling" un- interruptedly continue from the States, notwith- standing that a military cordon was established along the frontier, with provost-marshals to de- tect and arr.est fugitives. Some recalcitrants while endeavouring to evade the dreaded conscrip- tion not only risked but positively encountered death in the attempt. I was informed by a fine, strapping young fellow who had succeeded in effecting his escape from New York, that three men were shot in trying to elude the guard posted near Niagara Bridge. The young gentle- man to whom I have just referred, happened to be a fellow voyager from America to Europe during the previous year, when he gave great offence by the swaggering manner in which he spoke of the Americans, and the supercilious con- tempt he manifested for English institutions. But he had become greatly crestfallen when I encountered him in Quebec. He informed me that upon his return home he had found matters too disagreeable to induce him to remain ; that the President had issued a proclamation such as was likely to interfere with his personal liberty ; therefore, deeming prudence the better part of valour, he accordingly determined to " quit his s; ?? ;. ■i\ II /, j- I ill 'i 'I; m :l 260 - ENGLISH AMERICA. coiinLry and his father's house.'* So he got into a car one fine morning, and never stopped till he reached within ten miles of Rouse's Point. The night being dark, and the train travelling slowly, he ran the risk of jumping off the "car," which he succeeded in accomplishing without detriment to his life or limbs. He then pursued his journey on foot, and by this means evaded the sentinel stationed at the railway terminus. Unfortunately the luggage he had brought with him he thought it advisable not to claim, a« detection may have resulted there- from ; so, being limited to the resources neces- sary to defray his expenses to Europe, whither he was bound, his condition was anything but enviable. To escape from the train before reach- ing Rouse's Point was evide .tly an afterthought, upon ascertaining that pickets were posted in the vicinity of the railway station. The expedients adopted by numbers of young men in the better walks of life, in order to cross the frontier, were as ludicrous as they were inge- nious. Some disguised themselves in women's garb ; a few escaped by having procured Crimean jnedals — which I was informed would then fetch a high premiiuii in New York — and thereby pass- ing themselves otf for British subjects; others Btowed theraselvcH away in ships ; while more daring adventurers ran the risk of suifocation by •uffering thuuiseives to be placed in casks, and AN EXTRAORDINARY NOTIFICATION. 261 then deposited as freight in the holds of vessels ! Every species of Yankee ingenuity it was possible cO devise, was employed to avoid the dreaded horrors of conscription. The fact is, that the Northern people seemed to have lost all heart and hope, and '' the Young Napoleon's" retreat from Harrison's Landing, with the mere remnant of an army, to the point of his departure months before, without achieving a single military triumph or advantage, was not calculated to revive either the one or the other. General McClellan had had a series ot dire disasters, that hovered about him "as doth the raven o'er the infected house." His defeat and retreat, combined with the decimation of his army by battle and disease, were severe punishments enough for that silly egotism and egregious boasting which he dis- played before he moved '' onwards to Richmond." But the gods are just, and invoriabjv frustrate the schemes of human arrogance. At this juncture a very extraordinary notifica- tion appeared in the Montreal Herald to the fol- lowing etfect :— jit ; ' '■: !i "NOTICE TO AMERICAN CITIZENS IN CANADA. *• American citizens liable to militiiiy duty, now sojourninff in Ciinjida, arc informed that if tliey return to the United Stat(!8 l)y the 15th of August, or before any draft irt made, they will bo permitted to return to their respective places <^'' resi- dence without molestation.— August 15th, 1862." MMOMM \fm n V>1 262 ENGLISH AMERICA. My first impression led me to suppose that this notice had been issued by the Federal States Consul at Montreal ; probably my conjecture may not have been ill-founded. Still, was it not re- markable that the document should have borne no signature? Then it struck me that some officious and not official individual had inserted the same with the view of indulging his ironical humour. But how could this have been when the Herald was decidedly anti-secessional in its policy, and possessed the reputation of being a Federal organ — so that the proprietor and editor would assuredly have suffered no ruse to be practised on him. All things considered, I was led to the conclusion that the notice referred to had emanated from an authentic source. Agents of the Federal Government were also scattered over the Province, endeavouring, it was averred, to enlist men for the Northern service by the offer of bounties combined with collateral advantages. Some endeavoured to cloak their legitimate mission by the flimsy pretext of pro- curing employment for young and able-bodied men. Their nefarious object, however, was speedily discovered ; consequently their eflforts to augment the Northern army were nipped in the bud. One day intelligence was transmitted to the authori- ties that an American staying at one of the hotels ■^^^ A YANKEE EMISSARY. 263 in Quebec had been holding out inducements to persons to violate their allegiance as subjects of the Queen. It was said that he offered to pay the travelling expenses of young men willing to accompany him into the States, and that he pointed out the peculiar advantages derivable from enlistment while high rate^ of bounty pre- vailed. The Judge of Sessions bad taken steps to ascertain whether any unlawful attempts of this nature had been made. Meanwhile the fellow decamped. I have seen the suspected individual, and candidly confess that there was something about him anything but reassuring. If there b* any truth in the proverb, " Vultus est index animi" then am I right in my conjecture. He possessed a villanous look, that upon the very first sight inspired the beholder with distrust. One evening a scene of excitement occurred in the bar-room of the hotel, where this man and myself were staying. The Yankee adventurer had attracted the numerous guests of the estab- lishment, and even strangers from the streets, so that the spacious bar-room was densely thronged. A negro melodist — that is, a white man with a blackened face — happened to be playing upon a banjo. The suspected individual, and one or two of hi? associates, erueavoured to get the melodist to perform " Yankee Doodle," but the attempt was ' I ^11 ! 264 ENGLISH AMERICA. hissed down, followed by shouts of execration. Finally, the " National Anthem" was struck up by desire, when every head was immediately un- covered. I simply narrate this circumstance as indicative of loyal feeling on the part of the British population. After this occasion we heard no more of th,e American, with the exception that he had started by the night train — no one knew wither. As it was, he had a narrow < scape from being roughly handled : but in all Tsrobability, had he delayed his departure but a tew hours longer, he would have been secured and deposited in prison. Next day I was attracted by the presence of a Federal soldier, of most woe-begone aspect;, having his uniform hanging in shreds. He came to the principal entrance of the Russell House, thrust in his head, and looked wistfully about. " What or whom do you require ?" I asked, drily ; at the same time observing the United States buttons on his grey shoddy uniform. " Sare," he answered, with bated breath, " ain't there a recruiting serjant here ? I calki- late to see him." This interrogative fully explained the objects, and was " confirmation strouf^ '* of the illegality of the suspected person's mission. " I am not aware,'^ I observed, " of any such A DISCHARGED FEDERAL SOLDIB.H. :i- ItS, ity ch 265 individual as you look for being in the hotel. There was, however, an American here yesterday, about whom unpleasant rumours were in circula- tion ; so much so that he took his hasty departure. Is that the person you are after ?'* " Wall, I guess, sare, that's the man I'm look- ing up. We were in the same regiment, sare, and he was my serjant." " Then his object in Canada was not good," I rejoined. " As for that, sare, I guess I can't say ; but I want to see him slick." " I am afraid," I remarked, " that your pre- sence in Quebec will cause you some annoyance. I suppose you are a deserter ?" " K^o, mister, I ain't that^ either. I've been in a many actions and got wounded last June, in them seven days' battle before Richmond. Look'ee here, »a^e," and he held up his right hand, which I observed was minus the forefinger. " I perceive you have been wounded, and ap- parently are no deserter,'^ I continued. ** Surely you have a decent pension, and need not be in the pitiable plight you seem?" '' No, mister," lie replied, '' I've been in three engagements ; got wounded as you see, sare, and when I quit the hospital, I was turned adrift without pension, or reward of any kind. 'Tis VOL. i. Jl . i"^ 1 'l. ii ^'li 266 ENGLISH AMEBICA. W^'A : a very hard case; but I guess there are hundreds in the same fix. So I came to this country to hunt up something to do ; and hearing that my old comrade was here, I was told he had money, and I wanted assistance I That's the entire truth, sare." Although but a comparatively young man, this poor fellow locked old, shrivelled, bronzed, and withered ; and as far as my judgment went, was perfectly incapacitated from working for a living. A Northern emissary, named Max, was some- what more successful in Hamilton, Canada West, than his colleague who had just made a sudden exit from Quebec. The former succeeded in en- gaging a number of Canadians in that city upon pretence of affording them work in a cotton factory at Chicago. Twenty of the supposed etnplot/es went on to Windsor, intending to cross over to Detroit. Before reaching their destina- tion, however, a few were rendered insensible by drugged liquor. On arriving at Detroit, they were accosted by Federal oflScers, when the eyes of the sober men opened to the snare set to entrap them. Clearly, it was intended to force them into the Federal ranks, as there was no cotton factory in the town. Discovering the trick that had been practised upon them, they seized the miserable Grerman and compelled him to recross ii!i;ii 'h osed ross ina- 3 by they eyes trap ;hein tton that the cross FRANKS OF FEDERAL SENTRIES. 