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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. by errata led to ent jne pelure, fapon d 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 \ VOY KECOI DURI PRIN \ JOUHWAL OF A VOYAGE TO QUEBEC, In the Year 1825, WITH KECOI.Z.ECTZONS OF CANADA, DURING THE LATE AMERICAN WAR, IN THE YEARS 1812-13. i ; ■ BY P. FINAN. I'RINTEI) BY ALEXANDER PEACOCK, Telegraph' Office. 1828. »J* '-i' u iff"' Althoug Man, th there is r and ever pages, th to the gc out the 1( entertain ing thenn upon m); mulatedt who, upo voyage, honored This c scarcity ( reader wi an accoui but mere! amuseme that migl permitted I vi ' I PREFACE. Although it has been said by the Wise Man, that " of making of many books there is no end,*' I little thought prior to, and even while scribbling the following pages, that /should ever be a contributor to the general stock. I can affirm, with- out the least exaggeration, that I did not entertain the most distant idea of intrud- ing them upon the public notice, until, upon my return from Quebec, I was sti- mulated to it by many of my acquaintances, who, upon hearing I had kept notes of my voyage, insisted upon seeing what they honored with the name of my Journal. This circumstance will account for the scarcity of descriptive matter which the reader will observe in this little work. As an account of Canada was not my object, but merely a few reflections, for my own amusement, upon the various incidents that might come under my observation, I permitted the opportunity to pass, unim- ^ f< t IV piovecl, which I possessed of gleaning many particulars respecting the country, that might have recommended a Journal to the attention of the curious : and on that account I hesitated to commit my memo- randums to the press, finding it difficult to entertain the idea that my humble, simple thoughts could be worthy of publication ; and, still suspecting the opinion oi friends to be too favourable, it was not until a few highly respectable strangers, who honored the MS. with a perusal, so late as the latter part of the year 1827, recom- mended and encouraged me to it, that I determined finallv to submit them, with all their imperfections, to the eye of the public. Although I have no doubt of the ex- istence of numerous defects in style, composition, &c. yet they are such as, per- haps, not to be easily detected by a mere novice in the art of writing : and as my object in publishing them is not to enter the lists of fame with those who deserve the name of Author, but merely to comply with the and as it sume the ning my which, in hope for will fall Upon publishin, to Canadi work as i an accoii either wii rity, upc countrv, the title was very rence, w! venture i country ; add but 1 been aire individuc haps, ap] Ncivrf/, , ■I with the wishes of a few respected friends ; and as it is most probable I shall never re- sume the task, should the critic, in scan- ning my humble pages, refuse the lenity which, from these considerations, I could hope for from him, his envenomed shafts will fall harmlessly to the ground. Upon coming to the determination of publishing my remarks during my voyage to Canada, I resolved, in order to render the work as acceptable as possible, to subjoin an account of a few incidents which I either witnessed, or had from good autho- rity, upon a former occasion, in that countrv. These I have introduced under the title of Recollections, &c. ; and as I was very young at the time of their occur- rence, while travelling in Canada, I could venture upon but little description of the country ; however, as I could probably add but little under this head to what has been already supplied by many competent individuals, this deficiency will not, per- haps, appear very great. Ncumj, March, 1828. A 2 Hi • I J; :♦ 1 \"'i ti (' VOYA Tuesday left home WelUngto bee. Th( natural tc I had in ^ early reti family, a home," th just befor interpositi of the ca: with very have expe I hoped e^ The g gj^ouvtial OF A VOYAGE TO QUEBEC, &c. Tuesday morning, IQth April, 1825, I left home to embark on board the Lord Wellington^ lying at Warrenpoint, for Que- bec. The fondness for travelling which is natural to an enquiring mind, the object I had in view, and the expectation of an early return, enabled me to part with my family, and take a last look at " sweet liome," the seat of " all my joy and care," just before it faded on my sight by the interposition of a hill which the progress of the car brought between it and me, with very different feelings to those I must have experienced had it been the last time I hoped ever to have seen it. The gratifying circumstances vmder ■I llftv o which I left home, however, did not ex- clude from my mind the probable cases of many who had either crossed the western main before me, or were about to be my fellow passengers to that land beyond it, which had excited pleasing hopes in their minds, and, in idea, promised them joys they had hitherto been strangers to. An aged pair, perhaps, who, after a long life spent in labour and toil, and at a period of it, of all others the most unfit for such an undertaking, find themselves compelled by imperious necessity to quit their peaceful habitations, once dear to them, as possess- ing all that made life desirable — their rising offspring smiling around them, bidding fair to become the support of their declining years, and to recompense them in their age, for the anxious days and sleepless nights which they caused them in the bloom and vigour of life ; as much of the necessaries of life, the reward of their constant labour and exertion, as was requisite to meet their real wants, and those of their family j a few friend society b< evenings seated arc many othe cottage to retreat of Their son; sought, in griping h£ country w Their dau tened to tured upoi selves to t through tl enjoying times, inc upon the but in a n more plea have obta their parer m few friends and obliging neighbours, whose society beguiled away the long winter evenings with their conversation, while seated around the cheerful fire : these, and many other charms, endeared their humble cottage to them, and rendered it the happy retreat of comfort and peace — but now " All these cliarins are fled !" Their sons, arrived at man's estate, have sought, in distant climes, a relief from the griping hand of poverty, which their own country was found incapable of affording. Their daughters— some, perhaps, have lis- tened to their brothers* request and ven- tured upon the stormy sea ; exposed them- selves to the hardships of a long journey through the wilds of America, and are now enjoying the reward of their toil : some- times, indeed, they look back with terror upon the dangers they narrowly escaped, but in a moment their fears are lost in the more pleasing idea of the comforts they have obtained by venturing, and only wish their parents could partake of them : others Q i : t' % 'I I * .*i Jl \ \ } i :'■ It a: are mfirried, and living at suci* a distance that it is impossible to see them often : their own years are increasing, and with them the infirmities natural to age : they find themselves incapable of managing or working as formerly : the friends and com- panions of their early years yielding to, tlieir frail nature and sinking into the grave : a new generation rising around them, in whose society they can have but little satisfaction, and who, perhaps, are but little interested in their welfare : these considerations, with the desire which is natural to men, to see their families com- fortably settled in life before they them- selves resign it, induce them to yield to the frequent solicitations of their children ; and they resolve, with the venerable Patriarch of old, to " go and see them before they die.** A young man, perhaps, who impatient of the yoke of poverty, and disheart- ened by the prospect before him ; after having spent several of his best years in hard labour, for which he considers him- self but i better his has heard succeeding their exp urging hir dearing ti( ward to must enc< they weig pect of an to overlook recur to th —a home of all his who have through in up to man; participate pathized w and compa has contril all these (a to happine self but ill repaid, resolves on trying to better his condition in America, where he has heard of many of his acquaintances succeeding well, and in some cases beyond their expectations. He feels necessity urging him, yet there are ties, strong, en- dearing ties, to be broken. He looks for-> ward to the hardships he is sensible he must encounter, with manly fortitude ; they weigh light on his mind ; the pros- pect of an ample reward causes him almost to overlook them ; but when his thoughts recur to the sacrifice that must be made, —a home that has been the peaceful seat of all his pleasures, a father and mother who have cherished and protected him through infancy and youth, and " led him up to man; " brothers and sisters, who have participated in his satisfactions, and sym- pathized with him in his troubles ; friends and companions of his youth, whose society has contributed to his enjoyments ; from all these (and what more can be necessary to happiness?) he must tear himself j he '■.V f must resign them all, and become a stranger in a strange land ! Then lie feels the na- ture of his situation ; then do sorrow and regret find access to his breast, and in the bitterness of his soul he cannot refrain from deploring his hard fate. A young woman, perhaps, allured by the prospects which her brothers, who have gone before, hold to her view, resolves to go. Her parents, who have no very flattering hopes for her here, desire to see her do well, yet recoil at the idea of parting with her. — Their hearts yearn within them, but the hope of her situation being materially im- proved obliges them to stifle their feelings and yield to the voice of wisdom. Dreary must be the moment that parts them, pro- bably for ever, from a child they have long cherished and loved with parental fond- ness J poignant must be her feelings when she gives the parting embrace to her kind parents whom she may, perhaps, never see again. These, and several other cases, pre- presented themselves to my mind, and did pre- did not fail to excite in my breast a feeling of gratitude to that beneficent Being, who, in his infinite mercy and goodness, has been so kind to me above thousands of my fel- low creatures, and has made my burden so much lighter and easier to be borne. Among the passengers that came on board during the day, there was a poor girl who appeared to be in great affliction. — She had been in Canada some time before, and had returned to this country at the request of her father ; but the latter having subsequently got married, she had found it impossible to live with her stepmother, and, ihcrefore, had resolved on going out to Canada again. To this her father had consented, and promised to provide her with the means for that purpose : but after having engaged her passage, and the vessel about to sail, he had changed his m^nd, and refused to do so. Her whole stock, now consisted of but two pounds, which were deposited as part of the passage money, and she could not raise the re- i ■'! B '1 i\ if »• 8 rnainder. When her case was made known to the passengers, two of them immediate- ly commenced raising a collection among the rest, who, to their honour be it said, although leaving their country under cir- cumstances not the most propitious ; their pockets not groaning with the weight of tlieir golden store, generously contributed what their scanty funds could afford, and, in a short time, the deficiency was more than supplied. I was exceedingly pleased with this striking instance of the native generosity and sympathy of the Irish, and the promptitude with which they obey the call of humanity. It strengthened my at- tachment to my country ; I felt an honest pride in having it in my power to call that country mine, though, at the same time, sincere regret at the idea of her not being able to afford provision and encourage- ment for men possessed of such warm and feeling hearts; but that she must exile them to a foreign land, to wield, perhaps, in a future day, those energies to her pre- m judice, which, at this time, they would liave gladly devoted to her service. Wednesday— The vessel removed from her anchorage, down the harbour, near Carlingford. Here I witnessed many an af- ecting parting scene. During the whole day boats continued to come along side, with passengers, or their friends, who came to take a last look of, and bid farewell to, their sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, re- lations, friends or acquaintances, whom, in most instances, they had little or no hope of ever seeing again. One case, in particular, I shall notice : it was that of an old man, whose hoary, flowing locks, dangling, in easy negligence, about his drooping and contracted shoul- ders, " proclaimed his lengthened years,'* proclaimed also, that he, too, must shortly emigrate— not to Columbia's golden shores, not to that imaginary paradise into which the fruitful fancy has converted the diffe- rent countries of the new discovered world, not to that distant earthly region whither iV\ 10 poverty, in anxious hope, repairs in quest of a comfortable asylum ; wliere the enter- prising genius seeks a congenial and exten- sive field in which to shake off its cumbrous trammels, and give full scope to its ex- panding powers ; and where crime and guilt, with downcast eye, and quaking breast, flee as to a city of refuge — but to that mysterious, unknown, incomprehensi- ble " bourne, whence no traveller e'er re- turns." Previous to his arrival alongside, the Captain had found it necessary to di- rect that no more people should be allowed to come on board, until some, already in the vessel, should leave it : the poor old man was, therefore, among otiiers, forbid to ascend ; but his extreme anxiety to see his son, who was about to sail with us, urged him to make the attempt, in doing which, owing to his being, as the sailor's termed it, •* about half seas over," or, in ))1ainer terms, rather intoxicated, and, per- haps, to a little resistance from above, he happened to let the man-ropes go, and the boat hav ship at ti] and ears i floating ( time, his i emerging siderable into the some of tJ dignation in stretcl along the tion of oti and addii contempti you for go old man-oi the Orphei soon appej ^ng intervi sciou&that farewell of recommeni Heaven, ai to n si- re* ide, I di- ved in old bid see us, )ing lor's in |per- he the 11 boat having sheared off a little from the ship at the moment, he ^used over head and ears into the water. His hat remained floating on the surface, and, in a short time, his bald and polished crown appeared emerging from the briny deep. After con- siderable exertion and struggle he was got into the boat, when, beiitg requested by some of the crew to come on board, his in- dignation overcame his other feelings, and in stretching himself, very deliberately, along the bottom of the boat, the recollec- tion of other days flashing across his mind and adding nerve to the expression, he contemptuously exclaimed, " 1*11 not thank you for going into your dung boat, I'm an old man-of-war's man, I've sailed on board the Orpheus, and be d— d to you." His son soon appeared, with whom he had an affect- ing interview, and when about to part, con- scious that he was taking a ^nal leave-— a long farewell of him, he wept and sobbed aloud, recommended him fervently to the care of Heaven, and his last and oft-^repeated adieu B 2 ' ft Wt.^' 12 of " Oh Johnny, Johnny, my dear, dear Johnny ! God be with you, Johnny !*' died at length upon the breeze, as the boat glided gently over the sofl expanse, to- wards the village of Carlingford. Sunday — Weighed anchor. While beat- ing towards the bar, a boat put off from Carlingford with some of the passengers who had gone on shore early in the morn- ing. The wind being very strong and the tide still flowing, they experienced consi- derable difficulty in overtaking the vessel. During their struggle, one of the passen- gers on board the ship went to the pilot, and, with a countenance expressive of much anxiety, said to him, " ah, pilot ! Pve a brother and two cousins in that boat, I_" «« What do I care,*' said the pilot, interrupting him, •* do you think l*m going to run the ship ashore for you or them either?" " Arrah man," returned the poor fellow, ** sure I know you could nor, but I'm onlt/ telling j/ou.** Cast an- chor near the bar, the tide not answering to go over it. t »& Monda^ • with a fail ing saw th Thursd our vessel fore her, i it appeare proudly dj inenl, a r nc my mind, been cast vanished f family, mj am now s earth and ways at hj may lose security tl constantly of eternity single plan gust of w rock, and on land 13 I f'; Monday morning — Sailed at six o'clock, with a fair and strong breeze. In the even- ing saw the coast of the County Wicklow. Thursday — Lost sight of land ; and as our vessel spurned the foaming spray be- fore her, as if indignant at the obstruction it appeared to offer to her progress, and proudly dashed through the yielding ele- ment, a solemn thought presented itself to my mind. The land, at which I have been casting a ** lingering look," has vanished from my sight j my country, my family, my friends, are lost to my view : I am now suspended, as it were, between earth and heaven ; and though death is al- ways at hand, on land or sea — on land we may lose sight of it amidst the apparent security that surrounds us, but here I am constantly reminded that I am on the brink of eternity ; only separated from it by a single plank. The starting of a nail — a gust of wind — the least touch against a rock, and several other incidents, which OR land would not be of the least conse- i ,^i',:i''i \ U 1 ■If 14» quence, are here sufficient to snatch me from this world in a moment, and hurry the soul into the presence of its Maker, to give an account of the deeds done in the body. Oh then, my soul ! " seeing these things are so,** it becomes you to answer the important question, ** what manner of man ought you to be ?" Now, while you have the opportunity ^ attend to the affection- ate invitations in the Scriptures, and *• cease to do evil, learn to do well. Now is the accepted time, now is the day of sal- vation.** "This moment is thine, the next is in the womb of futurity, and thou knowest not what a moment may bring forth.'* You are now in possession of a treasure which the unhappy souls who, in another world, are reaping the fruits of their evil doings in this, would give worlds to obtain ; the opportunity of acquiring the favour of a just and holy God, by believing on his »Son, and displaying that faith by a constant walk in the paths of holiness and virtue.'^ Make, then, a good use of that treasure-^ improve may not fitable s( their Lo that yo " to be weeping I have dav, for 5 farther fr Atlantic ed to a t a poor, h€ ing or de them. I hands of i the winds in his ha will respe dare say am in sea cannot as perhaps I shore I la re-^ 1.5 improve it to the best advantage, that you may not be added to the number of unpro- fitable servants, who received talents from their Lord but buried them in the ground ; that you may escape their just sentence " to be cast into outer darkness, where is weeping and gnashing of teeth." I have now lost sight of land, and every day, for some time, will be removing me farther from it. Before me lies the great Atlantic Ocean, on which I am to be expos- ed to a thousand perils of different kinds; a poor, helpless worm, not capable of avert- ing or defending myself from the least of them. I am now, as at all times, in the hands of that Almighty Being whose voice the winds and the waves obey ; my fate is in his hands ; and, whatever may be his will respecting me, I must suhmit^ for none dare say to Him, " what dost thou ?*' I am in search of another earthly shore, but cannot assure myself I shall ever reach it: perhaps He may determine that the next shore I land on may be that of eternity ! — t •! mA 16 If it should, my soul, how could you expect to be received ? awful consideration !— Surely it should be sufRcient to enforce the duty which is incumbent upon all, to have your lamp burning and supplied with oil, ** ready to meet the bridegroom when he Cometh." Friday evening — While walking the deck I heard a poor woman ask another if she had any coffee — she was answered in the nega- tive. " Oh that I had a little, what would I give for two spoonfulls of coffee 1" ex- claimed the poor creature, who had been exceedingly sea sick all day, and, from her languid situation, evidently stood in need of some refreshing nourishment. I was touched by the pitiful accents with which she uttered the expression, told her to stay a short time, and in a few minutes brought her some, for which she expressed herself very thankful. The gift was insignificant, and, of itself, not worth noticing, though, under the circumstances of the moment, it afforded her relief, and a corresponding degree of mention mark, th value, wh capable o of pleasut tion of re wealthy, their reac sess of di their poor and provic the widov which, in for fancie while at a mises and obtained, i In these, The ioili And ev'r The hear Sunday- to read the h. 17 degree of real satisfaction to me. I merely mention the circumstance in order to re- mark, that, as an article of such trifling value, when judiciously bestowed, is found capable of affording a considerable degree of pleasure in return, what a large propor- tion of real, solid enjoyment the great, the wealthy, and the powerful, have within their reach, in the means which they pos- sess of diffusing relief and comfort among their poor fellow-creatures ; of protecting and providing for the fatherless, and making the widow's heart "sing for joyj'* but which, in too many instances, they forego for fancied, imaginary pleasures, which, while at a distance, hold out alluring pro- mises and flattering prospects, but, when obtained, are found to be delusive ! In these, ere triflers Aa^ their wish obtain. The toiling pleasure sickens into pain ; And ev'n while fashion's brightest arts decay, The heart, distrusting, asks, if this be joy. Sunday— Captain Maxwell requested me to read the morning service of the Church Ami I 'r \]\ U hi I 18 to the ship's company, and such of the passengers as were Protestants, to which I most willingly assented, and was happy to find that all who were assembled were not only willing, but manifested an anxious desire to fulfil, as far as possible, the com- mandment of the Great King of Kings, to keep holy the Sabbath Day, and wait upon him in his Ordinances. The Roman Catholics, also, collected together at the forepart of the vessel, and one of them read the morning prayers of their Church. In the afternoon we assembled again in the cabin, and after we had sung a psalm, I read a sermon, i:nd the Captain prayed, and read for an hour to the people. I felt very much gratified at the conclusion to hear a girl exclaim, " thank God for that, I did not expect to hear that much good until we should have arrived at the other side l" Wednesday — During the night I was awakened by a great noise upon deck — heard the Captain cry, with a voice that inJicated sail halya and hean the whist] rigging, which wei informed deck. I ran up, v itself. Tl v eloped w light, onl) that surroi terrible ms height by our vessel sport of th( beautifully up to the h deep ; she like a drunl sail at the dered to be trifling assii 19 indicated much anxiety, " let go the top* sail halyards !" I listened a few moments and heard the wind howling dreadfully : the whistling noise it made through the rigging, and the orders of the Captain, which were given in quick succession, soon informed me of what was transacting on deck. I arose immediately, dressed and ran up, when an awful scene presented itself. The moon, which was thickly en- veloped with clouds, afforded hut a dim light, only sufficient to display the horrors that surrounded us. The sea, roaring in a terrible manner, was raised to a tremendous height by the fury of the tempest : while our vessel appeared to be made the mere sport of the foaming billows ; for, as David beautifully expresses it, she was ** carried up to the heaven, and down again to the deep 5 she reeled to and fro, and staggered like a drunken man." The foresail (a large sail at the fore part of the ship) was or- dered to be taken in ; I ran to afford what trifling assistance was in my power, and. c V,'i 1 .' i W ' 26 labour it, which, being scarcely sufficient, necessity obliges them to devote to that purpose : therefore, it may almost be said, they live without God in the world ; and in aland, which, being subject to England, the day-star of Gospel, as well as scientific light, should afford them "great light," they sit too much in the gloom of dark- ness. Do the people of England think of these things ? Yes — to their high honour be it spoken, some in the highest walks of life, who, uncontaminated by the detestable doctrine that the African slave trade is not incompatible with humanity and good policy, have taken the lamentable condi- tion and circumstances of the poor negroes into consideration, and have exerted their well deserved influence in the councils of the nation to abolish the odious traffic ; and to ameliorate, to a very great degree, the condition of those whom prudence would not permit altogether to emancipate. And when the historian transmits to pos- i terity, wit of Wellin their glor ing Europ the great teenth cei part of he down, wit laurels, tl force, and duals, wh< lanthropy, amiable f extended the same \ illtreated land has e lition of t ceeded to i has been America : nations ha and have jects, dete ^.'jfeii*«fi2t-.- -. 27 terlty, witli honour and applause, the names of Wellington, Hill, Beresford, &c. for their glorious achievements in emancipat- ing Europe from the yoke of slavery, which the great scourge of mankind, in the nine- teenth century, had imposed upon a great part of her ; surely he will not omit to hand down, with equally verdant and glorious laurels, the names of Pitt, Fox, Wilber- force, and several other benevolent indivi- duals, who, in the genuine spirit of phi- lanthropy, humanity, and every kind and amiable feeling of the human heart, have extended their powerful arm to perform the same kindly office to the poor, helpless, illtreated and unoffending African. Eng- land has exerted herself towards the abo- lition of the slave trade, and she has suc- ceeded to a great extent : her noble example has been imitated by the United States of America : these enlightened and generous nations have united in the benevolent cause, and have decreed that their respective sub- jects, detected in the traffic, shall be con- ,f.- ' M ■V , ! r- fi i I T \ ' 28 sidered guilty of piracy, and punished accordingly. England has treated with the other nations of Europe, engaged in the trade, upon the same subject: these were not sufficiently destitute of shame to refuse to listen to her ; they even promised to use their endeavours towards effecting the abolition among their people: but cruel, unfeeling Monarchs, unworthy of the power entrusted to th-^m— cruel, dis- sembling Ministers— cruel, depraved na- tions, for which they have all dearly suf* fered of late ; they are deaf to the loud calls of humanity : they tolerate and en- gage in the hateful and inhuman trade, and still sport, without remorse, with the suf- ferings of their fellow-creatures ! Others, from the United States, were hastening to England, to lay at her feet the treasures of their western worid, and to receive, in return, her highly improved manufactures. New ideas were excited in the mind at the appearance of these. The vast extent of couiUry which now consti- { ,. ■.rygftaititf.^g 29 tutes the Republic of the United States was formerly possessed by Great Britain : though separated at an immense distance from it, she defended it from all the en- croachments of her enemies, and derived great advantage from the possession of it. The inhabitants reverenced the mother country, and looked up to her for protec- tion and direction : they acknowledged her sovereignty, and received and obeyed the laws she imposed upon them, while they were just and mild ^ but, in an evil hour, pridct the bane of its possessor, " that sin by which angels fell," separated America from England, and deprived the latter of one of the most valuable of her foreign possessions. Sunday, 29th May — We arrived on the Banks of Newfoundland, where we saw several vessels lying at anchor, fishing* I went, with the mate, on board of one, which proved to be the Angelique, a French brig, from Havre de Grace. The master treated us very politely^ but made us pay ! i •!' ' .1 ti li: 30 pretty high for it in the price of some fish we purchased from him ; although he had taken six hundred that day. On my ex- pressing some surprise at his people at- tending to their business on that day, ** oh !" said he, " you English pay a great deal of respect to this day ; we French think but little of it here." The storms and tempests, and furious contention of the elements, are not the only astonishing works of the Lord, which, as David says, •* they see who go down to the sea in ships, and occupy their business in great waters :'* for, as " at his word the stormy wind ariseth and lifteth up the waves thereof, and causeth their soul to melt away because of their trouble," and afterwards, " maketh the storm to cease, so that the waves thereof are still ; and maketh them glad because they are at rest ;" so, at his word also, the banner of war is unfurled, and hostile squadrons ride, in dreadful array, upon the face of the great deep. Then do storms, even of a I r '!l 31 more dreadful and appalling description than those occasioned by the elements, arise, with terrible sound, more direful effects: from the latter, all exposed to their ftiry may escape ; but to the former some nmsi &11 victims. Then« those on p board a solitary trading vessel hear, with II dismay, the unwelcome soxtnd^ <' a strange sail 1" While they are unaware of her kind, or the country she belongs toj ev«ry ex- pedient that can be used is resorted to, in order to evade her ; not daring to approach to ask the question (sometimes a very im- pontant one), " What is your Longitude ?*' Then trade is heavily shackled, to tlie great disadvantage of tlie whole commu- nity : meix^aixtile vessels are frequently de- tained a considerable time, waiting for the ship of war appointed to convoy them to their destined port ; and, in numerous in- stances, sustain serious loss or disadvan- tage from that circumstance. But when gentle \ ^ce extends her olive bi'anch o'er the contending empires— when He, whose i.^ t Ui 1^ ,'!" < ' ' 32 avvFul voice is heard and obeyed frotn shore to shore, says to the angry nations, ** peace, be still !*' What a wonderful change does His word produce ! " The tiery fight is heard no more," the storm of war ceases to blow : the fleets, which had previously pursued each other with inve- terate animosity, from harbour to harbour, and had been constantly endeavouring to hurl each other to destruction, by means of their awful engines of war, now anchor in the same port without distinction, and associate harmoniously together. The trader, now at liberty to choose his own time for sailing, tempts the dangerous main, without any other dread than what arises from the elements ; and instead of endeavouring to shun every vessel that appears in sight, least he should encounter an enemy, he now hails it with joy, bears down to it with pleasure, certain of meet- ing a friend who is willing to assist him, if in necessity of any kind ; and has the sa- tisfaction of ascertaining, in a great mea- sure, the correctness of his reckoning. ^■ These tarv effec add thos and the c tion (vvhi works of ciple, is { tries that the then ] when we tages that the powei exchangir o^ their acknowle( under to t infinite m unworthv ed by gn Lord, oh ! benefits ! the unitec glow with h'nds, by t complete! S3 These are some of the benign, tlie salu- tary effects of peace ; and when to them wo add those important ones of navigation, and the discovery of the magnetic attrac- tion (which, like all the other astonishing works of creation, though simple in prin- ciple, is amazing in effect), uniting coun- tries that had been previously separated by the then insurmountable barrier of ocean : when we consider the unspeakable advan- tages that mankind, in general, derive from the power these afford them of mutually exchanging the produce and manufactures of their respective countries; we must acknowledge the great obligations we lie under to that kind Providence who, in His infinite mercy, has been so indulgent to his unworthv creatures ; and we are constrain- ed by gratitude to exclaim, " Bless the Lord, oh ! my soul, and forget not all his benefits !** And where is the subject of the united kingdom, whose bosom does not glow with a lively satisfaction, when he finds, by their means, the poet's prediction completely fulfilled. — 'd In n KZ i J, If .f! ( • ,,i 34 The iime shall come when, free as seas dr wind, Unbounded Thames shall flow for all mankind ; Whole nations enter with each swelling tide, And seas but join the regions they dinde — Earth's distant ends our glory shall behold, And the new world launch forth to meet the old. Friday, 3d Jiine-^A quarrel arose be- tween two of the passengers, who appeared extremely anxious to terminate the affair hy force of arms ; or, at kast» made all that boisterous and valian4 ilisplay of the desire which is frequently assumed, when there is ev«;ry reason to believe it will not be permitted to be indulged in ; and as^ the Captain had been frequently tormented by similar disputes, he resolved to allow them to settle this in their own way. The quarter-deck was therefore cleared, and they stripped. While preparing for the combat, the wife of one of the parties, in taking his coat, &c. under her charge, animated him as much as possible to "mind wliathe was about — fight like a man, and not let that scavenger beat him i" while tl afterwa might j enabling U'flf^, as bit of c for the J ing her the hesit almost n of Agin tion of brought diately t be allow from ex one, whi a rather inadverte pond wi gonists TeenSf *• frstr vi coincide \:-\ 35 while the secret desire of her heart, as she afterwards acknowlec'^jed, was that he might get a good trouncing, by way of enabling him to form some idea of what it was, as he was rather too much in the ha- bit of exercising discipline towards her, for the purpose, as he professed, " of keep- ing her In orthur" When ready for action, the hesitation they evinced at commencing almost reminded me of the hostile parties of Agincourt ; but an attentive observa- tion of their countenances and gestures brought another fighting scene more imme- diately to my recollection ; for, if I might be allowed to judge of their secret feelings from external appearances, the idea of the one, while hastily retiring a few paces from a rather advanced position, which he had inadvertently taken up, appeared to corres- pond with that of one of the bold antago- gonists in the duel-scene in Miss in hev Teens, *« I must not approach too near at Jirst;** while the other seemed perfectly to coincide in sentiment with his adversary, D 2 ?i ' I' i,f>-^;* 'f I V' 36 " I wish a constable would come, and iaK^e us both up :** however, as the wish was vain, no constable being at hand, he was compelled to set to ; and I must confess, when they did begin, the onset was very violent on both sides. It was shocking: to behold too human beings, almost naked, rush at each other with all the fury and animosity of wild beasts, contending for the superiority, and nearly in the same way ; for as neither was acquainted with the elegant science of pugilism, they bit and pulled the hair, kicked and wrestled about for a considerable time, without, however, doing each other much injury. And was this the amusement the brave and refined Romans and Grecians delighted in ! Can it be possible that those people, certainly entitled, in many respects, to be styled great and noble, generous and hu- mane, could resort to the theatre and pub- lic games, for the purpose of being enter- tained with the detestable sight of two of their fellow-creatures using their skill and utmost exe That even tender bos^ finest feelii felt deligh and witnes wretch, v, trifling re\ land, withe encountere death at h We migl those were respect 5 b ist? Do we ed and imj name is fai for every q mankind, human, bai we hear of less from t fined — enli into the p 37 utmost exertions to destroy each other !— That even the females, in whose soft and tender bosoms we might expect to find the finest feelings of our nature, should have felt delight in listening to the dying groans, and witnessing the agonies of an expiring wretch, who, in risking his life for a trifling reward, or a mere honorary gar- land, without any other cause for hostih'ty, encountered his antagonist and received death at his hand ! We might, perhaps, be inclined to say, those were barbarous times : true, in this respect ; but when will civilized times ex- ist ? Do we not find, even in our enlighten- ed and improved day, that Britons, whose name is famous in every part of the globe for every quality that adorns and ennobles mankind, tolerate and encourage this in- human, barbarous practice ? How often do we hear of foolish men being carried life- less from the ring, even in England, — re- fined — enlightened England ! and hurried into the presence of an awful God, who I? \n < ll i i 1 'i 'I 38 cannot approve of such wicked proceed- ings, at a time and under circumstances ill suited to that solemn event, to answer the all-important question, ** how have i^ou passed ;^our life ?** But are those Bri- tons who encourage this practice— they who have supported and increased the glory of the British name by their more laudable achievements? No, surely. It may be said that among them are to be found no- blemen and gentlemen ; this, I am aware, is a melancholy fact : but, because they are men in the highest rank of society, and consequently termed by the multitude 7ioble and great, it does not follow that they realii/ deserve those appellations. Some, however, are Legislators — yes — though to our great advantage very few are such : but of what description are they ? They may, sometimes, fill a seat in Parliament, and give a vote ; but their thoughts are, to all appearance, so much engaged with prize^ghts, and other amusements of a similar nature, that they seldom turn upon the affairs < of them ha " aye," oi are among endowed li for the no the comfor creatures, t oh, how t uses ! to til and those « unworthy name of U idea of ev( ly : these on their enemies th in their ch Saturday vessel fron The maste the day b( a boat fror The name M 39 the affairs of the nation ; for we never hear of them having said one word more than "aye," or "no,*' for its benefit. They are among those whom Providence has endowed liberally with worldly advantages, for the noble purpose of administering to the comforts and necessities of their fellow, creatures, and other laudable actions ; but, oh, how they pervert them to the worst uses ! to their own destruction and infamy, and those of their fellow-men ! These are unworthy of the dignified, tlie honorable name of Uritons ; a term that conveys the idea of every thing great, noble, and man- ly : these are they who bring a stigma up- on their countrymen, and afford their enemies the satisfaction of finding one blot in their character. Saturday, 4th — In the evening spoke a vessel from Liverpool, bound to Quebec.—- The master informed us he had seen land the day before, and had been boarded by a boat from Lcuisburg, in Cape Breton.— The name of Louisburg sounded with plea- fi »} V, ^ III • n iMf •4 il i 40 sure to mv ear, as with it was so honour- ably associated that of the immortal Wolfe, who there acquired well-deserved laurels — there displayed his exalted military talents — his capacity for leading his troops to victory, and his title to that confidence which his grateful country afterwards re- posed in him. Sim day — The ship was enveloped in a thick fog, with a light wind. In the morn- ing, Captain M. and I were walking the deck, when he suddenly exclaimed " hallo, what's this I" and immediately to the helms- man, "put the helm up!" I looked and saw, as I supposed, an immense water- spout in the fog, but, in a moment, as it approached, it proved to be a vessel in full sail, bearing down upon us, about a minute's sail off. The Captain hailed her as loud as possible, aud succeeded in making him- self heard by those on board, just in time to enable them to bear up, and the two vessels passed each other so close that a man might have almost leaped from one to the other. Monda3'- a very thiol midable inc of being vei sibly see it. near, Capt. stantly sou on shore (i have an op] situation. ., solemn soui to the giddj that heard moment in ment of he possessed o and suspect mindful of moment, ei simple peoj that, althou a few, very rious, awfui Do you forg %**- 41 Monday'— We were again surrounded by a very tliick fog, which now proved a for- midable inconvenience, for we were certain of being very near land, but could not pos- sibly see it. Lest we should approach too near, Capt. M. directed the bell to be con- stantly sounded, in order that the people on shore (if there should be any) might have an opportunity of apprising us of our situation. Even now, I think, I hear the solemn sound addressing its warning voioe to the giddy, and, I fear, unthinking throng that heard it. " Most of you are at this moment in the vigour of life, in the enjoy- ment of health and strength $ and, while possessed of these, do you rest in security, and suspect no danger nigh ? are you un- mindful of the various perils which, at this moment, encompass you ? Ah ! heedless, simple people, it is my duty to inform you that, although you are now apparently safe, a few, very few minutes, may make a se- rious, awful change. Why this sound ? — Do you forget that it is with a view to avert, h! SrA * t t I II I ^ ;■ , )! 