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Ml' I- ??HW HAVR?f: l*rill^l>SIIKI> »Y H.rO.VVRRMK I' I \ / REM ■^ ARKS MADK ^J. - ON A SHORT TOUR aSTWBKN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC, W THB AUTUMN OF 1819 BY THE AUTHOR OF A JOURNAL OF TRAVELS IN ENGLAND, HOLLAND AND SCOTLAND. ♦ \ ^ SECOND EDITION, WITH CORRECTIONg AND ADDITIOHS. J NEW-HAVEN: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY 8. CONVER9K 1824. t; DISTRICT OF COJ^J^ECTICUT, ss. BE IT RKMKMBKitKD, That On the twelfth .day of August, in the forty-fifth year of the Inde- ] pendcDce of th' United States ofAmerit^a, Beh- JAMlir SiLLlMAir, of the »id District, hath de- por'ited in this Office the title of a book, the right whereof he claims as Author, iu the words folloM-iog, to wit :— *' Remarks made ou a short Tour between Hartford and Que- "bec, in tlie Autumn of 1819; by the Author ot a Journ:«l of *' Travels in England, Holland and Scotland. Second edition, *'with corrections and additions." In conformity to th«> act of the Cona:rc58 of the United States, entitled, *^ An Act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the authors and propri- etors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned/' CHAS. A. INGERSOLL, Clerk of the Dinlrict of Connecticut. A true copy of Record, examined and sealed hv me, CHAS. A. INGERSOIX, Clerk of the District of Conneetitut. r ■< ! \ PREFACE. During the excursion, which produced this small ▼olume, I begun, with an intention of ske'chini; a •«iiio9 of short articles, in some decree popul.ir and gene ral in tht'ir character, and still of such a cast as would 'ul- mit of their being thrown, occasionally, into the Aitieri- can Jtiurual of Science. Before the close of the journey, these remarks, al- though written hastily, in public houses, and in stoam- bo-tts, became too extensive for the object first intend- ed. For reasons, with which it i^), perhaps, unnecessa- ry to trouble the reader, it has since been thought ad- visable to print them, after due revision, in the form in which they now appear. The geological notices are, with few exceptions, pla- ced under distinct heads, and may, without inconven- ience, be omitted by those to whom they are uninterest- ing. But, the geological features of a country, being pnrmanent — being intimately connected with its scene- ry, with its leading interests, and even with the very character of its population, have a fair claim to delinea- tion in the observations of a traveller ; and this course, however unusual with us, is now common in Europe. I regret that my limited time did not admit of more ex- tended and complete observations of this nature, and I cannot flatter myself that they are always free from error. The historle.-.l remarks and citations have been the more extended, from an impression, that less has been said by travellers in America, than might have been ex- pected, of scenes and events, which, to Americans, I conceive, must ever be subjects of the deepest interest. The friend, in whose company this tour was made, having been in the habit, when travelling, of taking hasty outlines of interesting portions of scenery, and of finishing them af\er his return, did, in this instance, the same ; and, although when executed, they were not in- 1* 4 rRErAct:. tenHed for ptiMication, the drawings, which illustrate so'iio oftlie <-ctM)cs in this work, were, at my request, furnished hy him The CMirrivcp, Mr. S. S. Jonelyn, of New-Haven, a yninija; mm of twenty, ahnost entirely self-taught, evin- ces I. dents, deserving of encourajjement, and which hiive been highly spoken of, by the first historical pain- ter in this coutjtry. Thi» little accidental work does not assume the digni- ty of a book of travels ; it contains no adventure, and claims to be merely a series of remarks, and of state- ments of facts, respecting some portions of this country, and of a neighboring province. BENJAMIN SILLIMAN. Yale College, August lUA, 1820. ^■.,- i. \'^ <:) h illustrate iy request, v-HavPD, a uf^fit, evin- ind which rical paiQ> the digni- ntnre, and 1 of state- s country, JMAN. :* 41 PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. The first edition of this* book, although a large one» havinu; been a ;;oo(l while exhuHted, and the inquiry for it still continuing, on the jv.irt of those who visit Lower Canjula, and the intorvening countries, I have consented, at the request of the respectable Individual, who undertakes the pnblicalion, to revise these " Ke- minki»" for another Edition. The principrd object has been, to correct a number of errors, ujenendly, however, not of primary impor- tance, which h;ive been pointed out to me, by the kind- ness of several friends and correspondents. To those who h ive sent anonymous communications, 1 now re- turn my thanks, for the candid manner in which they,a8 well as others, have treated the subject, and I have shown'my sense of the value of all these sugs;estions, by adopting them, except in one case, where I have stated my authority. — I allude to the death of B iron Dieskau. 1 have not thought it necessary, to nild a map, as sug- gested by one of my unknown friends, because, the country travelled over, is already so well delineated, la many maps. Since the publication of this book, 1 have again visited the Lakes and the batllii ;;roun(ls, and have therefore, ia the present edition, interspersed vario ;s aiiditional re- marks, observations, and notices of historical firts, which, perhaps, may be found to add to the value of the work, as a pocket companion of trainllcrs. Possil)ly the reader miy think it foiinn ate, lh d the feeble state of my health has prevented these uddilioDS from being still more extended. u 1 ( 1 ;-| 14 /I M f PREFACE. As this little volume has been recently republished in London,* I have to regret, that the reprint had not been made from the present edition, that four of the plates were omitted, and that for the vignette in the the title pa^e, a very poor ivood cut has been substituted. It is but justice however to say, that the four prints which have been preserved viz. one of Monte Video — o'le of Quebec, and both those of Lake George, are beautifully executed. It may not be improper to add, that besides nume- rous expressions of approbation, as regards the correct- ness of this work, received from intelligent and rei>pect- able inhabitants of Cannd;i, 1 have enjoyed the advan- tage of the direct revision and correction of two Eng- lish Gentlemen, attached to the British army, and I have in the present edition, availed myself of all the criti- cisms, which they have been so kind as to make. I shall venture to close these remarks by an extract of a letter from one of these gentlemen. ** I beg leave to make my best acknowledgements, for the gratification I experienced in perusing your sketches of Canada. The shortness of your stay among us, pre- ventedyourenteringinto those details,onourconstitution, administration, tone of society, general happiness, virtue, agriculture, scenery, geology, &c. which might have given occasion for a few more corrections. I consider your little work as a most faithful and spirited transcrip of the impressions which our rivers, cities, commerce, language &c. and the external coat or surface of our so- ciety, make on a transient visitor. Its tendency is highly conciliatory and friendly, and it will always be quoted as a just and pleasing picture of these countries for the year 1820." B. S. . Y, C. May, 15, 1824. , ' * Id ft collection of voyages and travel* by SirR. Phillips, k Co. A ■•> - - - - 248 8. Lumber establishment at Montmorenci, and bay of Quebec, ('facing page) - 254 Description of No. 8, - - - - 253 9. Quebec, from the mouth of the Chaudiere, (facing page) - - - - 272 Descripiion of No. 9, ... 272 PRIIfCIPAL TOPICS. Monte Video, near Hartford ; description of its scenery, ------ 10 Middle region of Connecticut ; its scenery and geol- ogy, 17 Primitive country ; its commencement, - - 28 Churches,; zeal for building them, - - - 30 I 1 (■'■ ' ( }. \ \ t CONTENTS. Page. American Inns ; peculiarities in their manners, 3S Ririe to Sandi.^field, 35 Ride to Lenox, 37 Geology between Sandisiield and Lenox, - - 38 Lenox ; sketch of the place) - . • - 39 Ride to New-Lebanon, ----- 40 Shakers ; their villages, &c. - - - - 41 New-Lebanon; its mineral spring, . - - 46 its scenery, - - - - 61 Ride to Albany, 64 Geology between New-Lebanon and Albany, - 66 Aibany ; sketch of the place, . . - 68 Hudson river; scenery and Geology of its banks above Albany ----- 66 Horse ferry boat ; a new and singular one, - 68 Troy. Lansingburgh, and Waterford, - - 69 General Burgoyne's expedition, - - - 71 Stillwater; houi^e where General Frazerdied, 81 The battle ground, 96 Gen. Gates' camp, ----- 97 G«»neral Frazer's grave, - - - - 108 ' The iasi encampment of the British army, - 1 IS The last house of refuge, - - - ll5 The field of surrender, - - - - ll8 Reflections tind remarks, • - - 121 Stillwater to SandyHill, 126 Geology between those places, - - - 128 Fort Edward, 129 Murder of Miss M'Crca, ... - 131 Sandy-Hill; massacre there, . - - - 137 Baker's Falls, NO Excursion to Lake George, . - - - 142 Glen's Falls, ------ 142 Lake George ; prospect from its head, - - 145 and its environs ; remarks on them, 131 its battles, - - - - \56 Fort William Henry, - - - - 158 The bloody pond, l62 Fort William Henry; the massacre there, 1()3 Mineralogy and geology of Lake George, - l68 1 h \ { ') CONTENTS. Pa?e. 32 35 37 38 39 40 41 46 51 54 66 58 66 68 69 71 81 96 97 108 lis 115 113 121 126 128 129 131 137 140 142 142 145 m Fagre. Fort Anne ; battle in its vicinity, - - - 177 Whitehall; the canal, 180 Port; sketch of the place, - - 182 The old man. of the Age of Louis XI V. - - 183 Lake Charnplain ; passuge down, - - -101 Ticonderoga, - - - - - -195 its lines and ruins, its battles, 198 A night on the Lake, - - - - 205 Morriinw scenery ; Plattsburgh, &c, - - 206 Entrance into Canaila, - - - - . 208 St. Johns; and ieparture for Montreal, - - 210 Monireal; (irst glimpse of it, - - - - 212 River St Lawrence; passage across it, - - 213 Montreal; first impressions of the place, • - 214 A public house ; its accommodations, - - 215 Guests ; their manners, ----- 2l6 The St. Lawrence; evening scenes on its waters, 217 day scenes on its waters, and its banks, 219 Passage to Quebec, 220 Town of Sorel, 221 Approach to (Quebec, - - - - 227 Entrance into (Quebec, 234 Cmadian Calash, 237 Beauport and Montmorenci ; excursion to those places, ------ 238 Geology between Quebec and Montmorenci, - 242 Falls of Montmorenci, - . - - . 244 Saw-mills and lumber, - . - - - 249 Quebec and its environs ; view of them from Beau- port. ------- 262 Battle of Montmorenci, - ... - 256 Falls of Chaudiere; excursion to them, - - 268 Projected road to Maine, . - . . 277 Quebec; night view of, and end entrance into it, 278 Plains of Abraham; death of Wolfe, and Montcalm, - - - - 279 Its fortifications, • - - - 291 Geological andmineralogical remarks, 298 to 303 Death of General Montgomery, - - - - .'308 General Arnold's party, - . . . 314 J t V I \ l"( { . ) I to CONTENTS. Page. Castle of St. Louis, and Death of the late Duke of Richmond, . _ - . 317 General remarks on Quebec, - - - - SSI River St. Lawrence, S37 Steam-boats, 342 Dangers of steam-boats, - - - . . 344 An incident, 346 Night scene on the river St. Lawrence, - - 349 Frederick Pursh, the botanist, (Note) - - 350 Montreal; the mountain, - . . - 351 Montreal ; Geology and mineralogy of it& environs, 355 Mode of building, - - - - ' Besmty of its environs, - - - Race-course, and racing, lt!« importance, - - . - Miscellaneous remarks upon it. North- West Company, - - - Aborigines, ------ Ploughing match, - - - - - Agricultural dinner, - - - - History, &c. Caution to strangers in Canada, . - - Peculiar mode of extracting teeth, ... Catholic worship, . . . . - French language, - - • - - - Population ; manners ; costume; villages; political situation, &c. . - - Departure from Canada, - - - - Plattsburgh bay, Anecdotes, Burlington to Hanover, - • - - • Geology and mineralogy from Lake Champlain, Hanover, Dartmouth College, . . . - Connecticut river; ride dow its banks, - Geology, ^ Bellows Falls, Geology and mineralogy, . - - - Bt-attleborough, Geology, &c. - - - - * • — Greentioia, Deerfinld, and other towns, to Hartford, 431 Addenda — historical, &c. .... 438 357 359 360 361 363 371 373 375 376 380 383 364 286 389 391 398 402 404 409 416 416 417 419 421 422 424 426 428 \ Page, ^uke of 317 321 837 342 344 346 349 350 351 viron9, 355 357 359 360 361 363 371 373 375 376 380 383 384 286 380 Uages; 391 398 402 404 409 415 416 417 419 421 422 424 426 428 rtford, 431 43 i un TOUR, ^c. liemarki made, on a short tour, belteeen Uailford and QuebeCt in the autumn of IQIO' Relaxation and health, and the gratification of a reasonabU curiosiiy, were our immediate mo- tives, for undertaking this journey. Quebec was our uhimate destination, but we were not disposed to neglect interesting intervening objects, and us we were unincumbered by business, and travelled by ourselves, we were masters in a good degree, of our own movements. On the twenty-first day of September, we left Hartford for Albany. A blustering equinoctial gale, had been howling for two days, but without rain, and, as a severe drought had long prevailed, clouds of dust rose, in incessant eddies, and, driving before a violent wind, filled the atmosphere, and enveloped every object. We were not however prevented by the storm of sand and dust from setting out, nor, by the rain which soon followed, from proceeding. The fine turnpike upon which we commenced our journey, was, but n few years eince, a most rugged uncomfortable road ; now wc passed it with case ^^ V. '1 - I t I l< ' 10 TOUR BI/rWliEN HARTFORD AND QUEBKC. and rapidity, scarcely perceiving its beautiful undu- lations, which, gradually rising, as we receded from the Connecticut river, brought us, within an hour to the foot of Talcot mountain. MONTE VIDEO. Afterconstantly ascending for nearly three miles, we reached the highest ridge of the mountain, from which a short but steep declivity, brought us to a small rude plain, terminated at a moderate distance, by the western brow, down which the same fine turnpike road is continued. From this plain, the traveller who wishes to visit a spot called Monte Video, remarkable for the extraordinary beauty of its natural scenery, will turn directly to the north, into an obscure road, cut through the woods, by the proprietor of the place to which it leads. The road is rough, and the view bounded on the east, by the ridge, which, in many places, rises in perpen- dicular cliffs, to more than one hundred feet above the general surface of the summit of the mountain. On the west, you are so <^hut in by trees, that it is only occasionally, and for a moment, that you per- ceive there is a valley immediately below you. At the end of a mile and an half, the road ter- minates at a tenant's house, built in the Gothic style, and through a gate of the same description, you en- ter the cultivated part of this very singular country residence. Here the scnne is immediately changed. The trees no longer intercept your view upon the left, \ Vsj L'EBKC. Jtiful undu- ceded from in an hour hree miles, mtain, from ght us to a te distance, ( same fine i plain, the lied Monte Y beauty of the north, ods, by the jads. The he east, by in perpen- feet above mountain. }, that it is you per- you. road ter- hic style, n, you en- r country ed. The the left, W TOUll BETWEEN HARTFORD AND HtEBK(' II and you look almost perpendiculaily, into a valley o! extreme beauty, and great extent, in the highest state of cultivation, and which, although apparently within reach, is six hundred and forty feet below you. At the right, the ridge, which has, until now, been your boundary, and seemed an impassable barrier, suddenly breaks off, and disappears, but rises again at the distance of half a mile, in bold gray masses, to the height of one hundred and twenty feet. crowned by forest trees, above vvhicli appnars a tower of the same colour astiieiocks. The space or hollow caused by the absence ot the ridge, or what may be very properly called the back bone of the mountain, is occupied by a deep lake, of the purest water, nearly half a mile in length, and somewhat less than half that width. Directly before you, to the north, from the cottage or tenant's bouse and extending half a mile, is a scene of culti- yation, uninclosed, and interspersed with trees, in the centre of which, stands the house. The ground is gently undulating, bounded on the west by the precipice which overlooks the Farmington valley, and inclining gently to the east, where it is termina- ted by the fine margin of trees, that skirt the lake^ After entering the gate, a broad foot-path, leaving the carriage foad, passes ofif to the left, and is carri- ed along the western brow of the mountain, until passing the house, and reaching the northern ex- tremity of this little domain, it conducts you almost irpperceptibly, round to the foot of the cliflTs, on I I "\ » li Toun BtnvKE.v RAntroRD and Quebec. a 4 'I 4 I which theTowsr stands. It then gradually passes down the north extremity of the laiie, where it unites with other paths, at a white picturesque build- ing, overshadowed with trees, standing on the edge of the water, commanding a view of he whole of it, and open on every side during the warm weather, forming at that season, a delightful summer house, and in the winter being closed, it serves as a sheU ter for the boat. There is also another path which beginning at the gate, but leading in a contrary di- rection, and passing to the right, conducts you up the ridge, to what is now the summit of the south rock, whose top, having fallen ofT, lies scattered in huge fragments and massy ruins, around and below you. From this place you have a view of the lake, of the boat at anchor on its surface, gay with its stream- ers and snowy awning : of the white building at the north extremity of the water, and, (rising immedi- ately above it,) of forest trees and bold rocks, in- termingled with each other, and surmounted by the Tower. To the west, the lawn rises gradually from the water^ until it reaches the portico of the house, near the brow of the mountain, beyond which, the west- ern valley is again seen. To the east and north, the eye wanders over the great valley of Connecticut river, to an almost boundless distance, until the scene fades away, among the blue and indistinct mountains of Massa- chusetts, \ -^^^►^ '•''♦»-» %« K -A^ UEBEt. TOUR BKTWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC, 13 lally passes 5, where it >sque build- >n the edge e whole of m weather, liner house, ;s as a shel* path which contrary di- s you up the south rock, ■ed in huge below you. the lake, of li its stream- ilding at the ng immedi- d rocks, in- nted by the from th« jhouse, near , the west- The carriage road, leaving the two foot-paths, (just described,) at the gate, passes the cottage and its appendages, inclining at first down towards the wa- ter, and then following the undulations of the ground, where the ascent is the easiest, winds gently up to the flat on which the house stands. Along this road the house, the tower, the lake, &c. occasionally ap- pear and disappear, through the openings in the trees ; in some parts of it, all these objects are shut from your view, and in no part is the distant view seen, until passing through the last group of shrub- bery near the house, you suddenly find yourself within a few yards of the brow of the mountain, and the valley with all its distinct minuteness, immedi- ately below, where every object is as perfectly visi- ble, as if placed upon a map. Through the whole of this lovely scene, which appears a perfect garden, the Farmington river pursues its course, sometimes sparkling through imbowering trees, then stretching in a direct line, bordered with shrubbery, blue, and •still, like n clear canal, or bending in graceful sweeps, round white farm houses, or through meadows of the deepest green. * The view from the house towards the east, pre- sents nothing but the lake at the foot of'tlie lawn, bounded on the north and south by lofty clifTs, and on the opposite shore, by a lower barrier of rocks, intermixed with forest trees, from amongst which, a road is seen to issue, passing to the south along the brink of the water, and although perfectly safe. v/ t| .-r-.J ) >^ •» * I \ i' .1 I t 14 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFOF,' AND QtEBEC. appears to form, from that quarter, a dangerous en- trance to this retired spot. .1 Every thing in this view, is calculated to make an impression of the most entire seclusion ; for, be- yond the water, and the open ground in the imme- diate neighbourhood of the house, rocks and forests alone meet the eye, and appear to separate you from all the rest of the world. But at the same moment that you are contemplating this picture of the deep- est solitude, you may without leaving your place, merely by changing your position, see through one of the long Gothic windows of the same room, which reach to a level with the turf, the glowing western valley, one vast sheet of cultivation, filled with inhabitants, and so near, that with the aid only of a common spy-glass, you distinguish the motions of every individual who is abroad in the neighbouring village, even to the frolicks of the children, and the active industry of the domestic fowls, seeking their food, or watching over, and providing for their young. From the same window also, when the morning mist, shrouding the world below and fre- quently hiding it completel)' from view, still leaves the summit of the mountain in clear sunshine, you may heUr through the.dense medium, the mingled sounds, Qccasioi'ed by preparation for the rural oc- cupations of the day. • » ' ' •■ ;• From the boat or summer house, several paths ■diverge ; pue of which, leading to the northeast, af- ter passing through u nairow defile, is divided into S' ^ .* LCBEC. igerous en- to make an 1 ; for, be- the imme- and forests fce you from me moment f the deep- ^our place, lirough one ime room, be glowing ation, filled 3 aid only of : motions of ^ighbouring ec, and the eking their for their when the w and fre- still leaves ishine, you le mingled le rural oc- eral paths rtheast, af- ivided into TOUR between HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 15 two branches ; the first passes round the lake, and generally out of sight of it, for a quarter of a mile, until descending a very steep bank, through a grove of evergreens, so dark as to be almost impervious to the rays of the sun, even at noon day, it brings you suddenly and unexpectedly out, upon the east- ern margin of the water, into the same road which was seen from the opposite side, and from thence along it, to the cottage, beyond the foot of the south rock. The other branch of the path, after leaving the defile, passes to the east side of the northern ridge, and thence you ascend through the woods, to its summit, where it terminates at the Tower, standing within a few rods of the edge of the precipice. The tower is a hexagon, of sixteen feet diameter, and fifty-five feet high ; the ascent, of about eighty steps, on the inside, is easy, and from the top which is nine hundred and sixty feet above the level of Connecticut river, you have at one view, all those objects which have been seen separately from the different stations below. The diameter of the view in two directions, is more than ninety miles, extending into the neighbouring states of Massa- chusetts and Now- York, and comprising the spires of more than thirty of the nearest towns and villa- ges. The little spot of cultivation surrounding the house, and the lake at your feet, with its pictur- esque appendages of winding paths, and Gothic buildings, shut in by rocks and forests, compose the fore-ground of this grand Panorama. i - *..*- ^^ " ^ '— ■- _i^ — ' • If I ) rl ^ I'j Hi TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC, On the western side, the Farmington valley ap- pears, in still greater beauty than even from the low' er brow, and is seen to a greater extent, presenting many objects which were not visible from any oth- er quarter. On the east, is spread before you, the great plain through which the Connecticut river winds its course, and upon the borders of which the towns and villages are traced for more than forty miles. The most considerable place within sight, is Hartford, where, although at the distance of eight miles in a direct line, you see, with the aid of a glass, the carriages passing at the intersection of the streets, and distinctly trace the motion and po- sition of the vessels, as they appear, and vanish, up- on the river, whose broad sweeps are seen like a succession of lakes, extending through the valley. The whole of this magnificent picture, including in its vast extent, cultivated plains and rugged moun- tains, rivers, towns, and villages, is encircled by a distant outline of blue mountains, rising in shapes of endless variety. The annexed prints, Nos. 1 and 2, will give some illustrations of the scenery on the top of the moun- tain. They exhibit different views of the lake, the cultivated lawn, the buildings, the surrounding for- est, and rocky pinnacles and tower; but still, it must be remembered, that they give only some parts of the scene on the top of the mountain, with* out conveying any adequate idea, of the altitude 1. I m'^. I / u ^r:S.:L_. 'EBEC. valley ap- m the loW' presenting tn Any oth- •e you, the ticut river ' which the than forty ithin sight, ice of eight le aid of a rsection of an and po- i^anish, up- seen hke a the valley, icluding in ;ed moun- re led by a I shapes of give some he moun- lake, the ding for- it still, it nly some ain, with* altitude m \ t4 I »« „X\ „--**>^«'^ -^ TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC 17 o( the place, and scarcely a glimpse of the remote scenery. Indeed, a full illustration of the beauties of tliis mountain, would require a port folio of viewa^ and would form a fine subject for the pencil of a master. . As the beauty and grandeur of this place depend, principally, upon certain general facts, relative to the geological structure and consequent scenery of the middle region of Connecticut, it may not be amiss to sketch, in a very general way, what I believe has been no where sketched^ at all. { Scenery and Geology of the Middle Region of Con- necticutt Among the objects which most powerfully arrest the attention of a traveller, natural scenery gene- rally occupies a distinguished place. No person, however heedless in observation, or torpid in feel- ing, can fail to experience some degree of interest In the features drawn upon the face of the earth by the hand of the Almighty, or to preserve some recollections of them. Even those whose views rise not above their immediate occupations, and who contemplate the earth only as a place on which they may live and act, and as a reservoir from which ♦This is no longer true : Mr. Hitchcock in the 7th VqI. of the ADaerican Journal of Science, 8ic. has recently given an Interest- ing sketch, (1824.) 18 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND of delight to those, who, thou3h perhaps not themselves painters or poets, participate in any degree in their faculties and perceptions ; and find in mountains, plains, and ▼allies—in streams, lakes, and woods — in cataracts and caverns — in cultivated regions, and in untamed solitudes— in narrow efiles, and in the boundless horizon, ever varying sources of pleasure, and inev haustible topics of admiration and praise. Neither should it be forgotten, that the peculiar features of every landscape are not fortuitous. The nature of the rocks, which, more or less prominent, or buried at a greater or less depth, form the firm substratum of every country, determines also the linearoants of the surface; and although the Arab of \ EBEC. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 19 e to deep bogs and :hey defeat )ppose foFf 1 character al scenery, arly stages ly subdues ^ ; and the Highlander, ire derived leserts, and h they re- 5. Natural observation^ • delight to res painters sir faculties plains, and n cataracts n untamed boundless [, and inex- he peculiar >us. The Iprominent, the firm IS also the Ihe Arab of the desert, while he looks over his boundless ocean of saod, and the Norwegian, while he clinnbs his snowy mountains, is unconscious of this truth, it is still an acquisition to every intelligent mind. Thus,natural scenery is intimately connected with taste, moral feeling, utility, and instruction. In no country perhaps, is it more varied than in North America, and it constantly bears a close rela- tion to the geological structure of the different re- gions. Even in so limited a country as Connecti- cut, there are features so widely different, as hardly to escape the observation of the most negligent trav- eller. The greater part of this state, being compos- ed of primitive formations, exhibits the usual aspect of such countries, and is, with few exceptions, (and those relating principally to the alluvion of rivers and of the sea shore,) hilly or mountainous. In most parts of Connecticut, the traveller passes a succession of hills and hollows, bounded by large curves, sometimes sinking deep and rising high, so as to create great inequality of surface — ascents and descents frequently arduous; but rarely, except at fissures and chasms, exhibiting h gh naked precipi- ces of rock. ' . ' , t '• But, the hills and mountains are not all similar in ihoif outline, and, in one region in particular, th« physiognomy of the country is very peculiar. * • '* -- At New-Haven, commences the region of se- condary trap or greenstone, referred to above. It completely intersects the state, and the state of -tf. __ ' :#• *M J < 20 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,U£BEC. Massachusetts, like a belt, and even passes to the confines of the states of Vermont and New-Hamp- shire. Through the whole extent of this district, as in a great valley among the ridges, the Connecticut river flows, except below Middletown, near which the river passes through a barrier of primitive country, which continues uninterruptedly to the ocean, a dis- tance of twenty-five or thirty miles. In the mean time, the trap region passes off in a direction south-westerly, end obliquely, with re- spect to the Connecticut river, and to the sea coast : it intersects parts of Durham,Guilford,and Branford, and unites again with the primitive in East-Haven, on the eastern side of New-Haven harbour. There, near the light-house, granite ledges are found conti- guous to, although not, (as yet,) in absolute contact with the trap. The other boundaries of this region of second- ary trap or greenstone, (as it is more frequently called, may be thus stated, with sufficient accuracy. The primitive forms the western termination of New-Haven harbour, and proceeding northerly, through parts of the towns of Woodbridge, Chesh- ire, Wolcott, Bristol, Burlington, Cunton, and Gran- by, crosses into Massachusetts by South-Hampton, Northampton, Hatfield, Deerfield, Greenfield, and Bernardston, and terminates very nearly at the Ver- mont line. Returning, on the eastern side, this re- gion is bounded by parts of Northfieid, Montague, i \ S ' *% X JEBEC. isses to the ew-Hamp- irict, as in a icticut river : which the ive country, icean, a dis- sses off in a y, with re- e sea coast : id Branford, st-Haven, on ur. There, found conti- >1ute contact of second- |e frequently t accuracy. mination of g northerly, jdge, Chesh- |n, and Gran- h-Hampton, cnfield, and at the Ver- side, this rc- id,lMon(nguc, I TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 21 Leveret, Pelham, Belchertown, Granby, kc. and pasgiog into Connecticut at Somers— 'it is bounded by parts of Ellington, Vernon, Bolton, Glastenbury and Chatham : at this latter place it again strikes the Connecticut river a little below Middletown, where tl}is sketch commenced.* This region is more than one hundred miles long, and varies in breadth from three miles to- twenty- five. Its basis is composed of stralitied rocks, in- clined to the east generally at a small angle to the horizon ; sand stone is the most conspicuous of these rocks, and it has every variety, from very Bne grained to coarse ; sometimes the rock is a breccia, or a pudding stone, or a mere conglomerate. Generally, beneath the sand stone we fiinl varieties of slaty rocks, sometimes impressed with vegeta- bles and fish, and containing small veins of jet and coal. The most conspicuous feature of this region is composed of the fuie ridges of gi^p«nstone trap, which pervade it, generally in the direction of its length, and reach from the sea-shore at New-Haven, with little interruption, to Greenfield and Gill, in the northern purl of Massachusetts. These ridges of greenstone repose almost univer- sally upon sand stone, f and as this rock is by the ♦I am indcbled to Mr. Hitchcock's geological mnp (a»eAvatir. Joum. of Science, vol. 1, p. 109,) for a part of these boundaries. t The only exceptions that I »m ocquaiuted with, are those ruentioneii by Mr. Hitchcock in the Amcricau Jourual uf Suiefi<^fl, vol. 1, p. lOdi s e 1 i^* /' A' !( 22 TOUK BETWEEN HARTFOllD AND QUEBEC consent of all, regarded as a secondary formation, proceeding from the ruins of other rocks, it follows, of course, that whatever rock reposes upon it, must also he secondar}'. Hence, these greenstone ran- ges are called secondary. The rock is called green- stone, from its having, generally, a dark bottle green colour, and trap, from its being often in the form of steps or stairs — the word trap, in the Swedish language, from which it is derived, having this sig- nification. The constituents of the greenstone trap, are, generally, the mineral called hornblende, for its basis, with feldspar intimately blended, sometimes visibly, and sometimes even in distinct crystals. — This rock is not hard, but it is very diflicult to break — is sonorous — endures the weather very well, and forms an excellent material for building. But the most striking circumstance to a traveller, is, the peculiar physiognomy imparted to this re- gion by the rocks of which we are speaking. Gen- erally, throughout the district whose boundaries have been sketched, the greenstone mountains rise in bold ridges — stretching often, league after league, in a continued line — or with occasional in- terruptions — or in parallel lines — or in spurs and branches. O.ie front (and generally it is that which looks westerly,) is, in most instances, composed of precipitous clilfs of naked frowning rock, hoary with time, moss grown, and tarnished by a superficial decomposition. This front is a perfect barrier, look- ing like an immense work of art, impassable in most 1 DEBLC. ' formation, I, it follows, pon it, must nstone ran- lUed green- jottle green in the form le Swedish ing this sig- nstone trap, blende, for , sometimes crystals. — ult to break ry well, and ■ I a traveller, to this re- , Gen- joundaries mountains sague after asional in- spurs and that which mposed of loary with uperficial |rier, look- le in most TOUll BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 23 places, composed frequently of ill formed pillars,* standing side by side, and receding one behind an- other, at diflferent elevations, like rude stairs. These pillars terminate, at last, in a regular ridge, well de- fined, like the top of a parapet, and generally crown- ed with trees, which, at the elevation of from two or three, to seven or eight hundred feet, form a beauti- ful verdant fringe, often of evergreens, which is finely contrasted with the rocky barrier below. Although this is the general form of these hills, some of them are conical, or of irregular shapes ; but the barrier- form is so common, that, in many parts of (his dis- trict, the country seems divided by stupendous walls, and the eye ranges along, league after league, with- out perceiving an avenue, or a place of egress. Most of the ridges are parallel, and it is when IraveUing at their feet, that one is most forcibly struck with their castellated appearance. In some parts of the district, it is impracticable, for many miles, to find a passage for a road, or for a stream ; and both, when they cross the direction of the ridg- es, are wound through narrow rocky defiles, often singularly picturesque and wild, with their lofty im- pending cliffs, and with their fallen ruins. Indeed, the immense masses of ruins which, both in this dis- trict, and in the similar districts of other countries, are collected at the feet of the greenstone ridges, • In some places, as on the front of iMoiint Ilolyoko, near North- ampton, Ihfy uie n-'iilrxr pillurs, liko thr>«>r of (hp Cilnnt's Cause- way. X» .»»- « '24 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. * ft /i ({ (i i I II form a very striking obect. Often they slope, with a very sharp acclivity, half, or two thirds of the way lip the mountain, and terminate only at the rocky barrier; the ruins are composed of masses of every size, from that of a pebble, which may be thrown nt a bird, to entire cliifs and pillars, of many tons weight, which, from time to time, fall, with fearful concussion, into the vallies. This kind of rocky avalanche is so common among the greenstone mountains, that it is often heard, and sometimes, in the stillness of night, by those who live in the vicin- ity. The cause is obvious. The greenstone rocks are often composed of contiguous, separate pillars or portions, connected only by juxta-position, and severed by fissures both vertical and horizontal ; into the former, the rain and snow water filters ; and when it freezes, the rocks are, by the well known and irresistible expansion of the congealing water, strained asunder, and whenever, either by the gradual undermining, produced by the weather, or by the stone diggers, who fearlessly work under the impending cliffs, their centre of gravity ceases to be supported, they come thundering down, like the Alpine glaciers, and strew their ruins beneath. The two bluffs at New-Haven, called the East and the West Rock, have been (especially the for- mer,) in a great measure despoiled of their ruins, and, to some extent, even of their columns, in order to supp'*. (h': dcmaiuls of architecture: but in mo»l rEBEC. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 2o slope, with of the way t the rocky es of every be thrown many tons i¥ith fearful id of rocky greenstone nnetimes, in u the vicin- stone rocks [rate pillars ^sition, and horizontal ; iter filters ; >y the well congealing either by e weather, ork under ity ceases own, like Is beneath. the East lly the for- ^eir ruins. Is, in order lut in nno»l « parts of the greenstone region of Connecticut and Massachusetts, the venerable piles are undisturbed, and the hoary columns, tempest-beaten for ages, stand, the durable monuments of other times. On the side of the greenstone ranges, opposite to that which presents a mural front, there is gene- rally a gradual slope ; often not of difficult ascent, and covered with trees and verdure, so that a trav- eller coming first upon the front, or the rear, would, if unaccustomed to such mountains, have no correct idea of the opposite side. Such are the outlines of the scenery, and of the rocks upon which it depends, in tiie middle region of Connecticut. It enables us to understand the peculiarities of the beautiful and grand scenery of Monte Video, which makes this villa, with its surrounding ob- jects, quite without a parallel in America, and prob- ably with few in the world. To advert again, briefly, to a few of its leading peculiarities. It stands upon the very top of one of the highest of the greenstone ridges of Connecti- cut, at an elevation of more than one thousand, two hundred feet above the sea, and of nearly seven hun- dred above the contiguous valley. The villa is al- most upon the brow of the precipice ; and a traveller in the Farmington valley sees it, a solitary tenement, and in a placeapparently both comfortless and inac- cessible, standing upon the giddy summit, ready, he would almost imagine, to be swept away by the 3* «.<:v- ' (. 1 t h f . 26 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. first blast from the mountain. The beautiful crys- tal lake is on the (op of the same lofty greenstone ridge, and within a few yards of the house ; it pours its superfluous waters in a limpid stream, down the mountain's side, and affords in winter the most pel- lucid ice that can be imagined. Arrived on the top of the mountain, and confining his attention to the scene at his feet, the traveller scarcely realizes that he is elevated above the common surface. The lake, the Gothic villa, farm house and offices, the gardens, orchar" •, and serpentine walks, conduct- ing the stranger through all the varieties of moun- tain shade, and to the most interesting points of view, indicate a beautiful but peaceful scene ; but, if he lift his eyes, he sees still above him, on the north, bold precipices of naked rock, frowning like ancient battlements, and on one of the highest peaks, the tall tower, rising above the trees, and bidding defi- ance to the storms. If he ascend to its top, he con- templates an extent of country that might consti- tute a kingdom— populous and beautiful, with vil- lages, turrets and towns ; at one time, he sees the massy magnificence of condensed vapour, which re- poses, in a vast extent of fog and mist, on the Farmington and Connecticut rivers, and defines, with perfect exactness, all their windings ; at anoth- er, the clouds roll below him, in wild grandeur, through the contiguous valley, and, should a thun- der storm occur at evening, (an incident which eve- ry season presents.) he would view with delight, i. \ <.| 7EBCC. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 27 lutiful crys- greenstone >e ; it pours 1, down the e most pel- on the top ition to the ealizes that *ace. The :)ffices, the I, conduct- s of moun- g points of ene ; but, if I the north, ke ancient peaks, the dding defi- p, he con- ht consti- with vil- e sees the which re- it, on the 1 defines, at anoth- randeur, d a thun- hich eve- delight, chastened by awe, the illuminated hills, and corres- ponding hollows, wl h every where, fill the great vale west of the Talcott Mountain, and alternately appearand disappear with the flashes of lightning. Descending this mountain to the west, the travel- ler is powerfully struck with the view of the enor- mous masses of greenstone rock, which lie in con- fusion upon the slope of the mountain. They are the largest masses of this kind of rock, that I have any where seen. One of them is twenty-five feet in diameter. They lie in every form of disorder — alone, or piled one on another, and plainly evincing, agreeably to the general fact in every country, where greenstone mountains abound, that they, more than almost any other, cover their declivi- ties with fallen ruins ; that in some period of anti- ^ quity, the contiguous ridges were vastly more ele- ^ vated than at present, and that these dissevered masses, cleaving off from the ridges to which they were attached, were precipitated with irresistible violence, down the side of the mountain, till they found a resting place in solitudes, then trod only by the wild beasts, or by the savage aboriginals. ' Alluvial* country succeeds to the Talcott moun- tain, and for miles, we pass over gentle undulations abounding with water-worn pebbles. The red sand stone which every where in Con- necticut, as well as in many other countries, forms the basis of the greenstone mountains, makes its * Such tracts as this are oow called diluvial. -Oi. 28 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. ,■) ■ If appearance in various places, and constitutes, along with this species of trap, the most common building stone of the country. COMMENCEMENT OF THE PRIMITIVE COUNTRY. At the distance of thirteen miles from Hartford, we crossed the first ridge of gneiss. This is a part of the great barrier of primitive rocks which, as I have already stated, bounds the secondary region of Connecticut on the west, and in a moment, changes both the .'^'^ology and the picturesque features of the country. It is worthy of remark, that the primitive coun- try, on the eastern side of the Connecticut river, comes in at nearly the same distance from Hartford as on the western side. As we ascend the Bolton hill, going towards Norwich, we come to the prim- itive rocks, which there, are mica slate, filled with garnets and staurotide. 1 suppose these two boun- daries of the primitive, are therefore about twenty- five miles apart. Generally, the boundary of primi- tive which limits the great secondary greenstone re- gion of Connecticut, already described,is distinguish- ed by the contour of the hills, which is rounded, and they are commonly of greater elevation than the ridges of trap or greenstone. Thus it is impos- sible, for a traveller to go through the length of Connecticut, without traversing its secondary green- %. [7EBEC. TOUB BETWi N HART) )RD ANO QUEBE4| tutes, along 9n buildine; COUNTRY. 1 Hartford, s is a part ^hich, as I y region of nt, changes tures of the itive coun- ticut river, n Hartford the Bohon » the prim- filled with two boun- It twenty- y of prinni- ^nstone re- istinguish- nded, and than the IS irnpos- length of ary green- stone region. As he descends lOm th -. high rounded primitive hills, on eith side, ne will be struck with the distinct ridges of greenstone rock, and with the long and often narrow vallies between them. Mount Holyoke and mount Tom, near Northampton, and the blue hills of Meriden,are parts of these greenstone mountains. The State's prison of Connecticut, or Newgate, is in one of these ranges, or rather in the sand stone which lies under it, and from this prison to New-Haven a distance of fifty or sixty miles, one rides almost at the foot of a nearly uninterrupted barrier of greenstone, frequent- ly from four to seven or eight hundred feet high. It is amusing to observe how immediately the mate- rials of the fences and of the buildings, as far as they are constructed of stone, change as soon as the geol- ogy of the country changes. For some miles, after we left the Talcott mountain, the materials of these structures continued to be fragments of greenstone and of sand stone ; but, as soon as we crossed the line of the primitive, these stones disappeared, and gneiss and other primitive rocks began to exhibit themselves in the houses and fences. Thus, these structures become in some measure, cabinets of the geology of a country, for, the people will of course collect those stones for use, which are most preva- lent, and in many instances, they will be loose frag- ments of the most prevailing rocks ; or, if the stones \ 1 30 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND q,UEBG0. be obtained by quarrying, then they become still surer criteria of the nature ofthe country. i;] Uk *'. ZEAL FOR CHURCHES. In the valley of Northington we passed a beautf- ful new meetinghouse. It is a handsome specimen of architecture, and is one of three places of public worship, recently erected in this little parish, which, a short time since, had only one miserable ruinous house, situated in the midst of a forest. I once attended public worship there on a pleas- ant but warm summer sabbath. The house was al- most imbowered in ancient forest trees ; it was smaller than many private dwelling houses — was much dilapidated by time, which had furrowed the gray unpainted shingles and clapboards, with many water-worn channels, and it seemed as if it would soon fall. It was an interesting remnant of prime- val New-England manners. The people, evident- ly agricultural, had scarcely departed either in their dress or manners, from the simplicity of our early rural habits. I do not mean that there were no ex- ceptions, but this was the general aspect of the congregation ; and, from the smallness of the house, although there were pews, it seemed rath- er a domestic than a public religious meeting. The appearance ofthe minister was correspondent, to that of the house and congregation, as far as an- m % T,— .. W'. JEBCe. come still i a beautf- J specimen 5 of public sh, which, le ruinous n a pleas- ise was al- ;s ; it was uses — was rowed the vith many it would of prime- evident- er in their jur early re no ex- of the of the led rath- meeting, pondent, far as an- TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 31 tiquity and primeval simplicity were concerned) but htt was highly respectable: for understauding, and sustained, even in these humble circumstances^ the dignity of his station. He was an old man, with hoary locks, and a venerable aspect, a man of God, of other times — a patriarchal teacher — not caring for much balanced nicety of phrase, but giving his flock wholesome food, in sound doctrine, and plain speech. His prayer^ had that detail of peti- tion — that specific application, both to public aid private concerns, and that directness of allusion, to the momentous political events of the day, and their apparent bearing upon this people, which was com- mon among our ancestors, and especially among the first ministers, who brought with them the fervor of the times when they emigrated from England. This aged minister is still living, but since the destruction of his ancient house, and the division of his people, he is without any particular charge ; still, however, although oppressed with the infirmities of advanced life, he occasionally officiates in public. Instead of the ancient house, there have now ariser> the three handsome modern churches. We are not, however, to infer that increased re- sources, nor additional zeal for religion has reared these edifices; it was the effect of local jealousies, as to the place where a new house should be built, and how often, in our New-England yillages, do we see this circumstance produce the same result, adding to the beauty, but, perhaps, not always to the harmony and piety of the neighbourhood. m U 32 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFOED AND QUEBEC. It would be easy to give a considerable list ot towns in Connecticut, where two spires rise instead of one* because the people could not agree where the one should be placed. Happier would it be, if these separations had always been free from animos- ity — if they had not sometimes laid the foundation ef permanent discord, and if there had been no in- stance of outrageous violence, and the prostration of all law and order^ while people were professing only to honor their Maker, and to benefit their fellow men. But still, who that is friendly to the best in- terests of mankind can fail to be gratified, with the constant succession of churches and spires which he observes in Connecticut, and who would not prefer the active interest that is manifested on this subject, although attended with occasional irregularities — to that apathy which permits a land to remain without temples to the living God, and rarely salutes the ear with the sound of" the church going bell?^' Passing through a part of Canton, we arrived in a cluster of houses, handsomely situated on the Farmington River. k PECULIARITIES IN THE MANNERS OF AMERICAN INNS. This was a part of New-Hartford where we din- ed pleasantly; every thing was good, and neatly and well prepared, and we were attended by one of those comely respectable young women, (a daugh- ter of the landlord,) who, so often, in our public ■i^ EBEC. ible list ot 'ise instead rree where Id it be, if >m animos- foundation een no in- Dstration of essing only leir fellow he best in- d| with the s which he not prefer !iis subject, iarities — to lin without ites the ear • arrived in ed on the i VIERICAN re we din- neatly and by one of (a daugh- >ur public TOUR BETWEEN HARTFOUD AN1> ut that with mt, he would have occa- »g the Ame- niliarity and It, would be )n of valua* marks were itary man, members, It be treat- athers and siderations lability of elled four* me to the nked him een of th* Si 1 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (QUEBEC. 35 greatest service to him, that he had found the pre- dictions fully verified, and himself treated with hos- pitality and kindness, while he had seen others of his countrymen, pursuing an opposite deportment, meet with very unpleasant treatment, and creating both for themselves and others, perpetual dissatis- faction. RIDE TO SANDISFIELD. In the afternoon, during a ride of sixteen miles, which brought us to Sandisfield, in Massachusetts, we never left the banks of the Farmington river, which, owing to its windings, and our own, we crossed during the day, no fewer than seven times, and on as many bridges. We had now left the Al- bany turnpike, and the great thoroughfare of popu- lation and of basiness, and purposely deviated into one of those wildernesses, which, intersected by roads, and sprinkled with solitary houses, afford the traveller an interesting variety, and easily transport bira back in imagination, to the time when the whole of this vast empire was a trackless forest. In a very hilly and almost mountainous region, we found a delightful road, so level, that our horses hardly ever broke their trot ; the road generally followed the river, and was laid out with few exceptions, on the alluvial bottom, which the river had formed. We passed almost the whole distance, through a vast defile in the forest, which every where bung around '5 w M A iG TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND qUEBEC, M ( 1 1 ■i us in gloomy grandeur, presenting lofty trees, rising in verdant ridges, but occasionally scorched and blackened by fire, even to (heir very tops, and strongly contrasted with the diffs and peaks of rude rocks, which here and there, rose above the almost impervious forest. This tract of country had the stillness of a rural sceno, imbosomed in mountains; there were no villages, and the few scattered farm houses were scarcely near enough, even for rural neighbourhood. Their very graves were solitary : little family cem- eteries several tirties occurred, marked by whrte marbfe monuments, and by graves covered with the richest verdure, while the gloomy bier stood, hard by, in the field, ready again to support its mel- ancholy burden. It was quite dark before we arrived at Smdis- field;^ wind, rain and gloomy portentous clouds, driving over the dark hills, might have made our ride, for a few of the last miles, somewhat anxiou?, but, our road was good, and the welcome light of the inn, at length caught our eyes, and a quiet eve- ning, passed with our pens and books, beguiled our time till the hour of repose. A tolerable house was made comfortable, by the assiduity and kindness of its tenants, and our sleep, in a great vacant ball room, was not much interrupted by the rain, drop- ing on the floor, and by the wind, howling throti,s;li broken panes of glass. Sandisfirld i" thiitv-six miles fi'om Harlforc' ^ H ^' QUEBEC TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 37 trees, rising orched and ' tops, and iaks of rude i the almost I of a rural e were no ouses were [ibourhood. amily cem- d by whfte leered with bier stood, ort its mel- at Sandls- us clouds, made our Lt anxious, light of uiet eve- uiled our louse was ndness of leant bull In, drop- g throua;^, I RIDE TO LENOX. Our equinoctial storm still continued, and we set forward before eight in the morning, in the midst of a driving rain. But, as the coachman was wrapped in a weather proof great coat of oiled silk, and we were completely protected from the rain, we pursu- ed our journey, without the slightest inconvenience. The war of the elements corresponded very well with the wild scenery through which we were to pass. For ten miles, we again followed the course of the Farmington river; our road was one contin- ued vista, through an uninterrupted wilderness of the most lofty trees ; occasionally, the wide forest- crowned ridges caught our eyes, ns they showed theYnselves through the openings of the wood, or towered above its top ; but, for the most part, the river, now much diminished in size, murmuring over a rocky channel, and presenting many a formi- dable barrier of drift wood, recently accumulated by an unexampled deluge of rain, was a principal object of contemplation; while the forests, inter- spersed with numerous pine trees, rising to a great height, often burnt to their very summits, and totter ing to their fall, appeared, as if, only recently inva- ded by man, and as just beginning to resign its soli- tary dominion, to the axe and to the fire. The river, we crossed again and agai we numborcd the ninth lime, and then, a few miles from the confines of Lenox, we traced it to its source, in 4* ! V^- ■ -^r- • i 39 TOUR BETWEEN MARTPORD AND QUEBEC. a lake, of probably half a mile or more in length. Thus we bade adieu to our littleriver, after having been familiar with it for fortymiles, and for near- ly thirty, we had constantly travelled upon its banks, finding a smooth road in the midst of a rug- ged country. To those who would wish to enjoy an interlude of forest scenery, almost in the wildness of nature, and little more subdued by man, than is necessary to render it comfortable to travel through, this ride, from New-Hartford through Sandisfield, to Lenox, may be strongly recommended. Such a tract, in the midst of well cultivated regions, is in this coun- try rare, and probably more resembles a western wild, than a district in an old and populous state. Soon after passing this lake, the country began to descend; another lake of greater magnitude occur- red on our left — a river soon succeeded, and we recognized these waters, as the first of those which begin to feed the infant Housatonick. CiKOLOGY. The rocks on our ride, were, almost invariably, gneiss, frequently intersected by distinct veins of granite, in which feldspar generally predominated. Not far from Lenox we passed two forges, the iron ore for which we were informed, is dug out of the hills in the vicinity of that town. (< % EBEC. rOUR BETWEEN HARTfORD AND QUEBEC. 39 in length, iter having I for near- upon its t of a rug- i interlude )f nature, necessary this ride, :o Lenox, tract, in this coun- a western ous state. ' began to de occur- I, and we se which variably, veins of minaled. the iron It of the As we ascended the hills on which Lenox stands, white primitive limestone began to appear, in de- tached masses, in spots uncovered by quarrying, and in ridges crossing the road ; the strata were nearly vertical, and like those in Litchfield county, in Con- necticut, were imbedded in gneiss. LENOX. Lenox, the capital of Berkshire county, is a town of uncommon beauty. It is built upon a high hill, on two streets, intersecting each other nearly at right angles ; it is composed of handsome houses, which, with the exception of a few of brick, are painted of a brilliant white ; it is ornamented with two neat houses of public worship, one of which is large and handsome, and stands upon a hill higher than the town, and a little removed from it. It has a jail, a woolen manufactory, a furnace for hol- low ware, an academy of considerable size, and a court house of brick, in a fine style of architecure ; it is fronted with pillars, and furnished with conven- ient offices and a spacious court room ; this room is carpeted, and what is more important, contains a li- brary for the use of the bar. Lenox has fine moun- tain air, and is surrounded by equally fine mountain scenery. Indeed, it is one of the handsomest of our inland towns, and even in the view of an European traveller, (who had eyes to see any thing beautiful, in what is unlike Europe,) it would appear like a gem •1 ^! "f .^"^ ■ ■|M i ■■..hi i ■^ 40 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. among the mountains. There are probably about 70 houses, stores, and shops. Its population is one thousand three hundred and ten.* White marble is often the material of their steps, foundations and pavements. This country abounds wiih primitive white limestone. ' Our dinner and treatment at the inn, were such as a reasonable traveller would have been very well satisfied with, at a country tavern in England. Still, probably no small town in England is so beautiful as Lenox, nor have the Europeans, in general, any adequate idea of the beauty of the New-England vil- lages.f — Lenox is fifty-eight miles from Hartford. RIDE TO NEW-LEBANON. As we ascended a mountainous ridge, two miles on the road to New-Lebanon, a fine retrospect oc- curred. Immediately below, was a spacious and deep basin, environed by mountains, which, reced- ing one behind another, presented in one view, bril- liant forest green, in another, dark hues, almost black, and fiirther off, ridges and summits struggling through clouds and mist, and rain, in obscure and gloomy grandeur. Beautifully contrasted with these, was the bright clustre of buildings in Lenox, compact, blended by perspective into one rich group, * Worcfster's Gazetteer. * t "There is nothings in Britain that bears any resemblance to a New England town, and it is not easy to convey an adequate idea of its singular neatnes?."-.Z)wncan'» Trwelsin the United Stales f Ac. 1023. Vol. t,p. 93. \ U '% H V,. QUEBEC* TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 41 obably about )uiation is one )f their steps, intry abounds were such as Jen very well ngland. Still, s so beautiful general, any ■England vil- n Hartford. e, two nwles respect oc- pacious and lich, reced- 5 view, bril- ues, almost s struggling bscure and asted with 5 in Lenox, rich group, emblance to a aJequate idea Cnited Stalest in which turrets, and Gothic pinnacles and Grecian coluiniis were conspicuous, decorating the declivity of the hill, now sunk by comparison, to one of moderate elevation. It were in vain to attempt to describe all the fine mountain scenery, which, with endless variety, was perpetually occuring and perpetually changing. Rich vallies and basins, were every where, mixed with the hills and mountains, on whose declivitiea and summits, cultivation had often spread scenes of fertility and beauty. The lofty Saddle mountain with its double sum- mit-— the highest mountain in this region, appeared at a distance on our right ; — on our left, the fertile vales of Richmond, a scattered agricultural town, and almost before we were aware ot it, we wound our way down the steep declivity of the mountain, which bounds the southeast side of the vale of New-Leb- anon. We had already passed upon our right, a small village belonging to the people, called Sha» kers, or Shaking ^uakers< Vn.LAGE OF THE SIIAKEK5>. We did not deviate into this first settlement, be- cause their principal establishment, in this quarter,. was immediately before us, and we were indeed not Inlly clear of the mountain, before We found our- selves in the midst of their singular community. Their buildings are closely arranged, along a street of -^uxe^rt^ ^jtA^T^ T" ""■ ' tk / I; y !/ \ [ i 42 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND q,I7EB£C. a mile in length. All of them are comfortable, and a considerable proportion are large. They are, al- most without an exception, painted of an ochre yel- low, and, although plain, they make a handsome appearance. The utmost neatness is conspicuous in their fields, gardens, court yards, outhouses, and in the very road ; not a weed, not a spot of filth, or any nuisance is suffered to exist. Their wood is cut and piled, in the most exact order ; their fences are perfect ; even their stone walls are constructed with great regularity, and of materials so massy, and so well arranged, that unless overthrown by force, they may stand for centuries ; instead of wooden posts for their gates, they have pillars of stone of one sol* id piece, and every thing bears the impress of labour, vigilance and skill, with such a share of taste, as is «onsistent with the austerities of their sect. Their orchards are beautiful, and probably no part of our country presents finer examples of agricultural ex- cellence. They are said to possess nearly threa thousand acres of land, in this vicinity. Such neat- ness and order I have not seen any where, on so large a scale, except in \iolIand, where the very Becessities of existence ifMipose order and neatness upon the whole population ; but here it is volumary. Besides agriculture, it is well known, that the Shakers occupy themselves much, with mechanical employments. The productions of their industry and skill, sieves, brushes, boxes, pails and other do- R^estic utensils are every where exposed for sale, and I at fi al bl ar fal % 1 • V '■"":'""*'**"•"" * — •♦■-'— »^ '—.—-^-.^M^ EBEC. table, and 5y are, al- )chre yel- landsome »icuous in IS, and in th, or any »d is cut ?nces are icted with y, and so )rce, they den posts f one sol< oflabour, iste, as is . Their Ft of our tural ex- ly three uch neat- e, on so he very neatness )luii\ary. that the chanical industry >therdo- sale, and TOCR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBECfi 43 are distinguished by excellence of workmanship. Their garden seeds are celebrated for goodness, and find a ready market. They have many gardens, but there is a principal one of several acres which I am told exhibits superior cultivation. Their females are employed in domestic manu- factures and house work, and the community is fed ^nd clothed principally by its own productions. The property is all in common. The avails of the general industry are poured into the treasury of the whole ; individual wants are supplied from a common magazine, or store house, which is kept for each family, and ultimately, the elders invest the gains in land and buildings, or sometimes in money, or other personal property, which is held for the good of the society. It seems somewhat paradoxical to speak of a family, where the relation upon which it is found- ed is unknown. But still, the Shakers are assem- bled in what they call families, which consist of lit- tle collections, (more or less numerous according to • the size of the house) of males and females, who oc- cupy separate apartments, under the same roof, and eat at separate tables, but mix occasionally (or soci- i ety, labour or worship. There is a male and a fe- male head to the family, who superintend all their f concerns— give out their provisions— allot their employments, and enforce industry and fidelity. The numbers in this village, as we were inform- l ed by one of the male mumbers, are about five hun- u ^. t \ % 44 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFOUD ANi> (^LEBEl . t. '. ' drcd, but there arc said to be (iftccn hundred, inclu- ding other villages in this vicinity. Their num- bers are sustained by voluntary recruits, allured. it is said, by kindness, to join the society; and des- titute widows, frequently^ come in, with their children, and unite themselves to this commu- nity. Where a comfortable subsistence for life, a refuge for old age, and for infancy and childhood ; the reputation (at least with the order) of pie- ty, and the promise of heaven are held out to view, it is no wonder that the ignorant, the poor, the be- reaved, the deserted, the unhappy, the supersti- tious, the cynical and even the whimsical, should occasionally swell the numbers of the Shakers. Th6ir house of public worship is painted white, and is a neat building, whose appearance, would not be disreputable to any sect. The order, neatness, comfort, and thrift, which are conspicuous among them, arc readily account- ed for, by their industry, economy, self-denial and devotion to their leaders, and to the common inte- rest, all of which are religious duties among them, and, the very fact that they are for the most part, not burdened with the care of children, leaves them greatly at liberty, to follow their occupations with- out interruption.* ♦They have another collection of house: in the vicinity, wliere 1 was told they place offending trembcrs, who bein^ uniler disci- pline, are for the time, excluded froai the community, and whona ^ red, inclu- lieir num- s, allured. ; and des* irith thcir i commu- e for life, childhood; r) of pie- it to view, >r, the be- supersti- al, should liakers. ted white, would nut ift, which ' account- enial and Tion inte- }ng them, nost part, Lves them ons with- iiity, wliere mder disci- aad whom TOUR BETWEEN llARTFORB AND uUEBEc:. 45 But — where is the warrant, either in reason or in scripture, bj which whole communities, (not here and there, individuals, peculiarly situated,) with- draw themselves from the most interesting and im- portant of the social relations — from the tender char- ities of husband and wife— from the delightful assi- duities of parental love— from that relation, on which flociety stands, and on which as on a fruitful stock, is grafted, every personal and domestic virtue, and every hope, both for this world and a better!! By what right are they empowered to recruit their ranks, thinned from time to time, by death, by drawing upon the social world, whose obedience to the first they style backsliders. I am told that they are not offended by being called Shakers, and do not regard it as an opprobrious epithet, Indeed, 1 have never heard of a milder or more respectable name, tor I would not use an opprobrious or ludicrous term, to designate a community distinguished by many virtues. --< t More is not here attributed to the institution of marriage, than it deserves, for, (o try the question, we must ask, not, what is the condition of, here and there, a convent and a monastery, or of a few clusters of Stiake[*s rotected as they are by society, y«' .' im yu !.•-:' 'iis ' ?;jl«tj«|i': I'd' . * ^.^•^. > r**^** ►: — -■■ - y >^ /y. M t. 46 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (^VEBEC; law of God and nature, they condemn, while thej are dependant upon it, both for their own existence as individuals, and for the continuance of their unnatural community ; however commendable they may be for their industrious, moral and hu- mane deportment, and for their active benevo* lence; (for which they are certainly highly meri- torious ;) the principle of their association is, in my opinion, deserving of severe reprobation. But happily, their example is very little in danger of general imitation ; mankind will not, generally, be persuaded to go on a crusade, or to suffer martyrdom, in the cause of celibacy, and I believe it will be long ere the world, is all reformed, by be- coming a generation of Shakers. ^ 1 1 ^' It ner, in bottles filled with the water of the fountain, and inverted in it, with funnels in their mouths. I ascertained that the gas readily extinguishes a candle— smoke, mingled with it, descenls to the bot- tom of the vessel, and docs not rest upon it, as in car- bonic acid ; the gas does not readily run from the mouth of an inverted bottle, on to a burning can- dle, but if the candle be held close to the mouth of the bottle, it is extinguished as the gas passes out. f am therefore of opinion with Dr Meade, that the gas is azot. Indeed, as he justly rem&rks, the fact that the water is not acidulous or sparkling, although the gas that rises through it is very abundant ; that it does not trouble lime water, and is not at all ab- sorbed by it, and that it does not redden litmus pa- per, sufficiently proves that the gas contains no car- bonic acid.* Azot probably imparts no virtues to mineral wa- ters as it is insoluble in water. Still it is found in * The proprietor of the spring, rurnished me with a quantity of the solid matter, depos:ted by boiling the water in tea kettles. I find that it dissolves in nitric acid with great rapidity, and with a very active effervescence, leaving only a small residuum. The saturated solution is intensely bitter — gives a dense precipi- tate with fluHt of ammonia, and with sulphuric acid becomes r^olid, so that tht* glass was inverted without dropping a particle. This residuum from the evaporation of the water in the tea ket- tles, IS tasteles — insoluble in water, and remains unaltered, even iu a damp air. All these facts show it to be principally carbonat uf lime : tiie muriatsi which Dr. Meade found, woald of course be Femoved by the boiling water. — May, 1820. I .