267 the river, and then and there, under threat of instant immersion, caused him reluctantly to dis- gorge three hundred dollars, partly as a recom- pense and partly to defray their expenses home to their families. This amount was generously shared with ten other dupes, who had been simi- larly deceived,, and had travelled to Windsor, where the occurrence created considerable excite- ment. It was fortunate for the German that the deception he practised did not cause him the for- feiture of his life. I regret to state that the tempting offors of bounty held out by the War Office at Washington, had induced several British soldiers to desert from the garrison on the Island of Orleans. The garricon of Quebec, however, was creditably free from such disaffection, although unhappily tainted with crimes of still deeper turpitude, to which I shall duly revert. During the exodus from the States, Federal sentries, stationed on the Niagara frontier, had been playing pranks with Canadians. These sentinels had received orders to prevent American citizens from crossing over into Canada. A bevy of undisciplined soldiers construed their instruc- tions into a right to challenge, and bring to, boats belonging to the other side; and, in order to compel obedience, frequently fired into the same. One day a sailing boat started from Queenstown N 2 M,l w;iri ■ »t U ■ r;i! 268 ENOLISH AMERICA. on a pleasure excursion; and although having received three shots, one of which riddled the sail, she refused to be "brought to," and pursued her way. On the following day, the Sergeant- Major of the Canadian Eifles, four privates of the same regiment, and half-a-dozen women, were proceeding down the river in a row l^oat, when, without warning, they were unceremoniously fired at from the American shore. After the first shot the boat was ordered to be "brought to." The assaulted party, hesitating whether to obey the rude]mandate or not, were fired upon a second time. As the Sergeant- Major was ignorant of what the firing meant, he determined to find it out ; and accordingly directed the steersman to make for the other side. It was then about seven o'clock p.m., and quite light at the time. Upon landing the British soldiers stepped up to the assaulting party, and inquired, in no very complimentary language, what they meant by such dastardly conduct, and why they should have fired upon women in the boat ? To these interrogatives the sentinels snivelled out a number of paltry excuses, to the effect that "it was a mistake firing at them ;" that they " did not observe the women ;" and that they " had orders to stop all the cowards who were leaving the States to avoid the draft." So indignant were the "Britishers" that ^i;'!; I A VOLUNTEER HERO. 269 but for the urgent interference of the Sergeant- Major, unarmed as they were, they would have fallen on the Yankee guard and flung them into the river. Shortly after my return to the Capital I made the very agreeable acquaintanoo of Lieutenant- Colonel Light, commanda^ of a Militia and Volunteer Rifle Company, a ou stock, Canada West, the very beau ideal v- a soldier and a patriot. The Colonel's mission to Quebec was to press on the Government the expediency of ei^- bodying additional Volunteers in the county of Oxford, especially as five hundred men had, for several months previously, been willing to join the active force of the Province. This sug- gestion was highly approved of by the Premier, who accordingly sanctioned the formation of four additional Rifle Corps and two troops of Cavalry in the county specified. It was thought that, as he did this for one district, the probability was that a similar policy would be pursued towards others, until the country would be placed in a fair position of defence should any rupture unfortu- nately occur with the neighbouring States. And here it is important to make one observation. The county of Oxford is notorious in Canadian history, for having supplied nearly the entire of Duncan's army during the Rebellion, of which ^«^- mi' I 1 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 Sfiii lii ~~~" ui Ui i2.2 I I.I 1.25 1.4 u^ > j;ii'n:ii uClBnOBS Carparation SI WMT turn STMIT WlinM,N.V. t (71*)ty«<4IM 270 ENGLISH AMERICA. Duncan and Mackenzie were the celebrated leaders. But since then what a change has come over the spirit of the people I The loyal feeling existing in 1862 throughout the whole of this once rebellious district afforded a striking but not less pleasing contrast to that which obtained during the revolutionary period of 1837-38. Colonel Light is unquestionably a man of mark, and a disinterestedly loyal Volunteer command- ant, who has " done the State some service ;" OJiaracteristics that will readily be inferred from the few evenlM incidents of his life, which I append by way of memoir : — Ever since the year 1837, Colonel Light has been engaged in the Militia service, both active and sedentary ; in fact, was but seventeen years of age when he first became a volunteer. During the insurrection he had charge of a cavalry troop at Norwich, under command of the late Sir Allan McNab. Then he volunteered into the Naval Brigade at Chippawa, under Com- modore Drew, who appointed him coxswain of a gun boat. He subsequently assisted in the attack on the insurgent steamer, Caro^ linSy engaged in conveying ammunitions of war to Navy Island, in the Niagara channel, and was bowman of the boat under command of Lieut Elmsley, RN., the crew of which as- DARING OF A BOAT'S CBEW. 271 saulted, boarded, and finally burned that vessel. Colonel Light is the individual referred to by Sir Francis Head, in his ^' Narrative/' as having un- moored the steamer from the Wharf at Fort Schlosser, while under a sharp fire of rifles, and as having been accidentally left on board the Caroline alone, the vessel meanwhile burning rapidly, and as rapidly drifting towards the Niagara Falls. From this appallingly perilous position he was relieved by the daring of Lieut. Baird's boat crew, who, at imminent peril to them- selves, succeeded in rescuing their comrade from a fearful death I A few minutes had but elapsed when the blazing mass was precipitated over the furious cataract into the boiling waters — a moment hidden, and then appearing in frittered, segre- gated remnants, frizzing and floating on the surface I — a wild and majestic scene worthy of a BaphaePs art or a Dante^s genius to delineate or describe. As a reward for the daring exhibited by the young hero, in assisting to assault and burn the Caroline^ he was appointed aide-de-camp to Com- modore Drew. Afterwards he raised a party of Volunteers to man a gun-boat for the purpose of attacking the American steam-ship Barcelona i but when their guns were pointed and matches lighted in readiness to fii'e, orders were received not ' i ',1 272 ENGLISH AMERICA. to prosecute the assault. In 1838, Colonel Light assisted in raising a Volunteer company, that became amalgamated with the incorporated bat- talion, called the Brantford Light Infantry, in which he held rank as acting-adjutant. During 1841, he formed a Volunteer flank company of " minute men " for active service, if required, under the general order of December 14, 1840. Five years later he organised a troop of Volun- teer cavalry, and came under the favourable notice of Lord Cathcart, who was a friend of his father's. In 1857, he was elected by the High- land Society of Oxford county to the command of their Kifle corps ; and the same year was also appointed captain of a Volunteer cavalry troop. He was commissioned by the Government in 1861 to take charge of and re-organise the Woodstock Volunteer Rifle Company, when in a demoralised condition, the Governor-General ex- pressly stating, through Colonel de Salaberry, Adjutant-General of Militia, that the appoin^ ment should not in any way interfere with hib position as Lieutenant- Colonel of the Oxford Volunteer force. He accordingly set vigorously to work, got rid of all the inefficient men in the company, so that it became reduced to five; and since October, 1861, had augmented his command to fifty-nine efiective members. These TURF CLUB RACES. 273 are all picked men, as none were allowed to join the force without having first received the Colonel's approval. A drill school had been es- tablished since the time of the Trent difficulty, which was regularly attended by commissioned officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates. Colonel Light's father was a full Colonel in the 25th Light Infantry, and had seen much active service. His uncle is Admiral Smart, K.H., who is in command of the Channel Fleet. The subject* of this brief notice — who has resided, as must be already inferred, over thirty years in Canada, — assured me that he did not believe one disloyal or disaffected person was to be found in the western district of the Province — none willing to exchange British for American rule. 1 was induced during my stay in Quebec to at- tend the annual Turf Club races, which took place in September, three miles from town, on the St. Charles' Road. Hitherto these races had been held on the plains of Abraham. Owing, how- ever, to soisiQ fracas that had taken place between a party of military and some civilians, the use of this classic ground was forbidden for sporting purposes. The chief interest centred in the opening race for the Queen's Plate of fifty guineas, contributed by Her Majesty, for horses bred in Lower Canada only, and which had never K 6 /S I 274 ENGLISH AMERICA. it < It!:'; ii'M won public money. Six entries were made for this race. Contrasted with the English sport of a similar nature, the affair was most miserable. The course itself — enclosed with planks — was un- suitable, being but half a mile in circumference. In the centre was a small stand, shingle-roofed, designed for stewards and a few favoured indi- viduals. Some yards apart stood the "grand stand," a rough and unsightly-looking structure, one hundred feet long by perhaps twenty feet wide, partially filled with any but the elite of Quebec society. Here and there, like an oasis in the desert, j)eered a female face, half hidden by a , parasol, which, without exhibiting any particular radiance, relieved the dull monotony of the scene. The more select portion of the spectators occupied front tiers., while behind were perched a number of persons, who, from their appearance and attire, I judged to be caUche drivers. Upon descending to the basement, I found it was open and appro- priated as a refreshment "bar," by an hotel keeper in the Lower Town, who, I was informed, paid a high premium for the privilege; but whose villanous New York brandy, and new rye whisky, soon exhibited their delirious effects upon those who had imbibed even but'moderately thereof. On the grounds, — covered with dihrxB left after the workmen, — were a few private THE GAME OF BOULETTE. 