46 cried another, ** you have brought us to a pretty country ; long life to you." When I considered the numerous perils we had been exposed to during a long pas- sage across the great western ocean, and our safe arrival on this side of it, the sight of land was well calculated to inspire me with sentiments of gratitude to the great ** Father of all," who, in his infinite mercy had been so kind to me, in common with the rest of the passengers and crew, in preserving us from the melancholy fate of many of our fellow-creatures, who, on the same voyage, the preceding year, became a prey to the devouring element, and were never heard of more. The sight of this land, in particuhxr, was well calculated to teach us a lesson of thankfulness, and cause our hearts in rapture to exclaim, ** praise God, from whom all blessings flow ;" for, two years before, it had prov- ed the scene of dreadful calamity to the crews of two vessels which, on their return to Europe, were driven on shore and dashed to pieces upon the rocks — thosQ II,' me 47 very rocks tliat might have proved equally fatal to us, ** had not the Lord been on our side." About two o'clock we saw St. Paul's Island, situated in the entrance into the Gulph of St. Lawrence, and about midway between Newfoundland and Breton Island. In the aflernoon, I was very sorry to ob- serve the method that some of the passen- gers adopted to express their joy or grati- tude at the sight of land : they got quite intoxicated, came upon deck, and exhi- bited the wonderful change that spirits are capable of effecting upon weak, frail man. One had been a very decent man a short time before, but then how altered ! Pre- viously he had held a respectable rank among his fellow-men ; then, degraded to a level with the brute ! his actions, words and gestures, how indecorous, how absurd ! how unlike those of the same man when sober! The day before, he assembled a part of the people upon deck, and, with the greatest propriety and decorum, read prayers to them, and went over the Morn- E 2 , )f •il I I ■'' '* »^, IP 1 ' I ^ i ^ li 11 III 1 e f „1- ih u V I I 48 ing Service ; upon this occasion, he was to be seen at the same place, but, ah, in what an altered manner ! Those eyes that, yes- terday, were soberly directed to the skies, apparently in devout and humble suppli- cation, now, wildly rolling, or stupidly blinking, were merely expressive of good- natured folly ; and those limbs which, so lately, had bended reverently and, per- haps, in the sincere intention of devotion, before his God, now, as if ashamed of their ignominious burden, refuse their wonted office of bearing him on his way, and cast him, in rude prostration, before the voluptuous god of wine : for, while his watch went flying, in divisions and sub- divisions, into the scuppers on one side of the vessel, he himself, by a similar sort of movement, though not without many an intervening stagger and stop, went plung- ing headlong into the other. And bringing themselves into this dis- graceful state, I believe, is called by men enjoyment : destroying their constitutions. wasting thei selves and t disgrace, anc in the sight piavedand w are you witi How unacqi] You are enti at a very < pleased, but Well might t slaves drunl^ and disgrace] their chiidrei a horror an( vice; for su sight of a dru to deter its p But are quences of ii it? bynomej as they are, frequently fo instances hav \\y 49 wasting their substance, reducing them- selves and their families to poverty and disgrace, and rendering themselves odious in the sight of God, is enjoyment ! De- praved and wretched mortals ! how mistaken are you with respect to that principte— How unacquainted with what is truly so ! You are entire strangers to it — ^you grasp at a very deformed shadow and seem pleased, but allow the substance to escape. Well might the Spartans of old make their slaves drunk, and, during their riotous and disgraceful enjoyment, exhibit them to their children, in order to create in them a horror and disgust at the abominfiM vice J for surely, to a rational mind, the sight of a drunken man should be sufficient to deter its possessor from becoming so. But are the above-mentioned conse- quences of inebriety all that accrue from it ? by no means. — Numerous and dreadful as they are, others, of a still worse kind, frequently follow in its train. How many instances have occurred of men who, un- A • '< i^I'lj- ii ' I I > IS n 'I K' 50 ( •'. 7 ' i. I; I: , if I' !t.- } ,•' der its influence, have been guilty of mur- der, robbery, and every crime that man is capable of, and thereby brought them- selves to an ignominious, untimely end, who, in their sober moments, would have shuddered at the idea of them, and cried, ** far be it from me !" One, that once came under my own ob- servation^ may not, perhaps, be misplaced here, in order to prove that this is not a mere idle chimera, a dream of m^ imagi- nation. In my school-boy days, while at Montreal, I was present at the trial of a soldier of the €&kh regiment, who had been guilty of murder. The prisoner was in the bloom of life ^ and nature had promised him, in the gifls of health and vigour, a long series of revolving years. How did my young heart tremble, and how were my sympa* thies awakened, when I heard it proved in evidence, that the rash, the fatal act, no less than stabbing, with his bayonet, his own comrade — his associate, and, I may be allowei had been occasion ( and prep( prised by vice, whil ing to h during hi solemn qu( son why passed upo memorial delivered read aloud stance, in / of the deed he had bei subject of tice ; and while in the had been b( respite to e to a petition the then Pri i-4 f mur- man is them, r end, d have cried, wn ou- tplaced 3 not a imagi* pntreal, of the lilty of bloom tim, in series young |sympa» »ved in [act, no let, his £ may 51 be allowed to add, even his bosom frien J, had been committed upon the verij Jirst occasion on which this young, handsome, and preposessing soldier had been sur- prised by this awful, this sense-destroying vice, while in the regiment ; and, accord- ing to his own subsequent declaration, during his whole life ! In reply to the solemn question, " Can you give any rea- son why sentence of death should not be passed upon you ?** the prisoner handed a memorial to the judge, which, on being delivered to the clerk of the court, was read aloud. It merely urged the circum. stance, in his opinion a very palliative one, of the deed having been perpetrated while he had been, for the very first time, the subject of this odious, dangerous prac- tice ; and his uniformly good conduct, while in the regiment, to which testimony had been borne ; as a plea for a sufficient respite to enable him to receive an answer to a petition that he proposed forwarding to the then Prince llegent, praying a reprieve. ': -^i 4' -*■«,-» •f*" ^ y ■',' PI: \t i» iv^ y.i iii >( ill ' I .■V 5^ In the mind of the court, however, no such lenitv could be exercised towards him, since not merely one, but two, crimes were involved in the revolting transaction — drunkenness, and, in this case, its dread* ful concomitant* murder !-«-Hope» that consoling and animating companion of poor, weak man, under the adverse and trying circumstances to which he is sub- subjected in this weary pilgrimage* now forsook her airy throne,, and left it» in quiet possession, to dark and fell despair. In imagination I could conceive myself brought back to former days, then long gone bi/, when the stern, yet weeping, Manlius, torn by conflicting feelings of paternal compasj^ion and magisterial duty, sat full before my view : and while the pearly tear of pity stood glistening in his eye, then stole* in grief, away, I heard the venerable judge close his energetic and sympathetic reply with that heaven-de- sscended, irreversible decree——** Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." 53 But three days more, and the jolly brows of Bacchus were, by this sacrifice at his shrine, adorned anew with the laurel wreath of victory ! Saturday, 11th June— We were off Cape Chat, in the River St. Lawrence : met eleven or tweive vessels from Quebec, homeward bound. The wind was quite lair for them, and their lofty masts, crowd- ed with swelling sails, gave them a very grand and beautiful appearance. Their crews, no doubt, were elate with their good fortune, and congratulated them- selves upon the prospect they entertained of 50011 seeing their country, their families, and friends : every thing appeared, at the moment, to justify the expectation ; but how foolish, how absurd, to build their hopes upon the inconstant winds !— we had now been taught the folly of it. At one time the masts may be crowded with can- vass, and the ship gliding triumphantly through the " watery way ;*' the next half hour may find her divested of all the .-: !*,\ 'iw. 1 f^^ M? f } :^!f l f'i ] I 56 sent his boat with a few to the assistance of the pilot, who was found quite alonet in a large one, with Jour sails set In a short time he came along side the ship, to the great satisfaction of all on board ; and his presence appeared to diffuse confidence and contentment among the people, and to dispel all apprehension from their minds with respect to the remainder of the pas- sage. If, then, the appearance of a coarse, rough, weather-beaten Canadian was found capable of affording so much satisfaction, on account of his knowledge of the rocks and shoals that lay in our way to our destined port ; and the acquisition of whom was of so much consequence as to induce us, in order to take him on board, to stop short during the existence of a very favour- able breeze, which, from having had a long passage, occasioned by contrary winds, we had learned to appreciate ; what must be the feelings of those who, after having been buffeted about and tossed upon the '*»i*»-aK..,'.w^ ■ •*-"• — ^'"" I ..' 57 raging billows of this world for a long time ; deficient, perhaps, of those spiritual resources which alone are capable of af- fording consolation ; and destitute of the cheering prospect of a happy issue to all their toils and hardships ; when, from a conviction of their forlorn and desperate situation, and of their own incapacity to act any longer for themselves, they have recourse to that Saviour who, in pity to their situation, descended from the bliss- ful regions above, to relieve them from all their cares and fears, and guide them in the way they should go. The instant his ever-watchful eye beholds the first sign their convicted minds display, of their want of, and desire for him, he flies to them on wings of love, and is soon with him. Then what joy, what inexpressible delight, must be diflTused through their souls by the appearance of him who is all- powerful and most anxious to save ; at the arrival of Jesus, " a man of singular beauty, surpassing the children of men j" , I ' 'f i? 1*. ■' - ■"*«■**'««» *^-» I /^> f ' i^6 '■ 58 who is a skilful pilot, and thoroughly ac- quainted with all the rocks and shoals that He concealed in their way, under the de- ceitful surface, and which, without his guidance, would hurry them to inevitable, unspeakably dreadful, even eternal de- struction. Then do they look forward with contentment and satisfaction to the remainder of their hitherto tempestuous voyage, contemplate the dangers they are yet to be exposed to with composure, con- scious that he is capable of conducting them in safety to the haven where they would be. Loud roaring tF»e billows now nigb overwhelm, But skilfal 's the pilot who sits at the helm : His wisdom, his power, his faithfuh>ess stand Engaged to conduct them in safety to }and» In whatever light we consider this glo- rious Pilot, how infinitely superior does he appear, when compared with an earthly one ! The latter is a weak, frail mortal like ourselves, and therefore cannot ar- rive at perfection in his occupation j con- .»* ; ar- con- 59 sequently we are still liable to meet with accidents, and encounter difficulties, al- though we possess the advantage of his direction and advice : the former is not only perfect in the knowledge requisite to lead us clear of the rocks and quicksands that obstruct our way, but having tl'e ele- ments at his command, can protect us from all the storms and tempests, and every other peril to which we may be exposed, in our dangerous voyage through the troubled sea of life. It is the duty and high in- terest of the one to use all his exertions and watchfulness to guide the ship safe into port : pure love, of the most disinte- rested nature, is the only stimulus to the other : many earthly pilots are necessary for one port, only one is requisite to that heavenly country : there can be but one, but he is all-sufficient, and capable of serving all who require his assistance, for " there is no other name, under heaven, given among men, whereby we can be saved." F 2 ' '1 ,r ' ■ ' ^1 ^(.ii I .' I a I' ' h Ml •I . \ 60 Wednesday— Saw a vessel ashore on Green Island. It was a new one that had been built in Canada, had made one voy- age to London, and, on her return to Quebec, struck, and could not be got off. All the rigging had been taken from her, and nothing remained but the hull and lower masts. Her head was next the river, the stern towards the land, and she lay there exposed to the violence of the boisterous winds and raging waves : a striking example of the uncertainty of all things here below, and a melancholy mo- nument of fallen greatness. A short time before the accident, she rode majestically over the foaming billows, and seemed to defy their rage ; her masts were decked with spreading canvass, which, swelling to the breeze, carried her, with the swiftness of an eagle, through the watery element ; the limits of her progress were only those of ocean itself; she was the support of her captain and crew; her owner looked to her for many of the comforts he enjoyed, -*-* »jt,. . ■ ' I 61 and she contributed to the convenience of the inhabitants, in general, of nations se- parated at an immense distance by exten- sive seas. " But now, see the change !^*— The insolent waves, as if triumphing in her downfall, dash over her ill-fated head, which, by being turned towards them, seems to indicate that she can look with contempt on the insult offered her, which her helpless state obliges her to endure, and prevents her from resenting. Her masts, divested of all their pompous clothing, stand bare, exposed to the rude* stormy blast ; and her whole appearance indicative of her desolate situation, but bearing the marks of better times, now gone for ever. A short time ago she ranged, with freedom, the whole surface of the wide-extended ocean— now, con- fined to a small spot, the length of herself: the Captain and crew who, but very lately, looked upon her as their home, and were uneasy when from her, have de- serted her to return no more^ and the 1 t>.L t ' (, 0' #•"%- -Sii^ , n ii*i' ' I I:' A '1 I !. II i» 62 owner who, but yesterday, as it were, con- sidered himself master of a possession, and, pleased with his good fortune, formed plans for his aggrandizement, and amused himself with glittering prospects of future greatness and enjoyment, now finds all those prospects blasted in a moment, his arrangements and plans mere '' castles in the air," and, perhaps, his late ship now a melancholy emblem, on a distant shore, of his own fallen condition ! How forcibly does the sight of this unfortunate vessel recall to mind the situation of the great Darius in his misfortunes :— Fall'n, fall'n, faH'n, fall'n, Fairn from hts high estate-— Deserted at his utmost need ]3y those his former bounty fed. And also that of a greater than Darius, in our own day, who, from ob- scure origin, became sovereign of a mighty nation, and gave kings to others ; who overran the greater part of Europe with his armies ; to whom thousands l«4» M; coll- ision, rmed lused utiire Is all it, his Lies in p now shore, ►rcibly vessel J great than ob- nghty who lurope usands 6S looked up for protection and support ; at last, in an inauspicious moment, had the mortification to see an end put to all his schemes ; his greatness and glory wrecked on the rocks of fate, and he himself, who had had whole kingdoms at his command, reduced to a state in which he could not call one spot on earth his own ; and even obliged to submit to the privation of his personal liberty, nxed to a small rock in the midst of the sea, from which he could not extricate himself; where his ears, that had, for many years, de- lighted in scarcely any other sounds than the loud cannon's roar and the din of war, were only soothed with the hoarse, unvaried, hollow men of " St. Helen's wave !*' As we sailed up the river St. Lawrence we were exceedingly pleased with the ap- pearance of the country on each side. — The islands and shore, in many places covered with trees down to the edge of the water ; the neat white houses of the ♦ .< I ; < » I i i\" ii:il V .h'S .1*1 "'^1 ri^' UU'^ (I.' 64 inhabitants, seated in clusters, or singly, on the plains, which were bounded by the woods ; and the handsome little churches, with tin-covered roofs and spires glittering in the sunbeams, conveyed at once an idea of comfort, prosperity and peace; and made a very favourable impression on the minds of the passengers, at this time big with anxiety and hope respecting their future destinies, with regard to the country. Friday — Went ashore at a small place called " La Petite Anse."— The latter word signifies creek or bay j and this " lit. tie creek," stretching a considerable way into the land, and washing a beautiful valley, is nearly altogether concealed from the observation of the stranger passing up and down the river, by a long narrow island, covered with wood, lying across its entrance. It would be vain to attempt a description of my sensations while ap- proaching the shore, as the various beau* ties of the scene opened, by degrees, up- ■"^ ♦i* . ^' ' 'I '■■>'■ ^5 on my sight. From the ship we could merely discover one or two cottages, sur- rounded by a few fields; but when, on passing the end of the island alluded to, and changing our course, we sailed into the bay, the prospect improved to an un- expected and gratifying extent. A long vale, broad next the water, and narrowing to a point at the opposite end ; apparently in a high state of cultivation ; neatly and regularly fenced off in large oblong fields \ and diversified with nu- merous farm houses, white, comfortable, and commodious, with suitable ofRces, &c., the whole enclosed by a ridge of high hills on either side, thickly covered with trees of various kinds and sizes, and seeming to exclude this little colony from all inter< course with the rest of the world, present- ed itself to our admiring and enraptured eyes. The weather was calm and delightful : the sun shone resplendent on ** wood and mead," and shed a peaceful lustre on the » / J ii ii I I 66 surrounding scenery; and, as if determiii* ed to impress us with high ideas of this western world, on our first arrival on its shores, by beaming his brightest rays upon the verdant landscape, and clothing it in its richest attire, appeared anxious to set ofF its rural charms to the best advantage. We landed at a considerable distance from the houses ; and as the tide was ebbing, the Captain desired one of the men, a passen- ger, to anchor the boat, a very large one, belonging to the pilot, a short distance from the beach, and reir^ain in it until our re- turn, in order to keep it afloat. He, ac- cordingly, shoved the boat off, and, when at a sufficient distance, threw the anchor over board, but in the true spirit of his countrymen, y&r^o/ lo attach the cable to it Jirst ! We had scarcely got on the strand when we observed a Canadian countryman com- ing towards us, from a small wood, a short distance from the beach : he had a hatchet in his hand, which, with his bonnet rougCt 67 or red cap, and costume peculiar to the country, gave him a singular and rather formidable appearance in the eyes of the passengers. "Hallo!** said one of them, who first noticed him, " what the d — I kind of a fellow is this coming ?" " Oh !** said another, " I suppose it's one of the wild fellows out of the woods, look at his hatchet i** As he approached with a hasty step, they actually supposed he was coming witl4 some hostile intention, and were quite afraid of him. " Faith 1*11 take up a stone!*' cried one of them, stooping down and lifting one. ** And by my sowl so will I,** said another. I felt quite ashamed of their conduct, and went forward to meet the man, while they remained, at a very respectful distance, behind. When I ac- costed him with a " bonjour, Monsieur,*' he very courteously took off his cap and returned the salute, which satisfied the people that he was not what they took him to be : they therefore soon dropped the stones they had lifted, and crowded round Pn tl ■\vA «'■ ^ 1 1,1 < 1 68 him, with open mouth and wondering eye. •* What's that he says, do you think ?" asked one, as the Canadian spoke French. " Faith that's quare talk," said another, " why that's as bad as Irish." The man had seen us from the wood, where he had been felling timber, and judging the nature of our errand, hastened to the shore for the purpose of taking us to the houses of his friends. On our way thither, we were conducted along the sides of fields of wheat, barley, Sec, which, although covered with snow, several feet deep, in May, were now green and flourishing : such is the rapid progress of vegetation in this country. Flowers of various sorts, mingling with long luxu- riant herbage, sprang up in vernal bloom, to cheer and deck our path ; and grazing iiocks and herds, observing our approach, forbore their feast awhile, to view us with amaze. Whether it was owing to our having been absent from any land, for so long a period M ■ t I 69 as had elapsed since the last time we had trodden on terra-jirma^ or to the real, local attractions of the place, I shall not ven- ture to determine ; but, certainly, upon landing at this charming spot, I felt that if I were an emigrant, I could, circumstances permitting, have halted here — I could have been satisfied with this enchanting abode, and have taken up my residence in it, careless of seeking a better— For I said, if there's peace to be found in this world, A heart th»t is humble might hope for it here.-— To me it seemed one of the approaches to, or outskirts of Elysium : all was tranquil- lity and peace : the bustle and turmoil^ the envying and strife — the buzz of com- merce and the senseless rattle of pleasure, that had annoyed my eyes, stunned my ears, and sickened my heart at the last place I had left, here seemed excluded and unknown, Man appeared in his ori- ginal, natural state ; at peace with his brother; at ease with himself; satisfied with his present, and entertaining a good hope with respect to his future state. I, * ' a " > t ■ \ : I I 70 We went into several of the houses for the purpose of procuring some fresh pro- visions ; — here, every thing afforded us great satisfaction, being strictly consistent with the exterior. The houses were con- structed of square logs of timber, the in- terstices calked with oakum, and the in- terior cased with boards. All was plain and simple, but admirably clean, and con- formable with the inmates : and whatever was indispensably requisite to comfort and convenience, abounded. In consequence of the heat of the wea- ther, the men wore no other upper gar- ment than a shirt ; and the women were satisfied with a petticoat, (entirely of their own manufacture), having a sort of small body; their arms and necks being bare. We were received and entertained very kindly by the inhabitants ; and regaled our- selves, for some time, with bread, butter, milk, &c. The bread, indeed, was made of barley, in large loaves, which appears to ,i 71 be the Idnd generally used by the Canadian peasantry ; and, under other circumstances, might not, perhaps, have pleased our palates altogether; but its form and ap- pearance, with the idea of being a change from the hard biscuit, rendered it highly acceptable upon this occasion. Having provided a necessary supply of these ar- ticles to take on board, we left this pleas- ing settlement, and returned to the vessel. Friday, 17th June — We arrived oif Point Levy ; a point of land on the opposite side of the harbour from Quebec ; and anchor- ed a short distance below it, near the large timber ship, which was built on the Isle of Orleans, and, at this time, just ready for launching. The Captain and I went up to Quebec in the ship's boat ; and as we proceeded along the shore, on the Point Levy side, we saw a number of Indians, squaws and children, with their wigwams or huts. Various and amusing were the exclamations of the passengers, who were rowing, at their singular and novel ap- pearance. G 2 \ » «-l M i '< 72 It is wonderful and instructive to con- template the varieties of the human race. What a wide and varied difference exists among them : only generally alike in their beginning and end ! How are we amazed and bewildered when we consider, that although all the millions of human beings that come into the world are born alike, that is, destitute of any innate idea which might cause a distinction among them, yet that from education, and otlier circumstances, such a vast diversity ex- ists among them when they arrive at ma- turity. The aborigines of the four great divi- sions of the earth vary very materially in person, dress, manners, customs, employ- ments, amusements, government, &c. : the several nations and kingdoms in each of those divisions display, in many things, great dissimilitude : the provinces of a kindom have their peculiarities : the seve- ral classes in one city are distinguished by their appearance, dress, manners and 73 habits ; and even in one family where, from the education, &c. being exactly the same, we might expect to find its mem- bers resemble each other in everything, how often do we find a great diversity of taste, sentiment, appearance, manners and habits. How strange wouhl a man of wealth and fashion feel, who has been brought up with all the care and attention that is usual among those in his sphere in life ; who has been accustomed to all the pleasures, ease, and comforts that affluence and luxury can bestow ; if he were to be suddenly placed in an American Indian wigwam, half naked, and exposed to the inclemen- cies of the weather which these people endure : so great a change in circumstan- ces would make as great upon himself. His body, delicately formed, and unac- customed to its new situation, could not endure hardship, fatigue and hunger : not acquainted with the rude arts that would be necessary to procure food, he would ik M 1 7* not be able to obtain it : the poor, misera- ble wigwam would be but a mean and comfortless substitute for his former habi- tation : in short, he would sink under the accumulation of his miseries, and come to an untimely grave. Whereas the Indian, inured to this manner of life from his in- fancy, and expert in the arts of hunting, fishing, shooting, &c., is active, strong and vigorous ; and so far from feeling any inconvenience from, he delights in it; and would, perhaps, prefer his forests and lakes to all the allurements of the town. On the other hand, place him as sud- denly in the situation of the former, and as great a contrast will be observed.— The transition might not, indeed, be equal- ly fatal, but his comforts, for a con- siderable time, would be paralized. — A stranger to every thing relative to his new situation, he would be at a loss, upon all occasions, how to act : the conversation of those around him, from his ignorance of the subjects, and want of education, I' \ t is'\i IS would be unintelligible to him : only ac- quainted with the rude arts of the forest, he would be destitute of the means of em- ploying or amusing himself: his limbs, ac- customed to be free, and unembarrassed with clothing, would find a most unplea- sant restraint in the court dress : having been bred in a state of nature, without any cultivation, the little restrictions that po- liteness and good breeding impose, would prove intolerable burdens ; in short, he would feel himself far from being happy, and he would sigh for his forests, his wig- wam and his liberty. From these considerations we may learn the goodness of Providence, and the per- fection of his works : that, although he may seem to deal very harshly with some of his creatures, by withholding from them many supposed advantages and benefits, while he bestows them profusely upon others, yet that it is in appearance only j for he amply compensates them for the want, by suiting them to their situations V, ' 1 i ^y ■i^' ^M f 76 and circumstances in life. And as the baubles and glittering toys of the world can only be enjoyed by those who are ac- quainted with their nature and use, those who are ignorant of them cannot be said to be destitute of enjoyment, while they pos. sess other satisfactions and pleasures, pe- culiar to themselves, which completely supply their place. Pleasure is, in a great measure, in ideaj for it frequently occurs that what affords satisfaction to one person, causes disgust in another ; nay so weak, so frail is our fallen nature, that the very thing which, under some circumstances, affords a considerable degree of pleasure, is found, under others, to yield, to the same individual, as great a proportion of pain ! therefore, reflection and observation teach us, that Providence dispenses his favours with an equal hand to all his crea- tures, and leaves it to themselves to make themselves happy or otherwise with them: which is further evident from the circum- itance, that no situation or condition in i ■.01 ■ fi' 77 life, however mean and contemptible it may be, excludes pleasure from the human breast ; while no human [being, however great, powerful or affluent, is beyond the reach of real pain and sorrow. To each his oufferings, all are men, Condemned alike to groan. The certainty of this assertion being correct, brings to view the absurdity, which too many people in the world are guilty of, in making large sacrifices of con- science, peace, ease, &c., for the acqui- sition of a portion of those worldly vani- ties which promise happiness, but, when possessed, are found incapable of bestow- ing it. It would be tedious and superfluous to notice the various cases these are made in, as every day brings them under the ob- servation of every person acquainted with mankind. I shall, therefore, confine my- self to a remark or two upon one, which appears to me to be one of the most lasting, perhaps not the least sinful, and that gene- rally brings with it its own reward, viz. that m Ml 4 I n \l I' I I 78 of sacrificing themselves in matrimony ^ con- trary to the loud remonstrances of the heart, of wisdom, and of virtue. They go to the sacred altar, and there, with quivering lips and a reproving con- science, make a solemn vow before the Great, the Living God, ** to love and to cherish,** which they know at the time they can never perform ; for the heart is crying aloud at the instant, " impossible, impossible !** If it be a female, she sur- renders her youth, her beauty, her loveli- ness, to the loathsome embrace of the man she hates : perhaps she resigns a large share of personal and mental accom- plishments and attainments to a person who is incapable of appreciating them, thereby placing herself in the situation of the poet's flower, which " Wastes its sweetness on the desert air ;" merely because he has a little of tlii^ world's good ; although it is of such an uncertain nature that he may be deprived of all in a very short time. And if it (V 79 should pieas£ God to snatch it away, as a trifling reconhpence for the insult offered him at the mairij^e cerenaony ; which frequently happens, and many instances have come under my own observation ; then what must be the feelings of those who have sacrificed themselves and their best interests in this life, to a sordid thirst for tlie perishing trifles which tiiey made their chief good, and the principal object of their desire. The Gordinn knot is tied : the canise of it being so no longer exists : they must hide from the workl which, when the great attraction ceases, treats them with the indifference and contempt usual in such cases ; and in this state of seclusion, when destitute of most other comforts, they have not even that of a partner, in whose congenial and sympa- thetic bosom they could unburden their sorrows, or from whose soothing and sen- sible conversation they might derive some alleviation to their gnief; but, on the con- trar), every thouglit of them adds to the 'I i V » ' ' ; > H \ i J Ic I II: 80 poignancy of their sufferings ; mutual up. braidings ensue, and they lament, with tears, the mistaken policy of acting con- trary to the dictates of their hearts from prudential motives. Even when this reverse of fortune does not occur, do those riches, on which their hearts were set, alTord them the enjoyment they hoped for from them ? If, from their splendid case- ment, they take a view of their elegantly improved grounds, which probably extend as far as the eye can reach : if nature and art have combined to render the scene delightful and enchanting, do they survey it with pleasure, and inwardly exclaim with rapture, " how trulj/ happy am I, all this is mine!*' Let the experience of a QyEEN answer. We read of the late queen, upon one occasion, while at her father's, when reading Pope's beautiful description of Windsor Forest, (little supposing at the time that she would one day possess it)i that she exclaimed, " happy queen, who commands such a forest ! happy Caroline, IV (I ■ 81 could she but wander through it/** pronounc- ing the possessor happy at once, as if the place itself, independent of every other consideration, were capable of making her so. Time, however, opened her eyes to the delusion. After she had actually seen it| and herself the queen, its possessor, did she then continue to consider that queen happy ? " Alas 1" she exclaimed, " how ignorant was I of what was to con- stitute my happiness ! I have seen Wind- sor, and felt no pleasure — I have wander- ed in her forests, and was alive to everj/ thing but delight /" Daily experience exhibits the bane- ful effects .of this unnatural practice.— In some cases, where virtue has not sucli a strong hold of the mind as it should I have, melancholy indeed are the con- sequences ; her demands are forgotten, the duty she enjoins is despised, and sor- row and shame are brought upon whole Ifamilies, for " one moment's guilty plea- iBure." And even where virtue holds su- preme control, it is evident sorrow and n i I \ \ 82 regret are not excluded. The parties pro- bably consider the marriage ceremony a mere matter of Jbrm, and, perhaps, never dream of the light in which Gcd views their conduct in that particular : but it is an institution of his own appointment ; not merely as a civil bond, but also a moral and spiritual one ; whereby they are united in his presence, and in conformity to his will, and consequently become amenable, not only to human laws, but also to the di- vine. On entering upon the marriage state, tliey promise, on oath, to perform certain conditions, without which the contract cannot be completely fulfilled ; and they are aware of this at the moment ; they know they are unable to perform alt their vows, yet they make them, and take God to witness ! What would an earthly king think of| one of his subjects who should reque^j some office of him, and who should con- sent to make affidavit of his willingnpi and deters duties reqi that office, tain it ; wh should have ty, that he incapable oi those duties declared he not, at leas Most undoul pose that the perfect in a insensible t( ^"'m, and thj inent, by p^ just mention^ ^^quent coni Proves, that ^U but IiighlJ rewards thenf Persons gii tend to say «nd wisdom 83 and determination to perform the several duties required of the individual holding that officei without which he could not ob- tain it ; when, at the same time, the king should have reason to know, with certain- ty, that he was conscious of being utterly incapable of fulfilling some one or more of those duties; all of which he solemnly declared he could and would ? Would he not, at least, consider himself insulted ? Most undoubtedly. — Are we then to sup- pose that the great King of Kings, who is perfect in all wisdom and knowledge, is insensible to the contempt thrown upon him, and the institutions of his appoint- ment, by persons acting in the manner just mentioned ^ Certainly not. — His sub- sequent conduct towards such frequently proves, that he is not only not insensible to it, but highly affronted and offended, and rewards them accordingly. Persons guilty of this crime cannot pre- tend to say that, fi'om want of reflection and wisdom beforehand, they rushed rash- G 2 I \ 1 . , ? 1 !J 'i' 84 \y into the snare : for they might very rea- dily judge, from their feelings and impres- sions prior to the event, what must follow. After having reluctantly given their con- sent, and the day being appointed, does the anticipation of it deceive them ? When it occurs to their mind does the heart exult at the thought ? Is it filled with rapture and delight, and does it almost deprive i):s possessor of patience to wait the arrival of the eagerly-desired day ? Is that day im- patiently longed for, and are a thousand complaints excited in the mind against the tardy progress of time? Does it, at length, dawn with unusual, unparalleled lustre ; and do ecstasy and complete joy take entire possession of their hearts and minds? I fear, nay, I am certain, this cannot be the case ; but, on the contrary, when they are reminded of it, which is probably as seldom as possible, a sensation of horror darts with electric velocity over their whole frame ; uneasiness and regret take posses- sion of the breast, where joy and delight f^s 85 should reign supreme at this time ; and they look forward, with anxiety and dislike, to the moment that should crown their happiness, and leave them no more to wish ! What do all these things presage ? Do they say to the mind, " this is the road to felicity?** Ah, no — and yet thousands go this road in search of it ! Busy, Fortune, still art thou. To bind the loveless, joyless vowr ; The heart from pleasure to delude, To join the gentle to the rude. Wealth certainly contributes, in a very great degree, to the comfort and happiness of people in this world ; but when it is not combined with the necessary accom- paniments, it is found incapable, of itself, to afford the satisfaction which is expected from it^ and, therefore, like exquisite dainties, placed before the diseased sto- mach that loathes food of every kind, it disgusts, instead of affording delight. If happiness has not her seat And centre in the breast, We may be wise, and rich, and great, But never can be blest. ) t » W i< W'l'- ll ■ I \. .\i >i i : r !i! ii IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^i'. 1.0 I.I !^IM IIM ^ IIM 1^ 1^ H: 1^ 12.0 1.8 1.25 1.4 ^ ^ 6" - ► % <^ ^ /a :> ^^^ 7 'V' V >^ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 4^0 'I- ' ■i'^ I «*»i^-^l%*i *v«-i •»» their 89 ing the same purpose, yet more agreeable to the eye and taste. He is at once pro- vided with the vine, whose delightful fruit yields a most delicious beverage, which not only removes his thirst, and pleases the eye and palate, but, also, exhilirates his spirits, " makes his heart glad, and gives him a cheerful countenance." Ap- ples and pears afford a pleasing drink, when their juices are properly prepared ; and man has learned to extract from bar- ley, oats, &c. a spirit that would prove of infinite service to him, as a preventive against many disorders, and a remedy for others ; if he were content to use it merely as a cordial or medicine ; but weak, foolish, nay, wicked man, perverts its use to the destruction, not the preservation of his body ; to the ruin of himself, his family and substance. An immoderate use of the food, and excessive quantity of wine, spirits, &c., which were bestowed upon him for his sus- tenance and comfort, produce disorders '' I :.i, ^!.i V :•:?' !■; I ! ;i' \\ Im'"^ ■■) (4 N 90 that emaciate his frame, discompose his tnirkl, incapacitate liim from attending to his necessary affairs, and even threaten his life itself. Kind nature, in compassion to his situation, and apparently sensible of having contributed, in a great measure, though very unintentionally, to his cala« mity, spreads before him, in great abun- dance, herbs and flowers of various kinds and qualities, which contain balm for all his wounds. The healing juices of many of these he has been taught to extract and use ; and by the bitter and unpalatable flavour given to them, (very unlike that of those intended for food) he is entreated and warned to avoid requiring the use of them in future. Clothing is another indispensable re- quisite to mankind. They are abundant- ly provided with a part of this in the flax- plant, which, after a variety of ingenious and complicate processes, supplies them with that most useful article, linen, which affords a very pleasant inner garment, &c. ^ r^ ; i t ^ .h w I ■yfi (. I 1' I " I . I ^ w ?« ^ "if ! 4 92 lable, elegant, and spacious kind. With- out the assistance of some material, how- ever, to cement the pieces together, their duration, as a building, would be but short ; therefore, we find another species perfectly adapted to that purpose. This is lime- stone, which, when properly prepared, is not only capable of rendering the building firm and lasting, but serves, also, to give it a beautiful and finished appearance.