^sTjSS- UEHCC. e fountain, )uths. Inguishes a to the bot- t, as in car- from the irning can- s mouth of passes out. le, that the ^s, the fact ^, ahhough dant ; that i at all ab- litmus pa- ins no car- ineral wa- found in a quantity tea kettles. ty, anJ with uum. The nse precipi- ciil becumet a particle. the tci kcl- tered, eveu ly carbonat of course bf TOU& BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC, 51 many, especially of the warm springs. Bath water, which boils up with great agiation, owes this move- ment in part to azot, but perhaps more to the aque- ous vapour, for the water is at the temperature of 116*^ of Fah. when it first emerges, and is probably much hotter below. We know that this spring has flowf d thus hot, more than two thousand years ; what is the cause f There are no relics of volcanoes here, nor other marks of subterranean heat, except those afforded by the water itself. \ SCENERY OF NEW LEBANON. Had this remarkable place been situated in Eu- rope, tourists would have pronounced its panegyric, and poets would have made it famous, as Windsor or Richmond Hill, or as the little Isle in Loch Ka- trin. Few places have fallen within my observation, which combine both the grand and the beautiful, in a hiijhcr dejjree, than the basin of New Lebanon. Embosomed in mountains, (at this time capped with dark clouds, which, with their lofty and apparently impassable barriers, seem to shut it out from the rest of the world) — verdant and beautful inits slopes,and in the plain by which they are tcrmitiated, and ex- hibiting a villati;e, with a handsome church and stee- ple in the bottom of the bai«in, it powerfully brought } .)i> 52 TOUR BETWHEN HARTFORD AWD QUEBEC. {t 'I to my recollection, the valley of Castleton, in the Peak of Derbyshire. Between the two, there is certainly a striking resemblance, but with some points of disparity. The Derbyshire mountains are more lofty, and of course more grand — those of New-Lebanon, while they are cultivated, in some places to their summits, are also extensively crowned with forests, while the Derbyshire mountains are naked as a hil- lock, shorn by the scvthe. The New-Lebanon scen- ery resembles also, that in the vicinity of the cele- brated springs of Bath, in England. At New-Lebanon, the principal lodging-house is situated on the slope of one of the high hills. The view from the gallery, in the front of this house ie very fine, and much resembles that from the Cres- cent at Bath ; from the latter, you see a beautiful amphitheatre of hills, highly cultivated and ver- dant, and possessing more wood than is common in England, but the view at Bath, although perhaps more beautiful, from cultivation, is less extensive, and less magnificent and grand, than that at New- Lebanon. On the side of the New-Lebanon basin, opposite to the spring, at the distance of two miles and an half, upon the declivity of the mountain, and near its base, is the Shakers^ village, which, with its green fields and neat houses, is a pleasing object, in the outline of the picture. Nearer still, (as 1 have already remarked.) and in the very bottom of the S EBEC. reuU BETWEEN HARTFORD ANB QUEBEC. ^3 ton, in the >, there ie with some lofty, and -Lebanon, 2s to their ith forests, id as a hil- mon scen- r the cele- 5-house is lis. The s house is the Cres- beautiful and ver- )mrnon in perhaps ixtensive, at New- opposite s and an and near with its >bjec(, in IS I have 1 of the basin, is the handsome village of New-Lebanon, composed of neat white houses, and a church, with a spire ; and all around, are the grand slopes of mountains, which limit the view on every side, and present fields, woods and rocks, and bold ridges, upon which the clouds oAen repose. Bristol spring, in England, is surrounded by the fme scenery of the Avon, and the romantic rock of St. Vincert \ oends over it, with a good degree of grandeur; uut even this scene is very limited, com- pared with that of New-Lebanon, and when at the Bristol spring, the observer is in a deep channel, by the side of the river, and shut out completely from all prospect. From the top o( St. Vincent's rock, and from every part of Clifford, and the other emi- nences around Bristol, and indeed from the upper street of the town itself, there are the finest views. The famous springs at Ballston and Saratoga have much fewer advantages of scenery, and their princi- pal attractions are those presented by the medicinal powers of the waters, by good cheer, and by genteel company ; the first of these advantages is very great, and those springs are without doubt, one ofthcgreat- est natural bounties of heaven to this country. The other two may be enjoyed at New-Lebanon, where we found pleasant company, and a house extreme- ly comfortable, in every thing except the beds, which were very hard.* I, ♦ f im told Ihcy are now very wood. 18'21 A >t.r^\ V' / 54 TOVn BETWBSN BARTFORD AND QUEBSC. For those who wish to enjoy fine rural scenery, bold, picturesque and beautiful, with the best moun- tain air, and such advantages to health, as this co- pious fountain presents, nothing can be better in its kind than New-Lebanon. Its waters must be ad- mirable for bathing. New-Lebanon spdng is twelve miles from Lenox, and seventy miles from Hartford. It is situated just within the limits of the state «f New-York, three or four miles from the state of Massachusetts, and thirty or more from Connecti- cut. A stone similar to a mile^stone, denoting the boundary line between the states of Massachusetts and New- York, stands on the slope of the mountain, as we descend towards the village of the Shakers. In the valley of New-Lebanon there is a family vault, which struck us on entering the village. It if a neat cemetery, covered by a high mound ; a marble table lies on the top, and (what constitutes its singularity,) it has a flag staff, similar to those in forts ; we supposed it must be a mausoleum for fome military man, but we were informed that it was the vault of a private family, of the name of Hand, and that whenever any member of the fami- ly dies, a black flag is hoisted on the flag-stafl*. RIDE TO ALBANY. The morning after our arrival at the New-Leba- non spring, the equinoctial storm, which had never ■0 M ; TOUft BETWEEN HARTFORD AN^ QUEBEC. Sit i ''it ■1 deserted us, poured, literally, floods of rain ; they ran in torrents down the steep hills of New-Leba- non, while the black clouds and the clusters of va- por hung over the tops and around the sides of the mountains, or, driven by the gusts of wind, swept with gloomy grandeur, along the frowning ridges. It appeared as if we were imprisoned for the day, and we solaced ourselves with the pleasant society of the small but intelligent party which we found at the Springs. About ten oVlock, the rain so far ceased that we resumed, and afterwards continued our ride, al- though rain and sun-shine, and alternate currents of hot and cold air, made it a day of singular fluctua- tion. Stephen -Town, Nassau and Schodack, through which we passed, presented nothing particularly in- teresting. At Greenbush, we observed the eitea- sive barracks, erected during the late war, for the accommodation of the United States* troops ; being white, and standing upon elevated grouud they make a pleasing appearance-^aside from the pensive sen- sations, associated with all military spectacles. Near the river, we examined an abandoned pit, dug for ooal, and a sulphureous mineral water ; the latter has been considerably spoken of, but, on the present oc- casion, was weak both in taste and smell, owing, 1 suppose, to the recent heavy rains, and to its being left without any shelter to protect it from the weath- er. Some winters since, a bottle of it which had /* \ ■ I 1; m It SG TOUR BET WEEK HAllTPOlU) AN* QVBBE(J. 1 f been brought to me, happened to freeze, and broke, when the offensive hepatic gas filled the house to Hie no small annoyance of the family. • From the barracks, we descended a considerable hill, before we reached the bank of the river ; a horseboat conveyed us over the Hudson, and before night, we were safely landed at a very comfortable house in the city of Albany. ''^^ " > '• j H !■ J 4 in i. .: , ij- i. •*y? .»•!' .„-i,\ if 1^) / ^ GEOLOGY. At New-Lebanon, a few miles east of the springs, the geology of the country undergoes a great change, and the whole tract, thence to Albany, is, without doiibt, a tranisition country. Bluish gray transition lime stone, in immense strata, traversed by white veins of calcareous spar, is found at New-Lebanon. Its texture is nearly compact, its structure slaty, and its inclination to the horizon considerable. Grau- wackd makes its appearance, about seven miles on the road towards Albany, and continues to be abun^ dant at intervals. Common transition slate and a red slaty rock of a very fine, and indeed almost im- perceptible grain, apparently between a sand stone and a slate are abundant. The strata on the road are in many places, much decomposed. The slate thrown out of the pit at Greenbush, where the exca- vation was made for cocil, is evidently transition ftiw n!^'fi^t»■^, fa -.'Umi* « .^.wv.^ -^i\"r\vfi ';mo{*! .iv rOUR BETWEEN HARTPOllD ANlJ ^tEBfiC. 5t ;jlate, having often a tortuous appearance and a glis- tening surface, as if covered with a varnish or with plumbago. It is just such slate as is found in con- nexion with the anthracite of Rhode-Island. It ap- pears therefore, that good bituminous coal is not f6 be expected at Greenbush ; the incombustible coal, the anthracite, may indeed be found, but it wOukI be much less valuable than the other kind. « ' *^ r>' I have several times had occasion to reraafk, thdt the picturesque features of a country depend very much on its geology. This remark is particularly verified by the country just spoken of. After leav- ing New-Lebanon, we soon lose that bold scenery which I have described, and which often so emin- ently characterises primitive countries. The tran- sition lime-stone, f am aware, is occasionally Alpine in its appearance, as in the Peak of Derbyshire, and it is so in the New-Lebanon basin. But, the transition and slaty formation, which im^ mediately succeeds, presents hills of moderate ele- vation, without ridges, peaks, defiles or deep hol- lows, and bounded by gentle outlines and large curves. It would be too much to say, thai this is the invariable character of transition countries, but compared with the primitive in the immediate vi- cinity, I believe they usually possess this appearance. VVe must not, however, insist with too much rigor upon the application of the systematic arrangements of other countries to this. Many parts of our primi- 6 ,(* r 'I ,■'1 V m I- "> . -4. J0' I I '■■.) 58 TOUR BETWEEN BAHTFORD AND llUEBEIi;. tive formations, occupy a low level, and some of our primitive slaty rocks are not highly inclined in relation to the horizon. The ridges of greenstone trap at Greenfield, in Massachusetts, are higher than the granite ofNorth- iield and Montague, in the same vicinity, and atLev- erett, the granite is low, and the puddingstone rises to the heighth of five or six hundred feet, and far above the granite. The Sugar-Loaf Mountain, in the southern part of Deerfield, is composed of con- glomerate, and is five hundred feet high above the contiguous plain. Mount Toby, on the opposite side of the river in Sunderland, is between eight and nine hundred feet high, and these hills are higher than the greenstone, granite and other rocks in that region.* ALBANY. Albany contains from ten to twelve thousand in- habitants,f and is the secondcity in the state (we might almost say empire,) of New- York. Its lati- tude is 42* 38' N. ; it is one hundred and sixty miles from New- York, and one hundred sixty-four from * See Mr. Hitchcock's account of Deerfield, &c.— American Journal of Science, &c.— Vol. L 1 12,63© in 1820.— Ji#or«e'ff Giograpfn,. \ u ,, u — American SOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 59 Boston. It rises, for the most part, rapidly from the river, and exhibits a very handsome appearance from the Greenbiish side. The greater part of the population, however, is on the flat ground, immedi- ately contiguous to the river, where the Dutch, who founded the town, first commenced building, agree- ably to their established habits in HoUana. In- stances are innumerable, where people continue from habit, what was at first begun from necessity, and this seence of muni6- )} when eil Slatos, iostaooo ; TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 61 completely finished, would have cost much less money, would probaliiy have been equally useful, and might have left them, out of their ninety thou- sand dollars, a handsome fund, in addition to what they now possess. There is a large and convenient brick building for a Lancasteriaii school, but I did not go into it.* Among the interesting things of Albany is the seat of the late General Schuyler, situated quite in the country, at the south end of the town. It is memorable, principally, from its historical associa- tions. It was the seat of vast Siospitality and the resort of the great men of the revolution. Even Gen. Burgoyne, with his principal officers, was lodged and entertained there, after his surren- der, although he had devastated Gen. Schuyler's beautiful estate at Saratoga, and burned his fine country seat. The house of the late Gen. Schuyler, is spacious and in its appearance venerable ; it has, long since, passed away from the family and is now possessed hy a furrier. At the opposite, or northern extremity of Albany, and almost equally in the country, is situated the seat of the patroon. Gen. Stephen Van Rensselaer. It is well known, that he possesses a vast patrimo- nial estate of forty miles square, lying in the vicinity of Albany, which has descended, unbroken, from • 1 vi?itcd it n^erwaril!. anJ w.-x^ much grntiflod by scoiujr ^cveral hundrecl rhildren receiving instruction in lbi:i building. 1824. f J »\ I 62 TOUR BEtwEii-V HAAtroiin and Quebec. his early American ancestors. Such a phenome- non, in a republican country, is very remarkable, and cannot fail, in spite of our early prejudices, y:-)i the strong bias of national feelings, to excite a de- gree of admiration, if not of veneration. We are still more disposed to indulge these feelings, when we find the hereditary possession of such wealth, associated with distinguished excellence, in public and private life, with the most amiable and unassu- ming manners, and with a princely, although dis- criminating liberality. The house, (which was built by the father of the present patroon,) is a palace. It stands on the flat ground, by the river, and looks down Market street, which here terminates abruptly. The house has in the rear, nothing but green fields and beautiful rural scenes. It is imbowered in groves, and shrubbery, and reminded me powerfully, of some of the fine villas in Holland, to which, both in situation and appearance, it bears a strong resemblance. Among the gentry and professional and literary men of Alb" /, there are individuals of distinguish- ed eminence. But, eminent men, of our own time and country, are rather too near, for much minute- ness of delineation. Were it not for the restraint thus imposed by delicacy, it would be a task, by no means ungrateful, to (]raw likenesses from the life, and to exhibit the combined efi^ect of talent, learn- ing, and social virtues. An American in Europe, is free from this embarrassment, and should he here discover a mind of amazing vigor and activi- # EBEC. phenome- emarkable, Jdices, :v)i !j^cite a ue- We are ings, when ch wealth, in public id unassu- lough dis- lier of the on ihe flat ket street, >use has in JtifuJ rural brubber}, i' the fine ation and J literary slinguish- own time minute- restraint sk, by no the life, It, learn- Europe, ioutd he d activi- iOUK BETWEEN HARTFOKO AND QUEBEC. 63 t,y — always glowing — always on the wing — replete with various and extensive knowledge, flowing out in the most rapid, ardent, and impressive eloquence, while simplicity and familiarity of manners were as- sociated with a high minded integrity, and indepen- dence, he would fearlessly pronounce the possessor of such qualities an original and captivating man. Albany is the great thoroughfare and resort of the vast western regions of the State ; its streets arc very bustling ; it is said that two thousand waggons sometimes pass up and down State street in a day ; it must hereafter become a great inland city. It stands near the head of sloop navigation and of tide water : sloops of eighty tons come up to the town, besides the steam-boats of vastly greater ton- nage, but of a moderate draught of water. In addition to the public buildings that have been -already mentioned, Albany has a City Hall, a Jail, an Aims-House, a State Arsenal, two Market hous- es, four banks, a museum, eleven houses of public worship, and a public Library, containing about four (housand volumes.* The private library of Chancellor Kent, does honour t r 'm and to learning. It contains between two and three thousand volumes of choice books* The collection on jurisprudence, embraces not only (lie F.nglish, but the civil and French law. It con- tains Lafin, Greek, English and French Classics— bt lies letters — history — biography — travels, — and books in most hr^^nches of human learning. The •Worcester's Gazeftrer. i f Hi f )i 64 TOUR BETWEEN IIARTFOHD ANt> qUBREC. n If. ^ i] jt ^ 1- 4 Wl K > , I ll- 1 ll i numerous manuscript remarks and annotations, oa the blank leaves and margins of the books, evince that they are not a mere pageant, and at a future day will form some of the most interesting of our literary relics. The situation of Albany is salubrious, and emi- nently happy, in relation to the surrounding coun- try, which is populous and fertile. No one can estimate the importance of the regions west, which, in their pr gressive increase, and aided by the stu- pendous canal,* now in progress, must pour a great part of their treasures through this channel. Albany has been memorable in American histo- ry. It was the rendezvous, and the point of de- parture, for most of those armies, which, whether sent by the mother country, or, raised by the colo- nies themselves, for the conquest of the Gallo- American dominions, and of the savages, so often, during the middle periods of the last century, exci- ted, and more than once disappointed the hopes of the empire. It was scarcely less conspicuous in the same manner, during the war of the revolution, and during the late war with Great Britain. Few places, en this side of the Atlantic, have seen more of mar- tial array, or heard more frequently the dreadful " note of preparation.'' Still, (except perhaps in some of the early contests, with the Aborigines) it has never seen an enemy ; a hostile army has never encamped before it; nor have its women and *" AlreRcly united to the waters of the HudtOD, aad beginning to verify tbe remark io the text. 1824. r ii TOUK BETWKEN HABTFORD AND QUEBEC. 66 children ever seen " the smoke of an enemy's camp.'* . More than once, however, has a foreign enemy, after fixing his destination for Albany, been either arrested, and turned back in his career, or visited the desired spot in captivity and disgrace. The French invasions from Canada never came nearer than Schenectady.* In 1777, the porten- tous advances of the British armies from Quebec, and of the British fleets and armies, from Nevir- York, threatening a junction at Albany, and filling the new States with alarm, and the Cabinet of St. James with premature exultation, met a most sig- nal discomfiture. Albany was the seat of the great convention, held in 1754, for the purpose of bringing about a con- federation of the Colonies, for their mutual defence and general benefit, and it has been signalized, by not a few other meetings, for momentous public purposes. • ' We passed a part of three days in Albany, and were not without strong inducements to protract our stay. The public houses are excellent, affording every accommodation and comfort, with that quiet and retirement, and that prompt civility, so com- monly found in English Inns, and which, until with- h 1 * In 1690, Schenectady was sudJenly nssaultecl, in the night, by the French nnil Indians, and its misernblB inhabitwnts rither iHU- acred, or dra^jjcd, in the deptli of winter, iqto wi)tivity. 66 TOUR BETWEEN BARTPORD AND qVEBECr. in a few years, were so rare in those of America. Polished and enlightened society, and the courts* sies of hospitality held out still stronger attractions, but our allotments of time did not permit us to re- main any longer, and we hastened to set our faces towards the British dominions. BANKS OF THE HUDSON, ABOVE ALBANY. We determined to go by Whitehall, as we wish- ed to avail ourselves, of the rapid and comfortable conveyance, to the confines of Canada, now estab- lished on Lake Champlain. Being unwilling how- ever to pass rapidly by, or entirely to avoid, all the interesting objects on the road, we adopted such an arrangement, as might permit us to take the banks of the Hudson and Lake George in our route. Indeed, from Albany, upon the course pro- posed, every part of our way was to be over classic- al ground. History sheds a deeper interest over no portion of the North American States. He who venerates the virtues and the valour, and commis- serates the sufferings of our fathers, and he, who views, with gratitude and reverence, the deliveran- ces which heaven has wrought for this land, will tread with awe, on every foot of ground btjtwceo Albany and the northern lakes* EC. TOUR BETWEEN MARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 6-7 .menca. court^- 'actions, IS to re- »ur faces NY. ve wish- ifortable w estab- ing how- ^oidy alt ted such ake the in our irse pro- classic" st over He who ommis" le, who iveran- id, will etwceo # We were obliged, on this occasion, to deny our- selves a visit to Sch' i I I } 'I 1 United States, with a large park of artillery. Below the town, are fine mill seats, on which are al- ready established, several important manufactures, for which kind of employments, Troy appears very favourably situated. Small sloops come up to this town, which, for size, and importance, is the third, or fourth in the state. We had to regret that the arrangements of our journey did not permit us to pass as much time in Troy, as, under other circumstances, would have been both useful and agreeable. Lansingburgh, through which we passed, three miles north of Troy, is inferior to it in the number and quality of its buildings. Its population is not far from two thousand. It is a large and handsome settlement, situated, principally, on one street, and bas an academy, a bank, and four* places of public worship. Sloops come up to this place, and it en- joys a considerable trade. It was formerly more flourishing than at present. Troy has, for a good many years, gained the pre- eminence, and seems likely to retain it. Waterford is a pretty village, of one thousand in- habitants, and stands on the western bank of the Hudson, at its confluence with the Mohawk, where a numberof islands, producing the appearance of seve- ral mouths, give diversity to a very beautiful scene. It is ten miles north of Albany. From the Lansing- burgh side, we crossed into it, over a commodi- 4 ♦Worcester's Gaz«tteer. £'-^ TiTiMili ^1 Below are al- ictures, rs very ) to this e third, of our time in Id have I, three number n is not ndsome set, and f public d it en- resent. |he pre- iand in- of the rhere a >fseve- scene. msing- imodi- TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 71 ous bridge. The name of this place, was formerly Half-Moon point. It is memorable as having been the most southern point, to which the American army, under General Schuyler, retreated, before the then victorious General Burgoyne. In the con- tiguous islands, in the month of the Mohawk, they took their stand, and were prepa/jg to form a camp, so strong, that their enemy would not be able to force it. This was in August, 1 777. On the 1 9tK of that month, General Schuyler was up erseded in command by General Gates. Colonel Morgan's re- giment of riflemen, dispatched from the main army by General Washington, arrived on the 23d ; and on the 8th of September, the army again turned northward, and marched to Stillwater, to face Gene- ral Burgoyne. From this place, therefore, we are to pass over the most interesting scenes of that cam- paign. GENERAL BURGOYNE' S EXPEDITION. Of that momentous period, I am not now about to re-write the history, which may be found, per- haps, sufficiently detailed, in various authors. * But, in travelling over ground, which has been the scene • Ramsay's History of the American Revolution, Gordon's His- tory, Marshall's Life of Washington, Wilkinson's Memoirs, An- nual Register, Burgoyne's State of the Expedition from Cana- da, fee. &c. i % '¥. 73 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC; :V of men »' * vHI** actions, it is both iustructive and in- terestini^, lO advert concisely, to some of the most prominent eventiii. In May, 1775, Ticonderoga, and Crown Point, and the small marine force on the lake, had been taken by surprise, by the Americans, led by Colonels Allen and Arnold, and thus, the command of the lakes George and Champlain, had been acquired without bloodshed, and with comparatively little effort. , This opened the way for the invasion of Canada, which was undertaken in form, in the summer of 1775, it being supposed that the Canadians were disaffected to the British government, and needed nothing but the appearance of an American army, to induce a general revolt. Accordingly, in September, 1775, General Scaj- ler, with General Montgomery, proceeded to the Sorel river, and took post at the Isle-aux-Noix, eight or nine miles above St. Johns, and eleven below the egress of the river from Lake Champlain. General Schuyler falling sick, the command devol- ?ed on General Montgomery, who, in the course of a few weeks, reduced the forts of St. Johns and Chambly, on the river Sorel, and captured Mont- real and the towns of Sorel and the Trois Revie- res, on the St. Lawrence. Early in December, he formed a junction with General Arnold, who, in No- vember, arrived at Point Levi, opposite to Quebec, with the little army which he commanded, (having traversed the hideous wilderness between the Ken- I t> Be: and in- he most [) Point, ad been Dolonels 1 of the icquired \y little Canada, nmer of ins were I needed n army, 1 Scay- to the ix, eight \ below in. d devol- ourse of ins and H Mont- Revie- iber, he , in No- ^uebec, (having 16 Ken- m TOUB BETWEEN HARTFORD AMD mpletely I,* Gene- mr down from his Id be re- he rock, defence- lim, and the vic- h of Ju- rovisions ;r, in the } of the ndepen- They le Brit- lans un- brought guinary, ;h in re* ce, on tbe treat, they were still very formidable. This little ar- my, led byGeneral St. Clair, after a circuitous march, reached the Hudson, at Batten Kill, and soon join- ed General Schuyler, who. with the main army, was a few miles above, at Fort Edward. General Bur- goyne. with a great body of the British troops, pro- ceeded, in pursuit of his enemy, up the lake, to Skeensborough, and destroyed the American flotilla, baggage and stores, while General Philips with most of the stores of General Burgoyne, went up lake George, to Fort George, situated at its head. Gen- eral Schuyler's army continued to retreat, down the Hudson, to Saratoga and Stillwater, and, at last, to Van Shaick's island, in the mouth of the Mohawk, where it took post, on the eighteenth of August. From Skeensborough, General Burgoyne, witk extreme difficulty, and after several weeks of severe labour, and one considerable battle near fort Anne» cleared the passage to Fort Edward ; for General Schuyler, in consequence of General Burgoyne's halting, nearly three weeks, at Skeensborough, had time to throw very formidable obstructions in his wr.y. He felled innumerable trees into Wood Creek, and across the roads by Fort Anne ; he de- molished bridges, and by every other means in his power, so impeded his march, that the British army did not arrive at Fort Edward, on the Hudson, till the 150th of July. A junction was at length formed !at this place, between the niiiin body, and the divi*. sion that went by lakg Goorge. IM ill h Ml 78 TOUB BETWEEN HARTFOHD AND QUEBEC. In order to enable General Burgoyne to move down the Hudson, it was necessary to transport the stores, boats and ammunition, a distance of sixteen miles over a very difficult country, from Fort George to Fort Edward. But still on the fifteenth of August, there was at Fort Edward, only four days' provisions in advance. On the sixteenth, Colonel Baum, who with his Germans, had been detached by Burgoyne, to seize a magazine of stores at Benington, in Vermont, and to countenance the loyalists in that quarter, was to- tally defeated and slain, by General Stark ; most of his detachment were either killed or made prison- ers; and Colonel Breyman, who had been sent to succour Baum, and who arrived on the same ground, a few hours after the battle, was also defeated, and with extreme difficulty, regained the main army with the greater part of his troops. In the mean time. Colonel St. Leger, in conse- quence of an arrangement, made in England, had proceeded, early in August with an army of British and Indians, to attack For^ Stanwix, called also Fort Schuyler, on the Mohawk. This wa*' intended to operate, as a diversion in favour of Burgoyne ; to distract the Americans, and in cars of success, to brinp; down a powerful force, upon their flank. This pxprdition was attended with some success, in the (h'feat of Colonel Herkimer, who fell inlo an ambuscade, while advancing with the militia, of the vicinity, to relievu the Fort ; he was slain, with ma- i !^ ,H t • BEC. to move sport the ' sixteen 3 m Fort fifteenth nly four kvith his , to seize iont, and , was to- most of B prison- n sent to ground, ited, and in army conse- ind, had British ISO Fort nded to rne ; to cess, to k. iuccess, inlo an , of the ith ina- TOHR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 79 ny of his party ; but a successful sally from the Fort — the reported advance of General Arnold, with a force greatly magnified by the artful repre enta- tions of some friendly Indians, and the fears and fickleness of the savages in the British army, eventu- ally defeated St. Leger's expedition, and caused him to retreat in extreme confusion and distress. Thus, General Burgoyne was disappointed of any collateral aid from St. Leger, and the signal defeat at Bennington, not only deprived him of any supply of provisions, fvom that source, but lost him a sixth part of the regular troops in his army, and revealed the important secret, that regular troops could be beaten by militia. These events revived the cour- age of thi3 Americans, gave them time to rally and to recruit their armies, and very materially embar- rassed and retarded the movements of General Bur- goyne. To retreat was to abandon the objects of his ex- pedition, and to disappoint the expectations of his 8;ovenin»ent; to advance, although with increasing difHcuItios, and dangers, was tl ere fore the only al- iernative. Accordingly, on the thirteenth and four- teenth of September, he passed the Hudson river, on a bridge of boats, not far from Fort Miller, and proceeded without any material opposition, to Saratoga and Stillwater, till on the seventeenth, -lis advanced guard was within four miles of the American army, now returning northward. On the eighteenth, the fronts of the two armies wero almost \4 II % f ■: ^■\ '.> ) oO TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC « in contact, and some skirmishing ensued, but with' out bringing on a general engagement. Thus, we have passed in a very rapid review, the principal events which preceded and induced the crisis of General Burgoyne's expedition. The two armies were now so situated that the catastrophe could not long be averted, and the four succeeding weeks were pregnant with dangers and difficulties, and fruitful in the waste of human life. We had so arranged our journey, as to lodge ai Stillwater, and we were even desirous to stay in the very house, which had been rendered memorable, by the death of a distinguislied General of the Brit- ish army. This small house, which is still in tolerable re- pair, and is now kept as a tavern, was, for some time, the centre of the hospital camp ofGen.Bur- goyne, and was rendered very memorable by the events which happened in and near it. We arrived, at night fall, in the midst of a hard rain: obtained the refreshments we needed, and made ourselves comfortable for the night. Willing to arrest the impressions of the moment, I wrote down such thoughts as the scene sugiested^ EBEC< , but mih- eview, the duced the The two latastrophe succeeding difficuhies, fOUat BETWEEM H.UtTrORD AND UUEBHC, SI lodge at stay in the lemorable, if the Brit- erable re- fer some Gen. Bur- le by the sf a hard ded, and Willing , I wrote 7 tiOUSEyi IN WHICH GENERAL FRA2ER DIED- ' Ten 0^ clock at night. We are now on memorable ground. Here much precious blood was shed, and now, in the silence and solitude of a very dark and rainy night — the family asleep, and nothing heard but the rain and the Hudson, gently murmuring along, I am writing in the very house ; and my table stands, on the very spot in the room where General Frazer breathed his last, on the eighth of October, 1777. He was mortally wounded in the last of the two desperate battles fought on the neighbouring heights, and in the midst of the conflict, was brought to this house by the soldiers. Before me lies one of the bullets, shot on that occasion ; they are often found, in ploughing the battle field. Blood is asserted, by the people of the house, to liave been visible here, on the fioor, till a very re- cent period. General Frazer was high in command, in the Brit- ish army, and was almost idohzed by them : they had the utmost confidence in his skill and valour, and that the Americans entertained a similar opin- ion of him, is sulficiently evinced by the following anecdote, related to me at Ballston Springs, in 1797, • In the former edition, this was named Swords' House — but I am informed by Gen'l. Hoyt, that Swords' House, mentioned in Gen'l. Burcroyne's " State of the Expedition," was two miles high* or up the Hudson. (1824.) 8 '\{ u 1 ' • [li i , * '\ 82 TOUR BETWEEN HARTPORD AND QUEBEC. by the Hon. Richard Brent, then a menaber of Con- gress, fronn Virginia,* who derived the i act from General Morgan's own mouth. In the battle of October the seventh, the last pitch- ed battle, that was fought between the two armies, General Frazer mounted on an iron grey horse, was very conspicuous. He was all activity, courage, and vigilance, riding from one part of his division to another, and animating the troops by his exam- ple. Wherever he was present, every thing pros- pered, and, when confusion appeared in any part of the line, order and energy were restored by his arri- val. Colonel Morgan. f with his Virginia riflemen, was immediately opposed to Frazer^s division of the army. i im It had been concerted, before the commence- ment of the battle, that while the New-Hampshire and the New-York troops attacked the British left, Colonel Morgan with his regiment of Virginia riflle- men, should make a circuit so as to come upon the British right, and attack them there. In this attempt, he was favoured by a woody hill, to the foot of which the British right extended. When the at- tack commenced on the British left, '' true to his II, \ ■ :f 1 * Since deceased. t Afterwards General Morgan— tlie hero of the battle of the Cowpens, and distinguished through the whole war^ by a series of tlie most important services. ^^ lodnit! r»'ij ntf BEC. of Con- \cX from ist pitch- armies, "'a )rse, was courage, division s exam- ng pros- y part of his arri- 1 nen, was n of the "€ nmence- impshire H itish left, wm niariflle- ■if upon the attempt, ; foot of 1 the at- ^ ue to his ! 1 Iltle of the by a series 1 J Ttf.j 1}lt ? rOUIl BETWFEN HARTFORD AND Q,UFBEC. 83 purpose, Morgan at this critical moment, poured down like a torrent from the hill, and attacked the right of the enemy in front and flank."* The right wing soon made a movement to support the left, which was assailed with increased violence, and while executing this movement, General Frazer re- ceived his mortal wound. In the midst of this sanguinury battle. Colonel Morgan took a few of his best riflemen aside; men in whose fidelity, and fatal precision of aim, he could repose the most perfect confidence, and said to them : " that gallant officer is General Frazer ; I admire and respect him, but it is necessary that he should die — take your stations in that wood and do your duty." Within a few moments General Fra- zer fell, mortally wounded f How far, such personal designation is justifiable, has often been questioned, but those who vindicate war at all, contend, that to shoot a distinguished offi- cer, and thus to acceler^^te the conclusion of a bloody battle, operates to save lives, and that it is, morally^ no worse, to kill an ill istrions, than an obscure indi- vidual ; a Frazer, than a common soldier ; a Nel- * Wilkinson's Memoirs, Vol. I p. 268. + He was rurp^rted on his horee by two officers, till he reached his tent ; he said thrtt he saw the man who shot him, that he was n rifiemau, and puateJ in a tree. ■1 84 TOUil BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBtC. i I i '. ( SON,* than a common sailor. But, there is some- thing very revolting to humane feelings, in a mode of warfare, which converts its ordinary chances into a species of military execution. Such instances, were, however, frequent, during the campaign of General Burgoyne ; and his aid-de-camp, Sir Fran- cis Clark, and many other British officers, were vic- tims of American mrxrkmanship. The Baroness Reidesel, the lady of Major Gene- ral the Baron Reidesel, in some very interesting letters of hers, published at Berlin, in 1800, and in part republished in translation, in Wilkinson's me> moirs, states that she, with her three little children, (for she had, with this tender charge, followed the fortunes of her husband, across the Atlantic, and through the horrors of the campaign,) occupied this house, which was the only refuge, within protection of the British army. The rooms which it contain- ed remain, to this day, as they then were, although some other rooms have been since added. The house stood, at that time, perhaps one hun- dred yards from the river, at the foot of the hill ; it was afterwards removed to the road side, close by the river, where it now stands. The Baroness, with her little children, occupied the room in which we took tea, and General Fra- zer, when brought in wounded, was laid in the other room. In fact, as it was the oniy shelter that re- mained standing, it was soon converted into a hos- * Nelson was killed by « sharp shooter from the tops of the Saa- tissima I'rinidada, m '^4 % XI hi a] fi tl tl 4 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QITEREO. 85 lene- pital, and many other wounded and dying officers were brought to this melancholy refuge. Thus a refined and dchcate lady, educated in all the elegance of affluence and of elevated rank, with her little children, was compelled to witness the agonies of bleeding and dying men, among whom, some of her husband^s, and of her own particular i friends, expired before her eyes. She imparted to them of her (gw remaining comforts, and soothed them by offices of kindness. This distinguished ladv "as not without female companions, who shar- ed .=tir distresses, or felt with keenness their own misfortunes. Among them was Lady Harriet Ack- land, the wife of Major Ackland, who commanded the British grenadiers. Nearly every thing that has been said of the Baroness Reidesel, will apply to her. News came, from time to time, from the heights, that one officer and another was killed, and among the rest, that Major Ackland was desperate- ly wounded, and a prisoner with the enemy. Major (called in General Burgoyne's narrative. Colonel,) Ackland, had been wounded in the battle of Hubberton, but had recovered, and resumed the command of the grenadiers. He was wounded, the se(.ond time, in the battle of October 7, and found by General (then Colonel.) Wilkinson, who gives the following interesting statement of the occur- rence:* '* With the troops, 1 pursued the hard pressed, flying enemy, passing over killed and wounded, until I heard one exclaim, ' protect me, * Memoirs, vol. I. p. 271. 8* r j.^ i )^ "fl©' iMk /. ^> A '/ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I Uilii lis |Jo ^^ M^ E Hi ■" f US 12.0 IL25 nil 1.4 IE ■ 1.6 HiotDgraphic ^Sdaices Corporation /. y. z ^ <° 13 WIST MAM STRHt WIMTM.N.Y. I4SM (7tft)l7a-4S03 , 1 1 II '\ II )■' ^ A ,* .f ',/) ;^ j 3G TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (lUEDtC. Sir, against this boy/ Turning my eyes, it was mj fortune to arrest the purpose of a lad, thirteen or fourteen years old, in the act of taking aim at a wounded officer, who lay in the angle of a worm fence. Inquiring his rank, he answered, * I had the honour to command the Grenadiers ;^' of course I knew him to be Major Ackland, who had been brought from the field to this place, on the back of a Captain Shrimpton, of his own corps, under a heavy iire, and was deposited here, to save the lives of both.*'* " I dismounted, took him by the hand, and ex- pressed hopes that he was not badly wounded ; not badly,* replied this gallant officer, and accomplish- ed gentleman, * but very inconveniently — I am shot through both legs ; will you. Sir, have the good* ness to have me conveyed to your cat■: .. \l 90 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. .ftk I ^m - on the river, because it was night when she arriv- ed, and the sentinel would not permit her to land, till he had received orders from his superior, she was, as soon as her errand was made known, re- ceived by the Americans, with the utmost respect, kindness, and delicacy. Her husband, many years after the war, even lost his life in a duel, which he fought with an officer who called the Americans cowards. Ackland espoused their cause, and vin- dicated it in this unhappy manner. ' ' : ■^... General Burgoyne, in his "State of the Expedition from Canada," has mentioned, with much respect and feeling, the case of lady Harriet Ackland. It seems she came with her husband lo Canada, early in the year 17'"6, and accompanied him through that campaign, in all the varietiesof travelling and of the seasons, '* to attend, in a poor hut, at Chambly, up- on his sick bed.^' At the opening of the campaign of 1777, she, by the positive injunctions of her hus- band, remained at Ticonderoga, till, hearing of his being wounded at Ca^tleton, she went over to him, and. j^ft.-r his recovery, persisted in following his fortMuof. wilh no other vehicle, than a little two- wh»"clrfD QUEBEC. 93 man, she experienced from Mrs. Schuyler and her daughters, all the attentions and sympathies o( friendship. After the surrender, and the officers had gone over to General Gates' army, General Reidesel sent a message to his lady, to come to him with her chil- dren. She says in her narrative, *' I seated myself once more, in my dear calash, and then rode through the American camp. As I passed on, I observed, (and this was a great consolation to me,) that no one eyed me with looks of resentment, but they all greeted us, and even showed compassion in their countenances, at the sight of a woman with small children. I was, 1 confess, afraid to go over to the enemy, as it was quite a new situation to me. AVhen I drew near the tents, a handsome man ap- proached and met me, took my children from the calash, and hugged and kissed them, which affected me almost to tears. " You tremble," said he, ad- dressing himself to me, " be not afraid." *' No," I answered, " you seem so kind and tender to ^•..-.y children, it inspires me with courage." He nop led me to the tent of General Gates."——'* All the Generals remained to dine withGrneral Gates." "The same gentleman who received me so kind- ly, now came and said to me, *' You will be very much embarrassed to eat with all these gentlemen ; come with your children to my tent, where 1 will prepare for you a frugal dinner, and give it with a free will." 1 said, '* you are certainly a hus- 1) 4 il ' 9 « 99^ r i; ^1 u 94 TOUR BETWKKN HARTFORD AND pears to have been, in its day, one of the better sort — the pan- sels were large and handsome, and the door was still ornamented with brass handles. — Here Sir Francis Clark, Aid du Camp to Gen. Burgoyne, being mortally wounded and takea prisoner, lan- guished and ilied Gen. Wilkinson has recorded some interesting passages of his last moments, particularly his animated discus* •ion with Gen. Gates on the merits of the contest. The recollec- tion of the fate of this brave but unfortunate officer will always be associated with this building, while a single timber of it remains. My guide conducted me from the American camp along the summit of the heights, by the same route, which was pursued by our gallant countrymen, when they advanced to meet Uieir for- midable foe, and I hud the satisfaction of treading (he ground which they trotl, in the silence and siolcmnity of impending couflict. In pursuing this route, the traveller, if accompanied by an in- telligent guide, will have a very interesting op|)ortuni(y of mark- ing the exact places where the advanced guards and front lines of the contending armies met . In this manner we advanced quite to Freeman's farm, the great scene of slaughter, and tK^nceaescend- ed again to the centre of the British encampment on the plains. -^ -- DEC. occupied here and lost con- ! river ; the •able corps, There was :he camp of ther of the lout doubt, ip,was the aid that the \. was much 'inds whis- ker, teDant- From the 3 house ap- — the pan- irnnmented 1 Camp to isuner, lan- intercsting^ ted discus- le recollec- l always be it remains. » along the pursued by Uieir for- I he ground ig couflict. I by an in- y of mark - )nt iinei of ed quite to e uescend- le plains. «DUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 99 spicuous in these sanguinary scenes, was called Freeman's farm, and is so called in General Bur- goyne's plans. Such is nearly the present situaion of these heights, only there is more cleared land; the gigantic trees have been principally felled, but a considerable number remain as witnesses to pos- terity ; they still show the wounds, made in their trunks and branches, by the missiles of contending armies ; their roots still penetrate the soil, that wag made fruitful by the blood of the brave, and their aombre foliage still murmurs with the breeze, which once sighed, as it bore the departing spirits along. My veteran guide, warmed by my curiosity, and recalling the feelings of his prime, led me, with amazing rapidity, and promptitude, over fences and ditches— through water and mire — through ravines and defiles —through thick forests, and open fields — and up and down very steep hills ; in short, through many places, where, alone, I would not have ven- tured; but, it would have been shameful for me not to follow where a man of seventy-live would lead, and to hesitate to explore inpcace^ the ground, which the defenders of their country, and their foes once trod, in steps of blood. On our way to Freeman's farm, we traced the line of the British encampment, still marked by a breast work of logs, now rotten, but retaining their forms ; they were, at the time, covered with earth, and the barrier between contending armies, is now a fence, to mark the peaceful divisions of agricul- ture. This breast work, I cuppose to be a part of I ■t ■A t \ t I '/ : 1 ^ V ■ I 100 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND qUBBEC« the line of encampment, occupied by General Bur- goyne, after the battle of the 19th of September, and which was stormed on the evening of the 7th of October. The old man showed me the exact spot, where an accidental skirmish, between advanced parties of the two armies, soon brought on the general and bloodybattle of September 19. This was on Freeman^s farm, a field which was then cleared, although surrounded by forest. The British picket here occupied a small house,* when a part of Co). Morgan's corps fell in with, and im- mediately drove them from it, leaving the hou^e al- most " encircled with their dead." The pursuing party, immediately, and very unexpectedly, fell in with the British line, and were in part captured, and the rest dispersed. This incident occurred at half past 12 o'clock ; there was then an intermission till one, when the action was sharply renewed ; but it did not become general, till three, from which time it raged with unabated fury, till night. *' The theatre of action'* (says General Wilkinson,! was such that although the combatants changed ground a dozen times, in the course of the day, the contest terminated on the spot where it began. This may be explained in a few • Major Forbes, of the Britiah army, itates, that the American picket txsoupied the house; both facts might have been true at different periods of the affair. k i f I t Memoirs, Vol. I. p. 240. IUEBEC« oeral Bur September, the 7th of ot, where parties of ioeral and i^hich was est. The se,* when ) and im- house al- pursuing ly, fell in captured, o'clock ; pyhen the t become ;ed with r action'* although ss, in the the spot in a few Atnericao n true nt il TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 101 words. The British line was formed on an eminence in a thin pine wood, having befo o it Freoman's farm, an oblong field, stretching from the centre to- wards its right, the grotmd in front sloping gently down to the verge of this field, which was bordered, on the opposite side, by a close wood : the sanguina- ry scene lay in the cleared ground, between the emi- nence occupied by the enemy, and the wood just described; the fire of our marksmen from thig wood, was too deadly to be withstood, by the ene- my, in line, and when they gave way and broke, our men rushing from their covert, pursued them to the eminence, where, having their flanks protect- ed, they rallied, and charging in turn, drove us back into the wood, from whence a dreadful fire would again force them to fall back ; and in this manner, did the battle fluctuate, like waves of a stormy sea, with alternate advantages for four hours, without one moment's intermission. The British artillery fell init) our possession, at every charge, but we could neither turn the pieces upon the enemy nor bring them off; the wood prevented the last, and the want of a match the first, as the lintstock was invariably, carried off, and the rapidity of the tran- sitions did not allow us time to provide one ; the slaughter of this brigade of artillerists was remarka- ble, the Captain (Jones) and thirty-six men being killed or wounded out of forty-eight. It was truly a gallant conflict, in which death, by familiarity, lost his terrors, and certainly a drawn battle, as night 1 I 1 .r* * "^ 103 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. F' *! iv '■'my) alone terminated it : the British army keeping its ground in rear of the field of action, and our corps, when they could no longer distinguish objects, re- tiring to their own camp. Yet General Bui^oyne claimed a victory.^' It had, however, with respect to him, all the con- sequences of a defeat: his loss was between five and six hundred, while ours was but little more than half that number; his loss was irreparable, ours easily repaired, and in proportion to our entire ar- my, as well as absolutely, it was much less than his. The stress of the action as regards the British, lay, principally on the twentieth, twenty-first and sixty-second regiments ; the latter which was fire hundred strong when it left Canada, was reduced to less than sixty-men, and to four or five officers.* General Burgoyne states that there was scarcely ever an interval of a minute in the smoke, when some British officer was not shot by the American riflemen, posted in the trees, in the rear and on the flank of their own line. A shot which was meant for General Burgoyne, severely wounded Captain Green, an Aid du Camp of General Phillips: the mistake was owing to the Captain^s having a richly laced furniture to his saddle, which caused the marksman to mistake him for the General. Such was the ardor of the Americans, that, as General Wilkinson states, the wounded men, after * Gordon. \1 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 103 having their wounds dressed, in many instances, re- turned again into the battle. The battle of the seventh of October was fought on the same ground, but it was not so stationary ; it commenced farther to the right, and extended, in its various periods, over more surface, eventually occupying not only Freeman's farm, but it was urged by the Americans, to the very camp of the enemy, which, towards night, was most impetuous- ly stormed, and in part carried. The interval between the nineteenth of Septem- ber, and the seventh of October, was one of great anxiety to both armies ; ***not a night passed, (adds General Burgoyne,) without firing, and sometimes concerted attacks upon our pickets ; no foraging party could be made without great detachments to cover it ; it was the plan of the enemy to harrass the army, by constant alarms, and their superiority of numbers enabled them to attempt it, without fa- tigue to themselves. By being habituated to fire, our soldiers became indifferent to it, and were ca- pable of eating or sleeping when it was very near them ; but I do not believe that either officer or soldier ever slept during that interval, without his clothes, or that any general officer, or commander of a regiment, passed a single night, without being upon his legs, occasionally, at different hours, and constantly, an hour before day light." * Stnte of the Expedition fi i 104 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. * \ The battle of the seventh was brought on by a movement of General Burgoyne, who caused one thousand five hundred men, with ten pieces of artillery, to march towards the left of the American army for the purpose of discovering whether it was possible to force a passage ; or in case a retreat of the royal army should become indispensable, to dis- lodge the Americans from their intrenchments, and also to cover a foraging excursion which had now be- come pressingly necessary. It was about the middle of the afternoon, that the British were observed ad- vancing, and the Americans, with small arms, lost no time in attacking the British grenadiers and ar- tillery, although under a tremendous (ire from the latter ; the battle soon extended along the whole line : Colonel Morgan, at the same moment, attack- ed, with his riflemen, on the right wing; Colonel Ackland, the commander of the grenadiers, fell, wounded ; the grenadiers were defeated, and most of the artillery taken, after great slaughter. At the end of a most sanguinary contest, of less than one hour, the discomfiture and retreat of the British became general, and they had scarcely regained their camp, before the lines were stormed with the great- est fury, and part of Lord Balcarras' camp, was for a short time in our possession. I saw this spot, and also (hat where the Germani, under Colonel Breyman, forming the right reserve of (he army, were stormed, in their encampment, by General Learned, and Colonel Brooks, now I i TOCR BETWEKN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 105 Governor Brooks, of Massachusetts. General Ar- nold was wounded on this occasion ; Colonel Brey- man was killed ; and the Germans were either cap- tured, slain, or forced to retreat in the most precip- itate manner, leaving the British encampment on the right, entirely unpiotected, and liable to be as- sailed the next morning. All the British officers bear testimony to the valour and obstinacy of the at- tacks of the Americans. The fact was, the British were sorely defeated, routed, and vigorously pur- sued to their lines, which it seems probable, would have been entirely carried by assault, had not dark- ness, as in the battle of the 19th, put an end to the sanguinary contest. It is obvious, from General Burgoyne's own account, and from the testimony of his officers, that this was a severe defeat ; and such an one as has rarely been experienced by a British army ; this army was reduced by it to the greatest distress, and nothing but night saved them from destruction. I was on the ground where the grenadiers, and where the artillery were stationed. " Here, upon this hill,^* (said my hoary guide,) on the yery spot where we now stand, the dead men lay, thicker than ever you saw sheaves on a fruitful harvest field." "Were they British, or Americans?'* *'Both," he replied, "but principally British." I suppose that it is of this ground, that General Wil- kinson remarks, " it presented a scene of compli- cated horror and exultation. In the square space «'* 10 V I ' 106 TOUR BETWEEN BABTrORU AND ^UKBEV. of twelve or fifteen yards, lay eighteen grenadiers in the agony of death ; and three officers, propped up against stumps of trees, two of them mortally wounded, bleeding, and almost speechless.'^ My guide, proceeding with his narrative, said, ^ there stood a British field piece, which bad been twice taken, and retaken, and finally remained in our possession : I was on the ground, and said to an American Colonel, who came up at the mo- ment, * Colonel, we have taken this piece, and now we want you to swear it true to America ;^ so the Colonel swore it true, and we turned it around, and tired upon the British, with their own cannon, and with their own ammunition, still remaining uncon- sumed in their boxes." I presume General Wil- kinson alludes to the same anecdote, when he says, *' I found the courageous Colonel Cilley a straddle on a brass twelve pounder, and exulting in the cap- ture. ?? I was solicitous to see the exact spot where Gen- eral Frazer, received his mortal wound. My old guide knew it perfectly well, and pointed it out to me. It is in a meadow, just ob the right of the road, after passing a blacksmith's shop, and going south a few rods. The blacksmith's shop, is on a road, which runs parallel to the Hudson — it stands elevated, and overlooks Freeman's farm. The night of October 7th, was a most critical one for the royal army j in the course of it, they aban- M TOUR BETWEEN HARTPORD AND QUEBEC. 107 doncd their camp, changed their whole position, and retreated to their works upon the heights, contigu- ous to the river, and immediately behind the hos I saw various places, where the dead were inter* red ; a rivulet, or creek, passes through the battle ground, and still washes out from its banks, the bonos of the slain. This rivulet is often mentioned ill the accounts of these battles, and the deep ravine through which it passes ; on our return, we follow- ed this ravine, and rivulet, through the greater part of their course, till they united with the Fludson river. Farm houses are dispersed, here and there, over the field of battle, and the people often find, even now, gun-barrels and bayonets, cannon balls, grape shot, bullets, and human bones. Of the three last, I took from one of these people, some painful speci- mens ; — some of the bullets were battered and mis- shaped, evincing that they had come into collision with opposing obstacles. Entire skeletons are occasionally found ; a man told me, that, in ploughing, during the late summer, he turned one up ; it was not covered more than three inches with earth ; it lay on its side, and the arms were in the form of a bow ; it was, probably; some solitary victim, that never was buried. Such are the memorials still existing, of these great mili- tary events ; great, not so much on account of the numbers of the actors, as from the momentous iute- \ i, i 1 V- ' I 108 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (QUEBEC. rests at stake, and from the magnanimous efforts to which they gave origin. I would not envy that man his state of feeling, who could visit such fields of battle without emotion, or who, (being an American,) could fail to indulge admi- ration and affection, for the soldiers and martyrs of liberty, and respect for the valour of their enemies. GENERAL FRAZER'S GRAVE. '? '», t Having taken my guide home to breakfast, we made use of his knowledge of the country, to iden« tify with certainty, the place of General Frazer's interment. General Burgoyne mentions, two redoubts, that were thrown up, on the hills behind his hospital ; they are both still very distinct, and in one of these, which is called the great redoubt, by the officers of General Bui^oyne's army. General Frazer was bu- ried. It is true, it has been disputed, which is the redoubt in question, but our guide stated to us, that within his knowledge, a British Sergeant, three or four years, after the surrender of Bui^oyne's army, came, and pointed out the grave. We went to the spot; it is within the redoubt, on the top of the hill, nearest to the house, where the General died, and corresponds with the plate in Anbury's travels, TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND I^UEBEC. 109 taken from an original drawing, made by Sir Francis Clark, aid de camp to General Burgoyne, and with the statement of the General in his defence, as well as with the account of Madam Reidesel. General Frazer, when dying, sent with the "kind- est expression of his affection, for General Burgoyne, a request, that he might be carried without parade, by the soldiers of his corps, to the great redoubt, and buried there.'' The circumstances of this memorable interment, have been often mentioned. The body, attended by General Burgoyne, and the other principal officers of the army, who could not resist the impulse to join the procession, moved, winding slowly up the hill, within view of the great- er part of both armies, while an incessant cannonade* from the Americans, who observed a collection of people, without knowing the occasion, covered the procession with dust ; — the clergyman, the Rev. Mr. Brudenel, went through the funeral service, withperfectcomposure, and propriety, notwithstand- ing the cannonade, and thus the last honors were paid one of the chiefs of the British army. * I am happy for the honour of my country, to add, on the au- thority of Gen. Winalow, who commanded the gun, which was fired on this occasion, that as soon as they discovered that it was a funeral procession, they ceased firing; shot, and commenced firing minute guns — a high minded mark of respect, sometimes shown, when a distinguished enemy is buried. 1824. , {Private eomtnwiicalion to the author.) 10* t i \h '-.*./ '\\ -^e-< V' f \) no TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. The Baroness Reidesel, who was a spectator, speaks of the funeral service, as being " rendered unusually solemn and awful, from its being accom- panied by constant peals from the enemy's artillery ,'' and adds— ^^ many cannon balls, flew close by me, but 1 had my eyes directed to the mountain where my husband was standing amidst the fire of the ene- my, and of course, I could not think of my own danger.'' General Burgoyne's eloquent delineation of the same scene, although often quoted before by oth- ers, is too interesting to be omitted on the pres* ent occasion : — " The incessant cannonade, during the solemnity ; the steady attitude and unaltered voice, with which the clergyman officiated, though frequently covered with dust, which the shot threw up on all sides of him ; the mute but expressive mixture of sensibility and indignation, upon every countenance ; these objects will remain, to the last of life, upon the mind of every man who was present. The growing duskiness, added to the scenery, and the whole marked a character of that juncture, that would make one of the finest subjects for the pencil of a master, that the field ever exhibited. To the canvass and to the page of a more important histo- rian, gallant friend ! I consign thy memory. There may thy talents, thy manly virtues, their progress and their period, find due distinction ; and long may they survive ; long after the frail record of my pen shall be forgotten " ' < f # ZBEC* spectator, ' rendered ng accom- artillery," ►se by me, ain where f the ene- r my own ion of the e by oth- the pres* de, during unaltered id, though hot threw expressive 3on every to the last is present, inery, and ture, that the pencil To the tant histo- . There progress long may >f my pen ^ •« !.■' 1 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND ^CEBEC. tit The place of the interment, was formerly desig- nated, by a little fence, surrounding the grave. I was here in 1797, twenty-two years ago, the grave was then distinctly visible, but the remains have been since dug up, by some English gentlemen, aod car- ried to England.* The circumstances of the British were now very distressing, and they constantly expected a renewed attack from the Americans. Speaking of the death of General Frazer, General Burgoync remarks : " The whole of the 8th of October was correspond- ent to this inauspicious beginning. The hours were measured by a succession of immediate cares, in- creasing doubts and melancholy objects. The ene- my were formed in two lines. Every part of their disposition, as well as the repeated attacks on lord Balcarras' corps, and the cannonade from the plain, kept the troops in momentary expectation of a general action. During this suspense, wounded officers, some upon crutches, and others even carri- ed upon hand barrows, by their servants, were oc- casionally ascending the hill, from the hospital tents, to take their share in the action, or follow the march of the army. The Generals were employed in exhorting the troops." * Such was the statement made to me by th« people in the vi- cinity, but I have since, heard doubts expressed of the correct- ness of this report, by a gentleman, who has made the history of thiscampaignanobject of much inquiry. 1824. M ■ J it ) ^ If ■*■ 112 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. I 1' That commander, who, in the commencement of the campaign, had uttered in his general orders, the memorable sentiment— " this army must not re- treat," was now compelled to seek his safety by stealing away in the night, from his victorious ene- my. Numerous fires were lighted — several tents left standing, and the retreat was ordered to be con- ducted with the greatest secrecy. The army com- menced its retrograde motion at nine o'clock on the night of the eighth, pursuing the river road , through the mcadov.'s. It moved all night ; but the succeeding day was excessively rainy, and the roads so bad, that they did not reach Saratoga, a distance of only six miles, till the evening of the ninth. The rains had so swelled the Fishkill, that they did not pass that rivulet till the morning of the tenth, when, finding their enemies already in possession of the fords of the Hudson, they took up a strong position which proved their final one. General Burgoyne left his hospital, containing more than three hundred sick and wounded, to the mercy of General Gates, who in this, as in all other instances, exhibited towards the eneray^ the greatest humanity and kindness. The house, where Mr. W. and myself lodged, was the centre of this military hospital, and was occupi- ed by the wounded officers, while the common sol- diers were comfortably accommodatedi in the vicin- ity, in tents. ^ :^%^.p-^^ .■ • — TEBEC. I TOUR BETWfiEV HARTFOBD AND QUEBEC. 113 cement of >rders, the not re- safety by •ious ene- eral tents to be con- rmy com- 'clock on ^er road , ; but the the roads 1 distance lb. The y did not th, when, m of the position ontaining d, to the all other ' greatest ged, was occupi- lon sol- e vicin- I II f The researches and observations of the morning had detained us till rather a late hour, when, taking leave of our venerable guide,* we proceeded north- ward on our journey, pursuing exactly the route of the retreating British army. THE LAST ENCAMPMENT. Six days more of anxiety, fatigue and sufTering, remained for the British army. They had lost part of their provision batteaux, when they abandon^ od the hospital, and the rest being exposed to im* minent danger, the small stock of provisions re- maining, was landed under a heavy fire, and hauled up the heights. On these heights, near to the meadows bordering on the river, they formed a for- tified camp, and strengthened it by artillery. Most of the artillery however, was on the plain. Gene- ral Gates* army soon followed that of Burgoyne, and stretched along south of the Fishkill, and parallel to it ; the corps of Colonel Morgan , lay west and north of the British army, and General Fellows with three thousand men, was on the east of the Hud- son, ready to dispute the passage. Fort Edward was * I must not, however, leave him without mtptioniDg that he wai wounded in this campaign: he bared hinged breast, and showed me where a bullet had rak«'d along, superficially, cutting the outer integuments of the thorax, and carrying with it into the wound, portions of bis clothes. .1 '>* ■'i' t ti * t i ,' is- M "^ • V / 14 I' ^ w V' 114 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. soon after occupied by the Americans— a fortified camp was formed on the high ground, between the Hudson and Lake George, and parties wereistationed up and down the river; thus, the desperate resolu- tion which had been taken in General Burgoyne's camp, of abandoning their artillery and bai^gage, and (with no more provisions than they could carry on their backs.) forcing their way by a rapid night march, and in this manner gaining one of ihe lakes, was rendered abortive. Every part of the camp of the royal army was exposed, not only to cannon balls, but to rifle shot; not a single place of safety could be fount.| it ho| Mc B- m , I ' ■^- UEBEC. -a fortified etween the re stationed rate resolu- Burgoyne*s d ba<^gage, ould carry rapid night r the lakes, army was rifle shot; , not a cor- er taken in inded, the asylum. — very haz- the army Genera! ere often 1 they had I soldier's le Ainer- e at her. il Reide- directed They mnonade TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND On the present occasion, I did not visit the Brit- ish fortified camp.f When I was here, in 1797, I examined it particularly. It was then in perfect preservation, (I speak of the encampment of the British troops, upon the hill, near the Fishkill,) the parapet was high, and covered with grass and shrubs, and the platforms of earth, to support the field pieces, were still in good condition. No devas- tation, of any consequence had been committed, ex- cept by the credulous, who had made numerous ex- cavations in the breast works, and various parts of the encampment, for the purpose of discovering the money, which the officers were supposed to * Baroness Rcidesers Narrative, in Wilkinson's Memoirs. tin May 1821,1 again visited (his fortified camp, and found it as perfect as it was when I saw it nearly twenty three years before, and almost every particular f>tated in the text was strictly applicable to it. It is about a mile from the river, aud was cer- tainly chosen with great good judgment, and had the American army attempteJ We arrived at this interesting spot, in a very fine morning; the sun shone with great splendor, upon the flowing Hudson, and upon the beautiful heights, and the luxuriant meadows, now smiling in rich ver- dure, and exhibiting images of tranquillity and love- liness, very opposite to the horrors of war, which were once witnessed here. The Fishkill, swollen by abundant rains, (as it was on the morning of October 10th, 1777, when General Burgoyne pafised it with his artillery,) now * Thid appoftrs to be a very coDimoD popular delusion ; in muny places on the Hudson, and about the lakes, where arnaios lia.l lain, or moved, we found money-pit:* dug ; and in one place, they told us, that a man bought of a poor widow, ''« right of dig- ging in her groaud for the hidden treasure. ' .^. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 119 poured a turbid torrent along its narrow channel, and roaring down the declivity of the hills, hasten- ed to mingle its waters with those of the Hudson. It was upon the banks of the Fishkill, that the British army surrendered. We passed the ground, where stood the tent of General Gates, and where he received General Burgoyne, and the principal officers of his army. General Wilkinson's account of this interview is interesting : " Early in the morn- ing of the 17th, I visited General Burgoyne in his camp, and accompanied him to the ground, where his army was to lay down their arms, from whence we rode to the Bank of the Hudson river, which he surveyed with attention, and asked me whether it was not fordable. ' Certainly, Sir ; but do you observe the people on the opposite shore f ' * Yes, (replied he,) I have seen them too long.' He then proposed to be introduced to General Gates, and we crossed the Fishkill, and proceeded to head quarters, General Burgoyne in front, with his adju- tant General Kingston, and his aids de camp Cap- tain lord Petersham, and Lieutenant Wilford behind him ; then followed Major General Phillips, the Baron Reidesel, and the other General officers, and their suites, according to rank. General Gates, ad- vised of Burgoyne's approach, met him at the head of his camp, Burgoyne in a rich royal uniform, and Gates in a plain blue frock ; when they had ap- proached nearly within swords' length, they reined up, and halted, I then named the gentlemen, and N /I m V f 120 TOUR BETWEEN UAIITFORD AND QUEBEC. i) '^ I ' General Burgoyne, raising his bat most gracefully, said * The fortune of war, General Gates, has mad« me your prisoner ;* to which the conqueror, return- ing a courtly salute, promptly replied, ' I shall al- ways be ready to bear testimony, that it has not been through any fault of your excellency.' Major General Phillips then advanced, and he, and Gene- ral Gates saluted, and shook hands with the famili- arity of old acquaintances. The Baron Reide- sel, and the other officers, were introduced in t^eir turn." We passed the ruins of General Schuyler's house, which are still conspicuous, and hastened to the field where the British troops grounded their arms. Al- though, in 1797, I paced it over with juvenile en- thusiasm,* I felt scarcely less interested on the present occasion, and again walked over the whole tract. It is a beautiful meadow, situated at the in- tersection of the Fishkill, with the Hudson, and north of the former. There is nothing now to distinguish the spot, except the ruins of old Fort Hardy, built during the French wars, and the deeply interesting historical associations which will cause this place to be memorable to the latest generation. Thousands and thousands yet unborn, will visit Saratoga, with feelings of the deepest interest, and it will not be forgotten till Thermopylae, and Marathon, and Ban- nockburn and Waterloo, shall cease to be remem- ♦ In company with the Uoa. John Elliott, now a Senator from Georgia, and John VVynn, £» REFLECTIONS AND REMARKS. I have adverted but little to the sufferings of the American army, because but little, comparatively, is known of what they individually endured. Except- ing the inevitable casualties of battle, they must have suffered much less than their enemies; for they soon ceased to be the flying, and became the attacking and triumphant party. Colonels Colburn, Adams, Francis and many other brave officers and men, gave up their lives, as the price of their country's liberty, and very many carried away with them the scars produced by honourable wounds. The brave- ry of the American army was fully acknowledged by their adversaries. - ^ ■ "At all times," said Lord Balcarras, *'when I was opposed to the rebels, they fought with great courage and obstinacy." " We were taught by ex- perience, that neither their attacks nor resistance was to be despised." Speaking of the retreat of the Americans, from Ticonderoga, and of their behav- iour at the battle of Hubberton,Lord Balcarras addss : \ 1 r * ' w y V m J '■ h 122 TOUR BLTWEEN HARTFORD AND iH EHEC. " Circumstanced as the enemy were, as an army very hard pressed, in their reirer.t, lliry certainly h»;- haved with great gallantry ;" of the attack on the lines, on the evening of the 7th of October, he says : "The lines were attacked, and with as much fury as the fire of small arms can admit." ^^ '' '• Lord Balcarras had said, that he never knew the Americans to defend their entrenchments, but ad- ded : "The reason why they did not defend their en- trenchments was, that they always marched out of them and attacked us." Captain Money, in an- swer to the question, whether on the/1 9th of Sep- tember, the Americans disputed the'' field with ob- stinacy, answered, "they did, an'd the fire was much hotter than I ever knew it any where, except at (he cnfiair of Fort Anne," and speaking of the bat- tle of October 7ih, and of the moment when the Americans, with nothing but small arms, were marching up to the British artillery, he adds : " 1 was very much astonished, to hear the shot from the enemy, fly so thick, after our cannonade had lasted a quarter of an hour." General Burgoyne gives it as his opinion, that as rangers, " perhaps there are few better in the world, than the corps of Virginia riflemen which acted under Colonel Mor- gan.'' He says, speaking of the battle of September 19th, that, "few actions have been characterised by more obstinacy, in attack or defence. The British bayonet was repeatedly tried inefToclually ." *! I ( i %: EHEC. an army rtainly b».'