276 vehicles, any number of caliches, and a soli- tary Carriage and pair, looking melancholy in its isolation, in which were the only ladies I observed during the day's proceedings. His Ex- cellency the Governor- General, and his son (a youth about fifteen years of age), attended by his lordship's private secretary, Mr. Godley, and his aide-de-camp. Captain Ratallack, arrived on horseback some time after the first heat had been run. Several rows occurred, and most of the waiters got drunk, and were lying about the field long before the races had. conclude^. No police- men were present that I could observe, although the deprivation was of little importance, for a more awkward, undisciplined, puny, and in- efficient force could not be found out of Quebec. Contiguous to the *' grand stand " was fixed a roulette table, presided over by an old grey- headed, grey-whiskered Irishman, who, in a loud stentorian voice, that almost frightened the horses, and with consummate confidence in the effect of his invitation, roared out : — " Now then, sporting gents, here the father stands with the mother, and the mother with the daughter, put your money down anywhere you like I This is a branch of the great English roulette, where the English put crowns and doubloons. Two must win every time. Pay ■'M :^i|,^ ■=! ''^' h r l''M: 276 ENGLISH AMERICA. your penny or a York sliillinjF,^ a piece, whichever you like. Two are sure to win I** Outside of the course was erected an apple stand, and four rough, hastily-constructed, unfinished plank booths, wherein refreshments were served out. The shanties looked as uninviting as the viands they contained. In a central position was a marquee, the only decent-looking temporary structure that could be observed. People who could not afford, or who wished to evade payment of their " quarter " for admission, clambered up on the wooden fences, from which up comfortable but elevated positions several of the spectators tumbled off, greatly to the merriment of their more fortunate neighbours. The whole arrangement had a " rowdy "* look about it, and impressed me far from favourably. After the races terminated a scene of indescribable confusion followed in front of the entrance gate. This was occasioned by the difficulty of getting vehicles to move, the road being partially blocked up by dirty-looking groups of people, besides a collection of caliches^ the drivers meanwhile heaping imprecations upon each other in their favourite patois, more expres- sive than elegant I had quite enough of a Quebec race-course the first day, so I did not repeat my visit, but left the hurdle-race to go off as best it might. A MILITARY MUBDEB. 277 Within the incredible period of two months, three military murders were perpetrated in Quebec, the victim on each occasion being a sergeant of one of the regiments in garrison, and the murderer a private in the same corps. The case that produced most [excitement and sym- pathy was that of Colour-Sergeant Ryall, the par- ticulars of whose assassination may perhaps be worthy of record : — One morning, shortly after the 17th Regiment had assembled in the quadrangular parade ground of the Jesuits' Barrack, and were in the act of " falling in," a private of No. 5 Company, named Tynan, stepped one pace to the front, deliberately leveled his rifle, and shot Colour- Sergeant Ryall, who happened to be but a few yards distant from the assassin. The ball entered the Sergeant's left breast, and perforated his heart, producing instantaneous death. Immediately the murderer was seized and conveyed to the guard- house cells. On his way thither he acknowledged that he was aware of the crime he had com- mitted, but manifested not the slightest com- punction. Sergeant Ryall, — who has left a wife and seven children to deplore his miserable fate, — had been seventeen years in the service, although having scarcely arrived at what is technically termed the 278 EKOLISH AMERICA. prime of life. For seven years lie occupied the post of Colour-Sergeant He was considered in every respect a most exemplary man, lenient to those under him, and always acting under the high promptings and principles of duty. No soldier in the regiment was more generally es- teemed. The assassin, Tynan, had been nearly eight years in the service, and up to the time of this melancholy occurrence, with the exception of being remarkable for quickness of temper, was tolerably well conducted. At the inquest next day, when the prisoner was brought before the jury (in the custody of a guard with drawn bayonets), and while in the presence of the murdered man, he was asked by the Coroner if he recognised the body. To this interrogative Tynan replied, without betraying the least emotion :— - " I do ; it is that of Colour-Sergeant Byall 1" From all that I could learn, and from my per- sonal observation of the culprit when in prison, I am inclined to attribute the horrible murder of Sergeant Byall to homicidal mania. I take this view of the lamentable occurrence no less on the ground of humanity than in defence of the British army. It was averred that Tynan had entertained a grudge against his victim, simply because he was ordered to procure a new shako and some other matters, for which the private INSUBOBDINATION IN THE ABMT. 279 M^ would have had to pay out of his scanty resources. But one cannot reconcile it to reason that so trivial a circumstance could have engendered a feeling of deadly hostility. For some time be- fore the murderer had manifested symptoms which had caused him to be placed under strict surveillance. His comrades affirmed that, although ordinarily a quiet man in the regiment, he was nevertheless occasionally subject to cerebral attacks, and that he had only re- turned from hospital, where he had been treated for temporary insanity, just prior to the perpetration of the horrible deed. A sergeant of the same regiment assured me, however, that the assassin "knew very well what he was about." But, if there exist sufficient grounds to establish these periodical aberrations of intellect, then I think there is someiMng like primd facie evidence that the wretched man was impelled to the com- mission of this crime under an influence which seems as uncontrollable as it is unaccountable. After the assassination, in a similar manner, of a sergeant at Montreal, I was dining at mess with Captain McFarlan, and other officers of the Military Train, stationed in that city. Conversation happened to turn upon the fact and frequency of these high-class offences in the British army, upon which one officer remarked :— • u. 280 ENGLISH AMERICA. " I should not be surprised if these cowardly murders would spread throughout every garrison town in the Province. If condign punishment, by order of court-martial, be not inflicted, and that smnmarily, upon the perpetrators of such enormities, instead of handing the culprits over to the civil authorities, we shall next hear of officers, and not sergeants, becoming the victims either of cold-blooded malice or of delirious resentment" Those who have studied the startling phases of criminal jurisprudence, are well aware that on the commission of some extraordinary crime, others of a similar character almost invariably succeed. Whether the publicity of such an occurrence as that I have presupposed, acts upon the latent criminal propensities hitherto undeveloped, or whether to an ill-regulated and ill-balanced mind the passion for notoriety may not be paramount to even the love of life, is not for a non-profes- sional writer like myself to decide. A scene so solemnly touching and affecting as the funeral of the deceased Colour- Sergeant, had rarely been witnessed in Quebec. At nine o'clock a.m. on the day of the funeral, the coffined re- mains of the lamented soldier were removed from the dead-house of the military hospital to the open space in the Barrack. A procession was then formed in the following order : — A TOUCHING INCIDENT. 281 Firing party of 18 men with arms reversed. A Sergeant and Corporal. The Bands of the 17th Regiment and 60th Rifles. The Undertaker. The CoFriN, With hat and sword of deceased, covered with a hlack pall and Union-jack, borne by eight Non-commissioned Officers and Pall-bearers. The Wife and Children of Deceased.. Carriage containing Female Relatives and Friends of Deceased. Privates of the 17th Regiment. Non-commissioned Officers of the 17th Regiment. One Company of the 60th Rifles. One Company of Artillery. Pensioners and Citizens. The Colonel and other Commissioned Officers of the 17th Regiment. When the cortdge moved on at a very slow pace the bands alternately played the " Dead March" in Saul, At the Cemetery gate the procession was met by the Abb^ Ferland, one of the Chaplains to the forces. The burial service having con- cluded, the firing party, who had previously taken up position by the side of the grave, were ordered to load, and three successive volleys were discharged — the last sad but honourable tribute that can be paid to a soldier, no matter how inferior or dis- tinguished his rank. Soon as the firing ceased, the " National Anthem" was struck up, during the performance of which most of the spectators stood uncovered. A touching incident finally occurred when two sons of the deceased Sergeant supported their mother to the brink of the grave, where they witnessed the lowering of the body to If I I I '^1 I 'M ■n "*'X 'm 282 ENGLISH AHERICA. its last resting place. Traces of sorrow were plainly observable on every countenance; and those who had fought many a battle had now a difficulty in suppressing their emotions. Over a thousand civilians were present at the ceremony. The Plains of Abraham were one day the scene of a very brilliant military spectacle, on which occasion all the troops in garrison turned out This display had ostensibly for its object the pre- sentation of the Victoria Cross to Captain Burslam, 60th Rifles ; but Colonel Paynter, the Command- ant, seized the opportunity to take farewell of, and address a few parting words to, his men be- fore resigning his post and returning to Europe. Their Excellencies Lord Monck and Earl Mulgrave (who had arrived the day before), and some Members of the Cabinet were present. There was a paucity of spectators, who consisted for the most part of ragged urchins and idle labourers. Nothing seems to arouse the " Quebecers,'* they are so torpid, mentally and physically ^not even a grand military demonstration. A square having been formed. Colonel Paynter proceeded to attach the decoration to the gallant Captain^s breast, a ceremony accompanied by ex- pressions highly, and no doubt deservedly, flatter- ing to the honoured recipient The Colonel then addressed the troops in simple but energetic COLONEL PATNTEB. 