— The very clay is capable of being formed into an extremely useful substance, brick, that is used by man for building strong and handsome houses, &c. The mere shell of a house would be cold and comfortless : the forest, therefore, sup- plies wood ; which proves of infinite service and importance to man, to com- plete and furnish his house with many things, in the highest degree useful and or- namental. Wood is, perhaps, the most extensively serviceable production of the earth to man : the cocoa tree of the Maldives, for instance, V l1 \ _ ■■^j|* yyii^ iMiwi**t'--'-.v"- ■ 93 which, we are credibly informed, provides the natives of those islands not only with vessels, but supplies these, also, with mastSf sails, rigging, anchors, cables, provisions, andjiring. To wood we are indebted not merely for a great variety of things, of the greatest convenience and ornament, that of itself, it affords ; but also for the grand means of communication and connexion with distant countries, whereby we are enabled to enjoy the various commodities of luxury and usefulness that are peculiar to them ; and, in return, profitably dispose of the surplus of our manufactures, &c. which their inhabitants have occasion for. The immense floating castle we saw upon this occasion, was one of the mediums of this communication, and, certainly, capa- ble of striking the beholder with astonish- ment ; particularly on observing the trees that were growing very near, and remem- bering that, but a short time before, it was, like them, growing in the forest. The above is but an imperfect outline of » . U ! > f VV ^^:*^ I I t. 94> the principal articles with which nature has supph'ed mankind, for their sustenance and convenience ; but, in addition to them, there is also a very great variety of minu- tiae, for the finishing, embellishment, and perfection of them all ; that afford no small degree of astonishment to the mi- nute enquirer into the works of Creation. And yet, with all these inestimable ad- vantages, man is not happy ! And why ? Surely the fault cannot lie with his Crea- tor, who has furnished him, even to trifles, with what could conduce to his happiness. No — man is, himself, entirely to blame. — His pride and ambition still incline him to desire things that he does not possess, with- out considering that they are withheld from him by perfect wisdom^ as being ini- mical to his welfare and happiness ; and prevent him from being satisfied with the gifts that Providence has bestowed upon him J which, being intended for his com- fort, if properly used, would be sufficient to secure him peace of mind and content- ^ •■;^» 95 ment ; the obtaining of which, is the near- est approach he is capable of making to happiness in this life. If ** thy will, oh Lord ! not mine, be done," were the sin- cere language of the hearts of all mankind, and if their actions corresponded with that expression — if they could be generally in- duced to perform the duty towards God and their neighbour, enjoined on them in Scripture ; then would they enjoy the hap- py, the blessed fruits of such conduct ; and instead of complaining generally of the world, and the absence of happiness from it, they would be constrained to ex- claim, " it is good for us to be here 1" Friday evening — The ship anchored in the harbour, to the great satisfaction of all on board ; particularly some of the old men and women who, having run short of tobacco, had not spoken a good-natured word for some time previously. The safe arrival of the vessel, however, was a sub- ject of general congratulation among us. We could now look back, with unconcern, 1 2 \ n ■i\ 'i' 1! in i f 1'( /I u<- 'Is i ' I I 96 upon the numerous perils, and fearful dangers we had been exposed to ; to the privations that many had endured: they were now passed j an end was put to them all ; and our ship, that had long been buf- fetted about, and tossed upon the stormy sea, now rode at anchor, in safety, in the long-wished-for port. And I hope that there were none among us so depraved as to forget to whom we were indebted for the great favour, or so lost to a sense of our duty, as to neglect to render him that tribute of praise and thanksgiving, which was most justly his due, for such signal mercy. This event recalled to my mind the grand lesson it was well calculated to teach us. " The body has been taking an earth- ly voyage, and is safely arrived at the de- sired port : the soul, is also at this moment, upon a voyage of much greater, nay infi- nite, unspeakable importance. How does it start and tremble at the idea of what depends upon the issue of that voyoge j 97 and the hideous rocks, shoals, and quick- sands that lie scattered every where through its course ! The next moment, however, it is relieved from all its anxiety by the consoling truth, that the same all-powerful arm that preserved the body from its late dangers, is also extended to afford succour and direction to the soul, in its perilous passage : the course is defined which it is necessary to steer ; and if, determined on gaining the right port, it choose to take that glorious pilot on board, who is ever ready and anxious to guide to the happy haven of rest, all apprehensions may be laid aside, and replaced by the most un- bounded confidence, and peaceful security. Saturday — The launch of the large tim- ber ship was appointed for this day, and great numbers of people repaired to the spot, to witness the grand and interesting event. The morning was particularly fine, and favorable to the occasion : scarce an air of wind disturbed the glassy smooth- ness of the river 5 four or five handsome [ I 11^ ■Hi M 4 98 steam-boats, crowded with respectably, dressed people, had a grand and brilHant appearance ; and a large number of small boats, filled with spectators, added very considerably to the beauty of the gay and animated scene. The military bands on board the steam-boats, glittering in their gaudy uniforms, delighted the eyes of the beholders; while the lively and beautiful airs they continued playing, charmed their ears, and gave a kind of finish to the whole. At the appointed hour, 8 o'clock, all was anxiety and expectation. Every eye was intently fixed upon the great object of attraction, admiration, and interest ; which, decorated with colours of various kinds, stood proudly pre-eminent, and, in im- portance, transcended every surrounding object. She was observed to move, and glide majestically along the xvaj/s, — But disappointment still appears to pursue the children of men. At this critical moment, when all apprehension respecting the issue was vam. 1:^ ' I 99 seemed removed afar off, and the mind already saw her dashing into her native element, and received into its bosom with joy and exultation ; and when those among the spectators, who were personally inte- rested in her fate, were congratulating themselves upon the success of the happy event — suddenly a gloom was cast over the whole scene — the ship stopped just as the stern touched the water, and would move no farther ! Astonishment seized the sur- rounding multitude — every expedient was resorted to, that could be thought of, to impel her forwards, or, perhaps, more properly speaking, backwards ; but all was vain. The mind, for a moment, could fancy her possessed of reasoning powers, and then, as if conscious of the daiigers she was about to expose herself to, she appeared to hesitate to commit herself to that deceitful element, which had proved itself fatal to so many of her kind ; and to whose treachery her great predecessor had, probably, by that time, fallen a victim. I y 1 :v/ k ■l 11 J . I 14 ■ I 100 Disappointment now sat, in all her sable array, upon the countenances of the spectators ; not a cheerful voice was heard ; the hands that were half raised to the hats, in order to wave them " high in air," in triumph, accompanied with loud huzzas, fell motionless by the side; the cannons, which were just ready to join their thundering roar to the acclamations of the people, refused their office ; and all was gloomy silence and surprise. The people who were on shore re-embarked in their boats, and the gay throng returned home, apparently but little gratified with their morning's excursion. On the return of the steam-boats from the large ship, one of them, bound to Montreal, came along side of our vessel to take part of the passengers on board, who were going up the country. They had now lived in close neighbourhood with those who were to remain, upwards of two months ; and it was natural to suppose that a degree of friendship, and kind feeling to« (III A ,' ' 101 wards each other, had been contracted during that time. They were about to separate, and it was very certain that many of them would never meet, in this world, again. This thought occurred to many of the 4, and, when the moment arrived for their final separation, had a very great ef- fect upon them : tears flowed in great pro- fusion ; and as they bade each other a last farewell, and exchanged their pro- fessions of regard, and prayers for each other's success and happiness, I could not remain an unconcerned spectator : I joined, with all my heart, in the latter, and was powerfully affected by the solemn idea, that those, whom I then saw assembled together, I should see no more. It re- minded me of the frailty and imperfection of our nature ; the certainty of decay and death, and of the shortness of our time in this transitory scene. It also afforded a strong excitement, accompanied by the loud calls of wisdom, to prepare for that great and solem change that awaits me in 1.1 lUl 1 i ' (1 ./ 'I ^' -A ii ■ I » 1^ ' r 10^2 common with all mankind ; and thai, soon or late, tnust take place. Sunday — I once more heard the delight- ful sound of the " church-going bell," to which my ears had long been strangers.— Eight weeks had elapsed since I had either heard or seen any thing indicative of the worship of God, except our own form on board of ship : it was, therefore, with great satisftiction I repaired to the English cathedral, and entered its sacred walls with feelings of gratitude, veneration and pleasure. When the service commenced, liow agreeable was the sound to my ear ! when the " solemn organ began to blow," with what rapture did I catch the sacred notes ! Ten years ago— ah, what changes, thought I, have taken place within that time, even in this place ! Where is the reverend gentleman who officiated, the last time I attended divine service here? Gone.— Where is the venerable, hoary-headed pre- late who then occupied yonder splendid \M k l3"-^" ^» If I t.-t tl that, delight- )ell," to ngers.— ul either 3 of the form on re, wall ! English 2cl walls ition and d, bow ! when " with d notes ! thought it time, everend time I one.— led pre- splendid 103 seat, ornamented with massy pillars and canopy, near the pulpit j and who, at the close of the service, used to dismiss the congregation with a solemn and impressive blessing ? But yesterday he took bis de- parture from this sublunary scene— his soul is gone "o appear in the presence of the Great Juage of all, to give an account of his stewardship— his spirit has winged its way to those blissful regions where sin and sorrow never ervter — he is gone to join the general assembly and church of the Hrst born, to reap the blessed and glorious fruits of his toils on earth. A few faces caught my eye, which I re- cognized, but the great majority were new to me, as mine was to them ; the church itself, and the space around it, had under- gone considerable alterations and improve- ments : change presented itself ever}^ where ; still enforcing that solemn and important warning, **you^ toOy must shortly submit to change." In the afternoon I went to the Presby- ■ ^. i£' /^■' ^•,r }:' '. H i ) ' } i r I'll 104 leriaii church ; a commodious, neatly finished edifice ; the relative position and appearance of which, with regard to the Engh'sh (Episcopalian) and French (R. C.) cathedrals, afforded me a considerable de- gree of satisfaction. These buildings are all situated within a very short distance of each other j furnished with steeples,, and have every other appearance of churches : ])erhaps not in a small degree emblematic of the harmony in which the people of the different creeds and sects live together in this happy country. No religious into* lerance ; no party feuds — no distinctions on account of religion exist here : every man is at liberty to choose his own way to the regions of happiness; to worship God according to the dictates of his conscience, without being exposed to the ridicule or hostility of any of his fellow-men, Monday — I walked a short distance into the country to call upon Mr. B— , whom I found preparing for the Bishop's funeral. After remaining a short time at his house ' rl ' V A V.v 105 we walked into town. Shortly after we reached the chateau, or Governor'si resi- lience, where the body was deposited, the procession moved. The streets, leading to the cathedral, were lined on each side with soldiers, having their arms reversed. From a desire to obtain convenient seats in Church, we hastened to it as soon as the procession issued from the castle, conse- quently we had not an opportunity of see- ing the order of it, until it entered the church. The body was received at the door by four clergymen, dressed in their robes, who were preceded, as they moved along the aisle, by the singing boys of the choir, in white surplices. It was then fol- lowed by the Lieutenant-Governor, and officers of government, gentlemen of the law, magistrates, principal inhabitants of the city, military ofiicers, &c. When the funeral service was concluded, the body was deposited in the vault, nearly under the communion table, and by the side of the remains of the late Duke of Richmond, »i -- V-l- 1 4 M u ►i V 1 Mi' (I r^;t 106 All his dignity, wealth, and honor, thought I, could not avert heaven*s stern decree y nor stay the clay-cold hand of death ! His body is now consigned to the silent tomb. — Oh, what a difference be- tween his present and late habitations !— Where are now the stately mansion, mt\\ all its internal grandeur;, the fond, en- dearing partner of his life ;. his interesting family, the honor and delight of his de- clining years ; the busy throng of servants, who were ever employed in administering to his wants and convenience ; the splendid equipage, and every thing that could con- duce to his ease, comfort and dignity ? — All are resigned — all exchanged for the gloomy, silent, dreary mansions of the cold grave !— • Here the liigh-horn and the brave, The wise, the heauteous and the strong, An undistinguished throng, Are laid together Silent and still the sleeper lies ; Closed, for ever closed, his eyes ; 'Till the 6nal morn unfold Her orient portals, bright with gold i '^i 107 Usher the beams, of ererlaating ]ight» Anoiliilate. the powers of night : Burst the fetters of the tomb, And summon all that sleep to their eternal doom. That body which but a short time ago, was in the habit of being pampered with all the delicacies that the earth affords ; for whose sustenance many of the finest auimal productions of creation were sacri- ficed ; and that held a respectable rank among the highest order of earthly beings, must now, in turn, become a prey to earth's meanest and most insignificant in- habitants, the loathsome worms ! This is the end of all human greatness ! " The paths of glory lead but to the grave" — all men's honours, rank, and fame are buried in the dust j and they themselves mingle, once more, with their kindred clay! Saturday— I was in town with a friend, and being informed, a little before one o'clock, that the large ship was to be launched at that hour, we repaired imme- K 2 t m ■ >' »SI nn k if^ If i > < • .^ I it i il It. ■ I. f '.'* I, h 'I » i ,Lf.i /g^ t > i I ' "■•■■v»' 108 iliately to the Grand Battery, and in a few minutes saw her glide off the stocks in fine style. It was not generally known that an attempt would be made to Jauncli her on that day, consequently there were but few spectators. The event was very interesting and im- portant ; the largest ship of modern times was committed to her native element, and, like every thing else of any consequence, had her advocates and enemies. If it should answer to employ her constantly, it would prove a great blow to the shipping interest engaged in the timber trade, as she is capable of containing a cargo equal to ten or twelve of the largest vessels in that trade. Her shape surprised me a good deal. — She is remarkably sharp at the bow, and also at the stern, except a few feet below the upper deck, where she assumes the shape of other vessels, but much smaller in proportion. The bottom is quite flat, and broader about the middle than the up- »«M IBOMH. 109 per deck : and there is a projection along it, from near the stem to the stem, in- creasing towards the middle, about three feet higli. The cross-beams that support the upper deck project, at each end, be- yond her side, to supply the place of chains, &c. for fastening the rigging to. — She is entirely built of solid logs, which are used instead of plank, &c. The masts are huge trees, without any other prepa- ration than merely having the branches lopped off; and being stripped of the bark. The bottom and lower part were neither tarred nor painted, previous to the launch : in short, she is constructed in the rough- est manner possible. While she was on the stocks, four horses, in one team, were employed in drawing timber on board, the sight of which, walking about the deck without any inconvenience, was the first circum- stance that struck me with her immense size j and eight or ten were on board when she was launched, for the purpose of (• •* V /i l^^l • [ h 1 ' if i:i ! 7- \ I i 1 'Hi w 'W no hoisting in Iier cargo. His Majesty and Scotland participate in tlve honour of giving the name, viz. the " Baron of llenfrew," which is one of the Scottish titles that his Majesty holds. Monday — Mr. B and I set out for the township of Leeds, forty-five miles from Quebec, on the south side of the St. Lawrence 5 and, as we had to go 9 miles by water, we embarked on board a large flat-bottomed boat called a halteau. The weather was pleasant, and the country, on each side of the river, had a very rich and furnished appearance y owing to the numbers of trees that crown its steep and lofty banks, and, in large and numerous clusters, ornament the level ground ;, for which, however, it is altogether indebted to the bad quality of the soil in those places, and by no means to the taste of the Canadians who possess it ; as, in general, they appear to be entire strangers to the system of sheltering their houses, or em- bellishing their lands with trees : ap- Vtmmtmmiim^ in parent])' entertaining, with regard to them, the poet'.'i idea, viz. '* When unadornedi adorned the tnost." I have frequently been impressed with the vast difference that place and circum- stances produce in the ideas of people, upon certain subjects; and this was stromgly exemplified, upon one occasion, with re- gard to the beauty of a country, in the instance of an American, who once visited Ireland; where, in some of the wildest parts, he gave vent to his approbation of its superior appearance, by exclaiming, " What a finely Improved country this is, mot a tree to be seen /'* A practice prevails, pretty generally, among the Canadians, with respect to their houses, in which taste appears to be sacri- ficed to comfort, viz. they have no door on the north side, although the latter may be next the road or river : the front view is, therefore, lost to the passing tra- veller, who finds a great degree of dulness in the road on that account. Their system f, til 'II' 1 -. ? ./. - ft -I • ■1*1 : ,1 •\ I ,if ({I ? > 112 of placing the offices, which are all in* chided in one large buiUling, at a con- siderable distance from the dwelling-house; either in the next field, or on the opposite side of the road, is, I think, a very com. mendable one, as it secures the house from fire that might originate there ; and this, I believe, is their principal motive for placing them at such a distance ; and also as the house, with the ground about it, is kept free from filth of every kind ; the cattle, pigs, &c., never being allowed to come near it ; which gives it an ap- pearance of cleanliness and comfort, high- ]y gratifying to the traveller ; and which, to the credit of its inhabitants, is quite in conformity with the interior. The lands, in the old settled part of the country, belonging to the Canadians, are generally divided into lots of from two to six French acres in breadth, or, in a direc- tion parallel with the road, and extending thirty or forty backwards ; consequently each farmer has a long narrow tract. The i . t.;vv,'> a Xi •MMUMiai* 113 road is always made on the line between the two concessions or ranges ; or, where near the river, along the end next to it j and the Canadians, with a view to the comforts of society, greater security, or other motives, build their houses at the side of the road, or very near it; so that the country resembles a continued, strag- gling village, along the concession roads ; but along those that connect the conces- sions,, running parallel with the lots, cuK tivated fields are seen, and one is some- times at a loss, when the country is a little hilly, to know where the proprietors reside. About five o'clock in the afternoon, we reached the ferry-house. The proprietor, who, we expected, would provide us a con- veyance to Leeds, not being at home, we were detained a couple of hours, waiting his return. Upon enquiring of him what he would charge to take us to C— and back, a distance of 36 miles, he wanted 10 dollars, £Q 10: we immediately left I > f l!l;lli'.l \* t ,/ X' 114 ' ^ >'■!■ i.^'i h ' / "I , f :l him, therefore, and walked along the road, but had not proceeded far until his son came galloping after us, to say his father would take us for six j but we disliked his attempt at imposition, and refused his kind offer. In a short time a cart passed, and the driver, judging from our appearance that we were strangers, in want of a convey, ance into the country, stopped his horse, and enquired if that was the case. Upon hearing where we wished to go, he asked five dollars, which we agred to give him. He then requested us to walk on to his house, a short distance forwards, and wait his return, from the ferry-house, to which he was taking some passengers. When he came in we agreed to ^ve half a dollar extra for the accommodation of two carts ; and about eleven they were ready for us. To those unacquainted with Canada, the idea of hiring carts to ride in, may, perhaps, appear rather odd 5 it will, there- '1 I 115 fore, be proper to remark, that the Ca- nadians have coarse, strong carts for draw- ing loads, and working on the farms ; but they have also neat, light ones for riding in ; with a seat across the iiiddle, upon springs, something similar to the body of a gig, capable of accommodating two persons j which are equal to a gig for ease and comfort, and, in many cases, even for beauty. We proceeded on* our journey, as we preferred travelling by night, on account of the mosquitoes, flies, &c. which are very annoying here during the day. — About six o'clock in the morning, we reach- ed a part of the country that was a thick wood the last time I had passed through it, and I was exceedingly gratified on observing the improvement that had been made since. A fine open country, well settled, presented itself, where, twelve years before, not the least vestige of a human habitation was to be met with. In- deed the road was so much altered for the f ' f 'U > fi I. •^\ ;'/ i; 1. :'/ ri Hi, ■('If Ml "!■ P :i U> « ) ti 'f 116 better since that period, that I enquired several times of Mr. B , if he was certain we were on the right road. At eight, we stopped at a house of entertainment, kept by a Mr. Dallow, who was formerly a merchant tailor* in Quebec ; and I was a little amused with tlie sign he has exposed. It is the same that he had in Quebec; with the words, "Richard Dallow, tailor, from London ;" which strikes the traveller as ra- ther a comical one, when both house and si- tuation are considered : the former an mn, and the latter in a neighbourhood whose population, one would suppose, will not, tor some time, be anxious about having their clothes exactltj in the London cut. We got a very comfortable breakfast here, consisting of excellent tea, eggs, ham, bread and butter, &c., for tenpence each J which, after travelling nine hours, the greater part under a heavy rain, was, in no small degree, acceptable. About ten, we arrived at C — , the pecu- *A tailor, who is also a woollen draper. = a 117 liar object of my long journey by land and sea ; the situation of which afforded me much satisfaction. All the land on each side of the road, for many miles beyond this place, is possessed by individuals who are not only bound, but very desirous, to settle on, and clear it immediately. In many instances the proprietors are actual- ly residing, and have large clear farms on their lots, so that it promises to be a very flourishing settlement in a short time. In the afternoon we walked down to Mr. L— -'s farm, which is situated in a back concession. I took a gun with me ; and on our way I saw a fine looking bird on a branch, at a good distance from me ; but, being remarkably near sighted, I could not discern of what kind it was. I fired, and it fell ; and when I reached it, it proved to be a robin. The discovery afforded me regret ; though robins, in this country, are very good eating, and it is quite common to shoot them for that purpose.— They are VQvy large, exceeding, conside- r r-t /- .■ < i f i f ■I i i \ ii ^^f 118 rably, the size of a thrush, and resemble those in Ireland, in other respects, except that from being so much larger, they have not such a delicate appearance. We went by a road cut through the wood, but in returning, Mr. B — — in. sisted upon us taking "a short cut through the bush j" we therefore set off, and, after walking a considerable distance, Mr. L thought we should have been out of the wood ; and, contrary to the wish of Mr. B , who was anxious to continue in the course in which we were going, turned off to the left, and in a short time discovered the opening, when instead of being where we expected, we found our- selves quite at the opposite end of the farm ; and had we continued in our for. mer route, we should probably have had reason to lament our rashness, in under- ticking such an expedition of discovery.^ This circumstance reminded Mr. L— - of a singular one that had recently oc- curred in that neighbourhood, which he '^^ -. '-H f 119 related to us. An old man who lived in Quebec, had a son-in-law settled in the second concession, whom he went to see. On his way he passed several houses, where he was acquainted ; and in a few days afterwards, one of the settlers, who had seen and conversed with him, as he passed, had occasion to go to the son-in- law's. When he reached there, he naturally enquired for the old man. The young man said he expected him from town, but that he had not yet arrived. " Not arrived 1** said the other, with astonishment, " why, he passed my house on such a day.** This alarmed the young man, who knew his father-in-law would, of course, go to his house. He therefore went immediately, with two or three persons, in search of him, but ranged through a considerable tract of the woods in vain. The whole of the next day, about thirty of the neighbours were dispersed through tlie country, in different directions ; discharging their pieces occasionallv, and calling him h 2 t. :i ' \'M .1 : < > .11 ,mJ (J ' '1 120 by name, but no trace of him could be discovered. They encamped during the night; renewed the search in the morning; continued it all day, but without success ; and, in the evening, were obliged to re- linquish it, and give him up for lost. — While his son-in-law, who had just returned, fatigued, and almost in des- pair, was sitting at the door of his house, he fancied he heard the soundjof a human voice proceeding from the wood ; he listened, and heard it repeated ; and immediately took his gun, and went in the direction whence the sound issued. He had not proceeded above 40 or 50 yards, until he discovered the old man lying down ; who, when he observed him, rose as has- tily as possible, and attempted to run from him, in quite a contrary direction. He was very weak ; had not the least re- collection of the young man ; and, on being brought into the house, would not believe it was his son-in-law's. He was exceedingly hungry, but (which was re- «i', ni markable, from the state of his mind), ate very sparingly, from prudential motives. When he recovered, he stated that he had been lost, for several days, in the woods ; and, during the whole time, had only eaten a small quantity of wild sorrel upon one oc- casion, when very thirsty. He had not previously been in the country for a long time; he had, therefore, forgotten the road, and was allowed to go astray by an insolent boy, who gave him a very impertinent an- swer, when he enquired of him the way. Wednesday—- We took leave of this delightful spot, and its hospitable inha- bitants, who had been very kind to us j and returned to town. While descending a hill, at a smart trot, the cart Mr. B was in, being near the side of the road, one of the wheels came in contact with the end of a large log that was lying near, which raised it so high that the cart over- set, and Mr. B being undermost, fell across some logs on the opposite side. I was on before, in the other cart, but, as 4 ii I ii: i> >,: ?' li .-; h 1: I \ \ m m ^} ' 1 i'MF il ' lii .,;ih*»- ■■.,#-..,^ ■I ( I \ i ■ t;i 1-. ;.^-i < > 1 1 122 I happened to be looking back at the mo- ment, I saw the accident, and thought something dreadful must have been the consequence. My driver stopped his horse, and he and 1 ran to mv friend's assistance, but were agreeably surprised to find that neither Mr. B — , the driver, horse nor cart, had sustained the least injury, although the two latter were completely over-turned. As we proceeded, we had an opportunity of seeing the country, which we had been deprived of, when going up, by the dark- ness of the nightc We crossed a canal, in the seigniory of St. Giles, formed, entirely, at the individual expense of Mr. Calweli, the proprietor of the adjoining seigniory, for the purpose of conveying timber to the St. Lawrence, from the interior. It must have been a very expensive undertaking, being, for five miles, cut through a thick wood. We passed through a pleasant dis- trict, called St. John's, inhabited by Ca- nadians* : it is a very extensive plain ; the *Tliis term is particularl?/ applied to the descendants ' I 123 road leading through the centre; along which, as I have already observed, the houses are situated. The land, divided into long, narrow lots, is neatly fenced off, in fields of an oblong square form, and apparently in rather a good state of culti- vation ; but, as there is not a tree on the whole plain, except those that bound it, it has a very formal and naked appearance. According to the information I re- ceived, the Canadians are but indif- ferent farmers ; as the method of agricul- ture, most generally practised by them, is to divide the farm into two parts, which they alternately graze and crop yearly, without giving the land time to recruit ; and when it is exhausted thev call it old a/ land. The soil, in the immediate neigh- bourhood of Quebec, and on the opposite side of the St. Lawrence, for several miles, is, in general, of a very inferior descrip- of the old French, who first settled in this country. Their language is the French, and they reside, princi- pally, in the Lower province. tl4 % y. . r* i W M ^^-'.. ■"/ . I n I > J. Wr^t? .'i:! ill tion 5 sandy, encumbered with rocks, and, therefore, incapable of much im- provement. The Canadians, notwithstand- ing, appear to be very contented and hap- py : they have neither tax nor cess to pay, and, although they pay rent in all the seigniory lands, it is merely a nominal thing ; half-a-crown per acre, for the two, three, or four front acres of the lots. It is most gratifying to an individual, just from Ireland, to observe the comforts and con- venience these people enjoy. Every farmer has a good, comfortable house ; com- modious offices, capable of containing all his crop; for they are not in the habit of stacking their grain, &c. ; a sufficient stock of cattle of every description ; a handsome light cart or calash,* for the accommoda- tion of his family during the summer, and a cariolef for winter ; in fact, every con- venience his necessities require. As far as one is capable of judging from appearances, the Canadian peasantry are as *A kiud of gig. f A sledge for ruling in, ■*-»imf»Mf'*r.e0»il»th!titr«m^'>t>K -TV****- 125 happy as any people, of that class, in the world, if not much more so. They are unacquainted with the oppressions and privations endured by those in the greater part of Europe. They have no heavy burden of rent to groan under j no harsh and cruel tyrant of an agent or landlord, to seize their crop or stock, or drive them from the humble, but cherished, cottage of their ancestors ; no bailiff nor constable to torment them for cess ; no unwelcome vi- sitor from the excise office, to exact money from them, for the privilege of enjoying the light of the sun in their habitations, or for their horse, dog, gig, &c. No execrable informer, to have them fined for shooting the wild birds and animals that destro} their crops : in short, they are in complete pos- session of those grand desiderata of the human mind, so indispensably requisite to its happiness, liberty aud independence ; the; enjoy the fruits of their labour, and live in tranquillity and peace. The women t: I r TL / m. Ti^ I 4 1 f:i II « 126 weave a kind of coarse woollen cloth, tor mens' clothes, and another description for petticoats, &c. ; they also weave linen for shirts ; make soap and a variety of articles, which European women know how to ob- tain only by money. In their manners, the Canadians are civil, and courteous to strangers, without, however, being in the least degree servile, or compromising their native independence of mind; and, among themselves, they are very polite, with all the external formalities of civility. Travelling through many parts of Lower Canada, that have been settled many years ago, by the Canadians, reminds one of the territory of Sparta, in the time of Lyciir- gus, after the celebrated division of the lands. " Does not Laconia look like an es- tate, which several brothers have been di- viding among them ?" asked that famous legislator : and this part of Canada con- veys the idea, of several large families of brothers having had the paternal estates divided equally among them j the people ■f ^- X 127 appear to be so nearly on an equality in circumstances, appearance and manners. There is no splendour to be met with among them, except in very few instances ; but, in general, they enjoy comfort, neat- ness, and convenience to a great extent. — This observation is to be understood to ap- ply to the country, eight or ten miles and upwards, from the principal towns, and on the south side of the St. Lawrence j as, in the neighbourhood of Quebec, Montreal, &c. there are many large and elegant houses, with ornamented lands ; the property of respectable individuals in town ; which, of course, remove that ap- pearance of equality- About ten o'clock we reached the ferry-house, and at one landed in Quebec. This city, which is situated at the con- fluence of the rivers St. Lawrence and St. Charles, is divided into two towns, called Upper and Lower : the former stands on a high rock, which is nearly perpendicular on the south side, next Point Levy ; but M ^ M i!\ i ,■11 '^ 1'-^ 1 1 V .» l] l.'^U'h ms If i > ! ■^1 'i I: i ■ 14 '.^^ with a gentle descent to the north and west ; and is entirely enclosed by a high, strong, well-built stone wall, on which a great number of long pieces of cannon, mortars, kc, are mounted. The houses are, in general, of stone ; some of them handsome and spacious.— The streets are very irregular j only two or three of which are paved, the rest were, at this time, undergoing Mr. M*Adam*s system of improvement ; but were pre- viously gravelled ; with raised parapets at the sides, enclosed by logs of wood, in- stead of flags, for the accommodation of foot passengers. The public buildings are, in general, creditable to the city, consisting of the English cathedral, a large, plain, com- raodious edifice; neatly finished inside, and having a good organ and choir. It has no bells ; a set was ordered from England, during tlie late American war, but the ves- sel they were shipped in, was captured by the Americans, and none have since been ^ l1 129 provided. A secohd Episcopal church, or chapel of ease, now erecting ; as from the great increase of the mem- bers of that church of late, the ca- thedral is not sufficiently large to contain them. The Independent chapel j the Presbyterian church ; the French cathe- dral, a much larger building than the English one, but not so handsome } and three Roman Catholic churches, within the walls ; two nunneries ; a R. C. col- lege ; a very handsome court-house, and a large gaol. The chateau, or Governor's castle ; a long building, seated on the verge of the great precipice, which it actually overhangs ; being supported by buttresses on the side next the river ; and, owing to its situation, when seen from the water, has a frightful appearance. One of the barracks is an jld convent, about the centre of the city, very large, and of a square form, four or five stories high ; capable of containing two large regiments : the others are at Cape Dia- . X i V *«. \\ ISO f' ! I i ( ■, \^ ( ' f mond, a very strongly fortified citadel; situated on a lofty eminence, above the town. It struck me, as rather a strange circum- stance, with respect to the new theatre, or circus, which is a shabby building, that it stands in the same small enclosure with the new Protestant church, and almost touch- ing it. Whether symbolical of the little hostility that exists, in Quebec, between the several exercises for which they were constructed, or not, I do not feel prepared to say : but, I should be inclined to hope, that it is rather an indication of the marcli of piety in this city; and of the successful animosity that religion cherishes against this school of vice ; by taking up this po- sition, for the purpose of driving satan from his new haunt, and converting it into a nursery of virtue ; as has lately been effected, in the case of the old theatre, which is now used as a Methodist chapel. The House of Assembly, or Parliament House, is very plain, and much more shab- 131 by and neglected than any of the other public buildings of the city. The Lower Town is situated along the water side, at the foot of the rock. It is long and nar- row, and the principal place for mercan- tile business : the merchants, in general, reside, or have their offices here. There is a small French church, market-place, &c. in it. It extends round the shore, to the north side of the hill, where it is joined by St. Roque's suburbs j which have been much increased during the last ten years. Immediately above St. Roque's, in a north westerly direction, are St. John*s suburbs, containing a great number of houses. — When seen from the water, Quebec has a rather curious appearance, in conse- qnence of its being divided into two towns ; but a respectable one, on account of its grand and formidable fortifications. A large ferry-boat plies between this city and Point Levy, impelled by wheels, in the same manner as a steam-vessel j but horses are used as substitutes for steam. M 2 ■f f I f art I i I ! V"' . !> Ik 132 Friday — I walked out, with a friend, to the Plains of Abraham, which are about a mile from St. Louis gate. Wherever I turned my eye, extensive improvement presented itself; the lands along the road that were formerly laid out in fields, are now, in a great measure, occupied with houses, and enclosed in gardens. Sec, As I crossed the memorable ground where the great and decisive battle was fought, that placed Quebec, and with it, I may say, all Canada, into the possession of the British, I felt an impression of awe and reverence, as if treading upon more than common ground. Here, thought I, the enterprising and immortal Wolfe, after incredible difficulty and perseverance, had the satisfaction of enjoying the prospect of a glorious issue to all his toils, in the pos- session of the ground where the long and arduous contest, in which he had been en- gaged, was now to be decided. ** I have led you up those steep and dangerous rocks," said he, to his soldiers, pointing to I :■! i':4 133 the high and rugged precipice, up which he had contrived to conduct them ; •• only solicitous to shew you the enemy within your reach. A perfidious enemy, who have dared to exasperate you with their cruelties, but not to oppose you on open ground, are now constrained to meet you on the open plain ; without ramparts or en- trenchments to shelter them." And I could almost fancy I heard him repeat to them the stimulating and most important warning of the great Hannibal, of old, to his soldiers ; as the respective situations and circumstances of the two armies were so nearly alike, as naturally to call it forth : " Here, then, soldiers, you must either conquer or die^ the very first hour you meet the enemy ; for you there is no middle fortune between death and victory." In the bloom of life, and elate with the hope of a glorious triumph, the valiant general thus addressed his heroes ; and they, flushed with the same generous ar- dour, caught the " soul-inspiring sound." ^ -'I m If «r I «: • P . 134 But, alas ! what a change did one eventful hour produce ! — That noble, manly, active form, which, one hour, graced Britannia's valiant band, and led them on to conquest, lav extended lifeless, the next, on vonder cold and flinty rock ; surrounded by some of his faithful companions in arms, who silently gave way to manly grief, and de- plored the irretrievable loss. That breast, which glowed with enthusiasm, and patrio- tic zeal, in the service of his country, for ever ceased to throb ; that heart, which beat high in honor's cause, and was the seat of many a noble and refined feeling, for ever ceased its motion ; that tongue, which spoke forth the honorable and manly sentiments of his mind, and imparted them to others ; that was so often wont to remind his followers of their duty to their king and country, and urge them on to deeds of valour, resigned its office ; and the soul, the immortal part, which animated the whole, and directed all their operations, returned to the God who save it. 135 But his last breath was resigned in the arms of victory j his last moments were gilded with glorious conquest. He had the consolation of being sensible that his death, and that of many of his brave fellow- soldiers, would be productive of splendid and never-fading laurels to his army, and substantial, glorious advantages to his country. This gratifying idea deprived death of its sting, and enabled the devoted hero to resign a life, which had long been appropriated to the service of his country, with cheerfulness and satisfaction. Many a valiant British hero, besides the General, fell here that day, and purchased the splendid victory with their blood. They heard the inspiring address of their beloved Commander ; they had a full view of the far-famed city of Quebec ; they gazed upon the pleasant and lively scenery around them, and probably exulted in the hope of soon reaping the reward of all their toils and fatigues. — One fatal hour changed the scene !