- ck on tlje [•jhe says : ich fury as A <;■'£.' knew the but ad- d their en- ed out of iy, in an- 1 of Sep- vviih ob- fire was e, except )f the bci- when tho ms, were adds : " I shot from made had Burgoyne ' perhaps corps of nel Mor- eptembcr terised by e British TOL'R BKTWEEN' HARTFORD AN'D QULBE' . -J Remarking upon the battle of the 7il) of OcloL^ r, he observes : "If there he any persons who con- tinue to doubt that the Americans possess the q'ud' lly and facullj of fighting, call it by whatever term they please, they are of a prejudice, that it would be very absurd longer to contend with ;" he says, that in this action the British troops "retreated hard pressed, but in good order,'' and that "the troops had scarcely entered the camp, when it was storm- ed with great fury, the enemy rushing to the lines, under a severe fire of grape shot and small arms J) In a private letter, addressed to Lord George Germain, after the surrender, he says, " I should now hold myself unjustihable, if I did not confide to your liordship, my opinion, upon a near inspec- tion of the rebel troops. The standing corps thtt I have seen, are disciplined. I do not hazard the terra, but apply it to the great fundamental points of military institution, sobriety, subordination, regu- larity and courage." * It is very gratifying to every real American to find, that for so great a prize, his countrymen, (their enemies themselves being judges,) .contended so nobly, and that their conduct for bravery, skill and humanity, will stand the scrutiny of all future ages. From the enemy it becomes us not to withhold the commendation that is justly due; all that skill and valour could effect, they accomplished, and they were overwhelmed at last by complicated dis- k. li I \ i r . . J^* ■ ../- - 124 TOUR BBTWEEW HARTFORD AIfI> QUEBEC. .' r -?'* \ I, I Vi 2 'If J ;y I 'm tresses, and by very superior numbers, amounting at the time of the surrender, probably, to three for one, although the disparity was much less, in the two great battles. The vaunting proclamation of General Burgoyne, at the commencement of the campaign ; some of his boasting letters, written during the progress of it, and his devastation of private property reflect no honour on his memory. But, in general, he ap- pears to have been a humane and honourable man, a scholar and a gentleman, a brave soldier and an able commander. Some of his sentiments have a higher moral tone than is common with men of his profession, and have probably procured for him more respect, than all his battles. Speaking of the battle of the 7th, he says, '*In the course of the ac- tion, a shot had passed through my hat, and anoth- er had torn my waistcoat. I should be sorry to be thought, at any time, insensible to the protecting hand of Providence ; but 1 ever, more particularly considered (and I hope not superstitiously) a sol- dier's hair breadth escapes as incentives to duty, a marked renewal of the trust of being, for the pur- poses of a public station : and under that reflection, to lose our fortitude, by giving way to our affec- tions ; to be divested by any possible self-emotion from meeting a present exigency, with our best fac- ulties, were at once dishonour and impiety.'* Thus have I adverted, I hope not with too much particularity, to some of the leading cir- N ^^ B£C. mounting three for s, in the urgoyne, some of 5gres3 of eflect no he ap- Lble man, r and an s have a en of his for him ig of the if the ac- d anoth- ry to be rotectiog licularly a sol- > duty, a he pur- tflection, r affec- emotion )est fac- i^ith too ing cir- TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,UEBEC. 125 cumstances of the greatest military event which has over occurred in America ; but compared with the whole extent and diversity of that campaign, the above notices, however extended, are few and brief. \ confess, I have reviewed them with a very deep interest, and have been willing to hear some of the distinguished actors speak in their own language.— Should the notice of these great events tend, in any instance, to quench the odious fires of party, and to rekindle those of genuine patriotism — should it re- vive in any one, a veneration for the virtues of those men who faced death, in every form, regard- less of their own lives, and bent only on securing to posterity, the precious blessings, which we now en- joy ; and above all, should we thus be led to cher- ish a higher sense of gratitude to heaven, for our un- exampled privileges, and to use them more temper- ately and wisely, the time occupied in this sketch, will not have been spent in vain. History pre- sents no struggle for liberty which has in it more of the moral sublime than that of the American re- volution. It has been, of late years, too much forgotten, in the sharp contentions of party, and he who endeavours to withdraw the public mind from those debasing conflicts, and to fix it on the grandeur of that great epoch — which, magnificent in itself, begins now, to wear the solemn livery of an," tiqiiity, as it is viewed through the deepening twilight of half a century, certainly performs a meritori- ous service, and can scarcely need a justification. \ %- rt r- ^^ h 126 TOUR IiE'f^VEEN HARTFORD AND (^UKIJEC. The generation that sustained the coRflict, is now al- most passed away ; a few hoary heads remain, seamed with honourable scars — a few experienced guides can still attend us to the fields of carnage, and point out the places where they and their compan- ions fought and bled, and where sleep the bones of the slain. But these men will soon be gone ; tradi- tion and history, will, however, continue to recite their deeds, and the latest generations will be taught to venerate the defenders of our liberties — to visit the battle-grounds, which were moistened with their blood, and to thank the mighty God of battles, that the arduous conflict, terminated in the entire estab- lishment of the liberties of this country. STILLWATER TO SANDY HILL. This ride of twenty-two miles we took before din- ner. After viewing the field of surrender, which is seven miles above Stillwater, and thirty-two above Albany,we passed on two miles farther, to the bridge, at Fort Miller, where we crossed to the eastern side of the Hudson. On coming near the head waters of this river, we begin to tread on ground famous, not only in the war of the revolution, but, in those numerous and bloody campaigns, of a still earlier date, in which the French and the savages carried fire and slaugh- ter, into the vast frontier of the northern English !i:eo. is now al- remain, :perienc€d nage, and compan- bones of le ; tradi- to recite be taught —to visit ivith their ttles, that ire estab- ifore din- which is ro above le bridge, Item side river, we ly in the ous and in which I slaugh- En^lish TOUR BETWEEN HARTFCRD AND i^VEBEG. 127 Colonies. The contests then sustained, were dis- tinguished by immense sacrifices, efforts and sufTer- ings on the part of the English Colonies ; sacrifices, efforts and sufferings, which, notwithstanding the great aids, occasionally received from the mother country, scarcely admitted, for a long course of years, of any serious and permanent intermission. Fort Miller was one of the posts established in those wars, and formed a link in the chain, which con- nected the upper waters of the Hudson with those of the lakes George and Champlain, and of course, with Canada. Fort Miller, is completely levelled, and I know not of any particular event, of signal importance, connected with its history, except that here, or a little way below, General Burgoyne, when proceeding to Stillwater, on the 13th and 14th of September, 1777, passed most of his army over the Hudson. From this place we pursued our journey, along the left bank of the river, to Fort Edward, and San- dy Hill. In the whole distance, from Albany to the latter place, (nearly fifty miles,) there is, on the immc diate border of the river, scarcely a hill, even of moderate elevation, and the scenery is extremely similar to that which I hare already described. The river, sprinkled with islands, flows through beautiful meadows, and appears, in many places, smooth and glassy as a mirror, and its motion is scarcely perceptible, either to sight or hearing ; t *. \i 1*1 P ! J 128 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFOHD AND HUEJJEC. I.. I again, it is agitated, and with ripples and waves, h urged over a shallow and rocky bottom, or, dashes rapidly, down a more sudden and more rocky de- clivity ; but, in every variety of surface, it forms al- ways, a pleasing and interesting object. t1 I /■: u ^ \i I) \» GEOLOGY. ' It was not in my power, to make many very pre* eise observations on the nature of the hills, by which the meadows are bounded. On Bemus' heights, the soil and forest hid almost every rock from view ; the solitary projections were, however, gen- erally slaty, like the rocks along the river, which, with very few exceptions, were slate — of the trans- ition class, (as I suppose ;) the direction of the stra- ta was, more generally, like that of the other great rock formations of the north : that is, somewhat to the east of north, and to the west of south ; their dip appeared extremely variable, but T believe they were never flat, nor vertical, and the structure of the strata was often, extremely confused and tortuous.* * The obaervatiuns of Prof. Amos Eaton, (Index to the Geology of the Northern Sttttes, second edition,) of Dr. William Meade, (Experimentnl Enquiry, Sic.) and of Dr. John H. Steel, (Analysis of the Mineral waters of Sarme violent ranches, is he fate of h the date loutspend- e received ac- MiB9 MoCrea he has ascer- it in the roail, ing a plaintive moment in contemplating the untime- ly fate of youth and loveliness. * The murder of Miss M cCrea, (a deed of such atrocity and cruelty as scarcely to admit of aggrava- tion,) occurring as it did, at the moment when Gen- eral Burgoyne, whose army was then at Fort Anne, was bringing with him to the invasion of the American States, hordes of savages, ** those hell- hounds of war,"*^ whose known and established mode of warfare, were those of promiscuous massa- cre,f electrified the whole co.itinent, and indeed, the civilized world, producing an universal burst of horror and indignation. General Gates did not fail to profit by the circumstance, and in a severe, but loo personal remonstrance, which he addressed to * Lord Chatham. t It is true that General Burgoyne, in hi? celebrated speech to the Indians, at the river Boquet, at the opening of the campaign, (June 24, 1777,) reprobated such proceedings, and bound the sav- ages, (whom however he called "brothers" and "friends,") down to European rules of warfare ; but, who would expect, that a fine «peechand a few rhetorical flourishes, even if sanctioned by re- wards and punishments in prospect, would restrain the habitual, ] had almost said, the innalt ferocity of an American barbarian. All that hapt>ened, might therefore have been anticipated, and had General Burgoyne's army continued to be suecessful, the savages, instead of deserting him, as they did, in (he hour "of his utmost need," would h:\ve spread murder and desolation every where, m spite of speeches, rules or remonstrances. The French, the English and the Americans, are however, all chargeable with a common guilt, differing only in degree, in em- ploying (he savages, in the various wars on this continent. 12* V fl .!i I' i ^'V.,^- •:.:jr 134 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBECr I h- > f. h: !) General Burgoync, charged him with the guilt of the murder, and with that of many other similar atrocities. His real guilt, or that of his government, was, in employing the savages at all in the war; in other respects he appears to have had no concern with the transaction ; in his reply to General Gates, he thus vindicates himself: " In regard to Miss McCrea, her fall wanted not the tragic display you have labored to give it, to make it as sincerely la- mented and abhorred by me, as it can be by the tenderest of her friends. The fact was no premedi- tated barbarity. On the contrary, two chiefs, who had brought her off, for the purpose of security, not of violence to her person, disputed which should be her guard, and in a fit of savage passion, in one from whose hands she was snatched, the un- happy woman became the victim. Upon the first intelligence of this event, I obliged the Indians to deliver the murderer into my hands, and though, to have punished him by our laws, or principles of justice, would have been perhaps unprecedented, he certainly should have suffered an ignominious death, had I not been convinced by my circumstan- ces and observation, beyond the possibility of a doubt, that a pardon under the terms which I pre- sented, and they accepted, would be more effica- cious than an execution, to prevent similar mis- chiefs."* ♦Feb. 7, 1824.— The followiDg letters, which have recently appeared in the public prints, are worthy of beiD<; preserved in this place ; — BEC. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 13c* e guilt of :r similar rernment, e war; in ) concern ral Gates, to Miss splay you cerely la- be by the premedi- liefs, who security, 2d which ;e passion, d, the un- n the first Indians to id though, inciples of cedented, nominious rcumstan- )ility of a ich I pre- ore effica- [nilar mis- ave recently preserved in SANDY HILL, AND THE MASSACRE THERE. Sandy Hill* " is delightfully situated just above Baker's Falls— it contains a woollen manufactory, From the Mohawk (JV. Y.) Herald. MURDER OF MISS McCREA. Florida, Dec. 27, 1823. Dear 5ir— There was no event during our revolutionary struggle with Great Britain, that excited more sympathy than the tragical fate of Jane McCrea. The time, and every circumstance attending that transactioOfWas peculiarly fitted to harrow up the minds of men to resistance and revenge. Wherever the story was told, (and it was told throughout the continent with the rapidity of lightning,) every bosom was thrilled as by an electric shock, and beat in unison. Young as I then was, the horrors of the scene impressed my mind so deeply, that forty-six years have in no part effaced it. But the subsequent writers of that period of our history have related the story very differently, and some have spelled her name errone- ously. In order to correct in season every mistake, I lately requested Colonel M'cCrea, of Saratoga, to state all the facts, as they were known and believed in the family. This gentleman was nephew to Jane McCrea, and is distinguished for candor and probity ; and is perhaps better able to tell the story than any other living wit- ness. The following is an extract from his letter. I hope you will think with me that it ought to be preserved, and give it a place in the Herald. I am, &c. S. Reynolds. Ballbton, JvhY 1st, 1823. Sir — It is with no small degree of diffidence I undertake to ''.ommit to paper that which is known in our family concerning the late Jane McCrea; and in yielding to this, I do it solely with a view of complying with yeur request of transmitting to poster- ity something more of her history than ia at present extant, * Worcester's Gazetteer. VA 13G TOUn BETWEEN HARTFORO AND q,llEBf:c. >il i f, { ,Sl • ^ 'i a court house, a bank, an academy for young ladies, and about eighty houses." This pretty and flour- Miss Jaae McCrea, who was killed by the ladians at Fort Ed- ward, in July, 1777, was the second daug^hter of the Key. James McCrea, formerly pastor of a congregation in Lamington, New- Jersey, but died previous to the revolution. His eldest son. Col. John McCrea, had become a resident of Albany before his father^s death, and his sister Jane directly afterwards repaired to his house, and resided with him. In the year] seventy-three, they removed to that part of this county now known by the name of Northumberland, on the west side of the Hudson river, about three miles north of Fort Miller Falls, and he was here when his sister was killed. This was on Suaday morning, and it was eve- ning before he received the fatal newa. Early the next day, he sent his family to Albany, and repaired himself to the American camp, where he found his sister's corpse, shockingly mangled.— Two of the neighboring women, whom he had brought with him, washed and dressed her remains, and he had her interred with one Lieutenant Van Veehten, three miles south of Fort Edward. She was twenty-three years of age, of an amiable and virtuous character, and highly esteemed by all her acquaintance. She was at this time on a visit to a family in the neighborhood of Fort Edward. A Mrs. McNeil had persuaded her to remain till the Monday following. Here she was concealed in the cellar, when the Indians arrived, who, tfter ransacking the house, dis- covered her retreat, and drew her out by ths hair, and placing her on a horse, proceeded on the road towards Sandy Hill. They had gone but a short distance, when they met another party of Indians, returning from Argyle, where they had killed the family of Mr. Bains. This party disapproved of taking Miss McCrea to the British camp, and one of them struck her with a tomahawk, and tore off her scalp. It was said, and generally believed, that she was engaged in marriage to Captain David Jones, of the British army. Captain Jonea survived her only a few years, and died, as was thought, with grief. I am. Sir, your most obedient servant, Sec. James McCrea. Dr. S. Retnolds. \=' :bec. ng ladies, ind floiir- at Fort Ed- Rev. James igtoD, New- est son, Col. his father's aired to his three, they the name of •iver, about re when his it was ere- ext daj, he e American mangled.— It with him, terred with )rt Kdward. nu virtuous tance. She hborhood of remain till the cellar, house, dis- and placing Hill. They er party of the family McCrea to tomahawk, engaged in . Captain 18 thought, ice. FcChea. TOUR BETVTEKN HARTFORD AND k !l' % • ..^«t^» -, *» I '^ J, •■j»t0^-. ^, W^ %[ M 138 TOUR BETWEEN UARTFOUD AND ^17£BEC. the massacre commenced ; the work of death had already proceeded to him, and the lifted tomahawk Was ready to descend, when a chief gave a signal to stop the butchery. Then approaching Mr. Schoon- hoven, he mildly said, '* do you not remember that (at such a time) when your young men were danc- ing, poor Indians came, and wanted to dance too ; your young men said " no ! — Indians shall not dance with us;" but you (for it seems, this chief had re- cognized his features only in the critical moment,) you said, Indians shall dance — now 1 will show you that Indians can remember kindness." This chance recollection (providential , we had better call it,) saved the life of Mr. Schoonhoven, and of the other survivor. Strange mixture of gener6«lty aq4 cruelty ! For a triiiing affront, they cherished and glutted ven- geance, fell as that of infernals, without measure of retribution, or discrimination of objects ; for a favor equally trifling, they manifested magnanimity, ex- ceeding all correspondence to the benefit, and ca- pable of arresting the stroke of death, even when falling with the rapidity of lightning !* * Considering the moral and intellectual light of the American savages, we may, however, well ask whether this act, atrocious as it is, manifests more that is abhorrent to every humane — every just — every moral— every christian, nay, to every truly honorahU feeling, than the lamentable practice of duelling, that dreadful na- tional sin of this country; that foul stain on our character as a moral and religious people; that sin which aseertaim no man's courage, but demorutrably proves that man's cowardice, who dares SEC. !ath had mahawk signal to Schoon- iber that re danc* nee too ; ot dance 'had re- loment,) low you i chance call it,) 1 of the |r ! For ted ven- ^asure of r a favor ity, ex- and ca- sn when American atrocious ne — every f honorable. 'eadful na- acter as a no man's wbodarea TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 13^ ADDITIONAL REMARKS ON SANDY HILL. Mr. H- , one of the earliest inhabitants of Sandy Hill, canie to this place at the close of the war of the Revolution, and erected the first framed building. At that time, the grounds now occupied as a public green, was cover- ed by a grove of shrub oaks. Sandy Hill is in the town of Queensbury — but is an incorporated village, exhibiting a great appearance of neatness and com- fort. It is said to be very healthy. I observed the citizens busied in sweeping their public green with brooms, and in cleaning their streets — a commend- able example for other villages; it is done here by a kind of common law. The houses are situated principally on the main street, but there are some scattered buildings. There was no house for public worship when I was there last, (in May 1821 ;) the school-house was used for this purpose. The view from this building is said to be very fine. The village affords good accommodations for trav- ellers. Beard's house is remarkable for neatness, order, good fare, and the most obliging manners. not encounter the opinions of fighting men, but prefers the viola- tion of the most sacred laws both of God and uAir ; that sin which sends to a premature grene those who have defended tht nation by their valor, and honored it by their councils and their wisdom ; that sin, for whose victims thousands of American hearts are now bleeding, and for which all good men mourn, and angels weep!! M i ( X MO TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. ^''.l * Baker^s Falls, contiguous to this village, wiU well repay the traveller for a short walk. He will see them to the best advantage by crossing the bridge, and descending in the direction of the stream, till he is one hundred or one hundred and fifty yards below the falls ; the best station is near the crystallizing house of a gunpowder manufactory, which is established here, oh the high bank of the river; there are various good points of view for a quarter of a mile below. The entire fall is seventy- eight feet ; but it takes place at several leaps, and forms a succession of violent, tumultuous rapids, not inferior in grandeur to Glen's Falls, and supe- rior to them in picturesque effect; these falls are really quite as well worth visiting as the more cele> brated cataract a few miles above. From the place where Baker's Falls are seen to the best advantage, the village of Sandy Hill forms a fine part of the back ground, being seen at the dis- tance of half a mile, on the high opposite bank. There is a fine rapid above the falls, and below the bridge. The water of the river is turned to good account by a mill-dam, which diverts a portion of the flood into artificial channels ; thus creating a great water power for the working of mills on both sides of the river. The transition and secondary formations are said to form a junction at this place. Slaty rocks com- pose the banks of the river, and are seen lying be- neath the water ; and where the latter is tranquil, a •V---? ->- — ■K^ :bec. TOTTR between HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. HI if age, wiU He will ssing the 1 of the idred and m is near tufactory, ak of the lew for a ! seventy- saps, and IS rapids, and supe- ; falls are lore cele- re seen to lill forms at the dis' bank, ind below turned to I a portion creating a Is on both IS are said }cks corn- lying be- tranquil, a handsome picture is presented by the veins of white calcareous spar, which in great numbers, intersect the black slate rocks, and give them a tesselated appearance, rendered more brilliant by the refrac- tive effect of the water, through which they are seen. The rocks on the shores above the bridge, where they are not covered by water, present a sim- ilar appearance. The frowning precipices which form the banks of the river — the mill-dams — the bridge, and the steep road, by which it is approach- ed from the village — readily suggest to an observer, the possibility of fatal accidents. It seems they have been of too frequent occurrence. Several persons have been precipitated over the falls, en- countering instant death. Two men were in a boat above the mill-dam, and venturing a little too far, were drawn irretrievably into the rapid waters; as the boat passed over the mill-dam, one of the men caught upon it, and stood braced, till a plank, secu- red by a rope, was floated down to him, and he was thus extricated from his danger — but his companion went over the dam, and was lost. Another man in a boat was impelled into the current, and finding his case hopeless, calmly shipped his oars, and submit- ted to his fate; a m»n at the bridge, about three years ago, was standing upon a floating timber, and in the act of c'lUing it, when it suddenly parted and let him into the water, which soon hurried him to his death ; the dead bodies were found down at Fort Edward, a few miles below. A man in a dark night walked 13 15* ': \* n ■ i 1 m 143 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND ^UEBEt. ofTthe high bank at the bridge, on the eastern side, and fell seventy-five feet ; and a Frenchman, about the same time, drove a waggon and horses over this precipice ; it is scarcely necessary to say that they all perished. EXCURSION TO LAKE GEORGE. This interesting region lay to the left of our pro- posed route to Lake Champlain; to visit it would demand nearly twenty miles of additional travelling, through very bad roads; Mr. W. was already famil- iar with the scene; I therefore took an extra con- veyance, with which 1 was furnished at Sandy Hill, by the civility of Mr. II. who did me the favor to accompany me on the excursion, (for there was no public vehicle,) and leaving Mr. VV. to pursue his journey to Fort Anne, where I agreed to meet him, I parted with him four miles above Sandy Hill, at Glenn's Falls. GLENN'S FALLS. We stopped for a f«w moments at this celebrated place. It is not possible that so large a river as the Hudson is, even here, at more than two hundred miles from its mouth, should be precipitated over \t \Et, TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AVD QUEBEC. 143 ern side, m, about ses over say that our pro- it would avelling, iy famil- ctra con- [jdy Hill, favor to 2 was no irsue his eet him, Hill, at lebrateU cr as the hundred ted over any declivity, however moderate, without a degree of grandeur. Even the various rapids which we had passed above Albany, and still more, the faJls at Fort Miller Bridge, and Baker's Falls, at Sandy Hill, had powerfully arrested our attention, and prepared us for the magnificent spectacle now be- fore us. I regretted that I could not, more at leisure, investigate the geology of this pass, both for its own sake, and for its connexion with this fine piece of scenery. The basis of the country here is a black lime- stone,* compact, but presenting spots that are crys- tallized, and interspersed, here and there, with the organized remains of animals, entombed, in ages pa?t, > (his mausoleum. The strata are perfectly flat, i ' <., \ i piled upon one another, with the utmost regularity, so that a section, perpendicular to the strata, presents almost the exact arrangement of hewn stones in a building. Such a section has been made by the Hudson, through these calcareous strata ; not however all at once ; a number of lay- ers are removed, either through a part of the width of the river, or through the whole of it; and, a few feet further down the stseam, the layers, next below are removed; and thus, by stairs, or rather * Satin spar it found in thin, delicate, but extensive vcin^, principally in the fallen rocks below the bridge ; (generally it is of a brilliant white, but sometimes it is black, Although still re- taining its fibrous structure. Cryilah of Hittersjtuth^ well defi- tted, and glistening in black limestone, occur at the »amc plncc. — The s»tiD »par was first observed by Mr. H, K. 13. Morse. r.^ 144 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. by broad platforms, not however without frequent irregularities, and deep channels cut by the water in the direction of the river, the way is prepared for this fine cataract. Down these platforms, and through these chan- nels, the Hudson, when the river is full, indignantly rushes, in one broad expanse ; now, in several sub- ordinate rivers, thundering and foaming among the black rocks, and at last dashing their conflicting waters into one tumultuous raging torrent, white as the ridge of the tempest wave, shrouded with spray, and adorned with the hues of the rainbow. Such is the view from the bridge immediately at the foot of the falls, and it is finely contrasted with the solemn grandeur of the sable ledges below, which tower to a great height above the stream. I do not know the entire fall of the river here> but should think, judging from the eye, that it could not be less than fifty feet,* including all its leaps, down the different platforms of rock. Through an uninteresting country, partly of pine barren, and partly of stony hills, I arrived at night- fall, at the head of Lake George, and found a com- fortable inn, in the village of Caldwell, on the west- ern shore. prii nu( hill fori to c !., * This estimate beings made without measurement, and as I have not at hand, any authority un the subject of the height of these fails, I wish the conjtcture in the text to be regarded m sucti- merely. BEC. frequent he water prepared ise chan- lignantly eral sub- nong the >nflicting it, white led with rainbow. Ij at the with the Tf which rer here> it could ts leaps, of pine it night- a com- le west- antl as I height of d w such- rOUU BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 145 As we approached Lake George, fragments of primitive rocks began to appear, and I observed numerous loose masses of granite, on the steep stony hills, near the lake. 1 was much struck with the formidable difficulties which General Burgoyne had to encounter in transporting his stores, and his boats, and part of his artillery, over this rugged country i at that time, without doubt, vastly more impractica^^ ble than at present. <. - ^ PROSPECT PROM THE HEAD OF LAKE GEORGE. Sept, 23. — In the first gray of the morning, I was in the balcony of the Inn, admiring the fine outline of the mountains by which Lake George is envi- roned, and the masses of pure snowy vapour, which, unruffled by the slightest breeze, slumbered on its crystal bosom. During all the preceding days of the tour, there had not been a clear moniing, but now, not a cloud spotted the expanse of the hea- vens, and the sky and the lake conspired to exalt every feature of this unrivalled landscape. The morning came on with rapid progress ; but the woody sides of the high mountains, that form the eastern barrier, were still obscured, by the lin- gering shadows of night, although, on their tops, the dawn was now fully disclosed, and their outline, by contrast with their dark sides, was rendered beau- tifully distinct; while, their reversed images, per- 13* •*^ i ■i r-i I i\ t|! .^' 146 TOOR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. t^~ «#' if fectly reflected from the most exquisite of all mir- rors, presented mountains pendent in the deep, and adhering by their bases, to those, which at the same moment were emulating the heavens. A boat had been engaged, the evening before, and we now rowed out upon the lake, and hastened to old Fort George, whose circular massy walls of stone, still twenty feet high, and in pretty good preservation, rise upon a hill about a quarter of a mile from the southern shore of the lake. I was anxious to enjoy, from this propitious spot, the ad- vancing glories of the morning, which, by the time we had reached our station, were glowing upon the mountain tops, with an etfulgence, that could be augmented by nothing but the actual appearance of the king of day. Now, the opposite mountains— those that form the western barrier, were strongly illuminated down their entire declivity, while the twin barrier of the eastern shore (its ridge excepted) was still in deep shadow ; the vapour on the lake, which was just tiuflicient to form the softened blending of light and shade, while it veiled the lake only in spots, and left its outline and most of its surface perfectly dis- tinct, began to form itself into winrows,* and clouds ♦ This, possibly, is an American word, (meanin,'; the rows of hay, that are raked together in a meadow, before the hay is thrown into heaps ;) it exactly describes the vapour, as it appear- ed, in some places, on the lake, and 1 knew no other word that did. I w EBEC. fall mir- deep, and t the same g before, hastened y walls of itty good irter of a 9. I was t, the ad- ' the time upon the could be arance of hat form ted down ier of the I in deep was just light and pots, and 'ecti}' dis- nd clouds the rows of the hay is ks it appear- r word that TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 147 and castles, and to recede from the water, as if con- scious that its dominion must now be resigned. The retreat of the vapour formed a very beauti- ful part of the scenery ; it was the moveable light drapery, which, at first, adorning the bosom of the lake, soon after began to retire up the sides of the mountains. At the distance of twelve or fourteen miles, the lake turns to the right, and is lost amoi^:; t! ^ moun- tains ; to the left, is north-west Bay, more remote and visible from the fort. The promontory, which forms the point of junc- tion between the lake and the bay, rises into lofty peaks and ridges, and apparently/ forms the north- ern termination of the lake. Up these mountains, which are even more grand and lofty, than those on the sides of the lake, the vapour, accumulated by a very slight movement of the atmosphere from the south, rolled in immense masses, every moment changing their form ; now obscuring the mountains almost entirely, and now veiling their sides, but permitting their tops to emerge, in unclouded majesty. Anxious to witness, from the surface of the lake, the first appearance of the sun's orb, we regained our boat, and, in a few moments, attained the de- sired position. Opposite to us, in the direction to- wards the rising sun, was a place or notch, lower than the general ridge of the mountains, and form- (id by the intersecting curves of two declivities. ^%.. •*,- If* r It \l f ) 148 T0T;R BBTWEKN UARTFORD and t^ iid( ♦ 3> TOUR RETWEKN' HARTFORD AND «iUEBEC. 149 side of the eastern barrier, thus produces the finest possible effects of contrast. When the sun had at> tained a little height above the mountain, we ob- served a curious effect ; a perfect cone of light, with its base towards the sun, lay upon the water, and, from the vertex of the cone, which reached half across the lake, there shot out a delicate line of par- allel rays, which reached the western shore, and the whole very perfectly represented a gilded steeple. As this effect is opposite to the common form of the sun^s effulgence, it must probably depend upon some peculiarities in the shape of the summits of the mountains at this place. ■■i ill PRINTS, NO. 3 AND 4. For some illustrations of the scenery of the south end of Lake George and of th'e preceding descrip- tion of it, reference may be had to the prints, No. 3 and 4, — for which, as well as for all the similar ornaments of this volume, I am indebted to the pen- cil of my friend and fellow traveller. These two views were sketched by him, on a former tour, but are, in every respect, as appropriate to the present occasion, as to the one on which they were drawn. The view. No. 3, being taken from the water's edge, in front of the public house, in the village of Caldwell, which stands on the very shore of the south-western side of the lake, of course leaves that village in the rear, and exhibit<>, as the most I: 'I VlW ^..^^. - - i^ l50 TOUR BETWEEN UARTrORD AND QUCSCC. M '■ I >'-•' I' '/ prominent objects, the mountains, on the eastern shore forming a strong contrast with the peaceful bosom of the lake. Several of the islands are in sight, and pleasantly diversify the uniform surface of the water, the view of which, to the north, and north-west, is, necessarily, limited by the position of the observer. Inprint, No. 4, the observer being at Fort George, situated, as I have already remarked, at some dis- tance from the southern shore of the lake, and in a direct'on, about mid-way between its eastern and western sides, contemplates a prospect, considera- bly different from that seen in the other position. The eastern barrier is now much less in view : the promontory, where the lake turns off to the right, and is lost among the mountains, and where north- west bay stretches to the left and appears bounded by very high mountains, is immediately before him, at the distance of about twelve miles ; the islands, in view, are more numerous, and give greater varie- ty to the now more extended surface of the lake ; and, immediately at the observer's feet, is the ac- clivity, by which we ascend from the lake, to the old fort, upon the walls of which we are supposed to stand, and they, of course, are not in view. On the very shore, we observe one of the old barracks, formerly belonging to the fort, now exhibiting a tavern sign, and, till within a few years, constituting the only place of accommodation to those who vis- ited Lake George. At this place, although princi- ?!l S '^ '.}<.^ :*f^-' •***--* CB£C. I eastern peaceful s are in I surface >rth, and position ; George, ome dis- and in a tern and msidera- position. ew : the he right, re north- bounded ore him, \ islands, er varie- iG lake ; the ac- 3, to the iupposed jw. On )arracks, biting a istiluting n\\o vis- I princi- .TTp^ijpr,iiii!t,vi:|](i;ii!ini?uiiriift«ii! fe :■ .pll '!l \ r. ^•- M M " H ^i] \l h *•' ' » *■> •- •i I ."*S \«\Jt TOUR BETWEEjr HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 151 pally covered by the water, are the ruins of the old military quay or pier, formerly extending a good way into the lake, and affording important facilities to the numerous expeditions, that have sailed upon Lake George. f REMARKS ON LAKE GEORGE AND ITS ENVIRONfc* Every one has heard of the transparency of the waters of Lake George. This transparency is, in- deed, very remarkable, and the same, (as we might indeed well suppose it would be,) is the fact with all the streams that pour into it. After the day light became strong, we could see the bottom per- fectly, in most places where we rowed, and it is said, that in fishing, even in twenty or twenty-five feet of water, the angler may select his fish, by bring- ing the hook near the mouth of the one which he prefers. Bass and trout are among the most celebrated fish of the lake ; the latter were now in season, and nothing of the kmd can be finer ; this beautiful fish, elegantly decorated, and gracefully formed, shy of observation, rapid in its movements, and delighting, above ail, in the perfect purity of its element, finds in Lnkc George, a residence, most happily adapted to its nature. Here it attains a very uncommon sice, and exhibits its most perfect beauty and sym- ., \ i 1^ # \52 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (iUEHEC. ■i ii i- i metry. The delicate carnation of its Hesb, is here also most remarkable, and its flavour exquisite. If the lovers of the sublime and beautiful, visit Lake George, for its scenery, and the patriotic, to behold the places where their fathers stemmed the tide of savage invasion; the epicure, also, will come not to cherish the tender and the heroic, nor to ad- mire the picturesque and the grand, but to enjoy the native luxuries of the place. The lake is about a mile wide near its head, and is sometimes wider, sometimes narrower than this, but rarely exceeding two miles, through its length of thirty-six miles. It is said to contain as many islands, as there are days in the year. I had scarcely any opportunities of observing the mineralogy and geology of this region. The beautiful crystals of quartz, which all stran- gers obtain at Lake George, are got on the islands in the lake ; one about four miles from its head, (and called, of course, the diamond island,) ^ns been principally famous for affording them ; tl ,. : is a so- litary miserable cottage upon this island, from which we saw the smoke ascending ; — a woman, who lives in it, is facetiously called "the lady of the lake," but, probably no Malcolm Groeme, and Rhod- erick Dhu will ever contend on her account. Crystals are now obtained from other islands, t believe, more than from this, and they are said no longer to find the single loose crystals in abundance i I TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND q,UBBEC. 153 on the shores, but break up the rocks for this pur- pose. Poor people occupy themselves in procur- ing crystals, which they deposit at the public house, for sale. The crystals of Lake George, are hardly surpass- ed by any in the world, for transparency, and for perfection of form ; they are, as usual, the six-sided prism, and are frequently terminated at both ends by six-sided pyramids. These last must, of course, be found loose, or, at least, not adhering to any rock ; those which are broken off, have necessarily only one pyramid.* I procured specimens of the rocky matrix, in which the crystals are formed ; it is of a quartzoze nature, and contains cavities finely stud- ded with crystals. The crystals of Lake George frequently contain a dark coloured foreign substance, enclosed all around, or partially so ; its nature, I believe, has not been ascertained ; it may be manganese, titanium, or iron. I had no opportunity to see the rocks, except those on which Fort George stands, and which form the barrier of the lake, at its head ; the are a dove- coloured, compact lime-stone, of a very clo^^e grain, and smooth conchoidal fracture ; they very much '" I hare a eryttiil from Lake George, obtained by a toldier, and presented to the late President Dwight, which is between five and six inchns long, by three broad, and is perfoctly limpid, and well orjitalised. 14 VI iiii I; ' i * 154 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC 2 J ,r resemble the marble of Middlebury, (Vermont,; and, I suppose, belong to the transition class. I could get no view of the rocks of the two lateral barriers, but, from what I afterwards saw, I conclude they are primitive, and probably (at least the eas- tern one,) gneiss.* The vulgar, about the lake, say, that in some pla- ces, it has no bottom ; by which, doubtless, ought to be understood that it is in some pla '.es so deep as not to be fathomed by their lines ; I know of no attempts to ascertain its greatest depth. The mountains are extensively, or rather almost universally in dense forest; rattle snakes and deer abound upon them, and hunting is still pursued here with success. I was credibly informed, that, a few years since, there was a man in this vicinity, who had the sin- gular power, and the still stranger temerity, to catch living rattle snakes with his naked hands, without wounding the snakes, or being wounded by them ; he used to accumulate numbers of them in this manner, for curiosity, or for sale, and, for a long time, persisted, uninjured, in this audacious prac- tice; but, at last, the awful fate, which all buthim- • " ..Meade (Experimental Enquiry, &c.{>. 5,) remarks, that the eastern side of Lake George is composed of transition rocks . the head of this lake appears, indeed, to be transition lime-stune) and possibly its bed may be the same ; although the quartz from tie islands, Mhich I have not Tisited,) gives a different indica- tion ; both barriers are. however, undoultcdly primitive. EL. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 155 srmont,; ;Iass. I » lateral onclude the eas- )mep1a- ought so deep w of no ' almost nd deer ed here s since, he sin- catch without them ; in this a long 3 prac- it him- ks, that 1 rocks . e-8tone» 'tz from iDclicu* self, had expected, overtook him; he was bitten, and died. Surely no motive, except one spring- iiig from the highest moral duty, could have justifi- ed such an exposure. In some places, the mountains, contiguous to the shores, arc rocky and precipitous. Tradition re- lates, that a white man, closely pursued, in the win- ter season, by two Indians, contrived to reach the ice, on the surface of the lake, by letting himself down one of these precipices, and, before the In- dians could follow, he was on his skails, and dart- ing, '* swift as the winds along," was soon out of their reach. I am not informed that the height of the moun- tains, about Lake George, has ever been measured : they appeared to my eye, generally, to exceed one thousand feet, and probably the highest may be fif teen hundred, or more. The wreck of a steam-boat, recently burnt to th^ waters edge, lay near the tavern : it gave great fa- cility in going down this beautiful lake to Ticondero- ga; parties and individuals, were much in the habit of making this tour; and, were there a good road, instead of a very bad one, from Glenn's falls to Lake George, find were the steam-boat re-estab- lished, it must become as great a rer^ort, as tiie lakes of Westmoreland and Cumberland, or as Loch Ka- trin, now immortalized by the muse of Scott. The village of Caldwell, built entirely since (he American war, contains five or six hundred inhabit- |l 156 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. ants, with neat buildings, public and private, and a very large commodious public house, well provided and attended, so that strangers, visiting the lake, can have every desired accommodation. This village, I am informed, has arisen principally from the ex- ertions of one enterprising individual, from whom it derives its name, as well as its existence. He has lived to see his labours crowned with success, and a pretty village now smiles at the foot of the western barrier of Lake George, on ground where the iron ramparts of war are ^till visible; for, on this very ground, the Marquis Montcalm's army was en- trenched, at the siege of Fort William Henry, in 1757. BATTLES OF LAKE GEORGE. In the wars of this country, Lake George has long been conspicuous. Its head waters formed the shortest, and most convenient connexion, between Canada, and the Hudson, and hence the establish- ment of Fort William Henry, in 1755, and, in more recent times, of Fort George, in its immediate vi- cinity. This most beautiful and peaceful lake, environed by mountains, and seeming to claim an exemption from the troubles of an agitated world, has often bristled with the proud array of war, has wafted its M BEC. te, and a provided lake, can 5 village, the ex- whom it He has ss, and a western the iron this very was CD- [enry, in rge has med the >etween itablish- in more iate vi- vironed mption often fted its TOUR HEX WEEN IIAUTFORD AND (JUEnEf. 167 most formidable preparations on its bosom, and has repeatedly witnessed both the splendors and the havoc of battle. Large armies have been, more than once, em- barked on Lake George, proceeding down it, on their way, to attack Ticonderoga and Crown Point; this was the fact with the army of Abercrombie, consisting of nearly sixteen thousand men, including nine thousand troops from the colonies, and a very formidable train of artillery, which, on the fifth of July 1758, embarked at the south end of Lake George, on board of one hundred twenty-five whale boats, and nine hundred batteaux. What an armament for that period of this coun- try ! What a spectacle, on such a narrow quiet lake ! It is said by an eye witness, to have been a most imposing sight. Little did this proud army imagine, that within two days, they would sustain, before Ti- conderoga, a most disastrous defeat, with the loss of nearly two thousand men, and of lord Howe,* * " Lord Howe, who was killed near Ticonderoga about two and .1 half miles from the French lines near the north end of Lake George, in a renconter the day preceding the disastrous assault, upon tliat fortress, was not the father, but the elder brother of the two Howes, who were so conspicuous in the Revolutionary War, and from him the Admiral, (being the elder of the two sur- viving brothers,) inherited the title of Viscount and afterwards became an Earl. Lord Howe was at the time of his (aW, a young man, thouafh a Major General. Richard, who succeeded to the title, was then a Captain in the British navy, and Gen. Sir. Wil- liam Howe was then a Colonel. In the accounts of the celebrated batti'^ton the Plains of Abraham, he is mentioned as commanding 14* 1 * i: ! l-f H in 158 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFOHO AND (QUEBEC. one of their most beloved and promising leaders, and that they would so soon return up the lake, in discomfiture and disgrace. In July, of the next summer, ( 1 759,) Lake George was again covered with an armament, Httle inferior in numbers, to that of General Abercrombie, but vastly superior in suc- cess; for Ticonderoga and Crown Point, were abandoned at its approach, and General Amherst, its fortunate leader, obtained an almost bloodless victory.* FORT WILLIAM HENRY. y :; The remains of this old fort are still visible; they are on the verge of the lake, at its head ; the walls, the gate, and the out-works, can still be complete- ly traced; the ditches have, even now, considera- ble depth, and the well that supplied the garrison, is there, and affords water to this day; near, and in this fort, much blood has been shed. the British Light Infantry. These three Howes, were in feet, the Grandsons of George the First, being the children of his ille- gitimnte daughter by Lady Darlington^ married to Lord Viscount Howe. {Extract from a private anonymous communication to the author^ correcting a mistake in Ifte note on page 155, of the former eit/ton.;— 1824. , •Colonel Roger Townhsend was killed by a cannon shot, while j-econnoitering, on almost the same spot where lord Howe was killed, the year before : he is said to have resembled him much, <^ in birth, age, qualifications, aod character.*' EBEC. ; leaders, e lake, in the next 1 covered rs, to that ior in sue- nt, were Amherst, bloodless )le; they he walls, omplete- onsidera- garrison, lear, and ^ere in feet, I of his ille- rd Viscount ation to the the former shot, ^hile Howe was him much, TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 159 In August, 1755, General, afterwards Sir Wil- liam Johnson, lay at the head of Lake George, with an army, about to proceed to the attack of Crown Point; they were troops raised by the northern colonies. Baron Dieskau, who commanded the French forces in Canada, leaving Ticonderoga, came up Lake Champlain, through south bay, and was pro- ceeding to the attack of Fort Edward, which con- tained not five hundred men, and had been report- ed to Dieskau, to be without cannon. To the suc- cour of this fort. General Johnson detached one thousand men, and two hundred Indians, under Colonel Williams, of Deerfield. Dieskau's army, having in the mean time learn- ed that there were cannon at Fort Edward, and being assured that General Johnson's camp was without artillery or entrenchments, importuned their General to change his purpose of attacking Fort Edward, and to lead them northward, to assail Johnson's camp. Dieskau yielded to their wishef , and turned his course accordingly. The moun- tains, which form the barrier of Lake George, con- tinue to the south after they leave the lake, form- ing a rugged, narrow defile, of several miles in length, most of which was then, and still is, filled with forest trees. In this defile, about four miles from General John- son's camp, Colonel Williams' party, which left the camp, between eight and nine o'clock in the morn- ih if I ^ i;'l ,1 n I \ I rf /:. ii m iGOTOUn BETWEEN' HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. ing, of September 8th, 1755, very unexpectedly fell in with the army of Baron Dieskau ; the two armies met in the road, front to front; the Indians of Dieskau's army were in ambuscade, upon both de- chvities of the mountains, and thus it was a complete surprise, for Colonel Williams had unhappily neg- lected to place any scouts upon his wings. A bloody battle ensued, and a deadly tire was poured in upon both flanks.-Colonel Williams, endeavouring to lead his men against the unseen enemy, was instantly shot through the head, and he, and hundreds of his party, including old Hendrick, the chief of the Mo- hawks, and forty Indians were slain. The remain- der of the party, under the command of Colonel Whiting, retreated into the camp. They came run- ning in, in the utmost confusion and consternation, and perhaps owed their safety, in a great measure, to another party, which, when the firing was heard, and perceived to be growing louder and nearer, was sent out to succour them. ' Judge Kent informed me, that old Mr. Van Schaik, of Kinderhook, has recently related to him that, arriving the next day, on the ground where the battle was fought, he saw three hundred men, dead on the spot, and Baron Dieskau lying, mortally wounded, in the English camp, on the bed of Gene- ral Johnson. This wound was received in a second, and a still greater battle, fought the same day. Dies- kau, after the retreat of Williams' party, marchingon with spirit, attacked General Johnson's entrenched oa ve I / ' uBEC. ctedly fell wo armies ndians of 1 both de- complete >pily neg- A bloody d in upon ng to lead instantly eds of his f the Mo- 2 remain- Colonel ame run- ernation, measure, as heard, irer, was tfr. Van d to him ^here the en, dead mortally f Gene- second, r. Dies- chingon renched TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 161 camp, and although he fought with long and perse- vering valour, his army, in a great measure deserted by the Canadians and Indians, was repulsed with im- mense slaughter, Dieskau, wounded in the leg, and unable to follow his retreating army, was found lean- ing against a tree ; he began to feel for his watch, in order to deliver it up to the soldier, who was ap- proaching him; but the soldier supposing him to be searching for a pistol, unhappily fired a charge int© his hips which caused his death.* Nor did this battle terminate the fighting of this bloody day. The remains of Dieskau's army re- treated, about four miles, to the ground where Co- lonel Williams had been defeated in the morning, — the rear of the army were there sitting upon the ground, had opened their knapsacks, and were re- freshing themselves, when Captain McGinnies, who * An anonymouB correspondent, to whom I am indebted fur several kind and judicious suggestions, respecting this book, some- ivhat questions, nt'hether Baron Dieskau died of his wound, and thioks that he recovered aDd returned to Europe, but at the same time states that the account in the text, corresponds with the traditionary stories which he had heard in his childhood. — The book from which I quoted the fact, was a very early history of those campaigns, in 12 mo. loaned to me, at the time, as a pocket travelling history, by Chancellor Kent. — [ta title I do not now remember, and believe it was anonymous. President Dwight in his travels, Vol. 3, page 361, gives a very interesting and full history of the battles of Lake George. — His account of the manner in which Dieskau received his wound cor- responds precisely with mine, but he adds, that he "was convey- ed from Albany to New- York, and from theoce to England, where soon after he died." 11 i i !■<• ■\i ^ \.\n ' »i ,1 <-T" I j:k I ,1. l if H .1 ii' 162 TOUR BETWEEN HARTPORD A\D (QUEBEC. with two hundred men, had b < ; f^i'spatched from Vort Edward, to succour the uiain body, came up with this portion of the French army, thus sitting insecurity, and attacked and totally defeated them, although he was himself mortally wounded. Thus were three battles fought in one day,* and almost upon the same ground. This ground I went over. The neighbouring mountain, in which the French so suddenly made their appearance, is to this day, called French Mountain, and this name, with the tradition of the fact, will be sent down to the latest posterity. I was shown a rock by the road at which a considerable slaughter took place. It was on the east side of the road near where Col. Wil- liams fell, and I am informed is, to this day, called Williams'' Rock, THE BLOODY POJfD. ( : ; Just by the present road, and in the midst of these battle grounds, is a circular pond, shaped ex- actly like a bowl ; it may be two hundred feet in diameter, and was, when 1 saw it^ full of water, and covered loith the pond lilly, Alas ! this pond, now so peaceful, was the common sepulchre of the brave ; the dead bodies of most of those who were slain on this eventful day, were thrown, in undis- * Smollet and some other writers place this last battle on the next (lay. ..*~ *«*». EBGC. ched from , came up hus sitting itcd them, 3d. Thus md almost went over, he French o this day, , with the ) the latest le road at ;e. It was Col. Wil. day, called e midst of shaped ex- red feet in ' water, and pond, now ire of the I who were , in undis- battle on the TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. IGi tinguished confusion into this pond ; from that time to the present, it has been called the bloody pond, and there is not a child in this region, but will point you to the French mountain, and to the bloody pond. — I stood with dread, upon its brink, and threw a stone into its unconscious waters. After these events, a regular fort was constructed at the head of the lake and called Fort William Henry. MASSACRE OF FOaT WILLIAM HENRY. The three battles of September 8th, were not the end of the tragedies of Lake George. The Marquis de Montcalm, after three ineffectual at- tempts upon Fort William Henry, made great ef- forts to besiege it in form, and in August, 1757, having landed ten thousand men near the fort sum- moned it to surrender. The place of his landing was shown me, a little north of the public house ; the remains of his batteries and other works are still visible ; and the graves and bones of the slaiu are occasionally discovered. He had a powerful train of artillery, and although the fort and works were garrisoned by three thou- sand men, and were most gallantly defended by the commander, Colonel Monroe, it was obliged to capit- ulate; but the most honourable terms, were granted to Colonel Monroe, in consideration of his great gal- I ' "•S-^Sl, ^K^ ■««W|«l^W5^,jjr5ig3, ll :j*Ci.; 164 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND t restrain- rison with by the In- odies ripped faces.— In- >Is, and their ians pursued where the tditioD. dians, although escorted by a body of French troops. I passed over the whole of the ground, upon which this tragedy was acted, and the oldest men of the country still remember this deed of guilt and infa- my. Fort William Henry was levelled by Montcalm, and has never been rebuilt. Fort George was built as a substitute for it, on a more commanding site, and although often mentioned in the history of subsequent wars, was not, I believe, the scene of any very memorable event. It was the depot for the stores of the army of General Burgoyne, till that commander relinquish' cd his connexion with the lakes, and endeavoured to push his fortunes without depending upon his magazines in the rear. Having occupied a very busy morning in visiting the memorable places at the head of Lake George, and having procured specimens of the mineral pro- ductions of this region, I proceeded on my journey to Fort Anne. Mr. H , my obliging compan- ion, attended me, and we were necessitated to re turn some miles through the gorge of the moun- tains, and again to view the bloody pond, the French Mountain, and the bloody defile. Rarely, I pre- sume, have such scenes of horror been exhibited so often, within so narrow a space. We may confi- dently trist, that they will never be repeated ; that Lake George, traversed no longer by armies, its forests and its mountains undisturbed by the roar 15 ;uj ,.i ■ W ^ m 16U TOUK BETWEEN HAKTVORD AND (QUEBEC. y\ I t of cannoD, and its waters polluted no more by blood ; but visited in peace, by the lovers of the sublime and beautiful, and arrayed in its own gran- deur and loveliness, will hereafter exhibit the tra- gical history of other times, only to impart a pen- sive tenderness and a moral dignity to the charming scenes with which the story of these events is asso- ciated. As we emerged from the defile, and turned to the left, around the base of the mountains that form the eastern barrier of Lake George, we had many opportunities of admiring the grandeur of that bar- rier, and of contemplating all that wildness of land- scape, which, it may be presumed, has undergone little change, since it was traversed by the prowling savage, intent on the chase, or on his more beloved employment, the destruction of his fellow creatures. In this dreadful occupation he has, however, been more than rivalled by the polished nations of Amer- ica and of Europe j who, if they do not pursue war with the atrocity of the savasre, seem to have fo!- lowed it with all his eagerness, and have often iden- tified themselves with his most horrid cruolties, by calling him in as an ally and a friend, and marching by his side to slaughter those who are connected by the common, (it ought to be by the sacredy) tie of Christianity. In the progress of cur ride, we emerged from mountain scenery, and saw many 2;ood farms, and much arr'uic and pasture land. The country be- lEii, more by Ts of the vvn gran- the tra- rt a pen- harming > is asso- urned to hat fu nil ad many hat bar- of land- idergone prowling beloved reatures. er, been if Amer- rsue war ave fo!- en iden- Ities, by iiarching ected by /,) tie of ed from ms, and ntry be- TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC, l67 came much less rugged, although the roads were little improved by art ; for they were common and often obscure cross roads. We met with no adventure, and the failure of one of our waggon wheels, which obliged us to walk, and to sustain the vehicle for the last two miles, did not prevent our arriving at the appointed liour of dinner at old Fort Anne, which Mr. Wads- worth hnd already reached before me. Fort Anne was another post established in the French wars. It stood about midway brjtvveen Fort Edward and the most southern point of Lake Champlain, and at the head ol batteaux navigation on Wood Creek. I did not go to its site, the ruins of which, I am told are almost obliterated; its well, however, is still to be seen. There is a con- siderable village here, which bears the name of the Fort. [[n May, 1821, I again viisited Lnkc Gcoigc ond its environs, and passed in an open boat down tli(i whole length of the Lake, by water, to Ticoiidcro- aa. The observations or mineralogy and scenery, which were made at that time, were printcil in the American Journal of Science, (Vol. IV. p. 44.) As they may be of use to the traveller, I insert them in this place, although they will somewhat break the order of the narrative. But this slight incon- venience, and the unavoidable anachronism, will iA ■ \C 111 .^■■/ I .. 168 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. probably be pardoned if the observations should be found to be useful. Miscellaneous remarks on the mineralogy, scenery, Sfc, of Lake George^ and its environs, made in May, 1821. Compact dove-coloured limestone, apparently of ihe transition class forms ledges at the head of Lake George, and the walls of old Fort George are conn- posed of it. In this limestone there is a singular feature. Fts angles are rounded and smoothed, as by the wearing effects of water and (a circumstance which it appears much more difficult to account for,) there are numerous holes worn into the solid rock, sometimes shallow and irregular, but fre- quently deep and cylindrical, and bearing a very exact resemblance to those which are common in the ledges upon which cataracts fall ; they appear as if they were produced by the same cause, viz. the wparinji agency of wator aided by small stones, which it impels, in incessant vortiginous revolutions. If one were to judge from appearances, he would infer that a torrent of water once swept, with great impetuosity through thisdefile and wore these rocks as we now see them ; this suppo^-iition has perhaps nothing to support it, except these appearances, and if we relinquish it, we have no agent to which we can attribute thrm, but the ordinary wearing ef- fects of atmospheric influeiices, which appear alto- BEC. hould be , scenery, made in rently of 1 of Lake are corn- singular )tlied, as jmstance account the solid but fre- ; a very mmon in r appear use, viz. 1 stones, olutions. le would ith great ise rocks perhaps araucus, o which rin^ ef- ar altu- TOOIl BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QITEREC. 169 gether incompetent to the production of these re- suits. Quartz crystals in the Islands of the South end of Lake George. These are commonly obtained by visitors ; they are now become much more rare than formerly, and those which are procured are small, although still very limpid and beautiful. On visiting the Island called Diamond Island, three or four miles from the village of Caldwell, and which has afforded most of these crystals we found them occurring in the same compact limestone, which forms the ledges at the head of the lake. This small island scarcely covering the area of a common kitchen garden is inhabited by a family who occu- py a small but comfortable house, and constantly explore the rocks for the crystals. These are found lining drusy cavities, and forming geodes in the limestone ; these cavities are often brilliantly studded with them and doubtless it arose from Iheir falling out by (he disintegration of tlio rock that the crystals were formerly fourul on the shores of the island and in the water. At prjsent they are scar: :ly obtained at all except by breaking the rocks. The immediate matrix of the crystals seems to be a mixture of fine granular quartz with the limestone ; it is impressible by steel, butj^ome- times does not effervesce 'vith acids though general- ly it does and feebly scratches glass. The crystals of this locality are of the common form, very lim- 15* ( ■W. ^#..-. ♦ '^ ■ •j(HK*v- >^ -^saisf^'U- ■■s^> i V: . i sands shown us by Prof. Dewey at Williamstown, and which came from the great falls of the Hudson thirty miles above Glenn's falls, are even more re- markable for richness and beauty than those of Lake George : they and all similar sands should be examined with an attentive eye. Transparency and purity of the Waters of Lake George* — The fact is notorious and the degree in which it exists is most remarkable : the bottom and the fish are seen at a great depth : the fisher- man who rowed us asserted that they could at par- ticular times see th*^ fish at the depth of 50 {eei : if even half this statement be admitted, it is suffi- ciently remarkable. The water is also very pure, salubrious and agreeable to the taste. It is well known that the French formerly obtained and ex- ported this water for religious uses, and that they called the lake St. Sacrament. The cause of the transparency and purity of these waters is obvious. With the exception of small quantities of transition limestone, its shores as far as we saw them, are composed of primitive rocks, made up principally of siliceous and other very firm and insoluble materials. The streams by which the lake is fed, flow over similar substunces, and the waves find nothing to dissolve or to hold mechanically suspended. Clay which abounds around the head waters oi the contiguous lake (Champlain) and renders them turbid, scarcely ex- ^, mstown, Hudson [Tiore re- those of should 0/ Lake 3gree in } bottom B fisher- d at par- 50 (eQt : is suffi- ;ry pure, t is well and ex- that they purity of 1 ofsmail res as far /e rocks, tier very earns by bstunces, r to hold abounds 3US lake rcely ex- TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 173 ists here. It is remarkable, however, that as we approach Lake Champlain in the vicinity of Ticon- deroga, the waters of Lake George become, for a few miles somewhat turbid, and near the efflux they are very much so. Hcematite, — This mineral appears to abound in the primitive mountains around Lake George. They informed us at the village of Caldwell, that emery had been discovered down the lake and was used considerably for polishing, grinding, &;c. We obtained some of this mineral from a promontory called Anthony's nose (familiarly called by the boat- men Tony's nose,) a few miles south of Ticondero- ga, and nearly opposite to Rogers Rock. It is a handsome and very well characterized hcematite ; it is compact lamellar, fibrous, mamillary, botryoid- al, he, presenting the usual appearances of this most valuable iron ore, which seems to be far less common in the United States, than the black and brown varieties. The colour and powder of this haematite are bright red. The people were un- willing to admit that it was not emery, since it pol- ishes and grinds, but this is well known to be a property of hoematite as well as of other forms of the oxide of iron. The hoematite of Lake George may very possi- bly answer i'or bloodstones^ so much used in polish- ing gilded buttons, &:c. Flesh red Feldspar and compact Epidote, — These minerals we observed on the western shore of Lake 174 TOUR BETVVKEN HARTFORD AND qUEBEC George, eight miles from Ticonderoga. The feld- spar was in very large plates in granite, and the epi- dote in loose stones : the epidote was of a very intense yellow, like that of chrome, but with a shade of green. Other minerals of more common occurrence, as garnet and black toiirrnHJine were observed here. Plumbago. — This mineral of singular byauty oc- curs near Ticonderoga, both massive and dissemin- ated in brilliant plates, in a large grained crystal- lized limestone. It has been mistaken for molyb- dena, a circumstance which a few years ago was common in this country. This locality we did not visit, nor the celebrated one near Rogers Rock where the coccolite is found. Magnetic Iron of Crown Point* — We were not able to visit this place, but we saw them working the magnetic iron from its vicinity, in the forges of Ticonderoga. The iron ore is both rich and beau- tiful in its kind ; — it has a brilliant black colour, and contains a yellowish imbedded mineral, scarce- ly visible without a glass ; it resembles coccolite hut is too soft, and at present we are not willing to give it a name. Mountains of Lake George. — There can be no doubt that t' henever they are thoroughly explored they will abundantly reward the geologist and min- eialogist. We however saw them only ns pictur- esque objects ; as such they are certainly very fine. Particularly as we proceed north from the Tongue rn. The fcld- e, and the epi- as of a very , but with a Tiore common irmaline were liar bc'-auty oc- and disjiemin- •ained crystal - :en for molyb- years ago was ity we did not Rogers Rock We were not ;hem working 1 the forges of rich and beau- black colour, ineral, scarce- bles coccolite not willing to ere can be no ighly explored ogist and min- )]y r\s pictur- linly very fine, m the Tongue ■!i t !J TOOR BETWEE.V HAUTFOHD AND qUKBKC. 