283 language. He complimented them for the manner in which his slightest order had been obeyed during the three and a half years he held command of the Quebec garrison, and adverted with marked emotion to the melancholy occurrences that had taken place, the perpetration of which he attributed entirely to an indomitable love for strong drink, unhappily indulged in by many British soldiers. " The army," observed Colonel Paynter, " had never been wanting in physical bravery in the field, but moral bravery in the camp was often wanting. A soldier who would dash the tempt- ing glass from his lips would be respected by his companions, and prove himself possessed of the highest degree of bravery —moral courage I" Perhaps in no country are such vile liquors re- tailed as in the Province. Bad Canadian grain whisky is adulterated with the most deleterious compounds, — amongst the rest what is termed "silent spirit," which, when taken in copious quantities, exercises maddening influences upon the brain, thereby giving rise to egregious crimes. And this is the abominable stuff sold to British soldiers in those miserable haunts where, un- happily, they are accustomed to resort When Colonel Paynter had taken leave of his men, the troops went through a variety of evolu- m 'k ]' ■I 284 ENGLISH AMERICA. tions, "marching past'* in quick and slow time and firing by sections. The sharp-shooters performed their complicated manoeuvres with great precision. Finally, the entire garrison formed into line and fired 2^ feu de joie^ the effect of which was highly effective. A battery of four field-pieces was likewise brought into requisition, and greatly en- hanced the magnificence of the spectacle. To me the event was a godsend, as it served to relieve the dull — very dull monotony of life in Quebec. 2t and ned ion. and Wy was en- To dto 3 in CHAPTER XIV. THE LATE SIR ALLAN NAPIER MACNAB. Antecedents of the Defunct Baronet — His Progenitors — ^The School Boy Soldier and the Midshipman — Studies Law, and Commences Practice as an Advocate — Attains the Rank of Queen's Counsel — Becomes a Member and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly — He Engages in the Rebellion, aiid Marches to the Protection of Toronto— He Receives the Honour of Knighthood and the Commendation of the Queen — Sir Allan's Parliamentary Career — His Attendance upon the Prince of Wales — His Personal Appearance and Charac- ter — His Last Illness — Indecorous Scenes at his Death and Burial — The Protestant Clergyman and the Roman Catholio Bishop. An universal, if not a profound sense of sorrow was created throughout the Province by the death of Sip Allan MacNab) who expired at Dundurn Castle, (named after his grandfather's house in the High- lands of Scotland), Hamilton, C.W., about the middle of August. Although for several years Sir Allan had laboured under occasional attacks of indisposition, nevertheless he attended assi- duously to his parliamentary duties, and it was not expected that so stirring and useful a life would be brought to so sudden a close. A short il 286 ENGLISH AMERICA. sketch of this remarkable man's career, and the painful circumstances that attended his deathy will not fail to interest especially lovers of the " sensational." Sir Allan MacNab, Bart., Member of the Legis- lative Council, was born at Niagara, in the year 1798. His grandsire. Major Robert MacNab, of the 42nd Regiment, or " Black Watch," was a Royal Forester, and resided upon a small estate called Dundern, at the head of Loch Earn. His father held a commission, first in the 71st Regi- ment, and afterwards in a dragoon corps, but was attached to General Simcoe's staff during the American Revolution. So soon as peace was restored Captain MacNab accompanied General Simcoe to Canada. When the Americans attacked Toronto, Sir Allan, then a mere school-boy, formed one of the number of youths selected as able to carry a musket; and after the authorities surrendered the city, he retreated with the army to Kingston. Shortly afterwards he was rated as midship- man on board Sir James Yeo*s ship, when he joined the expedition to Genessee, and other places on the American side of the Lake. Again we find him as an ensign doing good service in the 100th Regiment on the Niagara frontier, and at Plattsburg. Finally the peace left him on half-pay. He next turned his attention to the SIR ALLAN MACNAB. 287 stndj of law, and was employed as Clerk of the Journals of the Legislative Assembly. In 1825, he was called to the bar, when he commenced practice as an advocate at Hamilton. After some time he was promoted to the dignity of Queen's Counsel, the first occasion on which that honour had been conferred in Canada. Four years later he was returned to Parliament for Wentworth county. While going through the routine of a member, and also Speaker of the House, Sir Allan was summoned into an arena, probably more congenial to his tastes, by the eventful Bebellion of 1837. His early acquaintance with military tactics, his perfect knowledge of the country, combined with his courage, activity, and facility of command, rendered him most promi- nent among the Loyalists who took part in the defence of Canada. "With the men of yore, hastily summoned from their farms and work- shops, he bravely marched to the protection of Toronto, and, as I have already stated, took part in the Navy Island operations. For these valu- able services he received the honour of Knight- hood, in addition to the commendation of the Queen and the Provincial Legislature. After the Union, Sir Allan MacNab was elected to Parliament for the city of Hamilton, several times in succession. He became Speaker of Lord ,. ■ r 4 288 ENGLISH AMEBICA. Metcalfe's Parliament in 1844, and materiallT* assisted his party in their retention of office under trying circumstances. When the Baldwin andXafontaine Administration was formed in 1848, Sir Allan took the leadership of the Conserva- tive Opposition, and strongly inveighed against the Rebellion Losses Bill — a resistance which resulted in the burning of the Parliamentary Build- ings in Montreal. In 1854, he was called upon to form a Government, in which he retained office until 1856, when he was ousted by an alleged intrigue carried on by his colleague in the Go- vernment, Mr. J. A. Macdonald, the late Premier, generally known as ** the Disraeli of the House," and unquestionably a shrewd, clever, and gifted statesman, of whose acquaintance I feel proud. Shortly before the dissolution of Parliament in 1857, Sir Allan resigned his seat for Hamilton, and proceeded to this country with the view of making it his permanent abode. Accordingly in 1859, having previously received the rank of baronet, he became a candidate for the borough of Brighton, but was defeated by a considerable majority. His health, which had been delicate, having improved, he altered his former intention, and returned to Canada — a circumstance to which his non-success at the Brighton hustings may have in part contributed. In 1860, he became a SIR ALLAN MACNAB. 289 candidate for a seat in the Legislative Council, and was duly elected. Subsequently he became reconciled to Mr. J. A. Macdonald, leader of the Upper Canada section of the Government, and at the opening of the Session of 1862, was chosen the first elective Speaker of the Council. No public individual in Canada had enjoyed similar honours to those conferred upon Sir Allan MacNab. First we behold him as Clerk in the Legislative Assembly ; afterwards its Speaker ; then a Knight ; subsequently Premier ; then a Baronet ; and finally Aide-de-camp to the Queen, and attendant upon the Prince of Wales during his tour through the Province. Sir Allan was a hale, good-looking, rubicund personage, not what may be termed exactly an old man, being only in his 65th year. A few days prior to his death he seemed in excellent health and spirits. The last public act he performed was the signing of a writ appointing a new election for the Niagara district. A brief illness, consequent upon an attack of gastric fever, terminated this emi- nent statesman's existence. The deceased baronet first married (in May, 1821) Elizabeth, daughter of Lieutenant Daniel Brook, who died in 1825, by whom he had two children, one son and a daughter. The former died in 1834, and the latter married, in 1849, VOL. L o H» li I 290 ENGLISH AMERICA. Assistant Commissary-General Davenport. Sir Allan was again allied (in 1846) to Mary, eldest daughter of Mr. Sheriff Stewart, by whom he had issue two daughters, the eldest of whom married the Bight Hon. Viscount Bury, eldest son of the Earl of Albemarle. The younger daughter, was married in 1861, to a son of Sir Dominick Daly, Governor of South Australia. This concise sketch of Sir Allan MacNab's career exhibits him in a prominent and even dis- tinguished light, as a soldier, a lawyer, and a politician. As a permanent and active leader in the affairs of our Canadian dependency, and associated with all the stirring events of the past half-century, his loss was deeply felt by many who had witnessed the same scenes and taken part in the same events. While inclined from a feeling of delicacy to abide by the maxim, De mortuis nil nisi bonumy still I cannot refrain from mentioning that Sir Allan MacNab's career was characterised by anything but a high sense of political honour or even commercial probity. There were some ugly blemishes in his character, which have left a stigma on his name. Yet, for these defects due allowance must be made when we take into con- sideration the condition of society wherein he moved ; and that the acts of public men are not, Sm ALLAN MACNAB. 