--• Prostrate, on the ground, and <•■ •t^ r. , f i ( 'I t -v 136 bathed in blood, their ears were deaf to the yet animating voice of their leader* 5 Quebec, the object of their ardent wishes, and but a short distance from them, they must never reach ; their eyes were closed for ever upon all terrestrial objects; and their hopes of the moment, which were to have been fulfilled here, were transferred, for that purpose, above ! In all probability, not one of their com- panions, who survived that day, and enjoy- ed their hardly-earned laurels, is now in existence : many years have elapsed since the ever-memorable event occurred : the cannon's noisy roar, the clash of arms, the shrill trumpet's sound, the deadly fury of contending enemies ; of which these plains were that day the awful scene, have, long since, spent their rage ; and their furious actors, friends and enemies, now sleep in peace. I have, myself, in later years, seen this plain converted into the "tented field," and occupied by noble bands of Britain's 137 sons J — I have seen them march, in proud array, over the celebrated heights, and perform their skilful evolutions ; while they seemed to say, •* shew us our enemy, that we may engage him." But two or three years elapsed, when scarce one was to be found! The trumpet of war summoned them to battle— often did they cause the foe to groan under the power of their arm, and crouch at their feet ; but, frequently engaging in the combat, they, in turn, were cut off by degrees, and nobly fell in support of their country's cause ! When I now pass the barrack which they occupied, where I so frequently saw them parade, in all their military pomp j when I remember that the place that knexi: them then so well, now knows them no more, I am deeply affected by the solemn idea, of the shortness and uncertainty of human life, and all human enjoyments ; and hear- tily desire I could transfer the interest I feel in them to those enjoyments above, which are perfect in duration, as well as in excellence. 1 > V i '■I* u. }t|i Yl ISS I i i > i (' ^ !'< a, Saturday, 8th July— Mr. G . wlio had lately come down from Leeds, having consented to return there with me, lie and I embarked on board a batteau, for St. Nicholas's Mills. While sailing up the river, we were entertained with the simple melody of the Canadian boat song : the men sang a verse, or part of a verse, and were then followed by the females, who took up their part very readily ; and their fine clear voices, keeping time with the motion of the oars, had a pleasing effect. We landed at the ferry-house about one o'clock ; and at two proceeded on our journey, in Mr. G *s cart. The wea- ther was so excessively hot that I was oWiged to take off my coat, and ride with- out it. We stopped at a house, about ten miles from the ferry, where we got tea, or rather a meal, that served for dinner and tea, consisting of roast pigeons, ex- cellent cheese, bread and butter, eggs and tea, for nine pence each ; and a feed of oats for the horse, four pence. 139 We arrived at C about 12 o'clock, to tlie great surprise and, no doubt, an- noyance of the family ; who, comfortably locked in the paralyzing arms of Morpheus, vcre enjoying other " visions of the night" han that of being roused from their peace- ful slumbers, by our most unseasonable intrusion. , , Monday — In the afternoon. Miss G and I walked over to Mr, L *s. When within a short distance of the place, we observed a great smoke, which we could not exactly account for ; but in a few minutes, we met Miss L , accompanied by a young man that resides with the family, who soon set our speculations at rest. The former was very much agitated, and, be- fore we had time to enquire the cause, they inforitied us that their house had just been burned to the ground ; and that the smoke we saw proceeded from it. The young mm had received a severe contusion on the arm, while exerting himself to save the property, during the conflagration. As they were on their way to Mr. :i ,)*;i ■'•r tVil I'M •■■s ( ) ft ' X ( > I ? " . If - i^A 140 G *s, Miss G-^— turned with them, while I went forward to the unfortunate spot. On approaching the place, where, about two hours before, the house had stood, a melancholy prospect presented itself. The furniture, trunks, &c. that had been pre- served, lay scattered along the opposite side of the road ; the father of the family, an elderly man, stood in the middle of them, leaning over a fence ; with his face towards the fields and woods, and his back to the scene of his misfortunes ; as if the operations of both thought and vision were more than even his manly feelings were adequate to cope with. One of his sons was sitting on a chair, at a short distance from him, with his back towards him ; his coat off; his head supported by both hands, which rested on his knees ; and his face towards the ground ; apparently concen- trating the various and conflicting emotions, the scattered and tumultuous feelings of the mind, into one point ; and, by giving due attention to their respective jarring y & ;'V 141 claims to the ascendency over him, he was about to come to some important decision, for the regulation of his future conduct. Neither appeared to speak a word ; and :he remains of the house were still smok- ing and burning, with a crackling noise. There was something peculiarly affecting in the scene that lay before me, as I ad- vanced within full view of it : I was im- pressed with an intense feeling of sympathy for the distressing situation of the sufferers ; and, when I reached them, I expressed my regret for the calamitous circumstance ; naturally expecting to find them greatly dejected : but I was much pleased with the manly fortitude they displayed upon the trying occasion ; particularly the old man, who gave me a full account of the affair, and commented upon it with all the composure of a philosopher. The house had been a temporary one, built of wood ; and, it appeared, 'that the beam at the top of the roof, which rested on the chimney, not being well secured. f ^ f i» r r ■.•■/'■/ V, J 11 ( i i'< I ''I if :' « i!i'.- VI 1 i < 14^2 had caught fire, and communicated it to the roof, as it was there the fire commenced. The son and daughter were the only per- sons about the house when the flames were first observed ; but the father and the young man, whose arm was injured, soon hasten- ed to the spot, and endeavoured to reduce them, but in vain : the shingles, with which the house was covered, were so dry that they burned like paper, and it was found quite impossible to extinguish them. The greater part of the furniture, &c. on the ground floor, was saved ; but a great number of valuable articles, in the upper apartments, were consumed. The loss of property was not the only bad con- sequence arising from this unfortunate ac- cident: the place was at a distance from any other, where the family might procure lodgings, until a new house could be erected ; and, besides the great incon- venience they must experience, it was a most heartless occurrence, so soon after going to a new settlement. ^C:^ "i I 143 And here a lesson of instruction may also be gleaned, upon the propriety of a person being aware how he builds his hopes and expectations upon appearances, however auspicious ; or reposes confidence in the security that seems to surround him. While one man hears of another's ruin, occasioned by venturing his property on the dangerous and uncertain ocean 5 he congratulates himself, perhaps, that he has no concern with that fatal element ; and rejoices in his safety : while he hears of another being reduced to poverty, owing to the failure of his agents, or those with whom he was connected in business ; he piques himself upon his prudence in not trusting his property in the hands of other men : while another suffers severely from a great depression in the markets; another by bad crops ; another by being discharged from a lucrative situation ; and others, from a variety of unfortunate cir- cumstances, made partakers in the cahi- mities of life j he hears all with a cold N 2 il' J! n > 1 ,0 r lU I > 1 'M^ » > * " I'm sorry for it j*' unmindful of his own liability to fall: when, possibly, a fire breaks out where he little expected it ^ the whole, or a great part of his secure pro* perty, which, perhaps, through neglect, or from economical motives, was not in- sured, is reduced to its original nothing- ness, and vanishes into air ; and he taught *' to feel another's woe," and participate in the miseries that, but yesterday, could scarcely excite his commisseration ; and which he placed at such a distance from himself that they could not reach him. Tuesday — I took an excursion with one of Mr. G— »*s sons into the woods, to visit the boundaries of my lots ; and to examine three others,, immediately behind them, that I had a view of obtaining from government. When we set out, we di- rected our course towards a farm in the back concession, which a settler had com- menced clearing; and we were guided, on our way to it, by notches that he had cut on trees, which, like Ariadne's clue, of 145 old, conducted us, with precision, through the woody maze. On reacliing it, we had a complete spe^- cimen of a new settlement in America. — An opening in the wood, of a square form, presented itself ; with lai-ge piles of trees, of various sizes, collected in different parts, prepared for burning : single trees, too large for drawing or piling, but black from having been fired, lay scattered along the ground, also, in several places. The stumps of the trees were standing all through it, from two to four feet high ; and the ground between them displaying its first crop, for the sustenance of man, since the creation : this was potatoes, which had been planted in small hillocks, with the hoe, (it being altogether impracticable to introduce the plough, until the roots are removed,) and just appearing above the surface. A small cabin, built of logs, that served as a temporary shelter, until the proprietor could erect a better, situated in one corner, completed the scenery of this lonely spot. I "^ '• 1 1 II .i 1 . 1 % . ' III ; ■J / {■ ' V I Ti If m 11 / i .< 4 1 ,«1! i \ > Surely, thought I, while taking a passing view of the place, the man must be pos- sessed of more than ordinary fortitude and perseverance, who can leave the bosom of society and improvement, and, after pene- trating a considerable distance into a thick forest, apparently never before trodden by man, begin, with composure and determi- nation, to hew out a residence for himself and his posterity ! Even now, I can almost imagine I behold him just arrived at the tree which is to be the first victim to his ruthless hatchet. I think 1 see him pause, for a moment, to take a view of his situa- tion ; and, casting an anxious glance around him, as he finds his prospect cir- cumscribed to a few paces ; all about him gloomy and solitary ; and, as he reflects, for an instant, upon the labour and pri- vations he must endure, the difficulties he has to contend with, and the time that must elapse, before he can reap any ad- vantage in return j I see him shake his weary head, and heave the deep-drawn sigh ; before he commences his arduous f-- y I 147 undertaking ; while the sympathetic sigh, from my own breast, responds to his ima- ginary one, and aftbrds relief to the bosom oppressed with the fancied woes of another. I can next imagine I see a ray of hope beam suddenly in his eye, and diffuse light and satisfaction over his care-oppressed countenance : I can see him seize the keen- edged hatchet, and, with a firm and de- termined grasp, prepare for laying the foundation of his future ease, by felling the stately and elegant cumberers of his ground. The gratifying, ample reward of his toil, has just presented itself, in its most lively and flattering colours, to his fond imagination ; it nerves his arm 5 enlivens his spirits ; and, fortifying him against des- pondency and heartlessness ; while the silent prayer ascends to his God, now his only, but all-sufficient friend, for a blessing upon his humble undertaking ; he makes the forest resound with the well-directed, ddep-cuttir>g blows of bis faithful axe. Having penetrated to the centre of the \ff M'kU 148 •i,. -.4 f f !' J I unwieldy trunk, where his cuts, at first far distant, meet, he turns to the opposite side ; and, after a repetition of his exertions, the majestic, high-towering, venerable monarch of the wood falls, " with rattling, crackling, crashing thunder down." Attentively fixed upon his continued etforts, the mind is pleased in beholding what the humble, feeble arm of man is capable of effecting. In a short time, the overgrown, impenetrable forest, the haunt of savage beasts of prey, is converted into the smiling plain ; cottages appear; and man, the legal, authorized lord of the soil, assumes his sovereignty ; while his ir- rational and terrified subjects flee before him ; and, rejecting his yoke and society, leave him in quiet possession of the domain. We left this open spot ; and, striking into the woods, followed the land marks, along the boundaries of my lots, for a considerable distance ; then, for the purpose of viewing those behind, we ven- tured to explore a great range of forest, 149 without any other guide than the sun, to whose rays the thick foliage of the trees was almost impervious ; and, after wander- ing through it for several hours, for my part not knowing in what direction, to my great satisfaction, we found ourselves sud- denly at the opening whence we had de- parted. Shortly after our return to Mr. G— *s the weather, which, during the day, had been fine, changed ; thick, black clouds obscured the sky, and poured down tor- renfs of rain ; while dreadful lightning, in vivid flashes, played through the darkened air ; and, followed by most terrific thunder, seemed to threaten every thing around with instant destruction. I should be inclined to rank these phe- nomena of this country, which are cer- tainly most frightful, among my greatest objections to it* A person, acquainted only with the climate of England or Ire- land, could not possibly form an idea of their awfulness in Canada 5 and the effects 1 .'il'l -in' = t.k *m: :\H ,'^1 '^' .Utrta. <•.'. !'ir n- :-:' ( f ^ 150 of lightning are frequently very dreadful here. One melancholy instance occurred in Quebec, during the summer of 18^4. A young military officer, who was ex. tremely fond of observing the awful grandeur exhibited by it in the air, i;»as standing at tlie window of his quarters one evening, during a thunder storm. His servant, who was in the kitchen, imme- diately underneath, and who had left him only a few minutes before, heard a great naise overhead, like that of some thing fal- ling : he instantly ran up to his master's? room, where he found the former stretched upon the floor, a lifeless corpse ; evidently from the effects of h'ghtning. As he had been an amiable young man, his death ex- cited much regret ; which was greatly augmented by Uie circumstance of his having been " the only son of his mother, and she was a widow." The magazines, public buildings, and houses of private individuals, who can af- ford it, are provided with iron conductors tie summi ' { 4 ! 151 tor attracting the lightning, thereby se- ciring them against its effects. Another great annoyance, in this country, during tie summer, is the torment caused by the nosquitoes and midges, which sting dread- fully ; the common house flies also swarm in great abundance. Wednesday — Pigeon shooting being a very favourite amusement in this country, at this season of the year, owing to the im- mense flocks with which the woods abound; I arose early, and, with young Mr. G— , . sallied forth, "with intent to kill" all that I should have sufficient fortune or dexterity to get within reach of. The pigeons were plentiful, consequently we had fine sport. My companion shot a beautiful bird, the blue jay; nearly the size of a magpie; about two inches of the tip end of the large feathers are blue, and the remainder of a bluish grey and white. There are several very handsome birds here, peculiar to the country ; particularly one of a bright 'scarlet colour, about the size of a lark; a o li I, ■-'^ mm 152 ,v \ ■■ vh very showy, splendid bird ; its name, however, I could not ascertain. It appears that this species is not very numerous, as only one has been seen at a time in Leeds. From the summit of a hill that we as< cended, during our morning's excursion, I had a very extensive view of the sur- rounding country. A thick forest, of lofty trees, covered nearly the whole face of it ; and, as I fixed my attention upon the si- lent and inanimate scene, I fancied I saw in it a lively picture of the great civilized world, which is animated by creation's noblest production, man ; and that is such a busy, bustling scene, but a few miles off. Some of the trees, as if desirous of being distinguished from the rest, and first to attract the observer's attention, raise their lofty heads above their more humble neigh- bours, and appear too haughty to hold any communication with them ; while, with their shapeless forms and gay attire, they seem to claim the respect of the other trees of the forest. 155 Another set, apparently stimulated by an qual desire for distinction ; rise above the multitude ; but, being rejected by their [roud neighbours, and refusing to mix vith those beneath them ; are satisfied to lemain in a kind of middle rank. Immediately below, is a vast collection )f a variety of kinds ; that appear to har- monize pretty well together, yet seem anxious to outvie each other in the rich- ness, colour, and profusion of their cloth- ing. Some bear evident tokens of old age and decay ; some are in the full vigour of growth and beauty; while others have not attained that state, but are coming forward, to supply the places of those that are shortly to fall victims to the un- feeling hand of time, and return to the earth from which they sprang. Man, who is endowed by his Creator with a ray of Divine light ; and to whom all the inferior works of creation are put in subjection ; comes to the forest, capa- ble of distinguishing the different sorts nHi^^f^J I J 1^ I 154 that suit his purposes. He is no respecter of size or kind ; he does not say, " this is a tall, handsome, or good kind of tree ; I will leave it, and take that short, insigni- ficant one ;*' but, as they answer him, the axe is laid to the root, and they are hewn down ; old, middle-aged and young, all fall, without distinction, as his purposes require. Sometimes he finds it useful and requisite to send a fire through the forest, to clear the land of its encumbering growth : this, like a pestilence, sweeps all that it meets in its way; high and low, handsome and ugly, useful and worthless ; all become a prey to the devouring, undiscerning element. Sometimes the raging whirlwind, in its boisterous career, visits the forest with its fury : then the tall, the lofty trees, which, proudly towering above their fellows, singly offer resistance to its progress, and catch its most violent blasts, are indignantly torn up by the roots, and hurled, in vengeance* to the ground -, where their once beauli- 155 ful and stately figures moulder and decay ; and, being reduced to heaps of rottenness, ilisfigure the ground, which, but a short .ime before, they had ornamented ; while those that were content to remain on a le- v^el with the great body of their neighbours, without soaring beyond the regular height, find security in their numbers ; and, by ^,pposing their united force, successfully resist the shock, and find it pass harmlessly over their heads. In the afternoon, we visited Mr. G— — 's sugar-house, or place for preparing maple sugar; which is merely a shed, containing a large boiler, and a number of barrels.—* The process of making this article, from the sap of the maple tree, is extremely simple. In the spring a small hole is made in the trunk of the tree, near the ground, into which a short stick or tube is inserted, projecting two or three inches, that con- ducts the sap into a trough, placed under it. The sap is then collected in barrels, boiled to a consistency, and put into o ^ i » ( < Iv % 156 wooden shapes, where it remains until it cools, when it becomes quite hard and fit ior use. Immense quantities of this sugar are made, annually, in Canada ; and it is in very common use among the inhabitants. It has a very peculiar, though agreeable, flavour ; but is not equal to that produced from the cane, when used in tea, &c. ^ We afterwards visited Mr. L 's manu- factory of potash : the process of making the latter is also perfectly simple. A large vat is nearly filled with wood ashes ; into this is poured a quantity of water, which, when sufficiently impregnated with the ashes, is drained off and boiled to a consistency : when cold, it becomes hard, and fit for putting in barrels, &c. This article, and the maple sugar, prove great sources of profit and advantage to the settlers, in this country ; as the ma- terials are obtained without any expense, and afford an ample remuneration for the time and trouble required in preparing ¥> 1-^ 157 them. The former usually yields, at Que- bec, between three and four pounds per barrel, and the latter from four to five pence per pound. It was peculiarly gratifying to me to ob- jerve the good feeling, and harmony, that appear to exist among th': settlers in this lew country : they consider each other .leighbours, though separated, perhaps, by a distance of several miles, and are always ready to assist each other in any case of emergency. The first indispensable proceeding of a new settler, on coming to his farm, is to build a house: when he has the timber prepared he informs his neighbours, who assemble immediately, and put it up for him. If he require the use of a yoke of oxen for a short time, (for oxen are very much used here for labour) or any other little accommodation of that kind, he is at once supplied, until he can provide himself with similar articles of his \ M I .!. r. //. .:t5, !< M^ ;■ \ ' '•'li \ir 158 own. If his farm lie in a back concession,* it is necessary to open a road from the main road to it ; the neighbours therefore assem- ble with their hatchets, and perform the task for him in a short time. In short, they are ready to afford him any assistance in their power ; and this, of course, lays him un- der the obligation of being equally kind and accommodating in turn, when his good offices may be required. Envy and enmity are hereby removed ifi'om the set- tlement, and the inhabitants united in the bonds of friendship, and reciprocal kind- ness. It is much to be lamented that such an immense tract of fine land should be lying waste in this delightful country, which, with two or three years hard labour, at the commencement, is capable of rendering its possessois comfortable and independent for life ; while such a vast number of peo- * The Government lands are diviJetl into rectilinear ranges, called concessions. M >*£ ^ jto rectilinear 159 pie, in the United Kingdom, are dragging out a long life of hardship, toil, anxiety, and, I might almost say, slavery ; for which they are but badly recompensed ; and are seldom better, in their declining /ears than when they began. The land here, is divided into townships ; these differ from the seigniories ; being crown lands, granted in lots, of 240 acres each, to different individuals ; whereas, a seigniory is a tract, consisting of from 6 to 20 or 30 square leagues ; the property of one person ; and rented to tenants, ac- cording to the European method. The lots in the townships, contain 9 acres in breadth, and 27 in depth ; which is a much more convenient form for a farm than the Cana- dian plan. The settlers generally clear all the front acres of their lots, or those adjoining the road, in the first instance. They hew the trees down, collect them together in great piles, and burn them ; the fire also re- moves all the brusli^wood, small shrubbery. I ,t ti ip. J t Ui u 160 &c. and clears the surface of every thing that would obstruct labour, except the roots of the trees. The first year, they take a crop of potatoes or barley off it, and the following one a crop of wheat, when they lay it down in grass, for another year or two, in order to allow the roots time to decay ; they then tear the latter up with the assistance of oxen, and have no further trouble than the ordinary labour. The expense of clearing land, and pre- paring it for cultivation, to those who clioose to employ others for that purpose, is £3 per acre ; which, as well as the cost of labour, is abundantly repaid by the first crop. The different kinds of wood that grow in Leeds are beech, birch of various sorts, elm, maple of two kinds, ash, iron-wood, so called from its remarkably hard nature, generally used in this country for axle-trees of carts, &c. red and white pine, cedar, hemlock, larch, spruce, Sec, The soil is excellent, producing the best wheat and 161 otlier grain ; and limestone has lately been discovered in one of my lots ; which will prove of great advantage to the township } as all the lime, hitherto used here, ha^ been brought from Quebec. A grist, or C3rn-mill, and saw-mill, two miles from C— — , are also of great convenience to tie neighbourhood. Thursday — The time was now arrived ,vhen. I must bid a long farewell to this peaceful retreat, with all its rural pleasures. I felt a considerable degree of regriet at the idea ; which, however, gave place to the more pleasing one of soon seeing my family and friends, from whom my separa- tion now began to feel long. We left Mr. G *s at seven o'clock, and proceeded towards Quebec. On our way, I had the satisfaction to observe that, during my stay at Leeds, the road had un- dergone considerable improvement in many places, which, from having been exces- sively bad, we found very good. This sud- den alteration, however strange it may, ^j( I j:^' !i ^- ^ f ' •' ^ v.f!' ^ 1 f 162 perhaps appear, is by no means surprising; for, the surface being sandy, and the bot. torn hard, it is merely necessary, in or. der to make a good road here, to level and drain it. The Canadian road act appeared to me i rather singular one, and, perhaps, an arbi trary infringement on that glorious ani justly boasted liberty of which Columbia^ shores seem now the native soil : but as the apparently aggrieved party is himself the very first to derive benefit from it, a moment's reflection will probably be suffi- cient to divest it of its unpleasing aspect : viz. every farmer is obliged to keep the part of the road, bridges, &c. next his land in good repair ; and, in case of ne- glect, is liable to a penalty of ten pounds for each offence : he is, also, compelled to fill the situation of supervisor of roads for the district, for one year, in his turn; when it is his duty to keep a very watcli- ful eye over them, and enforce the neces- sary repairs ; and in the event of neglect / .1 163 of duty on his part, he is also liable to a severe penalty, although he is allowed no remuneration whatever for his trouble and loss of time. During the day we passed several farms in the seigniory of St. Giles, the houses on which were unoccupied, and closed up ; and the fields unsown. On enquiring the cause I was informed that, in one instance, after the proprietor had succeeded in clearing a considerable tract* and was beginning to feel the benefits of his industry, he was cutting down a tree, which, by some accident, fell upon and killed him. In the other cases, the heads of the families having had oc- casion to go to Quebec early in the spring, after the ice had broken up in the river, but before the latter was properly naviga- ble, were under the necessity of crossing it in a large canoe, in which a yoke of oxen was embarked: these being laid down in the canoe, became uneasy, while at a distance from land, and, by moving violently, overset »; ; «'^'.' '1» ¥■ r 161 |M4 . ^ it, when all on board perished, except one or two individuals. When within a short distance of the i'errv, we heard a great noise issuing from u small wood before us ; and, on advancing a little fartlier, we observed, in an opening in it, a large new lighter, with several flags flying, having about twenty yoke of oxen attached, four a-breast, drawing it out of the wood, where it had been built, to the river. Tlie horns of the oxen were also decorated with ribbons ; and from the num. her of people of both sexes, assembled, and their satisfaction at seeing the vessel move along in safety, it was evidently a matter of considerable interest in the neighbourhood. It was ])laced upon a machine made for the j)urpose, moving upon a number of low thick wheels ; and when brought upon the road, along which it had to proceed about half a mile before reaching the river, tlu' oxen drew it very steadily, and without much difficultv. M'e arrived at the ferrv about seven Natu her bri| aside h rayed pensive family in siee] day, ar forth down 1 this i §i 165 o*c ock. Two boats ply constantly between this place and Quebec, u distance of nine miles, for the accommodation of the coun- try people going to market, travellers, kc. They go down the river with the ebb tide, and return when it flows the second time ; the fare for which is sevenpence halj-peiiri^ each, or J'ourpence for only going up or down. The tide serving at twelve o'clock, wc embarked in one of the batteaux, accom- panied by a great number of country people, and proceeded down the river. Nature, as if lamenting the departure of her bright companion of the day, had cast aside her smiling robe of green ; and, ar- rayed in deepest sable garb, observed a pensive silence. She had lulled her noisy family to rest, and seemed herself absorbed in sleep, when we, like those who fear the day, and bent on secret dark design, stalk forth in midnight gloom, came stealing down the tide. Since last we glided down this flowing stream, how changed tiic II ,1 166 I I I iM! r »• ^ scene ! The vvood-crowned heights, in soft- est verdure clad, here, then, deh'ghtfiil smiled : the sheltered blooming vale, from every stormy blast secure, soft opening to the sun, to greet his kindly, health-bestow- ing beams, shone bright in varied hues — the expanded mead, with richest herbage "Nlecked, displayed a brilliant green ; the darker hue of nature's noblest crown, in embryo now, as food for man designed, a modest contrast formed ; extensive pas- tures, stored with grazing herds, a ditferent shade combined — a striking emblem these of nature's great design in their produc- tion J for, although differing wide in rich- ness, beauty, shade,— they all, united, yield one simple green, so all their products, of whatever kind, to one great point converge — the use of man. The toiling swain, op- pressed by mid-day sun, and rejecting cum- brous dress, pursued his weary task : the stately ship, with swelling canvass clothed, swift riding o'er the flood, to Europe hied ; or, still at anchor lay j her yawning moutii 167 to fill * with stores of useful wood, from Canadian forests hewn, to raise, in distant climes, the lofty dome, the painted bark to form, and various other uses to subserve. The gentle stream itself, just symbol of our quickly fleeting time, with silvery shining surface ; here, ruffled by emerging rocks, there, smooth as ocean's breast, when not a breath prevails, rolled unperceived away. But now — enshrouded all were these in one impenetrable, sombre veil of night. No cheering sounds disturbed the silent air.— Tlie boatman's ballad, wild, such as, while rowing down the tide in day's delightful dawn, assists his " labouring oar," no more was heard : the seaman's cheerful song while hoisting in the freight, which, all day long, amused the passing ear, had long since ceased ; the birds, in downy * A sliip's cargo of timber is hoisted on board through a large square aperture iu the bow, a little above the level of the water. p2 .1 1 ■ »i.j». ^ .<3r iH 1 1 ?\ \ I u I »1 I Vi I IGS nests retired, and wrapt in sleep, relieved their warbling throats ; even Tlie watch-dog's voice that bays the whispering wimi. And the loud laugh that speaks the vacant mind, alike wore mute — in solemn silence all these various sounds were hushed. The zephyr's gentle breath, expanding wide our sail, im- pelled us slowly on ; but even this, as it' at length fatigued with long-protracted toil, and prone to join the universal rest, died soft away. — Our oars came next in use: these, gently splashing in the quiet flood, urged on our sluggish bark ; and music's powerful aid increased our speed aj)ace— the Canadian boatman's song now sounded with effect : it first disturbed the peace that reigned around ; and, mildly falling on the stilly air, proclaimed our dark ap- proach. It was nearly three o'clock when we ar- rived at Quebec ; and, on calling at a house in the Lower Town, I experienced a great tlisappointment on being informed that the f I 169 Lord Wellington had sailed j as I intend- ed to have returned to Ireland in it. Before I take leave of it, however, I shall notice the following amusing instance ot the force of prejudice, that occurred here one day. This vessel was lying near one of the wharfs, full rigged, newly painted, and in regular sailing trim ; and, being a very handsome model of a ship, attracted the attention of two English sailors, who had strolled down to the wharf to spend an idle hour. The extreme cleanliness, and exact regularity of every thing on board ; its shape, its fine iigure-head, its riggiug, and several other beauties, too tedious to mention, but of importance in the eye of a seaman, deservedly elicited their enco- miums in no measured strains : in short, they were quite delighted with it. At length one of them, going, unluckily, to take a view of the stern, and to ascertain whether the vessel was of London, or Liver- ])ool, Plymouth, kc. happened to readj " Lord Wellington, of Newry !" This ope • »i 11 l»l 4 **!<:■* ^ w iH. 4 170 rated like a thunderclap upon the honest tar; and his amazement and disappointment suddenly broke forth with a " Why, — my eyes, Bill, she's an Irhh ship !" Bill par. ticipated in the feelings of his companion, and merely replied, with an " Is she by — !" when both, quite satisfied that they had, by that time, discovered all her per- fections, walked off, evidently chagrined at having bestowed commendation where they conceived it could not he deserved ; and reminding one of two dogs in a strange parish, in a large town, that, conscious of being no welcome visitors, hang their ears and tails, and slink off as quietly as possi- ble, in order to avoid the consequences ot their unwished for intrusion. Were I to draw the national character of the English people from that of these two simple, shallow-minded, prejudiced seamen, and pronounce them, generally, an uncultivated and profane people, I should, in their minds, aye, ar.d, after due reflection, in my own too, be considered _'ij«» i. *- ^- , ■ir-«*i».'.^%r-n* -^ —'***...•«■ 171 weak, illiberal, and unjust, and, therefore, only worthy of their pity and contempt : and yet, however bold and presumptive it may perhaps appear, I can have no hesita- tion in asserting that, although enlighten- ed, magnanimous, great, and good, in many other respects, a considerable num- ber of them have acted, and still continue to act, this weak, illiberal, and willingly ignorant part towards the Irish people. That a strong prejudice exists in the minds of many of the English against the hish, is well known to those who are ac- quainted with their country ; and that any thing bearing the name of the latter — but- ter, pork, linen, and a few other trifling ar- ticles indeed excepted, is, in their minds, stamped with a mark of reproach, is no less certain. Now, that this prejudice stands on an equally shallow and unjust foundation with mine, were I to form and entertain it on the grounds just mentioned, is evident. — For, while England's armies, the majority / 81 'I \ •■ in I ii^ (hi '■ t I ^'/If ';i I 1 172 of which consists of Irishmen, have car. ried their victorious standards from east to west, and from north, to south ; from Spain to India ; from the Naze of Norwav to the Cape of Good Hope, and from Buenos Ayres to Quebec, let them say, if they can, that Ireland's contemptible progeiiv have ever proved a barrier in their way to the attainment of that ^reat and glorioib object ; or, rather, let tiiem deny, if they feel warranted in doing so, that their UU' daunted bravery, intrepidity, and persever- ance, have, in a very great measure, been the means by which it has been accon> plislied. While her navies, to a considcrai)Ie ex- tent manned by Irishmen, have swept the stormy seas, and unfurled her triumpliatn banners, to the dismay, ami, I might almost say, the annihilation of her enemies on the foaming deep ; from pole to polo, ami from the meridian of Greenwich, af^er i circumnavigation of the globe, bacK to the same, I defy them to assert that hor glorv .li^ !i 173 has ever been sullied by the cowardice or worth lessness of Erin's sons. W hile her cabinet has, under tlie direc- tion of Providence, by its transcendent wis- Joni and policy, elevated two little islands, that, with respect to magnitude, would not be missed from one of the corners of some oftljc nations of the w^orld, to the highest rank, nay, the pinnacle of power, of wealth, of glory and renown, will they venture to diiiy, that a large proportion of those lofty minds, whose exalted and penetrating intel- lects and capacities have, in a pre-eminent ik\aree, graced her imperial senate, and quilled the helm of state, have been, and stili cDiitiiuie to be, natives of this long dc- ^))iM\l anil vilified land ? Wliile from the nature of her laws, cus- toms, and institutions, she has been enabled to Jiiruse intellectual light and iinj)rove- inent over a great part oi' the world, but iiiotc especially to open wide the iieltl of" science to her own hiiirhlv favoured sons ; 1 \vou!d a l I I * :i i ■i) I if 17 4i ber of those geniuses, who have contributed to this laudable object, and whose names | shall descend to the latest posterity, \\itli reverence and admiration, been sparkling, glittering gems of Hibernia's emerald isle; When mirth, and wit, and wine have cheered the festive board, diffusing joy and gladness into every heart, have not Irisli. men been distinguished, in a peculiar maii ner, for the facetious talent of " setting tlie] table in a roar ?" And, lastly, though the most important I of all ; while England has been planting the sacred ensign of the cross in the ilark| and benighted regions of idolatry, pagan- ism, and barbarity ; and superseding the gloom of heathenism by the vivif> ing rays of the gospel of truth ; has Irehmd had no share in the sacred work ? or, rather, lias she not strenuously exerted herself, as far as her humble and limited capacity woiilil admit, in assisting her sister country to tit out her legions of Christian warriors, for the purpose of dispatching them to the most remote and barbarous nations, to I" 175 " fight the good fight of faith," and extend theboundaries of the Saviour's kingdom ?— None, capable of answering these interro- gatories, with correctness and impartiality, can refuse a reply highly favourable to Ireland. And, notwithstanding all these pro* minent facts, well known to the world, staring them in the face, many of the En- glish people brand our country with infamy, and still ask concerning it, as was ancient- ly inquired of the place whence issued the most glorious object that the world e'er saw, " can any good thing come from " Ire- land ? merely because some of her lowest, meanest, and most degraded children, re- duced to that state by circumstances over which they themselves could not possibly have any control, have been guilty of crimes and conduct, which, although of every day occurrence among hundreds of the same class of their own countrymen, are overlooked and forgotten ! Two East India ships arrived at Quebec, u |!' from China, during my absence at Leeds; and it was a remarkable circumstance re. specting them, that they sailed from Canton together, parted company in a day or two, and did not meet again until they arrived off the Cape of Good Hope, whicii both came in sight of on the same day. They separated again very shortly j and saw nothing of each other until they put into St. Helena together. They left that island in company, and, parting the first day, did not meet again until their arrival in Que- bec, where both anchored on the same clay, one but a few hours before the other, and were moored along side of each otlier, at tlie same wharf. Friday — I strolled down to the rivei side, to enjoy the sight of the shippini;. steam-boats, &c. The weather was delight- ful ; the river calm, unruffled, and, like an immense mirror, reflected the various ob- jects on its surface. Immediateiv otf the wharf on which I was standing, and at no great distance, lay his Majesty's ship ot Ai 1 . I 177 \var, — at anchor ; full riggeJ, steady, and immoveable as a castle : a noble sight to every member of the United Kingdom, who lias the honour and renown of his country at heart ; and who, reflecting on its history, remembers how much he, m common with his fellow-subjects, is indebt- ed to the navy of England for many of the advantages he enjoys ; and the great share it has had in protecting and advancing the best interests of the nation. I always de- lighted in the sight of an English vessel of wiU' ; and 1 gazed, with rapture, on this part of the ** wooden walls of old England.