175 Mountain, which is twelve miles from Caldwell. For twenty miles beyond this, on the way to Ti- conderoga, the scenery combines in an uncommon degree, both richness and grandeur. The moun- tains are all primitive : they form a double barrier, between which the lake, scarcely a mile wide, but occasionally expanding into large bays, winds its way. They are steep and precipitous to the very water's edge : they are still clothed with grand trees, and possessed by wild animals — deer, bears, &c. They give in son- places, the most distinct and astonishing eciioes, returning ev- ery flexion of the voice with the most faithful re- sponse. We saw them hung with the solemn dra- pery of thunder clouds, dashed by squalls of wind and rain, and soon after decorated with rainbows, whose arches did not surpass the mountain ridges, while they terminated in the lake and attended our little skiff for many miles. The setting sun also gilded the mountains atjd the clouds that hovered over them and the little islands, which in great numbers rise out of the lake and present green patches of shrubbery and trees, apparently spring- ing from th J wator, and often resembling, by their minuteness and delicacy, the clumps of a park, or even the artificial groups of a green house. Fine a? is the scenery at the southern end of the lake and in all the wider part of it, within the compass of the first twelve miles from fort George — its gran- deur is much augn^anted, after passing Tongue I '•» c.\ u» f .n IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 11.25 I^IM 125 |io "^^ HflH *^ Itt |2.2 I. ^ hww U 11111.6 ^. /] > y Photografiiic Sdences Corporation 33 WIST MAM STRlIt WIUTIR.N.Y. )4StO (7U) •73-4S03 I/. 176 TOUR BKTWEKN HARTFORD AND QULBLi:* Mountain and entering the narrow part where the mountains close in upon you on both sides, and pre- . sent an endless diversity of grand and beautiful scenery. It is a pleasing reflection, that even after this part of the United States, shall have become as populous as England or Holland, this lake will still retain the fine peculiarities of its scenery, for they are too bold, too wild, and too untractable, ever to be materially softened and spoiled by the hand of man* Deer arc still hunted with success upon the borders of this lake. The hounds drive them from the recesses of the mountains, when they take re- fuge in the water, and the huntsmen easily overtak- ing in an element not their own, seize them by the horns, knock them on the head, and drag^^^ing their necks over the side of the boat, cut their throats. There is a celebrated mountain about fourteen miles from Ticonderoga, called the Buck moun- tain, from the fact that a buck, pursued by the dogs leaped from its summit over-hanging the lake in the form of a precipice, and was literally impaled alive upon a sharp pointed tree which projected be- low.* • This circumstance was mentioned to me by the man whose Jogs drove the buck to this desperate extremity. He stated that he had scmetimtt taken forty deer in a season. ■,V|| i^i .1 e, le i u Ihe »rhere the and pre- . beautiful even after }ecome as will still for they ever to hand of ipon the •Ti from Y take re- y overtak- j them by 1 drag(/ing cut their t fourteen ick moun- •y the dogs he lake in \y impaled ►jected be- p man vrhote e itateU that TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 177 BATTLE NEAR FORT ANNE. Leaving Fort Anne we crossed Wood Creek, and our journey to Whitehall was almost constant- ly along its banks, or very near them. At a narrow pass between some high rocks and the river, we were shown the place where, on the 8th of July, 1777, the 9th British regiment, belong- ing to General Burgoyne's army, sustained a hea- vy loss, by a conflict with the Americans under Co- lonel Long. After the surrender of Ticonderoga, General Burgoyne endeavoured to keep up the alarm, by spreading his parties over the country. With this view, Colonel Hill, at the head of the 9th regiment, was dispatched after Colonel Long, who, with four or five hundred men, principally the invalids and convalescents of the army, had taken post at Fort Anne, and was directed by General Schuyler to de- fend it. Colonel Long, with his party, did not wait an attack from the enemy, but boldly advanced to meet them. "At half past ten in the morning, (says Major Forbes,* of the British regiment,) they at- tacked us in front, with a heavy and well directed fire ; a large body of thom passed the creek on the left, and fired from a thick wood across the creek on the left flank of the regiment : they then began to recross the creek and attack us in the rear; we * Burgoyae's state of th« Expedition, fee. 16 i ^ a! . ♦ 178 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC t . then found it necessary to change our ground, to prevent the regiment's being surrounded ; we took post on the top of a hill to our right. As soon as we had taken post, the enemy made a very vigo- rous attack, which continued for upwards of two hours ; and they certainly would have forced us, had it not been for some Indians that arrived and gave the Indian whoop, which we answered with three cheers ; the rebels soon after that gave away." — The giving way of the Americans was, however, caused, not by the terror of the war whoop, but by the failure of their ammunition. The fact wa?, the British regiment was worsted, and would probably have been taken or destroyed, had Colonel Long been well supplied with ammunition. It was said by Captain Money, another British officer, that the fire was even heavier than it was in the obstinate battle of September 19th, on Bemus' heights. The scene of this battle is very correctly described above, by Major Forbes. On leaving the street of Fort Anne village, we crossed a bridge over Wood Creek, and were now on its left bank. Immediately after, we came to a narrow pass, only wide enough for the carriage, and cut, in a great measure, out of a rocky ledge, which terminates here, exactly at the creek. This ledge is the southern end of a hijjii rocky hill, which con- verges toward Wood Creek, and between the two is a narrow tract of level ground, which terminates at the pass already mentioned. On this ground the gn( i I .» ♦ EBEC« round, to we took s soon as ery vigo- is of two :edus,had { and gave with three away." — however, lop, but by ct was, the 1 probably onel Long It was said er, that the e obstinate ights. The described village, we were now 3 came to a )rriagc, and edge, which This ledge , which con- cen the two 'w terminates 3 ground the TOHR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 171) battle took place, and the wood on the right bank of the creek, from which the Americans tired upon the left flank of the British, is still there, and it was up this rocky hill that they retreated, and took their stand. General Burgoyne, as usual, claimed a victory in this affair, which is understood to have been a bloody contest, as indeed it obviously must have been, from the narrowness of the defile, and the consequent nearness of the contending parties. — Captain Montgomery, of Colonel Hill's regiment, was left wounded on the field, and taken prisoner by the Americans, which could not have been the fact, had the Royal party been victorious. Immediately after leaving this battle ground, we arrived on the banks of the canal, which is to con- nect the Hudson with Lake Champlain. Being al- most constantly in sight of it, and very often as near it as possible, we were seriously incommoded by deep gullies, and heaps of miry clay, thrown out by the canal diggers, through which we were compel- led to drag our way ; and when we were not in the mud, we found a road excessively rough and uncom- fortable, from the utiited cfiect of much rain and much travelling, with occasional hot sunshine, in a country whose basis is a stiff clay. We rode almost constantly in sight of Wood Creek, as well as of the canal. The rocks on our ride were immense strata of gneiss, often so full of garnets that the ledges ap- f» ^1 / lUO TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AM> CtUEBEV* peared, at a great distance, spotted with red and brown. These primitive hills have every appear- ance of being continued, uninterruptedly, to Lake George, and it is evident that its eastern barrier must be primitive. After a very fatiguing journey from Fort Anne, several miles of which I walked, we arrived safely at Whitehall, at the head of Lake Champlain, a lit- tle before night. I am told there are, on parts of the road from Fort Edward, remains of the causeway, which Gen- eral Burgoyne, with so much labor, constructed for the passage of his army ; but I did not see them.* Jt will be remembered, that his route was from Skeensborough (now Whitehall,) to Fort Edward. WHITEHALL— THE CANAL. The canal terminates twenty-two miles from Fort Edward, at Whitehall, where they are now con- * On a subsequent journey, two years after, from Whitehall to Sandy Hill, I saw this road in many place?; for several miles, it was almost constanlly in view, anil in a few places we travelled on it. It was composed of timber laid very compactly — the logs and smaller sticks being nearly or quite in contact ; and when it it considered that it was nut through a thick forest, most of which was a deep morass, and that the pioneers were constantly expos- cd to our sharp shooters, it implies great enersry on the part of the royal army. In many places, it is still in pretty good preservH- tion.— 1824. ■•**H^— ' IBE^-. TOUR HETWECN HARTFORD AND qUCBEC. 181 red and y appear- to Lake 11 barrier ort Anne, '^ed safely ain, a lit- oad from ilch Gen- nstructed not see lis route ,) to Fort Vom Fort low con- Whitehall reral miles, e travellrJ r — the log? nd when it 't of which itiy expos- part of the I preset v:«- structing a lock, with handsome massy hewn stone. There is a considerable descent to the surface of Lake Champlain, and Wood Creek, whose mouth and that of the canal are side by side, here rushes down a considerable rapid with some grandeur. This is the place formerly called the falls of Wood Creek, at Skeensborough. As Wood Creek is really a river, navigable by larger boats than those which will probably pass oq the canal, and as the canal and river from Fort Anne, a distance of about ten or eleven miles, are often close together, so that a stone might be thrown from the one to the other, a traveller naturally in- quires why the larger natural canal should, with vast expense, be deserted for the smaller artificial one. The answer will probably be founded upon the shortening of distance, by avoiding the numerous windings of the creek — the obtaining of a better horse road for dragging the boats — security from the effects of floods and drought, in altering the quantity of water — and the securing of a more ad- equate supply of water for that part of the route between Fort Anne and the Hudson ; in either case, there must be locks at Whitehall.* *The immense utility of this canal is already sutHoiently obvious in the vast quantities of lumber and other commodities which now find their way into the Hudsoo.-i— March, 1824. 16* i % vr I'! )/, h '1 iu. t' ^■ 182 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. t WHITEHALL PORT. This is a well built, and apparently thriving little place, situated on both branches of the muddy Wood Creek, which, on its way to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, sluggishly flows through the village, till it makes its escape into Lake Champlain ; it then tumbles down a steep declivity, over a bed of rocks, and foams, and roars, as if in exultation, at making its escape from its own Lethean chan- nel. Whitehall, anciently called Skcensborough, was famous in General Burgoyne's campaign. Here he destroyed the little American flotilla, in July, 1777, and the baggage and stores of the American army ; and here he had his head quarters for some time, while preparing to pass his army and heavy artil- lery over land to Fort Edward. Whitehall is situated at the bottom of a narrow defile in the mountain?, and has the bustle and crowded aspect of a porf, without the quiet and cleanliness of a village. Some of the houses are situated on elevations and declivities, and some in the bottom of the vale — some are of wood, and others of brick, but I was gratified to see many of them handsomely constructed of stone — of the fine gneiss rock which abounds here — the (wo parts of the town are connected by a bridge over Wood Creek. The population of this town is between two and three thousand, and the village contains a V St «A EBEC, ^ing little muddy ulf of St. 5 village, iplain; it a bed of ation, at in chan- ugh, was Here he ly, 1777, » army ; ne time, ivy artil- i narrow stIc and uiet and uses are some in od, and nany of the fine o parts rWood etween tains a TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 183 Presbyterian meeting-house, four ware-houses, ten stores, and more than an hundred dwelling-houses.* The fever and ague is now very prevalent here, and many sallow faces, and feeble frames, are to be seen about the streets. The country, both up Wood Creek, and down the lake contiguous to the town, looks as if it might nourish fever and ague, but the inhabitants deny that it is their inheritance, and profess to consider the visitation of this summer as fortuitous. I am afraid that their canal, with its stagnant waters, will not help them to more health. A thick fog prevail- ed here, most of the time that we were in the place, and rendered it uncomfortable to move out of doors till the middle of the forenoon, when it blew away. This will probably become a considerable place, situated as it is, at the head of the lake navigation, and at the point of communication, between the Hudson and Lake Champlain. It derived some ophomeral importance, from the local navy main- tained on the lake, in time of war ; thrrc is a small naval arsenal here, and at present there are a few naval officers and men at this station. THE OLD MAN OF THE AGE OF LOUIS XIV. Two miles from Whitehall, on the Salem road to Alba ny, lives Henry Francisco, a native of France, "'VVorcefter's Gazetteer. ♦ }.J ♦ If i ii % 184 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEUEC. V i' \ \i * and of a place which he pronounced Essex ; but doubtless this is not the orthography, and the place was, probably, some obscure village, which may not be noted in maps and gazetteers. Having a few hours to spare, before the depar- ture of the steam-boat for St. John^s, in Canada, we rode out to see (probably,) the oldest man in America. He believes himself to be one hundred and thirty-four years old, and the country around believe him to be of this great age. When we ar- rived at his residence, (a plain farmer^s house, not painted, rather out of repair, and much open to the wind,) he was up stairs, at his daily work, of spool- ing and winding yarn. This occupation is auxiliary to that of his wife, who is a weaver, and although more than eighty years old, weaves six yards a day, and the old man can supply her with more yarn than she can weave. Supposing he must be very feeble, we offered to go up stairs to him ; but he soon came down, walking somewhat stoop- ing, and supported by a staff, but with less apparent inconvenience, than most persons exhibit at eighty- five or ninety. His stature is of the middle size, and although his person is rather delicate and slender, he stoops but little, even when unsupported. His complexion is very fair and delicate, and his expres- sion bright, cheerful, and intelligent ; his features are handsome, and considering that they have endured through one third part of a second century, they are regular, comely, and, wonderfully undisfigured n M ' 1 Vi i.^^^. i^ ■■-mm «* ii»*»i *- 1;; JEC. sttx f but he place lich may le depar- Canada, : man in hundred Y around n we ar- ouse, not ;n to the of spool- luxiliarj although X yards ler with he must to him ; it stoop- pparent eighty- size, and slender, d. His expres- Lires are sndured y, they (figured TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 185 by the hand of time ; his eyes are of a lively blue ; his profile is Grecian, and very tiae ; his head is completely covered with the most beautiful and deli- cate white locks imaginable; (hey are so long and abundant as to fall gracefully from the crown of his head, parting regularly from a central point, and reaching down to his shoulders ; his hair is perfect- ly snow white, ecxcpt where it is thick in his neck; when parted there, it shows some few dark sliadesi the remnants of a former century. He still retains the front teeth of his upper jaw : his mouth is not fallen in, like that of old people generally, and his lips, particularly, are like those of middle life ; his voice is strong and sweet toned, although a little tremulous ; his hearing very little impaired, so that a voice of usual strength, with dis- tinct articulation, enables him to understand; his eye- sight is sufficient for his work, and he distinguishes large print, such as the title page of the Bible, with- out glasses ; his health is good, and has always been so, except that he has now a cough and ex- pectoration. He informed us, that his father, driven out of France, by religious persecution, fled to Amster- dam ; by his account, it must have been in conse- quence of the persecutions of the French protestants, or Hugonots, in the latter part of the reign of Louis XIV. At Amste rdam, his father married his moth- er, a Dutch woman, five years before he was born, and, before that event, returned with her, into f s ^V ■S ■Vt. 3»»- '-^ f .^ if^ 186 TOUR BETWEKN HARTFORD AND (iVEBEC. France. When he was five years old, his father again fled on account of " de religion,*? as he expressed it, (for his language, although very intel- ligible English, is marked by French peculiarities.) He says, he well remembers their flight, and that it was in the winter ; for, he recollects, that as they were descending a hill, which was covered with snow, he cried out to his father. '* O fader, do go back and get my little carriole,'* — (a little boy's gliding sledge or sleigh.) From these dates we are enabled to fix the time of his birth, provided he is correct in the main fact, for he says he was present at Queen Anne's coronation, and was then sixteen years old, the 31st day of May, old style. His father, (as he asserts,) after his re- turn from Holland, had again been driven from France, by persecution, and the second time took refuge in Holland, and afterwards in England where he resided, with his family, at the time of the coronation of Queen Anne, in 1 702. This makes Francisco to have been born in 1686 *, to have been expelled from France in 1691 , and therefore, to have completed his hundred and thirty-third year on the eleventh of last June ; of course, he is now more than three months advanced in his hundred and thirty-fourth year. It is notorious, that about this time multitudes of French protestants fled, on ac- count of the persecutions of Louis XIV, resulting from the revocation of the e^lict of Nantz. which oc- curred October 12, 1685, and, uotwith&ianding the f- i. JEBEC. his father ,*? as he ery intel- iliarities.) ind that it t as they 3red with er, do go tie boy's lie time of n fact, for )ronation, lyofMay, ir his re- ren from time took England me of the lis makes ave been }, to have ar on the 3w more Ired and )out this d, on ac- res n I ting hichoc- diug the TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND q,VEBKC, 187 guards upon the frontiers, and other measures of precaution, or rigor, to prevent emigration, it is well known, that for years, multitudes continued to make their escape, and that thus Louis lost six hundred thousand of his best and most useful subjects. I asked Francisco, if he saw Queen Anne crowned ; he replied, with great animation, and with an ele- vated voice, " Ah ! dat I did, and a fine looking wo- man she was too, as any dat you will see now a- days."* He said he fought in all Queen Anne's wars, and was at many battles, and under many command- ers, but his memory fails, and he cannot remember their names, except the Duke of Marlborough, who was one of them. He has been much cut up by wounds, which he showed us, but cannot always give a very distinct account of his warfare. He came out, with his father, from England, to New-York, probably early in the last century, but cannot remember the date. He said, pathetically, when pressed for accounts of his military experience, "0, 1 was in all Queen Anne's wars ; I was at Niagara, at Oswego, on the Ohio, (in Braddock's defeat, in 1755, where he was wounded.) 1 was carried prisoner to Quebec, (in the revolutionary war, when he must have been at * Fnr an unlettered man, he has very few gallit peculiaritis, and those the common ones, such as d for tb, &c. !^.- 4 ' * 190 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. years of age, thought Francisco was one hundred and forty. On the whole, although the evidence rests, in a degree, on its own credibility, still, as many things corroborate it, and as his character appears remark- ably sincere, guileless, and affectionate, I am inclin- ned to believe, that he is as old as he is stated to be. He is really a most remarkable and interest- ing old man ; there is nothing, either in its person or dress, of the negligence and squalidness of ex- treme age, especially when not in elevated circum- stances; on the contrary, he is agreeable and attrac- tive, and were he dressed in a superior manner, and placed in a handsome and well furnished apartment, he would be a most beautiful old man. Little could I have expected to converse, and shake hands with a man, who has been a soldier in most of the wars of this country for one hundred years — who, more than a century ago, fought under Marlborough, in the wars of Queen Anne, and who, (already grown up to manhood,) saw her crowned one hundred and seventeen years since f who, one hundred and twenty-eight years ago, and in the century before the /«*•/, was driven from France, by the proud, magnificent, and intolerant Loui> XIV, and who has lived a forty -four ih part of all the tinu that the human race have occupied this globe ! What an interview ! It is like seeing one come back from the dead, to relate the events of centu- ries, now swallowed up in the abyss of time ! Ex- ,,>■ V EBEC. le hundred rests, in a any things irs remark- am inclin- s stated to interest- I its person ness of ex- ,ed circum- and attrac- lanner, and apartment, iverse, and a soldier in ne hundred )ught under e, and who, er crowned ; who, one and in the France, by uou'xt' XIV, '' all the tinu lobe ! ig one come ts of centu- time ! £x- TOTTR BETWEEN HARTFOBD AND ^UEREC. 191 cept his cough, which, they told us, had not been of long standing, we saw nothing in Francisco's ap- pearance, that might indicate a speedy dissolution, and he seemed to have sufficient mental and bodily powers, to endure for years yet to come.'^ PASSAGE DOWN LAKE CHAMPLAIN. The carriage and horses were received on board ihe steam-boat at Whitehall, an accommodation which we had not expected ; and thus we avoided the inconvenience, of having them go around by land, to Burlington in Vermont, to wait our return from Canada. The steam-boat lay in a wild glen, immediately under a high, precipitous, rocky hill, and not far from the roaring outlet of Wood Creek ; we almost drop down upon the port, all on a sud- den, and it strikes one like an interesting discovery, in a country, so wild, and so far inland, as to present, in other respects, no nautical images or realities. We left Whitehall between two and three o'clock in the afternoon, in the Congress, a neat and rapid boat, and the only ono romninins on the lake, since the late awful catastrophe of the Phoenix. The lake, for many miles, after it receives Wood Creek, is, in fact, nothing more, than a narrow slug- gish river, passing, without apparent motion, among high, rocky, and even mountainous ridges, between * Fie difld the year after, of the fever and ag;ue. Iti24 192 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBLC. whose feet and the lake, there is, generally, a con- siderable extent of low, wet, marshy ground, of a most unpromising appearance, for any purpose, but to produce fever and ague, unless by and by, it should by dykeing and ditching, be rescued, like Holland, from the dominion of the water, and con- certed to the purposes of agriculture. The channel, through which we passed, is, for miles, so narrow, that the steam-boat could scarcely put about in it, and there seemed hardly room for the passage of the little sloops, which we frequently met going up to Whitehall. At the very head of this natural canal, lie moored, to the bank, stem and stern, the flotillas* of McDonough and Downie, now, by the catastrophe of battle, united into one. As we passed rapidly by, a few seamen showed their heads through the grim port-holes, from which, five years ago, the cannon poured fire and death, and we caught a glimpse of the decks, that were * It was a great piece of self-denial to me, not to go on board of this flotilla, but, (a circumstance >\hich I should not otherwise mention,) I was, all the time we were at Whitehall, and indeed all (he way to Montreal, in a state of sever* sufforing. IVom «a «gu^.luu.J fi^wv ouu tieau, wnicu obliged me to avoid the damp air, and the damp meadows, where the flotilla lay, moored to the natural baBk of the creek.'" » * When 1 passed this place in June 1821, these vessels were ly- B^ a little way down the lake, mere wreck*, sunken, neglected and in ruins— scarcely seven years from the time of the fjorco contention, by which they were lost and won. (1824. 'ih I JLC. y, a con- jnd, of a 30se, but id by, it ued, like ind con- J, is, for I scarcely room for equently ad of this tern and Downie, into one. showed m which, i death, lat were on board otherwise ml indeed IVom na the damp ed to the wpre ly- neglected le fioroo TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 193 then covered with the mutilated and the slain, and deluged with their generous blood. Sparless, black and frowning, these now disman- tled ships, look like the coffins of the brave, and will remain, as long as worms and rot will allow them, sad monuments of the bloody conflict. Our passage down the lake presented nothing particularly interesting, except the grandeur of the double barrier of mountains, which, although much inferior in height to those of Lake George, are still very bold and commanding. It seems as if the lake had been poured into the only natural basin, of magnitude, which exists in this mountainous region, and as if its boundaries were irrevocably fixed, by the impassable barriers of rocks and alpine land. The mountains, particularly on the eastern side, presenting to the eye their na4ced precipitous cliflTs, composed of the edges of the strata, were gneiss at Whitehall, and limestone as we proceed down the lake towards Ticonderoga. From Lake George to Luke Champlaii), they are primitive. At White- hall, the rocks have a very beautiful stratification ; the hills appear as if cracked in two, and one part being removed, we have a fine vertical section ; both their horizontal and perpendicular divisions, resemble a regular piece of masonry, and this is the prevailing fact, as we pass down the lake. The dip of these strata ofgnciss, which is to the east, is very moderate, not exceeding a few degrees, and 17* > ^ Mil /' $ 194 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. this appeared to be the general fact. On our ride from Fort Anne to Whitehall, the road passed down one of the natural declivities, formed by the dip of the rock ; for several hundred feet, in the direction of the road, the carriage rattled over this perfect- ly naked and smooth natural pavement. 1 had, to- day, DO opportunity to land, to inspect the rocks, but, as the boat often passed very near the cliffs, sometimes within a few yards, I was sufficiently satisfied, concerning their general nature. During our passage of twenty-five miles, to Ti- conderoga, we had a fine descending sun, shining in full strength, upon the bold scenery of the lake, and that I might enjoy it, undisturbed by the bustle of a crowded deck, f took my seat in the carriage, where I was protected equally from the fumes of the boat, and the chill of the air, and could, at my leisure, catch every variety of images, and all the changes of scenery, that were passing before me. It was with very great regret, that 1 found we could not stop, even for a moment, at Ticonderoga and Crown Point; and it was not till 1 had devised and dismissed several abortive plans for leaving the boat and getting on afterwards, or in some other way, that I submitted to pass these interesting places. The sun, setting in splendor, shot his last beams over Mount Defiance, as we came in sight of it, and the commmencing twilight, softened by the first ap- proaches of evening, which was not yet so far ad- A :b£C. TOUR BETWEEN UARTFORO AND QUEBEC. 195 n our ride ssed down the dip of } direction is perfect- I had, to- the rocks, the cliffs, efficiently e. les, to Ti- shining in : lake, and e bustle of : carriage, fumes of uld, at my id all the efore me. 1 we could leroga and evised and )g the boat ther way, places. last beams t of it, and le first ap- so far ad- vanced, as to throw objects into obscurity, cast a pensive veil over the site and ruins of TICONDEROGA. The remains of this celebrated fortress, once so highly important, but no longer, an object either of hope or fear, are still considerably conspicuous. As we came up with, and, from the narrowness of the lake, necessarily passed very near them, I was grati- fied, as much as I could be, without landing, by a view of their ruins, still imposing in their appear- ance, and possessing, with all their associations, a high degree of heroic grandeur. They stand on a tongue of land, of considerable elevation, projecting south, between Lake Cham- plain, which winds around and passes on the east, and the passage into Lake George, which is on the west. The remains of the old works are still conspicu- ous;, and the old stone barracks, erec ted by the French, are in part standing. This fort was built by the French ; and Lord Howe, and many other gallant men, lost their lives in the enterprize against it in 1758. From this fortress, issued many of those fero- cious incursions of French and Indians, which for- merly distressed the English settlements ; and its fall, in 1759, (when, on the approach of General 1 in • ^ II * ■■> i , 196 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND t^UEBEC. Amherst with a powerful army, it was abandoned by the French, without fighting,) filled the northern colonies with joy. In 1 777, great hopes were reposed upon this for- tress, as a barrier against invasion ; it was regarded as beingemphatically the strong hold of the North ; and when General Burgoyne, with astonishing ef- fort, dragged cannon up the precipices of Mount Defiance, and showed them on its summit, Ticondc- roga, no longer tenable, was precipitately aban- doned. Mount Defiance stands on the outlet of Lake George, and between that and Lake Champlain, and most completely commands Ticonderoga, which is far below, and within fair cannon shot. On the slightest glancQ at the scene, it is a matter of utter astonishment, even to one who is not a military man, how so important a point came to be over- looked by all preceding commanders : probably it arose from the belief, which ought not to have been admitted till the experiment had been tried, that it was impossible to convey cannon to its summit.* — On the right is Mount Independence, where there was a formidable fort at the time of General Bur- goyne's invasion. The shadows of the night were descending on the venerable Ticonderoga, as we left it; and when * It appears, that the Americans held a council of war, in which it was debated whether they should occupy Mount Defiance, but as they had not men enough to man the existing works, the thin$ was never attempted. ;t>f 1EC» >andoned northern 1 this for- regarded e North ; shing ef- )f Mount Ticonde- i\y aban- of Lake lamplain, ;a, which On the r of utter miiitarj be over- )bably it ive been d, that it nmit.*— re there ral Bur- iding on nd when r, in which »fiance, but B) the thiD^ TOUR BETVTEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 197 i looked upon its walls and environs, so long and so often clustering with armies— formidable for so great a length of time in all the apparatus and prepara- tions of war, and the object of so many campaigns and battles ; but now, exhibiting only a solitary smoke, curling from a stone chimney in its half- fallen barracks, with not one animated being in sight ; while its massy ruins, and the beautiful green de- clivities, sloping on all sides to the water, were still and motionless as death, I felt indeed that I was be- holding a striking emblem of the mutability of power, and of the fluctuations of empire. Ticonderoga, no longer within the confines of a hostile country — no longer a rallying point for ferocious savages and for formidable armies — no more a barrier against invasion, or an object of seige or assault, hai now become only a pasture for cattle. At Ticonderoga, the lake takes a sudden but short turn to the right, and forms a small bay, with Mount Defiance on the left. Mount Independence on the right, and Ticonderoga in front. This scene is very fine, and the whole outline of the spot — the mountains near, and the mountains at a distance — the shores — the bay — and the ruins, all unite to make a very grand landscape. Night was upon us, before we were up with Crown Point, that other scarcely less celebrated, or less important fortress. The moon served only to enable me dimly to see undefined masses of stone i: r ' 198 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. and earth, as a bystander observed, '' there are the ruins of Crown Point !" Almost every thing that has been said historical- ly of Ticonderoga, is applicable to Crown Point, only there has not been much blood shed before its walls. This fortress also, was built by the French ; it was equally annoying to the English Colonies as Ticonderoga ; its reduction was as ardently desired, and as many campaigns were undertaken for this purpose. Like Ticonderoga, it was retained by the French till 1769, when it was quietly abandon- ed by them, and Lord Amherst, on taking posseS' sion of it, built an entire new fortress of stone, and made it much more formidable than before. I The next season but one after the above re- marks were written, I enjoyed the opportunity which I had long desired of examining the ruins of Ticonderoga. Mr. S. F. B. Morse and myself af- ter having proceeded (as already mentioned,) by water from the head of Lake George to its outlet, landed at the village of Ticonderoga, and proceed- ed to view the interesting objects of the peninsula. The first thing that will strike the traveller, is a fine cascade produced by the waters of Lake George rushing down the ledges of rock which form the beirrier between it and lake Champlain. The diiference of level between the two lakes is vari- i 'V- ■^rfTr UEBCC. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 199 ere are the I historical- own Point, d before its he French ; Colonies as tly desired, en for this retained by y abandon- cing posseS' f stone, and fore. 1 above re- opportunity the ruins of d myself af- ktioned,) by to its outlet, nd proceed- e peninsula, iveller, is a rs of Lake : which form plain. The ikes is vari- »usly stated by different authors. Worcester's Ga- zetteer, and Morses Geography (the Edition of 1832,) place it at about 100 feet. As the waters of Lake George perform the greater part of this descent, within a very short distance, they form a very fine cataract, and at the same time furnish am- ple water power for mills and manufactories, se- veral of which are established upon the bank. The village of Ticonderoga is uninteresting ; but it will furnish the traveller with a waggon and a guide for the purpose of exploring the peninsula. The voy- ager on Lake George will of course carry with him, interesting recollections of its military history, and especially of the ill-fated expedition of General Abercrombie whose departure from the head of the Lake, I have already mentioned. " On the fifth of July, 1758, the whole army ex- cept a reserve, left for the protection of this spot, embarked in a thousand and thirty five boats with all the splendour of military parade. The morn- ing was remarkably bright and beautiful, and the fleet moved with exact regularity to the sound of fine martial music. The ensigns waved and glit- tered in the sun-beams : and the anticipation of future triumph shone in every eye. Above, be- neath, around, the scenery was that of enchantri ment, and rarely has the sun, since that luminary was first lighted up in the heavens, dawned on such a complication of beauty and magnificence."* * President D wights travels Vol. 3 pp. 381-2. # .*« k 1 m •1 i ■ 1 c 1 ■• I, 'ti m I ."J ) ■. ' ^1 V ■ fl. 'VH- • i 200 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (QUEBEC. Next morning July the 6th, this fine army, by far the finest that had then been assembled in America, having disembarked at the outlet of Lake George, began its march in four columns for the fort of Ti- conderoga, distant only three miles. The country was in deep forest and the guides being unskilful, the army fell into confusion. At that moment the right centre column, led on by Lord Howe, fell in with the enemy's advance guard which was retreat- ing towards Ticonderoga. — This party also had lost its way in the woods, but they attacked the Eng- lish , and at the first fire Lord Howe,* the pride and hope of the army fell.f The provincial troops, however, accustomed to this species of warfare, re- pelled the attack and destroyed the party, consist- ing of nearly five hundred. It can never be sufficiently regretted that meas- ure* had not been taken to transport a few cannon to the top of Mount Defiance, a measure which General Burgoyne, nineteen years afterwards, pro- ved to be perfectly practicable, for then Ticondero- ga would have surrendered without firing a gun, and the disgraceful and bloody tragedy would have been prevented. At least, cannon should have been brought to attack the lines. But Gen. Abercrom- bje, who does not appear ever to have seen the ■u J! *Lord Howe fell at a distance from the shore of the Lake — Gen- eral Hoyt informs me that he has very nearly ascertained the exact spot. t Doct. Dwight's travels. ;l^/ # ^.'-•^ . • Wr ,UEBEC. pmy, by far 1 America, e George, fort of Ti- le country ; unskilful, Dment the we, fell in as retreat- so had lost the £ng- pride and al troops, arfare, re- r, consist- lat meas- V cannon re which ards, pro- icondero- ng a gun, >uld have lavebeen hercrom- seen the ,ake — Gen- rtaiaed the TOUR BETWEEN HARTPORD AND to TicoDderoga, they informed us that the water of wells dug in this Hmestone is ofTensive, and unfit for use. Hence the inhabitants use the water of the lake, and they provide ice houses, that the wa- ter may, in warm weather, be rendered agreeably cool. The walls, the barracks, the subterraneous mag- azines, the kitchens and store rooms, the covered ways and advanced works of Ticonderoga are of sol id masonry. When this fortress was precipitately abandoned in the Revolutionary war, by the army under Gen. St. Clair, it was blown up and set on fire. The explosion removed the roof and over- threw a part of the walls of the barracks ; but enough remains to give one a perfect idea of the structure, and to form a ruin well worthy of the pencil. The half burnt timbers still remain in the walls, and the subterraneous structures as well as the proper walls of the fort have escaped with little injury from the hand of violence and of time. The south gate of the fort, is the one at which Gen. Arnold, entered, when he surprised the British garrison at the commencement of the American war. The Grenadier's battery, as it is still called, is at the southern point of the peninsula at the water's edge, and is terminated by perpendicular cliffs of lime- stone rock. On the shore at the landing place is one of the old stone store-housses which is now used as a (avern. On the continent, on the oppo- site side of the lake, are the remains of the fort oa (^oV. GtVa^vv tVajI/VS. c»h«.A e«vvw^ Ol.^.^^'T- a, t*/«-V t^^v\'V*-^vt' Klace is is now » oppo- fort OQ ft -. A NIGHT ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN. The recent loss of the Phcenix, and the tragical events by which it was accompanied, might well have caused us some anxiety, in the prospect of a night passage on the lake ; but the weather was fine and the water smooth, and we had a good boat, furnished with a gentleman's cabin on deck. As 1 was, however, scarcely able to sleep at all, I passed most of the night in the carriage, both as being a pleasant situation, and as affording mc some opportunity of observing the tire, the man- agement of which 1 was willing enough to see. I am sorry to say, that 1 was disappointed in not ob- serving that anxious vigilance, which, after the late dreadful occurrence, we should naturally expect to find. Large piles of pine wood, very dry, of course, and also very hot, from their being placed near the furnace and boilers, occupied the middle of the vessel. A candle was plac(3d by one of the people on a projecting end of a stick of Ihis wood. It had burned nearly down, and a fresh north wind blew the flame directly towards, and almost against the pine slivers, which were very dry and full of • 18* , » / Jl !r ^^ r / 306 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. % turpentine, and therefore in a condition to catch fire with the greatest ease. Happily, from the contiguous carriage window, Mr. W obsorv- ed this threatening candle, and after some impor- tunity with the people, (who seemed very indiffe- rent to the danger,) succeeded in having it removed. It might, very naturally, have caused the Congress to share the fate of the Phcenix, which was burnt, by a candle placed in a situation of less apparent danger ; that is, near a shelf in a closet, where it communicated fire to the board. ""^ We found one other unpleasant circumstance: the boat stopped several times, at different places, on the two shores of the lake, to deliver and re- ceive freight, and our captain being extremely dila- tory, we were delayed one and two hours at a place. »/?'» ') SCENERY, PLATTSBURGH,it-c. At three o'clock in the morning, we stopped at Burlington, and left the carriage and horses with the young man to takf care of them, till our return from Canada. It was day-light before we left this place, and the morning presented a scene so simi- • On our return, we found the Cofigress under a new captain, and a much more strict police, which left no farther room to com^flain of negligence. H'i EBEC. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC, 207 I to catch from the — obsorv- me impor- ry indiffe* I; removed. 5 Congress was burnt, s apparent , where it umstance : 3nt places, 2r and re- imely dila- ours at a topped at Jises with )ur return e left this e so simi- lar to Long-Island Sound, that we could hardly persuade ourselves that we were on fresh water. Although the weather was fair, and we could see the most distant shores, the high mountains were hardly distinguishable, being shrouded in vapor. Early in the forenoon, we were in Plattsburgh Bay, and passed over the scene of Commodore McDonough's brilliant victory ; an event singular- ly decisive in its circumstances, momentous in its results, and honorable in the highest degree to that able and gallant commander. At this memorable place, (the only one since we left Ticonderoga and Crown Point, where a long delay would hare been grateful,) we had time only to walk a little way towards the village, and to visit one of the batteries, signalized in September, 1814, in repelling the enemy from the pas^sage of the Saranac. Dr. L. Foot,* of the army, caused the little time wc had to spend, to pass both agreeably and usefully ; but we were soon again under way, and doubling Cumberland Head, round which the brave but unfortunate Commodore Downie sailed, to defeat and death, we left the beautiful Bay of Plattsburgh, with all its grand and interesting asso- ciations, m^ ''' A friend, and for eeyeral years a pupil. / 1 new captain, her room to rn 208 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (QUEBEC. ENTRANCE INTO CANADA. Fi \ ( ;/., I p^ Our passage down the remainder of the lake was very rapid, and we soon arrived at the American custom-house; the boat was visited, but our bag- gage was not examined, and we were treated with the greatest civility. This ceremony, (for it was a ceremony, merely,) being over, we were very soon abreast of the great stone castle, resembling that on Governor's Island, at New- York. It was erected by the American government, on Rouse's Point, upon the western side of the entrance into the river Sorel or Riche- lieu, and was designed to command the communi- cation between that river and Lake Champlain. In consequence of a late determination that the boundary line (the 45th degree of latitude,) passes a little south of this castle, it now falls to the Brit- ish government. The current favored our progress, and we push- ed on very impetuously through the quiet waters of this very considerable river, whose smooth sur- face was thrown into waves by our rapid course. The country, on both sides, is the most uninterest- ing that can well be imagined. It is a low wet swamp, not redeemed, like Holland, but, to a con- siderable extent, too much covered by water to admit of immediate cultivation. A few patches of clear and dry land, and a few pi^ti hamlets, appear here and there, but there is no village worth men M V . • BEC* TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 209 5 lake was American t our bag- sated with , merely,) r the great >r^s Island, American le western or Riche- communi- Ihamplain. I that the le,) passes ) the Brit- I we push- let waters nooth sur- d course, ninterest- i low wet to a con- water to )atche8 of ts, appear orth men lioning, in the whole distance of twenty miles to St. John's. The land appears to the eye as if it were even lower than the water, and we naturally think of fevers and of agues, which, however, are said to be of rare occurrence, and are probably prevented by a temperate climate. At some future day, should this country become populous, this low marshy land, which is probably fertile, may be rescued from the water, by the same means which have caused such scenes of richness and beauty to be exhibited in Holland. The only very interesting object in the river, is the Isle aux Noix, eleven miles from the frontier, and eight or nine from St. John's. The glitter of arms — the splendor of the British uniform— the im- posing appearance of ramparts and cannon — the beauty of the log barracks of the officers, painted in stripes — and the bustle of military activity, of course excited a degree of interest, and afforded an agreeable relief from the dull scenes of forests and swamps. The Isle aux Noix, is important in time of war, as being the frontier British post, and has been, many times, a point of rendezvous for armies and flotillas, not only for the invaders, but for the de- fenders of Canada. We both left and received passengers at this isl- and, but without going ourselves on shore, and less than one hour from the time we left it brought us to the wharf at St. John's, in Lower Canada; we , t • iK / M ■t ,i' m 210 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. arrived before night on the 30th of September, ten days from our leaving Hartford.* 'r ' !• » !• I t », m} ST. JOHNS, AND DEPARTURE FOR MONTREAL. St. John*s. — 1 scarcely saw any thing more ol this little town, than what might be observed in passing to the inn, where we found attention and kindness, but a house so crowded th» we were very willing to leave it on our way to Montreal. We did not go, with most of our steam boat com- panions in the stage, which went on in the night, to La Prairie, but the next morning were furnished with an extra conveyance, in which we proceeded on our journey. There are good stages at St. John's, exactly like the most common kind of American stage coaches, or rather stage waggons, and they are furnished with good horses. Indeed, we were informed that these establishments were set up by Americans, whose enterprize and activity are re- markably contrasted with the unvarying habits of the native Canadians. The private carriage in which we travelled, was an old fashioned hack, such as might have been seen in American towns twenty or twenty-five years ago; the canvass curtains, (without windows,) were torn, had few or no strings to secure them in place, * Such is the expedition of the public vehicles, that this dh- tanoe maij/ be travelled in three days. W-' iUEREC. (ember, ten DNTREAL. ng more oi observed iti ttcntion and re were very eal. tn boat com- the night, to ire furnished e proceeded at St. John's, of American ns, and thej !ed, we were jre set up by ivity are re- ng habits of avelled, was t have been ity-five years idows,) were lem in place, es, that this db- TOUR BETWSEN HARTFORD ASh QUEBEC. 21 1 and flapping in a brisk head wind, they served to let in rather than to exclude the cold air, an^ ^ry imperfectly screened us from a driving rain. Our coachman was a Vermont lad, who had emigrated in childhood, along with his parents, but he had not caught the Canadian tardiness of movement, for he drove us at a great rate, over a road very level, but by no means smooth ; we were, however, willing to bear pretty severe jolting, for the sake of expe- dition. We had an interesting ride of twelve miles, on the left bank of the Sorel river, which murmured along by our side, and were charmed with the com- fortable white cottages, constructed very neatly of hewn logs, and forming apparently dry and warm dwellings. Almost every moment we met the cheer- ful looking peasants, driving their little carts, (char- rettes,) drawn by horses of a diminutive size. The men were generally standing up in the body of the cart, with their lighted pipes in their mouths, and wore red or blue sashes, and long conical woollen caps, of various colors. These carts were furnished with high rails, and occasionally with seats, occupi- ed by females and children; they appeared (like our one horse waggons,) to furnish the most common accommodation for transporting both commodities and persons. We gave our horses a few moments of rest at Chambly, but were prevented by the rain from leaving our inn. I regretted this, however, the less, hi # k^, r •';"♦ 212 TOUB RKTWEEN BARTFOlUi AND QUEBEC. as we expected to return through the same place, and might be more favorably situated. » We lost no time in resuming our journey, and drove, in less than three hours to Longueil, through a perfectly level country, well cultivated, fertile, considerably populous, and furnished with very neat and comfortable white houses, constructed of hewn logs, like those on the Sorel river. The barns, frequently of a large size, were usually built in the same manner ; but the want of good frame work was very obvious in their frequently distorted appearance. FIRST GLIMPSE OF MONTREAL. p 1 Uv At the village of Longueil, or a little before ar- riving there, we cr\ught the first view of Montreal. The first impression of this city is very pleasing. In its turrets and steeples, glittering with tin ; in its thickly built streets, stretching between one and two miles along the river, and rising gently from it ; in its environs, ornamented with country houses and green fields ; in the noble expanse of the St. Lawrence, sprinkled with islands ; in its foaming and noisy rapids; and in the bold ridge of the mountain, which forms the back ground of the city, we recognize all the features necessary to a rich and magnificent landscape, and perceive among these indications, decisive proofs of a flourishing inland emporium. < [JEBEC. ame place. urney, and 3il, through ed, fertile, with very istructed of ver. The sually built ;ood frame y distorted before ar- ' Montreal. pleasing, tin; in its one and ly from it ; try houses of the St. s foaming ^e of the )f the city, to a rich ve among Sourishing m TOUIl BETWEEN UARTFOBD ANn (^i ftnBC. 31 } PASSAGE OF THE ST. LAWRENCE. If we experienced some elevation of feeling at the first view of the St. Lawrence, we were not likely to have our pride cherished by the means which conveyed us over this mighty river. Two Canadian boatmen ferried us over in a canoe, hol- lowed out of a single log. Our baggage being duly placed, we were desired to sit, face to face, on some clean straw, placed on boards, which lay across the bottom of the boat: we were situated thus low, that our weight might not disturb the balance of the canoe, and we were requested to sit perfectly still. Our passage was to be nearly three miles obliquely up the stream, and a part of the way against some powerful rapids. Between us and Montreal, considerably up the river, lay the brilliant island of St. Helena. It is elevated, commands a fine view of the city, is strongly marked by entrenchments, is fertile, and covered in part with fine timber. It is a domain, and we were much struck with the beautiful situa- tion of the house on the south side of the island, be- longing to the Baroness Lonqueil. With the island and river, it would form a fine subject for a pic- ture. Our boatmen conveyed us, without much difli- culty, to the southern point of this island, between which, and the city, owing to the compression of the river by the island, a powerful rapid rushes 19 >\} i H i ' 2t4 TOUR BETWEEN HAATFOIID AMI ^VEhEti. along, with much agitation, and a current, which il is very difficult to stem. At the point of the isl- and, particularly, a branch of the river, confined by rocks^ dashes along, almost with the rapidity of water bursting from a flood gate. Through this strait it was necessary to pass, and, for some time, the boat went back, and even after landing us on the island, the canoe was coming around, broadside to the current, when we were apprehensive that our baggage must be thrown into the river ; but, by main strength, they pushed the boat through this torrent, and along the shore of the island, till the rapid became so moderate, that they ventured again to take us in, and push for the city. It took these poor fellows a toilsome hour to convey us over, and they demanded but a pittance for their ser- vices. FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF MONTREAL. We mounted a steep slippery bank, from the river, and found ourselves in one of the principal streets of the city. It required no powerful effort of the imagination, to conceive that we were arri- ved in Europe. A town, compactly built of stone, without wood or briok, indicating permanency, and even a degree of antiquity, presenting some hand- some public and private buildings, an active and nu> merous population, saluting the ear with two Ian- m^ r£B£C>'. it, which it of the isl- ', confined rapidity of irough this some time, ding us on , broadside ensive that jr ; but, by irough this id, till the lured again took these ly us over, their ser- AL. :, from the le principal erful effort were arri- ilt of stone, nency, and some hand- ive and nu- [h two lan- TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND qUEHEC'. '215 guages, but principally with the French— every thing seems foreign, and we easily feel that we are a great way from home. ACCOMMODATIONS OF A PUBLIC HOUSE. We wert no sooner ushered into the mansion- house,'^ a vast building, constructed of hewn stone, than we could easily imagine ourselves in one of the principal coffee-houses of London. Assiduity, quiet, and, in a word, domestic comfort, in every particular, except the absence of the family circle, were at once in our possession. The master of the house was an Englishman, and, having been brought up in a London coffee- house, he very naturally transferred all that is desi- rable and comfortable, in the habits of those estab- lishments, to his own, in Montreal. Being worn out with suffering, from the cause which I mentioned at WliitehalJ, I was obliged to betake myself immediately to ray room and bed ; but I was not permitted to feel that I was a stran- ger ; so prompt were the attentions, and so appro- priate the various little comforts and refreshments, that were provided and administered. The next morning, having obtained complete re- lief, from what I had not expected, superior surgical * Siuce destroyed by fire. m II Vi , **^ V '**!. ..>^.ii*.. ■^* •» . If ^ — » -.-*,, 216 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. skill,*. I was enabled to begin to enjoy, as well as to see the new objects around me. MANNERS OF THE GUESTS. Dinner here, is at five o'clock ; soup was ready, however, at almost any previous hour, and we par- took of this refreshment, not having been recently accustomed to so late an hour for dinner. We found at table, a small party of very respectable men, apparently Englishmen ; and we were partic- ularly and agreeably struck, with the gentlemanly manners of every individual at table, where, al- though the guests were strangers to us, and proba- bly most of them to each other, all were polite, attentive, and sociable, without that selfish indiffe- rence, or rude familiarity, so common at some public tables, where a correct medium seems hardly to be understood. The manners of this circle were particularly con- trasted with those of a certain group, which we had encountered during our tour, and from which it was impossible, at the time, to make our escape. They were noisy, drinking, swearing, card-playing gentle^ men; and of all ages, from twenty to sixty, but in their manners so alike, that youth and age were fitly associated. '" In a mode 9uffici«nlly curiam and origitml, which I rhull meDtion further oo. JEBEC. 3 well as to was ready, id we par- n recently ner. We espectable sre partic- intlemanly vhere, al- ind proba- ere polite, ill indiffe- )me public rdly to be larly con- 5h we had lich it was e. They ng gentle' :ty, but in age were bich I !<)iull TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 217 We began, at evening, to receive the calls of those to whom we had letters, particularly of some of our own countrymen, and obtained at once, all the local information which we needed, to direct our immediate movements, and to enable us to form and mature our plans. EVENING SCENES ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. The weather being mild and tine, parlor fires were not yet kindled in Canada, but, as we prefer- red a fire for ourselves, we retired at evening into a very largs and well furnished room, with a bow end, and overlooking a terrace, thirty feet wide, and one hundred and forty-four long, which is the length of the house. This terrace is thirty feet above the river, immediately on its brink, and com- mands a view of it, for many miles up and down the stream, and of the country on the other shore, thus presenting a most delightful prospect. This room was our parlor, while we remained in the house, and we were particularly fond of viewing from its windows, and from the terrace below, the fine scenes of twilight and evening, on the St. Lawrence. We had anticipated some inconvenience, in visit- ing Canada, so late in the season, on account of the shortness of tho days ; but the long and bright twi- light, both at morning and evening, made wi ample 19* ^ V. Si , t. if ■' • / % ■ / 'f # 4 i kt.v ' .t M» *il8 TOUll BETWEEN MARTFOKD AND (lUEBCC. amends, and we found as much light as we left be- hind us, although less of sunshine. At half after five, with the sun down, and the moon at the full, in the firmament, we sit at the dinner table, apparently In broad day light. From the moment the sun is down, every thing becomes silent on the shore, which our windows overlook, and the murmurs of the broad St. Law- rence, more than two miles wide, immediately be- fore us and a little way to the right, spreading to five or six miles in breadth, are, sometimes for an hour, the only sounds that arrest our attention. Ev- ery evening since we have been iiere, black clouds and splendid moonlight have hung over, and embel- lished this tranquil scene ; and, on two of those evenings we have been attracted to the window, by the plaintive Canadian boat son^. In one instance, it arose from a solitary voyager, floating in his light canoe, which occasionally appeared and disappear- ed on the sparkling river; and, in its distant course seemed no larger than some sportive insect. In another instance, a larger boat, with more numc- irous, and lc>s melodious voicer^, not indeed in per- fcc^t harmony passed nearer to the shore, and gave additional life to the scene. A few moments after, the moon broke out from a throne of dark clouds, and seemed to convert the whole expanse of water into one vast sheet of glittering silver, and, in the very brightest spot, at the distance of more than a mile, again appeared u solitary boat, but too dis- V ! m :bcc. ve left be- half after ihe full, in ipparently /ery thing windows St. Law- iiately be- rcading to nes for an tion. Ev- ick clouds nd embel- of those indow, by ; instance, n his light lisappeai- int course iscct. In re nu me- ed in pcr- and gave ents after, k clouds, ; of water id, in the >rc than a t too dis- TOUR BLTWEi:: HARTFORD AND QL'£n£C. 219 tant to admit of our hearing the song, with which the boatman was probably solacing his lonely course. r DAY SCENES ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. The mere contemplation of a river, presenting such a broad expanse of water, at the distance of five hundred miles from the ocean, is interesting and pleasing. At this season it is a tranquil scene, but the river presents very considerable diversity. On our right, it spreads into a broad lake, generally smooth, but, in numbers of places, it is ruffled by rapids, and broken by ledges of rocks ; on the left, it runs with great rapidity, between the island of St. Helena and the city, and presents, at all times, a lively and magnificent water course. Occasionally; sloops, ships and steam boats are seen on the river, either passing rapidly down, or struggling against the current ; but the most com- mon craft of the river is of every size, from a small canoe, to the largest boats that are built without decks. The margin of the river, adjoining the city, is, at most places where there are no wharves, lined with floating rafts, and separate logs, intended both for fuel and for timber. A scene of considerable activity is exhibited im- ^ I ,( I* fe*' i ,1 / 220 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. mediately before our terrace, by the carts and hor- ses, which are driven into the river, as far as is ne- cessary, and frequently till the horses can hardly keep their feet ; the object is to obtain the wood, which is thus conveniently loaded, as the body of the cart is as low as the surface of the river ; and single sticks, too large for the carts, are drawn out separately by the horses. The carts are also used for the conveyance of water casks, to supply the city ; the horses are driven into the water, and the casks are filled, very conveniently, without remov- ing them from the cart. We frequently observed, on the Sorel river, the French women, washing at the river's edge. The same employment is seen here before our windows. Sometimes the clothes are placed on boards, in the river, and pounded ; and, at other times, the women dance on them, dashing the water about like ducks, and seemingly as much for frolic as for work. All these employments are attended with much vocife- ration, and contribute to give life and interest to the quiet scenes of a great inland water. Some of the circumstances which I have just mentioned, are, it is true, trivial, but still, they tend to characterise the country and its inhabitants. PASSAGE TO QUEBEC. I purposely omit to make any other remarks on Montreal, till our return from Quebec, when we ex- r "^^ ifr UEBEC. ts and hor- ar as is ne- can hardly the wood, he body of river ; and drawn out also used supply the sr, and the ut remov- river, the ge. The windows, rds, in the he women ike ducks, I'ork. AH oh vocife- rest to the have just they tend tnts. TOUK BETWEEN HAUTPORD AND QUEBEC. 221 pect to pass several days more in this city, and the observations of both residences may be so blended, as, in a good degree, to avoid repetition. We remained in Montreal three days and a half, and went on board the steam-boat to lodge, on the night of the fourth. We lay quietly at the wharf till one o'clock, in the morning of the fifth ; and when day light was fully disclosed, we had passed many miles down the river, and were impelled rapidly forward, by the united force of steam and current. The weather, which, the day before, had been cold, became delightful, with a mild soft air, and a bril- liant sun. Nothing, for a tame scene, could be finer than the one which surrounded us after sun rise. The flat shores are every where studded with white- washed cottages, appearing, (like those which we had seen when travelling by land,) to be all warm and comfortable ; and, at the distance of every two or three miles, appeared a little snowy village, with its glittering tin spire ; if it included a house, a little superior to the cottage, that was also covered with the same material. it :'4 od deal of Y to break, rough the les called,^ I fort, built Pracy;" it :ur8ions of rel, from a id its con- year 1 785, srs, and it Id nnilitary pies about er of hous- and fifty, overnment ntersect at more than five hundred feet on a side."*^ The town is built principally of wood, and the aspect of many of the buildings is more like that of an Anglo-American town, than any thing that we have seen in Canada. The population is about fifteen hundred. The churches are of stone. We visited that of the Cath- olics, which is somewhat ornamented with pictures, but cannot be considered as particularly handsome. We found people at their devotions, and a priest in attendance. Sorel was occupied by General Thomas, in May, 1776, with the greater part of the American army, on their retreat from before Quebec. Here Gen- eral Thomas died of the small pox. The river Sorel is two hundred and fifty yards broad, opposite to the town, but it presents a singu- lar example of a river, much narrower at its em- bouchure, than at its origin ; it is more than four times as wide at St. John^s, as at Sorel, and contin- ues to widen all the way up the stream, to the Lake Champlain ; from St. John's, there is also a ship navigation into the lake; but, from the town of So- rel, vessels of one hundred and fifty tons ascend only twelve or fourteen miles, f From the town of Sorel, we proceeded among a great many islands, and, after passing a few miles, entered that great expanse of the river, which is ten miles wide, and twenty miles long, and i^ called the lake of St. Peter. It has, indeed, a very great * Bouchette t Bouchette. ' // B 1 / 224 TOUR BETWBEN HARTPORD ANP QUEISEC. resemblance to a lake, being smooth, and withoui apparent motion. We felt, as we had done in Lake Champlain, that this must be Long-Island Sound, and here, indeed, the resemblance is much greater, as the water is green, like the ocean. The water is, of course, shallow, and some caution is necessary, to avoid running aground. The shores are very flat and swampy, and, in a hot climate, would probably be sickly. At the large town of Three Rivers, where we arrived by three o'clock in the afternoon, and which is half way between Montreal and Quebec, we stopped in the stream a few minutes, to take in passengers. There were some ships lying at this place, but there is no harbor, other than the stream, nor did 1 observe any accommodations for ships, except the naked banks of the river. This town is the third i:ti the province, but very far behind the other two ; it contains about three hundred and twenty houses, and two thousand, five hundred in- habitants ; it extends about one thousand, three hundred yards along the river, and was founded in 1618.* Proceeding down the river, we continued to en- joy a delightful day's sail, with a perfect Indian summer. Mr. W and myself had a large state room to ourselves, where we could retire in per- fect seclusion, whenever we did not choose to be *Bouchette. 1 *' id wilhoiu iplain, that re, indeed, e water is of course, , to avoid y flat and ■obably be where we and which jebec, we to take in ing at this he stream, for ships, bis town is tehind the idred and ndred in- nd, three Dunded in led to en- ct Indian arge state 'e in per- use to be TOUR UETWELN UAllTFOUU AND QUEBEC. 225 among the passengers, who, however, were few and civil, and, as the boat was very large, we had none of the inconveniences of a crowd. I occupied a good deal of the day in writing, as the scenery had a very great degree of sameness, and from the win- dows I could catch a glimpse of its changes, so as to go seasonably on deck, and pot to lose any impor- tant object. Towards evening, when we were just above the Richelieu Rapids, and the surface of the river ex- tremely smooth, the captain pointed out a large seal, sleeping on the water, at the distance of per- haps two or three hundred yards. He fired at it five or six times, without effect ; we could see the balls strike the water, very near the seal, but the animal did not even awake, or change its position. As the Rapids of Richelieu, where the river is very narrow, and the current rushes tumultuously over a rocky bottom, are esteemed dangerous for ni^ht navigation, and as it was already evening, we cast anchor to wait the return of day. 'I'his was just what we could have wished, for, had we contin- ued on our course, we must have arrived at Quebec in the night, and thus have lost the noble scenery of the approach to this city. We had also the addi- tional advantage of a night of perfect quiet and se- curity, undisturbed by the jar of the machinery, or the trampling of the people. Indeed, had we been in motion, we should have felt very secure at night, for the fire and the boiler were as far from us, as 20 r \ ^ 9 ——(.*" — ..^- 226 TOUR BETWEEN' HARTFORD AND ftUEBEft. ^ ■M the whole length of a common European ship, and no accident has ever happened in this river. In the morning we were again under way, as soon as we could see sufficiently to avoid the rocks, which are so numerous here, that day light is almost indispensable to a safe passage. It was a perfect May morning, with the finest, softest splendor of an Indian summer, so that we had every inducement, and every opportunity to observe the various inter- esting objects that occurred. By this time we had become familiar, and acquainted with several of our fellow-passengers, among whom, were English mil- itary and naval men, Quebec me rchants, and a Ro- man Catholic ecclesiastic. The latter came on board at the Three Rivers, and appeared a mild and amiable man. From our other companions, to whom vve made known our country, and our views in travelling, we received every desired informa- tion, and the most obliging civilities. The military gentlemen, particularly, were very courteous, and, as they were not only acquainted with Canada, but had seen much of other countries, and of foreign mUitary adventures, they were very interesting^ and instructive. One of them had witnessed in person, some of Wellington's victories, and another, a man of most original and attractive character, and ap- parently o(warm piety, had been not less occupied, in the East-Indies, in promoting schemes of benev- olence, than in the ^>ursuit of arms. Having been warned that Quebec would burst upon us, all of a lip, and r. , as soon rocks, s almost perfect or of an cement, us inter- I we had al of oar lish mil- id a Ro- ;ame on 1 a mild nions, to UP views informa- military 3US, and, lada, but f foreign tin^ and 1 person, , a man and ap- iccupied, f benev- ing been , all of a TOUR BETWEEN HAUTFOUD AND (QUEBEC. 227 sudden, and that we were drawing near to it, our eyes now gazed in no other direction, and our thoughts became entirely fixed upon that object. \ I I ' APPROACH TO QUEBEC. Oct. 6. — This seat of ancient dominion — now hoary with the lapse of more than two centuries — formerly the seat of a French empire in the west — lost and won by the blood of gallant armies, and of illustrious commanders — throned on a rock, and defended by all the proud defiance of war — who could approach such a city without emotion ? —Who in America has not longed to cast his eyes on the water-girt rocks and towers of Quebec ! On approaching this city, about the middle of the day, we enjoyed the most propitious circumstances of light and weather. From Cape Rouge, on our left, (seven miles above Quebec,) there is an uninterrupted range of high ground, rising even into hills and precipices. Cape Rouge is so called, from its red color — the precipitous bank being stained, probably, by oxid of iron, so as to give it, for miles, a reddish hue. The land grew higher and higher; we passed the mouth of the Chaudiere river, six miles from Quebec, on our right, where a number of ships were waiting to take in timber, and we watched every moment for the appearance of the great for- ' I '•'/ '"?.-*»'*—■• '-aacrv***!*; -t^ ■"■* ~ '"■ . # \ — t 'i ^28 TOWR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEDEr 4 !' trcss of the north, while onn of our mihtary ac- f|uaintances pointed out to us the various interest- ing objects, as we came up with them in succession. At length we descried the towers of Quebec, stand- ing on a rock of three hundred and forty-feet in height, measured from the river. I have already remarked that the banks, (espe- cially the north one,) are, for miles above the city, very precipitous, and they grow more so the near- er we approach. About two miles from Quebec, we were shown Sillery river and cove, and within one mile, or a mile and a half of the city, Wolfe's cove, now filled with lumber and ships. This name has been derived, from the fact, that here General Wolfe, under cover of night, landed his army, un- perceived by the French, and clambering up the precipice, gained the heights of Abraham. Three round towers of stone, mounted with can- non and standing on these heights, in advance of the other works of Quebec, are th3 first objects that strike the eye ; then the high walls of stone, cover- ed with heavy artillery, and which, as we come nearer to the city, we perceive to extend all along, upon the verge of the precipice, of naked rock, of more than three hundred feet in height, which di- vides the lower from the upper town. On our right was the ground on the south-eastern side j" the river, called Point Levi. This also is a preci- pice of rock, but rather less elevated than Cape Diamond, on which the citadel of Quebec is built. ^iisr- . ^•— »-^ >}■ ' » E« . tary ac- nterest- cession. :, stand- s-feet in 3, (espe- the city, he near- Quebec, d within Wolfe's his name General rmy, un- g up the vith can- Ivance of ects that , cover- vre come I along, rock, of hich di- On our side 3" a preci- ii Cape is built. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 229 Point Levi is now covered with brilliant white hou- sed. In the year 1759, General Monckton, by or- der of General Wolfe, erected his batteries there, to bombard Quebec. PRINT NO. 5. This sketch, taken by Mr. W , from the steam-boat, was commenced, about three or four miles above the city, and when we were passing every moment, rapidly along. It was unavoidably subjected to the disadvantage of constant change of position ; but, as it fortunately happened, this cir- cumstance rather augmented the distinctness, than altered the relative position of the principal objects. On the right, is exhibited part of the promonto- ry of Point Levi, with a glimpse of a few of the houses and ships at its foot. In the remote view, down the river, are seen some of the highlands, be- yond the falls of Montmorenci, on the left bank of the river, and at the distance of from ten to fifteen miles. Immediately before the observer, is the smooth expanse of the river, with some of the nu- merous ships and boats that adorn its surface. On the left, and nearest at hand, a beautiful copse of wood, with some buildings at its (eetf just intercepts the view of Wolfe's cove, which lies be- tween this grove and the high bank on which stands the nearest round tower ; only the opening of the cove is seen. Then come the heights, on which ./ h ^\ m € •*a:i--^ > 230 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. are the plains of Abraham, and upon them the Mar- tello towers, two of which only are, from this posi- tion, visible ; the view of two others is cut off by the intervening heights. Further on, appears Cape Diamond, composed of almost perpendicular pre- cipices of naked rock, three hundred and forty-five feet in the greatest height. The walls and towers of massy stone, pierced and cut down for embra- sures, and, crowned with the flag-staff and colors that appear on this Cape, constitute the Citadel OF Quebec. Immediately at the foot of this precipice, is the commencement of the lower town which is continued around the foot of the rock; only a very small part of it, and no portion of the houses of the upper town is visible from this point of view. -5 ■i n ■K- * Arrived in the bay of Quebec, we found it swarming with ships, and presienting every appear- ance of a great seat of commerce. The bay is a beautiful piece of water, looking like a perfect lake, with most nobly formed swelling shores. It is bounded by the ground just mentioned — by the Isle of Orleans, four miles down the river, and by a de- lightful country, on the north, and north-east, inter- sected by the Montmorenci and St. Charles' rivers, which fall into the bay; the ground slopes with charming declivity to the water, around which it I' ' '-if- "^r^rfuif. > ■;■; EC. he Mar- his posi- it off by irs Cape liar pre- brty-five d towers r embra- )d colors Citadel of this le lower t of the portion from this found it J appear- bay is a feet lake, IS. It is y the Isle by a de- ast, inter- L's' rivers, •pes with which it V 'I i. L- :y •> i» ■^. •M . ('; ^ . ' ^ • - ■♦ ' •H" f I « c c S( 1 e d tl .#•' tl ■^ ( \ '■ 1 . ;. .- — It 1 h tl tl b V I f r V, i-^r-ji,- '■if TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 231 sweeps gracefully like a bow, and presents in a long circuit, so many snow-white cottages — handsome country houses, and fine populous villages, that it seems for leagues almost one continued street. The land is finely cultivated, and even now, is cov- ered with the deepest verdure, and sprinkled with dandelions in full bloom. Back of this fine amphi- theatre of rural beauty, ranges of mountains stretch their shaggy summits, and limit the view. The harbor is one of the grandest imaginable, and the whole scene resembles extremely the pic- tures of the bay of Naples, to which, it is said by competent judges, to bear a strong resemblance. We had scarcely time to admire this fine scene, be- fore we were moored at the dock in the lower town, ) the midst of all the din of a crowded port. — vrliile we were waiting for the necessary arrange- ments to land, we had a few moments to contem- plate the new scene before us. Contiguous, was the lower town, skirting the upper, and embracing the feet of its rocky precipices. It makes a circuit of, I should imagine, almost two miles, and is crowd- ed in the most compact manner possible, on a nar- row strip of land, between the precipices and the St. Lawrence. The houses are so far below the walls of the upper town, that a stone could be drop- ped into the chimnies of the nearest, and it would, in most places, fall two or three hundred feet in the air, before it reached its object. One of the most striking objects before our eyes was the castle of St. Louis — the residence of the < 1 / IT M ill ife i n) «'' ■•^ I / I ^'' >' I . 232 TOFR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. governor. It is a hundred and sixty-two feet long, forty-five broad, and three stories high. It stands (almost impending over the lower town,) upon the very verge of the giddy precipice of two hun- dred feet in height, and lofty pillars are built up from the rock below to support its gallery, which runs the whole length of the building. It is a plain yellow structure of stone, and now exhibits no ap- pearance of a castle, although it was a fortress under the French government. From the castle, an observer may look down perpendicularly upon the houses of the lower town, and see all the confusion, even to the motion of a dog; all the offensive, as well as agreeable objects of a crowded port — the grotesque assemblage of buildings, peculiar (as is said) to an old French town; he may hear the rumbling of carts and drays, and the jargon of different languages, and he will inhale the smoke and gases from a crowd of chimnies, ris- ing to the foot of the building on which he stands. On the right of the castle, the massy walls appear again, and the black artillery, pointing over the par- apet, look like beasts of prey, crouching, and ready to leap upon their victims. We soon landed, under the auspices of Captain — — -, (our newly acquired military friend,) who politely showed us our lodgings, in St. John's street, had our baggage conveyed to them by his own servant, and called soon after to inquire for our welfare. DEC. feet long, It stands n,) upon two hun- I built up y, which is a plain its no ap- ess under »ok down wer town, )tion of a le objects nblage of nch town; rays, and ^ill inhale nnies, ris- ic stands, lis appear r the par- and ready f Captain •nd,) who n's street, y his own re for our I 1 \ .'1 I: ^ c I !i| i t / I U'l ^ I l(i k f / y j^i v » v-' ■^m • TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND I rir 1 1 34 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. ENTRANCE INTO QUEBEC. As we passed along the streets of the lower town, I could well have thought that we were in the Wap- ping of London. A swarming population, among whom sailors were conspicuous ; the cheering heigho! of the latter, working in the ships; the va- rious merchandize crowded into view, in front of the shops and warehouses ; the narrow compact streets, absolutely full of buildings ; the rattling of innumerable carts and drays, and all the jargon of discordant voices and languages, would scarcely permit us to believe that we were arrived in a remote corner of the civilized world. We did not feel so absolutely like strangers, as we should have done, without the countenance of the captain. I have already mentioned, that a for- tuitous acquaintance with this gentleman, on board the steam-boat, and an incidental disclosure to him of our views in visiting Canada, led to a good deal of intimacy, and, on his part, to offers of service. He is a captain of ; is still a young man, and being open, frank, and friendly in his deportment, he won our confidence, and did not withhold his own. We learned, that he served in the peninsu- lar war, both under Sir John Moore, and under Wellington ; he was with the former, when he fell, in the flight of the British army from Corunna, and with the latter, on various distinguished occasion*;. 'A m % IBEC. wer town, 1 the Wap- >n, among cheering s ; the va- in front of V compact rattling of 2 jargon of d scarcely in a remote rangers, as ntenance of , that a for- n, on board sure to him a pfood deal , of service, ig man, and leportment, withhold his le peninsu- and under hen he fell, orunnH, and d occasions. TdUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 236 His wife, a very fine young woman, who, with another lady, had come to the wharf to receive him, joined us, and, with this pleasant little party, we entered Quebec. The first street of the lower town, along which we passed, came to an abrupt termination, the last house standing at the foot of the precipice, when, turning suddenly to the right, into a street, one of whose sides was overhung by the frowning rock, we soon came to a foot passage of stairs, made of plank, very steep and high, and furnished with iron railings; this passage terminated in Mountain street, as it is called, from the steepness of the ascent. It is the only passage from this side into the upper town, and it was by no means an easy task to as- cend it, even on a good foot pavement. In the mean time, we admired the strength and agility of the little Canadian horses, which, with heavily loaded carts at their heels, perseveringly scramble up this arduous ascent, and with still greater care and firmness, sustain their ponderous vehicles when descending, and prevent them from hurrying themselves and their burdens, headlong down the steep. The castle of St. Louis, (literally a castle in the air,) was now seen immediately above our heads, on the left, at the distance of two hundred and fifty feet. It is completely on the edge of the precipice, which overhangs the lower town, and from its dan- gerous pre-eminence, appears ready to p-^rticipate i-'-'' '^■ •t 5 \\ V\^ ■:■ I ^ Hi-: * # If I i / < ' 4 236 tUUli BKTWKEH HARTFORD AND CtUBBEC. in the destruction which it seems threatening to all below. We now passed the grand Prescot Gate, under ponderous arches of stone, of great thickness and weight, and entered the upper town. The impression of every thing was completely foreign from any thing that we see in the United States. Buildings of wood, and even of brick, are almost entirely unknown. Stone, either rough from the quarry, or covered with white cement, or hewn according to the taste and condition of the proprie- tor, is almost the only material for building ; roofs, in many instances, and generally on the better sort of buildings, glittering, with tin plate, with which they are neatly covered ; and turrets and steeples, pouring a flood of light from the same substance ; these are among the first things that strike the eyes* of a stranger, entering the city of Quebec. If from the United States, he sees a new popu- lation, and, to a great extent, a completely foreign people, with French faces and French costume; the French language salutes his ear, as the common tongue of the streets and shops : in short, he per- ceives that, even in the very capital, there is onlj a sprinkling of English population ; it is still a French city; and^he Cathedral, the extenr-ive col- lege of the Jesuits, now used for barracks, and most of the public buildings and private houses, are French. He sees troops mingled, here and there, with the citizens; he perceives the British uniform. _.. -^. CBEC. ining to alt late, under ckness and completely the United f brick, are rough from Et, or hewn e proprie- ing ; roofs, better sort nrith which id steeples, substance ; ke the eyes ec. new popu- tely foreign h costume; he common ort, he per- tiere is onl} it is still a tensive col- [s, and most liouses, are J and there, ish uniform. TOUR EETWEBN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. f3T and the German in the British service, which remind him that the country has masters, different from the mass of its population, and although the milita- ry are, obviously, not subjects of terror to the citi- zens, the first impression borders on melancholy, when we see these memorials of an empire fallen, and of an empire risen in its stead. Sixty years have done little towards obliterating the Gallic fea- tures of the country, and with a pleasure very rare- ly experienced in similar cases, we involuntarily revolve in our minds, here is a country conquered, though not oppressed. m Trumpets and bugles now startle us with a sud- den burst of martial music, and we can hardly be- lieve that we are not arrived in a fortified town of Europe. ft was a fine morning, (October 7th,) and, as we were about to avail ourselves of this favorable weather, to visit some parts of the environs of Que- bec, I will first describe our carriage, which was THE CANADIAN CALASH. This is not unlike an American chaise or gig, but is built much stouter, and with or without a top ; the horse is much farther from the body of the carriage, and this allows room for a driver, whose seat rests 21 Vf ll l! ' \ )• 1 238 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND ^UEBVC. ¥ :^' on the front or foot board, of that part of the vehi- cle in which we ride ; this foot board, after sloping in the usual manner, then rises perpendicularly, to such a height, as to sustain the seat ; high sides are also furnished to the part where the feet rest in a common chaise, and thus children and baggage are secured from falling out. The calash carries two grown persons on the seat within, besides the driver, who is often a man ; his seat, and the board which sup- ports it, fall, by means of hinges, when the passengers are to get in, and the board and seat are then hook- ed up again to their place, when the driver mounts. In such a machine, which is the most common vehi- cle of the country, and is sometimes, as in the pre- sent instance, made clumsily handsome, we made our first excursion from Quebec. Our driver was Michael Gouvan, a very intelli- gent and obliging young man, a French Canadian, who spoke both English and French ; and his horse, (an iron gray,) was one of that small, but hardy breed, which being, in this country, left in their natural state, are extremely stout and courageous, and carry the heavy calash, and three men, appa- rently with more ease, than our horses draw our gigs, and two grown persons. (u It' EXCURSION TO BEAUPORT AND MONTMORENCI. I have already observed that it was a very fine morning ; the temperature was mild, and the skies i^ BBVC. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEi;. 239 the vehi- T sloping iilarly, to sides are rest in a rgage are rries two le driver, hich sup- issengers en hook- r mounts, non vehi- the pre- we made •y intelli- /anadian, bis horse, ut hardy : in their irageous, n, appa- iraw our )RENCI. very fine the skies bright, with a balmy softness in the atmosphere, ac- companied by a slight haziness; it is exactly like our Indian summer, and indeed, they here call this kind of weather by the same name ; we could not have had a more acceptable time for our little jour- ney of nine miles, to the falls of Montmorenci. We passed out at the gate St. John, on the north western side of the town ; it stands at the head of the street of the same name, and leads to a very ex- tensive and populous suburb, '^ituated entirely with- out the walls. This suburb exhibits many new and good buildings, and appears modern. We soon reached the beautiful meadows^ north-east of Que- bec, through which flows the river Charles On our left, was an extensive nunnery, quite Iry itself, in the fields j it appears to be the sarr, described bj Charlevoix, nearly a century ago, i nder the name of the hospital. For four miles, we passed through some of the most beautiful meadows which I have ever seen 5 they were neatly divided into small enclosures, by stakes driven into the ground, and secured at top, by a rail, fastened with withes ; the meadows were covered with thriving cattle : they were still rich in deep verdure, and woulrli h ve adorned the banks of the Connecticut, or of the Thames. The road through them, was much cut up by wheels, as this is a great thorou^h-f ire into Quebec, and the land is naturally moist and rich. Houses were scattered here and Ihere, upon the meadows, and when we ^ V I I w rt 240 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC* began to ascend the rising ground, we entered the extensive village of Beauport* This village, consisting of sixty or seventy hou- ses, is built principally on one street, of four or five miles in length, and extends quite to the river Montmorenci ; it is one of those, which I mention- ed as making so brilliant an appearance from the bay of Quebec. The farms and garden grounds of this village are "all in a flourishing state, and the orchards, and occasional clumps of trees, combine to render it one of the picasantest roads in the en- virons of Quebec. This village is the residence of many families of respectability."* The houses are generally of stone, covered with a cement, and white washed, roof and all; this gives lliein a very nt^at appearance, and makes them look very brilliant, even at a considerble dis- tance ; commonly they are of one story, sometimes of two, and inside they appeared very comfortable. The windows, as is generally the fact in the French houses, are divided, up and down, in the middle, and swing, like doors on hinges. There is in this village, a large and showy church, with three steeples, and on entering it, we found solitary individuals at their private devotions, orossing themselves with holy water, and silently moving their lips. This church contained a num* ber of pictures, and they vtrere ornamenting its ceil- ing with golden roses. * Bouohette. ired the nty hou- ir or five the river mention- fro m the 'ounds of y and the combine n the en- 'esidencc ired with all; thi» d makes srble dis- )metimes ifortable. e French middle, d showy ng it, we evotions. i silently d a num« g its ceil- TOUR BETWEEN IIAIITFORD AND QtJEBEC. 241 Our driver left his calash, went into church, fell on his knees, and said his prayers with much apparent seriousness. The Montmorenci is a small, but rapid river, rolling tumultuously, over a very rocky bottom, and just above the falls, is considerably smaller than the Housatonuck, at the falls of Salisbury, *in Con- necticut. Leaving our calash and driver on the high hill, which forms the western bank of the river, we crossed a bridge, and passed down the eastern side of the Montmorenci, which is also very high ground, and, as we approach the St. Lawrence, it rises, so as to be even still hi<^ -ler than the opposite shore. From this elevation, the beautiful island of Orleans, which is twenty miles long, and five wide, was in full view before us. It is well cultivated, contains about four thou, and^ inhabitants, and, next to Mont- real, is the most important island in the river. On the side contiguous to where we were, it slopes to the water's edge, and terminates in a handsome beach of sand. A similar beach, corresponds to it, on tha main; the ship channel h on the other side of the island. As we passed along through the fields, we found a man and boy ploughing. The oxen were yoked, not as with us, by the shoulders and neck, but by the homs» A kind of yoke lay upon their necks, and was fastened, by leather straps, to the horns; * Bouchette. 21* i * ;'^ i s :<] r.i • ■■■i.- ^*, 242 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. but no bow, or other contrivance, passed around the neck; thus the oxen draw entirely by (heir horns; and I am told that the French farmers cannot be induced to adopt our method, although it is obvious that the animal is thus sadly embarrassed, and can exert very little power. 1 saw, however, one yoke in another field, harnessed in our way. m «■ , id h] GEOLOGY. There is very little variety in the geology be- tween Quebec and Montmorenci. After leaving the city, the first objects that strike the eye, where the green slopes of the hills have been excavated, in quarrying, are numerous black rocks, very regu- larly stratified, and looking almost like great beds of coal. These rocks, which prevail through the village of Beauport, are black fetid limestone, in strata nearly horizontal, and presenting in the sec- tion of the hills, a remarkable *" 'ularity, almost architectural. The strata, being oivided by seams, both horizontal and vertical, look as if they had been laid up by the skill of a mason. The houses in Beauport, are generally built of this stone, and the people burn it into lime at their very doors. Its great regularity, and the ease with which it divides, must make it an excellent building stone ; while the combustible substance which it contains, will also 1* * SBEC. round the iir horns; cannot be is obvious , and can , one yoke ology be- er leaving :ye, where excavated, very regu- great beds irough the icstone, in in the sec- ty, almost by seams, y had been houses in le, and the ioors. Its it divides, while the , will also TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (QUEBEC. 243 aid, very materially, in burning it into quick lime. — These strata appear to be secondary limestone. The sualp, over which the Montmorenci falls, seem to be, (for I could not get near enough to be quite certain,) of the same description. I am fa- voured by Dr. John I. Bigsby, of the Medical staff of the British army in Canada, with the following facts, as to the '' succession of the strata a few yards above the bridge, at the falls of Montmorenci, on the west side of the river :" "The lowest visible rocks, rising six or eight feet from the bed of the river, are dough shaped mounds of granite, vertical, with a south-we^t direction, with many irregular quartz veins, half a foot thick. On it, lies a perfectly horizontal sand stone, so coarse as to resemble conglomerate, (1 suspect this sand stone is a coarse gray wacke.) It is four feet thick, and weathered red and white. Upon this rests light hair brown, highly crystalline limestone, very fetid, full of shells, vegetable filaments, massive blende, and a mineral, like brown spar. This gradually be- comes dull, less crystalline, and at length, at the top of the bank, is nearly a common blue lime (stone,) with a conchoidal frac ^r"., and still here and there containing small crystals or carbonates. The whole height here, is perhaps, forty feet." As we walked along upon the eastern bank of the Montmorenci, and approached the St. Lawrence, we found ourselves on the verge of a precipice, of three hundred feet in height: this terminates at the / :terpen- ne diffi^ great 1 to the ontmo- sily de- lorenci, } across ttrition, s small i about , upon iks, has bay, or I, or a lundred the St, iks, are red'feet tid lime le east- d slate, irts, be* TftUft BETWEEN HARTFORD ANB QlTfiREC. 246 come fetid by friction or percussion. At the upper end of this bay, the Montmorenci, after a gentle pre- vious declivity, which greatly increases its veloci- ty, takes its stupendous leap of two hundred and forty feet,* into a chasm among the rocks, where it boils and foams in a natural rocky basin, from which, after its force is in some measure exhausted in its •wn whirlpools and eddies, it flows away in a gen- tle stream, towards the St. Lawrence. The fall is nearly perpendicular, and appears not to deviate more than three or four degrees from it. This de- viation is caused by the ledges of rock below, and is just sufficient to break the water completely into foam and spray. The width of the stream, at the moment of its fall, is apparently, fifty or sixty feet ; it may be seventy wh©n the river is swollen by rains, or by the melted snows. The effect on the beholder is most delightful. The river, at some distance, seems suspended in the air, in a sheet of billowy foam,f and, contrast- * It is astonishing that Chnrlevoix states the fall of Montmo- renci as beins^ thirty feet wide, and only forty hi%h. 1 cannot but think that there must have been a typographical error in the omission of two hundred, before forty, especially, as Charlevoix states the height of the Niagara falls very nearly as they are now •stimated. It is not probable that a century has made much dif- ference with either. t It has been compared to a white ribbon, suspended in the air; this comparison does Justice to the delicacy, but not to the graa< deur of this cataract. 1 { • ' ■\ 111 ^ n, > J I 246 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AN£> (QUEBEC. ed. as it is, with the black frowning abyss, into which it falls, it is an object of the highest interest. As we approached nearer to its foot, the impres- sions of grandeur and sublimity were, in the most perfect manner imaginable, blended with those of extreme beauty. This river is of so considerable magnitude, that, precipitated as it is, from this amazing height, the thundering noise, and mighty rush of waters, and the never ceasing wind and rain, produced by the fall, powerfully arrest the attention : the spectator stands in profound awe, mingled with delight, espe- cially when he contrasts the magnitude of the fall, with that of a villa, on the edge of the dark preci- pices of frowning rock, which forms the wester* bSnk, snd with the casual spectators, looking down from the same elevation. But, these impressions are not sufficient to overpower the beauty of this cataract. The sheet of foam, which breaks over the ridge, is more and more divided, as it is dashed against the successive layers of rock, which it al- most completely veils from view ; the spray be- comes very delicate and abundant, from top to bot- tom, hanging over, and revolving around the tor- rent, till it becomes lighter and more evanescent, than the whitest fleecy clouds of summer, than the finest attenuated web, than the lightest gossamer, constituting the most airy and sumptuous drapery, that can be imagined. Yet, like the drapery of ■ome of the Grecian statutes, which, while it veils, iC. TOVR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,UBBEC. 247 S9, into interest, impres- he most those of de, that, ight, the ters, and sd by the spectator ;ht, espc- r the fall, irk preci- I western :ing down ipressioDS ty of this !aks over is dashed lich it al- spray bc- op to bot- the tor- ^anesccnt, than the yossamer, s drapery, rapery of e it veils, exhibits more forcibly, the form beneath, this does not hide, but exalts the effect produced by this no- ble cataract. The raiii-bow we saw in great perfection; bow within bow, and, (what I never saw elsewhese, so perfectly,) as I advanced into the spray, the bow became complete, myself being a part of its circum- ference, and its transcendent glories moving with ^very change of position. This beautiful and splen- did sight was to be enjoyed only by advancing quite into the shower of spray -^ as if, in the language of ancient poetry, and fable, the genii of the place, pleased with the beholder's near approach to the seat of their empire, decked the devotee with thi appropriate robes of the cataract, the vestal veil of fleecy spray, and the heavenly splendors of the bow. The falls of Montmorenci have been often de- scribed, and we had obtained tolerably definite and correct ideas of them, but their entire impression on us was beyond our expectations. Those who visit this place in the winter, see one fine feature added to the scene, although they may lose some others. The spray freezes, and forms a regular cone, of sometimes it is said one hundred feet in height, and standing immediately at the hot- tom of the cataract. It is even said, that some arc * Which was very copious, and, (if not averted by an unbrtfl- la,) would soon wet the obterver through hit clethei. \ n: ft I ii } •1, % 1 248 TOUR nETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. kardy enough to clamber up this icy tower. Captain informs us that he has performed this giddy ffeat. PRINT, NO. 7. ,f' In this yiew, on the right, are seen the rocky strata, rising from the St. Lawrence, and presenting their broken edges ; higher up, the precipice is cov- ered with sand, gravel, and ruins of the rocks, and with some poor verdure, and stinted shrubs. This high bank, here terminating abruptly on the great river, is continued around to the fall, forming the right side of the great curve, in the centre of which, appears the cataract. In the picture, the spray is but partially represented, and is less copious, and rises to a less considerable height, than in the scene itself. Just where the river commences its leap, some rocks are seen, breaking the current. Immediately in front, nearest to the observer, and just where some spectators are placed, the fall is seen with great advantage; perhaps, it is more beautiful there, than any where else; the views of it are, however, very fine at every position, as we advance towards it, (although the impending banks of ruinous and decomposed rock, look rather alarm- ing, as we pass along.) At the foot of the cataract, on the right, we perceive a projection of rock, halt veiling the bottom of the fall from view ; this rock is constantly wet and slippery, with the spray, and \'i RKC. Captain is giddy 16 rocky resenting ce is cov- ocks, and )s. This the great rming the of which, e spray is ions, and the scene s its leap, It. erver, and the fall is t is more e views of ion, as wc ding banks her alarm- e cataract, ' rock, half ; this rock spray, and 4 •ii I I, po*!!?i ■^ ■ >: ,1 ' ;,"-..M ..,; ■ i,i,,!,ii :':;ii, t f! I ■■ if.* I ^ 4 •«Ku HI f * 1 , •% ' « #.--_ .\<: -t ^ . * . • ^ * % A' - • ■♦ ■* <'.-»;;f;.*^f * * -. #■ - ■tr' *" j» .,*; ^v * ■' ' 4t- »^ -4, *■- ■ - ■'-'-■ ' « it>('4:- Li • iri *: ^ ^•^- *-'**>■, VI f ; -»! L Kl^ Otii /, •dm!. yl \:- ->! b f;,-^. bJiU ^^nnu.. Orr . 'dm). vl \ ■rO¥R BETWEEN HARTFORD AND HUEHEC. !24W the observer scrambles up its sides, with some difli- culty. but, when arrived there, he is fully compen- sated by the grandeur of the scene; if he advance over the other declivity of the rock, the bow at- tends his every step, and at some places, two or three concentric bows are seen. If willing to be thoroughly wet, and possessed of a little of the spirit of adventure, he may, by persevering in his advances even gain a peep behind the cataract. On the left, is seen the other side of the bay; it is composed of perpendicular ledges of black stratiti- j-jYf jck; (I presume it is the same fetid limestone, .,, h constitutes the basis of Beauport,) and on its ..•; i nit, a little removed from the edge, is a hand- -r«., ; villa. Almost exactly on the edge, and re- :,r,;; ^ling 3 low fcHce, is seen an aqueduct, which diverts a part of the river, just above the fall, and conducts it to a saw mill at the bottom of the bank. The tranquil basin, below the fall, at low water, presents to view, portions of the rocky strata, which torm its bed, and it is then fordabic, and also for some time, during the latter part of the ebb, and the beginning of the flow of the tide. # * * ' ' ' SAWMILLS AND LUxMBER. Just below the falls, on the right bank of the Montmorenci, at its confluence with the St. Law- 22 •'3 1\f\ »■ ', \ I ]i 250 TOUU BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. ™ /I '* ;i rence, the estabi Ml Patterson. for sawing lumber. The uiils, which are probably as extensive as any in the world, are fed by a stream, directed (as is already mentioned in the description of print 7,) from the Montmorenci, just above the falls. It is conducted along, on the high bank, in a lai^e artificial channel, of plank and timber, till, rushing down the inclined plane, form- ed by the great natural descent of the hill, it ac- quires a prodigious velocity, and, falling upon the water wheels, in the mill, at the bottom of the bank, it imparts an impulse, sufficiently powerful, to turn the machinery of a vast establishment, and per- forms a very great amount of labour. Nor does it injure the cataract, as Lieutenant Hall, in his trav- els, supposes it would ; for, it is no more missed from the stream of the Montmorenci, than a pebble would be from its banks. Contiguous to these mills, is a vast deposit of lumber ; much of it is afloat, and is guarded from floating quite away, by wharves and pillars, and by very extensive artificial dams, running out a great way into the St. Lawrence, and forming a large ba- sin. I cannot say with confidence, how many acres it appeared to cover ; my elevation on the contiguous bank, was so great, that I might be much deceived ; but it served, together with the deposits which we had seen at the Chaudiere, at Sillery, in Wolfe's cove, and other places, to give us a strong impres- ■ »'.; I'J'iu' t 'attersorj. probably fed by a ed in the enci, just on the plank and ne, form- ill, it ac- upon the the bank, il, to turn and per- or does it 1 his trav- re missed 1 a pebble deposit of ded from rs, and by ut a great I large ba- lany acres ontiguous deceived ; irhich we Wolfe's ; impres- m- TOUR BETWEEN HAIITPORD A\i) QUEliEC. 251 sion of the magnitude of the Canadian lumber trade ; it is, in fact; the principal business of the country ; and the ships waiting to receive ;it, are very nume- rous. A good deal of this lumber, as we were as- sured, comes from Vermont, and is rafted down Lake Champlain, and through the rivers Sorel and 8t. Lawrence. To us, who had never seen any thing to compare with the exhibition of lumber, on the waters around Quebec, this sight, and the other similar ones, ap- peared very remarkable. The number and size of the ships, also, that are waiting to receive it, far ex- ceeded our expectations, and evinced, that, if Great Britain cannot supply herself with lumber, on good terms, from any other source, this colony must, for this reason alone, be very important to her ; and, indeed it has obviously this great advantage, as a source of supply, that it is in a great measure, in- dependent of the contingency of war. As an article of trade, however, I am aware that lumber from its great bulk, and low value, makes a much greater show, than a commerce in many com- modities, which, in a much more snug way, may employ a much greater amount of capital^ and of profits. The Lumber rafts on the St. Lawrence, well de- serve to be mentioned among the curiosities of the river. We found some of them around us in the morning, as we were coming down to Quebec, and were amused with the view of these anomalous li N i I^'' l^ SI » 252 TO¥R BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. floating communities. Some of them occupied thousands of square feet on the water, and exhibit- ed an active, grotesque population, busy in steering these ponderous misshapen piles, down the current of the river; they erect huts upon them, and con- trive to concentrate upon the rafts, the few and coarse accommodations, which their frugal habits, and their tardy inland voyage may demand. We did not expect to find oppressively hot weather in Canada, so late as the 7th of October, but in clambering the precipices about the falls of Montmorenci, we experienced a degree of heat, like that in the middle of July. W V]EW OF QUEBF.C AND ITS ENVIRON3, FROM BEAU PORT. From the river Montmorenci, the ground gently descends towards the St. Lawrence, and towards Quebec, but as the distance is considerable, the ele- vation is sufficient to afford a good view of that city. Approaching it by water, from Montreal, we have only a glimpse of the upper town, but from the Beauport side, we see it perfectly. Most of the upper town is built upon a side hill, sloping rapidly to the north and east, and the view from Beauport, gives the idea of a fine city of considerable magni- tude. The roofs and spires, covered with tin, glittered to-day, in the bright meridian sun. The towers and . >'.| BEC. TOUll BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 253 occupied exhibit- steering le current |and con- few and [al habits, J* iv^ely liot 'October, e falls of of heat, FROM Jd gently towards » the ele- that city, we have oin the t of the rapidly Jauport, magni- • littered ers and lurretted walls, completely encircle the upper town, although they exclude the lower; and the suburbs, (now become almost as extensive and handsome, as the city itself,) are also in full view, with a considera- ble part of the lower town, and most of the ships ia the bay and river. The opposite shores of the island of Orleans, and of Point Levi, with the numerous farm houses and villages, that are conspicuous all around, end the luxuriant meadows, intersected by the Charles, ad- ded to the beauty of the prospect. Indeed, Quebec and its environs, present as mag- nificent scenery as can well be imagined. Towers and spires — walls and rocks — cascades and precipi- ces — swelling hills, and luxuriant vallies, and woody mountains — beautiful villages, and numberless sol- itary villas, and white cottages — with grand rivers, and crowding fleets, are all united to delight the spectator. Such scenes would be esteemed very fine in any country. PRINT, NO. 8. This print, although the scene is principally the same, does not exhibit exactly ihe view, from Beau- port, which was last described. The observer is not in Beauport, but is standing on the eastern side of the Montmorenci, on the bank, which is exhibit- ed on the right of print 7. Immediately before him, '^22 4 f *^ ( t V ! n y fi 254 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND q,UEBEC. i is the saw mill of Mr. Patterson, with floating lum- ber, and a ship waiting to receive it. On the right, is the high promontory, situated on the western side of the Montmorenci, and constituting the counter- part to that exhibited in the last print; the ship, and sawmill, and two adventurers, on the top of the precipice, give some idea of its height. From the mill, we see the aqueduct passing along the hill ; after it begins to descend from the heights, it is cov- ered on the top, with thick plank, strongly bound by timber, to prevent the water from overflowing, for the stream is so copious, as completely to fill this hollow box, through which the water is hurried with a frightful velocity. On the left is Point Levi, op- posite to Quebec, and distant from the observer five or six miles ; at the foot of this promontory, we see a little settlement, a port in miniature, and numbers of ships contiguous In the extreme distance, are the hills about the mouth of the Chaudiere river, and beyond it ; they are from twelve to fifteen, and even tvvtntv miles distant, and are situated on the right b.aik of the St. Lawrence. In the middio of the view, on the right, is the city of Quebec, exhibiting a part, both of the u^>pcr and lower town. This view may be considered as being, in (his respect, a continuation of thai, ex- hibited in prints ^o. 5 and G ; and, as beginning nearly where the latter leaves off'. We see the up- per town, with it'3 crowded bjjow of houses and ^ :s JEC, -^ ng lum- ■•■ le right, ,V: ern side ^ counter- le ship, p of the om the _4 he hill; t is cov- )und by '5- ing, for "A nil this -- aS ed with 1 ■*■ _. :vi, op- t^er five we see umbers ce, are ! river, ?n, and on the is the upper red as it, ex- inning If up- s and- — '^^ tV- '^^ ai ^ ,"*■. / • • i »'i • I — -^IM s *, r > TOUR BETWEEN" HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 255 I spires, and with the flag and telegraph on Cape Diamond, surrounded by its military wall, and dis- tant four or five miles; the wall passes along upon the very edge of the precipice of naked black rock. Immediately at the foot of this precipice, is a con- tinuation of the lower town, with its quays, ships, and ware houses, and, on its extreme right, we see the steep ascent to the palace gate. The promon- tory, on the right of the Montmorenci, intercepts the view of Bcauport, and of the beautiful slope from it to the St. Lawrence ; nor do we see the declivity of the city of Quebec to the north and west; from the highest parts that are in view, it de- clines very rapidly in that direction, towards the Charles river; and this part is extensive and popu- lous, and includes the fine suburb of St. Johns. In order to urderstand this print, and No. 5 and 6, it must be remembered, that (he front of the town, towards the St. Lawrence, is circular, pre- senting its convex side to the rivers, in the form of (he exterior curve of an amphitheatre. i li w I 1 1 H * BATTLE OF MONTMORENCI. The roar of the cataract — the beauty of the re- volving spray, and the splendors o( the rainbow, have not always been observed, in tranquility, at ♦ /^ Jl. Wm i« w 1 s i ':25() TOUR BETWEEN HARTFOIID AND Q,UEi:EC. Montmorenci ; for the flash, and the smoke, and the thunder of artillery, at a former period, overwhelmed these milder beauties, and the banks, and the waters of these rivers have, at their conflu- ence, been stained with blood. On the 27th of June, 1 759, General Wolfe, ar- riving in the St. Lawrence, with an armament equip- ped expressly for the reduction of Quebec, estab- lished his army upon the island of Orleans, while Admiral Saunders, with the fleet, occupied the channels and the bay of Quebec. On the 29th, General Wolfe detached General Monckton, with four battalions, to drive the French force from Point Levi, the promontory opposite to Quebec, and to occupy that place, a service which was suc- cessfully executed. The French soon after, passed over from Quebec, with one thousand six hundred men, to attack General Monckton, but fell into confusion — fired on one another, and retreated back to Ihe city.* General Monckton severely cannonaded and bombarded the city, from this point, and although his fire was quite destructive to the lower town, and very injurious to the build- ings in the upper, it made no serious impression on its defences, and left the place nearly as tenable as ever. Indeed, it is obvious from mere inspec- tion, that were the works of Quebec, on the side n« xt to Toint Levi, all destroyed, still it would be ^ «lencrRl Wolfe's di«p;xtch to his government. 01 TOUR BETWEEN HAUTFORD AND QUEBEC. 257 of little avail, towards an escalade of the preci- p' 'es, of naked rock, in sonne places more than three hundred feet high, on which the walls and towers are built. For many miles above the city, the left bank of the river is a mere precipice, or admits of easy and effectual defence, by a small number of troops, judiciously stationed. The only accessible ground, in the immediate vicinity of Que- bec, is the graceful declivity between the river St. Charles, which washes the north eastern part of the city, and the Montmorenci. This is the fine natu- ral slope, that appeared so beautiful as we entered the bay of Quebec, and stretches four or five miles, along the river, from Beauport to the St., Lawrence. Near Montmorenci, this declivity becomes very steep and of arduous ascent. This ground would, of course, invite a landing, but the Marquis do Mont- calm, had occupied every part of it, with an en- trenched camp ; batteries of cannon were placed at every accessible point, and his rear was defend- ed by a thick forest. Still, General Wolfe, seeing no prospect of re- ducing Quebec, except by first defeating the army by which it was defended, and perceiving no possi- bility of attacking that army, except by occupying this ground, took measures to effect that object. On the night of July 9th, he passed his army over the north channel, between the island of Or- leans and the promontory represented on the right of print 7. fie wished next to pass the Moatmo- m \ ■,.,i, , , 1.1 ^%.. a ; I ■r 258 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. renci above the falls, and to attack the enemy in the rear, but, there was no ford nearer than three miles up the river, and the opposite bank was entrench- ed, and so steep and woody, that it could not b« successfully attacked. ^ He had occupied with cannon, the precipice be- low the falls, which forms the right of the curve, in print 7; it is higher than the opposite side, to which the left of the French camp extended, and the vig- or of the fire from this battery, under the direction of General Townsend, prevented the French from erecting a corresponding battery, near the place where the aqueduct is represented, in the left of the picture ; this battery was therefore unopposed, and considerably annoyed the French camp. We saw the remains of the English battery ; they are still distinctly visible on the heights, north-east of the bay, below the falls ; the bank has now crum- bled so much, that the entrenchments are close to the edge of the precipice, and the observer, on ac- count of the frail support below, should be on his guard in approaching the brink. It has been already mentioned, in the description of print 7, that the bay below the falls is fordable, near, and at low water. General Wolfe determined to avail himself of this facili.y, and to attack the en- emy in front, in their entnuichmcits; to entilade and batter these, a great quantity of artillery was placed upon the eminence, and was served with much effect. »i' x-^ i.. \^-tS l i^^ I'. EBEC. emy in the hree miles entrench- uld not hv cipice be- e curre, in 3, to which 1(1 the vig- B direction 'ench from the place the left of mopposed, Tip. tery; Ihej north-east now c rum- re close to srer, on ac- , be on his description fordable, ietermined ack the on- to entilade tilleiy was 2rved with TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 2j9 It became necessary to pass the ford on the rock, and then to go around the point by the saw mill, which is exhibited on the right of print 8. The promontory there represented, immediately above the saw mill, cuts off, in a great measure, the view of the ground occupied by the French camp, and also the view of the beach where the English troops were to form. It was on the morning of the 31st of July, that the grenadiers, in the boats of the squadron, sup- ported by a part of General Monckton's corps from Point Levi, who were also in boats, proceeded for the shore ; they were thrown into some confusion, and detained a good while by accidental ground- ing, so that it was late in the afternoon, before they effected a landing on the beach, above the saw mill. The enemy had precipitately abandoned a redoubt, close to the shore ; the corps of Generals Townsend and Murray, which were to ford the Montmorenci, and come round to the beach, to unite in the attack, were on their way, and in good order, but the corps of General Monckton were not yet landed. The grenadiers, consisting of thirteen companies, aided by two hundred royal Americans, had orders to form in four distinct bodies, and to proceed to the attack as soon as they could be supported by Monckton's corps, and aided by the troops from the ford of the Montmorenci. * But, before Monckton's corps were landed, and before the other troops were at hand to support ■y I I Tl aUO TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD ANJ* ^UBBEC. them, and, without waiting to form, they rushed im petuously forward, running towards the "enemy's entrenchments, in the utmost disorder and confu- sion."* Their courage proved their ruin; they were cut down in great numbers, by a very hot and well directed fire, and, being unable to form, they retreated behind the redoubt, which the F'rench had abandoned, leaving their dead to be plundered, and numbers of their wounded to be murdered and scalped by the savages. General Wolfe now drew off his grenadiers, to form them behind General Monck- ton's corps, which was by this time drawn up on the beach, in " extreme good order." But it was now near night — a sudden thunder storm came on — the tide began to make — and the attack was abandoned, after the loss of between five and six hundred brave men, of the flower of the army, and Wolfe, fearing that, if he persisted any longer, his retreat might be cut off, quietly retired again to his camp, across the Montmorenci. This attack has often been censur- ed as rash, and, after viewing the ground, I presume most persons would pronounce hat judgment to be correct. General Wolfe himself, says : "The ene- my were indeed posted upon a commanding emi- nence. The beach, upon which the troops were drawn up, was of a deep mud, with holes, and cut by several gullies. The hill to be ascended, very steep, and not every where practicable. The * Wolfe's letter to Mr. Pitt. #..i. TOUR BKTWEEN HARTFORD AND qUEUEC. 261 enemy numerous in their entrenchments, and their fire hot. If the attack had succeeded, our loss must certainly have been great, and theirs inconsidera- ble, from the shelter which the neighboring woods afforded them. The river St, Charles still re- mained to be passed, before the town was invested. All these circumstances 1 considered ; but, the de- sire to act in conformity to the king^s intentions, induced me to make this trial, persuaded that a victorious army finds no difficulties."* General Wolfe expected, (had he succeeded,) to have penetrated the .t of the French camp, where his artillery, from the opposite heights, had made an impression. Without claiming to have any mili- tary knowledge, I may, perhaps, be allowed to say, that, after toiling up this hill, on foot, and finding it an arduous undertaking to one entirely unmolest- ed, it appears next to madness, to lead columns of men up a long and steep ascent, where, especially in a hot summer's day, they could not for many minutes, proceed upon the run, without being put out of breath, and- 'here the well directed fire of deeply entrenched troops, aided by artillery, must speedily cut down, (as it actually did,) one half of those who made the rash attempt, while they, in turn, could do their enemy little or no harm. It was an affair, extremely like Bunker's Hill, in almost all its circumstances, except that the French J r f^ } I * Wolfe's letter to Mr. Pitt. 23 f%*7 <■ IMAGE EVALUATdON TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 *^ Uii |2.2 2f lift ■« u& |l.25 ||||_U 1.6 < 6" ». / /w w /A Hiotographic Sdences Corporation 33 WIST MAIN STRUT WHSTIR.N.Y. 14SI0 (71*) •7a-4S03 t h 262 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. J,/ V T I possessed regular entrenchmentF, abundance ot cannon, and experienced commanders and troops, while the Americans, at Bunker's Hill, had nothing more than a small redoubt, and a very imperfect breast-work, thrown up in one night, and made, to some extent, of rail fence and haj, and were almost without cannon, and with commanders and troops, most of whom had never been in battle before. — Had thej/ been situated at Bunker's Hill, as the French were, at Montmorenci, they would, without doubt, have finally repulsed the assailants. If Gen- eral Wolfe had lived, and ultimately failed in the campaign, he would probably have been censured, with much severity, especially had he been frustrated in the attempt to gain the plains of Abra- ham, which he certainly would have been, had the French commander been as much on his guard there, as at Montmorenci. In the recital of the horrors of war, we view them with wonderful apathy, for the very reason, that ought to excite the deepest interest, because the results are given by hundreds and by thousands. In this vast aggregate of human woe, we forget the particular sufferings, and arc much less affected, (as has often been remarked by moral writers,) by the accounts of the slaughter of armies, than wc should be by the detailed exhibition, of the sufferings of a single soldier. But wc ought to remember that every wounded and dying man has his oion individ- ual agony ; and that it is not greater for a Wolfe. than for every private soldier. EBEC;. ndance oi nd troops, ad nothing imperfect id made, to rere almost ind troops, J before— lill, as the Id, without its. IfGen- liled in the n censured, he been nsof Abra- en, had the i his guard 3 view them reason, that because the utsands. In 5 forget the iffected, (as crs,) by the n wc should (ferings of a ember that )wn individ- ir a Wolfe. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AlfD QUEBFX. 2G3 The following anecdote* contains an account of the dangers and sufferings of two individuals, in this very battle, and the event happened on the very ground which we walked over in this day's excursion. I presume that, notwithstanding its length, I shall be excused for its introduction : — " Captain Ochterlony, and Ensign Peyton, be- longed tothe regimentof Brigadier-General Monck- ton. They were nearly of an age, which did not exceed thirty ; the first was a North-Briton, the other a native of Ireland. Both were agreeable in person, and unblemished in character, and connect- ed together by the ties of mutual friendship and esteem. On the day that preceded the battle, Captain Ochterlony had been obliged in fight a duel with a German officer, in which, though he wounded and disarmed his antagonist, yet he him- self received a dangerous hurt under the right arm, in consequence of which, his friends insisted on his remaining in camp during the action of next day; but his spirit was too great to comply with this re- monstrance. He declared it should never be said that a scratch, received in a private rencounter, had prevented him from doing his duty, when his country required his service ; and he took the fi«ld with a fusil in his hand, though he was hardly able to carry his arms. In leading up his men to the enemy's entrenchment, he was shot through the lungs with a musket ball, an accident which obliged * ^mollott'i Hiitory of England, Vol. V. p. 49. id V u t; .^* i"^ li :) (, ■1 k ^64 TOUR BETWEBN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. him to part with his fusil; but he still continued advancing, until, by loss of blood, he became too weak to proceed further. About the same time, Mr. Peyton was lamed by a shct, which shattered the small bone of his left leg. The soldiers, in their retreat, earnestly begged, with tears in their eyes, that Captain Ochterlony would allow them to carry him and the ensign off the field. But he was so bigotted to a severe point of honor, that he would not quit the ground, though he desired they would take care of his ensign. Mr. Peyton, with a generous disdain, rejected their good offices, de- claring that he would not leave his captain in such a situation; and, in a little time, they remained sole survivors on that part of the field. "Captain Ochterlony sat down by his friend, and, as they expected nothing but immediate death, they took leave of each other ; yet they were not altogether abandoned by the hope of being protect- ed as prisoners; for the captain, seeing a French soldier, with two Indians, approach, started up, and accosting them in the French language, which he spoke perfectly well, expressed his expectation that they would treat him and his companion as officers, prisoners, and gentlemen. The two Indians seemed to be entirely under the conduct of the Frenchman, who, coming up to Mr. Peyton, as he sat on the ground, snatched his laced hat from his head, and robbed the captain of his watch and monevt This outrage was a signal to the Indians !■ EHEC. continued recame too same time, 1 shattered oldiers, in IPS in their illow them But he or, that he esired thej jyton, with offices, de- aiin in such ' remained lis friend, iate death, y were not ig protect- j a French ed up, and which he xpectation ipanion as wo Indians net of the ton, as he t from his vatch and le Indians TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 265 for murder and pillage. One of them, clubbing his firelock, struck at him behind, with a view to knock him down ; but the blow, missing his head, took place upon his shoulder. At the same instant, the other Indian poured his shot into the breast of this unfortunate young gentleman, who cried out, * O Peyton ! the villain has shot me*' Not yet satia- ted with cruelty, the barbarian sprung upon him, and stabbed him in the belly with his scalping knife. The captain having parted with his fusil, had no weapon for his defence, as none of the offi- cers wore swords in the action. The three ruffians finding him still alive, endeavored to strangle him with his own sash; and he was now upon his knees, struggling against them with surprising exertion. — Mr. Peyton, at this juncture, having a double bar- relled musket in his hand, and seeing the distress of his friend, fired atone of the Indians, who dropped dead on the spot. The other, thinking the ensign would now be an easy prey, advanced towards him, and Mr. Peyton, having taken good aim, at the dis- tance of four yards, discharged his piece the second time, but it seemed to take no effect. The savage fired in his turn, and wounded the ensign in the shoulder ; then, rushing upon him, thrust his bayo- net through his body ; he repeated the blow, which Mr. Peyton attempting to parry, received another wound in his left hand ; nevertheless, he seized the Indian's musket with the same hand, pulled him forwards, and, with his right, drawing a dagger 23* I ?> H 4 ''2QQ TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. which hung by his side, plunged it into the barba- rian's side. A violent struggle ensued ; but at length, Mr. Peyton was uppermost, and with repeated strokes of his dagger, killed his antagonist outright. Here he was seized with an unaccountable emotion of curiosity, to know whether or not his shot had taken place on the body of the Indian; he accor- dingly turned him up, and stripping off his blanket, perceived that the ball had penetrated quite through the cavity of the breast. Having thus obtained a dear bought victory, he started up on one leg, and saw Captain Ochterlony standing at the distance of sixty yards, close by the enemy's breast-work, with the French soldier attending him. Mr. Peyton then called aloud, * Captain Ocaterlony, I am glad to see you have at last got under protection. Beware of that villain, who is more barbarous than the sav- ages. God bless you, my dear captain. I see a party of Indians coming this way, and expect to be murdered immediately.' A nunrber of those barba- rians ha'9 for some time been employed on the left, in scalping and pillaging the dying and the dead, that were left upon the (ield of battle ; and above thirty of them were in full march to destroy Mr. Pey- ton. This gentleman knew he had no mercy to ex- pect; for, should his life be spared for the present, they would have afterwards insisted upon sacrificing him to the manes of their brethrerf whom he had slaiu ; and in (hat case, he would have been put to death by the most excrutiating tortures. Full of this I rEBEC. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD i\KD QUEBEC. 267 If the barba- it at length, 1 repeated ist outright. )le emotion lis shot had ; heaccor- lis blanket, lite through obtained a >ne leg, and distance of ■work, with Peyton then am glad to I. Beware lan the sav- n. I see a expect to be hose barba- on the left, 1 the dead, and above oy Mr. Pey- nercy to ex- the present. [1 sacrificing lom he had been put to Full of this idea, he snatched up his musket, and, notwithstand- ing his broken leg, ran above forty yards without halt- ing; and feeling himself now totally disabled, and incapable of proceeding one step further, he loaded his piece, and presented it to the two foremost In- dians, who stood aloof, waiting to be joined by their fellows : while the French, from their breast-works, kept up a continual fire of cannon and small arms upon this poor, solitary, maimed gentleman. In this uncomfortable situation he stood, when he discerned at a distance, a Highland officer, with a party of his men, skirting the plain towards the field of battle. He forthwith waved his hand in signal of distress, and being perceived by the officer, he detached three of his men to his assistance. These brave fellows hastened to him through the midst of a ter- rible fire, and one of them bore him off on his shoulders. The Highland officer was Captain Mac- donald, of Colonel Frazer's battalion ; who, under- standing that a young gentleman, his kinsman, had dropped on the field of battle, had put himself at the head of this party, with which he penetrated to the middle of the field, drove a considerable number of the French and Indians before him, and finding his relation still unscalped, carried him off in triumph. Poor Captain Ochterlony was conveyed to Quebec, where, in a few days, he died of his wounds. After the reduction of that place, the French surgeons who attended him, declared that, in all probability, he would have recovered of the two shots he had 1 )»' ^•*. fv 'nM~-i i K a - a i^M i •If !^ ^\u ^* 368 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND ^VEBEC. received in his breast, had he not been mortally wounded in the belly, by the Indian^s scalping knife. * '^As this very remarkable scene was acted in sight of both armies, General Townshend, in the sequel, expostulated with the French officers upon the inhumanity of keeping up such a severe fire against two wounded gentlemen, who were disa- bled, and destitute of all hope of escaping. They answered, that the fire was not made by the regu- lars, but by the Canadians and savages, whom it was not in the power of discipline to restrain." 1 ' « ' I EXCURSION TO THE FALLS OF CHAUDIERE. Oct, 8. — With our faithful Gouvan, and our com- fortable calash, we crossed the St. Lawrence about the middle of the day. We had come down to the wharf much earlier, and waited two hours for the boat, which was detained on the other side, at the command of a party of the officers of justice, who had gone over to whip a culprit; at length, a great company of them returned in the boat, with their badges, and bringing with them the miserable man. As usual elsewhere, in such cases, it excited and gratified the mob, but the disgraced and chastised offender, wore an aspect very different from the consequential air of the constables, or from the grin- ning insolence of the populace. ■m - --*•",; ■* S" 7EBEC. en mortally n's scalping ^as acted in lend, in the >fficers upon I severe fire > were disa- )ing. They by the regu- es, whom it estrain." kUDlERE. ind our com* rrence about down to the iours for the side, at the justice, who ngth, a great t, with their lerable man. excited and nd chastised nt from the om the grin- ^^ TOUm BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 266 • Arrived on the opposite shore, we soon ascended the steep heights of Point Levi— saw where Gene- ral Monckton erected his batteries, to bombard the city, previous to the unsuccessful battle at Moatmo- renci — and enjoyed a brilliant and new view of Que- bec, and of its environs — the fortifications and pre- cipices appearing particularly grand from this eleva- tion. DESCRIPTION or THE VIGNETTE. — (See title pOgt.) VIEW OF QUEBEC FROM POINT LEVI. No position, in which we were placed, afforded us so impressive a view of the rook of Quebec, and particularly of its castellated appearance, as this from the summit of Point Levi. After the prints that have been already described, this will be readily intelligible. The distance is about one mile. On the extreme left, is a glimpse of the heights and plains of Abraham — on the extreme right, the hills about Beauport and Montmorenci. Immediatt^ly before us, is the rock of Quebec; and the exi-^rd of the part that is seen, is about one mile : nearly the whole of it is, literally, a naked rocky preci- pice, almost black, and composed of enormous strata of slate and limestone, very rude, both on account of their natural contortions, and the effects of blasting, and of other forms of violence upon them. On the summit of the rock, on the left where 1 1 i \i W ■ I. i ■* '^^, t |5 l! >li k/ \\ 270 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC* it is three hundred and forty-five feet high, is the citadel, standing on Cape Diamond ; some way to the right of this, where the rock declines considera- bly in height, appears the castle of St. Louis, (more distinctly exhibited in print 6.) Still further to the right, and scarcely distinguishable among the build- ings, is the Prescot gate, at the top of Mountain street, which comes obliquely up from the lower town, and affords the only communication on this side of the rock. Beyond the gate, on the left, is seen the English Episcopal Cathedral, and, to the right, the Roman Catholic Cathedral, the parliament house, the seminary, &c. and, in froBt of these last, is the wall of the city, with embrasures and cannon, forming the grand battery, which occupies a lower level, or natural platform of the rock, here about two hundred and thirty feet high. At the foot of the rock, is the lower town, and, if we add to it that part exhibited from Montmorenci, (print 8,) we have then very nearly the whole of the lower town ; it may be added, that print 8, and this vignette, in connexion, exhibit nearly the whole of the rock of Quebec. Nearly on the extreme left of the rock, at the foot of Cape Diamond, in the lower town, is the place where General Montgome- ry was slain, on the mornings of December .31, 1775, and} on the right, at the foot of the rock, or grand battery, is the street wher« General Arnold's party were defeated and captured, ou the same occasion. UEhECt high, is the ome way to s considera- jouis, (more irther to the ig the build- er Mountain n the lower eition on this n the left, is and, to the e parliament of these last, and cannon, ipies a lower , here about lown, and, if [ontmorenci, he whole of print 8, and ly the whole extreme left nond, in the Montgome- er 3 1, 1775, ck, or grand mold's party ne occasion. TOUR BETWk-iiN HARTFORD AND QUEREC. 271 This vignette is the only print in this volume, that is not original. It is common at Quebec, on bank bills, and, Mr. W , finding it so very exact a representation of the fine scene, which we contem- plated from Point Levi, adopted, and copied it, with some slight variations. The engraver has given it still greater precision, by reference to the view of Quebec, on Colonel Bouchette's topographical map of Lower Canada. li The villages through which we passed, were not so well built as Beauport ; a larger proportion of the houses were constructed of logs, and the people ap- peared not in so good circumstances ; but still they were comfortable. The road to Montmorenci was rough ; that over which we were now passing was smooth, and, com- pared with any other roads that we had seen in Can- ada, it was very fine. We passed through a large settlement, sustained principally by the great lumber establishment of Mr. Caldwell, and soon arrived at the mouth of the Chaudiere river, over which we were ferried. During our whole ride from Point Levi, we had been gratified by a succession of fine views ; the river — the opposite shores, precipitous in almost every direction — the heights of Abraham — Cape Diamond, and the upper and lower town — the « •■11 f . «' f 273 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. slopes of Beauport, and the heights of Montmorenci — the Isle of Orleans, and the bosom of the river — some of these features were constantly, either in prospect, or in retrospect ; and we saw many scenes which would have been well worthy of the pencil. Among these, one was selected, of which the an- nexed print is a representation. PRINT NO. 9. This scene, which we thought not to be ex- ceeded in beauty by any that we saw in Canada, was sketched from the left bank of the Chaudiere river, at its mouth. Our road from Point Levi, con- ducted us to the foot of the precipice of rock, which is seen on the opposite side of the Chaudiere ; and, while a larger boat was getting ready to convey over carriages and horses, Mr. W. had the good fortune to cross first, in a small boat, and occupied the few moments, before the rest of us arrived, in securing the outlines of this grand and beautiful prospect. It was seen by the mildest, softest light, of an Indian summer afternoon— not more than two hours before sun-setting ; and there was a mellowness in the tints, especially of the remoter objects, which, notwithstanding the grandeur of some of the fea- tures of the landscape, excited still stronger percep- tions of beauty. These impressions were heighten- ed by contrast, with the deep black gulf, immediate- ly below the observer, and a little to the right. — it tUEBKC. Vlontmorenci if the river— lly, either in many scenes >f the pencil, vhich the an- ot to be ex- vf in Canada, ie Chaudiere int Levi, con- f rock, which udiere ; and, > convey over good fortune ipied the few 1, in securing prospect. t light, of an lan two hours lellowness in jects, which, J of the fea- nger percep- ere heighten- ', immediate- the right. — I •l.ai» h< r ««:■*-•■- ■ i' •■ . '^ h-i ! /, \ '^^^% ■V'\'^ ■*''♦ N <-- *^ «i TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND flUKBEC. 273 This is the mouth of a very considerable river, the Chaudiere, which here, coming from the south- cast, pours 'ts black waters into the deep green St. Lawrence, and is so imprisoned between very ab- rupt, precipitous shores, principally of rock,^ but overhung in part by forest, that, from the high bank where the view was taken, only a part of the river is seen. Some idea of the height of these banks will be gained, by comparison with the ships, which here lie securely anchored in the mouth of the Chaudiere ; they are European ships, in quest of lumber, and appeared to be generally of between two and three hundred tons burden. On the right, at the distance of six or seven miles, we see Point Levi ; in the middle of the ex- treme distance, are the hills about Montmorcnci, distant about twelve miles ; on the smooth expanse of the river between, numberless ships are seen to repose, surrounded and tinged, by the peculiarly attempered light, of what I presume /?am/er5 would call a perfect Claude J. f i '•^r 274 TOUR BETWEEN HAUTFORD AND <4UeBEC. lit' ' ' After crossing the Chaudiere, our road became more rough, and was evidently much less frequent- ed. In mounting the bank from the Chaudiere, it was so steep, that it was with difficulty the horse dragged up the empty calash. Somewhat less than two miles from the falls, we turned into the fields, and, at a farm-house, obtain- ed a French Canadian to act as our guide through scenes, which, we were assured, would, to stran- gers, soon become quite a labyrinth. It was not long before we were obliged to leave our calash, and proceed on foot, when, crossing a small river, we entered a forest, where an obscure cart path, soon dwindled into a foot path, which we pursued over a rugged and unpleasant variety of surface. The afternoon was very hoi, and we were much fatigued, but our journey was rendered less irksome by the society of Mr. H d, an interesting young Hibernian, who had accompanied us from Quebec. Owing to our detention at the ferry, it was nearly sunset when we arrived at the falls, and we were too much hurried to enjoy the Chaudiere quite at our leisure, as we yesterday did the Montmo- renci. The Chaudiere is a river of considerable magni- tude, but, owing to its numerous rapids, fills, and various obstructions, it is scarcely navigable, even i m •• tl.i> <, *■ <4U£BEC. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND q,UEBEC. 27o ^iv ' road became less frequent- Chaudiere, it ilty the horse fi the falls, we louse, obtain- uide through uld, to stra li- lt was not e our calash, a small river, ire cart path, h we pursued of surface, ire were much d less irksome resting young from Quebec, it was nearly and we were here quite at he Montmo- irable magni- iHs, falls, and vigabic, even for canoes. It rises from the Lake Mogantic, near the American territory : its general width is from four hundred to six hundred yards, and its course is more than one hundred milos long, 'i'he banks arc, in general, high, rocky, and steep, " the bed rugged, and much contracted by rocks, jutting from the sides, that occasion violent rapids."* Among the falls in this river, those which we had come to visit are the most considerable. Salient points of rock narrow the river so much, that its breadth does not exceed four hundred feet, and the descent is estimated at one hundred and thirty.