291 apparently, governed by such strict laws of morality in Canada as in England. The unseemly and indecorous scenes that occurred just previous to the death, and at the burial of Sir Allan MacNab, justly provoked much comment and animadversion throughout the Province. It was alleged that Sir Allan em- braced the tenets of Romanism, when in articulo mortis; a statement which Mr. Geddes, the Protestant clergyman of the parish, distinctly disavowed, but one which Dr. Farrell, the Roman Catholic bishop, as assiduously maintained. The testimony of the former is, however, borne out by cogent confirmatory evidence; that of the latter rests merely upon dubious representations. Manifestly, the weight of evidence is favourable to the Protestant champion, who asserts (and his testimony is supported by trustworthy witnesses), that after the Roman Catholic prelate had visited Sir Allan, and, as was alleged, received the dying baronet " into the bosom of the Church," he entered the solemn chamber and held such con- verse with the sick man as left no doubt in his mind that Sir Allan had died, as he had lived, a consistent member of the Anglican communion. Perhaps it may be advisable to re-produce a portion of Mr. Geddes's statement, for the satis- faction of such of the defunct baronet's friends o 2 '^k\ J i! I n I H' i '■■* I 'ii,* I 292 ENGLISH AMERICA. in England as may not be acquainted with the facts, before I proceed to comment upon that of Bishop Farrell. Mr. Geddes affirms: — "When I entered Sir i^ Han's chamber I found him lying with his lips closed and the expression of his features quite natural. In the room, and close around his couch, were about seven individuals, including Mrs. Stuart, and Miss MacNab (sister of Sir Allan), Doctors Craigie and Hamilton, two or three servants, and Mrs. Boulton, a J^oman Catholic lady. I approached and addressed Sir Allan earnestly by name. He opened his eyes, and looked full and intelligently upon me. I asked him if he knew me ? He replied * Yes.' I asked him uho I was? He replied, * Geddes, to be sure I' I asked if he was glad to see me ? He answered with emotion that he was * very glad,' and held out his hand to me. I told him I had made three attempts to see him the day before, but had been refused ; but now being be- side his dying bed, I wished to ask him a few questions. He expressed his readiness to hear, but said * make it short,' meaning, I imagine, that there was no time for delay, and the sooner it was done the better." Having put some doctrinal questions to Sir Allan, which were answered in the affirmative, SIR AT LAN MACNAB. 293 Mr. Gedde8 repumed : — " * Then, Sir Allan, let me ask you, and let me understand you distinctly, Do you desire to die in the faith of your fathers, in that church wherein you were born and baptized — the church in which you have been brought up, and in which you have communi- cated?' Mrs. Boulton here interposed, and asked in a soft and not very audible voice, * You die a Catholic ?' meaning a Romanist. There was no response. I resumed, * Do you desire to die in the pure and reformed faith of the Church of England, for which our martyred forefathers perished at the stake T He replied earnestly and distinctly, * That's what I do.' I said, * I rejoice to hear you say so.' I then turned to the by- standers and said, ' I call you all to bear witness to this declaration of Sir Allan on his dying bed.' I then observed, * Do you desire your body to be disposed of according to the rites of that church?' To this he signified his assent, but while doing so, Mr. Andrew Stuart, his brother- in-law, rushed to the head of his bed, looked angrily at me, and replied, * Mr, Geddes, I am not going to allow this.' "" I would much prefer flinging a veil over the subsequent proceedings in the dying baronet's chamber, did not the interests of truth demand that they should be made known. When Sir i m ■A 294 ENGLISH AMEBICA. Allan's spiritual adviser said " Let us pray," he was interrupted by Mrs. MacNab, who knelt down and prayed aloud from some Eoman Catholic book of devotion. Having finished, Mr. Geddes essayed to repeat the appointed service from his manual, when this lady turned round upon him, observing, " Oh I Mr. Geddes, do not disturb Sir Allan, he has been prepared for death." But he insisted, notwithstanding, that he should not be interrupted in the discharge of his solemn duties, and succeeded in going through the service. After a while, Mrs. Boulton entered the apart- ment holding in her hand a Romanist prayer- book, from which she read two or three pages in a loud voice; seemingly the form of prayer for the dying. When this lady had finished, the Protestant clergyman called upon all present to kneel down and join him, while he " commended the soul of our dear brother to God, r.ccording t the form appointed by the Church of England." To his surprise this request was acceded to in mute astonishment by those who stood around Sir Allan's bed. The " Commendation " was then repeated without any interruption. About this time the dying man exclaimed, " Oh I when will the end come I" He then waxed feebler, his eyes became fixed, and he grew inpensible. Meanwhile Bishop Farrell arrived, and indecently SIR ALLAN MACNAB. 295 insisted upon Mr. Geddes leaving the room. This he refiiHed to do, and in return requested the bishop to retire. Mr. and Mrs. Stuart took the part of the prelate, but the Protestant clergy- man remained obstinately persistent. Finally, the clerical belligerents were prevailed upon to adjourn to another apartment. A few minutes after- wards. Sir Allan, whose dying moments were thus unseemly disturbed, breathed his last. Appended to the published document of Mr. Geddes, are the declarations of the deceased baronet's sister, and a note from Dr. Craigie, certifying to its substantial accuracy. The Roman Catholic dignitary, on the other hand, published a prolix and inconsequent state- ment, skilfully framed, however, but resting whoiely and solely upon that prelate's unsup- ported, highly-coloured, and manifestly preju- diced testimony. He alleges that during a con- versation he had had with Sir Allan, several months before his demise, upon the subject of religion, the latter had signified to him his secret adherence to the Roman Church, and his inten- tion of dying in her fold. Such an admission on the part of Bishop Farrell is not honourable to his cause, while it impugns the character for con- sistency of one who, if he did not make this virtue the crowning characteristic of his public ii hi !f ■H.. m W 296 ENGLISH AMERICA. ! and private life, nevertheless respected it in others. It is little short of preposterous to imagine that while Sir Allan MacNab professed strong attachment to the doctrines of the Anglican Church, attended her public manifestations, and occasionally partook of the sacrament at her altars, he should at the same time secretly have given in his adhesion to the tenets of a rival commu- nion, and have gone so far as to signify his inten- tion of dying a " convert" to her principles and teachings. This would mean, in effect, that he would lie till he was about to die, and then seek reconciliation with and absolution of a church whose claims upon his faith and conscience he had pusilanimously ignored during his life I The bishop, on his own showing, treated this alleged statement of Sir Allan's as a matter of course, and came, when called, to his death -bed to com- plete the wicked falsehood I It only proves how some religionists ^^ compass sea and land to make one proselyt"" — none more so than the priests of the Romish persuasion. If the story be true, there could not be a more striking commentary on the practices of that church of which Bishop Farrell is so zealous a representative. The gist of the bishop's remarks is, that on the Sunday immediately preceding the baronet's demise, he SIB ALLAN MACNAB. 297 he called at the Castle, and had a brief interview with the dying man ; that when about to take leave, Sir Allan seized his arm, at the same time stating he had not forgotten what he had said some time before, which the bishop construes as referring to the conversation in the Castle garden upon the subject of the baronet's conversion; that on the Thursday following, in the presence of Mrs. MacNab and Mr. Andrew Stuart, he received him into the church, according to the usual formula, after having made his solemn profession of " the Catholic faith," and his confession " after the manner of Catholics ;" and finally that he, the bishop, remained in the house from ten in the morning till two in the afternoon. It was asserted that while under the influence of morphia, the Roman Catholic prelate was smuggled into Sir Allan's residence, and that while perfectly uncon- scious of what was transpiring around him, some ceremonies were gone through, and the dying baronet proclaimed a ** convert to the Catholic faith." All the concurrent testimony goes to prove that Sir Allan was really incapable of in- telligently changing his faith on the day preced- ing his death, and great blame was attached, and apparently with justice, to a near relative of the deceased. On the day of the defunct baronet's funeral, 06 li 'f m H 298 ENGLISH AMERICA. a deplorable occurrence took place that disturbed the solemnity of the occasion. A number of dis- tinguished personages, including judges, mem- bers of the legislature and of the bar, in addition to a large concourse of private citizens, assembled to do the last sad honours to the departed statesman, whose loss was so severely felt and ex- tensively deplored. The cortSge having arrived at the Cemetery, a rumour gained credence that the funeral rites of the Roman Catholic instead of the Anglican Church would be performed at the burial. This appeared all the more extraor- dinary as Sir Allan was considered, during his life, a staunch adherent to Protestant princi- ples. An intense scene of excitement occurred. Indeed so highly was the sensibility of the mourners affected, that most of them withdrew from the celebration of the sad obsequies. Sir Allan's sister-in-law, from her position of executrix, was of course enabled to carry out the alleged wishes of her deceased relative ; and, accordingly, the Roman Catholic bishop officiated at the mournful ceremony. Public feeling in Upper Canada was greatly irritated by this strange and unfortunate event; and the press did its part towards intensifying the sentiment of religious animosity which always prevails, in a greater or lesser degrees among certain sections of SIR ALLAN MACNAB. 