*' That ship, thought I, contains a number of those Britons, who are no less renowned for their transcendent valour and disci- pline in combat, than for mercy and com- passion to a conquered enemy. There are men who, during the very heat of battle, would, no doubt, as some of their predeces- sors have already done, venture their lives, to snatch some of their perishing enemies ^rom a watery grave, even though exposed *;• ■ I U , ( ( ( '^ M i 1 178 to destruction from the fury of the yet uij. vanquished part of their foes. While I was exulting in this dehghtful reflection, which kindled in my breast a warm feeling for those generous spirits, and afforded me a lively satisfaction, in being able, from belonging to the country which they adorned and protected, with rapture to say, ** these noble fellows are my coun- tr}'men,** I observed a boat, in which were some officers and ladies, proceeding from the vessel towards the shore, and evidently steering for the slip, near which I happened to be standing at the moment. The military and naval uniforms are always attractive objects in the eye of the multi- tude : «3 the boat approached, therefore, many people, who were upon the wharf, hurried to the spot, in order to gratify their curiosity with a nearer view of those in it. In a few minutes it reached the slip, when two ladies, and two officers, one military the other naval, landed from it. The naval officer accompanied his friends to the upper <'t' ^ 179 part of the wharf, where he took leave of them, and returned to the boat, into which he leaped ; and had scarcely resumed his seat, when he cried out, in a very authori- tative voice, to the man in the fore part of it, " shove off 1" The man of course obev- ed ; but just as the boat was moving otij a gentleman of the officer's acquaintance walked down the slip ; the boat was there- fore brought along side, in order to take him on board. When seated, ** shove off!" in a very commanding voice, was reite- rated. The man, as flir as I could judge, went about executing the order as prompt- ly as possible ; but, notwithstanding, he in a moment received another salute of ** shove off! what the h-11 are you about, you sir?** in a most harsh and unfeeling manner. There was a considerable number of people on the wharf; and, no doubt, the man felt the severity of the expression, as it was calculated to sink him still lower in the estimation of the spectators, from being Q 2 V IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) A ^s 1.0 I.I ■yui. ill 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 •• 6" ► 7] % ^' o / / >^ Photographic Sdences Corporation 4 ,v ^9) V "^'^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. HS80 (716) 872-4503 t^mfl 180 obliged to endure, passively, unmerited re- buke ; while, according to my impression at the moment, the other considered he raised himself in their eyes, by displaying such a vast superiority over him. And had his conduct realli/ this effect ?— Not on mf/ mind. Instead of increased re- spect, I could only feel contempt for the man who, to flatter his vanity, could trifle with the feelings of a fellow creature, in- capable, from his situation, and circum- stances in life, to repel undeserved asperity. If he can derive satisfaction from siichi\ source, thought I, let him enjoy it ; I envy not his feelings ; but be such pleasure for ever a stranger to mi/ breast. This is not the only instance of this sort of conduct that I have witnessed in men possessing authority in the navy, &c. I apprehend it is too common ; and I could not exclude from my mind the inconsis- tency of those who could treat a fallen enemy with kindness and attention, and yet, MMIM r'AX'.'riA.^ 181 to gratify the pride of their Iiearts, can wantonly sport with the feelings of their own countrymen. But, A little rule, a little sway, A sunbeam in a winter's day, Is all the proud and miglity have Between the ciadle and the grave. Saturday — Six or seven vessels arrived, from Ireland, with a great number of emi- grants, who were brought over at the ex- pence of Government, and destined for the upper parts of Canada. Settlers of this description are provided by Government with a certain portion of land, provisic ' for themselves and families for one year, implements of husbandry suitable to the country, and conveyance, free of expense, to the place of their destination 5 upon condition of their occupying and improv- ing their land; but they are not furnished with deeds of the grants until they have a house erected, and a stated number of acres, twelve, I believe, cleared. When they have fulfilled these conditions they re- ill? I r j~ i . :■ ih 182 celve title-deeds of their lots, which con- stitute them, and their posterity, sole and independent proprietors of them ; free from every Qharge whatever ; large tracts being reserved in different parts of the country for the clergy, in lieu of tithes. It is much to the disadvantage of Canada that the great majority of the emigrants to it are persons vi'ithout money ; which, of course, retards the progress of improvement, of which it is so very susceptible, and keeps them for a length of time compara- tively poor : whereas, if the head of each fiimily possessed only a few hundred pounds, to enable him to clear fifty or sixty acres in the first instance, and labour and stock it, he would find himself so surround- ed by comforts and conveniences of almost every kind, in two or three years, as to ciuse him to regret that he had remained in England, Ireland, or Scotland so long. I feel no hesitation whatever in asserting, that an industrious man, acquainted with agriculture, with three or four hundred 183 pounds at the outset, would, in two or three yeare, with proper management, find himself possessed of advantages and comforts that twelve or thirteen hundred pounds would not, under ordinary circumstances, afford him in his own country. But ihe natural fondness for their native land ; or, perhaps, a more powerful motive, an aversion to change, when attended with any degree of uncertainty, keeps at home, in poverty and misery, those who might enjoy, in Canada, independence, peace and abundance. Sunday, 17th July — Just as I reached Mr. B.'s gate, on my way to church, a dog, belonging to one of the neighbours, suppos- ed to be mad, stopped very near me, for the purpose ofresting after havingbeen pursued. The owner came up, but it did not run when he approached. He said he believed it was in a rabid state, and offered it a bit of bread, which it refused. The man's wife came run- ning to us, and a little boy, of eleven or twelve years of age, came also. We, very foolishly, stood round the dog, and were X k- -rii 'Mi! \) <,w 1 ^ ;**''"V N y( 1 i^ ■ Qi I h f. ; i£.'? V hli i a M ■ \: 1 184 conversing respecting the probability of its being mad, when, in a moment, it sprang upon the little boy, and lacerated his leg and foot in a dreadful manner, before it could be killed : this, however, was effect* ed in a short time, and an end put to its career. And here I considered I narrowly escap. ed one of the most dreadful deaths to which mankind are exposed. My foot was, per- haps, touching the animal at the moment, and it might as well have caught hold of me as the boy, but that it was not agree- able to the will of that gracious Providence, whose almighty arm has still been extend- ed over me for good ; and, perhaps, not conducive to the perfection of the great scheme of creation, in which it is neces- sary that " one shall be taken, and the other shall be left." I was deeply impressed, by this circum- stance, with the necessity that exists of being constantly prepared to quit this tran- sitory scene ; seeing that we know not the •1^. '••-■ «ii I I I II A V 'H 185 moment, nor the shape in which, the grim messenger may appear and strike the fatal dart. It appeared to me a forcible warn- ing to the young in particular, not to trust in their youth, nor consider it a sufficient safe-guard against the approach of the grisly monster, to induce them to put the evil day afar off. In the regular course of events one would naturally have concluded that the boy would have been the last of the little group to be called hence j and yet, in a most unexpected moment and manner, he first received the summons. I fancied I heard the voice of wisdom in it, crying aloud, ** be ye also ready, for ye know not the hour when the son of man cometh !'* The Canadians train up their dogs to draw carts and sledges ; and it is both amusing and surprising to observe what a large load a good dog will draw. They are regularly harnessed like horses, with the exception of winkers and bridle, which are not used j a long strap or cord, fasten- 'i '.j' hi! / ' r l!li 1 ' * '. '.K 't>1 Mud I 'If 1 1 186 ed at one end to the upper part of the col. hr, serving for a long rein ; which, how- ever, is not necessary for guiding the dog, as he perfectly understands the verbal com- mands of the driver. I have been repeat- edly informed by credible persons, that in Upper Canada they have seen four dogs drawing a large fishing net, with a man on the top of it, several miles together. J;*'" U4 ■M^. ..«»i||ii« -^ 189 place about ten clays by contrary winds, but, at length, these proving favourable, we were wafted up this beautiful river. The first day we reached Three Rivers, a small town on the north bank of the St. Lawrence ; deriving its name from a river near it, which is divided into three streams by two islands, where it falls into the St. Lawrence. This river presents a remark- able natural curiosity. It is called the Black River, from its water being of a dark colour: and where it joins the waters of the St. Lawrence it does not appear to intermingle with them, as would naturally be supposed, but comes in contact with them ; and the two waters appear as clearly defined as any two hard substances, of different colours, joined together. The following day we arrived at Montreal, a large, populous and well-built town, plea- santly situated on the north bank of the St. Lawrence, near the foot of a mountain, from which it derives its name. It ap- peared to great advantage upon this oc- i il \m \. 1 in i m n \ ; -i i ■ 190 caslon, as we approached it. The spires and roofs of the churches, and tlie roofs of the other public buildings, and houses of wealthy individuals, are covered with tin, which, owing to the dry nature of die atmosphere in this country, does not rust. The glittering appearance of these, while the sun is shining upon them, has a brilliant effect, and gives a Canadian town a very novel and striking appearance to the eye of a stranger. The public buildings of this town are of a very respectable description, with respect to size and appearance, and reflect great credit upon the inhabitants ; consisting of a large French (R. C.) cathedral, and se- veral churches ; two nunneries ; a large college, richly endowed ; an English (Epis- copalian) church ; a Presbyterian church ; an Independent chapel, court-house, gaol, extensive and excellent barracks, and one of the handsomest monuments, to the me- mory of the brave Nelson, that I remember to have ever seen. It is a plain round pil- .-* 5" 191 lar, standing on a square pedestal ; one side of which contains an inscription, the other three representations of the battles of Co- penhagen, the Nile and Trafalgar. The workmanship of these pleased me exceed- ingly : the vessels are of plaister of Paris, in many instances nearly half the length projecting, with the masts, yards, rigging, guns, &c. exquisitely formed. The pillar is surmounted with a full length figure of the gallant hero. Montreal is a very flourishing commer- cial town, owing principally to its local situation ; being the nearest mart in Lower Canada for the produce of the United States, with which the inhabitants carry on very considerable trade in time of peace j and also being situated at the upper ex- tremity of that part of the St. Lawrence that is navigable for ships, &c. as this river becomes quite shallow here ; consequently the European, East and West India mer- chandize used in the upper province is. t li V .! f > I b2 'Xu^ \: < 192 for the most part, purchased here, and con- yeyed upwards in boats. The environs of this town are actually beautiful and picturesque ; presenting ele- gant seats and improved grounds, com- fortable villages, rural cottages, a noble river, embellished with islands, ships, and delightful scenery, a lofty mountain, with wood-crowned heights towering to the clouds ; in short every thing requisite to beautify and perfect the landscape. In a few days General Hull's army, which had been captured by General Brock at Detroit, arrived, as prisoners of war, at La Chine, a village nine miles above Mon- treal ; and as I felt a strong desire to see them, I set out, with my brother and a gen- tleman of the 49th regiment, to meet them. On our way we met a calash, in Avhich we had the unexpected satisfaction to recognise my father and the Colonel of his regiment, who had come down from Kingston, attached to the escort of the .^ * 193 prisoners; the latter having the command. We returned to town with them, and about nine o^clock in the evening we had the pleasure of witnessing the arrival of the first fruits of this useless, and too disastrous war. I was a very young bo}'^ at the time ; and, having been born and brought up in the army, it is natural to suppose that my ideas ran early upon military exploits. — Scenes of war, conquered enemies, &c. had long been familiar to me in idea, but in reality had always been remote from me ; and I had been in the habit, when thinking of a foreign enemy, to picture to my mind something very unlike what I had daily before my eyes. Upon this occasion, how- ever, I witnessed the reality; and my youthful heart, big with warlike achieve- ments, and too inconsiderate to sympathize in misfortunes of this description, trium- phantly exulted in the sight of a fallen enemy. I must confess that this first spe- cimen was, from their very indifferent ap- pearance, compared with that of our well fr \ • ' 'in ■ u w /i.l n i 19 i 'I' ^ f 4 r i '^; (W ■ fiy^:Ai organized and appointed troops that escort- ed them, calculated to confirm the con- temptible opinion I had always formed, though upon childish, and, consequently, erroneous principles, with respect to my country's foes. Though after a long jour. ney, as prisoners, it is natural to suppose that their appearance was not very bril. liant ; yet it was evident, from its shabbi- ness, that their appointments had not been, at any time, of the most splendid description. The band of the 8th regiment march- ed at the head of them, playing the well known air, " Yankee Doodle :" General Hull, a venerable looking old gentleman, and his son, with the other officers, in ca- lasheSjfollowed the band j and were succeed- ed by the soldiers, guarded on either side by a rank of our own troops. As it was dark when they reached the town, the streets they passed through were quite illuminated by numbers of candles, held out from the windows of all the houses, which were .» t y ^■,^*:!t .1 195 crowded with people assembled to witness the scene. Though out of place, I shall here avail my- self of the occasion to mention the follow- ing Httle circumstances. While at school in this town, at a subsequent period, my com- panions and I were in the habit of going into the woods, on a half-holiday, in au- tumn, for the purpose of gathering nuts, with which they abound ; and upon those occasions we frequently discovered squir- rels' nests ; these generally proved great prizes, as they were well stored with all the variety of nuts the place afforded, which the poor little animals had, at the expence of much time and labour, carefully laid up as their winter stock. As a variety to our enjoyment, which these seizures afforded us time to indulge in, we used to amuse ourselves, by climbing up the young bircli trees, which grow very tall, slender and pliant : when at the top we held fast with the hands, and swinging ourwselvcs into the air, descended to the ground ; the tree 't-. . i I 196 bending all the way down. This, although a very pleasant amusement, was a very dangerous one, as the trees are sometimes unsound ; and, in such cases, liable to break ; to the great danger of the person descending. An instance of this kind oc cured to me upon one occasion ; when nearly half way down, the tree broke, and T came in contact with the ground with so much violence that I almost broke my back. This, however, was not sufficient to deter my companions from the sport ; nor even myself, for as soon as I recovered ray senses, and felt the pain subsiding, I re- sumed it with as much avidity as before. A remarkable instance of the sagacity, and faithful attachment of the dog, occur- red at Montreal, during one of the winters I resided there. A Canadian was crossing the St. Lawrence on the ice, accompanied only by one of those faithful animals; and unfortunately stepping upon a hole that was but thinly frozen over, fell through, and was instantly hurried away by the rapid > •■ 197 stream. The dog, avoiding the fatal snare, I exhibited great signs of distress at tlie sud- den disappearance of his master, and howled jpiteously over the hole for some time ; but finding that useless, he ran to the shore as fast as possible, and endeavoured to induce some persons whom he met to accompany him to the hole. When these, either not understanding his signs, or unwilling to trouble themselves, refused to go with him, lie returned to it in great distress, howled over it again for a considerable time, then hastened to the shore once more, where by his importunity, he at length succeeded in inducing some persons to accompany him. On their reaching the spot they could easily discern, from the appearance of the ice, and the motions of the dog, what had happen- ed ; but the unfortunate man was, in all probability, many miles from the place at the time. Seeing that all was over, they wished to take the dog with them, but he strenuously refused to go, and on the fol- :i 1 1 198 lowing morning he was found at the ed^re of the hole, frozen to death. An amusing artifice in pigeon shooting is practised here. A kind of ladder, construct. ed of boughs, sufficiently large to admit of a considerable number of pigeons resting upon it, is placed in an oblique direction on the top of a tree, at the edge of an opening in the wood ; and, at a convenient distance and situation, a hut is erected, also of boughs, in which the fowler conceals himself. The ladder, from its convenient form for perch- ing close together upon, a practice the pigeons are very fond of, attracts the latter, and when lodged upon it, the fowler fires through a small aperture in the side of the hut ; and, the direction of the ladder being favourable to his aim, he makes great havoc among them. It is not uncommon to see two persons, when returning home from the morning's sport, carrying the spoil be- tween them across a long stick, the birds being fastened together by the bills in a curious manner. 199 The troops being ready to proceed up the country in a few days, we left Mon- treal and went to La Chine by land, where a number of batteaux were ready for our reception. We embarked in these, each having twelve soldiers and two Canadian pilots on board, and commenced our jour- ney. We found the country, as we passed along, thickly inhabited and well cultivated, and I was delighted with the beauty of the river, which expands here to a considerable breadth, and is variegated with islands, generally covered with wood. In the afternoon we arrived at a place called the Cedars, from the number of trees, of that species growing in the neighbour, hood. The river, at this place, is extreme- ly rapid and shallow, which renders it ne- cessary to unload the boats at the foot of the rapid, and convey the cargoes by land to the head of it. Just as our batteaux were brought into a small bay, for this purpose, we observed the fragments of an immense raft that had been floating down the river, ft 1 'I r« m ' il: m 'k ii i . H!) ■ l; < 200 and by some accident had been separated by the violence of the water, which foams up in a frightful manner. The raft was completely shattered, and its parts disper- sed in all directions. Carts were provided to carry the bag- gage to the head of the rapid, and, through curiosity, I remained in the boat, in pre- ference to going by land. Those only who witness them can form an adequate idea of the hardships and pri- vations that soldiers undergo, particularly on journies, in foreign countries ; and this mode of travelling afforded a tolerable spe- cimen of some of the luxury of a soldier's life. Upon this occasion, after rowing hard the greater part of the day, they were oblig- ed to draw the boat after them for a distance of two miles, by means of a long rope, and they walking along the shore, sometimes above the knees in water, while the pilots, one in each end, with long poles, kept it free from the shore. I was frequently surpris- > * ^j » •■■— '-J* i I •:^' 201 ed, during my journey, at the patience and good temper manifested by the soldiers, under circumstances certainly not ill cal- culated to excite murmuring. One in- stance, in particular, T shall not readily for- get. Our boat grounded at the bow upon a smooth shelving rock that lay concealed under the surface of the water, and all the efforts of the crew to shove her off by means of poles, oars, &c. proving ineffectual, one of the soldiers very coolly leaped into the water, np to his breast, with his clothes on, and applying his shoulder to the bow, set her afloat, then jumped in, and remained in that state until the evening, when we landed for the night. My father gave him a glass of brandy on his getting into the boat, which probably operated as a preven- tive against any ill consequences, but I should have certainly considered this suffi- cient to destroy any ordinary man. A few da^'s after, we arrived at another rapid, called the Long Saut, from the great rapidity and violence with which the water . f > ■ HI I mi m I -.■ i ¥ i • ■ ';■ -■A^^~ w,. I' ' i^wl S02 rushes down : it is the longest and most frightful in the whole river. Here the operation of drawing up the boats by men, in the usual way, being impracticable, owing to the extreme force of the current, a capstan, such as is used on board of ships, fixed on a wharf at the head of the most violent part of the rapid, is used for that purpose- This is a particularly dangerous place, and many melancholy accidents have oc- curred here : one of which happened while we were in Upper Canada. A number of boats were going down the river, and two of them, having some soldiers of the 10th veteran battalion on board, either from bad management, or some other cause, overset, and every soul on board perished, — assist- ance from the shore being altogether out of the question. It is generally affirmed and believed in Upper Canada, and from my own expe- rience I have no reason to doubt the asser- tion, that the common rat is not to be '> -., ^ t^ ^^ ■* <» .&.» >»ll LM l^ 203 found above this rapid. It is rather a sin- gular circumstance that this particular spot should be their limit ; and although fre- quently desirous, I was never able to as- certain the real cause of it being so. It is supposed that the climate of the upper pro- vince is not congenial to them, but that this is the true cause of their absence I consider doubtful : it is certain they are much too numerous immediately below this place. One day, while passing a small American town called Hamilton, situated on the U. S. side of the river, it being apprehended that the Americans intended to attack us, the greater part of the soldiers were put under arms on shore, as it was necessary to draw the boats at that part of the river. The town is situated on the bank of the St. Lawrence, apparently very neat and com- fortable. In the afternoon the boats were collected in a small bay ; the men, as usual, making fires on the shore, preparing their food, and making the best arrange- ments possible for their shelter and accom- s 2 I < ■ >VyA ,r I 204 motlation during the night. We look up our quarters in a flirm house, according to our general practice, when there was no inn in tlie neighbourhood. About six o'clock the following morning we embarked in the batteaux, and proceed- ed on our way. It was one of those morn- ings in the month of September, when every thing in nature conspires to excite in the breast of man sensations of rapturous de- light. The river, expanding to a consi- derable breadth, clear as crystal, still as the grave, and reflecting on its pellucid bosom the various beauties with which nature and art had embellished its irregularly winding margin, presented a surface that ** white robed ** innocence herself might have just- ly claimed as her chaste and peaceful em- blem : several beautiful islands scattered through it, covered to the edges with stately trees, whose nicely varied foliage and in- tertwining branches defied every attempt of the most scrutinizing eye to perceive the ground from which they sprang, attracted !re was no 205 and charmed the eager gaze of the behold- er; while the fragrant exhalations of tlie spruce, the cedar, the pine, &c. perfumed the air with their balmy sweets : the nim- ble squirrels, darting from branch to branch, and from tree to tree, with well-directed springs, astonished the admiring spectator with their agility : the feathered songsters of the grove, carolling their morning lays in wild and unstudied harmony, seemed anxious to vie with each other, by the ibrce and melody of their notes, in charm- ing the stranger's ear ; while the wood- pecker, as if envious of the success of his more musical companions, or desirous of a more than equal share of the listener's at- tention, made the woods and groves re- sound with his quick and constant tapping on the " hollow beech tree." Peace and happiness seemed impressed upon every surrounding object, and nature smiled serene on nature's favourite — man. Even Britain's conquering banner, so wont to wave in haughty triumph o'er its native \ ! I i «!f ^ •.ti..' I ir* I f I », • * I M\\ \i < ( n^ J I 206 " watery way, " as if unwilling to mar the pleasing serenity that prevailed by asso- ciating even an idea of war's alarms, hung in listless folds down along the staff that, reared upon the stern, distinguished the commanding officer's boat. But oh, how like this vain, uncertain, and delusive world ! in which The brightest things helovr the skies Shine with deceitful light : We siiould suspect some danger nigh Where we possess delight I Ere that sun which, in gilding the moun. tain tops, and shedding his mild efFuigence o'er the lowly regions of the plain, was dis- pensing light, and growth, and beauty around, had even assumed his more scorch- ing splendours of the noon, many an eye that beamed with delight on this enchant, ing morning scene, was closed in long and darkest night ! — Thus apparently encircled by tranquillity and peace, the storm of war was brooding at hand ! We had proceeded up the river about !:;-s/? 5 to mar the 207 two hours, when, within a short distance of a narrow passage, between an island and the main land, through which we must pass, one of the captains of the regiment, who was in the foremost batteau, imagin- ed he saw something like a Durham boat, a kind of large boat that the Americans, exckisively, are in the habit of using, at the upper part of the strait. This being rather a suspicious circum- stance, he ordered the men to cease from rowing, in order to take abetter view with his spying-glass, when he discovered that his conjecture was right, and mentioned it to my father, who was in the next boat. While they were deliberating upon tlie subject, and waiting for the other batteaux to come up, a Canadian was observed in a canoe, coming from behind the lower part of the island, paddling with all his might, and crying to us that there were Ameri- cans on the ishmd. This confirmed the suspicions ; and the boats were ordered to the shore, that the soldiers might be dis- mn m I m ' iu 1\ 208 embarked. A body of Americans had posted themselves behind some trees on the island, with the view of intercepting our passage ; and when they observed ut> mak- ing for the shore, they immediately dis- charged a volley of musquetry at us. We hurried towards the land as fast as possi- ble ; but, when about twenty yards from the edge of the water, the boats grounded, and could be brought no nearer. As the balls were flying about us, per- forating the sides of the boats, dropping into the water in every direction, and threatening instant destruction to all on board, great confusion prevailed ; and as soon as it was observed that the boats could not advance to the shore, our only alterna- tive was to leap into the water, and make the best of our way to it. The scene, at this time, was certainly most ludicrous: a complete comic representation of the land- ing of Caesar in Britain. The recollection of it has often afforded me amusement since, but I must confess that, at the time, I con. 209 sidered it no laughing matter. As our boat was at the upper end of the division, I had a full view of the whole detachment : men, women, and children apparently desirous to outdo each other in dexterity in getting on shore; some up to the knees in water, driving it before them like ships in full sail J others dashing in and making it fly about them on all sides ; women scream- ing, children bawling, officers command- ing; but all endeavouring to get out of reach of the shot as fast as possible. There was a curious old woman in our boat, wife of one of the soldiers, who diu'- ing the confusion, happened to strike her elbow against the side of the boat ; and finding the balls flying about her pretty thick, she was certain she had been wound- ed, and therefore cried out most lustily *• oh, I'm shot ! I'm shot !" One of the soklieis, supposing it was really the case, very seriously enquired where, when she showed him her elbow, which was led with the blow, crying, and shouting piteously, |l ')!}'! I ? 9A0 all the while, " oh, bad luck to the Yankee rascals, they've done my job! l*m shot! I'm shot !" The soldier, notwithstandins existing circumstances, could not help en- joying her imagnary misfortune, and im. mediately replied, •* Faith, Molly, you're done now sure enough, but you had better get ashore as fast as you can." There was also a lady, wife of an officer in Kingston, in our boat, with my mother ; and as she had been in a delicate state of health for some t ime, shewas unwilling, not- withstanding the imminent danger that sur- rounded her, to venture into the water, if she could possibly avoid it. While hesita- ting, an officer in the next boat observing her situation, came to her, and requested her to get upon his back, in order that he might carry her to the land, which she gladly con. sented to. They were both particularly stout, bulky people ; and they had not pro- ceeded far until the officer, owing to his heavy burden, sank so deep in the soft mud, that he actually stuck fast, and could I 4^ 211 not move a step farther. ** Ton my honor, Mrs. O — ," said he, puffing and blowing, *• ril be under the necessity of putting you down !" She had scarcely time to exclaim, *' Oh dear, Mr. T — !" in reply, until she found herself up to her knees in water : and sure, in such a plight, " such a pair was never seen." If the reader can fancy to himself a great fat fellow, in long red coat and cocked hat, up to his knees in wa- ter, and leading by the hand, very cordial- ly, but in a great hurry, as fat a lady, witli flowing garments, " lightly floating on the silver wave," — sometimes moving on pretty well, at others rather puzzled to get their feet extricated from the mud, and all the while in terrible dread of being shot, — he may form some idea of their appearance upon the occasion. For my own part, I have frequently thought since, that I must have been seized by some kind of infatua- tion ; for however strange, and perhaps in- credible, it may appear, I can positively assert, that although I heard the reports of f u Jl. 1) < 212 the guns, and saw the sides of the boat perforated at every instant, and the water bubbh'ng up, from the balls dropping into it, I was actually unconscious of my peri- lous situation, and was not in haste to leave the boat ; but when I did become sensible of the danger, it is almost needless to say, I changed my quarters very quickly, jump- ing into the river up to the middle, and running to the shore with all possible dis- patch. And, however incredible it may further appear, not the least injury was sustained by any individual in the boats from the fire of the enemy. Prior to this circumstance I could not conceive how it was possible that so many men escaped in a regular action, while ex- posed to thousands of balls, and that so few, comparatively speaking, were touched; but upon this occasion I had a satisfactory proof that where the ball is not commis- sioned by that Almighty Power that directs or permits all events accord in s)f to his will, all the care and dexteritv of hnu who im- IV ^13 pels it is fruitless. I may justly class this among the most miraculous deliverances from danger that I have experienced during my wandering life ; and were it not for the interference of that protecting Providence, who has always so carefully watched over me, I must certainly have fallen a victim, at this time, to the malice of our foes. The soldiers, having armed, accoutred and prepared themselves for action, formed upon die beach, and a part of them marched up to the narrowpass to meet the enemy, while the rest remained near the boats. In the mean- time, the lady just alluded to, my mother, brother, sister, and myself (being then a young boy) hurried towards a farm house, a short distance from us; but, before we reach- ed it, a large gun-boat sailed down from be- hind the island, anchored off where we were, and immediately commenced firing cannon shot at us, the first or second of which car- ried off the head of one of the soldiers who were on the shore. The latter, being quite exposedto the fire of the boat, and incapable '■ I 't;*ll: ' ? ' I ^>n '}l} \ ^.1 i 'Ji ■■'"'f ■ ft ?^i»' n i I ,'<• I h' .tj' I of doing it any injury, retired towards the Iiouse that we were going to, which the Americans observing, they directed their fire against it. Instead, therefore, of going into the house we went to the rear of it, in order to shelter ourselves behind some stacks of straw in the yard, through which, we were told, the balls would not penetrate; but we had not remained long in this situa- tion before they came flying through the roof of the house, which was covered with shingles, and passing over our heads in such quick succession that we thought it most adviseable to decamp, and therefore retired back into the woods as fast as possible, where we remained until the action was nearlv over. When our soldiers went up to the strait, they posted themselves behind some trees, within pistol shot of the Americans, and commenced a smart action. Observing the Durham boat, that first took our attention in the morning, Winix near the island, some of them fired into it ; and after a few rounds several men !'■'* ''/■ Q15 on board raised the anchor, and attempted to land on the island ; but as they ascended from the bottom upon the forecastle, to leap out, they were shot, and fell into the water. The boat drifted down the river, and grounded near our batteaux; there was a number of knapsacks, ice* in it, and the forecastle was covered with blood. Shortly after we landed, a soldier was sent off to Prescot, an English village and garrison about eight miles up the river, with a dis- patch for a gun-boat ; and in the afternoon, about four o'clock, one appeared, coming down in full sail. A constant firing had been kept up across the water during the day, by which twenty- eight of the Americans were killed ; and as soon as the remainder observed our gun- boat, they embarked in their's, which was an immensely large one, and being favour- ed by wind and tide, escaped, althougfi pursued for a considerable distance. The soldier who was killed by a can- non shot, was brought into a house T 2 %i \ ii }\aJ n l»';iM:^ fe ^" Qi6 near the fatal spot where the circumstance occurred, and, excited by curiosity, I went to see him. The head, and part of the neck had been carried away, and no hatchet could hav^e eflected it more smoothly, or better. What a sight ! what a melancholy sight is the headless trunk of a man ! how well calculated to humble the lofty ideas that man generally entertains of himself! While strutting about, puffed with pride, and no small degree of self-impctance, one would almost be inclined to think he really is something^^^ee him tb-^ next instant, after some trifling accident has happened, and the meanest clod that he might just before have spurned indignantly from be- neath his feet, is as good as he ; nay, with respect merely to the body, hetler ! for while the one is permitted to remain on the surface of the earth, an inoffensive lump, the other must be buried in its bosom, that its disgusting appearance may be concealed from the sight, and its noisome qualities prevented from infecting the very air with their pollutions ! 217 And well would it be, or happy is it, for this poor man, if his lifeless and bloody corse exhibited at this time all the horrors to which he was liable to become the victim ; or that his sudden removal from this tran- sitory scene of woe, in terminating his sor- rows here, ushered him into a purer, hap- pier, more exalted state of existence. But, ah! while hope, while the most ardent de- sire for the future happiness of our fellow- creatures, and for their finding mercy and favour with their Creator, would prompi us to trust that all is well with him now, the standard of our faith, the accredited word of God himself, the Scriptures, on whose testimony, injunctions, and declarations, all our hopes depend, and by which all our future prospects are regulated, — this sacred book forbids us to pronounce this man happy ! for after a profane, a wicked life, the terrific citer of mankind to the courts above, in presenting the awful summons, surprised the wretched culprit with a hor- rible imprecation upon his unhallowed lips 1 '} Vi\ 1 li ' ^J'-lfilf ■^vykl/i . m \ii' :? f t 'iV i Q18 And will this shameful, abominable piac- tice of profane swearing and cursing, so offensive to the ear of virtue, and so bane- ful in its tendency, never, never cease !~ Will every new proof of its odium in the sight of God, serve but to fan the flame that appears to blaze to such a melancholy extent through society, of mixing the most trifling expressions with some disgusting, sinful emanation from the corrupted heart! Perhaps no greater inconsistency in the character of man could be produced, than that which this practice displays. The great despise the mean, and look upon them as an inferior order of beings, a correspon- dence with whom would contaminate them; and to be placed upon an equality with whom would totally destroy every source of comfort : the learned look down with contempt upon the illiterate, and to suffer a comparison with them, would inflict a dreadful wound upon their pride, but to be taught by them would mortify it to the last degree j and yet numbers of both great and §19 learned, without apparently feeling the least mortification or humility at the degrading consideration, are not only willing to imi- jtate, hut anxious to vie with the most ab- Iject, ignorant and execrable of the human species, in the practice of this despicable vice. That from these they have learned it, few, I presume, will venture to deny; but whether or not, the fact is certain, from its being diametrically opposed to re- ligion, morality, good breeding and pro- priety ; which, alone, are taught the great and learned ; and therefore it must have emanated, in the first instance, froii) a source destitute of all those qualities. — That it is offensive to God is beyond all doubt, from his own words, ** swear not nt Ull; but let your communication be yea, yea, nay, nay ; for whatsoever is more than tliese Cometh of evil:** and St. James, in quoting the former part of the sentence, I adds, " lest ye fall ini -^ondemnation.** Of all the vices practised by men, the great prevalency of profane swearing and i' -I' 11 1 \ vm mA ■l ^^ '>4^^^\i I; i » • ;i \ ■ 220 cursing appears to me the most unaccount. able, inasmuch as the others generally £ ford some small degree of advantage or pleasure to the unregenerate man ; some trifling return for the risk he runs, in sub- jecting himself to the displeasure of his Maker : but swearing appears to afford neither, while it brings upon the offender an equal degree of guilt. If you ask the drunkard, the sabbath-breaker, the extor. tioner, the lewd, the fraudulent, the liar, &c. &c. the cause of their departing from their duty, to their spiritual, and even tem.| poral prejudice, they tell you they were overcome by strong temptation ; but put| the same question to the swearer, and, con- scious of deriving neither profit nor satis- faction from the practice, if he feel any! compunction on its account, he can say at best that it is a bad habit. Some })oor creatures, indeed, there are who, lost to| every sense of religious duty, pride them- selves in the vice, and allow it to exaltl them in their own estimation, as being a t r 221 mnii/ habit ; while it debases them, to the lowest degree, in the sight of God and of those of their fellow men, whose esteem is worth possessing ; bul, in general, its vota- ries admit its impropriety, and pretend to mh they could abstain from it. In the afternoon a party of soldiers were sent in the Durham boat with the Cana- dian, who so manfully and patriotically ven- tured his life in the morning to warn us of the danger that awaited us, for the purpose of removing his moveable property from the island. Taking every thing into consider- ation, the conduct of this man upon the oc- casion was, perhaps, one of the most noble and laudable actions that were performed during the war. His motives must have been purely patriotic ; a feeling for his fellow- subjects must have been his only incentive. He could have easily pleaded inability, in the event of an investigation into his conduct, had he, with cold indifference, permitted us to advance to the sacrifice j as the enemy had landed on the island the night previous \i ( •' "i "*» , rf?=.