^ Enormous masses of rock lie on the shore, contiguous to the falls, and, by similar masses, the cataract is divided into three parts, which reunite, I before they plunge into the abyss at the bottom. Ledges of clay slate, alternating with gray wacke slate, and red slate, here form the natural dam, over which the water is precipitated. I saw no granite, as Lieutenant Hall mentions in his travels ; and, as the region is a t''ansition one, I doubt whether he has not fallen into a mistake on this point. We emerged from the deep gloom of the forest, exactly at the place where the cataract becomes visible, although the sound produced by it, (at a distance scarcely audible,) had been for some time rapidly increasing on the car. This cataract is grand, and wild, and turbulent, roaring, and dashing, and foaming over its irregular * Bouohcltp. ^w fV / 276 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. '■! ■ { bf bariier — current encountering current, and all plunging into a restless whirlpool, boiling with in- cessant agitation ; thence, undoubtedly, its French name of the Pot, or boiling Cauldron. Colonel Bouchette has given the following accu- rate sketch of these falls :— '* The continual action of the water, has worn the rock into deep excava- tions, that give a globularfigure to the revolving bod- ies of white foam, as they descend, and greatly in- crease the beautiful effect of the fall ; the spray thrown up, being quickly spread by the wind, pro- duces, in the sun-shine, a most splendid variety of prismatic colors. The dark hued foliage of the woods, that on each side press close upon the mar- gin of the river, forms a striking contrast with the snow-like effulgence of the falling torrent ; the hur- ried motion of the flood, agitated among the rocks and hollows, as it forces its way towards the St Lawrence, and the incessant sound, occasioned bj the cataract itself, form a combination that strikes forcibly upon the senses, and amply gratifies the curiosity of the admiring spectator." The falls of the Chaudiere are, by many, con- sidered as superior to those of the Montmorenci ; but, although vastly grander on account of their width, and the great quantity of water, they did not strike us, ns having such peculiar benuties, and as differing so much from common cataracts ; that of Montmorenci is probably without a parallel in North-America. > N > QUEBEC. rent, and all oiling with in- lly, its French I. bllowing accu- >ntinual action > deep excava- revolvingbod- ind greatly in- fall ; the spray the wind, pro- did variety of foliage of the upon the mar- ntrast with the rent ; the hur- nong the rocks awards the St occasioned by Dn that strikes y gratifies the t)y many, con- Montmorcnci ; count of their r, they did not enutieSf and as Eiracts ; that of a parallel in ri TOVR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 277 The Chaudiere is interesting, from its connexion with a projected road^ to the United States. The Canadian settlements on the river du Loup, are seventy miles from the nearest American settle- ments on the Kennebec, and only twenty from the American line. A mountainous ridge intervenes — it is quite wild, but is intersected by numerous rivers and streams, and would, without doubt, afford practicable passes for roads. A mutual good un- derstanding between the contiguous countries, would soon effect the object ; indeed, Massachusetts, be- fore the late war, appointed commissioners for the purpose of making a road to the height of land : 7'his will probably be effected at a future, and not very distant period, and will bring Quebec within a distance of no more than two hundred miles by land, from Hallowel, on the Kennebec ; and thence to the ocean, the communication is uninterrupted. By this road, it will be only three hundred and seventy miles to Boston. From Quebec, there is already an excellent road for fifty miles up the Chaudiere, and n tolerable one to the settlements on the river du Loup.* ♦ It was by this route, that Geiwral Arnold's party, in 1775, penetrated tu Quebec. i Bouchettc. 24* 1^ I /^X ->-/l ^j^^m. t«7 f 278 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC^* It was eight o'clock, and quite dark, before, on our return, we reached the ferry, at Point Levi ; the steam-boat had stopped for the night, and no persuasions or temptations of ours could induce the boatmen to put out again. Fortunately for us, a party arrived soon after, who appeared to be persons of injfluence, belonging to Quebec, and they indu- ced the boatmen to go ; we fell into the train, and thus they did us good, probably without intend- ing it. Our late arrival gave us the pleasure of enjoying a night view of Quebec, from a position where, otherwise, we should not have seen it. The few lights that were visible, in the upper town, served merely to mark its outline. The lower town look- ed like the illuminated foot of a gloomy mountain. It was so dark, when we landed, that the dirt of the lower town could not be seen, and we wound our way up through the steep and intricate passages, rendered faintly visible by a few lamps, which shed just light enough to exhibit the antique fashion of the houses, and to render us sensible of the gloom ©fits narrow crowded streets. Mr. W— rode, but I walked with Mr. H d, and just as we pass- ed through the perfectly dark arch of the Pres- cot gate, and issuing into the city, a flash, like light- ning, illuminated the upper town, and was instant- ly followed by the thunder of the evening gun. It seeded but little help from imagination to make us believe that we were entering a fortress of the dark n. ._,^^_ ■ *♦<• * '—- A^ aVEBEC« TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND h army, * Except perhaps on their coDfines. 7. ) QUEBEC. it having gained id met the enc- th and West of it you leave the f elevated tract he fact, as they lich terminate at le from trees and were nearly so* tary friend, Cap- eling, remarked, [//«.*' I went to iiy guide assured up ; a foot path, ushes to the spot, n, posted on this ole army, le dawn, that the )ice, and by day rfcct preparation, as no sooner in- rere in possession 1 he prepared to marched his army entrenchments at en o'clock the two ntcalm's numbers the English army, confines. TOUR UETWKEN HAKTFOflD AND QIJEBEC. 206 but nearly half of his troops were Indians and Ca- nadians, while the whole of Wolfe's were disciplin- ed corps of the be^^t description. The French general could not now, as at Montmorenci, avail himself of the cover of entrenchments, behind which undisciplined troops, especially if skilled in marksmanship, have often repelled the assaults of veterans. Montcalm made, however, the best possible dis- position of his troops — apportioning his regulars, in such distinct bodies, along the line, as to sup])ort the irregulars, in the most effectual manner. In front, among the corniields and bushes, he placed one thousand five hundred of his best marksmen, prin- cipally Indians and Canadians, whose destructive fire was patiently borne by the British line;* but they reserved their own till the enemy, whose main body they perceived rapidly advancing, was within forty yards, when it was poured in upon the French, and continued with such deadly effect, that it could not be withstood. The French fought bravely, but they were broken, and notwithstanding one or two efforts to make a stand, and renew the attack, they were so successfully pushed by the British bayonet, and hewn down by the Highland broad sword, that their discomfiture was complete. The battle was particularly severe on the French left, and the Eng- lish right. This ground is very near the St. Law- •The adranced guards had exchanged sliots for some hoars before. 25 i 'V i i 4 }'{ ' w \ ■-.. „.«►•■«•—' *>s U ( ! 2B6 TOUK BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (iUEBEU. h^ rence, and but a little distance in front of the cita- del, and all the events that passed there, must have been distinctly seen by those on the walls of Que- bec. It must have been a most interesting spec- tacle, and we can easily enter into the feelings of the American French, who viewed their country and their city, and their firesides and homes, as in- volved in the issue of this battle. With what emo- tions then, must they have seen their defenders, not only falling in the ranks, but driven by the furious onset of the enemy, to the walls of the city, where they were slaughtered by the bayonet and broad sword; on the very glacis, and in the ditches, im- mediately under their eyes* About one thousand of the French were killed and wounded, and more than half that number of the English, and it is thought that the French army would have been to- tally destroyed, if the city had not opened its gates, to receive a part, and if another part had not taken refuge in the works over the St. Charles. Montcalm was on the French left, and Wolfe on the English right, and here they both fell in the critical moment that decided the victory. Wolfe, early in the action, received a bullet in his wrist, but he bound it around with his handkerchief, and con- tinued to encourage his troops; soon after, another ball penetrated his groin, but this wound, although much more severe, he concealed, and persevered, till a third bullet pierced his breast. It was not till that moment, that he submitted to be carried into •*. - ^ (iU£lSLC. nt of the cita- ere, must have walls of Que- :eresting spec- the feelings of their country I homes, as in- ith what emo- defenders, not by the furious he city, where net and broad le ditches, im- ; one thousand ded, and nnore lish, and it is have been to- kened its gates, t had not taken irles. , and Wolfe on oth fell in the :tory. Wolfe, in his wrist, but chief, and con- 1 after, another ound, although nd persevered, It was not till )e carried into TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (JUEBEC. 287 ihe rear of the line : he was no longer able to stand, and leaned his head upon the shoulder of a lieuten- ant, who sat down for that purpose — when, being aroused by the distant sound of " they fly — they fly," he eagerly asked, " who fly ?" and being told it was the French, he replied, then " I die happy." He asked to be sustained on his feet, that he might once more behold the field, but his eyes were al- ready swimming in death, his vision was gone, and he expired on the spot. This death has furnished a grand and pathetic subject for the painter, the poet, and the historian, and undoubtedly (consider- ed as a specimen of mere military glory,) it is one of the most sublime that the annals of war aflbrd. From my earliest childhood, I had ardently wished to see the plains of Abraham, and to stand on the place where Wolfe expired. To-day I enjoyed that pensive satisfaction, and easily passed in imagina- tion, from the quiet and security in which we saw these beautiful plains, to the tremendous collision of ten thousand men in arms. A round stone of red granite, four or five feet in circumference by two or three in diameter — not a fixed rock, but a loose stone, marks the spot where Wolfe expired in the moment of victory. This stone was placed here thirty years after the battle*— and is one of the four stones arrai)gc.'*' n 288 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. surveys of land. This stone has been so much round- ed, by having portions detached by visitors, that it was , with the utmost difficulty I could knock ofTa small piece. Fortunately, the entire stone is too large to be carried away, and it cannot be broken to pieces, except by gunpowder. . A fine mounument to Lord Nelson, graces the market place in Montreal — but there is no monu- ment to Wolfe, even on the spot where he fell. When I expressed to an English officer, my sur- prise at this omission, he reminded me, (what in- deed might have been very obvious upon a little re- flection,) that the feelings of a French population wore not to be forgotten, and, that such a monument might be offensive to them.* The victorious hero has engrossed the plaudits of the world, but Montcalm deserved as much com- mendation as Wolfe. Except the massacre at Fort William Henry, (which, however, it is said he ex- erted himself, although unsuccessfully, to prevent,) I know of no other imputation on his memory ; and in talent, military skill, and personal courage, and devotion to his king and country, he was in no way inferior to his rival. He survived long enough to write a letter, with his own hand, to the English * Nearly opposite to our lodgings in St. Juhn-strcet, is the only monumeut to VVolf-, which we saw in Quebec. It is a statue, 1 believe, of wood, handsomely carved, and about as large as life ; it is in the milit»ry costume of that day, and is said to be a gooU liken«>99 of VVolfc. It «tand» in a niche, in the angle of a bouse, or aliop, and exposed to the weather. '; • QUEBEC. > much round- isitors, that it could knock entire stone it cannot be ler. >n, graces the is no monu- re he fell, ficer, my sur- me, (what in- pon a little re- ch population li a monument the plaudits of as much com- ssacre at Fort is said he ex- U to prevent,) memory ; and courage, and (vas in no way )ng enough to to the English street, is the only . It is a statue, 1 It as large as life ; said to be a g;ooU angle of a bouse, \\\ TOUR BETWEEN HAUTFORD AND QUEBEC. 289 General, recommending the French prisoners to his humanity, and, when informed that his wound was mortal, he expressed great satisfaction that he should not live to see the fall of Quebec, which capitulated five days after. Montcalm's second in command, General Senezergus, also died of his wounds. „ Had Montcalm succeeded in preserving Canada from conquest, and had Quebec been successfully defended by his valor, his fame would have been extolled as much as that of Wolfe now is. This victory was, in its consequences, of immense importance. It eventually terminated a long course of bloody wars ; it gave permanent peace and secu- rity to the English colonies, rescued their vast fron- tier from all the horrors of savage warfare, and even contributed largely to the general pacification of Europe. It is one of the great epochs of Amer- ican history. The French dominion in America, utterly incompatible with the repose or safety of the English settlements, and, after enduring one hundred and fifly years, was soon to be finally ter- minated. Thus a providence, probably at the time unseen and unobserved, by any of the parties, was preparing the way for American independence. No American can, therefore, contemplate with indifTerence, the spot where Wolfe fell, and so mu gallant blood was spilt. The French had still a powerful army, and some naval force about the city, and in the ensuing 25* Si» v $ ■\" » ■ / t- Ji 290 TOUR BETWEEN HAHTFORD AND QUEBEC. >s ! i I f 'J t spring, Monsieur Levi approached it from Mon- treal, for the purpose of recovering it from the Eng- lish. General Murray, who commanded in Que- bec, marched out to meet him, and, on the 28th of April, 1760, a bloody battle occurred, three miles above the city, at Sillery ; the English army, very much inferior in numbers, to the French, was se- verely defeated, with the loss of one thousand men, and the French, it is said, suffered still more. The English retreated into Quebec, to which the French now laid siege, and, very possibly, would have re- duced it, but for the arrival of an English squadron, with reinforcements, when they abandoned the seige, and retired up the river. How large a portion of the history of modern Europe is occupied by the wars of England and France ! What rivers of each other's blood, as well as of the blood of other nations, have not these rival empires shed ! Heroic, enlightened, refined, learned, enterprising, both claiming the name of christian } had their efforts been equally directed to promote the welfare of their own respective do- minions, of each other, and of the world, by culti- vating the arts of peace, and the virtues of civil life, what good might they not have done! But like ferocious beasts of prey, they have hunted each other out of every niche and corner of the globe ; every colony, every little cluster of traders, or of agriculturalists — every wandering bark, if belonging to the rival power, has been exposed to these cruel assaults. QUEBEC. from Mon- rom the Eng- ded in Que- ll the 28th of three miles 1 army, very 3nch, was se- lousand men, 1 more. The ;h the French ould have re- ish squadron, andoned the ry of modern England and ir's blood, as lave not these ;ned, refined, the name of Lially directed cspective do- Drld, by culti- J8 of civil life, ne! But like hunted each of the globe ; traders, or of {, if belonging to these cruel TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 29 1 In which quarter of the world, on what ocean or sea, in what country, on what island, or on what coast, of remotest India or America, have they not opened each other's veins, till the earth cries out upon them, for blood unrighteously shed ? FORTIFICATIONS OF QUEBEC. The strongest town in America, and one of the strongest in the world, demands a brief notice in this respect, although it will be such, as one unskil- led in military affairs, can give. It is quite obvious, from what has been said, that Quebec is possessed of great natural advantages. The lofty perpendicular precipices of naked rock, which, on the south and east, separate a great part of the lower town from the upper, constitute, in themselves, on those sides, an insurmountable bar- rier ; the river Charles, with its shallow waters, and low flats, of sand and mud, drained almost dry, by the retiring of the tide, forms an insuperable impe- diment to the erection of commanding works, or to the access of ships on the east and north, not to mention that all this ground is perfectly commanded, by the guns from the upper town. The only vul- nerable point is on the west and south, from the plains of Abraham. Cape Diamond, the highest point of the town, it is true, is rather more elevated than any part of the plains,^ but the highest ground *' Only ten or fifteeo (ect.^ Bouehelte. if •*» # t. < r/-'*' ..^ -r^ I ! J! 292 TOTJR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (^T'EREC. ^ * . .1: on the plains of Abraham, (the place which is called Ferguson's house,) " commands most of the works on this side of the town ;" besides, there is no bar- pier of rock, no river, ravine, marsh, or other natu- ral obstacle, to hinder an approach upon this side ; this is the vulnerable side of Quebec, and here, therefore, it is fortified with the most anxious care. " The distance across the peninsula, from one river to the other, in front of the line of fortification, is one thousand, eight hundred thirty-seven yards,"* or very nearly, one mile — the circuit within the walls, is two miles and three quarters — immediate- ly without, it is probably three miles, and the aver- age diameter is one thousand five hundred yards, or very nearly six sevenths of a mile. A complete wall of massy hewn stone, construct- ed with elegance, as well as strength, completely encircles the town, and is furnished with strong massy arches and gates, and with deep ditches. It reminded me, much more than any thing that I have seen, either in England, or in my own coun- try, of the strong places of the Netherlands, partic- ularly of Breda, and of Bergen op Zoom. The walls of Quebec vary much, in difierent parts, in height and thickness. Every where, how- ever, they are high enough to render escalade very difficult, and a breach almost hopeless. In the strongest parts, next to the plains of Abraham, they * Bouchette. f^TEREC. fOUtt BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 293 ■ \: hichis called of the works ere is no bar- •r other natu- )on this side ; c, and here, inxious care, la, from one fortification, iven yards,''* it within the — immediate- ind the aver- indred yards, le, construct- completely 1 with strong ditches, ny thing that ly own coun- lands, partic- >m. in different where, how- iscalade very 2ss. In the braham, they appeared to me forty or fifty feet thick, and equally high. Even the lofty precipices of naked rock, are surmounted with a stone wall, and with cannon, and the highest points are crowned with towers, and dis- tinct batteries. In general, the curtains of the wall are looped for musketry, and projecting bastions present their artillery towards the assailants, in every direction, and, of course, so as to rake the ditches. A military man at Quebec remarked to me, that, in storming a place, they preferred attacking the bat- tery or bastion, rather than the curtain, because the cross fire cuts down so many in the ditches. ' When we visited the plains of Abraham, we drove out and in by the gate St. Louis, where the wall appeared to be fifty feet thick, and nearly as high ; this was the judgment we formed, without eiitquiry — I need not say, without measurement.* A deep ditch succeeds, and then there is an exterior, but lower wall, and another ditch, both of which must be scaled, before the main wall can be approached. A storming party would be dreadfully exposed, while mounting this exterior wall. The avenue to the gate is bounded, on both sides, by a high wall, and makes several turns, in zigzag. At every turn, cannon point directly at the approaches ; and gen- erally, down every ditch, and in every possible di- rection, where the walls can be approached, great guns are ready to cut down the assailants. * We were afterwards informed by a British,officer, that actual measurement gave this result I y X 1 )- f 294 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. I have sevenal times remarkecl, that the promon- tory of rock, which constitutes the loftiest point of the upper town, is called Cape Diamond, and that, upon this, is erected the famous citadel of Quebec. This is not, as one might suppose, a building, or castle, covered with a roof; it is open to the heav- ens, and differs from the rest of the works, only in being more elevated, stronger, and therefore more commanding.* The highest part of the citadel, is Brock's bat- tery, which is a mound, artifically rais^ !, higher than every thing else, and mounted with cannon, pointing towards the plains of Abraham. It was named after General Brock, who fell at Queens- town, and was erected during the late war, about <^he ti'tjc that Montreal was threatened, by Gen- Crkis Wilkinson and Hampton. This commands every part of the works on that side, and is intend- ed, I presume, besides the general objects of de- fence, to operate, in the last resort, on an enemy who may scale all the other walls. The citadel is forbidden ground, and, by rule, no person, not be- longing to the military, or the supreme government is admitted into it. By special favor, however, we enjoyed this grati- fication ; the sentry, at first, refused to let us pass, although under patronage which commanded his res- pect ; but atlength, with much reluctance, he yielded. * As I saw it in 1819> now (in 1824,) such important additions have been made to the citadel, that I know not whether this part ef the text is correct. ^' 'i the promoii* ftiest point of »nd, and that, ;1 ofQuebec. building, or to the heav- ^orks, only in erefore njore Brock's bat- lis' \f higher ivith cannon, lam. It was 1 at Queens- e war, about ed, by Gen- 18 commands nd is intend- bjects of de- on an enemy ^he citadel is rson, not be- : government ed this grati- let us pass, nded his res- £3, he yielded. lortant additions hetber tUis part TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND qtTEnEC. 29if This course of conduct is usual in such places, and may be judicious here, as preventing numcous and troublesome visits, but it appears very unneces- sary in a military point of view, for, the more the strength of the citadel is made known, the less dis- posed, I am persuaded, will any enemy be to aUack it. Commodore Bninbridge, during his recent vis- it here, (I understand,) was freely shown the citadel and every part of the fortifications; an<) I heard a British officer say, that, in his view, it was quite ri- diculous to pursue any other course, and to pretend to any secrecy about the thing. Still, however, I suppose the officers to have orders from their supe- riors, not to introduce persons here, for the day af- ter we had been in the citadel, I was with two Brit- ish military men, of considerable professional and official influence, and, while they were showing me some apartments, contiguous to the citadel, 1 hinted a wish to see it, if it coujd be permitted, but was answered politely^ although decidedly^ that it could not. I did not tell them that I had already seenit.* Every other part of the fortifications may be free- ly visited by every body, but, on the side next to the St. Charles river, the sentry refused to permit me to approach the embrasure ; I wished to see how high the wall was at that place. * I understand, that now, (1824,) there is no longer aiy seriout (lifTioulty ia bbtainia^ admission to $ee Cape Diamond. -J ^ 14 'M: \%:. h M I;, a I 29G TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AM) QUEBEC. From the citadel,* the view of the river, of the town, and of the surrounding country, is, of course, extremely grand and beautiful, but, in this instance, the rapid advance of evening, rendered the distant objects indistinct. We were, however, very forci- bly struck with the formidable preparations, which seem on all sides, to render an attack upon the place a hopeless enterprise. Within the walls are nu- merous magazines, furnished with every implement and preparation, and more or less proof against the various missiles of war. Piles of cannon balls are every where to be seen, and, 1 presume there are some hundreds of heavy cannon mounted on the walls, and in the various defences. About forty acres of ground, within Cape Diamond, are reserved for military works.f Beyond the walls, on the plains of Abraham, are the four Martcllo towers, already mentioned ; they are solidly constructec! jf stone, and appear to be forty feet high, and, at the base, have probably a diameter not much inferior ; as they have cannon on their tops, they, of course, sweep the whole plain, and effectually command it; the particular object of their construction, was to prevent an ene- my from occupying the high ground, on the plains * A new citadel is now erecting on Cape Diamond, as strong as the modern improvements in fortification can make it (Private communication from Canada, Jan. 25. 1824.) -^ Bouchette. ^i^. A % qUEBEC. river, of the is, of course, this instance, d the distant ir, very forci- ations, which pon the place «ralls are nu- iry implement )of against the uon balls are ime there are )unted on the About forty I, are reserved Abraham, are ntioned ; they appear to be ive probably a have cannon the whole the particular revent an ene- on the plains mond, as strong as take it. (Private ep TOUR BETWEEN' HARTFORD AND UUE. £C. 297 of Abraham. These towers are very strong, on the side most remote from the town, and weaker on the side next to it, that they may be battered from it, should an enemy obtain possession of them. On the whole, as long as the river is in possession of those who defend the town, and as long as the latter is sufficiently furnished with men, and other means necessary to render its fortifications efficient, there appears little hope of taking it at all, and certainly not without such an expense of blood, as it is very painful to contemplate. An officer of the garrison informed us, that it took him one hour and a half, merely to visit all the sentinels on duty, upon the various stations on the walls; this appears to evince, that the walls cannot be much less than three miles in circuit; and the same military man gave it as his opinion, that it would require at least ten thousand men for a com- petent garrison. The cold is so intense in the winter nights, par- ticularly on Cape Diamond, that the sentinels can- not stand it more than one hour,* and are relieved at the expiration of that time. It is in vain to attempt to conceal, that the Cana- dians, and the government, in their various defen- * And even, as it is said, at much shorter intervals, in cases of the most extreme cold, reaching probably, almost or quite, to the freezing point of quicksilver. The present winter, 1S23-4, the public prints inform us that the cold has reached 41 degrees below at Quebec. 26 t-A^ I \ I \b 11 . I ^ 298 TOUR r,ETvvEi:x iiautford and Quebec . ces, (and it is said that still more expensive works are in contemplation,*) have reference to danger from only one source. It is to be hoped that the attempt to take Quebec by force, will never again be made, for, if it has al- ready cost so much blood, with defences compara- tively weak, what would it not cost now ?f GEOLOGICAL REMARKS. The limited opportunities which I have enjoyed, of examining the geology of this vicinity, have led, rather to isolated, than to connected observations. It has not been in my power to ascertain the bear- ing and relations of these facts, and this I regret the more, as it is probable that interesting results would be obtained, by a more extended and connected survey. * We are recently informed, by the newspapers, that these new works are going on yery rapidly. July, UJ20. t Going into a book-store in Quebec, I observed in one of the Gazettes of the city, a paragraph, copied from a recent American paper, to this efiect, that, if it should be ever desirable to take Quebec, it could, at any time, be easily done, in two months, at the point of Iht bayonet. Surely such a remark is indecent, with respect to a people, with whom we are now in amity ; and, to any one who has ever seen Quebec, it appears superlatively ridicu- lous, and only exposes us to contempt ; an effort to take the moon al the point of the bayonetf would be almost equally rational. tUEBIIC . jnsive works ;e to danger take Quebec *, if it has al- es compara- ■?t ave enjoyed, ty, have led, )bservations. lin the bear- 3 1 regret the esults would connected i, that these new jd in one of the ecent American esirable to take two months, at indecent, with ty ; and, to any atively ridicu- ttike the moon y rational. % *. TOUfi liKTWEEN ilAIlTPOUlJ AM) (iLKHEf;. 299 In speaking of the mouth of the ClKuuliere river, I have ah-eady observed, th;it j^ray wackc forms the clitls on the eastern side. It has never before fallen to my lot, to observe this rock on so great a scale. It occurs in a scirnlo^o form, at the falls of the Chaudiere, and coustitiilc-- a principal part of the barrier, over which the torrent is precipitated. On the road from Point Levi to the Chandiere river, and for several miles before we arrive at the latter, vast ledges of common gray wacke, rise above the surface of the ground, and form a continued chain of rocks, of a very peculiar physiognomy, and very diderent from those rocks, with which I have been most familiar. This gray wacke is of a most indubitable character, and varies from coarse to fine grained; in the coarsest kind, the individual por- tions are not larger than peas, and I have observed a very fine grained kind, with which they pave some of the streets in Quebec ; its grain is so small, as to be almost imperceptible. I did not learn whence it is brought. At Point Levi, the road up the precipice, from the river's edge, is cut with much labour, through cliffs of slate, very highly inclined — much contort- ed, and containing imbedded limestone, which ap- peared to me like that of the transition class; but my examination was very hasty and slight. It is very probable that this forniaiion extends under the bed of ( je river, and substantially ap- pears again in the precipices of Quebec, which I If r:' Ifl <■;) J 4 111 II I ^ ifi. I, H ( >:i 300 TOCil liETWEE.V HAIlTrOKD A^•I) CtUELKC. tbund an opportunity to examine with some atten- tion. The name of Cape Diamond, is derived frofri the fact, that what the common people every where call diamonds, or, in other words rock crystals arc found in this rock and at its foot. I walked around these precipices, with my ham- mer in my hand, and observed the crystals in their places ; they occur in veins, in argiliite or slate, along with crystallized carbonate of lime. I passed through the gate, on the north east, and de- scended the oblique road, whieh leads to the lower town ; this street is, in a manner, cut out of the rocky strata, and I had very good opportunities to observe them ; I continued my examination around at the foot of the precipices beyond Cape Diamond, and almost to the plains of Abraham. The fortifications of Quebec stand principally upon, and are composed chiefly of slate rock and of the fetid limestone; the slate is highly inclined, and is sometimes remarkably twisted and irregular in its arrangement*, the colour is dark — almost black, and it is often fetid when struck. This is explained by its association with compact fetid limestone, which abounds in many parts of these ledges, and is replete with veins of white or slightly coloured calcareous spar — sometimes fibrous in its structure and sometimes distinctly crystallized. I observed the same rocks appoaring in the upper town, in various places, and esprcially where thfy some attcn- Jerivcd frotri every where k crystals are vith my ham- y^stals in their llite or slate, me. I passed ast, and de- s to the lower it out of the portunities to nation around ape Diamond, id principally late rock and ghly inclined, and irregular dark — almost uck. This is ompact fetid arts of these lite or slightly fibrous in its ystallizcd. 1 in the upper where ihoy TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD A^D qUEBEC. 301 were cutting a drain near the prison. Dr. Wright, the Inspector General of Hospitals at Quebec, was kind enough to show me a collection, which he is forming, of the rocks and minerals of the country, and among them were a good many specimens from Upper Canada. I was much gratified to see such a beginning in Quebec, and from the zeal and intelli- gence of Dr. Wright and of Dr. Bigsby* of the same department — may we not hope that we shall become much more extensively informed than now, as to the mineralogy and geoloicy of the Canadas ? The very highly inclined position, sometimes al- most vertical, and the contorted structure of the slate of Quebec — with the abundance of perfectly limpid quartz crystals, occtisionally an inch in length, that are sprinkled between the layers of slate, giving it often an elegant appearance, seem to forbid our regardiiig it as secondary, notwithstand- ing its association with the blnck, compact, fetid limestone, and its being itself (occasioiinlly at least) fetid, on percussion. I am told, ti)at both the slato and the limestone, as well as strata of wacke, (gray wacke ?) are subordinate to gneiss mounlains, which run east south-east, and rast norlh-east dipping southerly at a verv elevated an2;le. On the whole, nsthe slate is the prevailing rock, and as the region on the other side of tiie St. Lawrence, is decidedly a transition formation, 1 am inclined to refer the * This summer acting with the commijsiouers of boiinJaiies c» the great lakes. 26* I J i : 1 i »1 1 ^''i 30i TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND qUEBEC. Ml ( ii \ if ) 'i I 1 * rock of Quebec to the same class. The crystals of quartz were formerly more abundant, und proba- bly, more beautiful, than at present. 1 found numbers however, that were not only transparent and beautiful, but crystallized all around. As I was hammering upon a rock, to which 1 had climbed, so far up one of the precipices, that 1 was above the chimnies of the houses, in the contiguous parts of the lower town, a man came running out, and with a French accent, and much vehement ges- ture and expostulaiion, conjured me to desist, un- less I meant to bury him and his house in ruins, by causing the rocks to fall. I saw no danger, as the rocks appeared tolerably firm, but of course desist- ed and came down. Indeed so large a number of the houses in the lower town are built against the foot of the precipice, or very near it, that the rocks look as if t})«>y might at any time fall and crush them; it would seem as if they must of course do so, should any of them give way. We were inform- ed that a great mass fell, recently, and much en- dangered many houses, but happily missed them ; one house is said to have been crushed last winter, but I did not hear that any life was lost. I examined the rocks on the plains of Abraham, and particularly near where General Wolfe died, for there was an open quarry at that place ; they were slate of the same description with the preci- pices at Cape Diamond, and I observed no other on the plains, and none in the rocks of the town. QUEBEC* The crystals t, und proba- re not only )d all around. which 1 had >s, that 1 was e contiguous running out, jhement ges- desist, un- ! in ruins, by inger, as the ;oursc desist- 1 number of ; against the hat the rocks 11 and crush of course do were inform- much en- nissed them ; d last winter, t. of Abraham, Wolfe died, place ; they th the preci- ed no other of the town. ^ ( ^ TOUR BETWEE HABTFOKD AND QUEBEC. 303 but slate and the svyinestone ; these two stones are almost exclusively employed in building, and the walls as already observed, are constructed prin- cipally of them. NOTES ON THE MINERALOGY OF QUEBEC, Furnished by a Scientific Friend. The promontory on which stand the city of Que- bec, and its fortifications, to the south-east, is a near- ly perpendicular escarpment, varying in height from two hundred to three hundred and seventy feet. Towards the N. and N. W. it slopes in abrupt de- clivities for twelve or fifteen hundred yards, and ter- minates in the valley of the St. Charles by a long and somewhat shivered precipice, about eighty feet high. The great body of this celebrated rock is brown- ish, or bluish black limestone, without lustre, of ve- ry conchoidal fracture, of variable hardness, of the sp. gr. 2.5 or 2.6 and effervescing on exposure to acids. It is more or less slaty : — the majority of its lam- ina; are a foot thick, but many are quits shaly, when a degree of lustre is observable. The strata are placed at an high angle with a S. £. dip; frequently they are vertical, as on the face of some parts of Cape Diamond ; and occa- sionally the dip is N. W. The precipice at the west end of Sault au Matelot Street in the lower «n| ( i 304 TOWR. BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBKC, : fi h \ ^ }' I Pi I Hi/ •• * town, exhibits some singular but not unprecedent- ed contortions in its layers. Two contiguou s strata, (followed in a less degree by the surrounding ones) slowly open, and in the space of eight or ten yards rejoin each other leaving an oval interval some yards broad, resembling the belly of a vein, — and filled with the black limestone of the locality, so traversed by veins of bitter spar that it is not possi- ble to trace in it any particular structure. Great disorder exists in other parts of this neighbourhood. Three hundred yards to the W. the strata runs S. E. and dip vertically ; and on advancing still westward are fonnd to have even a soutii-west inclination. In the quarries of the sui)ui hj? ot' St. John, the direction and dip of the rock are obscured bv an assemblage of what, on a hasty visit, I am inclined to cotnider natural cleav;it^es of j^reat dimensions. These cleavages have often the high polish and metallic glaze of pottery — an appearance also ob- served on many of those continuous tiheets of rock, several hundred feet square, which form the face of the precipice overlooking the St. Lawrence, at the iarther end of Champlain street, 'i'heir colors are black, brown and red. These smooth faces arc not uncommon elsewhore, and are also frctjuently covered, in patchcj*, with the black limestone, in doughy c«atings<, in hi^h relieved, and extended limbs, as if (iicy had flowed, lava-like, in a semi- fluid state. 'J'his is quite common in jrrav warke, and is daily seen in the action of temporary tor- unprecedent- > cotTtiguou s ; surrounding eight or ten interval some a vein, — and locality, so is not possi- ;ture. Great igbbourhood. ita runs S. E. still westward clination. 1. Jolin, the scured by an i am inclined dimensions. ) polish and Mcc also ob- eets of rock, »rm the face (iwrence, at 'J'hcir colors )tli faces arc o frctjuently mestonc, in id extended in a semi- (fay wafke, iporary tor- TOUR BETWEEN UARTFOllD AM) QUERKC;. 305 rents on sandy cliffs Large masses of earth fall into the ravine, the streamlet, for the moment, flows of the consistence of soft paste, overspreading the neighboring grounds, and on the outskirts of its in- fluence, consolidates, in branch-like prolongations, raised above the surface over which they ramify. Conglomerates and gray wacke are interleaved conformably with various parts of the rock of Que- bec ; but they are in very inconsiderable proportion to the whole mass. They ere most numerous on the northern and northwestern side of the promon> tory : and at the place near Sauit au Matelot Street, already noticed for the irregular disposition of its strata, the entire face of the precipice consists of a calcareous conglomerate, of rounded ash colored nodules of very various sizes, scattered sparingly through L dark cement — the common rock proba- bly. It extends some hundred yards westward, and is lost in the body of the hill. From Palace Gate, west, along the cliff over- hanging St. Roche, layers from one to twelve feet broad, of another species of puddingstone, are inter- posed between the strata of black limestone. Two are visible near Palace Gate and one in Major D'Estimauville's garden in the suburb of St. John. The matrix and its contents are in equal proportion, and are well mixed. The nodules are seldom so large as an inch square ; and are often rounded. The general colour is greyish brown. A disagree- able odour is perceptible on percussion. Fragments 4 \ P :VI ^ •*■ 06 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. % ••f . of chlorite, and grains of iron pyrites are often imbed- ded in it. In tljc face of tiie precipice below, and to the cast of Major D' Estiniauviile'S 2; u-den, there is a largo oval bed of this piuldiiie;^itoiifi contained in the stra- tified rock ; — into which it penetrates in numerous veins. In St. John's suburbs, from this garden, about N. E. five hundred yards (speaking loosely) a kind of puddingstone similar to the one first mentioned ap- pears. It is twelve feet broad ; the nodules are ve- ry small, sparing and rounded. On the left of the foot of the first descent into St. Roche's from St. John^s Gate, opposite to Mr. Shepherd's excellent house, layers of light brown homogeneous limestone, of small breadth, alternate several times with the black species. Their tex- ture is indistinctly crystalline. The gray wacke is well defined, very compact, and makes its appearance in the ditch to the left of St. John's gate. By reason of its situation it is on- ly visible for 50 yards. It dips S, E. at a high an- gle, and is rcmaikable in being at one part 12 feet broad and at some distance from thence only six. Another stratum of gray wacke, I am informed, is to be seen on Cape Diamond, in an excavation which is now filled with water. The accidental minerals of this limestone arc as follows. There are the white rhomboidal calcspar in large masses, and in veins of large size :•— a fibrous; "•''«Jv,-,*'»-*i»»' •tJEBEt;. Dften imbed- d to the cast re is a largo 1 in the stra- in numerous irden, about ?ly) a kind of lentioned ap- dules are ve- scent into St. osite to Mr. ' light brown idth, alternate 1 Their tex- ery compact, to the left of ation it is on- t a high on* c part 12 feet \ce only six. informed, is vation which estone are as )idal calcspar le:— afibrou«? TOUR BETWEEN UAUTB'OUD ANu Q,UEBEC. 307 calcspar in mass, but without the lustre of satin spar: the cubic, rhomboidal, pyramidal, and pearl spar crystals, variously modified, and lastly numerous clusters of opaque white capillary crystals, two thirds of an inch long at most, super-imposed on their ends, and radiating from a point in an extremely beautiful manner. They effervesce on exposure to acids. All these spt* cies occupy drusy cavities and the sur- face of the strata ; and are greatly intermixed with themselves and with the fine rock crystals which arc found here in great abundance. Their form is the six sided prism with the ordinary pyramidal acu- minations. They are often much flattened, and are seldom equiangular. The prism not unusually disappears, leaving a twelve sided crystal. They are not often imbedded, but usually super-im- posed, laterally or terminally. The crystals are single or agglutinated masses, being in the latter case full of rents and of a brown earthy matter, or in rare instances containing a drop of pale bitumin- ous oil. They are either colorless, with an ex- tremely high lustre, or of a smoke brown hue. Minute seams of coal, very light, jet black, shin- ing, have been met with in the cliff of the Grand Battery. A few drachms of a black pitchy matter are oc- casionally collected from the cavities of the rock — but it has not hitherto been examined. Some workmen, while blasting on Cape Dia- mond, laid open a small druse of calcspar accom- • J \i i VI V i| i > 1 1 is 1 1 ■V 1 1 i\ 1 1 '' I ■.•' ^-- I i 308 TOLU BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. panied by two rudely crystallized masses of fluor spar. I have not applied any tests ; but feel as- sured they are fluor. Helitrope is found loose in considerable quanti- ties on the outside of St. Louis' Gate — I have not seen it in place. It polishes excellently. ] consider the Linncstone of Quebec to belong to the transition class of rocks, from its composi- tion and structure, from its inclination, and from its being conformable to the vast transition formations, t^'ith which it is surrounded, excepting in the di- iVection of Beauport. The altenations of common slate — grey wacke — quartz rock and chlorite slate, which constitute this intermediate order recline on the north upon mountains of gneiss, mica slate and various forms of granite, rocks which they again meet on the southern frontiers of Lower Canada. The horizontal lime stone, of Beauport and Montmorenci, is in all probability a projection or tongue of secondary rocks, extended from the formations of Montreal and the Ottawa ; with which they correspond in character, and with which I believe them to be connected in fact. DEATH OF GENERAL MONTGOMERY. Every American on visiting Quebec, of course, inquires for the place, where Montgomery and his associates fell. This question 1 proposed many times, without being able to obtain a satisfactory an- f- ■ v-;?:: QU£U£C. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND ^UCBP.C. 309 U sses of fluor but feel as- irable quanti- — I have not tly* 5C to belong I its composi- I, and from its »n formations, ng in the di- is of common chlorite slate, order recline 5S, mica slate i which they srs of Lower of Beauport a projection ded from the )ttawa ; with id with which t. )MERY. c, of course, Kiery and his )posed many itisfactorv an- swer, but, in my mineralogical visit to the lower town, where I knew that the event occurred, I re- peated my inquiries, till 1 ascertained the street, which as described by historians, passes at the foot of Gape Diamond. Many persons in Quebec, know little or nothing of the event, and many more feel no interest in the topic. I inquired in vain, at several houses and shops, within a few hundred yards of the placi , till at last, 1 was so happy as to find an individual, who appeared to be perfectly acquainted with the whole transaction, and from the precision ai»d distinctness of his story, and the clear views he had of the ground, and of the event, I have no doubt that his information, as to the place, was correct. He was confident that he shewed me the exact spot where the barrier stood, from which the fatal shot was fired, and the precise place where Montgomery and his companions were cut down. It is immediately under Cape Diamond, and was, at that time, as it is now, a very narrow pass, between the foot of the impending precipice, and the shore; ves- sels then were moored to rings fixed in the rock, some of which rings still remain, although wharves have been since constructed at the water^s edge ; now there is a road just wide enough for a cart ; it has been cut out of the solid rock. The American camp was on the plains of Abraham. Four points of attack were agreed on — two /f»«/5 against the walls of the upper town, one at St. John's gate, and 27 V lis 1 I: 310 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND ^UEBEt;. the other near the citadel, while two real assaults, were to be directed against two other points, both in the lower town, but situated on opposite sides. General Arnold led a party fronri the plains of Abraham, around by the river Charles, and assault- ed the lower town on that side. In the mean time, General Montgomery approached under Cape Dia- mond. The pass at the foot of Cape Diamond, was probably, then much narrower and more difficult than at piesent. The attempt was made at five •'clock, on the morning of December 31, 1775, in the midst of a Canadian winter, and of a violent snow-storm, and of darkness. The path, narrow and difficult at best, was then so much obstructed by enormous masses of ice, piled on each other, as io render the way almost impassable.* Montgom- ery's party were therefore obliged to proceed in a narrow file, till they reached a picket block house, which formed the first barrier. The general assist- ed with his own hands, in cutting down and remov- ing the pickets, and the Canadian guard, stationed /or its defence, having thrown away their armj, fled, after a harmless random fire. The next bar- rier was much more formidable ; it was a small bat- tery, whose cannon were lo&ded with grape shot, and as General Montgomery, with Captains Chees- man and Macpherson, the latter of whom was his aid, and others of the bravest of his party, were Marshall. Q,UEBEt;. real assaults, r points, both opposite sides, the plains of s, and assault- be mean tinne, ler Cape Dia- 3iamond, was more difficult made at five r31, 1775, in of a violent path, narrow ch obstructed 3ach other, as * Montgom- I proceed in a : block house, 'eneral assist- rn and remov- ird, stationed y their armi, ^he next bar- ls a small bat- 1 grape shot, )tains Chees- vhom was his party, were TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 311 pressing forward towards this barrier— a discharge of grape shot killed the general, and most of those near his person, and terminated the assault on that side of the town. It is said that this second barrier had also been abandoned, but that one or two persons returning to it, seized a slow match, and applied it to the gun, when the advancing party were not more than forty yards from it. This occurrence has been sometimes differently related. Some American gentlemen who were at Quebec about sixteen years since, saw a man, who asserted that he was the person who touched off the cannon, and what is very remarkable, he was a New-Eng- lander. He related, that the barrier was abandon- ed, and the party who had been stationed at it were in full flight ; but as it occurred to him, that there was a loaded cannon, he turned, and dis- charged it at random, and then ran. This anecdote I had from one of the gentlemen who conversed with this man. That there was some such occurrence, appears probable, and the following circumstances, having a similar bearing, were related to me by the person who shewed me this fatal ground. The spot may be known at the present moment, by its being somewhat farther up the river, than the naval depot, where great numbers of heavy cannon are now lying. The battery stood on the first gentle decliv- ity, beyond this pile of cannon, and the deaths hap- pened on the level ground, about forty yards still a *i i 4 ;c^''Jpears, in a Quebec, and TOUR BETWEEN HARTrORD AND QUEBEC. 313 I can even conceive that, in twenty years more, it may be difficult to have the place accurately desig- nated. It would be easy now, with permission of the government, to have an inscription, cut upon the neighboring precipice of rock, which is not six feet from the place, and, I presume, were the re- quest properly preferred, no objection would be made. " All enmity to Montgomery expired with his life, and the respect to his private character pre- vailed over all other considerations 5 his dead body received every possible mark of distinction from the victors, and was interred in Quebec, with all the military honors due to a brave soldier." " The most powerful speakers in the British Par- liament, displayed their eloquence in praising his virtues, and lamenting his fate. A great orator, and veteran fellow-soldier of his, in the late war, shed abundance of tears, whilst he expatiated on their past friendship and participation of service in that season of enterprise and glory. Even the min- ister extolled his virtues."* During our visit to the citadel, the place of his interment was pointed out to us. His bones (as is well known,) were recently transferred to New- York, more than forty years after their original interment, and now lie buried, contiguous to the monument, erected by Congress, in front of St. Paul's Church. * Annual Register, for 1776. 07* n ♦ -— -. t t •« 'B" •> 314 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (QUEBEC. H v\ GENERAL ARNOLD'S PARTY. In the existing accounts of the attack made by General Arnold's division, it is not easy for a per- son who is unacquainted with Quebec, to under- stand, precisely, where the scene of operations lies, nor how there was to be a co-operation with General Montgomery. Perhaps the following re- marks may have a tendency to render this scene intelligible, and especially to those who may seek for information on the spot. General Arnold's party entered through the su- burb of St. Roch, which lies oo the river St. Charles, north-west of Quebec, without the walls, and is an appendage of the lower town. Having been obli- ged to abandon the only cannon which they had, they passed, through the street St. Roch, which leads in a south-west direction, towards the wall, and then turning to the left, by (he Intendant's Palace, proceeded on, towards the St. Lawrence, parallel to the city wall, and at a small distance from it. Here it was that, during a march of near- ly half a mile, the party, with very little injury, sustained the fire on their right flank, from the walls. Without regarding this heavy fire, they pressed on towards the enemy's first barrier, which was in the street called Sault des Matelots.* This street commences in the lower town, on the St. * Sec Colonel BouchcUe> plan of Qurbec, \a his topographical map of Lower Canada, QUEBEC. Y. ick made by isy for a per- tc, to under- >f operations peration with following re- [er this scene rho may seek rough the su- 2r St. Charles, ails, and is an ing been obli- ich they had, Roch, which ards the wall, Intendant's t. Lawrence, mall distance larch of near- little injury, nk, from the vy fire, they jarrier, which telots.* This n, on the St. his topogrr>|)hi» al I TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND <%UEPEC. 315 Lawrence, a few hundred yards from the passage up Mountain street ; passing down that street, and turning to the left or north, we come to that of the Matelots.^ This street runs in a straight direction for some way, aiid then turns suddenly, by a very narrow path, only twelve feet wide, and cut out of the rock, around that angle of the precipice, and of the grand battery, which looks down the bay of Quebec; it then proceeds west without turning. At the time of the attack, this passage, around the foot of the precipice, was exceedingly narrow, and much obstructed by cakes of ice. Coming from the suburb of St. Roch, tlie first barrier occurred, before arriving at the angle of the street, and of the precipice ; the second after passing it. Arnold be- ing severely wounded, in the approach to the first barrier, it was stormed and carried, by Captain Morgan of the Virginia riflemen, although it was defended by two twelve pounders, loaded with grape shot; one of these pieces was discharged, but killed only a single man, and before the second was fired, the barrier was passed by scaling ladders, and its defenders fled. It was still dark — a violent snow storm prevailed, and Morgan and the other officers, being ignorant of the streets and their de- fences, did not attempt the other barrier till the day dawned. They then turned the angle of the ♦ Or sailors— I know not whether the name was derived from the circumstance, that a sailor once fell over the precipice into this place, " without loss of life, or even serious injury." Private Commvniration-— 1 B24. i 316 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC '* 1,1 U street, which brought them in front of the St. Law- rence, and of the next barrier, which last was en- tirely invisible till they had made this turn, when they were instantly exposed to a tremendous fire of musketry from the barrier, and from he houses on both sides of the street ; a few of the bravest mounted the barrier with ladders, but saw on the other side, double rows of soldiers, with their guns fixed on the ground, and presenting nothing but points of bayonets to receive them, should they leap to the ground. Their retreat was in the meantime cut off, by a party of two hundred men, who, with several field pieces, issued from the palace gate, in their rear, and thus they were completely surround- ed—the unconquered barrier was in front — the city wall and precipice on one side, and the St. Law- rence and St. Charles on the other. It was a most darin;; attack. I passed several times through the street of the Matelots, and wonder that any of the party should have escaped death. We can now understand how the party of Mont- gomery and that of Arnold would, if successful, have co-operated. At the time of their repulse, they were making directly towards one another, and, but for that event, would have met in Mountain street, and probably have attempted the Prescot gate in concert ; or possibly, being in possession of the lower town, they might have assailed the palace gate which Arnold had passed, after leaving the QUEBEC. ftheSt. Law- li last was en- ^is turn, when emendous fire om he houses [>f the bravest »ut saw on the rith their guns g nothing but lould they leap the meantime len, who, with palace gate, in itely surround- front — the city I the St. Law- c street of the e party should party of Mont- iccessful, have repulse, they another, and, in Mountain 1 the Prescot ) possession of led the palace ir leaving the TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 317 suburb of St. Roch. At present, either of these attempts would appear preposterous, and it would seem that they could scarcely have proved success- ful then, unless the enemy had been taken by sur- prise. Judge Marshall's interesting account* of this assault will be perfectly intelligible, if it be remembered that the scenes of both tra- gedies are in the lower town, and the catastro- phies of both )n front of the precipice, bordering on the St Lawrence. Montgomery fell on the ex- treme left, as represented in the vignette — the re- pulse of Arnold^s division was on the extreme right, and none of either party entered the upper town, till Arnold's troops, having fought for three hours, TMally surrendered, after they were surrounded, 11 hope of escape was at an end. Rare- \j lias more personal bravery been displayed, than in this transaction. H CASTLE OF ST. LOUIS AND THE LATE DUKE 0¥ RICHMOND. The situation, and dimensions of this building, have been already mentioned, (page 212.) On its site, and on the contiguous ground, the French had a fortress, called St. Louis; it covered four acres, and formed nearly a parallelogram. The * Life of Washiugton, vol. ii. p. 333. ^ hi ) 1) ^ <^ ■ 318 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (QUEBEC. present castle is a part of the curtain, connecting two of the bastions of the fort, or, at least, it is in the same place, for, I am not certain that it has not been rebuilt, since the destruction of the ancient fortress. This castle had been suffered to go to decay, but, in 1808, seven thousand pounds were voted for its repair and embellishment, and an additional sum at a subsequent period. Sir James Graig first occu- pied it, after this resuscitation. The entire establishment forms a square, of which the present castle is the front, and the other parts are occupied by public offices, ball rooms, &c. and there are stables, a guard-house, and a riding room, besides extensive gardens.'^ Without introduction, we went to the castle of St. Louis, and, as strangers, preferred our request to see the interior. The sentinel, and the servants, gave us a ready admission. We were civilly con- ducted through its various apartments. They arc numerous, but generally plain ; some are large and handsome, but they are inferior, in elegance, to the rooms in many private houses. The furniture, with some exceptions, is far from being splendid. Some articles are rich, but many are hardly worthy of the distinguished place which they occupy. Among the curiosities of the place, is a famous round table, or rather half of a round table, with a circular place cut in the middle. This, it seems, is * Bouehette. -f > <^UEBEC. in, connecting t least, it is in that it has not )r the ancient ► to decay, but, re voted for its ditional sum at •aig first occu- |uare, of which he other parts ■ooms, &c. and a riding room, he castle of St. )ur request to the servants, re civilly con- its. They are I are large and legance, to the furniture, with lendid. Some )' worthy of the e, is a famous d table, with a tiis, it seems, h TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND ClUEBEC. 319 occupied by the host, when he drinks wine with his friends, who arc arranged around himt That there may be no impediment to conviviality, not even the usual trouble of circulating the bottle, there is an ingenious machine of brass, shaped a little like a sextant, which can, at pleasnre, be at- tached to the table, or removed ; the centre em- braces a pivot, on which it moves, and the periphery of the circle, sustains? the bottK^; the mflchine re- volves in the plane of a horizontal circle, in other words, on the circular table ; this is effected merely by touching a spring ; the contrivance is certainly as important as it is original. 1 am not certain, however, to whom the honor of the invention belongs, for we were assured in the castle, that the furniture descends, not as public, but as private property, and is paid for by each successive governor. This, (if correctly stated,) does not correspond with the usual munificence and dignity of the British government. The duke of Richmond, the late Governor-Gene- ral of the Canadas, is stated not to have been rich ; indeed, in Canada, the remark is made on all hands, that he was poor. Still, we were repeatedly assur- ed, that the duke^s plate, which was lately sent back to England, was insured at forty thousand pounds, a fortune in itself, for a private man. We were introduced into the duke's private study and library ; the latter was not extensive, although he books were good ; we saw also his bed room I I 1 i c h *l \l' k «/ 330 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD ANA ^UEBEO. and bed, and, in short, all the apartments of the family. We asked for some personal relic of the duke, and they presented to us a thermometrical register, kept by him, during the first seven months of the present year, and the first half of August, ending with the time, (I presume,) when he set forward on the journey, during which he died. The register is said to be in his own hand writing. As it is not often that we obtain a document respecting Cana- dian temperature, and, as this is interesting, on ac- count of its origin, 1 will present an abstract of it. in the form of results. Average tempera- A. D. 1819. Jan. 17*> Feb. 25 March 25 April 43 May 56 June 66 July 75 Aug. (first 15 days) 78 ture at noon. ab. (( t( (( (( Coldest day at noon. Jan. 14 6°bel.O Feb. 24 13 ab. March 6 2" April 8 32 May 25 36 June 1 52 July 28 65 72 Hottest day at noon. Jan. 23 4l°ab.O Feb. 9 42 " March 21 37 " April 29 64 " May 4 72 June 6 90 July 23 84 t; Aug. 8 The average of S^'".*®"' ) ,^ . ih^ihrZ < spring, > months, 18 (( Aug. 7 and 10 86 22°above 55 " summer, J ^73 " In January, the thermometer, at noon, on the 5th, 8th , and 29th, was 4« below 0. 1 have thrown away fractions of a degree. The thermometers, with which the observations were made, still hung in the room. .^.w 9 ^UBBEG. tments of the : of the duke, trical register, months of the mgust, ending set forward on The register r. As it is not ipecting Cana- resting, on ac- abstract of it. Hottest day at nooD. n. 23 4l°ab.O 5b. 9 42 " arch 21 37 " )ril 29 64 " ly 4 72 ne 6 90 y 23 84 (( 18 10 86 22°above 55 " 73 " on, on the 5th, degree. e observations TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND ^CEBEC. 321 It is well known that the duke died of hydropho- bia ; and, it seems impossible to obtain in Canada, nay, even in Quebec, and in the palace itself, a cor- rect account of the circumstances that attended the calamity. As the subject, being of very recent oc- currence, has been much spoken of in our presence, and in all circles, I trust it will not be indelicate with respect to the friends of the deceased, or to the people recently under his gove u' .^nt, if I pro- ceed to repeat some of the statements which we have heard. The person who shewed us the castb, and who, as we were informed, belonged to the duke's house- hold, gave us the following account. It seems that the duke had a little dog, to which he was immode- rately attached ; the dog's name was Blucher, and Blucher, we were told, was carressed with such fondness, that he slept with his masicr, and was affectionately addressed, by the appellation of" my dear Blucher." This idolized animal was bitten in the neck by another dog, afterwards ascertained to be mad— the rencounter took place in the court-yard of the palace, and the duke, in whose presence it occur- red, full of compassion for his poor dog, caught him up in his arms, and applied his own lips to the part bitten; others, as well as this man, have informed us, that it was thus the duke imbibed the poison, some say through a cut in his lip, made by his ra- zor, or through an accidental crack. The duke 28 If i ■*Mf^' 'A \ v^ *^. i S22 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFO&D AND QUEBEC. continued to sleep with the dog,|which had not then, however, exhibited signs of madness. There are other persons, and, among them, some high!)' respectable men, attached to the army, who deny the above, and say that the duke was bitten by a rabid fox, on board the steam-boat; the fox and dog, it is said, were quarrelling, and the duke interfered, to part them. Others assert, that the duke put his hand into the cage, where the fox was confined ; and all who impute the event to the fox, declare that the hurt, which was on a tinger, was so extremely slight, as not to be noticed at the time, ■or thought of afterwards, till the hydrophobia came •n. At the mansion house in Montreal, where the duke always lodged, when in that city, we were assured by a respectable person in the house, that the duke certainly got his poison from his own dog; that the story was told him by the servants of the duke, when they returned with the dead body ; and, what is more, that he saw the letter which the duke wrote to his own daughter, the lady Mary, after his symptoms had manifested themselves, and when he was in immediate expectation of death. In this letter, the duke reminded his daughter of the inci- dent which was related to us at the palace. Which ever story is true, it would appear that the duke came by his death in consequence of his attach- had not then, ig them, some he army, who :e was bitten oat ; the fox md the duke Bert, that the e the fox was nt to the fox, 81 finger, was d at the time, ^phobia came 1, where the ity, we were e house, that his own dog; rvants of the Ibody; and, lich th« duke ary, after his and when he ith. In this r of the inci- ice. Which lat the duke his attach- TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 323 ment to his dog, and, surely never was a valuable life more unhappily sacrificed.* The duke was up the country, near the Ottawa river, when the fatal symptoms appeared, but he persevered in his expedition — travelled thirty miles on foot, the day before he died — concealed his com- plaint, and opposed it as long as possible — wrote his final farewell to the lady Mary, and the other children, in a long letter, which contained particu- lar directions as to the disposition of the family — and met death, we must say, at least, like a soldier, for a soldier he had been the greater part of his life. His complaint manifested itself, in the first in- stance, by an uneasiness at being upon the water, in the tour which he was taking into the interior, and they were obliged to land him. A glass of wine, presented to him, produced his spasms, although it is saidi that, by covering his eyes with one hand, and holding the glass with the other, he succeeded in swallowing the wine; but afterwardsi he could bear no liquids, and even the lather used in shaving, distressed him. In the intervals of his spasms, he was wonderful- ly cool and collected — gave every necessary order * I have never had it in my power to iee the official accounts of the duke*8 death, as published in England. I am told thef dif- fer in aome measure, from the preceding statements, but I cannot tell in what particulars. AH I can sat, is, that I give the reports as I heard them. 4 I ! 1 I: ^^wfc. ' «<» " iiwt » »» » .«^* w*^, .>iii% '^ ,^— ^,.*-. -4!S««^ r: i rill ^ ^: 324 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. to his servants, and to the officers of his suite — op- posed the sending for a physician, from Montreal, because, he said, the distance from it to Richmond, where he died, being eighty miles, he should be a dead man, before the physician could arrive, and seemed to contemplate the dreadful fate before him, with the heroism^ at least, of a martyr. In his turns of delirium, instead of barking and raving, as such patients are said usually to do, he employed himself in arranging his imaginary troops, forming a line of battle, (for he had been present at many battles, and, last of all, at Waterloo,* itself,) and gave particular commands to a captain in the navy, who was not present, but whom he called by name, foj/f re— and the command was often, and ve- hemently repeated. In a soliloquy, overheard but a few minutes before his death, he said, " Charles Lenox, duke of Richmond! — die like a man! — Shall it be said, that Richmond wab afraid to meet death — no, never !" I know not what were his grace's views on top- ics, more important at such a crisis, than what our fellow men will think of us ; but, there was a degree of grandeur, of the heroic kind, in finding a military nobleman, cool and forecasting, in contemplation of one of the most awful of all deaths, and, even in his * I was informed by a British officer, that the duke was not ac- tually itt the bloody field, but somewhere in the immediate vicio- ity. » m^' -K. '^L Sk QUEBEC. lis suite — op- )m Montreal, :o Richmond, Q should be a d arrive, and ;e before him, r. ■ barking and illy to do, he ^i nary troops, ien present at irloo,* itself,) :aptain in the 1 he called by often, and ve- )verheard but aid, " Charles ke a man! — fraid to meet i^iews on top- han what our was a degree ing a military templation of d, even in his TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND qiJEnEC. 325 moments of delirium, like king Lear, raving in a style of sublimity. We were informed, that, even in death, he did not forget Blucho.r, but ordered that he should be caged, and the event awaited. The dog was carried away with the fnmily, when they sailed for Eng- land, although he had previously begun to snap and fly at people. The duke appears to be remembered with af- fection ; he was regarded as a very warm friend to Canada, and all here, believe that he had its in- terests much at heart, and was actively engaged in promoting them. His family, consisting principally of daughters, young and unmarried, with very slender resources, and in a foreign land, received the appaling news at the castle of St. Louis, and soon the sad tidings were followed by the breathless body. One daughter is married to Sir Peregrine Mait- land, Governor of Upper Canada, and the lady Ma- ry, the eldest of the remaining daughters, is spoken of (although without any intended disparagement to the other children,) in the highest terms. We saw fire screens, prettily inscribed with verses, and orna- mented by her hand ; and the person who attended us, gave each of us a walking stick, cut by the u duke was not tic- mmediate vicin- * I was informed by a British officer, that the duke was not ac- tually in the bloody field, but somewhere in the immediate Ticini- ity. 28* t -*^, .f*-- ,---■• -■— X — tt' L ^- ■■#.'»e^ '.' I 326 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. duke's own hand, in his last excursion. There was a large bundle of them done up by strings, and it seems it was the duke's custom, when he saw a stick that pleated him, to stop and cut it. Sir Peregrine Maitland, and his lady and family, lodged in the same house with us, at Montreal, and appeared plain, unassuming people. While there, they received the calls of the principal military and civil officers, and of the most distinguished private individuals ; among the rest, came the veteran sol- dier of Wolfe, dressed in his scarlet uniform, and in the fashion of other days. Before leaving the palace, v/e wrote, by request, our names and residence ; a requisition frequently made in similar places in Europe. From the gallery, in front of the castle of St. Louis, we had a most magnificent view of the river, and of the surrounding country, while the lower town lay directly at our feet, but was rather a blemish, than a beauty, in the prospect. The castle is, at its foundation, more than two hundred feet higher than the river, and in summer, must be a most charming cool spot, but in winter, a very bleak one. The duchess of Richmond is in England, and has never been in America. • -wr^-—-"' -- 5i;i. QUEBEC. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 327 There was ings, and it n he saw a it. r and family, [ontreal, and While there, military and shed private veteran sol- iform, and in i, by request, n frequently :astle of Stt of the river, B lower town r a blemish^ re than two in summer, in winter, a ind, and has GENERAL REMARKS ON QUEBEC A stranger's residence of a few days, in a foreign city, is hardly sufficient to give him any thing more than general views. Such views, accurately sketch- ed, are, however useful, although forming but an outline. Quebec, at least for an American city, is certain- ly a very peculiar place. A military town — containing about twenty thou- sand inhabitants — most compactly aud permanently built — stone its sole material — environed, as to its most important parts, by walls and [rates — -^nd de- fended by numerous heavy cannon — garrisoned hy troops, having the arms, the costume, the mui?c, the discipline of Europe — foreign in langi cj^; , fea- tures, and origin, from most of those Vrhom they are sent to defend — founded upon a rock, and, in its highest parts, overlooking a great extent of country — between three and four hundred miles from the ocean — in the midst of a great continent — and yet displaying fleets of foreign merchantmen, in its fine capacious bay — and shewing all the bustle of a crowded sea-port — its streets narrow — populous and winding up and down alni>is* mountainous de- clivities — situated in the latitude of the finest parts of Europe — exhibiting ii) iU environs, ^he beauty of an European capital — ^r d yet, in winter, smarting with the cold of Siberia — governed by a people, of ^1 ft * J^ r 328 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORH AND (QUEBEC. 1 1 |F ■ I I * I I different language and habits, from the mass of the population — opposed in religion, and yet leaving that population without taxes, and in the full enjoy- ment of every privilege, civil and religious ; such are some of the most prominent features, which strike a stranger in the city of Quebec. As to its public buildings, besides the Gastle of St. Louis, which has been mentioned, there is the Hotel Dieu, the Convent of the Ursulines, the Mo- nastery of the Jesuits, now used for barracks, the Cathedrals, Catholic and Protestant, the Scotch Church, the lower town Church, the Court House, the Seminary, the new Jail, and the artillery bar- racks : there are also a Place D'Armes, a Parade, and an Esplanade.* The Court House is a modern stone building, one hundred and thirty-six feet by forty-four, with a handsome and regular front. The Protestant Cathedral is seen in the vignette, being farther to the left than any building that has a steeple. This is the handsomest modern building in the city ; it is of stone, and is one hundred and thirty-six feet long by seventy -five broad ;f it stands on ground nearly as high as any in the place, and is seen at a great distance. * Bouchette. t AUtbedimaDBionsof the public buildingi ar« tftken on the authority of Colonel fiouchette. ^' J. QUEBEC. i mass ef the yet leaving le full enjoy- igious i such tures, which le Gastle of there is the nes, the Mo- larracks, the the Scotch ourt House, artillery bar- es, a Parade, ne building, ty-four, with the vignette, ng that has a em building liundred and d ;t it stands place, and is • tikM on the TOUR BETWEEN HAllTFORD AND QUEBEC. 329 The Catholic Cathedra], seen on the right of the vignette, is built of stone ; it is two hundred and sixteen feet long, and one hundred and eight broad. It was the first public building that we entered in Quebec. We found, as usual in such places, priests in attendance, and people at their devotions. The building is full of pictures and images, and has a venerable and ancient appearance. It can contain four thousand people. The Seminary was founded in 1663, for ecclesi- astical instruction only, but is not now confined to that profession, although, according to Colonel Bou- chette, its members must be Catholics. The building is of stone, forming three sides of a square, two hundred and nineteen fret long, and one hundred and twenty broad. The Hotel Dieu was founded in 1637, for the sick poor of both sexes. It includes the convent, hospital, church, court-yard, cemetery, and gardens. The principal building is three hundred and eigh- ty-three feet long by fifty broad. This establish- ment, conducted by nuns, is highly commentjcd for the humanity, comfort, cleanliness, and good ar- rangement which prevail in it. The Ursuline Convent is a square, whose side is one hundred and twelve feet ; was Ibunded in 1639; is devoted to female education, and is conducted by nuns. The Monastery, or College of the Jesuits, now used for barracks, is three stories high, and forms a # .fc-*--^ A. <]\ M 330 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. M 4» • i parallelogram of two hundred and twenty-four feet by two hundred. It was a fine establishment in the time of the Jesuits, and judging from some of the apartments which I saw, it contains very comforta- ble accommodations for officers and troops. I was particularly struck with the new Jail, which is a handsome structure of stone, standing on very elevated ground ; it is one hundred and sixty feet long by sixty-eight broad, and three stories high : the cost was over fifteen thousand pounds. The Bishop's Palace is one hundred and forty- seven feet by one hundred and eighteen, and stands in a very commanding situation, near the grand bat- tery. It is now occupied by the Provincial Parlia- ment, and for various public offices, and an annuity is paid to the Catholic Bishop. It is said to be in a ruinous condition. The artillery barracks were built by the French in 1750. They extend five hundred and twenty- seven feet by forty, and contain accommodations fol the artillery troops of the garrison work-shops store-houses, &c. and every varietj • small arms for twenty thousand men, which are always kept fit for immediate use, and are fancifully arranged. Quebec is well paved with large stones, firmly fix- ed. Most of its streets are narrow ; the principal ones are thirty-two feet wide, but most of them on- ly irom twenty-four to twenty-seven. The houses are of very unequal height, and generally have high sloping roofs, to enable them to sustain the ice and # ^y^- ;UEBEC. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEHEC. 331 ty-four feet iment in the lome of the ry comforta- )ops. 1 Jail, which ling on very id sixty feet tories high : ds. !d and forty- 1, and stands le grand bat- ncial Parlia- 3 an annuity said to be in the French ind twcnty- nfinnodations work-shops small arms ^ays kept fit ranged. s, firmly fix- le principal )f them on- The houses y have high the ice and snow. The covering of the roofs with tin, or even with sheet iron, is by no means general ; most of them are stiM c >vered with shingles. Many of the modern houses, especially on the highest ground, are very handsome, and in the mod- ern style, and some new ones are in progress. The market place is, in its largest dimensions, two hundred and fifty feet by one hundred and six- ty-five. I saw it on Saturday morning, which is the best time, and I never wish to see a market better supplied with meats, fowl, fish, and vegetables, and every thing was in very good ordf r. The prices we are told are not high. There are a great many dogs in Quebec, and they are not kept merely for parade: they are made to work, and it is not uncommon in Quebec, to see dogs harnessed to little carts, and drawing meat, merchandise, and even wood, up and down the hills ; they pull with all their little might, and seem pleas- ed with their employment. Quebec was founded on the 3d ( July, 1608, by 3amuel de Champlain, Geographer to t'.ie French King. His commencement was on Cape Diamond, on the site of an Indian village called Stadacon^. In 1629 it was taken by the English, but esteem- ed of so little value, that it was restored in 1632. It was in the hands of private adventurers or tra- ding companies till 1663, when it was mad a loyal * # 332 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. government, and became a regular and importani colony. In 1690, Sir William Phipps, with a great arma- ment from Boston, attacked and cannonaded Que- bec, and landed an army, but was repulsed, with great loss and disgrace. In 1712 the attempt was again made, by an Eng- lish fleet under Sir Hovenden Walker,, who was cast away in the St. Lawrence, and lost seven of his largest ships and three thousand mc n, while General Nicholson, who was coming with an army by the way of Montreal, was obliged to retreat. In 1720 Charlevoix visited Canada, and it is in- teresting to compare his account of the appearance of Quebec, and of its environs, with its present situ- ation. It will be found that even then, not only the outlines of the place were formed, but that they were filled up to some extent. It at that time con- tained about seven thousand souls. He remarks, that it stands on the most navigable river in the universe, and that there is no other city in the known world, a hundred and twenty leagues from the sea, whose harbour is capable of containing one hundred ships of the line. He observes that, as Paris was, for a long time, inferior to what Quebec then was, ho anticipates the time when the latter will be equal to the former; when " as far as the eye can reach, (on the St. Lawrence.) nothing will be seen but towns, villas, and pleasure houses*' — "when the shores shall discover fine meadows, fruitful hills s d important great arma- inaded Que- pulsed, with , by an Eng- who wascast ieven of his hile General irmy by the at. and it is in- ) appearance present situ- , not only the )ut that they lat time con- ost navigable 10 other city enty leagues of containing rves that, as vhat Quebec le latter will the eye can will be seen — "when the ruilful hill>; TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC!. 333 and fertile fields'* — " when the whole road shall be faced with magnificent quays, and the port surround- ed with superb edifices, and when we shall see three or four hundred ships lying in itloaden with riches/' All that Charlevoix anticipated a century ago, is not yet accomplished, but no contemptible pan of it is already realized. He speaks of the beauty of the prospect from Cape Diamond, and of the purity of its air, and says, " you sometimes find a sort of diamonds on it finer than those of Alencon" — '* I have seen some of them, (says he,) full as well cut, as if they had come from the hand of the most ex- pert workman," and adds, that they have become very scarce. It is scarcely necessary to say, that he alludes to the crystals of quartz. He speaks of the church as being roofed with slate, and he says that it is the only building in all Canada which has this advantage, all the others being covered with shingles. He mentions the Governor's residence in the fort, and descrioes the front of it as having a gallery exactly as the Castle of St. Louis standing in the same place, has now. He mentions the Jes- uits' buildings, the Hotel Dieu, the Intendanl's Pal- ace, the Seminary or College, the Bishop's Palace, and various other buildings -rtnd institutions, which evince great intelligence and vigor, in the early French population. He says the tides rise twenty-five feet at the time of the equinox. This corresponds very nearly with the present estimate, which is from twenty-three to 29 ^J 334 TOUR UETWKEN IIAUTFOFIFJ AND QUEBEC . 'I twenty-four feet, and seventeen or eighteen for com- mon tides : the greatest depth of water is twenty- eight fathoms, and he states it generally at twenty- five. The great rise of tides at Quebec, causes at present a necessity for very high quays : when we landed from the steamboat, we ascended on a plank not less than fifty feet long, and laid from the boat to U)e wharf so as to form a rather steep in- clined plane. Charlevoix commends the society in Quebec; be says you wi^* find in it " the best company, and nothing is wanting that can possibly contribute to form an agreeable society" — that there are " rich merchants, or such as live as if they were so" and *^ assemblies full as brilliant as any where." He states, that ** they play at cards, or go abroad on parties of pleasure, in the summer time, in calashes or canoes ; in winter, in sledges upon the snow, or on skaits upon the ice'' — that *' the Creoles of Cana- da draw in with their native breath an air of free- dom, which makes them very agreeable in the com- merce of life, and no where in the world is the French language spoken in greater purity^ there being not the smallest foreign accent in the pronuncia- tion. He says, that although there are no rich men, every body puts on as good a face as possible ; and that they make good cheer, provided they are able to be at the expense of fine clothes ; if not, in order to be able to appear well dressed, they retrench in \ [^IJEREC TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND tlUEIJEC. 335 ,j Ben for com- r is twenty- y at twenly- bec, causes uays : when cended on a aid from the ler steep in- in Quebec; tmpany, and contribute to re are " rich ere so" and vhere." He ;o abroad on e, in calashes be snow, or )les of Cana- I air of free- in the com- world is the ff there being 3 pronuncia- o rich men, ossible ; and hey are able not, in order Y retrench in the article of the table : that they have fine stature and complexions, a gay and sprightly behaviour, with great sweetness and politeness of manners, and that the least rusticity, either in language or behaviour, is utterly unknown, even in the remotest and most distant parts. It is surprising to see how little change there has been in these respects after the lapse of a century, and after sixty years of subjec- tion to a foreign power. Charlevoix's comparisons between the Canadi- ans and the New Englanders are amusing: he re- marks, that in New-England, and the other British Provinces " there prevails an opulence which they are utterly at a loss to use ; and in New France a poverty hid by an air of being in easy circumstan- ces, which seems not at all studied." "The Eng- lish planter amasses wealth, and never makes any superfluous expense ; tfie French inhabitant again enjoys what he has acquired, and often makes a parade of what he is not possessed of." I will finish these citations by one which is in- deed most remarkable, and accounts for the dread' ful scents of massacre and invasion, which the Eng- lish colonies so often and so long experienced from the French. " The English Americans, (says Charlevoix,) are averse to war, because they have a great deal to lose ; they take no care to manage the Indians, from a belief that they stand in no need of them. The French youth, for very diflierent reasons, abominate \ ■{ ,1 ■*i / , ' P H 336 TOUR BEBWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. the thoughts of peace, and live well with the na- tives, whose esteem they easily gain in time of war, and their friendship at all times." With respect to the institutions* of Quebec, most of which were founded by the French, the valua- ble statistical account of Canada, by Colonel Bou- chette, will supply every detail, as to the nunneries, the hospitals, the college, the churches, catholic and protestant, the clergy, and every other important particular, which a stranger would desire to learn. This work, with its grand topographical map, is however, I believe, iittse known in the United States, and is rather too expensive for general ctrculation.f Besides the peculiar, or at least remarkable fea- tures, which have been sketched, Quebec is cer- tainly a very respectable city, and one of those pla- ces on the American continent, most worthy of the curiosity of an intelligent stranger. Indeed to have * After being so full in my notices of scenery and historical events, in the vicinity of Quebec, more might have been reasona- bly expected respecting its institutions ; the omission was acci- dental ; for fear that our fine weather would fail us, we postponed these topics till the last, and then left Quebec, several days sooner than we had expected or wished, which deprived ui of the op- portunity of making other observations. t Colonel Bouchette is highly loyal, and his zeal (commcndtc- ble, without doubt in the main) perhaps imparts a degree of as- perity, to some of his notices of the events of the late warfare, on the Canadian frontiers, and of the policy of the American government. These things however do not sfriovisly impair the value of his great and laborious work, for which be deserves high commendation. 'i w become equence of TOUR BETWEEN RARTPORD AND ^VKBRO. 346 several unhappy occurrences, and especially of the late dreadful one on Lake Champlain, has been directed to the dangers of fire. The active volca- no which the steam boat necessarily carries in her bowels, seems sufficiently appalling, and few per- sons, when first beginning to travel in this way, can Vif. down to sleep, without deeply pondering, that a furious imprisoned enemy is raging within the com- bustible vehicle that bears them along, and that both fire and water, usually foes, but here leagued in unnatural alliance, may conspire for their de- struction. Rarel}', however, does it appear to have occurred to the traveller, that the most serious dan- ger (as the thing is actually managed,) arises from just that negligence, and presumption and apathy, which destroy so many buildings, so much proper- ty, and so many lives on shore. I am sorry to say that, in the boats on these northern waters, there is not that degree of care and anxious vigilance which the case certainly demands, where so much property and so many lives are at stake. The Phoenix, as I have before observed, wab, without doubt, destroyed by a candle ; still, candles are negligently left on board of most of the boats in the northern waters ; fires and candles are not adequately watched on the St. Lawrence, and we have seen in one of the Canadian boats, a fire made in an open stove, standing without a chimney, on the naked deck, while the coals were every mo- ment blowing against pine ip&rs, and falling on the 30 11 II 346 TOUR BETWEEN UARTFUKD AND (QUEBEC. deck, which was made of dry pine and covered with pitch. We were also exposed to danger from a very unexpected \ INCIDENT. On our passage up the river, in a northeasterly storm, juiit as we were entering the Richelieu rap- ids, where we needed all our power to stem the current, and any disaster would be peculiarly em- barrassing, we were pressing on, not only with pow- erful steam, but with a strong and fair wind, which strained every thread of our large square sail, the only one which we carried. Our mast, apparently about fifty feet high, and of proportionate diameter, was, it seems, only feebly braced from the bow, al- though perhaps sufficiently in the other direction. The Captain, having been up the preceding night, was asleep below : I was on deck, and observed that our mast, with its feeble shrouds, was strained to the utmost, and felt some anxiety lest it should fail. Going below, I was scarcely seated, before a tfrashand an outcry brought me again on deck. The wind, it appears, suddenly flirted around, and a violent squall from an angry cloud, instantly threw the sail all aback upon the mast; there being no adequate stays O" braces to sustain tlie solitary pine, it snapped, like a pipe's stem ; the two chimnies were a few yards behind ; the heavy spar which sup- ported the sail at top, falling violently across one of the chimnies, was broken quite in two; the mast, J' i ) ud, instantly there beinc the solitary vvochinjiiies ir which sup- icross one of '» the mast, TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 347 also, in its fall broke the horizontal iron rods, which crossed each other and were fastened to some high frame work, to sustain the chimnies ; the sail fell over the mouths of both chimnies, and shut them up completely, and from the top of one of them, sus- tained by the cords which fastened them to the sail, hung the two broken pieces of the yard, probably forty feet in length. The Captain could not be immediately found : the Canadian seamen who managed the boat, vocif- erated most furiously in French, but seemed utterly confounded, and without resource, and some feeble attempts which they made to disengage the sail from the chimnies, only pulled it more entirely over them. In the mean time, the wi.id, which continu- ed to blow violently, jerked the sail and its broken spars with so much force, that there was much dan- ger that the chimnies would go by the board ; in which case, our furnaces being in full action below, would throw out their flame immediately upon the deck, and upon tho tierces of gin, by which it was coverfnl even close to the chimnies. There ap- peared to be nearly cnio hundred of thf?se tierces, and the explosion of ^ny one oftbem, which would probably occur if struck by the fire, would involve us in sheets of flame; and should we even succeed in extinguishing the fire, our boat without either steam or sail, would be complcialv unmanageable, and be liable to be wrecked at the foot of the rap- ids. ' 'I f » f J If i I I ll w > ii I 548 TOUR BETWEEN HAftTFORD AND QUEBEC^ * In this moment of anxiety, (while a poor Scotch emigrant, whose all was on board, was weeping and wringing his hands, and exclaiming that we should all be lost,) the Captain arrived on deck. The wind worried the sail across the top of one of the chimnies, which was cut into points like a picket fence, so that the canvass was soon completely perforated, and the chimney stood up through it, like a head in a pillory. The other chimney was so battered by the fall of the yard, that it could not pierce the sail, especially as it was guarded at that part by a strong »-ope, and every effort to dis- engage it, failed'. It was easy to foresee what must follow: the sail, which being wet with rain, for sometime .resisted the heat, now became so dried, that it took fire and blazed. The Captain sent up one of the sailors to cut it away, and the man with sufficient hardihood, crawled up and worked where it was on fire all around him. At length by burn- ing, it fell from the chimney, and we were extrica- ted from our unpleasant situation. If, however, the sail, the fuel on deck, and every part of the boat bad been dry, and especially had the accident oc- curred in the nif'ht. the consequences might have been very painful. But there was an eye superior to human vigilaiice, which watched over our safety. imiT^ediately after this accident, we had a good proof of the hivi, and a long astern by the ter. vn the river, ith fire, now led a floating itions of nau- •on lost in the lovely belt in hanging here lly vanished, the stars. st informed us o( CK PunsH. He g; illness. fias, by u.eful or irorld, are cat off rells wilh an in- t otherwise have c following note. : to Montreal in was with us the are well known, >probalion of his I in LolJtlon in TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND avish, Esq. ind was, in jrn Compa- eum, of the i; and, still }d edifice of which, had n one of the is now fast I and roofed h masonry, finished ar- TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORO AND QUEBEC. 355 GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. The mineralogy and geology of this mountain, and of the i;»land, I could wish to see thoroughly in- vestigated, as they appear to be interesting ; the few facts wh'rh I had it in my power to observe, were as follows : The plain at the foot of the mountain, particularly at the race course, is compact, black lime stone, fetid, and containing organized remains; its stratification is regular, and its position flat ; it forms one of the most common building stones in Montreal. This rock seems to prevail halfway up the mountain, and is followed, by what appeared to me, a hard, probably a siliceous slate, intersect- ed by veins of trap. Higher up still, and on the northeastern end particularly, is a rock, inclined at an angle of 45°, which seemed to be a decom- posed lime stone, of a light gray colour, and friable texture, at least where it was exposed to the weath- er. The very summit of the mountain, is a horn- blende rock, highly crystalline in its structure, and containing distinct crystals of boHi hornblende and nugite. It is a striking example of the parasytical character of the hornblende and trap rocks, follow- ing no regular order of succession, but occasionally forming caps and ridges, on all sorts of rocks and mountains. There is found also on the island, within a short distance of the town, a lime stone, of a smoke gray. #f * li f 356 TOUft BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. highly crystallJDe in its structure, nearly, or quite as much so as the decidedly primitive marbles ; when broken, it presents numerous and brilliant crystal- line plates, and this is, in fact, almost exclusively its structure. Still, it contains numerous shells, and other or- ganized remains, of which the impressions and forms are very distinct. Shells, and organized re- mains, in a highly crystallized lime stone! Is it transition line stone. Just on the verge of becoming primitive ? I had no time to visit the place whence it comes, but, in the piles of stone, about to be used in building, in the town, I observed this cryt^tallized lime stone (and that in vast blocks, showing the stratification, and evincing that it was not acciden- tal) actually united into one piece, with the black compact kind, like the hone slates, of different colours, which are often exposed for sale. In other pieces, I saw fragments of the black compact kind, mixed with the crystallized; and some lai^e blocks of the latter were terminated by a black uneven surface, probably showing the line of connexion with the black kind.* 1 have not seen enough of the vicinity of Mont- real, to venture to pronounce, confidently, concern- ing its geological classification ; it would appear, however, that it is partly a transition, but princi- * I thence infer, that they oocur together, in immediate oea- nexion, and probably the black compact kind will be found to lie upoD the other. tUEBEC. ^, or quite as rbles ; when liant crystal- exclusively nd other or- ressions and rganized re- stone ! Is it of becoming lace whence ut to be used i cryt^taliized showing the not acciden- th the black of different le. >f the black lUized; and iminated by ring the line ity of Mont- ly, concern- mid appear, but princi- immcdiate ooB- be fouud to lie Tdm HtTWEEN HARTFOUU AND t^UCnEC. 357 pally a secondary region. I saw no proof that any part of it is primitive, and cannot but wonder at the opinion entertained, as I am told, by many per- sons in Montreal, that the gray crystallized lime stone is granite. I saw no granite on the island. MODE OF BUILDING IN MONTREAL. Montreal has much the appearance of an Euro- pean town, particularly of a continental one. The streets are narrow, except some of the new ones ^ the principal ones, are those parallel to the river, of which those of St. Paul, which is a bustling street of business, near the river, and Notre Dame street on higher ground, and mo^c quiet, more genteel, and better built, are the principal; the latter street is th rty feet wide, and three fourths of a mile long. A few of those which intersect the above streets at right angles, are also considerable. The town has a crowded active population, and many strangers, and persons from the country, augment the activity in its streets. But the circumstance which assimilates it most to a continental European town, is its being built of stone. People from the United States, are apt to consider Montreal as gloomy, and, I presume it arises from the fact, of its being built of stone, and principally in an antique fashion. The former ig however, in reahtv, a strong ground of preference 31 fe 'X . ( ;i„ i H t ' \ 358 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEREC Ir ) • -If ^1 I S I I over our cities, built of wood and brick, Stone is the best material of which houses can be construct- ed; if properly built, they are not damp in the least ; they exclude both heat and cold, better than any other houses ; they will not burn,* except in part, and scarcely need repair, and they are easily made beautiful. Indeed, no other material pos- sesses sufficient dignity for expensive public edifi- ces; and we were sorry to see even a few private houses, in the suburbs of Montreal, built of brick, in the Anglo-American style. I was, I confess, much gratified at entering, for the first time, an American city, built of stone. The inhabitants of Montit'eal possess a very fine building stone in the gray lime stone already mentioned ; it is as handsome, when properly dressed, as the cel- ebrated Portland stone of England, and it is much superior to it in durability. A number of the mod- ern houses of Montreal, and of its environs, which are constructed of this stone, handsomely hewn, are very beautiful, and would be ornaments to the city of London, or to Westminster itself. Many of the houses are constructed of rough (■tone, coarsely pointed, or daubed with mortar, and have certainly an unsightly appearance ; others, here, as well as at Quebec, and elsewhere in Cana- da, are covered with a rough cement, and look rude- ly ; it is perfectly easy to make both these kinds of *' An advantage, which they obviously po«aci> ia commoa witii trick. Stone id construct- ip in the etler than except in are easily terial pos- biic edifi- w private t of brick, ering, for one. The e building tioncd ; it IS the eel- it is much the mod- 3ns, which hewn, are to the city of rough lortar, and e ; others, c in Cana- look rude- e kinds of ;ommoQ witii TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 35ii houses handsome, as well as durable, as is seen in particular instances in Canada. Many of the houses, stores, and ware-houses, in Montreal, have iron plate doors, and window shutters, fortified by iron frames ; this is obviously a precaution against fire, as well as robbery, and the tin coverings and the roofs of the buildings, are intended as a protection against the former. The tin is put on in an oblique direction to the cornice and ridge ; the nails are covered from view, and from the weather, by doubling the tin over the heads of the nails, and the different rows of tin sheets are made to lap in the manner of shingles. It is by no means an easy thing, to put on a tin roof, so as to be both handsome and durable. Montreal is certainly a fine town of its kind, and it were much to be wished that the people of the United States would imitate the Canadians, by con- structing their houses, wherever practicable, of f-tone. ENVIRONS. The environs of Montreal are beautiful, but, al- though considerably cultivated and improved, they are far from being brought to the state of which they are capable. A number of handsome villas now make their ap- pearance around the town, and there are numerous I ^ i :t { U - i II r ♦. ' 360 TOUR UETUEEN llAKTFOUD AND QIJEHEC. sites, Still unoccupied, which will probably be here- after crowned with elegant seats. Few places in the world possess more capabilities of this kind than Quebec and Montreal; if the latter is less bold than the former, in its scenery, it possesses much rich- ness, and delicate beauty, which need nothing but wealth and taste to display them to advantage ; the former already exists in Montreal to a great extent, and there are also very respectable proofs of the existence and growth of the latter. RACE COURSE AND RACING. \' Near the city of Montreal, there is a race course, a circuit of about two miles. It happened that we were at this place at the time of the races, and in a ride around the environs, we came across the ground at the time when the horses were about starting. The subject seemed to excite a good deal of interest in the community. In the steam boat on Lake Champlain, Canadians, anticipating the sports of the ensuing week, were much occupied in discussing the merits of the different horses, and in predicting the results* The same topic was the ruling one at the public houses, and upon the turf, where we found both the gentry and the common people of Montreal The latter were on foot, and the former were either on horseback, or with elegant equipages, of which this BHEC. ly be here- ' places in } kind than i bold than [luch rich- lothing but ntage; the eat extent, ofs of the ice course, ed that we ;, and in a icross the 'ere about good deal team boat pating the ccupied in ses, and in the public d both the eal The either on which this TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 361 city affords a few. Their number appears not to be proportioned to the weahh of the place, for the obvious reason, that, from the nature of the coun- try, water conveyance is principally used in travel- ling. Ladies were present in considerable numbers, and all were intent, while the judges mounted the stage — the horses were led forth, and the riders, in leather breeches, silk party colored jackets, and jockey caps, mounted, and darted away at the ap- pointed signal. Three times they coursed around the appointed circle, and twice, at least, must a horse come out ahead of his competitors, before the prize is won. It was, in the present instance, obtained by a horse, famous, it seems, on this ground, for distan- cing all his compeers. His name \s Democrat, and thus it has grown into a proverb, that Democrat beatb every thing in Canada. At Quebec there is also a race course, and races were held the day that we arrived. The course is on the venerable plains of Abraham, where we saw the ground, exhibiting marks o(hu'. .ig been recent- ly trod. How different a strife from that between contending armies! Who would not wish to pre- serve these classical plains from such a degradation. IMPORTANCE OF MONTREAL. The point which connects the ocean, and, of course, Europe, and the rest of the world, with the 31* f', *♦ V ^y h * 302 TOUR HETWEEN HARTFOUD AND QUEBEC. countries bordering on the vast lakes of this conti- nent, and upon the various rivers which empty into them, cannot be otherwise than important. This is precisely the situation of Montreal, and its location certainly evinces great good judgment on the part of Jaques Cartier, who, in 1635 or 36, first sailed thus far upon the St. Lawrence, and fixed upon this place as the site for a town. It was then occu- pied by an Indian village. The city was begun in 1640, by a few houses, compactly built, and was originally called Ville Marie. There seems, how- ever, to have been one error in selecting the place of the future city. It was meant to be at the head of navigation ; it is literally so ; and ships* can go up to the very city, although it is not usual to do it with vessels of more than an hundred and fifty tons. Vessels drawing fifteen feet of water can lie at Market gate, high up in this city ; the general depth of water in the harbor is from three to four and a half fathoms. Unfortunately, however, the rapid of St. Mary, at the extreme end of the town, or rather, near one of its suburbs, is so powerful an obstacle, that nothing but a very strong wind will force a vessel through, when not impelled by any other power. Ships are sometimes detamed here for weeks, on- ly two miles below where they are to deliver their freight; a canal is contemplated, to enable river craft to convey freight around the rapid. * *^ It is said even of six hundreil tons. i -' i"^' t, UEBEC. this conti- empty into ht. This is its location on the part first sailed fixed upon then occu- as begun in It, and was eems, how- ig the place at the head ips* can go Bual to do it d and fifty f water can the general hree to four owever, the )f the town, powerful an ig wind will lied by any • weeks, on- leliver their jnable rirer TOUR BETWEEV HARTFORD XSTi QUERCC 363 This id the rapid where the steam boats are some- times obliged to anchor, and procure the aid of oxen. It would appear (hat the town should have been built at this place, or a little below, and then the incon- venience would have been avoided. But as the buildings do now, in factj extend to this place, it would be easy to establish a port here, and it will doubtless be done in time ; it would, however, greatly forward the object, if a few spirited individ- uals would begin, by erecting stores and wharves, and it would be easy to have the steam boats stop there; easy I mean, as to every thing but the rival local interests which are usually in such cases array- ed against projected improvements. There are few cities in the world, especially of the magnitude and importance of Montreal, which, situated more than five hundred and eighty miles from the ocean, can still enjoy the benefit of a direct ship communica- tion with it. Montreal is evidently one of the three great chan- nels by which the trade of North America will be principally carried on. It is obvious thnt New-York and New-Orleans are the other two places, and it is of little consequence that other cities may engross a considerable share of trade, or that, by canals and other internal improvements, smaller rills of com- merce may be made to flow towards one city or another. The great natural basins and water courses, and mountain ranges of this continent, will istill control the course of trade, and direct its most n •i ( I m; r 364 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC gisrantic currents towards these three towns, one ot which is already a great and noble city, and the two olhors are advancing with great rapidity. The sickly i.liinatfi of New-Orleans will somewhat re- tard its growlh, but will not prevent it ; Montreal enjoys a climate extremely favorable to health, but it is locked up by ice four or five months in the year. The carriole, however, triumphs over the ice, and the Canadian, when he can no longer push or paddle his canoe on the waters of the St. Law- rence, gaily careers over its frost-bound surface, and well wrapped in woollen and in furs, defies the severity of winter. In 1815, Colonel Bouchette stated the popula- tion of Montreal at fifteen thousand ; no one now rates it, including the suburbs, at less than twenty thonsand, and one intelligent inhabitant gave it as his opinion, that the population must, at present, equal twenty-five thousand ; perhaps the middle number is nearest to the truth. Montreal has many good, respectable institutions, most of which are, however, French establishments, dating their origin under the French dominion, now sixty years extinct in this country. I must refer for an account of them, as well as of those at Quebec, to Colonel Bouchette's work, which ought to be perused by every person who won id obtain a competent knowledge of the Canadas. I shall presently quote from him the dimensions and ex- tent of some of the most important public institu- tions of Montreal. k ' ^JLI^itJ^^ . . '*ac EBEC. J^ns, one of y, and the idity. The nevrhat re- Montreal health, but ths in the 8 over the >nger push St. Law- id surface, urs, defies >e popuia- o one now lan twenty gave it as it present, le middle istitutions, lishments, dominion, I must f those at ich ought ' obtain a 1 shall and ex- c institu- roim BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 366 The colleges or seminaries of Quebec, and of Montreal, are considered as very useful institutions, and the French is the colloquial tongue in both. — A gentleman of New-York, who came on with U8 in the steam boat down Lake Champlain, brought three boys with him — two of them his own children, and placed them at the seminary in Mon- treal. This institution is said to contain two or three hundred members; both here and at Que- bec, they are distinguished by a peculiar costume — a blue surtout, the seams of which are all ornamented with a white cord, and they are confined both summer and winter, by a large sash or belt, doubled around the body, and tied in a knot. It is of woollen, and of many colors, and gives them something of a military air. In winter, this appendage must be useful, (but in sum- mer, and the Canadian heat is very intense,) it must be oppressive if not injurious. Among the youths whom we saw in the strectis, in the academ- ic uniform, were some who were almost men, and others who appeared to have hardly escaped from the nursery. The morals of the boys are said to be very carefully watched, and the expenses to be very moderate — two points in which they are cer- tainly very worthy of imitation. 1 did not go into the college buildings, but their exterior, which 1 saw, is rude, and the building is ancient. They have a fine garden and buildings without the city, besides those that are within. !) .iV *i ^l PI 1 I r 4 366 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND qUEBCC. ,f- The nunneries both here and at Quebec, arc maintained in all their pristine dignity. We were too much occupied at Quebec, to see the nunneries even in the Umited manner in which they are shown, and at Montreal they are open, in a restricted sense, on Thursday only; this happened, unfortunately, to be the only day in the week which we did not spend there. 1 went, however, into the Court yard of one of the principal nunneries, and saw one of the aged sisters with her veil lifted up ; she was busily occupied in feeding chickens. In the institutions called Hotel Dieu, both at Quebec and at Montreal, and in other hospitals, the nuns attend on sick and distressed persons, without regard to any distinctions, whether of religion or otherwise ; and their humanity, disinteredness, and skilful kindness are spoken of in the highest terms of approbation. An opulent and highly respectable citizen, of Montreal, formerly from Massachusetts, said to us, "I shall always think highly of the nuns, and feel very grateful to them ; for when 1 first came to Montreal, poor and friendless, and became sick, I committed myself to the care of the nuns in one of the hospitals, and there I received, for months, all the kindness of mothers and of sisters, till 1 was restored to health." Perhaps we ought not to censure with too much severity, the establishment of, here and there, an institution, where the unhappy, the bereaved and even the deserted and betrayed, especially when EBEC. TOUR BETWERN HARTFORD AND ^UEBEr. 367 lebec, are We were nunneries ire shown, :ted sense, ^rtunately, ^e did not Uourt yard ;aw one of ; she was I, both at spitals, the is, without religion or dness, and hest terms cspectable sachusetts, ftlie nuns, en 1 first id became he nuns in ar months, till 1 was too much there, an :aved and illy when they are persons distinguished by meritorious pe- culiarities of character or situation, may find at least a temporary shelter from the gize of an unfeeling world ; but it certainly is wrong, to make the de- sertion of the most interestin;^ and important social relations a religious duty. It is however, a pleasing alleviation to find that any such persons make some amends to societ} for their dereliction of its common duties and interests, by the gratuitous performance of difficult and painful offices of humanity. Montreal has a number of good public buildings. Besides the large Catholic and English Cathedrals, and other churches, there are, the Court House, which is one hundred and forty-four feet long, the Jail and the Banks, and various other public build- ings which do honour to the town. The Court House, Jail and English Cathedral particularly are modern, and very lai^e and handsome buildings, constructed of the gray limestone, hewn and laid up with neatness and skill. The monument to Lord Nelson, in the principal market place, would grace any of the squares of London. A figure of his lordship, crowns a high column* of the gray limestone, which is sustained by a large pedestal on the sides of which are ex- hibited in alto relievo, the principal achievements of nis lordship^s life and an appropriate inscription, containing his last and very memorable public or- • I have not heard its height mentioned, but should imagine it may be forty feet. n 1 y 363 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. ders to the squadron before the battle of Trafalgar. "England expects thatevery man will do his duty." () MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS ON MONTREAL. This city is in latitude 45° 31' north, and in lon- gitude 73° 35' west from Greenwich. It covers one thousand and twenty acres — what was within the old fortification was only one hundred acres. Its cli- mate is very considerably milder than thatof Quebec, and most persons would probably consider it as a more desirable residence. In regard to accommodations, it is so to a stranger, who will look in vain, in Que- bec, for an establishment equal to the Mansion House. He will find indeed, in Quebec, a good table, but there are deficiencies on other topics, to which an American, from the United States, and still more perhaps, an Englishman, will not easily be reconciled. The following facts,* as to the extent of some of the public establishments of Montreal, may be of some use, towards a correct estimation of the pub- lic spirit of the country, especially of that which prevailed under the French dominion. The Hotel Dieu, founded in 1644, is three hun- ^ dred and twenty-four feet in front, by four hundred and sixty-eight deep j it is attended by thirty-six nuns, who administer to the sick and diseased of both sexes. * Bouchetle. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 369 The Convent of La Congregation de Notre Dame, forms a range of buildings, two hundred and thirty-four feet in front, by four hundred and thirty- three ; the object of this institution is female in- struction. The general hospital or convent of the gray sis- ters, was founded in 1750: it occupies a space along the little river, St. Pierre, of six hundred and seventy-eight feet, and is a refuge for the infirm poor and invalids. The Cathedral of Notre Dame, is one hundred and forty-four feet by ninety-four; this church we thought, in some respect?, more splendid in the in- terior, but less grand, than that at Quebec. It con- tains, among other things, a gigantic wooden image of the Saviour on the cross. The Cathedral stands completely in the street of Notre Dame, acro^is the place d'armes, and entirely obstructs the view up and down the street. This church is on the out- side rude and unsightly. The English Cathedral is the finest building in Montreal — its tower, which is unfinished, is still in progress; this church is very large, but I did not learn its dimensions. Those whum we saw attend- ing worship in it, were persons of very genteel ap- pearance, including many military men, but the •:hurch would have held ten times as many as were present. The seminary of St. Sulpice, occupies three sides of a square and is one hundred and thirty-two 32 1. I >1 *? I i I f,-. 370 TOUH BETWEEN HAKTPOltl) AND QUEBEC:. »-^ feet by ninety, with spacious gardens. It was ibunded about 1657. ' Ti»e new College or Petit Seminaire, is in the Recollet suburbs ; it is two hundred and ten feet by forty-tive, with a wing at each end of one hundred and eighty-six (eet by forty-five; it is an appendage •f the other seminary, and designed to extend its aseftdness, by enlarging its accommodations. There is near the mountain of Montreal, another appendage of the seminary. It appears to be about a mile from the town — it is a considerable stone building surrounded by a ma«sy wali, which enclo- ses extensive gardens, &lc. This place was former- ly called Chateau des Seigneurs dc Montreal, but now it has the appellation of La Maison des Pretres. It is a place of recreation, resorted to, once a week, by both the superiors and pupils of the Seminary. There is no English College in Canada, but a foundation for one has been laid by a g/L'ntleman,"^ who died in t8I4, and bequeathed ten thousand pounds, besides a handsome real estate at the Biountain near Montreal, " for the purpose of en- dowing an English College ; but upon condition that such an institution should be erected within ten years, otherwise the property was to revert to his heirs." 1 have not heard that the plan has ever been carried into execution. I know nothing that has excited my surprise more in Canada, than the number, extent and vari- * Hon. James M'Gill. i* '1^ HKC. lOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND quCREC. 371 It W^i • -I . } is in the ;n feet by ; hundred ppendage xtend its »ns. I, another ) be about tble stone ch enclo- >s forme r- treal, but s Pretres. e a week, seminary, da, but a ntleman,* thousand :e at the ►se of en- condiiion ed within revert to 1 has ever ■ surprise and vari- ety of the French institutions, many of them intrin- sically of the highest importance, and all of them (according to their views) possessing that character. They are the more extraordinary when we con- sider that most of them are more than a century old, and that at the time of their foundation the Colony was feeble, and almost constantly engaged in war. It would seem from these facts, as if the French must have contemplated the establishment of a permanent and eventually of a great empire in America, and this is the more probable, as most of these institutions were founded during the ambitious, splendid and enterprising reign of Louis XIV. NORTH WEST COMPANY. We have heard in the United States, much of the contests of Lord Selkirk,* with the North West Company. Fortunately the Americans, of the States, are not involved in the quarrel, but it is solely an affair of Briton with Briton. We were honored with an introduction to Mr. M'Gillivray, who since the death of Mr. M'Tavish, is the principal member of the North West Com- pitny. This gentleman, with plain unassuming bur courteous manners, and much good sense and worth, is highly esteemed in Canada. •Thi« iiithlrnian itspeni!, lias now trrminateil his cnnfpfU and hi« mor'.ul careiT. tl w. 1 i 1 i i ^1 ■^4 »"*■ ,.•» .372 TOVR BETWEEN HARTFORD ASTD qUB^EC, 1 His villa, situated on one of the declivities of the mountain, about one mile and an half from the town — commanding a very rich and extensive prospect, is one of the most desirable residences, that I have ever seen, and appears to possess the charms of a fine English country seat, with a splendor and extent of prospect, of which, (in an equal degree,) England can rarely boast. Lord Selkirk, it appears, claims, under the old Hudson's Bay Company, a territorial right and ju- risdiction, over, from one million to one miHion five hundred thousand acres of country, including the most important posts of the North West Company. This company, it seems, claims no territorial lights, except so far as to establish posts and depots, necessary to the carrying on of the trade in furs, which are their great object, and they entirely deny the right of Lord Selkirk, to assume, or of the Hud- son's Bay Company to grant a territorial jurisdic- tion. The interfering views and arrangements of the two parties, it is well known, have already pro- duced several severe conflicts, in which a good many lives have been lost. Mr. M'Gillivray in- formed us, that the thing, much to his satisfaction, had at last got before parliament, end he hoped would now be arranged as it ought to be. We were informed that the quantity of furs fur- nished by the Indians, to the North West Company, is diminished one half, but Mr. M'Gillivray thought this rather fortunate than otherwise, because the im- > ^A, ties of the n the town i prospect, hat I have US of a fine I extent of ) England »r the old ht and ju« niHion five uding the L^ompany. territorial id depots, le in furs, rely deny the Hud- I jurisdic- !menrs of eady pro- 1 a good llivray in- tisfaction, le hoped furs fur- company, y thought >e the im- TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (QUEBEC. 373 poverishment of Europe, by its long continued course of wars, had so diminished the demand, that even now, it was fully supplied, and the only effect of throwing more furs into the market, would be to diminish the demand, and of course the prica. ABORIGINES. The native nations of this continent, it is true, were ferocious and cruel, and in this character, I have more than once, in the progress of these re- marks, had occasion to stigmatize them. Yet it is an interesting, and at the same time a melancholy occupation, to remember, that scarcely two centu- ries have elapsed, since this continent was occupied by its aboriginal inhabitants ; heroic, lofty, free as the winds, and ignorant of any foreign masters. Now, the sword, and that still greater destroyer, which all their courage cannot resist, have almost exterminated these once powerful tribes. Their lands, it is true, have been in many instances sold^ to the whites; sold! for what consideration! — acres for beads and penknives — provinces for blank- ets, and empires for powder, hall and rum. Have they retired before the wave of European population, and do they now exist in remoter and more happy regions, where trader never came, nor white man trod ? No ! those who once occupied the countries which the whites now inhabit, are annihilated ', the 32* I ^ I .1 tt jj*^ 374 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC ' (0 blast of death has withered their heroic thousands ; as nations they have sunk forever into the grave, and their dust is mingled with the fiehls which we cuhi- vate. In our older settlements, especially in the Atlantic cities, they are now almost as rarely seen, as a white man in Tombuctoo, and the few who remain, are miserable, blighted remnants of their ancestors, par- alyzed and consumed by strong drink, squalid in poverty and filth, and sunk by oppression and con- tempt. Are there any tribes that retain their former ele- vation ? A few of them remain in the forests of the west and of the north, and some of them find their way to the cities of Canada. In the streets of Montreal, we saw numbers of these people who had come down from the north west, and their appear- ance (although even they cannot refrain from intox- ication) is such, that one who had never seen any but the miserable beings who stagger about our At- lantic towns, would hardly conceive that they be- longed to the same race. Most of them, (females as well as males,) are dressed in blue cloth panta- loons, with a blue robe or blanket, thrown graceful- ly over the shoulder, and belted with a scarlet or party coloured girdio, around the waist. They wear hats with lace and feathers, and havea'supe- rior port, as if still conscious of some elevation of character. But these ill-fated nations will become extinct, notwithstanding the efforts of benevolent ■1, ■-' I- . X.J tr EBEC. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 375 thousands ; grave, and h we culti- he Atlantic , as a white 'emain, are sstors, par- , squalid in n and con- former ele- ests of the nfind their streets of le who had eir appear- rom intox- • seen any >ut our At- t they be- 1, (females oth panta- II graceful- scarlet or t. They ve a'supe- evation of 11 become )enevolcnt individuals, especially as manifested by the estab- lisbmenis formed in the south western parts of the United States, to christianize and civilize them ;and a heavy reckoning rests on the heads of the civilized communities in America, for their cruel treatment of the American Aborigines, and of the not less injur* ed Africans. PLOUGHING MATCH. Within a few years, serious efforts have beeo made in Canada, to encourage its agriculture. — Colonel Oiilvy, one of the British Commissioners, respecting the boundaries,* was among the first to encourage agricuiuire. The late Governors Sher- brook and Richmond, are also mentioned with great respect, as distinguished patrons of the same important interests. A society is now organized in Montreal, for the same purpose, aud at their instance, a ploughing match was set on foot ; it occurred the day after our return from Quebec, and I rode out to see it. 'J'welve pairs of horses, geared after the English manner, dragged as many ploughs, each moving in its appointed portion of a large smooth meadow. Some of the ploughs were made entirely of iron, and had a very light and neat appearance. The ♦ The news of whose unfortunate death, while engaged in the discharge of the duties of that trust, reached Montreal while Wf were there, and created a strong sensation of grief. I 1) / 376 TOUR HETWEEN HARTFORD and QUEnEC. ploughing was very well performed — the furrows were almost inatijtiniatically strait, and the turf was handsomely laid over. 1 was informed that there were three premiums, the highest forty dollars, and that they were granted both to excellence and speed combined. .Li ...;;. I, ^^ AGRICULTURAL DINNER. A great dinner was provided at the Mansion House where we lodged, and the friends of agricul- ture assembled, to partake of its fruits. Dining in support of Ones country^ and of its important inter- estSy is a method of evincing patriotism, so general- ly approved, that it rarely wants adherents. Nearly forty gentlemen were assembled on the present oc- casion, and among them were some of the princi- pal people for wealth and influence. The dinner hour in Quebec and Montreal is five o'clock, but as it is always five till it is six, the time of sitting down is usually delayed to near the latter hour, and dinner is actually served, for the most part, between six and seven o'clock. By invitation we at- tended, and in the present instance, sat down at seven o'clock ; the dinner, however, with all its appenda- ges, was not over till the next day ; viz. till be- tween twelve and one o'clock in the morning. I need hardly say, that zoe did not sit it out ; we stayed however long enough, to see the peculiari- ties of a greai dinner in Montreal. anEBEc. the furrows he turf was i that there dollars, and e and speed le Mansion > of agricul- Dining in >rtant inter- so general- ts. Nearly present oc- the princi- treal is five X, the time r the latter most part, ation we at- wn at seven s appenda- \riz, till be- orning. I t out ; we peculiari- TOUR BETWEEN HARTPORD AND (itJEBEC. 37? The tables were laid in a room of fifty feet in length, and we marched into it, to the music of a considerable band — piping and drumming, the fa- vourite air, " speed the plough,^^ A large transparency, occupying the space from the ceiling of a lofty room, nearly to the floor, ex- hibited, behind the chair of the President, a view of Montreal and of its beautiful mountain. The table was spread and decorated in a very handsome manner, and all the meats, poultry, wild fowl, and vegetables, which are in season in the United States, at this tim e were laid before us, in the greatest perfection, both in the articles them- selves and in the cookery. The desert was equal- ly handsome, and of the same kind as is usual in the United States. Who, however, that is unac- quainted with Canada, would expect to see the finest cantelopes, and the most delicious grapes, the pro- duce of the country, and that in the middle of Oc- tober? The grapes are raised in the open air, but in winter the vines are not only covered with straw, as with us, but with clay more than a foot thick, and in the summer, a great proportion of the leaves, except near the cluster, is taken ofT, and the vines are prevented from running, by twist- ing them. Peaches from the Genesee country, were on the table, but they were not particularly good ; apples, however, cantelopes. and grapes of the finest kind^ and in the greatest profuiion^ have been constantly before us in Canada, and have formed a I Ir f ■, y f^ 1^ 378 TOUR BETWEEN HAKTFOKD AND ^IJEHKC. part of almost every desert, even in the public houses and in the steann boats. '* All the usual garden fruits, as gooseberries,currants, strawberries, raspberries, peaches, apricots and plums, are pro- duced in plenty, and it may be asserted truly in as much perfection as in many southern cHmatcs, or even in greater." It is said that the orchards pro- duce apples not surpassed in any country. The agricultural productions of tlie country arc very fine ; in no respect inferior to those of the United States, and they are evidently raised, in Lower Canada, in greaterprofusion, and with great- re ease, than with us. The market in Montreal, is excellent — it contains, according to the season, all kinds of meats, with abundance of fowl, game, fish, and vcgelables, in fine order. The fine champaign country, which occupies so large a part of Lower Canada, is exceedingly fer- tile, and, although we are accustomed to consider the climate as very severe, it is evidently very healthy ; with the coutrivances which exist here, for producing and preserving heat, and for excluding cold, the climate is, by all accounts, ver) comforta- ble ; and it does not appear, that it prevents the in- habitants from enjoying nearly every production of the earth, which is known in the States bordering on Canada. Their potatoes and cauliflowers, are particularly good, niid are raised with great ease. The only article which we have found generally bad, in this country, has been bread. The best :i 1 1 - -V* >J»TI ^UEHCC. I the public II the usual strawberries, rns, are pro- ed truly in as climates, or >rchards pro- itry. 5 country are ) those of the tly raised, in nd with great- n Montreal, is le season, all Af game, fish, 1 occupies so ceedingly fer- id to consider vidently very h exist here, I for excluding er) comforla- events the in- production of tes bordering I i flowers, are great ease, unci generally d. The best ' TOUtt BETWEEV HARTFORD ANI> QHEnEC. 379 which we have seen, has been only tolernble, and mo^t of it lias been so sour, dark coloured, and bit- ter, that it look some time to reconcile u? to it in any degrno. We wore, beyond moasure, astoiiisht-d at the b.ii!ne-s of this article, especially as it is so good in England, atul in the cities of the United States, and as t^o many of the Canadians are perfect- ly acijuainted wiih both countries. This public dinner was conducted with great de- corum and civility. After dinner, toasts were drunk, with music ; the great personages of the empire, and of the North- American colonies, were, of course, toasted, and va- rious sentiments were given in honour of agriculture. Most of them were drunk* standing, and with cheers, three, six or nine, according to the intensity^ * There was one circumstance in this dinner, which I have not elsewhere noticed. Wijen tiie loa^ts were to be cheered, the Vice-Preeident, after rising, (and the company with him,) cried out, ver J loud, and with very distinct articulation, anJ strong em- phasis, and a pause between the words — liip I hip ! hip [——hur- ra ! hurra 1 now ! now I now hurra ! again I again '. again! burnt I — hip ! hip !^ — hurra ! hurra ! hurra ! &c. — the company repeating only the hurra, to which the other words ap- peared to be only a watch word, that all might join in the hurra at once. Since this dinner, 1 am told by an Englishman, that this ceremonial is not uncommon at set formal parties in England, but I never heard of it while there. A Scotch friend informs me that this custom is universal in Britain, in large Public Dinners, particularly Political ones. This is what is meant when a Toast is said to b6 drunk with Three times Three, it is never called as with us Three Cheers. .\ li 1 i 380 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC of feeling, or the dignity of the personages, or popu larity of the sentiment. |i fV ■ i / The Canadians appear very loyal, and we cannot be a day in their country, without perceiving in the language and ma nners of the people that we are under a royal government. The mansion house, (originally built by Sir John Johnson,"*^ son of Sir William Johnson, whose name was so famous in the colonies, during the French wars,)is the finest establishment of the kind in Can- ada, and would be considered as a fine one in Eng- land. The house, (as I remarked when here before,) is very large, with two wings, lately added, almost as extensive as the house itself, and contains ample accommodations for public or private parties, for balls and assemblies, for individuals or families, and is delightfully situated, with its front upon the im- mediate bank of the St- Lawrence, where the river, and every thing upon it, and much of the surround- ing country, is in full view. HISTORY, kc. After the fall of Quebec, in September, 1759, Montreal became the rendezvous of the remaining forces of the French, and the Marquis Vaudreuille * Who is fltill living in Montreal, although now an old man. M , -•«_ CEREf:. s, or popu we cannot ving in the at we are )y Sir John whose name the French [ind in Can- one in Eng- jre before,) Ided, almost itains ample parties, for families, and pon the im* re the river, le surround- nber, 1759, e remaining Vaudreuille ' an old man. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND <),UEREC. 381 Governor-General of Canada, during the ensuing summer of 1760, made every eflfort possible, to save the country. But, it was ail in vain. The force which General Amherst commanded, was totally superior to all Ihat the FVench General could mus- ter. It was not, however, till September, that the conquest of Canada was fully accomplished* On the sixth of that month. General Amherst, with an army of more than ten thousand men, landed at La Chine, on the island of Montreal, having prosecuted his enterprise, under very great hardships and diffi- culties, through the wilderness, Irom Schenectady to Oswego, and down Lake Ontario, and the rapids of the St. Lawrence ; on the same day, General Murray arrived with his army, from Quebec, and the day after, General Haviland, with another ar- my from Lake Champlain, appeared at Longueil. Thus, by a singular concurrence, (devoutly regard- ed at the time, by the good people of the English colonies, as peculiarly the result of the favouring providence of God,) Ihrce powerful armies, amount- ing lomore than twenty thousand men, arrived, al- most at the same hour, from regions widely remote, and after encountering peculiar, and great difficul- ties. Nothing remained for the Marquiy de Vaudreuille, surrounded, as he was, by an overwhelming force, but to capitulate. Accordingly, on the eighth, ho surrendered his army prisoners of war, and with them, tlie whole of Canada aijJ its dcpendrncics. 33 ii !/' y 382 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. )^ ' i : I't > •■ I! f The most honourable terms were granted to him, in consequence of the signal gallantry, talent, perse- verance, and patriotism, which he had displayed. " Thus, in little more than a century and a half from its first settlement, in the sixth year of the war, after six* general battles, this vast country was completely conquered by the conjoined armies of Great Britain and her colonies."! Montreal was taken by General Montgomery, on the thirteenth of November, 1775, but without op- position, except that a little before. Governor Carleton had been defeated at Longueil, by Colo- nel Warner, an event which prepared the way for the downfall of St. Johns, and of Montreal itself. This city has been, more or less, concerned in all the wars of this country, since its foundation; but, I am not informed that any very memorable bat- tle has been fought in its vicinity. It was never very strongly fortified, and, at present, there is not even the appearance of fortification ; the old walls and forts having been levelled, and even the Cita- del-Hill, an artificial mound of commanding eleva- tion, which, with vast labor, the French had erected in the midst of the city, they are now in the act of ♦ Those of Lake George, TicoDderoga, Niagara, Montmorenri. Quebec and Sillery. I . t Trumbuirs History of Counecticut. (7KBEC. ed to him, lent, perse- ] displayed, and a half 'ear of the rountry was d armies of igomery, on without op- , Governor il, by Colo- the wav for ^al itself, ^ncerned in foundation; morable hat- ; was never there is not he old walls en the Cita- iding eleva- had erected n the act of , Montmorenri, TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND <^UEBEC. 383 removing, to make room for a reservoir of water.* As at Quebec, I observed great piles of heavy can- non, but, probably, they have reference principally to naval preparations. There is a small body of troops here at present, and I had an opportunity of seeing some of them parade in the beautiful ground called the Champs de Mars. There are extensive stone barracks on the St. Lawrence, at the lower end of the city ; they are occupied by the British troops, but, I pre- sume, were erected by the French, as they are in their style of architecture. CAOTION TO STRANGERS IN CANADA. Soon after arriving on the St. Lawrence, almost every stranger finds his stomach and bowels deran- ged, and a diarrhoea, more or less severe, succeeds- The fact is admitted on all hands; and sometimes the complaint becomes very serious, and is said, in a few cases, (very peculiar ones, I presume,) to have become dang^eronB, and oven faul. It is im- puted to the lime, supposed Co be dissolved by the St. Lawrence, whose waters are generally used for culinary purposes. I have never heard that any * I was informed at Montreal, that this was the object of r«> moving Citadel- Hill ; but a correspondent, aince the publication or the first edition of thir book, siig^getl! that the removal '* was to open and extend the itrect, and not |o make room for a reaervoir •f water." i il ^ 384 TOUR BETWEEN HAUTFORD AND (QUEBEC. i V >J) * i /:'l Y"- chemical examination of the waters has been per- formed, but it is evident that it contains something foreign, because it curdles soap. It is said that boihng makes it harmless. The same thing is as- serted of the waters of Holland, which produce similar effects upon strangers. I have experienced these effects both in Holland, and in Canada ; and Mr. W was, in the latter country, more severely affected than myself. Strangers from the United States, coming here, should be very cautious of their diet, especially as the hour" are so different from those that prevail in most of the States, and as they are even much later than those of our cities. The late dinners, and the conviviality of Canada, subject a stranger, (especially from the eastern States,) to be eating meats and drinking wine, when he usually drinki tea, and his stomach has been, perhaps, before en- feebled by fasting, and is (hen enfeebled again by repletion. The sour bread also appears to have its share in producing a derangement of the stomach. PECULIAR MODE OF EXTRACTING TEETH. Severe suffering from my teeth, while in Mon- treal, oblit^ed me to resort lolhe usual painful rem- edy. It was rendered, however, in the present in- stance, much less distressing than common, by a mode of extraction, which 1 have never seen prac- tised elsewhere. I ■ i UEBEC. as been per- ns something is said that 2 thing is as- lich produce experienced iada;and Mr. ore severely conning here, especially as 5 that prevail re even much late dinners, !ct a stranger, to be eating usually drihki ps, before en- )led again by ars to have its ' the stomach. G TEKTH. vhile in Mon- 1 painful reni- he present in- common, by a ver seen nrac- TOUR BETWEEN UARTFORO AND QUEB£C. 385 A pair of strong hawks-bill forceps, bent at the mouth, gently downward, and then inward, and terminating in delicate teeth, is applied to the tooth to be drawn; no cutting of the gum is practised, nor any preparation, except simply to place a small piece of wood (pine is commonly used,) between the forceps and the jaw, and close to the tooth; this stick is the prop — the tooth is the weight to be lifted, and the hand applies the power just at the end of the lever, that is, at the other end of the for- ceps. The pressure is applied downward, if it be the lower jaw— upward, if it be the upper jaw, and the tooth (without any thing of that horrible crash which attends the usual mode of extraction, without prying against the jaw, and thus creating danger of breaking it, besides producing much pain by the pressure on the sides of the socket,) is lifted per- pendicularly from its bed ; there is no other vio- lence than to break the periosteum, and the con- necting vessels and nerves, and the thing is etTect- ed with comparatively little pain. When it is de- sired simply to cut a tooth off, in order to plug it, it is necessary only to compress the instrument, without prying. It may be supposed that the pressure against the jaw, by the prop, must be painful ; on the contrary, it iF not felt, because the action and re-action are exactly equal, between the pressure on the jaw and the resistance of the tooth. Dr. Fay, from 33* { i n jfct' ; .) i .J. 386 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. Vermont, is the person who operates in this ingen- ious manner.* CATHOLIC WORSHIP. This worship is fully maintained in Canada. It is said that the Catholics of this country even lay claim to a greater degree of purity and strictness, than those of old France. In other Catholic coun- tries, they go from the church to the theatre, but it was stated to us in Montreal, that the Catholic priests do not permit their people to attend the theatres, and that it is very rare that a Catholic is seen in them in Canada. We visited numbers of their houses of worship, and, even in their villages, these houses are deco- rated with pictures, and considerably ornamented in their finishing. We never entered one of them, without finding people at their devotions. They cross themselves with holy water, and then, with much apparent seriousness, repeat their prayers silently, moving their lips only. As in other Cath- i;c on tiie sal*; of real estate. It was stated to us A^ being in Montreal eight per cent, on the sales of all real estates in the seigniory ; that is, in the whole island, which is thirty miles long by ten and a half wide. The CalhoUc Church* is the seignicur to this seigniory. The per centage is paid by the purchaser, and is repeated ^very time the estate is sold. This enormous charge is not, however, fully enforced ; the clergy are glad to compound for five per cent, and it is even, in some instances, evaded or refused altogether, and I believe it is rarely en- forced by law, although it is understood that the right is complete. Perhaps the clergy may feel a delicacy in prosecuting an unpopular claim, under a government, which, although it protects them fully in their rights, and exercises towards them a perfect toleration, is of a different religious order. It is a strange fact, not only that the Catholics of Britain and Ireland, but even other sectaries from the established church, do not experience, at home, any thing like the toleration which is enjoyed by the Catholics in Canada; rather, it would almost seem as if the latter were, in Canada, the estabhshed , 1 J * Bouchetle states that this property belongs to the Seminary of St. Sulpice, but this is, I supi oee, only another name for its { belon j;iris: to the clergy, who are the fathers and directors of the inntitutieo. r QUEBEC. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 389 opulent. It? [1 the lodes tt I a certain per t was stated to it. on the sales that is, in the mg by ten and s the seignicur is paid by the le the estate is however, fully Tipound for five itances, evaded it is rarely en- stood that the lergy may feel lar claim, under protects them towards them a religious order, he Catholics of sectaries from rience, at home, s enjoyed by the uld almost seem \ the estabUshed mgs to the Seminarf | another name for itt | I and directors of the church still, and that the Protestant Episcopal, and other denominations, were the U rated sects. The present Speaker of the House of Commons in Low- er Canada, is a Catholic. 1 have already remarked that we attended wor- ship in a very large Episcopal Church recently erected, and although the building does honour to Montreal, it was by no means so well tilled as the Catholic Cathedral. Indeed, it is wonderful that sixty years of sub- jection to a foreign power have not done more to weaken the French establishments and institutions in Canada. They not only remain for the most part, but seem, in many instances, to have gained vigor, and every thing still bears a thousand times more the appearance of a French than of an Eng- lish country. This is not more apparent in any thing, than in the general prevalence of THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. This is altogether the prevailing tongue of the towns, and the invariable language of the villages. In the streets, both in town and country; in the steam-boats ; in the markets ; and, in short, every where, you hardly ever hear any thing but French. All people of business, of education, of fashion and influence, speak both languages; and we were in- formed, that the proceedings of all courts, and alt nleadinirs and arguments in them, are carried on in pleadings / V V ! •■ M '. I • 390 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. both. The common people in the towns generally speak both ; many of those who come to market also ; but in the villages we more generally found that they spoke French only. It is conceded, I believe, that the French gentry in Canada speak and write the language with purity. We heard an eminent French gentleman, at the agricultural dinner, sing 'God save the King' in French; but it is often said, that the common French Canadians speak only a spurious and cor- rupted French, having only a remote resemblance to that of France. B\it there seems reason to doubt the correctness of this opinion. Mr. W— , who, in youth, learned to speak the French language in France, not only found no difficulty in conversing with the common people — (and we had considera- ble intercourse with them)-»but ho gives ii as his opinion, i^at the French spoken by them is, if any thing, more pure than that used by the country peo- ple of France, and that it is as good as the English spoken by the common classes of society in the United States. In many instances, the phraseolo- gy of the country people was considered as remark- ably apposite, and even occasionally, elegant. I have already quoted the opinion of Charlevoix on- this point ; and there seems to have been, in tkic respect, very little change, since his time. ,■■» - » \ «i*"- » A. ^ ■ I^UBBEC. TOUR BETWBEN HARTFORD AND qtPBEC. *>I ^ns generally e to market lerally found rench gentry 3 with purity, iman, at the the King' in the common ious and cor- resemblance lason to doubt W , who, h language in in conversing tad considera- gives it as his lem is, if any I country peo- as the English lociety in the he phraseolo- red as remark- , elegant. I harlevoix on- been, in thi« ime* FREiNCH POPULATION— THEIR MANNERS, CO: VILLAGES, POLITICAL SITUATION, &c. ME Colonel Bouchette states the population of Low- er Canada at three hundred and ihirty-five thous- and ; and of this number, two hundred and sev- enty five thousand are French.* It is, therefore, still a French country, and it is surprising, that in more than half a century so little impression has been made on their peculiar characteristics. In the lower province, where they are almost ex- clusively found, the soil is generally luxuriant; they inhabit, for the most part, the rich alluvial soil by which the St. Lawrence, the Sorel, and other prin- cipal waters, are so extensively bordered. Their subsistence is easily obtained — there are scarcely any marks of extreme poverty among them, and a mendicant we never saw while in the country. — They are, however, generally without enterprise, and are satisfied to go on without change, from gen- eration to generation. There is much reason to be- lieve, that they give a very just exhibition of the French people in the provinces from which they emigrated, as they were two hundred years ago. I speak of the common people. They are more like an European peasantry, than any thing in this coun- try : I mean in North America. They are truly a peasantry, except that they are vastly superior to European peasantry in comforts and in privileges. L * la 1663, it contained 7000 souls ; in 1714, 20,000 ; in 1759, 70,000 ; ia 1775, 90,000, including upper Canada— fioue^ttt. : f 392 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (^TJEBEC. It is questionable, whether any conquered coun- try was ever better treated by its conquerers. They were left in complete possession of their religion, and of the revenues to support it ; of their property, laws, customs, and manners ; and even the very governing* and defending of the country is almost without expense to them. They are said to pay no taxes to government, and none of any descrip- tion, except a trifling sum of a few shillings a year to their seigneurs, as an acknowledgment for the tenure of their lands, and a twenty sixth part of their grain to the clergy, with certain liabiliiies to contribute to the repair of churches, and various other public objects. With the affairs of government they give them- selves little concern ; and it is a curious fact, if cor- rectly stated to us by various intelligent men in Canada, that this couiitry, so far from being a source of revenue, is an actual charge upon the treasury of the empire. It would seem as if the trouble and expense of government were taken off their hands, and as if ,1 \'- ♦Remarks by « British frien.l. — Lower Canada now, 1821 pays its own Civil List, but all the military establishment is at the expense of the Home Government : and no advantage of a pe- cuniary kind is derived from our N. American Colonies. Even the timber has been proved before Parliament to be so inferior, that this year a tax has bf^en laid upon it, to make it more equal in this respect with the Baltic timber, which is much superior in quality, but was excluded in a great measure from our markets by a prohibitory duty. t I JCBEC. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 399 Bred coun- •ers. They ir religion, ir property, n the very -y is almost ;aid to pay ,ny descrip- lings a year nent for the ixth part of liabiliiies to and various ' give them- sfact, ifcor- gent men in eing a source le treasury of expense of ds, and as if lada now, 1821 ablishinent is at vantage of a pe- Colonies. Evt-n to be so inferior, ike it nriore equal much superior in m our markets by they were left to enjoy their own domestic comforts without a drawback. Such is certainly the appear- ance of the population, and i^t is doubtful whether even our own favored communities are politically more happy. It is evident that the Canadians are abundantly more so, than the mass of the English population at home. They are not exposed, in a similarmanner, to poverty, and the danger of starva- tion, which so often invade the Enirlish manufac- turing districts, and which, aided by their denia- gogues, goad them on to every thing but open re- bellion. Such is the richness of the soil in Lower Cana- da, that the farmers are said even to be afraid of raising too much produce, lest the price should fall. They have so little occasion to manure their grounds, that stable manure, as we were assuivd, is, in the winter — even now, and it was much more the fact formerly — carried on to the river, and left in heaps on the ice, that they may get rid of it as a nuisance ; and, in general, it cannot be given away — people will not remove it without being paid for their labor. Such negligence and bad farming are much to be regretted ; for even the island of Mon- treal, beautiful as it is, would certainly be the bet- ter for the manure which is annually thrown away, and I trust their new agricultural society will jfoon teach the people a better lesson on this subject, and prevent their wasting so rich a treasure. 34 394 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. :A In the costume of the French gentry in Canada, there is nothing pecii! ar. 'J he peasantry fre(|uent- \y wear a blue or red woollen CcTp, tailing back in a pendant cone, and many of them wt-ar a red or oarty-colored woo'len sash around their waists — They are very fond of tobacco, anti aie f'equently observed smoking with a short pipe, wh>!e t'u\) are walking or driving their curts. We were suflicient- ly amused, at seeing a common Frenchman driv ug a cart of dry straw in the streets of Montreal, while he was sitting immediately before it, smoking his pipe quite unconcerned, although a strong wind was blowing the sparks directly toward^ the straw, A day or two after, we met another, also smoking, and with the utmost sang froid^ sitting in the midst of his load of straw. We visited a number of villages, and went into several houses of the peasantry, besides looking into many others, particularly around Quebec, the delightful weather causing them to throw their win- dows wide open. Most of the cottages are con- structed of logs, nicely 84|uared, and laid up; the angles are framed or halved together, the seams are made tight by plaister, good windows and doors are titted in, the roofs are generally of shingles, the whole is tight against the weather, and neatly white- washed, roof and all; at least, this is commonly the fact on the St. Lawrence. 1 have already men- tioned thfit the belter sort of cottages are built of stone, sometimes covered with cement and some- ^,M i\ hbec. [I Canada, fre(|U<-nt- back in a a red or • waists — frequently !e Xhr) are ' giifliciont- (landriv ug ;real, while -moking his trong wind ? the straw, so smoking, in the midst )d went into ides looking Quebec, the iw their win- res are con- aid up ; the he seams arc ind doors are shingles, the neatly white- s commonly already men- are built of nt and some- I TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD A\D QUEBEC. 395 times not. Inside, the houses appear very comfort- able : they are plastered or waiuscoated, and each mansion is furnished with an ample stove, usually standif g in the middle of a large room, or in the partition of two, or in the common angle of several. There are large out houses, barns, &c. built in much the same manner as the houses. We had occasion several times to call at the hous- es of the peasantry for milk, or something else that we wanted. The milk was very rich, and for a trifle, was bountifully furnished. The manners of the French in Canada, are extremely courteous and kind ; those of the gentry are of course polished, but the common people, also, have a winning gen- tleness and suavity, and a zealous forwardness to serve you, which, particularly in the villages, de- lighted us very much. Even the common " oui Monsieur,''^ is uttered in a manner so different from the blunt coldness of our common people, who fre- quently also forget the Monsieur, that wc were much struck with the difference.* The women, of course, excel the men, in all that is bland in manner, and obliging in conduct ; there is aho a lady-like self-possession about them; they do not appear at all embarrassed, by the quc>tions of a stranger, but aii^iwer them with the ease and politeness of higher Hfe, without relinquishing the simplicity of manners appropriate to their uwn con- * Wo were treated with much kiDdness by all classes of people in Cuuada. /rtmi- I I \ \ \ 396 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND qUEHEC. (lition. It would seem from the citations which 1 have made from Charlevoix, that there have been in these respects, no serious changes in a century. After our visit to the Chaudiere, being late and in haste, we asked for some milk at a peasant's door, without meaning to go in; the milk was instantly produced, but we must not drink it at the door; "entrez Monsieur," "entrez Monsieur," waskind- iy repeated by the woman of the house, and we went in; she seated us around a table, and furnish- ed us with a bowl of tine milk, and with tumblers to drink it out of. Mr. W was much gratified to find that the manners of the peasantry of Canada remained pre- cisely like those of France. Like the people of the parent country, they continue very fond of mu- sic ; wc frequently heard the violin in the streets of the towns and villages. At Beauport, we saw them dancing merrily at a wedding, which had just been celebrated at noon day, and the bride and bridegroom were walking home, neatly dressed, hand in hand, and with a cheerful air. There are May poles in most of their villages ; iiomo of them are very high, and splendidly painted ; they voluntarily erect them as a mark of respect be- fore the door of the man in the village, whom they wish to honour as their best citizen, and gaily dance around them on the first of May. They are very fond of dogs — in the towns, thoy are from their numbers, a perfect nuisance, and lately at Que- \ A Eli EC. 10UR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 397 ns which 1 have been a century. late and in sant's door, as instantly t the door; ," waskind- ise, and we and furnish- ith tumblers find that the smained pre- [le people of J fond of mu- n the streets )ort, we saw hich had just le bride and atly dressed, heir villages ; hdly painted; of respect be- e, whom they ;n, and gaily May. They they are from lately at Que- . bee, a verdict of fifty pounds, was given by a jury, for the shooting of a dog by a gentleman at whom he flew. The death of the Duke of Richmond, seems not to have excited any particular dread of dogs. Lower Canada is a fine country, and will hereaf- ter become populous and powerful, especially as the British and Anglo-American population shall flow in more extensively, and impart more vigour and activity to the community. The climate, notwithstanding its severity, is a good one and very healthy, and favorable to the freshness and beauty of the human complexion. All tl)e most important comforts of life are easily and abundantly obtained, although the expenses of living are high, considering the fertility of the country. A more correct knov.lcdge of Canada, is now fast diffusing itself through the American States, since the intercourse is become so easy, and I be- lieve few Americans from the States, now visit this country, without returning more favourably impress- ed, respect ng it han they expected to be. It will be happy if friendly sentiments and the interchange of mutual ' ourtesie shall do away the unfounded i ipressions and prejudices of both communities. Commercial intercourse between the two countricF. 34* , i \ ' \' ! u\ '1 I hi 398 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. is also important, and 1 presume, mutually advanta- gco.is, and will probably continue to increase. The commen ial men in Canada are principally British and American. V i' DEPARTURE FKOM CANADA. We left Montreal on the morning of the four- teenth, in a thick snow, which however soon ceas- ed ; the crystals of snow were all single prisms, or two prisms, united at an angle, and not the usual star of six rays. The first snow of the season fell the day before, when I was on the mountain of Montreal. The country and the appearance of the people between Montreal and St. Johns, on the river Sor- el, a distance of twenty-seven miles, are so similar to what 1 have atready described, that i find little to add. From Montreal to Chambly, fifteen miles, is a perfectly flat alluvial co mtry, with a deep rich soil, and appears to have been a mere swamp, till cul- tivation had redeemed it. The road I. as been made by ditching and embankment, and considering the nature of the country, the road is not bati. Chambly is a considerably jarge town, for Cana- da ; containsafew good andsome handsome houses, extensive barracks,* both for infantry and cavalry, and a few troops. ♦ Errttcd, principally, during the late war, when it was a great military statioo \ UEBCC. Uy advanta- increase. principally of the four- ir soon ceas- le prisms, or lot the usual e season fell mountain of the people le river Sor- are so similar t 1 find little 1 miles, is a eep rich soil, imp, till ctd- as been made nsidering the 53;). vn, for Cana- some houses, and cavalry, , when it was a ^ TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 399 There is here an interesting remnant of the old French dominion. It is a square fort of stone, probably forty feet high, and two hundred feet on the ground, on each of its sides. It has square towers, projecting from each of its angles, so tiiat every approach to it could be completely enfiladed by three tiers of cannon. We were permi.ted to visit the insi«ie, which is a square open to the heavens, although the walls are so thick, as to con- tain numerous enclosed apartments. The P^'ench mi itary works, in this country are highly respecta- ble, considering the immaturity of the country, when they were erected, and the length of time that has elnpsed since most of them were constructed. The fort, (or perhaps it might more properly be called the Castle) of Chambly has the date 1711, cut in the stone near the portcullis. This fortress was taken by General Montgomery, in 1775, previously to the surrender of the Fort at St. Johns. At Chambly, the river Sorel, which both above and below is sluggish, (at least it is so, near its mouth and at St. John's) becomes very lively, roar- ing over a rocky bottom and forming a pretty, al- though not an impetuous rapid. In the only place upon its banks, where I had an opportunity to see any of the rocks, th«*y were flat secondary lime- stone, covered by slate. From Chambly to St. Johns, twelve miles, there is a beautiful country, al )ng the bank of the river; the population is a numerous one, and in summer, '. . 7i (■ 'tl ^ H 400 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. this must be one of the finest rides that a flat coun- try can prf s^iit. Near Ch^mbly, baton the other side of the river, there is » iaruje and handsome house, belonging to General Christie Burton, who has there an estab- lishment of mills. We arrived in the town of St. John^sin the after- noon. We were very conifortabiy accommodated at Cameron's Inn ; but St. John's is a place in which a stranger will not wish to remain long. Al- though the country is fertile about it, its appearance is mean, dirty and disagreeable. A few troops are stationed here, but the ancient fort, which was very extensive, and still looks very venerable, with Its high earthen walls and falling barracks, is an interes- ting ruin. It was captured in 1775 by General Montgomery, after a gallant defence, and a consid- erably protracted seige. This place was an important post during the French wars, and even during the revolutionary war: the same was true ofChambly, and both have been taken and retaken, although I do not remem- ber any very memorable event, that has signalized their transfer from one power to another. In wandering about the ruins of the fort, 1 ob- served the cemetery of the garrison ; their monu- ments are boards painted black, and the inscription is in white painted letters. 4^, S6EC. flat couQ- rOVU BETWEEN HARTFOluD AND QITEnEC. 401 the river, onging to aa estab- the after- nmodated place in 3ng. Al- ppearance roops are \ was very , with its m interes- r General a consid- uring the olutionary )Oth have )t remem- signalized ort, 1 ob- eir monu- nscription October 15. — At eight o'clock in the morning, we left St. John's in the steam boat Congress, and al- though encountering both an opposing wind and current, we swept along with great rapidity, in one of the swiftest and best boats that 1 have ever seen. She is not large, but is fitted up with great neat- ness, and every thing about her is in fine order. We soon passed the Isle aux Noix, which, as observed in the passage down, has also been cele- brated in the military history of these countries, and is now fortified and occupied by a considerable force. Troops appeared to be engaged in throw- ing up additional works. There are large bar- racks on this island, and numbers of officers reside here, on (his low spot of only eighty-five acres, in what appears to be a gloomy exile. This island is particularly important to the naval command of Lake Champlain, and here the unfortunate Captain Downie's squadron was fitted out. fn passing into Canada, I remarked, that the country on both sides of the river, quite to the lake, is a dismal low swamp, with only inconsider- able clearings and settlements. It is said, howev" er, to be healthy. At Rouse's Poin^ at the confluence of the river Sorel with Lake Champlain, we again passed the strong stone work recently erected by the United J '^, 'hi 1 402 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. States to command the river, and now about to fall to the British government. Once more we were in our own waters, and in a short time passed around Cumberland Head, which is composed of flat strata of secondary limestone. M" h PLATTSBURGH BAY. The fine capacious Bay of Pittsburgh was now before us, and the town of the same name. The important military events which have occurred here, are too recent and familiar to make any very particular notice of them necessary. This is still a military station, and when one sees the position occupied by the British army before it in 1814, and contemplates their numbers, compared with the feeble force which so gallantly opposed them, he is astonished that they did not at once storm and carry the foits, and annihilate all opposition. Ev- ery one here says that they might, with the great- est ease, have done it.* We were on shore, and visited some of the works. We learned the exact position of Commodore Macdonough's fleet, and passed over this portion of the bay. We conversed with numbers of per- mit doubtless would hare been attempted, had the fleet been victorious; but after its destruction, the acquisitioD of the forts would perhaps have beea of little use. L'm«4' !v 7EDEC. •out to fall 's, and in a ead, which nestone. h was now ime. The 5 occurred le any very This is still he position it in 1814, pared with osed them, : storm and ition. Ev- 1 the great- shore, and Jommodore his portion eis of per- Ihe fleet been 10 of the forts TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 403 sons who were witnosses of (he action, and some of whom wore on board immediately after it was ter- mii.ateci. We passed dose to the small island, call- ed Crab Island, to which ihe dead and wounded of botii fleets were carried, and which was the com- mon grave of h'if»dreds of friend:- and foes. The particular delruU of Ihe scenes of horror which at- tended and succeeded the battle — of the shocking mutilations of the human form, in every imnginable mode and decree, and of the appalling display on the beach, of so many bodies, dead and wounded, pre- paratory to their conveyance either to the hospital or to the grave, I shall, for very obvious reasons, omit. Even now, their bones, slightly buried on a rocky island, are partly exposed to view, or, being occasionally turned up by the roots of the trees, blown down by the wind, shock the beholder; and the buttons, and other parts of their clothes, (for the military dresses in which they were slain, were also their winding sheets,) are often seen above ground. Long may it be, ere the waters of this now peaceful lake are again crimsoned with hu- man blood ! One remarkable fact I shall mention, on the au- thority of an American surgeon, who attended up- on the wounded of both fleets. The Americans re- covered much faster than the British, where their injuries were similar; healthy granulations formed, and the parts united and healed more readily. Thii was imputed to the different state of mind in the victors and in the vanquished. \ i '7, 11 a »«r^ 404 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD ANI> QUEBEC. M ANECDOTES. A British officer in Canada, of his own accord, spoke to me in the highe.st terms of the American navy, and of its officers. He metitioned Captain Hull particularly, with a frankness of commenda- tion, that was equally honorable to himself, and to the subject of his praise. He said that an officer of the Guerriere, who was on board of that frigate when she was captured by Captain Hull, narrated to him the circumstance to which I am about to allude. It will be remembered, that Captain Hull was standing before the wind, a little east of north, with all sail set, when he descried the Guerriere, under double reefs, standing on a wind, to the southward and westward. The Constitution then hauled to, shortened sail, and prepared for action ; immedi- ately after which, she resumed her course before the wind, and commenced bearing down upon the Guerrie»e. The latter ship having tacked, so as to bring her bowsprit to the northward and east- ward, having her main top-sail aback, and being about two miles distant, (that is, at long cannon shot,) fired her broadside, but it was not returned by the Constitution. The Guerriere then wore, as short round as possible, and gave her antagonist the other broadside ; still the fire was not returned ; but Captain Hull, with hU ship in fighting trim, con- tinued to bear down upon his adversary, who, find- lEC. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,UBREC. 405 I accord, merican Captain Dmenda- f, and to officer of it frigate narrated about to Hull was )rth, with re, under outhward lauled to, ; immedi- rse before I upon the ed, so as and east- and being ig cannon , returned fien wore, antagonist returned; ; trim, con- who, find- ing that he was thu-^ pressed, continued, on his part, to wear and to fire, firet one broadside and then the othrr; to «ll this, however, Captain Hull paid no attention, hut continuing to recieve the fire of the Gnerrierc without returning it, pressed forward, till he was now very near. The Guerriere then put before the wind, lo make a running fight, and the Constitution followed on, directly astern, till finding that the G'.ierriere would outsail her, she spread more canvass, when she gained so fast upon the chase, that she was soon enabled to take her position upon the larboard side of her antaj;o:»ist, and to deliver her fire at very <',lose quarters, when the mizen-mast of the Guerriere was shot away. It was this crisis of the afftur that excited so much admiration among the British officers. They ima- gined, that it was in the power of Capt. Hull, to choose whether he would tack, and lie across the stern of his adversary, so as to rake her with com- parative impunity; — or to shoot along side, and thus give his antagonist an opportunity to defend herself. The Constitution had, as yet, sustained very little damage, and it was obviously the inten- tion of her brave commander, not to give his fire, till he could come to close quarters. The British officers considered it as giving also to the Guerriere, an opportunity of defending herself. "It was the noblest thing (added a gentleman with whom I was conversing,) that was ever done in a naval con- flict." — The compliment thus paid to the ma^nu 35 \ \ '% 406 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND ((UEBEG. 'I I i f H i y ' \ IN:' f nimity of Capt. Hull, however gratifying to an American, must not be admitted, without some qualification — whatever might have been the im- pressions of the British officers, the opinion of na- val men of the first eminence in this country, is, that Capt. Hull chose the position, best fitted to accomplish his object, and that in no part of this conflict, did he give eveti a momentary advantage to his enemy. The result of this battle is well known — the ships continued fighting, at close quar- ters, till the Constitution, attempting to lay the Guerriere aboard on the larboard bow, shot a head and crossed her bows, when her main and mizen- mast fell, and she struck her colours.* A gentleman at Montreal, mentioned to us, that a public dinner was given at Terrebonne, a small town a little way below Montreal, to Commodore * Upon preparing the former edition of this work, my im* pressions coincided with those of the British officers — but a more minute examination since, of the circumstances of the action, (with the aid of the opinions of some of the ablest naval men in this country,) has induced me to ado(it a different opinion. I understand, that the speedy fall of the masts of the Guerriere was the effect of marksminshipf and not an accidental result of random firing. The crew of the Guerriere appear to have been, in some measure, disconcerted, by their previous efforts in wear- ing so often, and in firing so many broadsides, and by the singularly cool and undaunted manner in which the Constitution bore down upon them. It is a fact that they fired badly, both as to rapidity and direction, and often did nut even run their ^uns out of their port holes, but tore tboir own wooden walls with their own discharges. — 1824. 1 rEBBO. ang to an liout some ;n the im- nion of na- oimtry, is, st fitted to •art of this advantage tie is well close quar- to lay the shot H head and mizen- to us, that a me, a small Commodore work, my im- rs — but a more I of the action, st naval men in ent opinion. I the Guerriere dental result of arte have been, efforts in wear- es, and by the Lhe Constitution d badly, both as I run their ^'uns odea walls with r] TOUR BBTWCEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 407 Barclay, after his signal defeat by Commodore Per- ry on Lake Erie. Barclay, who was sadly cut to pieces by wounds, of which he was hardly recover- ed, and his remaining arm (for he had lost the oth- er before,) being suspended in a sling, gave as a volunteer toast, "Commodore Perry — the brave and humane enemy." Commodore Barclay then entered into a detailed account of Perrv's treatment of himself, and of the other wounded and prisoners, who fell into his hands; and in narrating the story, he became himself so deeply affected, that the tears flowed copiously down his cheeks. The audience were scarcely less moved; and how could it be otherwise, when the speaker, who, but a few weeks before, had, without dismay, faced the tremendous cannonade of his enemy, could not now, without tears of admiration and gratitude, relate his deeds of kindness to himself and his companions, when suffering under wounds and defeat. O! this was a nobler triumph for Perry, than the victory which God granted to his arms! Scarcely had we been gratified by the above anecdote, when the New-York newspapers, which, in our parlour at Montreal, we were cheerfully pe- ru^'ing, informed us, that the brave, magnanimous, and gentle Perry, had fallen — not in battle on the water, but by a fever, in a foreign land. The news would have been sufficiently painful at home, but (t i| . ■ 1 ( 'td /J At- i ^^ . t 408 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. among strangers, and those who were so recently our public enemies, it gave us a severe shock : we not only felt that it was a public loss, but we nei- ther could realize, nor wished to do so, that it was not our own private bereavement. Few men of his age, have done more to serve and honour their country than Perry, although we must still regret that he gave his saitction to duelling. After a rapid sail across the lake, and seeing the spot where the Phoenix was burnt, and, at a greater distance, the ror.ky channel through which General Arnold in 1776, escaped the pursuit of the British fleet, we arrived, early in the evening, at Burling- ton, where the carriage was in waiting to receive us. Bofore leaving the steam-boat Congress, I will remark, that, under the auspices of her present commander, the younger Captain Sherman, who also commanded the Phoenix when she was de- stroyed, vigorous measures have been adopted to prevent a recurrence of a similar accident, and that we were much pleased with his management of the boat. u UKBEC. TOUR BETWEEN HATITFORD AND ^UEISEC. 409 JO recently shock : we t)ut we nei- , that it was \»w men of lonour their still regret d seeing the at a greater [lich General f the British , at Burling- to receive us. ngress 1 will her present herman, who she was de- in adopted to dent, and that gement of the BURLINGTON, IN VERMONT, TO HANOVER, IN NEW- HAMPSHIRE, 84 MILES. We were on the road three days, and, as it is not remarkably interesting, except for its wild Al- pine scenery, I shall give but a sketch of it. Burlington is one of the most beautiful villages in New-England. It stands on a bay, of the same name, is a port of entry, and has a population of probably nearly two thousand. Rising rapidly from the lake, and occupying the declivity and top of a high hill — abounding with elegant houses — generally large, and painted white — having several handsome public buildings, and (the most conspic- uous and commanding of them all,) a college, situa- ted on the most elevated ground, three hundred and thirty feet above the surface of the water; the im- pressions which it makes on a stranger, are very agreeable, and the more so, as it is scarcely forty years since this region was a wilderness. Its build- ings are, a court house, a jail, an academy, a col- lege, two handsome houses of public worship, one hundred and sixty dwelling-houses, and forty-three stores, oflices, and mechanics' shops. It is the most commercial place on the lake.* The college editice, is a brick building, one hun- dred and sixty feet long, from forty five to seventy- five wide, and four stones high. This institution si ♦ Worcester's Gazetteer. 36* 410 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (QUEBEC. was founded in 1791| under the appellation of the University of Vermont. The building is commo- dious; it contains about fifty private room?, and good public apartments. This edifice stands in a most delightful situation, and from the top of it, to which I ascended, there is a grand and extensive prospect, although, in the present instance, it was obscured by a fog. The number of students was stated to me, by one of the tutors, to be from thirty to forty.* It is well known that, in the Vermont republic of letters, ther3 is a divisum imperium, and that the two rival institutions of Middlebury and Burlington, have long contended for pre-eminence. It doi-'s not become a stranger to make any other remark, than that, in a state of no greater popula- tion, the united eiForts of all the friends of ic" ^inn; are not more than sufheient to sustain one i. n.-u- tion, as it ought to be supported; it is to be hoped therefore, that Vermont may, in due time, combine all her efforts, and blend her two institutions into one. Burlington college has a library of about eight or nine hundred volumes, and a small apparatus. It is but just recovering from a state of partial disor- ganization, produced by the late war, when, for a season, the building was occupied by troops of the United Slates, and Mars put the muses to flight. The concession, however, it was understood, wan * The number in Oct. 1833, was 63 claiiical, and 65 medical atudanti. I^VEBEC. ition of the g is commo- room?, and stands in a top of it, to id extensive ance, it was students was e from thirty he Vermont nperiunif and dlebury and •e-eminence. ke any other later popula- Is of U •\}rttr 1 one i, kel and six professurs, including lour in the metlicHl de^hrtment. t Three thousand Tour hundred.— WorcMter^a Gaxetleer. ^< -/ »«»w. i I 1 • 1 412 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. The day was somewhat obscured by rain, mist, and clouds, which, while they did not screen the mountains from our view, addrd a gloomy gran- deur to the scene, and seemed the appropriate dra- pery of such Alpine regions. Most of the country is still unsubdued by the plough. Innumerable stumps, the remains of the pristine forest, deform the fields — pines, and other trees, girdled, dry, and blasted, by summer's heat, and winter's cold — scorched and blackened, by tire, or piled in confusion, on fields, cleared, half by the axe, and half by burning — numerous log houses, of a rude construction, and incomparably inferior to the snug cottages of the Canadian peas- antry—all these, and many other objects, indicate a country, in some parts at least, imperfectly sub- dued by man Along the Onion river, however, and its branch- es, we found much clear, good land ; on the sides of the mountains, many fields fit for pasturage, and, almost every where, fine cattle and sheep, but very little ploughed land ; every few miles also, we came to good houses, and a few villages, occurred on the journey. At Montpelier, in a low valley, forty miles from the lake, we found the legislature of Vermont con- Teited. Montpelier is a small, and rather neat village, of about one hundred fiuoilii's \ the townrhip. in which it ib fiituated, contams nearly two thousand people; EfiEC. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD ANU qUEBKC. 413 I ' ain, mist, i:reeii the my gran- >riate dra- d by the ns of the and other er's heat, cened, by ared, half icrous log omparably dian peas- s, indicate fectly sub- its branch- I the sides irage, and, p, but very [>, we came red on the miles from rmont con- village, of p. in which ud people ; but this place is so secluded, that it seems as if the government had sought retirement, more than pub- licity, in fixing itself here. It is probable, howev- er, that it was rather a regard to a central position, as this place is only ten miles from the centre of the State. At a little village, where we attended public wor- ship, in a very stormy day, we found a very thin congregation, but, in a new house, of considerable size, and much ornamented within, althi>ugh, in what would, perhaps, be by some, esteemed an erro- neous taste, it was, however, honourable to the public spirit of the vicinity. We were much impressed in Canada, with the devout appearance of the Catholics in their reli- gious assemblies, and cannot but think, that in this respect, they have the advantage, not only of most of the Protestant congregations, in which we have been present during our journey, but also of the greater part of those, with which we have been, elsewhere, conversant, in Protestant countries. The Canadian Catholic seemsj at least, to be de- vout, while, in our protestant assemblies, how often do we see, if not levity, at least vacancy, languor, and apathy, and how few appear to be, really in ear- nest. If we say that the Catholic is so in appear- ance only^ he may reply, with a force which it will not be easy to obviate, that there is no reason what- ever to infer the reality ^ where there is not so much as the external decorum of worship. ■I i\ I istt ■■■ i 414 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (QUEBEC. The roads were good through our whole journey to Hanover, except the effects of recent rains, and considering the mountainous nature of the country. Wherever practicable, they have followed the riv- er courses along the alluvial bottoms, and, where they have wound around the hills, it is done with great skill and judgment. Very frequently, we rode for miles, on precipices, where the descent was, for a great many yards down, almost perfectly abrupt, and a slight deviation would have been fatal. When we arrived at the height of land, which was about sixty miles from the lake, the streams, now tending towards the Connecticut, indicated our course, and, for six or seven miles, we descended with great rapidity, the carriage almost constantly urging the horses forward, and, at last, we found lodgings in the beautiful valleyof Chelsea, complete- ly environed by mountains, which, being free from wood, and prettily dotted, here and there, with flocks of sheep, reminded me powerfully of the Derbyshire scenery. The village was very neat, with one of the best inns which we had seen ; we were received with the kindness of a home, and with almost all its com- forts. 'I'he next day, (October 18th,) we arrived at Hanover, in New-Hampbhire, having crossed the •\ CREC. TOUR BETWEEN HAUTFORD AND QUEBEC. 415 le journey rains, and e country, ed the riv- nd, where done with ly, we rode nt was, for ]y abrupt, tal. nd, which e streams, licated our descended constantly we found , complete- free from here, with illy of the if the best eived with ill its corn- arrived at rossed the Connecticut river, from the handsome town of Nor- wich,* on a bridge. GEOLOGY. The geology of the region over which we had passed, is simple and grand. About seven miles castof the lake, the primitive country begins, and the fixed rocks, run un.^ in immense ledges, north- east, and south-west, often vertical, or hii;hly in- clined in their position, and with a dip generally to the east, are principally mica slate, gneiss, clay slate, and chlorite slate. Mica slate is, far, the most abundant. In some of these schistose rocks, hornblende prevails, but I observed no granite in place. Granite, however, in loose rolled pieces, some of them weighing many tons, prevails for the last forty miles ; there is enough to build several cit- ies; it is very handsome, has a fine grain, the feldspar is white, the quartz grey, and the mica black, and it is used along the road as a building stone; but we can discern no source whence it was derived, nor could 1 learn that there were any Jixed rocks of the kind in this region. I am informed that the famous Chelmsford gran- ite so much used in Boston, as a building stone, and which this Vermont granite strongly resemblesi • Now celebrated as the seat of Captain Partridge's very useful and flourishing military and classicul academy, the building for which, WM in g ood progress at the time of my journey. 1824. i% l/l 416 TOUR BETWEKN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 1 'A is found loose, like this, and that no quarry of it is known. In Vermont, these masses of granite have every appearance of having been brought down from more elevated regions, for they are observed in deep val- lies, and on the banks, and in the beds of water courses, and on the declivities, and even high up on the sides of mountains. But they are rolled and rounded ; most of them approach the globular form, and all have their angles and edges worn away. Was this done in the primitive chaotic ocean, which alone can afford time for such an agency, and may they not even have been trans- ported from a distant region, and scattered over a country to which they are strangers ? I 'I HANOVER. I. Oct, 18. — This neat village, of about sixty hous- es, is an agreeable object to a traveller. It is built principally upon a small hollow square, which is a beautiful jjreen. Most of the houses are very good, and some are large and handsome. ^J'he great- er part are painted white, and have that lively ap- pearance, so common in the villages of New-Eng- land. M :a ./ 4" 4-u I tf J* 1* y.# 424 TOUR BBTWEESi HARTFORD AND QUEBEC* by the apocryphal historian of Connecticut.* It is all foam, and both immediately above and be- low the bridge, resembles the most violent breaking of the waves of the ocean, when dashed upon the rocks by a furious tempest. A little below the bridge, the river is again hurried on, between two salient points of rock, in a place so narrow, that one may easily toss a stone to the other side ; the angry surges here struggle through with vast commotion, and rise, in white crested waves, the very sight of which makes one's head giddy. Bellows Falls, as a piece of scenery, are peculiar, on account of a certain snugness, which marks the entire collection of mountains, rocks, and river-tor- rent, and handsome houses, which are all approach- ed without the slightest inconvenience, and are comprised within a very small compass. On the west side there is a canal half a mile long, around the falls ; it has nine locks. GEOLOGY AN! IINERALOGT. The rocks at this pass are sienite, mica slate, and a peculiar aggregate of mica and feldspar, very much resembling sienite. The strata run in the same direction as the great mouutaii rant;es in the vicinity, only they are very low; the torrent ap- * Peters : who s tys that (he water ii here so deaae that it «aD- nnt be pierced by a crowbar. P I (lUEBEC. Connecticut.* »ove and be- ent breaking ed upon the below the >etween two arrow, that other side ; h with vast waves, the iddy. ire peculiar, I marks the d river-tor- I approach- e, and are s. On the ng, around slate, and par, very un in the m^s in the >rrcnt ap- that it ••!». TOUR BETWEEN UARTPORD AND QUEBEC. 425 pears as if it had once broken through, and very possibly there might, anciently, have been a lake d'jove this place. I would strongly recommend a particular exam- ination of the rocks about Bellows Falls. The few moments which I had to spend, I occupied in in- specting the ledges on the Vermont side, and below the bridge. They appear to be sometimes over- flowed, for they contain numerous excavations, evi- dently worn by the water, agitating the pebbles and stonos, and, as long as the floods last, whirling them with incessant motion. Numbers of these cavities, both here and at the bridge, are of considerable di- mensions; some aro ryiindrical, others are shaped like cauldrons, and are large enough to serve for that purpose. In the rocks alluded to, there are numerous veins, some of them a foot wide or more. The veins are quartz or feldspar, or more frequently, they are proper granite veins. In them I observed violet or rose coloured mica, and that of a straw yellow; feldspar resembling the adularia ; garnet; tourma- lin both the common black schorl, and the Indico- lite, and talc. In 1oc.*p rocks there was also abun- dance of tremolite and oi sappar. There can be little doubt that a few blasts of gunpowder would uncover fine fresh specimens of these interesting minerals. I i ■>iii if' ) ■ \ 1 I ( i ' 7* < I * •U i f I* 426 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. From Bellows Falls, we passed down to Walpole* This is another handsome village ; some of the houses are splendid. Putney, on the Vermont side, presented nothing particularly interesting. We reached Brattleboroagh, at evening, and there passed the night. In Dummerston I saw a great slate quarry : the strata were vertical, and the excavation was like a deep canal, so that j s 1 walked into it, the perpen- dicular strata formed a perfect wall on both sides, and I trod on their edges. It was a fine example of primitive roofing slate; and from this place and iho vicinity, at Rrottloborough, 6iC» it is CXtcnsively quarried, and carried down the river. In speaking of the villages on Connecticut river, I often use the epithets beautiful, handsome, &c. till they are in danger of becoming trite. Still I must repeat them with respect to the eastern^ village of Brattleborough. This village is built principally upon one street, and contains very few houses or shops that are not an ornament to the place. The street is parallel to the river, and passes through luxuriant meadows, spreading into an extensive champaign, bounded by the Connecticut, which here, for miles, washes the base of a grand mountain barrier that limits the yiew on the east. Tiiis view was best seen in re- trospect, as we rose the hill, at the south end of the "^ Th« other Tillage 1 did nut see. L~ t QUEBEC. 'n to Walpole* some of the ented nothing evening, and e quarry : the on was like a t, the perpen- n both sides, fine example his place and is extensively lecticut river, Isome, &c. till Still 1 must rn* village of )n one street, i that are not is parallel to nt meadows, jn, bounded liles, washes )at limits the seen in re- h end of the TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 427 town. Thence we saw this mountai'-range, prob- ably here one thousand"*^ feet high, covered with the richest drapery of the forest, and stretching away to the north, while the Connecticut, gently washed its foot, and the pretty village, with its white houses and brilliant church, rose in the midst of a rich meadow. But, the most interesting object in Brattleborough, is its venerable pastor^ with whom, at his pleasant rural abode, we had the honour of an evening inter- view. At the age of 75, he has recently return- ed from England, his native country, after a visit of eighteen months. He had been absent from Eng- land twenty-five years, and found on returning to his naiive town, which, (except occasional visits,) he left sixty- three years since, that but one person remembered him. Even the monuments of his co- temporaries in the grave yard, WvVe so moss grown, that he could not read the inscriptions, and those of the persons who had died more recently, he did not know. He found, however, many friends in vari' ous parts of England, who remembered him with affection. The country appeared to him greatly improved, and to exhibit the most decided proofs of a thriving condition ; but his adopted country he greatly prefers, and gladly returned to end his days in it. The venerable man, at once an instructive and delightful Mentok, entertained us with many of the * This ii a conjecture merely : I knovr not ef any measurement. nt i in f . i r* :r > ... 428 TOUH BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (),U£BEr. , incidents of his tour, the relation of which was en- livened by the most interesting remarks. He is \\ke the aged oak, whose boughs are still adorned with leaves, and whose root is still firm in the ground, ahhough it has endured the vicissitudes of many revolving summers and winters. \\ ,} October, 2U/. — We left Brattleborough in the morning, and eleven miles below, crossed the bridge uilo Northfield, in Massachusetts. Northfield is a neat village, on a wide street situ- ated on a hill, but the houses are plain ; the place had, however, an air of comfort and snugness. fl * ^ GEOLOGY, &c. In this street, a very interesting change was ob- served in the geology. Rocks occurred both loose and in place, composed of fragments : they were of every size, from a foot or even several feet in diam- eter, down to small grains. These fragments were evidently the ruins of primitive rocks ;— entire pie- ces of gianile, with all its constituent parts distinct; of gneiss, mica slate, chlorite slate, common sliite, &c. were interspersed, and the cement which bound them together, was merely the same materials, re- duced to a finer state. These rocks are very in- structive. Coming immediately alter the primitive tRR ?- QUEBEC. rhich was en- s. ughs are still is still firm in le vicissitudes s. rough in the e6 the bridge de street situ- n ; the place lugness. mge was ob- ed both loose they were of feet in dinm- gments were ; — entire pie- arts distinct ; inunon sliite, which bound naterials, re- are very in- he primitive 1©UR BETWERN HARTFORD AND qUFtiEC. 429 «ountry. and indeed in close connexion with it and being composed of fragments of priiuiiive rocks confusedly jumbled together, they appear to lay strong claims to a transition chariicter. Passing down through Ndrthfidd into Montague, we cauje to extensive ranges of primitive rocks, chiefly gneiss; but in them occurred gieat beds of granite, the first that I had seen ht place on oir whole joiu'ney. Primitive rocks continued to I'le upper lock of Miller's Falls: the can.il Ik .c. i^ ;Mit through a coarse conglomerate, coiiiju>scd of Ir.ig- ments of primitive rocks. 'I'he scenury at this place is hand'^omr ; t'nd at the confluence of MilKi's Kiver wit'i me Conni cli- ent, the latter forms a si;re;U bow, and looks like a lake siuTounded by hi;;h hills. Several miles below, we came to AFillcr'* Fills. The river runs nearly north west, and is pi' cipiialed over the strata, which at this place cros.«, the river, and form a natural dam. In the middh^ of the riv- er, the rocks rise so high liiui (hey lorni \x\\ is'aiid, and the torrent is therefore divided, as at Nia_' la. Through the whole width, which is one thousand two hundred feet, there is an artificial dam of tim- ber, built upon th(^ natural one. The fall thus be- comes thirty feet, and is very heauiifid in its kind. It is in fact, a vast mill dam, and is said to be a very good mi -iature of Niagara. The whole '^cene is a a fine one, and was so difierent from either of the 37 f\k \ \) J f-^-«4.«*- !* 1. .< 4.30 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEe. Other falls that we had seen, that it was an agreea- ble addition. The object of damming these falls, is to feed with water, the canal which is cut around them, and to render the current for three miles above, less rap- id. This canal is two miles long, and we rode along its bank, to its junction with the Connecticut. The rocks which form the natural dam at Miller's Falls, are composed of fragments of primitive rocks ; but j;enerally these fragments are not large, rarely cxceedin|4 an inch or two in diameter, and general- ly smaller than that. The strata have an inclination of forty five degrees, and have every mark of the earliest class of fragmented rocks. Are they not a variety of Grey wacke .'* Their direction is nearly north-east and south-west. VV^e crossed the Connecticut again, at the place where, by completing its great bend, it returns to its usual direction of north and south. We now arrived in the town of Greenfield, and on ascending the hill from the river, I saw, for the first time, in this part of the country, Irap rocks in place. They here constitute an extensive range, extremely well characterized, and, (agreeably to Mr. Hitchcock's excellent account of the geology of this vicinity,*) form, very nearly^ the northern * See American Journal of Science, vol. 1. •'nr ■'^*.'r»* V- rN-.-t'^- k BEe. in agreea- s to feed them, and ?. less rap- rode along icnt. at Miller's live rocks ; rge, rarely id general- inclination irk of the they not a I is nearly t the place , returns to TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND q,UEBEC. 431 extremity of the great trap ranges, which com- mence at New-Haven and cross completely both the States of Massachusetts and Connecticut.* The fragmented rock8, which in nearly the whole of this range, lie beneath the trap, I here had the pleasure of seeing emerge, at a high angle of in- clination, and at a high elevation, on the side next to the village of Greenfield. From the hill in question, we had a fine view of this village, which stands principally on two inter- secting streets; has a number of handsome houses, and, for a country town, an uncommon proportion of brick buildings. Walpole also has a number, and Windsor a larger number than either. Greenfield stands two miles from Connecticut river, on a high plain, which declines gently to the west. It has handsome churches, a court-house, a jail, &c. enfield, and ;aw, for the rap rocks in isive range, igreeably to :he geology he northern 1. DEEflFIELD. Just at evening, we drove over to Deerfield, a distance of three miles, through the most luxuriant and beautiful country, that we had any where seen in our whole journey. This country is the fine al- ♦ The same that, in sketching the scenery in the middle region of Connecticut, wore described early io this volume. f If --su/e* - i i '1 AW 1 ^r ^'1 u n ^ l". 1 i h i\ 432 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. luvial region, intersected by the Dceifield river, and probably formed by it, as the alluvial countries on rivers generally appear to be. Even now, in the latter part of October, the grass is most vividly green, thickly matted, and rich as the shag of vel- vet. The remains of tlie crops of corn, evinced also great productiveness, and seemed almost to realize the fables of the golden ages. We were comfortably lodged in a good inn, just in time to visit, before dark, a very interesting an- tiquity in this town. lii the early periods of the history of the New- England colonies. Dierfiold. being for a long course of years, a frontier town, was very often attacked by the French and Indians from Canada, and its inhabitants were frequently slain, or carried into captivity. To guard against these attacks, an extensive fort was establisii'jd, includirtg within its limits, many of the houses, and forming a place of retreat and of security for the inhabitants. In February, 1704, this fort was, by the negli- gence of the sentinel, surprised and taken, just be- fore day light, and the inhabitants were aroused from their slumbers, by the furious attacks of cruel enemies, upon their defenceless dwellings. Most of the houses were burnt, and their wretched ten- ants were either dragged away into captivity, or slaughterd in their own habitations, or near them. Men, women, and children, were indiscriminately \'^-^*\r^ BBEC. eld river, coujitries 1 now, in ost vividly lag of vel- i, evinced almost to d inn, just resting an- the New- ong course n attacked ia, and its uried into ensive fort ls, many of reat and of tlie negli- ;n, just be- ne aroused ks of cruel \^», Most ;tched ten- ptivity, or lear (hem. :riminately TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND a^-'EBEr. 433 slain, and parents saw their little ones butchered before their eyes. One house still remains, as a painful memento to posterity. The front door was hnked and hewn with hatchets, until the savages had cut a hole through it ; through this hole they fired into the bouse; this door, which still bears its ancient wounds, and the hole, (closed only by a board, tacked on within,) remains now, as the savages left it, and is a most interesting monument. Through the windows they also fired, and one bullet killed the female head of the family, sitting up in bed, and the mark of that bullet, as well as of four others, is visible in the room ; in one of the holes in a joist, another bullet remains to this day. This family was all killed, or carried into captivity. In the same attack, the clergyman of the place, the Rev. John Williams, and his family, shared a similar fate. Two of the children were killed at the door, Mrs. Williams, their mother, in the mead- ows, a little way out of town, and Mr. Williams, and the rest of the family, were carried prisoners to Canada. We saw in the museum, in Deerfield academy, the pistol which he snapped at the Indians, when they rushed into his bed room. Mr. Williams* lived many years after his return, and I saw his grave, and that of his murdered wife. * The house of public worship, in which Mr. Williams used to preach, is still standing in Deerfield. 37* f < I a s I ..^^t— ;.;<*- ..i- Xii k. 434 TOUn BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (QUEBEC. On the lalttM', i:- v, \ t;j j p.-oper inscription, which 1 regret that 1 omit ' .v. copy. 'i 1' . 1 u ■)i . ' ■< i ^ 1 Deerfield is a plain venerable town, with good building!?, but not man}' of them are in the modern style; this circumstance is, however, rather pleas- ing, than otherwisci Deerlield extends about a mile on one street; it has a highly respectable academy, the finest mead- ows in New-Eniilaiidj and a very interesting ancient history, upon which 1 have no time to enlarge. « « « « « Oct. '22. — We left Deerlield on a fine morning, and extended our ride thirty-eijiht miles, to Spring- field. We followed the Deertield mountain — cross- ed the fatal, bloody (or, as it is now called, muddy,) brook, where, on the 1 ith of September, 1675, Captain Lathrop, with almost his \. hole company, of ninety or aii hundred young men, the flower of that region, was cut oflfby the Indians, who, to the number of seven or eight hundred, attacked them by surprize, wlieu, as is said, most of the party were cnj.'aged in gathering grapes. We rode down to the feiry at Sunderland, to ob- tain a good view of the Sugar Loaf Mountain, which is so well described by Mr. Hitchcock,* that * American Jourual of Science. L § f^ ■ '^D ' \ f. r ^m 1 V'' ^K V i .**!% J * ^^>: K^T" TV r^-*f*.-J SBEC. , which 1 irith good (! modern ler pleas- street; it L»st mcad- )g ancient iige. morning, to Spring- n — cross- , muddy,) er, 1675, company, flower of ho, to the sa} ai.y lliui^ of these scenes, wiiich are so iiXiMi .n . ^nA so well known, that tlieii b' auty is quite pioverb;a). Halfi ;ld and lladlcy are neat and venerable pla- ces, and Northampton is one of the tinest inland towns in America. The great bends of the river here — the bold scenery of Mount Holyoke, and Mount Tom, and the rich and grand landscape, from their summits, particularly from the former, have been often de- scribed, and can hardly be exaggerated. At West Springtic.ld, we called on the venerable Dr. Lathrop, now almost eighty-ciiiht years oldj he will complete that age, he informed us, on the last day of this month. His sight is ahnost extinct, but his other faculties appear unimpaired. He is erect and vigorous, walks well, and his features are not injured; his head is covered with fine white locks, and his whole appearance is very interesting. He is recently relieved from public duty by a col- league ; and, after abont *«ixiy years of the most useful labors as a preacher, is well entitled to res^; .\ i i. J *•• ' .— . «» it~^' W. Till! ^WMfcfc -'i-- ^: u i 436 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEflEC. as a writer of sermons,* he has been excelled bjr few in this country f Oct, 2.?. — We passed the last night at Spring- field, which, in boaufy, hardly yield? to any town on the river. In the morning, 1 visited the United States' armory, and was much gratified ; for order, neatness, and high excellence, in every department — under the able management of Colonel Lee, it merits the highest euiogium. We proceeded through Long Meadow to En- field, and, at the bridge, on the eastern side, I was pleased to observe the sand stone rocks, filled with the remains of vegetables, bituminized and carbon- ized, and affording one indication, among many, of a region containing coal. This, and the contiguous places, should be more attentively examined. Through Windsor, we proceeded to Hartford, and, arriving there before evening, almost five weeks from the time of our departure, found those in health and prosperity, who were most interesting to us; and, in the retrospect, perceived much cause for satisfaction, and still more for gratitude, that, in travelling nearly twelve hundred miles, not one dis- aster, nor one serious disappointment, had given us occasion to regret the undertaking. * Allusion it here, of course, made to the volumes of sermons, which ht hat published. tThis venerable minister of religion died on th<' 31st of De- romber, 1820, in the ninetieth year of his age. — (1U24.) i \ i .-,^ tTJEHEC* excelled bjr t at Spring- to aiiv to'.vn 1 the United I ; for onler, ' department onel Lee, it dow to En- ;i side, I was :s, tilled with and carbon- mg many, of e contiguous tmined. to Hartford, almost five found those (t interesting i much cause tude, that, in , not one dis- had given us mes of sermons. thf 31st of D«?- [1U24.) TOUK BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEREC. 437 REMARK. I have said very little of the public houses and accommodations on the journey. Should this be thought a deficiency, it is easily supplied ; for, we found them, almost without exception, so comfort- able, quiet and agreeable, that we had neither oc- casion nor inclination to tind fault. Groat civility, and a disposition to please their guests, were generally conspicuous at ti.e inns; almost every where, when we wished it, we found a private parlour and a separate table, and rarely, did we hear any profane or coarse language, or observe any rude and boisterous deportment. 1 i % I B ^^ / i % *->a^ ADDExNDA. W i I\ i V' I I ' »'•■ ',* ^\ I. Historical Notices respecting the vicinity of the. Lakes George and Chaynplain, and the Head Wa- ters of the Hudson* The following notices, received from a respect- ed friend, came to hand too late for insertion in their proper places, in the body of the hook. Be- lievinjr, however, that they may afford useful hints to travellers, I insert them here. A few things mentioned in this communication, will be found to be nearly in common with some passages in the book, but 1 have, notwithstanding, inserted the whole. Between Glen's Falls and Lake George, and about five miles from the latter place, where an old French road passes, there is a rock of about three tons in weight, on which the Indians, during the French war, (as it i< called,) burnt their pris- oners. The ro( k is split into three pieces, by fire. Four miles from Fort George, during the Revo- lutionary War, Colonel Warner, (celebrated in Vermont.) Major Hopkins and Lieutenant Coon, were shot at by Indians fiom belnrid a rock, vvlun goinji from that foit to Fort Edward. The two last were killed. 1 saw the place where their hones were dug up about the year I8I0, \Viirner and his horse were wounded. He rode olf; but his k \ icinity of tht. \e Head JV^.- m a respect- insertion in book. Be- useful hints \ few things ill be found ssages in the inserted the George, and e, where an ock of about iians, during nt their pris- eces, by fire. ig the Revo- elc'brated in enant Coon, 1 rock, when Tho two la»it I Ihfir hones ^Vilnlo^ and olf; but his TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 439 horse failing, he mounted another, tliat had been rode b'' one of his companions and escaped. — Tht' wounded horse, after following liim to Glen's Falls, fell down dead. French Mountain is to the right as you go to Lake George, and about four miles from it. B.iron Dicnkau, with two thousand three hundred iii>in, la:ided at the head of South Bay, with a \iew to take Fort Edward. When he approached Sandy Hill, he gave up the expediiion, and turned by French Mountain, (which is insulated from all others by Dunham's Bay.) in order to take Fort William Hen";. Here ho met and defeated a large detachment from that place, two and an half miles from it, and threw the killed into Bioody Pond,— He was afterwards repulsed. See Mante's Histo- ry of the war. One mile south of Fort George, you pass by Gage's Hill, on the right, and so called from Colo- nel Gage of the Provincials, being defeated here with considerable loss by the French. About a mile from Lake George, I saw ancient lines of defence, for a covering army : ditches and cellars on commanding ground. A little further on to the right, and close to the Lake, arc the ditclies, ramparts, &c. of old Fort William Henry, and to the left, the plain where the massacre took place, after the fort was surrendered to iMontcalm. There was a garrion of two British companieB on Diamond Llaiui, during some part of the Rev- ©lulionary War. I I .1 U ft „u h r+1 I! I/' I ) 440 TOUR HETWEE.V HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. Frenchman's Point, s( venf**en miles from the head of \j;\ko Gcofge, derives itf names from a de- fea»' of the French during the war of 1750. Sal)ba(h-Day Point is six miles from Ticondero- ga, and is so ealled from a massacre on thit day b} the Indians, after a battle. Here are the re- mains of two old buildings, or forts, judging from the excavaiions. Rogers' Rock is on the west side of the Lake, and four miles from its foot. Here the Lake narrows. It is named from a tradition which prevails, that the famous parlizan Maior Roarers ran down it. in order to avoid the close pursuit of the Indians, and (tFecterl his escape on the Lake by skates. This place .itfords a line titid for mineralogical investigation, and there is, near it, a den of rattlesnakes. On the cast side of Lake George is Mount Defi- ance, a high mountain, celebrated for Burgoyne's drawing up his cannon th<^re, and by that means he overlooked Ticonderoga, and drove our army from thr fort. Ho landed one mile and a half above the ferry, on Lake Champlain. on the west side, and if he had taken the route of Lake George, his chaiice of success would have been much ! iter. The Old French lines at Ticond(;roga e\hibii a strong work, extending f'-om Lake Champlain to the outlet of Lake George, and face the north. Buigoyne built a blockhouse on Mount Detiance. f QUEBEC. iles from the u's from a de- 1750. m Ticondero- OM tint day 3 are the re- judging from the west side foot. Here >m a tradition rlizan Maior old the close his escape on •ds a fine fit id there is, near Mount Doii- r liurgo} tie's hat means he ur army from a If above the est side, and George, his much '- Iter. o^a eshibii a Jhamplain to le norlh. nt Defiance. *,' TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,U£BEC. 44J A mile south of Fort Ann, on the east side of the road, IS the place where Putnam, after being cap- tured by the Indians and French, was tied up for burning, and when about to perish, he was relieved by a French officer, who, it is said, believed him to be a free mason. Fort Ann was a pickctted work, and covered about an acre of ground. It is situated just above the junction of Wood Creek a nd Half-Way Brook. Wood Creek is navigable to this place, and Bur- goyne transported his heavy artiUer to it by wa- ter. A little below the junction of Powlet River and Wood Creek, near the head of Lake Cham- plain, on the west side, is Putnam^s Mount, from wheiiC>> he repulsed a party of Indians, coming up in canoes. The stump of the tree from which he tired, is still pointed out. 2. The people called Shakers, Some members of the society at New-Lcbanou, and at Watervlist, having objected to certain pas- age^, m the first edition of this book, I have omitted them in the present. They were quoted from Thomas Brown's work, which had been strongly recommended to me as an authority, nor did I learn till more than a year after my book was pub- lished, that the Shakers denied the authenticity ol Mr. Brown's account of their society. With the controversy between them, an^. this seceded mem- ber, and with the question as to the authenticitv 38 f I .1 .1 ( / -•^i* ^-r *.'*e 1 I . y.' 442 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AMD QUEBEC. and fairness of his account, I have now no con- cern •, — nor do I mean, even to imply an opinion on this subject, while I suppress my citations from him. When 1 cited this work, I fully believed it to be authentic; — but 1 should consider it as unfair and unkind, to continue to quote it, after 1 have been informed that the society of which the author once was a member, deny his authenticity. Had my time permitted me to mingle with their commu- nity, I should have avoided this error, and should probably have learned that there are works ac- knowledged by the society, and published with their knowledge aiid approbation. At the time, I did not know this fact, but have since been put by them, in possession of Dunlavy's Manifesto — Christ's second appearing and the Summary ViEV/, and 1 am informed by them, that an article recently published by the Rev. Mr. Benedict, in his View or all Religions is authentic. Being de- sirous to do them justice, and neither my health nor time permitting me to make a digest from their books, I requested them to prepare for me, a short article, on their faith and polity, to be inserted in the present edition of this book. This request was complied with, by two intelligent members, who furnished me with a well digested manuscript arti- cl»". but it arriv cd too late — that pail of the book to which it belonged, being already printed I thought of inset titig it, in an appeiulix but, although much condensed, it was still rather long for a small book \ \ % U£BEC. )w no con- t an opinion tations from believed it r it as unfair after 1 have li the author ticity. Had leir commu- , and should e works ac- 3lished with it the time, ce been put [anifesto — »e Summary at an article iiedict, in his Being de- ly health nor from their me, a short } inserted in request was mbers, who iscript arti- f the book to I thought [ou^h inucii small book TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (QUEBEC. 443 of travels, and it appeared (as the authors intimated in their letter accompanying it,) better adapted to a professedly religious, than a common popular work. I have therefore communcated it to the Editor of a very respectable Religious Miscellany,* in which it will obtain an extensive circulation among a class of readers who will be desirous to receive correct information respecting a subject so little understood. 1 trust that this book now con- tains nothing, in point of fact, whioh the Shakers will pronounce incorrect — my opinion of their celib- acy remains unchanged; and I was not willing to modify the expression of my views on that topic; there we must remain, amicably, I trust, at variance* * The Christain Spectator, published at New-Haven ; this piece will appear in the Number for July, 1824. I gave the Editor leave to omit a few passages, and to abridge a few others, (agreeably to the permission of the authors,) care being taken to preserve the sense, and the order of connexion of the parts.