299 the Canadian people. The scene at the funeral was only the last act of a drama which, for the honour of all parties concerned, should not have been enacted. fc^ir Allan MacNab had a stormy and eventful life ; he should at least have found a respite in the grave. (I ^3; 300 CHAPTER XV. THE INTER-COLONIAL RAILWAY. Origin of the Important Scheme — Interest taken in the Under- taking by the British Government at various times— Promises but no Performances — Extent of Line formed by the Canadian Government— Conference of the Executive Representatives of the Three Provinces— Length and Expense of the Line to Com- plete the Communication— Winter March oi" the British T oops from Halifax to Canada—Difficulties as to Routes for the Projected Railway— The Trade of Canada in Relation to the Sister Provinces — Circular of the Finance Minister- Monopoly of Colonial Trade by American Shipowners. Early in the month of September the seat of Government was honoured by the presence of severol distinguished visitors. These embraced the Earl of Mulgrave, Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia ; the Honourable Mr. Gordon, Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick ; and the Honourable Messrs. Howe and Tilley, Premiers of their respective Provinces. The principal object of their visit was to consult with the Canadian Government upon the course most desirable to pursue towards promoting the long contemplated Inter-colonial Railway. This sub- I ORIGIN OF THE SCHEME. 301 ject has had a sort of chronic existence from the time of the Rebellion ; but at no period had the settlement of the question been more urgent than when unpleasant relations between the States and Great Britain were considered possible, if not probable. An easy and direct communication with Halifax and its intermediate localities would confer manifest advantages, especially upon Lower Canada, and greatly stimulate the trade of Quebec. The completion of a trunk line through the main Provinces of British North America, would not only facilitate the growth of the Western grain traffic — so retarded during the winter season, when navigation becomes closed — but would aid the respective colonies in lending a helping hand for their mutual defence. And perhaps there is no method by which that defence could be better provided for, or gain a more powerful auxiliary, than by the completion of a railroad through British territory. Lord Melbourne's administration, upon the es- tablishment of Transatlantic steam navigation in 1838, originated the important idea of connect- ing the Upper with the Lower Provinces of English America. Lord Durham also in his Report on Canada, strongly recommended the con- struction of a railway between Halifax and Quebec. Subsequently, Sir Robert Peol and Mr. Gladstone, ! 302 ENGLISH AMERICA. i when Colonial Secretary, organised a survey for a railroad, to the expense of which explora- tion the Provinces liberally contributed 30,000^. The survey and report were so favourable to the project, that the Home Government pledged themselves to recommend Parliament to guarantee a minimum rate of interest on the capital requisite for its construction, or else to advance the necessary funds from the Imperial treasury. However, before any action had been taken in the matter, the Ministry went out of office. Succeeding administrations renewed the promises and expectations of former Governments ; but in one case the project fell into abeyance on a ques- tion of route ; and in the other, a rupture with Russia caused the subject to be set temporarily aside. Meanwhile the Colonial authorities, relying upon ministerial assurances, went to work vigour- ously, and from their own unaided resources actually formed two hundred and eighty-four miles of the Halifax line, besides extending the Grand Trunk one hundred and fourteen miles below Quebec on the same route, leaving only about three hundred and fifty miles to complete the important scheme, which has so frequently, both by memorials and petitions, been pressed upon the Imperial Govurumeut. All this has COST OF CONSTRUCTION. 303 been done at a cost to the Provinces of 3,11 1,500^. sterling, involving an annual charge upon their re- spective Revenues to the extent of 1 86,000/. Having accomplished so much, Canada and her sister de- pendencies found that they could prosecute the undertaking no further without Imperial aid ; and again they renewed their application, when, un- fortunately, the Indian mutiny interfered, so that the Government were compelled to postpone its consideration. A Conference of the Executive representatives of the three Provinces was held on Wednesday, September 17th, and following days, in the Council Chamber. The distinguished persons who com- posed the assembly consisted of Lords Monck and Mulgrave, the Canadian Cabinet, the Honour- able Messrs Howe and Tilley, in addition to the Honourable Messrs. McCully and Denman, delegates from Nova Scotia, and the Honourable Messrs. Mitchell and Steeves, delegates from New Brunswick. The cost of constructing junction lines between Truro and Shediac, and between Frederickton and Riviere du Loup, is estimated at three millions sterling. A proposal has been made to the Imperial Government by the three Provinces interested, that if they would guarantee a minimum rate of interest at four per cent, on the ( 1! M 304 ENGLISH AMERICA. outlay (120,000/. per annum), the Colonial Government would each charge their respective revenues with the payment of 20,000/. to meet the interest on capital invested, should the scheme not prove remunerative. In addition to this guarantee of 60,000/. a right of way is offered for the entire road through public and private property, together with ten miles of ungranted land on either side of the line. A like sum of 60,000/. annually is asked of the Imperial Government for the conveyance of mails, troops, and military stores. But in reality Eng- land would have the payment of this amount at her disposal by the saving she would eifect. For example, over 70,000/. are annually disbursed by the British Government, in subsidies to the United States and the Cunard Company for Atlantic mail service. The gross cost is indeed 189,500/.; but of this about 112,000/. are re- ceived in postage. These services could with ad- vantage be transferred to the projected line. Besides, as Halifax happens to be five hundred miles nearer to our shores, the States would only be too willing to pay twenty or thirty thousand pounds for the transmission of their mails by this route. Consequently, England would be many thou- sand pounds the gainer by the arrangement, sup- posing even that the line did not pro v^e self-sustain- MILITARY EXPENSES. 305 ing or the Provinces faithful to their engage- ment. Of the latter, however, there can be no doubt, judging from experience. Seventeen years since, this country gave a guarantee of one million five hundred thousand pounds for Canada, towards the completion of her canals. In evidence of her good faith it is only necessary to state that the whole amount has been raised by our colony four years ago, and is now in the hands of the British Government, for the redemption of bonds as they fall due. Nor has the Imperial exchequer been called upon to contribute the smallest sum in liquidation of that guarantee. Assuredly, Canada is not less able now to fulfil an honourable monetary en- gagement than she has hitherto been. At present, the military expenses of the colo- nies entail upon this country an outlay of about four hundred and twenty thousand pounds a year. Reinforcements cannot be dispatched to Canada without the St. Lawrence is navigable ; and a sufficient force has to be maintained in time of peace so as to hold the various garrisons for six months in case of war. This expense would be vastly diminished were there uninterrupted rail- way communication between Halifax and Quebec. With such a connecting link ten thousand troops could, in case of emergency, be dis- patched from one point to another in twenty- if n 306 ENGLISH AMERICA. four hours. By tlie present, and only available mode of transit, it is impossible to move more than one hundred men together, and at the rate of thirty miles a day ; so that a regiment start- ing from Halifax would take three weeks to reaoh Quebec. The difficulty can scarcely be overrated of transporting troops and warlike munitions for three hundred and fifty miles, through a bleak wilderness, over narrow roads, covered eight feet high with snow, and the thermometer having the mercury frozen I The march from Nova Scotia to Canada, during the winter of 1862, severely tested the temper and endurance of British troops. I subjoin a few condensed extracts, from some notes taken by Lieutenant Lynch J. Keogh, of the Military Train, on that memorable occasion ; and which were supplied to me by that officer while in the Province : — " Feb. 17. — Left Halifax in steamer for St. John's, N.B., all of us being greatly pleased at taking leave of Nova Scotia, where officers, non- commissioned officers, and men were alike much knocked about— a circumstance almost unavoid- able, owing to the large number of troops ar- riving by each steamer from Europe. A field- officer, upon inquiring where his officers where to go, was tersely told ^ anywhere they liked ;* A COUNTEBMABCH. 307 Upon which one facetious fellow suggested * tents,* and the glass below zero ! "Feb. 18.— Arrived at 6 p.m., at St. John's, N.B., after an unusually quick passage of twenty- seven hours. Weather intensely cold, with snow. The coast between Nova Scotia and Long Island abounds with rocks hidden by water, which, to- gether with frequent snow storms, render the navigation difficult, if not dangerous. "Feb. 19.— Disembarked at 10 a.m. Two troops got into sleighs ready for them at the wharf, and set off for Petersville, a distance of thirty miles. Each sleigh accommodated eight men, and was drawn by two wretched horses. "Feb. 20. — From two to five feet of snow on the ground, with a bitter cold wind, and just suf- ficient light to observe large wet flakes of snow falling from a grey and heavy-laden sky. Every one white with snow, shapeless in figure, and almost unrecognisable. Could only travel at a very slow pace, the roads being nearly blocked up. After some time we reached Grand Bay, which is crossed on the ice. Our teamsters (French. Canadians) however, insisted to a man that they would not risk crossing, fearing from the great depth of the snow and the severity of the storm, that they would miss the track indicated by branches of fir trees stuck in the snow, about one I'li '\y 308 ENGLISH AMERICA. hundred yards apart The Quarter-Master General, who drove as far as this, ordered our return ; so about 2 p.m. we reached St. John's, looking more like lumps of ice than living beings. On our return the wood yards were closed, and some could get no fires made until a kind citizen, hear- ing of our privation,- forwarded a supply. " Feb. 21.