«* ■ ft U 'i 222 to the attack, and kept him a prisoner, under the care of three men, during the whole time they were there, until a very few minutes prior to his escape, when seeing us, as they imagined, entirely in their power, his guards were incautiously withdrawn, when, at the risk of his life, he rushed into his canoe, and fortunately had time, instrii- mentally, to effect our deliverance; for had we reached the strait, unaware of our danger, it is impossible to say what might have been the consequence; I sliudder, even now, when I think of it. It is parti. cularly gratifying to know that he was well recompensed by government for liis most meritorious behaviour. In the evening we proceeded on our journey, and about twelve o'clock arrived at Prescot, which at this time was but a small village, and only of consequence from being opposite to Ogdensburgh, an Ameri- can town on the south side of the St. Law- rence. As I will not have occasion to men- tion the latter place again,Ishall notice here, ■jfe $23 by the way, the attack made by the British forces, during the following winter, upon it. This event occurred while the river was frozen over, which rendered ac- cess to the town very easy. Our troops had, for some time before, been frequently in the habit of exercising upon the ice, ar- tillery as well as infantry j and as they had occasionally approached very near the town, and retired without molesting it, the Americans were quite taken by surprise when the attack was actually made. When theseobserved the British approaching upon this occasion, rather too near^ they opened a fire upon them from one of the \m\h "kmi Ui\ .1 ' rTi K >L I; M i H. ^5,r tf 2^6 admitted that a complete exemption from pain, 7'eal pain ; and not merely one trail- sient, solitary visit, but a too frequent re- currence of it, is not the happy lot of any, even the most highly favored of the sons of men. If then this fact be allowed, and none, acquainted with the subject, will for a moment dispute it, this child, had it lived, must necessarily have become a partaker, and perhaps extensively so, in the miseries of life. Let then the child of affliction be asked whether this was a melancholy catas- trophe or not, and hear his reply. Sup- pose the question to have been put to its sorrowing father; what, upon considera- tion, would he have answ'ered ? " Surely if to be prevented from experiencing an- guish, such as that which now/feel, was the object of the melancholy event, I must cease from pronouncing my child unhappy, or its case calculated to excite commiseration." For my part, while, in imagination, I can hear its departed spirit lamenting, in the ' ?, 'M 227 plaintive strains of the poet, its untimely removal from this apparently delightful scene, — To the dark and silent tomb, Soon I hastened from the womb ; Scarce the dawn of life began, lire I measured out my span. I no smiling pleasures knew ; I no gay delights could view ; Joyless sojourner was I, Only born to weep and die. I would answer, and, I think, effectually silence all its complaints, in the words of the same author ; Happy infant, carl^ bless d ' ]lest, in peaceful slumbers rest ; Early rescu'd from the cares, Whicii increase with growing years. No delights are worth thy stay, Smiling, as tliey seem, and gay : Short and sickly are they all, Hardly tasted ere they pall. All our gaiety is vain, All our laughter is but pain ; Lasting only, and divine, Is an innocence like thine. u2 \ '1 'V 1} If \ l\ ^t' 228 After remaining a few days at Prescot, we prepared for prosecuting our journey : about ten o'clock at niglit we set out, and in two days arrived at Kingston. Oh Kingston ! Kingston ! how shall I venture to speak of i/ou ! liow shall I ven- ture to recall to mind the days that I have spent within your happy precincts ! Could I but bury them in Lethe's stream, could 1 but hurl them into the gulf of oblivion, then would mv mind be at rest, and no longer experience what the recollection of them excites. But ah ! no — While pensive memoiy muses, On delights too quickly flown y it awakens in my breast a transitory joy ; but oh, how fleeting ! scarce does it dart across my enraptured mind, representing scenes, delightful scenes, of pleasures that are past, never more to be enjoyed — of days that are gone, never to return — when its sting, its poignant sting, follows with velo- city, in its light-trod footsteps, and snatches the fond delusion I When I think of those at Prescot, ur journey: set out, and n. how shall I shall I veil- that Ihave nets! Could ream, could 'of ohlivion, rest, and no collection of insitory joy ; does it dart representing )leasures that yed — of days n — when its svs with velo- and snatches ink of those 529 days and those pleasures, and the gloomy, heartless idea associated with that thought, —that theyare gone, never to return, — phi- losophical as I could wish to be, a sigh steals from my very heart, in spite of me ! — And is there no remedy for this disease of the mind ; is there no return, no remuneration to be obtained for the loss of such heartfelt bliss as that which one's youthful days have afforded ? Oh yes, yes ! I would say to those whose morn, like mine, dawned bright and fair, but now have to mourn that clouds and storms have deformed the dav ; to such I would say, therein balm in Gilead, there is an ample remuneration provided for all their privations ; a remuneration, arising out of those very privations, which they, perhaps, unwisely, nay impiously lament. Possessed of every thing this world can af- ford, and, consequently, at ease with itself, and satisfied with, and attached to this life, the mind is too apt to forget that here there is no ** continuing city," no durable satis- factions, but all changeable as the frivolous \ i (■ t if- n\ '^ •,«■ . r i" Ir 1 .IS 230 mind that soon tires of them and desires otliers ; aad that a preparation is necessary to be made for enjoying other scenes which, blinded by the vanities of this, it scarcely desires. In such circumstances is it not of extreme importance that it should be awa- kened to a sense of its highest duty, to be compelled to perform that service to itself which, in a future day, it will be most happy to have accomplished, but which, owing to its blindness and weakness, it is most un- willing to attend to in due time ? And how could this be effected, but by removing the veil that obscures the sight ; by shewing the vanity of this world in its true colours; by contrasting it with those real, those per- feet joys that are offered to it ; by cutting off every tie that could bind it to this sub- binary scene, and thereby directing it to those brighter regions w'here are objects worthy the attention of an immortal spirit ? This is the intended object of all your griefs and woes, and if they be productive of this happy effect, I shall merely say, ,' '\ I -'■*'»« ■"■ 231 " happy are ye. *' " Those that sow in tears shall reap in joy." But if, unhappily, there be those on whom their sorrows have nothad I this sahitary effect, I feel constrained to say, with respect to them, and, I am confident, thev themselves are sensible of the fact, that the last state of that man or that woman j is, and will be, ** worse than ihejirst" Kingston is pleasantly and advantage- Jously situated on the west side of the Lake S of the thousand islands, about nine miles from the lower end of Lake Ontario. A beautiful bay, about a mile broad at the town, but expanding to the dimensions of a small lake, farther down, is formed by a peninsula, which extends, in a southerly direction, into the lake, upon the southern point of which is a battery. On the eastern side of this peninsula, there is another bay |much smaller than the former. Here the vessels of the Royal Navy generally lie j the dock-yard, arsenal, &c. being on the pastern side of the peninsula. These bays are very deep, sufficiently so It .r I 1 ■[ ♦'! ,f'- ik njjiif, :■ * . * 1 i ik. 232 to admit of the first rate men-of-war lyin^ at the wharfs, and the water is quite still, and so remarkably clear, that I shall notice here the following circumstance, in order to convey some idea of it. One day in winter, before the ice had become very thick, while skating upon that part of the small bay where the men-of-war lie, I was stooping down to arrange the strap of my skate, when, looking downwards, I observed | something moving slowly along the bottom, and putting my head nearer the ice, I dis. covered it to be a large fish. I called one| of my companions, and he and I watched it, as it continued to move slowly along, | until, af: • proceeding a considerable dis- tance, it stopped in shallow water, when I my companion went to the barrack upon the peninsula, a short distance from us, and informed some of the soldiers, who cametoj the spot, bringing with them a long pole, with a bayonet fastened to the end of it,| and a hatchet to cut a hole in the ice. M hole being soon opened directlyoverthefisliJ '^■^"- 233 one of them put down the bayonet very (Tcntly, until it almost touched it, then suddenly darted it into the fish just below the head, and kept it fixed to the bottom until nearly dead, when he raised it to the hole, and, with the assistance of another man, drew it out : it proved to be a stur- geon, about four feet long. Kingston was not a large town at this time, but, considering its distance up the country, and other local disadvantages, it was a very good one. It contained a num- ber of very good houses, but tlie streets were neither paved nor lighted. It is built where the old fort Frontenac formerly stood, part of which still remains. The public buildings are few, consisting of a small neat Protestant church, a II. C. church, gaol, barracks, &c. A printing office was established, and a newspaper published ; and here was the best and most extensive classical school in all Canada. When we first went to Kingston, our naval force on the lake consisted only of two 1 ^^\Mi 1 i ^i \, <■'< ^ \ I: 1 ' i, ,' M 234 frigates, and two large schooners, but it was afterwards considerably augmented by the addition of several ships of the line, one of which, the St. Lawrence, carried upwards of 100 guns, several frigates, gun-brigs, schooners, &c. * It was at once surprising and pleasing to see a fleet of men-of-war sail out of, and arrive at a port many hun- drods of miles from the sea, which was in- accessible to them, and they confined to a mere lake, but a lake of sufficient dimen- sions to afford them full scope for all their operations, being 200 miles in length and 100 in breadth. I was extremely fond of boating, and the fine harbour of Kingston, with the bays and rivers in its neighbourhood, renders this amusement peculiarly pleasant here. My father and another officer of the regiment purchased a small elegant pleasure barge. in which, with my companions, I used very frequently to sail, and upon one occasion we liad a very narrow escape for our lives. Being on the eastern side of the peninsula •t ;v a! 4'*a4l '« I, .} • !' m^ 235 opposite Kingston, we were returning to town ; and as the wind was blowing pretty nard down the harbour, we were obliged to row up to the point, in getting round which the wind would have been favourable for us. When we had proceeded far enough up- wards, as we thought, we raised the mast, and prepared for sailing ; but the wind was so strong that as soon as the sheet was haul- ed tight, and the sail filled, it carried mast, sails, and the seat to which the mast was fastened, completely overboard. Had the seat remained firm, the boat must have overset, and in all probability the greater part of us would have perished, as no as- sistance could have been afforded us in time to be of any service. Early on the morning of the 10th of No- vember, 181^, the American fleet appeared in sight of the harbour, evidently for some hostile purpose. The military, militia, kc, were soon under arms, the batteries man- ned, and every arrangement made in order to give the enemy as warm a reception as X ilJ- i>'.ii:i1 r kl QS6 possible. A detachment of infantry was sent to a bay about four miles above the town, where it was supposed they would land, and an immense degree of anxiety prevailed in town during the morning. The approach of an enemy generally causes disorder and dismay among the fe- male part of the community ; and upon this occasion, when it was ascertained that the fleet was steering for the town, it was most distressing to see numbers of women and children leaving their houses, and hurry- ing, in consternation, backwards to the woods : some caiTying bundles of what they most valued, others apparently quite satis- fled to escape with life. The Royal George, the largest of the only two frigates we had at the time, had been out cruising for some days, and about twelve o'clock it made its appearance, coming in from the lake with all sail set, and the whole American fleet, consisting of a brig of 22 guns, and six schooners, in full chase of it. It anchored down the bay at ^ Horning, ny generally mong the fe- nd upon this ned that the , it was most women and and hurry- rards to the of what they quite satis- • rgest of the |he time, had 's, and about appearance, all sail set, :onsisting of iners, in full In the bay at 237 the lower end of the town, and between two batteries ; one at the upper end of the town on a small point of land jutting into the harbour, the other ou the point of the peninsula opposite. About two o'clock the enemy's squadron sailed down the harbour very boldly, ap- parently quite unaware of the two batteries just mentioned, which had been but lately erected, as they used no precaution to avoid them, but were bearing down, in full sail, upon the Royal George, and firing with all their might. Our troops in the batteries observing this, allowed them to approach very near before they commenced firing, and when the brig and two or three of the schooners were just between them, they opened a tremendous and destructive fire upon them, in which they were joined by the Royal George. The Americans were evidently confounded at this, as they in- stantly put about ; and, while in the act of tacking, the commander of one of the m i<^ u t )i .1' ii ^38 schooners was knocked overboard by the main boom, and perished. The batteries kept up such a galHng fire upon the vessels that they were compelled to retire ; and as the wind was blowing directly down the lake, they were under the necessity of beating out ; when, ever, therefore, they approached the side next the town, the batteries received them in fine style, and did them very con- siderable damage. The enemy did not fire upon the town, from which it appeared that their object was merely to capture or de- stroy the Royal George, as all their atten- tion was directed towards it ; and although they were obliged to relinquish the attempt they almost effected its destruction, by a shot from a thirty-two pounder, which it received helween mnd and water y or half above and half below the level of the water. We lost only one man upon the occasion, and he had been an invalid, confined to his hammock for some time previous, being a marine on board the frigate. When he V.' < I 239 heard the cannonading, he could not stay in his hammock, but insisted on being car- ried upon deck j and his urgent request being complied with, he was seated near one of the guns, on the side next the enemy, where he had remained but a few minutes when a cannon ball struck him on the side, and going in an obliqne direction to the opposite shoulder, destroyed him in a moment ; leaving his body a dreadful spectacle. The enemy succeeded in reaching a small bay on the eastern shore, about four miles above the town, where they remained dur- ing the night, busily occupied in repairing as well as possible the damage they had sus- tained. On the following day they got under weigh, and while beating about, a British merchant schooner, on its way from the up. per country, hove in sight, making for the harbour : the crew, little expecting to meet an American squadron so near King- ston, found themselves almost surrounded by it before they were aware of their dan- x2 )■ * ] m^ h I. k Ifl h. 240 ger. The master, finding there was no chance of escape by attempting to return, determined, though to all appearance with but little prospect of success, to endeavour to make his way through it : he therefore made all sail, and, the vessel being an ex- cellent sailer, and he perfectly acquainted with the navigation of the place, steered directly through the fleet, and although chased and fired at by all the vessels, he manoeuvred so well, as to effect his escape, though not without receiving a shot be- tween wind and water. "When the schooner reached the uppermost wharf in the town, it was brought alongside the lower end of it, with the head towards the land, and, being full of water, it sank immediately, but luckily the water was not very deep at the spot. An immense number of people had collected at the upper part of the town while the vessel was among the enemy's fleet, to observe the result, and were at the wharf when it arrived. A strong hawser was therefore made fast to the bow of the ves- 241 emg an ex- sel, and the other end being brought on shore, as many of the people as could get hold of it did so, and so great was tlie crowd that they actually drew it so near the shore that the upper parts appeared above the surface of the water. Two of the American schooners not being able to beat up to Lake Ontario, were obliged to sail down past Kingston, to Ogdensburg, where they remained until winter, when they were burnt by our forces at the capture of that place. As Kingston was the scene of some of my happiest days, and youthful adventures, and as I still feel delight in recalling some of the latter to mind, perhaps I may be par- doned for intruding the following upon the reader's notice. Owing to the abundance and variety of fish the lakes contain, fishing is a very general and pleasant amusement here ; and one which I, in common with the great majority of my school-fellows, was ex- cessively fond of. There is a small point of land at the lower end of the town, stretching into the bay in a northerly direc- \ i '1 !l' V m ; »' f 242 tion, and forming a small bay on its western side, which is used as a repository for the government boats. As this small bay is a particularly good spot for fishing, we were in the habit of resorting to it very frequent- ly. Upon one occasion there was a large boat moored below the point, a short dis- tance from it, and as some of my compa- nions wished to go on board for the pur- pose of fishing, they were conveyed to it in a smaller one, by two or three of those who preferred remaining at the bay, of whom I was one. In the evening when we thought ' of moving, it was, of course, necessary to bring our companions on shore. There was only a small skiff on the beach that we could use for the purpose, and without en- quiring who it belonged to, we immediate- ly launched it ; but it was scarcely in the water when it began to fill very fast, and in a very few minutes it was quite full ; we were therefore in a very awkward situation, but were soon relieved from it by some sol- diers, who were receiving provisions at a 243 government store at the spot, and who drew the skiff up on the beach. Upon empty- ing it we discovered a square hole under one of the seats, on each of two sides of this aperture, opposite to each other, there was a small staple, through which a small stick being placed, kept a square bit of wood, that fitted the hole, in its place. The owner had taken these two pieces of wood with him, with the view of preventing his boat from being taken away: a very necessary precaution here, as the boys are very much in the habit of making free with boats, but one which did not alto- gether answer his purpose at this time, for a carpenter, who happened to be making some repairs at the store alluded to, provid- ed us with a piece of board to fit the hole, which, with a small stick to keep it down, rendered the boat ready for service. We therefore launched again, rowed to our companions, and took them on board ; but we had not proceeded far on our return to- wards the shore, until one of the boys, a I i I " ■ * („ ■fii (.' r' ru M'' I .k '■] M *. 244 particularly mischievous fellow, who hap- pened to be sitting on the seat over the hole, spied the new piece of wood in the bottom of the boat, which attracted his at- tention. " Hallo !" said he, " what's this?" and at the same time giving the cross stick a kick, knocked it out, when the boat began to fill very fast, and with such a number of boys on board, would soon have sunk. Our only alternative, therefore, was to make for the large boat again, as quickly as possible, it being much nearer to us than the land; and we had just time to get on board when the skiff sank to the gunwale. As it went down no farther, it was proposed that two of us should get in, and endeavour to take it to the shore. I volunteered for one, and being joined by another, we took off our shoes and stockings, and folding up our pantaloons, got in, and with considerable exertion succeeded in paddling it near the land, when we observed the owner, a terri- bly sour-looking old Dutchman, coming down in a great hurry, with his paddle in N' Mil 245 his hand, accompanied by several other per- sons of both sexes. We found it impossible to reach the shore before the old fellow got down, who waited for us very coolly at the edge of the water, with a stern and expressive counte- nance ; his mouth " going every way'* with rage. On approaching the land, when in very shallow water, I leaped out of the boat, with a view of escaping the paddle if possible ; but I failed in my object, for the Dutchman pursued me, and soon laid it with all his force across my back ; but as he was rather stiff he did not repeat the compliment more than once, before I got out of his reach. I don't exactly remember how my com- panion fared upon the occasion, as I had enough to do to take care of myself; but those we had left in the large boat, observ- ing what had occurred to us, determined to avenge the insult. The boat had been employed in carrying ballast to some of the ships : there was H I Ml ; 1 |!t ■f I' f »J tti ; I 246 therefore a quantity of gravel in the bot- torn, and collecting a large supply of good stones, they prepared for giving Mynheer and his companions a salute as they passed. Just, therefore, as the skiff got within good reach of them, and was gliding away very quietly, it was assailed by a tremen- dous volley ; which so exasperated the old Dutchman and his companions, that they vowed vengeance, and steered for the boat, the old fellow stuttering and sputtering at a great rate ; but the boys kept up such a determined and well-directed, ^rc, that al. though transported with rage, they were compelled to forego the sweets of revenge, and bear away with all possible dispatch ; the boys announcing their victory by three triumphant cheers ; a victory, in compari- son with which, the late discomfiture of the American fleet, in the same bay, was but a trifle in our estimation. There are wolves, bears, foxes, &c. in abundance in the neighbourhood of King- ston : the government being desirous to "i I. V. • 247 diminisli the number of* the former, give a reward for every one that is killed. Many of the young men of the town amuse themselves frequently witli bear- liunting ; a practice that was attended with melancholy consequences, in one instance. Two brothers, in mourning f(>r a relation lately deceased, being on an excursion of this kind, separated in the wood during the (lay, and some time afterwards one of them observing the other, before he was noticed by him, resolved upon having a little sporty and getting upon his hands and feet, be- hind a large tree that was lying upon the ground, moved along with his back a little above the trunk, imitating the movement of a bear as nearly as possible, and endea- vouring to make himself noticed by his brother. The latter, little suspecting the artifice, took him for what he pretended to be, and, before he had time to discover his mistake, lodged the contents of his ritle in his unfortunate brother, who ex])ired short- ly afterwards. '? i , I ,J I (Fit 4-" 248 The soil of Canada, in general, is very fertile, particularly the upper parts of it : the meadows and pasture grounds produce wild strawberries in great abundance ; the heaths abound with small shrubs of a variety of kinds, the greater part of them producing berries ; the very fens, or swamps, as they are called there, afford cramberries; the woods contain many trees that yield nuts of several kinds, viz. butter-nuts, (about the size of, and nearly resembling the walnut,) walnuts, hickory, bitter, beech, hazel nuts, &c. and wild plums, cherries, grapes, gooseberries, &c. are abundant. There is a kind of wild cherries here, call- ed choke-cherries, which grow in strings, similar to red currants, but much larger, and of a deeper red ; there is also a great variety of the white thorn, producing as great a variety of haws, some of which arc extremely large ; and perhaps few who have not tasted them would be inclined to be. iievc the excellence of their flavour: one kind, in particular, about the size of a plum, 219 is quite a pleasant fruit. The quantity and variety of wild fruits, gatliered in the tieUls, woods and moors, and produced without the least cultivation, that are cxjiosed for sale in a Canadian market, would attbrd surprise and satisfaction to any stranger. 1 iiave been informed, that along the upper shores of Lake Ontario the peaches are so abundant that they are given as food to the swine. There is also a wild fruit in Upper Cana- da, which I have never met with, nor heard of, in any other country, called the may- apple : the plant that bears it rises from the ground, a naked slender stalk, about a foot high ; at the top two large leaves, some- what resembling those of the rhubarb plant, branch out directly opposite to each other ; and when full grown, bend downwards in a regular and graceful manner, nearly touch- ing the ground : the fruit springs out from between the leaves, at their junction, and, when ripe, hangs down the stalk about tiu'ce or four inches, in a transverse direction J < li )i4 f I n i ;-: 'i lit * r' fc . i k> tV r'-' }'i. Q50 from that of the leaves. Its colour is a beautiful yellow, its size about that of the lemon ; the skin is tough, and the pulp a delicious juice mixed with seeds. Here I shall mention a trifling circiim- stance that once occurred to me near Kincr. o ston, while gathering a few of these may-ap- pies. I observed a very fine one near the foot of a tree, and its inviting appearance, like that of many a more important object in the world, instead of being an advantage or safe-guard, immediately proved the warrant for its destruction. 1 therefore approach- ed in order to add it to my stock, but while just in the act of stooping to pluck it ofli a number ofwild bees sallied out of their nest, which was formed upon the side of the tree, but which, in my eagerness to seize the ob- ject of my pursuit, 1 had not observed, and attacked me with such fury that, notwith- standing the certainty I had felt, an instant before, of enjoying it, I was compellod to relinquish it, and seek safety by flight. One of the bees lodged upon my upper lip, and -««„ i^ : - (• colour is a that of the i the pulp a Is. ing circum. e near King- liese may.ap- 3ne near the appearance, Lant object in advantage or I the warrant Ire approach- k, but while lluck it off, a |of their nest, of the tree, eize the ob^ served, and at, notwith- t, an instant ompellod to ight. One per lip, and 251 stung it to such a degree that it swelled to an amazing size. I have frequently thought of the circum- stance since, and it has struck me as being admirably calculated to teach a most ser- viceable lesson ; a lesson which, had I bee.i possessed at the time of sufficient judgment to discern, and wisdom and strength of mind tg improve, might have often been productive of most salutary effects, viz. the extreme, the inconceivably great uncertain- ty of every thing in this life, and the absur- dity of resting assured of any thing, prior to the actual possession or consummation. In speculations where failure or success is doubtful, one should always be prepared for the worst that could happen : the chances for and against should be maturely weighed, and expectation should not be permitted to rise to such a height as would cause disap- pointment, in the event of its occurrence, to be intensely severe ; but in cases where doubt seems quite removed, aiui, to all ap- pearance, no obstacle can be in the way j Y 2 .'! ^^ 252 I 'f I'i ■' '{ \f i h i when every thing is settled beyond all pro. bable, or even apparently possible, change; and when one has the eagerly desired object entirely within reach, and just extends his arm, as it were, to take possession of the valued prize ; then for disappointment to start suddenly from her baleful lurking place, and stare her astonished victim full in the face, as he starts with surprise, and gapes with amaze, is what touches the feel, ings, and tries the patience of a man. And here I would pause for a moment to observe upon the merits of that Religion which is so lightly esteemed by many peo- ple in the world, and to put its efficacy to the test : perhaps its happy effects are sel- dom more apparent than in cases such as that which I have just alluded to. I have hinted that an intense degree of disappointment is calculated to call forth the strongest demand for patience : by it the mind is hurried in a moment from one extreme of feeling to the other; from the extreme of pleasure, arising from the sup- [!»'• ■i 253 posed certainty of possessing an eagerly-de- sired object, to that of pain, caused not mere- ly by the want of the object, but also by the circumstance of being, as it were, robbed of it, as if it had been actually enjoyed. — Patience is the grand principle that is ne- cessary to the mind at this time for its re- lief: it is that particular agent of whose services it is, under these circumstances, in peculiar need. But can every mind sum- mon this agent to its aid whenever occasion requires ? Is every mind possessed of a sufficient portion of this virtue to counteract the distressing, corroding effects of disap- pointment ? Few, I believe, will be bold or simple enough to answer in the affirma- tive. What then is the consequence ? — From the absence or insufficiency of this natural antidote for the evil, men have re- course to something that may be acquired : they have invented an artificial principle which they term phiiosopJnj ; this, at the best, comes far short of the desired end, and also confines all its boasted advantages I'^Hi ill I ' i i ni I', ■|' y ( *'-' f ii i ' i! V< , » (T k 254 to this side of the grave; whereas their great, their beneficent Creator, in compas- sion to their weakness and imperfection, and in love to their immortal souls, has provided them with a sovereign remedy, which, like all his other productions. Not only does its end produce, I3ut serves to second too, some other use. This, it is ahnost unnecessary to say, is religion, which not only proves a perfect antidote for that great and unavoidable dis- turber of the human breast, disappointment, but also smooths the rugged patii of life, eases the bed of death, and renders the soul happy in eternity. Men have differed in tlieir choice of these two principles ; and I am well aware that those who have preferred the former will smile with contempt at my simplicity in giving my humble vote in fa- vour of the latter. But in order to forma correct idea of their respective merits^ I would take a short practical view of their different operations upon the mind, which 255 I have myself had an opportunity of wit- nessing in more than one instance. When the philosopher, who denies or re- jects the influence of religion, and looks down upon it with scorn ; when he whose hopes and views are confined within the narrow limits of this world, meets with any great or sudden disappointment, his philo- sophj/ tells him that he must bear it vvith manly fortitude ; that besides its being weak and pusillanimous to give way to use- less grief, or indulge in fruitless and tortur- ing vexation, it only increases the pain of themind; and therefore he must suppresshis feelings before they become too painful or troublesome, and endeavour to forget what he can neither prevent nor remedy. This is the extent of comfort and consolation de- rived from human philosophy — this is the balm it pours into the bleeding, painful wounds inflicted by disappointment, and the numerous evils with which men are at all times surrounded, and too, too frequent- ly visited. i ! '■■■ : r , ' I M h') ^.1, 1 256 I have seen those who, while at ease in their minds, could reason upon its mighty efficacy, and consider it sufficient to sup. port men under the most adverse circum- stances ; could laugh at religion, and consi- der it a mere illusion, unworthy the atten. tion of a great mind, I have seen those same individuals encountering the frowns of fortune. At first, being gentle, their philosophy has served them surprisingly: they could content themselves with there- flection that it would be absurd to expect a constant sunshine, and that an overcast sky, or gentle shower, would only tend to in- crease their enjoyment of the former, at its hoped for return : when the clouds gather- ed thicker, they bore up pretty well ; but when storm and tempest burst upon them, with all their horrors, their philosophy was put to the test ; all its dictates, all their reasoning proved insufficient to calm their troubled minds, or afford them relief from the overwhelming difficulties and sorrows that oppressed them : it might perhaps 257 have been effectual had tliey been able to reduce the theory to practice ; but here was the difficulty ; though entirely disposed for this, they found it impracticable, and they became a prey to the most poignant anguish, immeasurably increased by despair. In numerous instances of a similar na- ture, the wretched victims, transported by impatience under their sufferings, have in- dulged in the most extravagant expressions of their painful feelings, that blasted hopes, ruined fortunes, and desponding minds cQuld excite : they have exclaimed, in no measured degree, against their hard fate ; they have questioned the wisdom and jus- tice of the great disposer of all events, and in too many distressing cases, reckless of tliat soinethmg after deaths Which makes us rather bear those ills we have, Than fly to others that we know not of : and totally incapable of availing themselves of their once boasted philosophic, to endure like men, have adopted the last, desperate al- ternative of terminating their sufferings here M ' \ i258 c ,> f''[M *l by liurrying themselves into unknown scenes, whither the mind, however pryintr, must cease from following them ! And if we take a still more extended view of the effects of human reasoning, in opposi- tion to the light that has come down from above ; if we follow that principle which induces men to resign their eternal all to its insidious representations, we shall elis- cover where it leaves its wretched votaries. We have heard of some of those lofti/ geniuses, those strong minds, those profound reasoners, who look down with disdain, mixed with iplty, from the elevated summil to which their superior msdom and penetm- tion have raised them, upon the crowds of li'ea/i, narroxi'-minded, unenlightened crea- tures, who grovel along beneath them : we have heard of them ridiculing the Bible as a cunningly-devised fable, and the system of religion founded upon it as being indeed usejul, inasmuch as it serves to keep tlie simple and ignorant in order, but infinitely below the notice or attention of individuals !. 259 oUheir exalted in^ellectt understanding and penetration. They can fearlessly criticise and condemn Scripture characters, and laugh at the simplicity that is duped by such a collection o^ absurdities as that which the Scriptures contain j and they can undaunt- edly live and act in complete violation of the laws and regulations they enjoin, tvhile in perfect healthy and in that forgetful ness of the future which the temporary absence of bodily pain too frequently inspires. But see those towering mindSj this superior order of the human race, approaching that awful crisis which is to determine the future state of their immortal souls to all eternity : see them languishing on the bed of death, and, while their minds are still occupied with the great question, coNvrcrioN, unex- pected, unwished-Jor conviction suddenly bursting in upon their astonished, and now distracted and despairing minds! See them, in the agony of distraction, lamenting, in wild and vociferous accents, that thev should have entertained and propagated the I ;i I Ji i i 111' I i p. i.;,^ i'.W \ HI * 5 I ; / w 111 i *? } ? r ^! ' ; M t^ '(■VIA H4*M SCO infernal opinions and principles which lliey now feel, but, alas ! too late, are hurrying them to everlasting, irretrievable ruin and perdition ! See them in the last awful stage of life, just about to experience the dread reality of their speculations, crying out, in despair and anguish, ** I am going to hell, and who shall save me ! for me there is no mercy, no pity ; for I have not rested sa- tisfied with my own destruction, but have been industriously instrumental in the eter- ual ruin of others ! pray not for me^ all prayer is unavailing on mi/ behalf! I see the horrid gulph yawning wide, just ready to receive me, and from it there is no es- cape !*' One, and not an inconsiderable one, says, ** Doctor, save my life for three days !" On being told it could not be the case for three hours, ** then, " he cries, ** Pll go to hell, and you'll go with me 1"* Another exclaims, when directed by his friend to the Saviour, " Hold ! hold ! you * Tlie Doctor was of the same principles. wound me ! — That is the vocic on xvhich I split — / denied his naine /*' On hearing heaven mentioned, " 'Tis lost! *tis lost!" he cries, ** heaven is to me the severest part of hell !" Prayer being proposed, " Pray you that can, / never jwaijed^ — nor need 1 !" said he, " Didst thou feel half the mountain that is on me, thou wouldst struggle with the martyr for his stake, and bless heaven for the flames ! — that is not an everlasting flame j that is not an unquench- able fire ! Oh time I time I how art thou fled for ever 1 A month ! — oh for a single week ! I ask not for years ; though an age were too little for the much I have to do. Oh ! thou blasphemed, yet indulgent, Lord God ! hell itself is a refuge if it hide me from thy frown !'* And an illustrious one says to the person attending him, while speak- ing of a certain hook of which he was the author, ** Have you ever seen that book ?" Being answered in the aflirmative, and that a copy was in her possession, " Then burn it !'* he cries, " burn it I oh that I had !.'./ ,1: f . ' : I- 'i\ I: < I never, never propagated that mpious book !*' These were all men who, when in pos- session of bodily healtli and mental vigour, could rail at the Bible, and laugh at the idea of hell : these were even leaders of the sect ; they could teach others, and indus- triously disseminated their principles among their fellow men ; and yet at the approach of that momentous period that decides the eternal fate of man, all their bravado, all their greatness of mind, all their reasoning forsook them ! and their situation became infinitely more deplorable and contemptible than what they had pre- viously considered that of the most insigni- ficant of those whose opinions they had de- spised and treated with derision. They then became terrified at a place which they never could be previously led to believe hat! existence ; they earnestly desired time to endeavour to appease the wrath of an angry God, but I heir petition was denied, and they left the world with hideous yells of \ \ Q63 leaders of the despair, and countenances distorted by ter- ror and anguish ! On the other hand, see the humble be- liever in tlie Bible ; see him who receives and trusts in the gospel plan of salvation, under the same trying circumstances. — When visited with the disappointments and trials of life, he does not attribute them to mere chance or accident ; he is too well convinced of the perfection of creation and its Creator, to suppose, for a moment, that any thing, even the most trifling, occurs without his permission or appointment ; and being also persuaded of the perfection of his wisdom and goodness, he knows that, liowcvcr mysterious or painful the dispen- sation may be at the moment, yet that it is appointed for some good and wise end -, and although not capable of diverting him- self altogether of the frailty of Ir's fallen na- ture, which causes him to feel it severe, and grievous to be borne, yet satisfied that the result will prove favourable to him, either in one point of view or another, he calmly submits : he knows he descrvc-j in- \ : " ( 7 U f Ij .1 264 finitely greater severity on account of his demerits in the sight of his Maker : he knows he is but a steward over the things that he possesses, or may have possessed ; and conscious of the great disproportion between what he is still allowed to enjoy and his deserts, he patiently breathes out his submission to the Divine will, in the becoming language of Job , ** The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, bless- ed be the name of the Lord." If his ca- lamities increase, he complains not, he re- pines not : he merely entreats that great and omnipotent Being, with whom he has to do, to grant him a sufficient portion of grace to enable him to endure the visita- tion, and to bow with humble and pious resignation to his perfectly wise, and even merciful decrees. If no hope, with respect to this world, appear to gleam through the dark clouds that surround him, yet is he not in despair : he is consoled, he is cheer- ed by the animating, the glorious thought, that although he may suffer a little longer, ■ ^■i> HM\ 3e, and even Q65 and it can be but Utile, the day will come ♦' when sighing and sorrowing shall flee away ;" when all tears shall be wiped from his eyes, and his sufferings here be reward- ed with joys, unspeakably glorious in their nature, and eternal in their duration. And when that awful moment approaches which is to terminate his earthly career ; when he isabout to tread the threshold of an unknown eternity, instead of trembling at the appear- ance of the grisly monster that is to call him awaj', and writhing with anguish and despair at the idea of dissolution, he hails his arrival with joy, he longs for it ; he feels that death has no sting for ///;;/, that the grave obtains no victory over him. See smiling patience sootlj his brow, Sec tlio kind angels waiting now, To lift his soul on high : While, eager for the blest abode, He joins with ihein to praise the God That taught him how to die. And to complete the happy result of liaving chosen the better part, ','1 i; '^ ^ i SCO yi >h i<* ■ Um f ''% } Sitch peace on virtue's path attends, That where the sinner s pleasure enus, The ffood muus joys begin. These are not highly coloured pictures of the two characters I have just noticed; they are to be met with ahuost every day. Here, then, are tlie respective e^T/5 of two different opinions or doctrines ; and if it be with them as with trees, that they are Imoxm by their Jrui/s, I appeal to the unbiassed mind which of t!iem possesses the stronger claims to our serious attention and regard, and consequently to our choice ? In February, 1813, the regiment receiv- ed orders to proceed up the country to York. On the day appointed for our de- parture, sleighs, or sledges were provided, and about twelve o'clock we left Kingston. My father took my mother and sister in his own cariole, nnd my brother and I were sent on one o^ the sleighs, witli a servant and the baggage. Our driver was an old man, who had served in the army that took Canada, on leaving which he had received ire eiias. 