— Prepared to set oif again. The men had just taken their seats in the sleighs when a telegram arrived, conveying the grim intelli- gence that the roads were impassable, and that two troops, who had left a day or two before, had got no further than Acomacto, between Peters- yjlle and Frederickton, where they were actually liAowed up. •^ " Feb. 22. — At 7 p.m. prepared to set off again. Snow falling, but weather more moderate. Roads •very heavy, the snow in some places being six feet above the ordinary level. After a few hours we crossed Grand Bay — a glittering sea of ice eight isiles in extent. Here we were surrounded by mountains covered from base to summit with tall .trees, all alike enveloped in snow. I asked our teamster if there was any danger in crossing a bay which, when thawed, floats the largest ships ? *Yes, ' he observed, *now and then. Some years since the mail sleigh got on it during a snow storm ; the driver missed the track, and sleigh, "roughing it." 309 mail horses, and all were lost in an air hole.* At 5 p.m. wearrivedat Petersville — 30 miles —where we were all stowed away in a log hut, the only avail- able accommodation the place could afford. We cooked our dinners as well as possible, and lay for the night on the ground, side by side, covered with rugs, blankets, buffalo skins, etc., present- ing anything but a picturesque appearance. " Feb. 23. — Sunday. Breakfasted on tea, and cold hard eggs. Got our men into sleighs about 7 a.m. and moved off. Weather bitterly cold with snow. At 6 p.m. arrived at Frederickton, which consists of one extended street, lying along the river St. John. At the hotel we were charged exorbitantly, and very badly accommodated ; but after twelve hours sleighing, and the glass below zero, we cared for little beside warmth and rest. " Feb. 24.— At 7.30 a.m. left Frederickton for Tilley's — a half-way house to Woodstock. The morning being extremely cold and windy. At 5 p.m. we arrived at the termination of our twenty- nine miles of r > , each of us being cold, jaded, and hungry. ccommodation here is very bad ; worse than that any log hut might supply, officers and men being packed together, like pigs on board an Irish steamer. With the exception of the commanding officer and the next senior, eight of the officers had to lie side by side on the floor. m 310 ENGLISH AMERICA. if. fc W i and the men had to shift as well as they could with quarters or without. " Feb. 25. — Up at 7 a.m. Weather unbearably cold. We try to get an ablution, but discover that there are but two basins between ten of us, and that water is difficult to be procured. All night it has been blowing and snowing hard, and the teamsters refuse to proceed. Unless covered securely from head to foot not a man of us could stand in the air for a moment without being frozen. Passed a comfortless day. " Feb. 26.— Left for Woodstock at 6.30 a.m., the weather being still very bleak. Roads heavy and difficult to get over. In several instances we had to cut through massive trees that were blown down across the road to which they had become frozen, and agaia repeatedly through snow drifts over seven feet high. After much trouble we ar- rived at our destination, a distance of thirty-two miles, at 7.30 p.m. Here we were comfortably accommodated, but, as usual, charged exor- bitantly. " Feb. 27.— Set off from Woodstock for Flo- renceville at 7.30 a.m., weather clear, but cold. During our journey had to cut through some heavy drifts, at one or two of which our drivers consulted together about the advisability of pro- ceeding further. At one of these drifts we had SNOW DRIFTS. 311 twenty-five men at either end, and full two hours elapsed ere they could cut a passage through. Four miles further and we reached an almost im- passable barrier, so that the teamsters growled exceedingly, observing that * the roads were too bad to get forward.' Horses were removed from the sleighs and carried by the troops safely over the drift At 9.30 p.m. we arrived at Florence- ville. At the inn we were charged excessively, viz., two and a-half dollars, or ten shillings ster- ling, for bed, breakfast, and dinner, and twelve and a-half cents, a glass for beer. "Feb. 28.— At 7 a.m. started for Tobique; weather cold, and roads indifferent. We encoun- tered no obstructions, as the party who preceded us cut through all the drifts, which in some in- stances reached to the top of the telegraph poles. About 4 p.m. we arrived at Tobique, a march of twenty-three miles. Here the officers and men were well treated, and not overcharged as hereto- fore; a circumstance I attribute to the landlord of the inn being an Englishman. " March 1. — Left for Grand Falls, a twenty- four miles' march. Weather more mild, and roads bettor than usual. The entire country mantled in snow, so that nothing was seen but the tops of interminable snake pines. At 4 p.m. got to the end of our march. " March 2.— At 6 a.m. left for Little Falls, a 312 ENGLISH AMERICA. journey of thirty-six miles ; weather fine but ex- tremely cold. Crossed the river St. John, a quarter of a mile above the Falls. Shortly after leaving Grand Falls we came amid French set- tlements. One side of the river is the State of Maine; and a wide path is observable, within a forest, to mark the boundary between it and New Brunswick. At 5 p.m. we arrived at our destination. The river St. John being but one hundred yards wide, some of the officers walked across, and for the first time set foot on the ex- United States' soil Only two beds could be pro- cured ; consequently the rest of us had to sleep in a room on the floor, for which accommodation, including a couple of miserable meals, we had to pay two and a-half dollars. " March 3. — This morning left Little Falls for Fortingale, on Lake Tenniscouata — a march of forty miles. Upon leaving the river Madawaska, we came to the boundary lino between New Bruns- wick and Canada. Instead of the wretched snow path through the former Province, you now find a fine wide snow-road, as level and good as any highway in England. In Fortingale there are but few houses ; but the lake scenery is agreeable. The inn is a frightful place, the pro- prietor being a French Canadian, a most • rascal — who fleeced us fearfully. *< March 4. — Left for Itiviire du Loup, another ■-', 1 J but ex- John, a 'tly after nch set- State of , within it and 1 at our but one Walked the ex- be pro- sleep •dation, had to alls for irch of waska, 3runs- 1 snow now )od as there ery is '■i pro- othor i{ A KNOTTY POINT. 313 marcli of forty miles, which place we reached at 6.30 p.m. ; all of us delighted to find our pro- tracted and wearisome journey brought to an end. Officers and men were well put up here. Hotel good and charges moderate. " March 5 to 7. — Snowed up at Riviere du Loup, the railway carriages being unable to proceed. " March 8. — This morning, the lines having been cleared, we started for Montreal, which place we reached the next day. Until suitable accom- modation was provided we had to sojourn at an hotel, without the usual allowance being granted to us, although claimed; a similar refusal of five shil- lings per day, to which officers are entitled by Royal Warrant while detained in a town or on the march, was likewise refused by the military authorities at Halifax." These extracts from my friend's diary will afford a tolerably accurate idea of the difficulties, dangers, and delay, consequent upon transporting troops in the depth of winter from Halifax to Canada. They likewise exhibit the necessity for a railway com- munication between both Provinces. During the Conference a knotty point arose in the discussion of the Inter-colonial Railway ques- tion. This had special reference to the exact route to be selected for the road. The delegates VOL. I. f 314 ENGLISH AMERICA. ' t ;i • Mil * of Nova Scotia felt no hesitation in deciding this matter, neither did those of Canada ; but the diffi- culty was created by the representatives of New Brunswick herself Consequently it was decided to leave the absolute choice of route to a commis- sion of four gentlemen, who should be selected by the governments of the three Provinces ; two Com- missioners representing Canada, and the others Nova Scotia and New Brunswick respectively. Provision was likewise made for the appointment of an umpire in case any dispute should arise to justify such an appeal ; a contingency not at all improbable, considering the collision of antago- nistic interests likely to become developed. A survey for the projected line of communica- tion, as I have already stated, was conducted by Major Robinson, during 1847-48, at the instiga- tion of the Imperial Government. The gallant major, judging from his report, approved of carry- ing the railway along the shores of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, instead of by a more direct central route, which would lessen the distance by nearly fifty miles. It can scarcely be doubted that his preference for a remote circuitous line may be partially ascribed to his anxiety to keep it as far as practicable from the American frontier. The total distance from Halifax to Quebec, vid the Gulf, is about six hundred and thirty miles, ac- ^ COMPETITIVE PROJECTS. 315 cording to Major Robinson's calculation. Since the date of his report, however, sections of railway from Quebec to Riviere du Loup, and from Hal ifax to Truro, have been constructed, making in the aggregate one hundred and seventy miles. Hence, but four hundred and seventy miles of road would have to be built m order to complete the connection. Some persons favour what is termed the cen- tral route, of which no official survey has been made. As a portion of the projected line would pass by this route over portions of the European and North American Railway, the actaal distance necessary to be constructed would be curtailed about seventy-four miles. Then the route vid the River St. John had been spoken of as most feasi- ble, thereby attracting much attention in the im- mediate localities bordering upon particular dis- tricts through which that current winds. The advantages claimed by the advocates of this scheme are, that such a route would amalgamate with the railways already in operation, and com- plete the proposed systems, requiring forty-one miles less new work than the central line, and one hundred and fifteen miles less than that vid the Gulf. These partisans notwithstanding seemed to be either ignorant of, or to ignore the facts, that the St. John lino exceeds the central line by 4 316 ENGLISH AMERICA. one hundred and fifteen miles, and that vid the Gulf by sixty- three miles, which it would have to pass for two hundred miles in the vicinity of the American boundary — a highly important con- sideration, which, regarded in a defensive point of view, must certainly possess serious weight with the Imperial authorities. Annexed is a recapitulation, in a tabular form, of the respective distances of the three competi- tive projects from Truro to Riviere du Loup, taken from a report presented to the government by Mr. Light, an engineer occupying an in- fluential professional position in New Brunswick : No I.— Majok Robinson's North Shore Line. Miles. Truro to Bay Verte ------ 69 Bay Verte to Shediac ------ 26 Shediao to Indiantown, Miramichi River - - - 74 Iiidiantown to Bathurst ----- 56 Bathurst to Dalhousi ----- 48 DalhouBi to Mouth of Metapediac River - - - 30 Metapediac to Najet River, branch of Metis - - 86 Najet River to Rivibre du Loup - - - - 81 Truro to Rividre du Loup - - - - 470 No. II. — Central Route. Truro to Bay Verte ------ 69 Bav Verte to Intersection of European and North American Railwav - - - . - - - 24 Along European and North American Railway - - 22 Thence to Boiestown ------ 75 Boiestown to Miramichi Lake - - - . 80 M iramichi Lake to Waggon Portage - - - - 75 Waggon Portage to Edmonston - - - - 27 Edmouston to Rivifere du Loup - ... 96 418 Deduct road already made .... 22 Road to be made ..... sgg \ : IMPORTANCE OF THE LINE. 317 i% i No. III. — St. John River Route. Miles Truro to Bay Verte ------ 69 Bay Verte to Intersection of European and North American Railway ------- 24 Along said Railway to St. John - - - - 102 St John to Inte section of St. Andrew's and Quebec Railway (^2 Along Quebec Railway to Woodstock - - - 75 Woodstock to Grand Falls ----- 65 Grand Falls to Edmonston ----- 39 Edmonston to Rivibre du Loup - - - - 96 532 Of this 75 and 102 miles are already made - - 177 Road to be formed ----- 355 files. 69 26 74 56 48 80 86 81 470 69 24 22 76 80 76 27 96 "418 22 896 i: Whatever route from Quebec to Halifax may ultimately be decided upon, one thing is certain that the Government of Canada undertook to build and maintain five- twelfths of the road. It is only to be regretted that the prosecution of so important an undertaking should have been postponed, owing, amongst other reasons, to some difficulty about adjusting the expenses of a new survey. The Inter-colonial Railroad, apart from mercantile considerations and advantages, has become a military necessity, and the Canadian government feeling this, decisively and readily responded to the proposition of the Colonial Secretary. Access to the Atlantic is urgently needed during the winter months; the means of military connection with England needs to be secured ; and it is only by means of the projected railway that such necessary and desirable ends can be obtained. p3 318 ENGLISH AMERICA. While the Conference was holding its sittings the Minister of Finance issued an elaborate tabu- lated circular, which was privately distributed amongst the Executive Council and the delegates of the other Provinces, relative to one of the topics which engaged its attention, viz., the trade of Canada in relation to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. As the Honourable Mr. Rowland kindly favoured me with a copy, I am enabled to give the following details : The report contains thirteen tables, all of which are very exhaustive. The first three illus- trate the Canadian export and import trade with the sister colonies for the four preceding years ; and so far afford results as important as they are satisfactory. The total imports into Canada by the St. Lawrence from the Lower Provinces amounted in 1858 to 317,148 dollars; in 1859 to 362,222 dollars ; in 1860 to 416,812 dollars ; and in 1861 to 478,130 dollars; forming respectively 1.46 per cent., 1.13 per cent., 1.14 per cent., and 1.16 per cent, of the entire imports of the Pro- vince. The exports from Canada to the English merican Colonies were, in 1868, 960,428 dols. ; m 1869, 840,476 dollars; in 1860, 723,634 dollars; and in 1861, 1,030,939 dollars; or re- spectively 4.08 per cent, 3.39 per cent., 2.08 per .1 i IMPORTS AND EXPORTS. 319 cent., and 2.84 per cent, of tue total exports. The excess of exports over imports for the same period of four years was 536,602 dollars ; 459,720 dollars; 329,670 dollars ; and 531,962 dollars. Table iv. gives a statistical view of the entire export and import trade of the five colonies for 1860 and 1881, estimated from the various offi- cial returns. By this it appears that in 1860 the imports per head of the population were : Canada, 18 dols. 73 c. ; Nova Scotia, 25 dols. 72 c. ; New Brunswick, 27 dols. 55 c. ; Prince Edward's Island, 13 dols. 65 c. ; and Newfoundland, 49 dols. 76 c. Table v. exhibits in contrast the tariffs of the several Provinces; the articles selected for comparison being such on which duty had been collected to the extent of 10,000 dols., and comprising 94| per cent, of the whole. Mr. Howland affirms that with a more extended trade between Canada and the Lower Provinces, the Canadians could compete, not with British manufacturers, but with those of the Federal States . Hence he devotes tables vi. vii. viii. and ix. to show the exact nature of the imports from America to each colony ; the aggregate result of which he gives in table x. These imports con- sist of two kinds, viz., free goods (chiefly under the Reciprocity Treaty) and dutiable commodi- ties. The following table shows the amount of im- Li ||.r: 320 ENGLISH AMERICA. ports and exports from and to the States during the year 1860 : Imports. Nova Scotia New Brunswick Prince Edward's Island Newfoundland . Dollars. 2,637,530 3,303,441 270,860 1,744,501 Total . Exports. Nova Scotia New Brunswick . Prince Edward's Island . Newfoundland . . . . 7,956,332 . 1,523,555 . 1,192,214 . 376,348 . 403,954 8,496,091 It was stated as an indisputable fact, though not mentioned in the report, that the total im- ports of these Provinces from the States, of arti- cles which Canada might supply, were, speaking in round numbers, equal to the aggregate exports from Canada to the States. Tables xi. and xii. exhibit how trifling would be the immediate loss of revenue if the proposi- tion suggested by the Finance Minister were adopted ; for, as the report observes, " Regulations would, of course, be framed for the protection of the revenue of each colony, to prevent the free admission of other goods than those coming within the scope of the convention." Shortly after the preparation of the brochure the communication had with the Imperial autho- rities eventuated in an expression of their ap- AN UOLY NEIGHBOUR. 321 proval of the plan which had received the preliminary sanction of the three Provinces. The formation of an Inter-colonial Railway would prove of immense commercial importance to this country, as well as to our colonial empire. About five millions sterling of British manufactures find their way annually into Canada. This gives, amongst a spare population of two and a half millions, about twenty shillings per head more than for the people of the United States, even before the Morrill tariff or the civil war restricted our commerce. Already our exports to Canada nearly equal thcvie to the States — war materials excluded. Not less than ten millions sterling of the Canadian trade passes through America every year; while, if access could be had to English ports in the Atlantic, it would prevent nearly the whole carrying trade of the Province from being monopolized by American shipowners. Canadian breadstuffs to the amount of another half-a-mil- lioE sterling a year are drawn through the States by Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Ou'* " frozen frontier '* in English America is, not only in a military but commercial sense, at the mercy of a very ugly, saucy, vacillating, and dangerous neighbour. As one writer tersely re- marks, in alluding to conflicting American and Canadian interests : — 322 EKQLISH AMERICA. f>1 " The States can pass transit duties, discrimi- nating duties, prohibitory duties ; they can, in fact, close our and Canada's through trade altogether ; they can terminate the postal treaty, and just drop Canada back into the age when railways were unknown for the transmission of letters. But once complete the proposed communication between the Provinces, and all those evils vanish. With an independent line through British terri- tory from Halifax to Lake Huron — fourteen hun- dred miles transit — discriminating, prohibitory, nay, even protective duties, are utterly impossi- ble ; no argument, no treaty, no favour would so certainly secure free trade between this country and the United States as the completion of this railway route." Before the departure from Quebec of the Honourable Messrs. Howe and Tilley a private complimentary dinner was given to them by the Premier, at the Stadacona Club. To this I had the privilege of being formally invited. Several members of the Administration were present, in addition to Baron Boilleau, Consul- General of France. Of course I was duly presented to the distinguished guests from the sister Provinces, with whose ingenuous characters and sterling qualities I was highly impressed. These gentle- men were not charged with any special mission to il SURVEYING FOR THE LINE. 323 1 Canada, although their visit bore an informal re- lation to renewed negociations on the subject of the Inter-colonial Railway. Since then I had the pleasure of occasionally meeting with Messrs. Howe and Tilley in London, while they were on an official embassy to this country. I only re- gret that the important project they seemed to have so much at heart, and for the accomplish- ment of which they have laboured so assiduously, should have been even temporarily abandoned. It appears, however, that Mr. Sandford Fleming commenced his survey of the route for the pro- jected railway early this year over the snow, which is said to have been a help and not a hindrance in some parts of the work. Such a favourable sign of action begets the hope that the long-wished for Inter-colonial Railway will be, ere long, not an ideality, but a reality. END OF VOL. L II ' i T. 0. Nbwbt, 30, Welbeok Street, Cavendish Square, Londoii.