267 a grant of a large farm, about twenty miles from Kingston, where he resided. We ar- rived here the first day, and were very hos- pitably entertained by him and his family. I was much gratified in observing the com- fortable manner in which he was settled : he had a large well-built house, commo- dious offices, an extensive and well-improv- ed farm, a good stock of cattle, several beautiful horses, and every necessary ac- commodation. The following morning the old man ac- companied us, and, being a very jovial little old fellow, entertained us with n)any a droll old story J frequently, however, exciting the laugh rather at the narrator than his narrative. He was still fond of a little re- freshment, of the spirituous kind, by the way ; and in the afternoon, while in full glee relating one of his ** tales of other days, *' and not very attentive to his horses, the latter took fright at something, and started oft' The beaten part of the road is very narrow in the country during the winter. \ ill m\ H til «i •' j I \' I.: ', « I rt;i'rf XV:J f; r 268 with a high ridge of snow on each side; the sudden starting of the horses, and pull of the reins, threw the old man off the sleigb, into one of these ridges. As he retain, ed his hold of the reins, the violence with which he was drawn along turned his head downwards into the snow, which he plough- ed up in an extraordinary manner j and it was certainly most amusing to us, little thinking of the possible consequences, to see his poor old legs jumping up and down in the air, while his head and shoulders were exploring the internal regions of the snow} heap. The servant, by great exertion, succeeded in stopping the horses, and re- lieved him from his perilous situation ; and all the fun excited by his jokes was nothing to that which his most extraordinary and ludicrous appearance, on coming out of the snow, afforded. He had lost his fur cap and wig in the fall, and his polished bald head, his nose, once a fine aquiline, hut then bowing down to meet his chin, his fresh fair countenance, and his gaping and h/- 269 staring while endeavouring to remove ihe snow from his ears, mouth and eyes, were certainly well calculated to set the risible faculties of two boys in active motion. I know of nothing he resembled at the mo- ment so nearly as an owl, just after a dive upon a duck's back. The pole of the sleigh was broken in pieces by the accident, which rendered it impossible for us to proceed without a new one : this difficulty was soon obviated by the old man, who, being acquainted with the place, went to procure assistance, and in a short time returned with an Indian, and tools requisite for making one. They cut down a young tree of suitable dimen- sions, and, in a much sliorter period than I could have had an idea of, had a pole completed, and the horses put to. This was the second instance in which 1 had an opportunity of witnessing the hand- iness and readiness of the people of this country, in repairing accidents of this kind. Upon one occasion, while removing some of ^1 1'; ■•i] y ifi I ) T, ■ .M i« i 270 the furniture from our farm in Lower Ca- nada, the axle-tree of one of the carts broke in the woods ; and as we were several miles from any house, no assistance could be ob- tained ; the drivers, therefore, set to work with their hatchets, which they generally carry with them on similar occasions, and with the assistance of a cooper's knife that we happened luckily to have with us, they formed an axle from a small iron-wood tree, with surprising dexterity and haste, and the cart was enabled to proceed with but trifling delay. A proof of the extensive capacity of man, beyond what he is himself conscious of, until elicited by necessity- The Indian alluded to lived in a com- fortable farm house, and cultivated a flirni. I was very agreeably surprised afterwards, as we proceeded, to find a number of those people established along the road, living in a settled, civilized manner, on farms, and, in some instances, having spirits and other articles for sale. In such cases they had signs exhibited above their doors, but the > \ 271 cliaracterB upon them were of such an un- couth description, that I appreliend it would have required a very skilful decipherer to discover what they signified, in any other way than by seeing the articles in the houses. We met several of the men on the road, with horses and sleighs, drawing home hay from the distant meadows and marshes, where it had been cocked in the summer. Large tracts of this part of the country, through which our road lay, were at this time quite unoccupied, and covered with trees, just as they came from the hand of nature ; and at this season of the year, the trees being leafless, and their branches loaded with snow and ice, together with the solemn stillness that prevails, not a sound being heard but the echo of the horses* hoofs prancing along the road, the country has a dreary, cheerless, yet sublime appearance ; impressing the mind with an indescribable sensation of aw'e, loneliness, and astonishment, and bringn^g it back, in imagination, to the primitive ages oftlic world. A U t ' I , Hi Ml Tie c. from ihe couiiirv l-tj^z and in tie cTcLing, "s :. vij .»J_(C c*. ^ cC'ns:::=ri:.i disLiDce iron: ihe ino vbere vc ej;er.i; to stop, i t bc~:-A3;e Tcnr iiir£, £- J tje^iz riiD r>e*i^jv. A? ihere "s"!^ z-:- - ~>: ver i^ ic:ca i:: rhaie obliged to drive or^ -*t— »-C. ;4.jv-. a2fCi.ir£ rr:»z} xiit hikd do: bcr&L [Z'TkH s^irilei it ire c:'_i::-^. Her c "Wc c-UuUd DOI tlj»rn 3- » in" rr*-'- n I I f f i f \ AC w ■c>t: T. rci-ii'Cr.. DJ' J4_.' €A tr^ic. dcuj: kiki ri^ji c AJ- iJJ-t ISc OI14V • cz^ns^tTi i te. * IL V^ 5lJji Sc"» ersj. iL-iC'S fkn :'>»; • • ^w'X. ^'i r-t- -9- :r 'i. » - : • i ^" c:c rikn^ r ^ ^t:i.e:'>, "srerr .« •- IIV, ^5 -- 1 ■«"* * ' ' - iesirsbJe. A: ire cC'-^itrr. 3- "c'T rj:*: L^een in 3on^ beft->re 1 b^can to vr]^\ \re b-i :-:.DtiDDed on the roaJ, r.Mhwit.h>:.ai"!4Jri£: i.-ir riin ; ve appearei to have ef^a.peJ SrvIIa inere:v to be 3i?hei Acs-in?: Chinb- :e.a, nor suirar, iK-r auv thirz. i^r-arcelv, that lif u? couiii eat. The ev t J >c c^me '.">U. no"^ - eTcT. of 'which our hoft.es?' riade >:ire cs.'kef, iDi a kiDd of bev e: aire that tr.ev called hen> /X*k te.2^ a Jec:>ct:on of fniail brioches c-r :he bez:ic»ck tree, a sort of nr tha.t jrovrs to 1 rreat heiirht e tea had a ver\- uno^ea^ i^iLl, bitter davour to me, a^d beinr w-th- :..: s'jga.r, I coald not use it: tne :-2.ke> ^ere better:, and jft^r a nea] which, I m^ft :opJess Bot'srith standing my admiration oi i rert.iin ancient warrior, did not cor. strain •::* to exclaim with him, '' What ;uxurv '.^ve I hitherto been a sirang^e: to!'* we «-ere shewn zo a verv indi^erent bed ; it stimulated bv T'-, J ^if Clean, nowever, an^ *iitiirae an 1 bardshin? of the d^v, I slent 2= soundly in it, perhan?, as ever I did in a r^^2h better z-'^e. ♦f i ' t i 1 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) if. * ^ A**, 1.0 14 5 I.I 2.2 2£ LLi 1.25 U 1.6 ^ 6" ^^ <^ /a m # Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 (v 4 i'l'f i/ti' :,l!l:J I *f 1 i 271* III two or three days afterwards we ar- rived at York. This is a pleasant little town, the houses generally of wood, and containing some good shops. Being the seat of government of the upper pro- vince, it has a house of assembly, court- house, &c. It is situated at the lower end of a long bay, formed by a narrow peninsula stretching up the hike, parallel with the shore, about two miles. On the extremity of this, called Gibraltar Point, stands a light-house, and exactly opposite to it, on the main land, the garrison is situated, where we resided. The lower part of the bay was covered with ice at this time, and the upper part was frequented by immense flocks of wild geese, ducks, &c. which afforded fine sport to our officers, who frequently took a bat- teau during the moonlight nights, and dropping quietly down among them, shot tliem in great numbers. The rivers and lakes of Upper Canada abound with tliesc wild fowl, and those who are fond of shoots \ ^^i 275 ing mcay indulge themselves in it in this country to the utmost of their wishes. — The Indians are particularly expert at this sport ; and I was one day \ery much amused here with an artifice resorted to by two of them, in order to get, unobserved, within reach of a flock of ducks which they saw at a distance from them. They cut a large bush, and fixing it erect at the bow of their canoe, one of them concealed himself behind it, with his gun presented through it, while the other, at the stern, pad- dled gently towards the ducks: when within reach the former fired, and, with un- erring aim, laid several of them floating on the water. My father was particularly fond of shooting, and at York he formed an ac- quaintance with two of these people who, from being well treated by him, and getting plenty of rum, used to take him in their canoe to the haunts of the geese, ducks, £cc. where he had an opportunity of completely satisfying himself with his favourite amase- ment. While we were at this place, the son of ?.ii A a 2 I: H i '( f ii ■1,' •: 1' I Wl Il •..i l|;lh 276 Indian chief, whose tribe was in the vici- nity of the town, died j and as the Indians were engaged in the service of govern- ment, a party of soldiers, with drums and fifes, was sent to bury him with military honours. Curiosity induced me to accom- pany the party. After walking a consi- derable distance, the greater part through a thick wood, not without some secret mis- givings on my part at the idea of joining a party of Indians, in the centre of a forest, late in the day, and far from home, we ar- rived at a small opening, where we found the Indians, with the body, waiting for us. The deceased was a young man, who had been a great warrior, according to the ideas these people entertain of great achieve- ments in war, which was evident from a number of scalps, suspended by a cord, in regular order, from the top of a long staii that was carried with great solemnity jusL before the corpse, as a trophy of his deeds. They had been cut off by his own hand at the battle of Queenston, where he had dis. t 277 tiiiixuished himself. His death was occa- sioned by a cold which he took one night in the woods, where, after hunting all day, he lay down on the snow, with only a blanket wrapped round hiin, outside of his ordinary clothes. The body was in a decent black coffin : at our approach it was lifted upon sticks, by four men, and the procession began to move. An immense number of Indians preceded the coffin ; the last of whom, walking alone, carried the stali' with the scalps ; a few more succeeded it, car- rying the deceased's gun, bow and arrows, with a knapsack, made of the skin of some wild animal ; and the soldiers brougiu up the rear, the drums and fifes playing a dead march. When we had proceeded about a quarter of a mile farther into the wood, we reached the grave, which was at the foot of a large beech tree : the coffin being de- posited in it, the knapsack, gun, bow and arrows placed upon the coffin, and the staff with the scajps placed upright at the head, the soldiers fired a volley over it. The re- 1 1 I ■' ^% I I ;i ii Mi I. 'I ::i^ 1^,1 'i /I , 1 m !).j"' .\ t '■• \ 1 278 port of the muskets had scarcely subsided, when the wliole tribe raised a most appal, ling yell, which, for force and wildness of sound, surpassed any thing I could have conceived the human voice capable of; and such as I should consider well calcu- lated, as General Wolfe observed, ** to strike many a bold heart with affright.** Its ter- rifying echo through the forest, the solitary gloom of the place, and the near approach of evening, gave additional horrors to the cry ; and from not expecting it, the effect it had upon me, being but a young boy, I could not pretend to describe : I should be inclined to suppose it was something simi- lar to the effects of a shock of electricity, for I scarcely knew whether I was standing on my feet or my head. The soldiers fired two rounds more, and the yell was repeated after each : this being concluded, the In- dians proceeded to fill the grave, leaving the knapsack, &c. in it j and the staff, ^vith the scalps swinging about in the breeze, was left at the head, to supply the place of ■ 4M«N««frL..', f ^279 a more permunent and civilized memento of its contents. I was informed that a por- ringer, containing food, was put inside of the coffin ; and upon enquiring into tlie mo- tive for burying the deceased's knapsack, kc» I learned that the Indians suppose, with respect to futurity, that after death the departed take a long journey to a dis- tant country, when they arrive at a very broad and rapid river, which they must cross ; and for this purpose a round log of wood is placed over it. Those who liave conducted themselves with propriety in this life, walk safely over the log, when they enter into a most delightful country, abounding with game of every description : here they spend their eternity in shooting, liimting, fishing, &c. ; and those who have lived improperly here, while crossing the liver, fall in, and are hurried into eternal oblivion. The food put in the coffin was to sustain the deceased on his journey, and the gun and bow and arrows for shooting ill the happy country. 'llirii .1 (I /1 .1 « . A 1' 4. 1 ;:' j'^> U'^' I I ilM if I I i IS V 280 In consklering the impor "^nt fact, that no people, however separated from the rest of the world, and however savage they may be in other respects, who have yet been discovered, are devoid of re- ligion, of one kind or other j that how- ever the various inhabitants of the earth may difter in minor points, all unanimous- ly agree in the great and important one, of the existence of some great supreme Being, who is entitled to their adoration and worship ; that the human mind, how- ever uncultivated, and barren of other ideas, can discern in the works of crea- tion the hand of some unknown and om- nipotent Being, to whom it feels itself subordinate ; I think the Atheist is provid- ed with abundant evidence, if with all his strength oj mind and reasoning he possessed a sufficient degree to enable him to open his mind to conviction, of the absurdity of his doctrine. After taking a minute view of the wonderful system of the universe; the capacious and insatiable nature of the ^■■»Ai„. ■ - ■ — 281 mind of man ; his susceptibility of progres- sive improvement, and yet the impossibility of his arriving at perfection on this side ot the grave ; his vast mental superiority over all the other animals of creation ; the na- tural tendency that this investigation has generally upon the mind of man to convince him of the existence of a great first cause : that a few weak, misguided men should, merely because they wish it were so, come to the conclusion that the whole system should have sprung up by chance ; that it is sustained by mere casualty, and that all will, by chance, return to its original nothingness — (How strange the hypothesis I Could matter so wonderful, so various, so substantial, spring by accident, without an agent, from nothing ? How opposed even to the weak reason of man !) — that they should come to this conclusion, I conceive to be one of the wildest, weakest, and worst- founded speculations that the erring, fal- lible reason of man could be capable of suggesting. .' * ii|)ii H '• "• < 'I V ( I 1 ■s A ^ i '^mm 1 >< h I 1 28'2 A daring infidel, and such there are, From pride, example, lucre, rage, revenfjE, Or pure lieroical defect of thought. Of all earth's madmen most deserves a chain'. On the ^5th of April the grenadier com- pany of the 8th regiment arrived in bat- teaux, from Kingston, on their way up the country. They were allowed to remain during the 26th to refresh themselves after a long journey, and were to have proceeded on the 27th. During the 26th my father and I were in town, and while returning to the garrison in the evening, we were overtaken by Captain M*Neile, of that company, who was also going there. On our way he in- formed my father of the various arrange- ments he had made for the remainder of his journey to the place of his destination, and spoke as confidently of being in Fort George, the next town, on a certain day, as if no untoward circumstance could in- tervene ; or as if uncertainty and disap- pointment were not, alas ! too constantly, the companions of man. When we arrived ^rST-^ :i' 283 at the garrison all was bustle and activity ; the American fleet liad appeared of!' the harbour, and from its manoeuvres it was supposed that York was the place of its de- stination. The troops were under arms, and al- though the greatest activity prevailed in making the necessary dispositions for the defence of the place, very little apprehen- sion was entertained for its safety ; which was rather surprising, since the whole amount of the regular forces, including the grenadiers of the 8th regiment, did not exceed 300 ; the militia, kc, composing a few hundreds more. Early on the morning of the 27th the enemy's fleet appeared, steering directly for the harbour : the troops were again formed in the barrack square, and kept in readiness to march off to oppose the land- ing of the enemy, when it should appear what point they would choose for that purpose. We had a small battery at the [,^1rrison, another at tlie governor's house, ' I !.'\ ]-''\ I I 285 shrine ! What could a few hundreds, even of British soldiers, be supposed to ctlect against the overwhelming superiority of force that their adversaries opposed to them, consisting of a greater number of thousands than they had of hundreds ? — But as it is not the part of British soldiers to surrender at discretion, or quietly to resign the post of honour, without at least making an effort to repel their invaders, the desperate experiment must of necessity be made, and melancholy indeed was the result 1 The grenadier company of the 8th regi- ment consisted of 119 as fine men as the British army could produce, commanded by the brave and elegant Captain M*Neile. I saw the generous hero, at the head of his valiant company, in the prime of life, and prompt to obey the call of honour, march of}~but, ah ! I saw him, and the most of his little band, return no more ! thirty alone escaped the havoc of that day ! * .» I ,r< ': 'i v" i i ' • 'i 'i I Wi '4>»~ V 1 4 m >^ m:^ f ' ' 'ii 11 >■'■ lb, «■' 'it Q86 Ail the regulars tliat could be spared from the batteries advanced beyond the uppermost one, and as the enemy attempt- ed to land, opened a spirited fire upon them ; but, as the latter were so nume- rous that it was impossible to oppose them all, some landed above where our little force was posted, got into the woods, and coming down in their rear cut them oif in great numbers. Captain M*Neile was the first who fell upon this melancholy occa- sion ; the sergeant-major of the 8th, a re- markably fine looking man, was the next, and the carnage soon became general. AVhile this part of our force was con- tending with the enemy in the woods, an unfortunate accident occurred in the bat- tery opposed to the fleet, which proved a death-blow to the little hope that might have been entertained of a successful issue to the proceedings of the day. A gun was aimed at one of the vessels, and tlie officers, desirous of seeing if the ball fT J287 would take effect, ascended the bas- tion : in the mean time the artillery man, waiting for the word of command to fire, held the match behind him, as is usual under such circumstances ; and the travel- ling magazine, a large wooden chest, con- taining cartridges for the great guns, being open just at his back, he unfortunately put the match into it, and the consequence, as may be supposed, was dreadful indeed ! Every man in the battery was blown into the air, and the dissection of the greater part of their bodies was inconceivably shocking ! The officers were thrown from the bastion by the shock, but escaped with a few bruises : the cannons were dismount- ed, and consequently the battery was ren- dered completely useless. I was standing at the gate of the gar- rison when the poor soldien, who escaped the explosion with a little life remaining, were brought in to the hospital, and a more afflicting sight could scarcely be wit« nessed. Their faces were completely black, cb 2 M h' I, lik ■: \ "I , '' » *^- a :it k,-* 5!' 4 !' .; i r in ' ^ J' :liir i| i \ 1 1 ' I. f i i ar ■ f u' t^ 'i ; 290 tlierefore retired into tlje country, to the house of an officer of the militia, where we re- mained a short time ; but, feeling anxious to know the fate of the day, I left the house without tiie knowledge of my mother, and was proceeding towards the garrison, when tlie explosion took place. I heat d the re- port, and feltatremulousmotion in the earth, resembling the shock of an earthquake; and looking towards the spot I saw an im- mense cloud ascend into the air. I was not aware at the moment what it had been occasioned by, but it had an awfully grand effect : at first it was a great confused mass of smoke, timber, men, earth, &c. but as it rose, in a most majestic manner, it assum- ed the shape of a vast balloon. When the whole mass had ascended to a considera- ble height, and the force by which the tim- ber, &c. were impelled upwards became spent, the latter fell iVom the cloud, and spread over the surrounding plain. I stop- ped to observe the cloud, which preserved its round shape while it remained within k r\ \\ ^91 my view. I then advanced towards the garrison, but had not proceeded much far- ther until I discovered our little party col- lected in a close body between the town and that place, which latter they had been obliged to evacuate. After observing their motions for a short time, I looked towards the garrison, when I became the melancholy spectator of what I had never witnessed upon any former occasion, and what I had little anticipated upon this. Just as the Hag-statF caught my eye I saw — and oh ! how my young feelings were harrowed, and my patriotic pride humbled at the sight ! — I saw the " meteor flag " of England bow, by impious, traitorous hands,* to the then triumphant, " star-spangled " banner of America ! Finding that the garrison, which was very near me, was in the possession of the Americans, and, consequently, that all was ■^ Tlie English flag was hauled down, and the Ameii- oau suhstituted, by a sergeant who had doseitcd from tlie British army. \ : *-? M i %^ '< 7 1 1 { It t, ji I, M ,''■ i-l V,'.' i\ Hi h I' t /i K< 1 1 f' f i ■ • I / , t ? R'i tV r -I'l-y - /^ ^(s;iri f "■; ','i ' 292 over, I returned to the house where I had left my mother, and shortly after I reached it a soldier came to us, with directions to proceed to the town as fast as possible. We had a 26 gun frigate upon the stocks at York at the time, the capture or de- struction of which was probably tlie prin- cipal object the Americans had in view in this expedition : the yard where it was building was about mid-way between the town and the garrison j and as the enemy were not sufficiently good soldiers to im- prove the advantage they had obtained, by following our troops immediately after they got possession of the garrison, but, on the contrary, remained in it for sometime after- wards — the second error highly disadvan- tageous to them this day — our people had fortunately an opportunity of consuming the ship, and thereby preventing it from falling into their hands. This was a parti- cularly happy circumstance, since the pos- session of it would have rendered them complete masters of the lake for a long :»*?- 293 time, and most probably during the remain- der of the war. On reaching the town we found the sol- diers evacuating it, on their retreat towards Kingston ; and there being no other alter- native, we joined them, just as we were, and left the town. A* in the morning we had very foolishly entertained no apprehension whatever of being defeated, but left our quarters confi- dent of soon returning, and walked out from the breakfast table as if to look at some curiosity, we brought no clothing with us more than we wore at the moment ; and, consequently, left York about 4> o'clock in the afternoon, to commence a journey of 200 miles through the woods of America, at an inclement season, without an outside garment of any description, or a second pair of shoes. The snow had just thawed also, which, with the heavy and copious rains, usual at this season, rendered the roads, that are bad at best, almost im- passable. 1 ' }■ m \\ I h r'! I M I. . /'I ■i ■' ' 1 J' ■ ■■■^ ■ ^^■, T H h' ' » » n I.* « ; ! ' rf i '. f I m hi •l^^^l 291 M'^e met tlie light company of the Stli regiment at the end of the town, where they had just arrived, after marching from Kingston j and, without making the least halt, were obliged, to i\\Q\Y great satisfaction^ no doubt, to turn and " mark the self-same track again.*' - At a short distance from town we met se- veral of the inhabitants of the country going to it, who made no scruple to express themselves well satisfied with our success, and their new masters. We had walked but a few miles when the weather changed, and it began to rain heavily, which, with the late hour of the evening, induced us to take shelter in the first house we came to : this was a small cottage of only one apartment, eight miles from York, where we were obliged to stay for the night, as the next house was two miles farther on. The main body marched on before us, and left mr father and Lieutenant C — with their families, and a few wounded men, women, and children. People un- is ■} > ^ •S*^. ^r^^i •willies** n r of the 8th :own, where •ching from ig the least f satisfaction^ he self-same n we met se- :he country le to express our success, 1 walked but hanged, and with the late us to take ime to : this 2 apartment, •e we were as the next I. n before us, itenant C — w wounded People un- 295 acquainted with scenes of this kind can form but a very faint idea of them from any description that could be given ; they were new to us at the time, and I siiould not be surprised if this would have been more than sufficient to satisfy the most enthusiastic lovers ofnovellj/, had any such been present. We were too numerous to be accommo- dated with any thing to eat, as the people of the house were poor ; but luckily we had the remains of a leg of mutton, and some bread, that we brought out with us in the morning. I had often heard it remarked, that people sometimes experience great changes during their lives, an observation that occupied very little of my attention, until I saw it very forcibly exemplified upon this occa- sion. One of our officers, until the day before, could not think of dining before parade, on any account ; it was such *' a shocking bore" to be disturbed at his wine ; at this time the bore was stranGfclv reversed, c c i < I lu f t ll-^' I \\\ ,'';i 4 'A: \y i^: ') I 11 V'l ux\ ■i ii V i ^ 296 it being a dread/id one t ner nor wine to be disturbed have neither din- at. Tliere was but one bed in the house, but iliis would have been of little service, even in a separate apartment, as the piteous cries and groans of the wounded, the squal- ling of children, and lamentations of the women, together with our individual feel- ings for the loss of property, &c. were quite sufficient to banish sleep from our eyes.— After the most unpleasant night of our lives, whose lengthened hours passed tediously away, we hailed, with peculiar satisfaction, the first dawn of day. It had rained very heavily during the whole night, but we entertained a hope that it would cease with the approach of morning ; in this, however, we were disap- pointed, for it continued with such severity as to compel us to remain in our miserable sheltering place, without a morsel to eat, as we had distributed the little we had the night before, until about nine or ten o'clock, when it abating a little from pour- ing in ney. other to pro reader know incline event ; one, a the ra< form ] and \\\ dering tation and a eat, it mals, 'c The this de C, an whole afford e strange the fin -••»,■» *!'— e neither din. at. he house, but service, even 5 the piteous led, the squal ;ations of the idividual feel- Sec, were quite m our eyes.— night of our hours passed with peculiar f day. ly during the ained a hope e approach of we were disap- 1 such seventy our miserable morsel to eat, tie we had the nine or ten tie from pour- 297 ing in torrents, we prepared for our jour- ney. Badly as we were circumstanced in other respects, we were fortunate enough to procure a carriage to travel in. The reader may perhaps feel a little curiosity to know of idiat description this was, and also inclined to congratulate us on the lucky event : therefore in order to gratify the one, and enable him to do the other with the more effect, it may not be amiss to in- form him that it was a good strong cart ; and what was particularly pleasant^ consi- dering the state of the weather, our expec- tation of being pursued by the Americans, and a very strong desire for something to eat, it was drawn by two very speedy ani- mals, 2^ yoke of oxen. The females and children were put into this delightjul vehicle, and my father, Mr. C, and the wounded men walked ; the whole forming a procession that might have ^ifforded amusement to a person fond of strange sights. We had two miles to go to fhe first liouse, where we hoped to break- 4 i) i ^ i ■1 11 .1 I; •—••># ■ ■f 'r l!f:' ^ ; % ' )■ 1... 298 fast ; a distance that, owing to the wretched state of the roads, and the slowness of the oxen, occupied nearly two hours ; and a copious shower of rain having fallen the whole time, we had a very comfortable and respectable appearance when we reached it. I believe this was almost the first time in my life that I was taught to appreciate a breakfast, it having been always, until this period, a matter of course ; I had scarcely ever considered its real use or value j but upon this occasion 1 learned that a good blazing fire and a comfortable breakfast, are not among the least of the good things of this life. Here my mother and Mrs. C. purchased two small Indian blankets, all that were to be had, as substitutes for cloaks, at the wojar(:a»B^J*j '299 loyal laiullortl and landlady ox})resscd great anxiety to see us oti', evidently lest the Americans should discover that they had entertained us — about twelve o'clock we left this house in o\n\flij van^ and after a comfortable ride in the rain for about four hours, we stopped for the night in a small liouse,^fe miles from that in which we had breakfasted. Here the accommodations were mise- rable ; but our conveyance being so slow, and the rain so excessive that we could remain under it no longer, we were glad to put up with them. We got tea, &c. but with respect to beds, they were out of the question : a large fire was made, and a quantity of straw shaken upon the floor ; and those who chose to avail themselves of it might " stretch their weary limbs " upon it ; but for those who were not so disposed, there was no other alternative than to submit patiently to the inconvenience. On the following morning we proceed- ed to a house two miles farther clown, c c 2 if It! \\\ \ 4 • I' ^1 f t ' ('i -I r 1! P- 300 where we breakfasted. At this place we found the quarter-master-sergeant of the regiment waiting for us with my father's horse : he had been wounded during the latter part of the action, and not being able to walk, my father had had him put upon the horse, with which he retreated with the main body. The horse proved a great ac- quisition to us, and became very useful afterwards, when in some instances no wag- gon or other conveyance could be procur- ed ; my father and mother riding together, while my brother and 1 walked, and, in turn, walking while we rode. The majority of the inhabitants of this part of the country evinced great disloyal- ty as we proceeded, being much grati- fied with the success of the Americans ; and, considering they had nothing to fear from us, did not hesitate to avow it. In many instances they concealed their horses, waggons, &c. in the woods, to avoid ac- commodating us with them, and told us they had none. Upon one occasion, the 301 fourth morning of our march, as we could not procure any kind of conveyance at the house we had stopped in all night, we were obliged to walk two miles to the next house : here the trick alluded to had been practised ; but two or three wounded men who had remained there all night, and were waiting for us, being aware of it, informed my father, who was very much exasperated at the idea. On threatening the proprietor to have him deprived of his property, and expelled from the country, he very deli- berately brought a couple of waggons, well appointed, out of the wood, after protes- ting, a short time before, that he had no such thing. As the main body preceded us, they made the provisions so scarce along the road, that it frequently happened we could get nothing" to eat from an early hour in the morning until late in the day, which, with the fatigue of walking, proved a useful stimulus to the exercise of our patience. Previous to this march I had always had a f 1 ■; I \'\ r 1^' % ' '. j'r\ ■t' ■■ « ^i' « Hi ■ I f 302 great dislike to cheese ; but one day, after travelling a considerable distance without being able to procure any kind of food, on reaching a house where, it may be suppos- ed, the first thing we asked for was some- thing to satisfy our real hunger, some bread and cheese were set before us j and I could not imagine, upon that occasion, how it was possible that I should have had an aversion to what I then considered one of the most delicious things I had ever tasted. Some districts of this country were, com- paratively speaking, tolerably inhabited, but others were mere woods for many miles J therefore we sometimes met with good accommodation, at others quite the reverse. Upon some occasions we were agreeably surprised by the appearance of a fine mansion, but much more frequently a few farm houses, or cottages of new settlers met our view, after hobbling several miles alonga miserable road, through athick wood. A few days after we commenced walk- ing, our shoes became quite worn: this I ..^\.Z^': i-4»^'- i1 i 303 felt to be the greatest hardship I had en- countered, as the roads were, in many places, excessively bad, and my feet so sore as to afford me great pain ; and to replace them with new appeared hopeless, be- fore we should arrive at Kingston. How- ever, when about half way between that town and York, we found a large cask of ammunition shoes, or shoes provided for the soldiers by government, which had been left at a house by the light company of the 8th regiment, on their way up the country. These afforded a very seasonable supply to many who were with us, and among the rest I took a pair ; but as I was very young, the smallest I could find were considerably too large for me ; and they being very strong, and unbound, the hard upper edges cut mv ankles, so that between shoes and feet I was in fine ** marching order." We at length arrived at a place called Myer's Creek, at the head of the bay of Quinte, where we found a small sloop, which we engaged to convey us to King- ' \l ! ,1 • 'I! I ■ .1 ^l fi ^\ ■^ f. J: lit ti f i i: 804 ston. The following morning it rained very heavily for several hours, and the wind being directly contrary for us, my father considered it adviseable not to put out, as the vessel was not such as to warrant the expectation of gaining much against a foul wind ; but Mr. C, who professed great skill in maritime affairs, assured him it would beat remarkably well, and persuaded him to embark and make a trial, as ** there could be no danger of our being unable to return," in the event of not succeeding. — About one o'clock, therefore, the whole party, which completely filled the vessel, having embarked, we set sail, and stood out of the creek. The bay is about two miles broad at this place, and we made the opposite side tole- rably well, but when we tacked about, owing to some circumstances which I do not per- fectly recollect, we were not only incapable of making any progress doxvn the bay, but could not even return to the opposite side where wc had left. After several iuefiec- " Zsff ^ ^-^it^fv- ^ 305 Uial attempts we were obliged to leave the vessel and go ashore ; and as the night was approaching we went into the first house we came to. Here we met with a' very cool reception : npon enquiring if we could be accommodated for the night, the mistress of the house said, " she supposed we must;" and as we were very wet we sat down be- fore a large fire in the kitchen, upon which there was a great family pot : in this our hostess was making stir-a-bout of Indian meal, called ** suppawn " in this country. After it had boiled a long time, she asked us if we would have some of it, and being very much in the habit of answering such questions in the affirmative, we partook very heartily of what we considered a very nice dish ; and about vine o'clock she put on the tea-kettle, and very kindly made tea for us. They had the best bread at this house that we had seen since we left York. On the following morning, when about to leave them, we wished to purchase some to take with us, but they absolutely refused to sell us a single loaf. I i \\ i' i ■ 'I! I: r ' '' /I ' I I " / i Mi •I ; . J If »;!:> vf i fi 306 Being provided with waggons, we left this inliospitahle spot, and our unfeeling liost and hostess, and proceeded on our journey, under a heavy rain. After travelling ten miles we reached a ferry- house, and discovered, to our great satis- faction, that the only conveyance across the bay, which was two miles broad, was a small wooden canoe, capable of carrying only three or four persons at once. As there was no remedy for the inconvenience, we were obliged to set to work very patient- ly, and cross by degrees : but we had by this time been so accustomed to little an- iioyances and disappointments, that we thought nothing of them. To add to our comfort, the rain con- tinued to fall in torrents, and the wind was much stronger than we could have desired with our ** frail bark, '* in crossing such an extent of water ; but the people were so unkind and averse to us, and the accommo- dations so bad, that we were glad of the opportunity, however miserable, and even ons, we left ir unfeeling Qceeded on rain. After bed a ferry- r great satis- ice across the )road, was a ; of carrying t once. As iconvenience, : very patient- it we had by a to little an- its, that we ;he rain con- the wind was have desired )ssing such an 2ople were so he accommo- glad of the lie, and even 307 dangerous, of getting into a more hospita- ble region. Several hours being spent in crossing, we at length succeeded in getting all over in safety ; but we had to walk half a mile to the inn of a village, at the river Trent ; and our appearance along this road was not less amusing than upon many former occasions. The road was so soft and bad that the younger children could not walk. Mr. C, therefore, took one of his upon his back, while some of the soldiers took others, and my father got my sister upon his. We were as completely bespattered with mud as trudging along such a road was capable of making us ; and, when we reached the inn, if a company of strolling players had been performing ** Henry the4th" in the vil- lage, we could have personified a detach- ment of FalstafTs well appointed corps for them to a great nicety. Here we obtained excellent accommoda- tions and hospitable attention : the land- lady provided Mrs. C. and my mother with Dd 1 .^ ■.ti: I- \\ > i '1 t^ *»■■ Ik 308 Itn.i ^H M II, 1 !/ 1^ f J'- Jfl'*fi llh i~ «'ft- I m I' 'I "A h with his duty before he engaged to perform it : no more was subsequently required of him than to conform to his free, unforced oath, and perform that reasonable duty, which it would have been his interest and advantage to fulfil ; inasmuch as it enjoins sobriety, regularity, abstinence from vice, various requirements conducive to his health and comfort, with an attention to the occupation for which he was engaged. But this, notwithstanding the train of evils he was aware was consequent on the viola- tion of it, his depraved, perverse nature could not be satisfied with, because it re- strained him within happy bounds; he must be at liberty, he must have his own way, and now see the consequence ! ** You too have engaged by a solemn oath, before men and angels, to submit to the authority, and obey, as far as possible to your weak nature, the commands of the King of Kings : it, too, is a reasonable ser- vice, and not without its reward:— 'Oh! no, its reward far surpasses an equivalent -f 313 for the best services (though miserable and insignificant at best) you are able to per- form ; and yet, you too, by reason of your depravity, have deserted your leader j you have fled from your duty, rendered your- self obnoxious to the laws you have offend- ed, and you are at this moment fettered, and in chains, under the care of guards that will not be bribed to allow you to es- cape, who are conducting you to that awful bar, where you must answer for your de- hnquency : and trifling is that punishment which this poor man anticipates, when com- pared with what awaits you, unless the great extenuating plea can be urged on your behalf! " But possibly he is better than myself! « Yes-^Much as you may despise him, per- haps when placed on a level with him, and your respective merits weighed in the balance, you may be • found wanting.' — This man has, to judge from appearances, been brought up in poverty, ignorance and misery ; his mind, probably, instead of be- I \ i-ti. !.''., i 4 I -"^"^^^u i^ !''■,* 1*4 '■; I M t.i * f'i ^HR' kf^^ii 4^ ; I 3li ing made sensible of its natural deformity and depravity, has been vitiated still more by bad example and precept ; instead of being taught to know and fear and love his Maker, he has only heard his sacred name to blaspheme it ; and instead of being in- structed to reverence religion and its pro- fessors, he only knows it as a subject of ridicule and derision. To this miserable man little has been given, and, of course, of him but little can be required. But with i/ou the case is materially difierent : from your earliest infancy you have been made acquainted with the things that be- long to your everlasting peace ; you have been instructed in your duty to God and your fellow-men ; you have constantly had pressed upon your attention the necessity and advantage of " walking worthy of the high vocation wherewith you are called," and the consequences of either improving or abusing the sacred treasure committed to your care. When i/ou transgress, there- fore, you do so against the clearest light, 315 against the loudest clamoui-s of conscience, against the fullest conviction of your mind ; and your offence is infinitely great- er than that of the man from whom the ad- vantages have been v^^ithheld which have been lavished upon you. " And here you have another striking display of the exalted character of virtue, and the debasing nature of vice. This man, previous to giving way to the baneful in- fluence of the latter, w^as on a level with those by whom he is guarded : now he is degrad- ed far below them. Observe them as they march along, and with what different feel- ings do you regard them ; the one an ho- nourable character, who has devoted himself to the service of his country, and is ready to ofler himself a sacrifice for her defence or honour, and as such, entitled to your esteem ; the other a miserable miscreant, exciting your pity and contempt. While vice debases man below his natural level, virtue exalts him far above it, there being no situation in life below which vice cannot m 1*1 ^ % i ■ K (I .J >1 r I' I ? 1> 316 :} A •m I V^^ ! degrade a man ; while there is none so ele- vated above which virtue cannot raise him." A few days afterwards the unhappy man was tried and condemned ; and on the morning appointed for the execution, my youthful curiosity, still panting for new objects, led me to witness the tragical scene. As we lived at the opposite part of the town from the barracks, whence the pro- cession moved to the place of execution, I proceeded to a street through which it must pass ; and just as I reached it, the dead march, which the band was playing, broke, in sad and solemn notes, upon my ear : every hollow roll of the muffled drum seemed to warn the unhappy victim of his approaching dissolution ; every concluding note of the parts of the piece appeared to measure his remaining moments, and to remind him that but a few more remained between it and his appearance in the august presence of his Maker. I waited a few minutes until the pro- 317 cession came up, then accompanied it as it moved slowly on to the time of the dead march, whose lengthened notes appeared to sympathize with the sufferer, in being unwilling to hasten that awful moment, big with such important results to him. The band led the way ; the coffin, the gloomy cradle of death, borne on men's shoulders, followed next ; and immediately behind it, pinioned, and guarded on either side by soldiers, the unfortunate victim to the offended laws of God, of honour, and of his country. The troops of the garrison, a long train, with measured steps, and serious countenances, brought up the rear. Young as I was, I was deeply affected by the solemn and mournful scene, and in- dulged in the serious thoughts that it ex- cited. As the poor man occasionally cast his eyes on the surrounding ob- jects, I fancied I understood the secret ef- fusions of his mind. " These objects, so fair, so pleasing to the view, with what dif- ferent interest are they regarded by me and ,1 A '1. f I : '\ ■r. « ■ « \ M /( . 'V,. .. '■(■ , ■^ 1. f i'l ' f \\ ] J ¥>' 318 ^1% )\ ' •'. M rf !!'■ i . the multitude that accompany me ! The latter, expecting to see them again, per- haps very often, scarcely notice them : but I, /now give them one parting glance, and I must see them again no more for ever ! How strange does it appear to me, and oh ! what secret pangs accompany the reflec- tion ! that of the immense crowd I now behold, I am shortly to be singled out, to serve as a momento, a warning to them of the perishable, short-lived nature of man : and while their thoughts and attention are entirely engrossed with my melancholy fate, in commiserating my untimely end, and deploring my removal from this gay and pleasing scene ; they perhaps overlook the solemn fact that my fate is no uncom- mon one, but that, with a little variety in the mode, they all in turn, as well as I, must close their eyes upon this world for ever, and tread those gloomy, unknown caverns of the dead, which, in a few more fleeting moments, I must venture to ex- plore ! — Oh, vice 1 vice ! wilt thou never 319 cease to glut the ravenous jaws of death's grim tyrant with the half-worn bodies of thy infatuated votaries ! wilt thou still per- sist, with ruthless hand, to shorten the con- tracted span of human life, and hurry thy victims off the stage of existence before their Maker calls them ! wilt thou still prevent them from taking advantage of the precious, the invaluable time allotted to them for the purpose of preparing to meet their God with acceptance, by poisoning theii' minds with thy vain delusions, and ensnaring and leading them to ruin by the tempting, but unsatisfying, deceitful, and fatal baits thou art continually exhibiting to their view ! Who, among my late com- rades, that shall shortly witness the recom- pense I am about to receive at thy hand for having devoted myself to thee, will be deterr- ed from thy service ? Who among them, that shall shortly behold me falh'ng a sacri- fice at thy hateful shrine, shall abandon thee for ever on account of thy base ingratitude, and enrol themselves under the sacred ban- E e ♦'.' m ) i n •:•. I ■Hi 320 i \ fi i f p't if ' "■ K ') ners of virtue ? If fifty, if twenty, nay, if even one should, by my death, be extricated from thy fatal grasp, of what infinite ser- vice would the melancholy example be pro- ductive ! then indeed might it be said that benefit may accrue even from vice. He marched with a firm step, and serene countenance ; and as he sometimes raised his eyes, which seemed to express a mixture of hope, confidence, and supplication, to heaven, I imagined I could still further read in them the inward workings of his soul — " I have indeed deviated from the path of virtue; I have transgressed the laws of God, by breaking a solemn cove- nant which I sealed, by calling upon him to witness ; I have brought upon myself shame, disgrace, and death ; and although I have rendered myself worthy of the se- verest chastisement of Providence, yet his dispensations towards me have been mark- ed with great mercy. He has allowed me the opportunity of becoming acquainted with my spiritual state by nature and by 1 321 practice ; and instead of cutting me off, iu an unguarded moment, * in the very blos- som of my sin/ he has afibrded me time and inclination to call upon him for mercy and forgiveness ; and has assured me, tliat although my life has passed away in the neglect of this momentous duty, yet that even at the eleventh hour he is willing to take a repenting sinner into the warmest embraces of his love.*' A ray of hope and joy now seemed to beam from his thoughtful eye, and diffuse itself over his whole countenance, and ap- peared to express that the painful feelings, natural in circumstances such as his, were in a great measure removed ; and that he was even able to triumph over the horrors that darkened his few remaining moments. However, I thought I could discern a mo- mentary dejection and anxiety suddenly overcloud this gleam of sunshine. These, thought I, must have been occasioned by the recohectionof his wife and nine children, whose widowed and fatherless state has cross- :/ h ••h ■'\: i: '« A I f 322 if ''\ H 1 I ' i hi 11 Wr ed his mind, and disturbed its tranquillity : but in a few minutes they disappeared again, and his countenance resumed the calmness and hope that had just before animated it. This, I conceived, resulted from that sacred promise flashing across his mind for his comfort, and bidding him to resign them to His care, which He, to whom he looked at this awful moment, had made, to be " a father to the fatherless, and the widow's friend." In a short time the procession reached the place of execution, a large common outside of the town. Here the troops were formed into three sides of a square ; the coffin was placed in the centre, and the un- fortunate culprit seated upon it,with his back towards the open side of the square. A ban- dage having been tied over his eyes, a firing party, consisting of six men, advanced into the centre of the square, and stood a few paces in front of the sufferer. The adju- tant then read his sentence aloud, after concluding which he made a few signs to 3QS the firing party, the last, by a white hand- kerchief, being the awful signal to launch the fatal bullets at the prisoner. The un- happy man, on receiving their fire, gently fell on his left side, a lifeless corpse. The troops were again formed into divi- sions, and, after marching close past the deceased, returned to their quarters. As desertion was very frequent at this time, the Indians were employed to inter- cept the deserters in the woods, and were allowed a reward for every soldier, dead or alive, they brought into town. One mor- ning the barrack yard presented a melan- choly and shocking scene. Thiee or four of the Glengary regiment, who had been shot in the woods by the Indians, lay ex- tended on the ground : one of them had received a ball in the breast while in the act of kneeling and aiming his musket ; and his death had been so instantaneous that he became stiff in that position, his arms being extended, and one knee bent ; probably owing in a great measure to the £ e 2 >l i ij 1 •H ■n .:i«! ?- j-i ; ^, ■ i>*' , ■■('i"«»*-. 3^5 consequences that might result from the enemy being put in possession of the infor- mation that deserters might carry to them ; the necessity of putting a stop to the bane- ful practice will be found to have tolerated every method that could be resorted to for that purpose. END OF THE RECOLLECTIONS. If I 1 i ;v\ m. I I ) I 1 A fir! ■ —■ -r%Kafc,a;r=r-j: i N, i.- ■' " ^3 iSr^' .» ; ■ ' J • THE JOURNAX. XtESUMSD. Tuesday, 19th July, 1825 — Having en- gaged a passage on board the brig Green- how, bound for Newry, I embarked in the evening, and on Wednesday we again took leave of " Old Quebec." The morning was line, with a gentle breeze. A ship geiiing under weigh displays a lively, active scene. ** Man the windlass !'* was the first order of the mate : the windlass was quickly manned, and the seamen commenced weighing the anchor — and, as the great chain cable clanked along the deck, and the sailor sent -5^^ .f! SUMBD. —Having en- le brig Green- ibarked in the we again took e morning was A. shipgeuing active scene, e first order of ickly manned, weighing the chain cable Ithe sailor sent 327 forth his long and slow-toned " yeo — heave —oh !*' the sounds reached the ear with more important meaning than merely that the anchor was raising from the bottom. — They reminded me that I was once more about to be exposed to the dangers of the great, stormy, trackless ocean, which I had but recently escaped ; that the gay and interesting scene then before me would soon fade from my sight , that I was about to leave this pleasant country, where I had been spending a few weeks most agreeably, and which had formerly been one of the " Seats of my youth, when every sport could please." And however strange it may appear, I could fancy that in the coarse and boiste- rous voice of an uncultivated, and too frequently profligate and profane sailor, may be heard that of wisdom and instruc- tion also, in cases of this kind. " You are about to undertake a long and dan- gerous voyage : you have committed your- self to the care and guidance of men who. \. ' •l V ^ ' /I i I' ni ^- ^. .' J*/ ^! /ii'» >b 328 of themselves, are incapable of preserving you from, and leading you clear of, the dangers that lie every where in your way : trust not alone to them, therefore, but apply for protection and safety to Him who has given the ocean its bounds which it can- not pass i and who, being able to say to it, ' thus far shalt thou go, and no further,' can also say to it, < these I permit to pass over in safety, see that thou do them no harm.'" But although these sounds re- minded me of satisfactions then ended, yet did they also bring to recollection that I was just commencing a voyage that would restore me to my family, who would hail with joy the moment of my arrival, and receive me with feelings of pleasure. They represented the happiness I must de- rive from the meeting, after a long sepa- ration J and these considerations were much more than sufficient to counter- haAd^"**^ any feelings of regret that might accr'ie from the former. •* Man your topsail sheets, and overhaul 1^.. 1.^! 329 your clue-lines and buntlines !" cried the mate ; the seamen sprang to their places with the greatest alacrity, and the command was soon executed* The topsail haliards, or rope by which the topsail is hoisted, was next ordered to be manned, and the hoisting was accompanied by a lively song, the words of which, being the extemporary composition of the seaman who led, af- forded me a good deal of amusement.— One man sung, and the rest joined lustily in the chorus. The following is a speci- men :— Oh rouse bim up, Chorus— Oh, yeo, checrly ; Now for Warrenpoint, Oh, yeo, cheerly ; Oh mast-head him. Oh, yeo, cheerly ; Cheerly men. Oh, yeo, cheerly ; Newry girk, Oh, yeo, cheerly; Rouse him up cheerly. Oh, yeo, cheerly ; Oh, with a will, Ob, yeo, cheerly ; Oh, oh, yeo. Oh, yeo, cheerly. From some of these few simple words, the effusions of the heart, at the moment, no doubt, an important inference is plain. \>A i( . / « ( •il ■4 ^■-'1 mi' 330 "From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh," is a faithful saying; and, it is evident, from some of this man's ex- pressions, that although separated, by an immense tract of ocean, in " a far country," and lately accustomed to new scenes and new acquaintances, yet •• home, sweet home," had not lost its attractions, nor had it been obliterated from his memory by them ; but, on the contrary, had probably been increasedly endeared to him. He felt what had been once felt before, by an indi- vidual who could express the sentiment in far more enchanting strains ; and who, in giving a thought to his country, could exclaim, Where'er I roam, whatever reaimn to see, My hearty tintravelled, still returns to thee ! He now, in common with the rest of the crew, seemed to hail the moment of re- turn with lively satisfaction ; and, not un- advisedly, employed the mention of country, home, and their fascinations to his comrades, as a heart-touching stimulus to exertion in the duty they were performing. 331 And oh ! how enviable must this man's case have been, in the estimation of many of those who had left the country, in com- pany with him, to which he was then pre- paring to return ! What must have been their feelings as they caught the last glimpse of that vessel which had brought them to a distant land, but which, in re- visiting the land of their fathers, the land of their nativity, of their dearest connec- tions, of all that had hitherto engrossed their affections, returned, alas ! without them ! While those on board were realiz- ing the sacred satisfaction connected with the idea of again soon beholding all they held dear ; the others, in losing sight of them, as the vessel vanished behind the head-land of Point Levy, felt the only link that yet seemed to remain between them and their country, broken in a moment for ever. Oh-! how grateful should those be to Providence, whose milder fate it is never to feel those pangs of separation from all the ! 1 !(. ■ !'■ I r\ ( I t1 ft ,U ■'( 'i 352 endearing ties with which the affections of their hearts are interwoven ! that they are permitted to enjoy connfort, ease, and con- venience, under the much-cherished pater- nal roof, instead of being obh'ged to wander in search of them to a far-foreign land, to the land of the stranger, and too, too fre- quently, the pitiless stranger ! If they only knew the ** great price '* of the *• pearl " they possess, surely they would appreciate it more, and be more thankful to the great bestower of it. We were now under weigh, with a light breeze, and the ship glided gently down the harbour. The master that brought the vessel out to Quebec was to leave her here : be had come on board to see us off, and as he left us, the crew gave him tiiree cheers ; and when the new master came on board shortly afterwards, he was received with three animated cheers also. I was sorry, however, that there was but little sincerity in the latter : while walking the deck, I nad heard their conversation upon the sub- \ \ ■ I ( ) ■ I • t 333 ject, a little before the master reached the vessel, and when they commenced cheer- ing, I was disgusted with their hypocrisy. It reminded me of the ancient Israelites, who drew near with their mouths, and ho- noured God with their lips, while their hearts were far from him. Had I seen less of the world I should have been at a loss to conceive how they could have been guilty of so much dupli- city ; but that is so common in it that it ceases to excite any surprise, even in the minds of those who have only had a glance into it. I was certainly very much astonished at the first glaring instance of this vice that I remember to have witnessed : it occurred at a small town in Lower Canada, where my father's regiment was quartered for a short time. I had gone from Montreal, where I was at school at the time, on a visit to my family ; and during my stay the regiment was ordered suddenly dovv^n the country. As the town was on the eastern side of the I .1 H I Va (I',. '( ' ^1 /I ii fi ^ ml' I 'f hid: 334 St. Lawrence, and no regular communica- tion was held with Montreal, except by the steam-boat ; and as the latter took the regi- jnent to Quebec, I was obliged to wait its return. My host and hostess were Dutcli people ; the former considerably advanced in years. One morning a young gentle- man of their acquaintance, who had just ar- rived from Quebec, entertained us with an account of a prank he had lately assisted in playing upon a young man, a mutual re- lation of the parties, who had been lately married. Formerly a custom prevailed in Canada, though now but seldom used, for a number of people to collect about the house of a newly married man, late on the evening of his wedding, and daub the whole front of it with mud, and every kind of filth. It was in putting this custom into practice that our visitor had been engaged j and the old people enjoyed the particulars of the account very much, laughing heartily at it. The young man proceeded on his jour- i ii i{ 3S5 ney the following morning; and, what was very remarkable, before I left the town, the gentleman, the victim of thd sport, arrived also, and, of course, came to the house. He, too, gave us an account of the affair, but with very different feelings, and in a very altered strain : he was much exasperated at their relation's conduct, and exclaimed against him in very indignant language. My worthy host and hostess, apparently of a very sympathetic disposition, and, through poUteuess, I suppose, willing to be ** all things, to all men," pretended to feel precisely with him upon the subject, informing him that the otiier had been there a short time before, and had mentioned the proceeding, not concealing from them that he had taken an active part in it : upon which they had said to him, " And more nhamefor you /" and had expressed them- selves " very indignant at his conduct/** From inexperience of the world I had formed very erroneous views of it, repre- senting it to my mind 2^%I considered it should F f 2 { i 1 \ \ •'a I 'J .1 1 h ' /I r 4. ■^i- ^i I ' ) 336 be, and therefore did not entertain the most distant idea that there could be any thing of this kind in it j it maybe easily judged, therefore, with what surprise I, who had been present upon the former occasion when this old pair were so much amused, heard them express themselves in this manner. I was confounded, and concluded that this must have been a solitary instance of such depravity j I thought it could scarcely be paralleled : it has frequently presented it- self to my mind since, and with it the amus- ing idea of my simplicity, and unacquaint- ance, at that time, with men and manners, I have frequently considered it a cir- cumstance to be deplored, that, in too many instances, the words, and even actions, of the people of the world are no criteria by which to judge of their real sentiments. — One may have friendship professed, per- haps favours bestowed, and may be in- clined to conclude from them that sincere friendship is the cause of all, from igno- rance of the motives or intentions of the Tl 337 party they proceed from j but in a short time, perhaps, some trifling circumstance occurs that exposes the real sentiments of the mind, and one finds that all had their source in self-interest, or some baser principle. Lord Chesterfield has said, that half a dozen reaU sincere friends are as many as a man can meet with in the whole course of his life. I imagine that the individual who can calculate upon that number may con- sider himself possessed of a large stock ; but I apprehend that not a few, who have seen life in its vicissitudes, are willing to admit, as correct, the poet's assertion upon the subject, Friendship, like love, is biU a name, Unless to one you stint the flame. And as for a Damon and Pythias, I believe it would easily soften a heart as cruel as that of Dionysius to meet with them in the present day. When we reached the entrance of the ■I !< ! ] • ? U^ ^Mri-!! W ': /I ii'i "^ ■A ^^- i i' if '. 33S harbour we had a full view of the Falls of Morency, a beautiful cataract nearly one hundred feet high, formed by the river Morency falling into the St. Lawrence.— The water assumes the appearance of foam immediately after leaving the bed of the river, and of course retains it to the bottom of the fall. The sun shining upon the spray, and the vapour that rises from below glittering in his beams, render the cataract a magnificent sight. From this point the spectator is pre- sented with a delightful prospect. On the left, while his heart is gladdened with the comfort and neatness displayed by the handsome, cultivated farms, his eyes are charmed with the churches, shore, &c. of Point Levy : a little further to the right, the famous city of Quebec stands full be- fore his view. Seated, in {|roud defiance, on the summit of a lofty rock, commanding each approach, far beyond the reach of harm from the weak attempts of any hostile fleet, while her tin- •*, ^^ 339 clad roofs and spires, like radiant costly gems, or richly spangled robes, reflecting Phoebus' beams, glitter in lustre bright, she seems the haughty queen of Cabot's northern world. Enclosed on every side by high and well-built battlements, and secured by massy towers, she looks down, with conscious majesty, on the stream that flows beneath-*and now, with angry frown, commands its tides away — the obse- quious stream obeys, and, loath to incur her dread rebuke, from her northern front re- cedes, with force impetuous ; when, like Jordan's stream of old, as Levi's tribe ap- proached, it retires far away, and leaves its bed so dry that, where ships, in stately pomp, upreared the spreading sail, and swept its heaving breast, the rude Cana- dian, with his horse and cart, drives whist- ling o'er: the cattle, tired of sun-burnt grass, their slighted fields forsake, and sally forth to feast on rising spots which, clothed with waving sedge and sprit, afford a rich repast : the ships, with humbled pride, of i i '1 " ''1 t , t ;£iM 340 their native floods berefl, with one side on the ground, the other towards the skies, like man whose breath is reaved away, lie moveless on the strand. Again, she cries — Return ! — the obe- dient tides attend, and as before, to shun her rage, they fled with rushing force, so now, to court her smiles, they hasten promptly back, and in a mighty deluge come roughly pouring in. The ground again is lost — a lake now re- appears. The heedless grazing herd, unconscious of the trick that nature plays, still feed securely on, until at length encircled by the stream, and borne upon its waves, they betake them- selves to swimming, when, with eyes fixed on the land, they exert their ponderous force, and, with many an awkward plunge, regain the well-known shore. The ships, once more upraised by the returning flow- ing tide, erect their sails on high, and gently floating on the deepening flood, their wonted powers resume. In front, the thickly inhabited and hand- n; \ v^. I til one side on rds the skies, ived away, lie rn ! — the obe- efore, to shun hing force, so they hasten ty deluge come round again is The heedless "the trick that irely on, until stream, and betake them- vith eyes fixed eir ponderous ward plunge, The ships, [eturning flow- on high, and ng flood, their ted and hand- 34,1 some country of Beauport, Charlebord, Lorette, Montmorency, with the falls, all bounded by mountains, appear in pictu- resque beauty, and on the right is the Isle of Orleans; forming altogether a most ex- tensive, beautiful, varied and complete landscape. The large ship, the Baron of Renfrew, was lying at anchor between the Falls and Isle of Orleans, and contributed to the perfection of the scene. We soon lost sight of Quebec after sail- ing round Point Levy, and proceeded slow- ly down the river. In the afternoon we met several vessels from England and Ire- land with passengers : they were sailing up with a strong fair breeze, which, although quite unfavourable for us, I could not envy them, I remembered the satisfaction we had derived a short time before from the prospect of an approaching conclusion to our long and tedious passage, and, no doubt, that of their crews was no less. The wind continuing strong up the river until Saturday evening, prevented us from s •• ( i .' • '/ ' ' t H 'if 1 ', ■ i' i» «i .' II 342 making much progress since we had left Quebec. On that night we were at anchor, and experienced very unpleasant weather : we had awful thunder and h'ghtning, ac- companied with heavy rain. A large ball of fire was seen falling into the water, about half a mile from the vessel. I was in tlie cabin at the time, and the windows being open, I found a very strong smell of sulphur come in by them. During the storm the wind changed, and on the following morning we made all sail : about one o'clock the pilot left us, and in a short time we were past all the inhabited parts of the banks of the river. Here, then, I had to bid adieu to free, happy, pleasant Canada ; where, among the few subjects of regret I had met with, was the heartless idea associa> ted with the fact* that even in this country the poverty of numbers of my distressed countrymen, on their landing, who have emigrated to it, has been such as to liavc procured for them and their compatriots i^-' T 343 the distinguishing appellation of " Bas de soief" or, silk stockings. Tuesday— As the shores of Canada re- ceded from my view, by the " dark blue sea** interposing its gently undulating sur- face between them and me, and concealing them from my sight, perhaps for ever, I felt justified in taking my final leave of them, with the following exclamation ; — ** Fare- well, ye happy, peaceful shores — where Freedom has reared her golden standard : Peace has planted her olive branch : Ceres' horn overflows with plenty : the daemon of faction is unknown, and whence bigotry is in a great measure banished. Where, as the stranger approaches, coming from en- slaved Europe, enslaved, compared with you, he inhales a freer, purer air. Long may your inhabitants enjoy their inestima- ble advantages and privileges : may they ever stand forth in the ranks of honour to frustrate every attempt of tyrants, who might wish to bind them with their hateful chains, and deprive them of the dear, the fr ' I :t Hi i , I (,1 si ■•■■■ i 3H 'It invaluable rights of men, which once lost are not easily recovered 1" Friday, 29th July — We arrived of Cape Hay, on the south-west coast of Newfound- land ; the next morning we lost sight of it again, and committed ourselves to the great western ocean. We had an uncom- monly fine passage across the Atlantic, there never having been necessity to " call all hands, " or ** reef the topsails ; " a cir- cumstance of very rare occurrence, and which was quite a novelty to all on board, consequently we met with no incidents worthy of notice. Wednesday, 17th August — We were again delighted with the sight of " Old Erin's" shores, as the high land of Dungar- van appeared to view. " Hurra for ould Paddy's Land once more !" exclaimed one of the sailers. " By my sowl I'll soon have a blow out now !" said another. «• A blow out of what ?'* asked one of his companions. " Of champ, to be sure," replied the poor fellow. » 1 345 As the land appeared in sight, a fresh excitement to our gratitude and praise to the Divine Being, for his protection and kindness, appeared with it. We once more gazed upon our native land, I trust with those warm and enthusiastic feelings of patriotism and pleasure that are natural to every man at the sight of his country, after having been from it a considerable time. — And what a great addition to my satisfac- tion would I have experienced had I been able to hail it in the same terms in which I had bid adieu to the last country I had left, " hail ! ye happy, peaceful shores, &c. !" But ah I no, thought I, this is a gratification I must at present be a stran- ger to ! While the sight of its shores affords me delight, a glance at the state of its in- habitants and affairs brings to view matter of deep and heartfelt regret, and wrings from my bosom, with the most poignant anguish, the pathetic exclamation of ii lamented Irish patriot, upon a former oc- ' 11 M' t \ t -.1 T ^1 ■ 1 346 casion, ** Oh ! my country ! it is now that I feel for thee !" Thursday — We were so completely be- calmed above the Tusker light-house, that when the tide ebbed it brought us down a considerable distance below it. On Friday we were off Dublin Bay, where we were also becalmed until Sunday eve- ning. On the morning of that day several steam vessels passed us at a distance, some going to the city, and others from it to- wards England. Perhaps there are few situations in which the great utility and superiority of steam navigation, and the great advantages arising to society from this most important inven- tion, would strike the mind more forcibly, or be more appreciated, than that in which we found ourselves at this time. While our vessel was lying motionless upon the water, perfectly unmanageable by those on board, under the entire influence of the tide, which, in other places, might have borne us quietly, during the existence of a i{ it is now that 34,7 serene sky, and delightful weather, to that destruction which in general is only dread- ed from storms and tempests, and which all our exertions could not evert ; the steam vessels could not only proceed on their op- posiie courses, independent of wind and tide, but also with a great degree of ve- locity. Those on board of them could go wherever their business led them, uncon- scious of the embarrassment and delay that we were labouring under. This invention has almost removed the great and frequent interruptions to busi- ness of every kind, that were formerly ex- jierieuced, where it was influenced by, or depended upon communications by water ; and when we consider the vast extent, frequency, and high importance of those communications, and the great disadvan- tages arising heretofore from their depen- dence upon the inconstant winds, we arrive at some idea of the obligations which the world lies under to the genius who, under the direction of Providence, discovered tho ci g 2 li h •> '1 i 348 invention that has in a great measure ena- bled man, in the prosecution of his aiFairs, to place himself even beyond the control of the very elements. While these ideas respecting the utility and advantage of navigation by steam oc- curred to me, I amused myself also, for a short time, in reflecting upon the various characters who might possibly have been on board the vessels. There, perhaps, thought I, goes the distinguished statesman, on business of high importance to the na- tion. His arrival is to be announced by peals of joyful thunder ; and while the whole metropolis, perhaps kingdom, is in agitation by his visit ; while splendid man- sions are thrown open for his reception, and the busy voice of welcome and con- gratulation hails him wherever he appears ; and while the multitude, aware of his ap- proach, crowd the strand, eager to obtain a sight of him, the poor, houseless, friend- less wretch steals, unobserved, from the same vessel as she moors in port, and makes / M- 349 his way, unnoticed, tlirough the crowd, to seek, in some humble shed, an obscure and comfortless lodging ! In contemplating this great difference that the world makes between two beings, originally the same, formed of the same materials, and descended from the same common parents, the mind is lost in as- tonishment. In all probability their des- tinies were equally undirected or unin- fluenced by themselves j this difference, in most cases, is accidental to the parties, without being owing to their own conduct or exertions : man has, every thing consi- dered, but little share in the making of his circumstances, and yet this wide difference does exist. It is strange, it is incompre- hensible to our weak and shallow under- standings ; but, being ordained by infinite, infallible wisdom, it must be right. The mischievous demagogue, perhaps, with " vile intent, " to set the nation " by the ears." Professing himself a warm pa- triot, a zealous and sincere advocate for the '1? i •! ','1 t ( J / •^' J^' 350 rights of his countrymen, and sensibly touched with their wrongs and sufferings, he pretends to employ his exertions, and, periiaps, considerable talents, with a view to obtain them redress, while at the same time, in order to gratify his ambition, for- ward his private views, avenge former in- juries, or some such motives, those talonts and exertions are used to the injurj', not the benefit of his countrymen, to the con- tinuance or increase of their oppressions, not their removal, and a whole nation be- come the dupes of a few artful and design- ing men ; and thereby plunge themselves into difficulties, and incur restrictions that they might otherwise have been exempt from. The man of business, perhaps, who, in- tent upon gain, and only occupied with the speculations he has been entering into, as- pires not at the applause or gratitude of his countrymen, who probably ascribe but little merit to him, conceiving his motives to be merely selfish and interested j and is perhaps ind sensibly id sufferings, ertions, and, with a view at the same imbition, for- ^e former in- those talents e injury, not , to the con- r oppressions, le nation be- l and design- e themselves trictions that )een exempt ips, who, in- ied with the ing into, as- titudeof his ibe but little otives to be d is perhaps 351 himself unconscious of the benefit he is producing to his country ; although upon consideration we find that by employing his capital and talents in his quiet and un- observed way ; in providing employment for the labouring class in various ways, thereby affording them the means of acquir- ing an honest and comfortable subsistence -, in finding a vent for the overplus of the produce and manufactures of the country, and supplying it with the commodities of other countries in return, he is actually conferring much greater and more substan- tial advantages upon his country than the last mentioned character, notwithstanding all the glare of popular approbation and gratitude with which he is intoxicated, and which the multitude blindly bestow upon him, to their own ruin or injury. There, perhaps, goes the midnight as- sassin or ruthless murderer — his hands yet reeking with his neighbour's blood. — Covetous of his fellow's property, and un- willing to submit to the slow and honours- t v, n 'J 352 .Li ■t ble method of acquiring wealth by industry, and attention to some lawful employment, he has found it impossible to deprive his neighbour of his, without bereaving him of his life also. He has therefore imbrued his hands in innocent blood ; perhaps hurried an unprepared soul into the presence of its awful Maker, without allowing one moment to cry for mercy ; and possibly, after the horrible deed was committed, finding it ne- cessary to escape, even without his intend- ed booty, hurried to the shore, fortunately, as he thought, found a vessel just leaving, embarked, and for the moment, eludes the hand of justice.— What then must be his feelings and impressions at this time !— With the guilt of murder on his head, aware of the consequences if apprehended, and probably with but a very faint hope of escape, does he secretly wish the deep may open her mouth and swallow him, before his shame be exposed to the world ? — Ah, foolish, dangerous wish ! Is he unmindful that all the punishment man is capable of 1 '1^ 1 by industry, employment, > deprive his saving him of 3 imbrued his rhaps hurried iresence of its ; one moment lilv, after the I finding it ne- ut his intend- 3, fortunately, I just leaving, nt, eludes the I must be his this time !— s head, aware bended, and int hope of he deep may him, before world ? — Ah, le unmindful is capable of 353 inflicting is bat trifling to that which awaits, in another world, the impenitent, unpar- doned murderer ! The pious Missionary, perhaps, on the important business of his profession ; who, having devoutly and zealously engaged in his Master's cause, has resigned all the sa- tisfactions and enjoyments, the elegancies and comforts of civilized society, every thing that tends to make this life desirable, in order to become the messenger of ** glad tidings of great joy *' to the heathen na- tions, who have long *< sat in darkness and the shadow of death 5" to make known to them the salvation from eternal misery, purchased for them by the atoning blood of the Son of God ; to acquaint them with the glorious character and exalted attri- butes of God himself, of whom they have hitherto entertained very false and erro- neous ideas. His religion, the real, genuine religion of the gospel, has enlarged his mind, ex- panded his views, and kindled in his breast I .1 ■J ' H t . < r, . . I Ml ^hl 354^ the sacred flame of chanty and brotherly love, which, now no longer confined within the narrow limits of his country, but ex- tended to the whole human race, has taught him to consider all men his brethren, as belonging to the same family, and equally entitled to the same advantages and privi- leges ; and while he observes, with delight, one portion of this large family in full pos- session of those inestimable spiritual ad- vantages that an acquaintance with the Scriptures and their Creator affords, he looks abroad with compassion to distant lands, where a much larger part of it are yet entirely unacquainted with them.— With a lively interest in their welfare, a breast glowing with an ardent desire of seeing all men participate in the blessings of redemption, and an earnest longing for the extension of the Saviour's kingdom, he devotes himself to the performance of what his conscience tells him is his incum- bent duty— a duty of the most important and laudable character ; in the accomplish- f\(V «: and brotherly confined within luntry, but ex- •ace, has taught s brethren, as ly, and equally ages and privi- ts, with delight, nily in full pos- le spiritual ad- tance with the tor affords, he sion to distant r part of it are with them.— eir welfare, a ent desire of n the blessings st longing for ur's kingdom, erformance of is his incum- |nost important e accomplish. 355 ment of which he has to encounter difHcuI- ties, obstacles, and dangers that, with other motives and views, and under other cir- cumstances, would bear a most fearful, for- midable and discouraging aspect. He commences with the perils of the sea, to which he may be long exposed ; — after escaping these, he must place himself at the mercy of savages who, with the pre- judices caused by early impressions, in fa- vour of the opinions and modes of worship they have been accustomed to from their earliest years, are ready to display an inve- terate hostility to a stranger, who intrudes upon them with a view to change their sen- timents for his, upon a subject that, of all others, men least like to have meddled with ; and while he endeavours to intro- duce a new mode of worship, and new ideas of religion, he finds himself under the peri- lous necessity of displaying the inconsis- tency and absurdity of the old. He looks forward with joy to the glorious reward held out to his view for his labours, Hh ■'I 1,' A [J re' r'/T 356 privations, and the sacrifices he has made* He anticipates, with rapture, the sacred satisfaction he is to derive from imparting to his fellow-creatures those important truths that have been productive of sucli glorious consequences to those who have aheady been made acquainted with them ^ and he rejoices in becoming an humble in- strument, in the hand of Providence, to. wards the fulfilment of Isaiah's consoling prophecy, that The beam that shines from Zion's hill Shall lighten every land ; The King who reigns in Salem s towers, Shall all the world command. There, perhaps, goes the adulterer, glorying in his shame* glorying in the com- mission of one of the foulest crimes that disgrace human nature, and bearing witli him, in triumph, his guilty and ruined prize ! To accomplish his base designs he has been under the necessity of divesting himr5elf of every noble feeling of the hcart> of every principle that raises man above t' i he has made* re, the sacred rom imparting )se important ictive of sucli tose who have id with them j an humble in- rovidence, to. ih's consoling ons hill ns towers, he adulterer, ig in the com- t crimes that bearing witli and ruined ise designs he i of divesting I of the heart, s man above 357 the brute : he has sacrificed every claim to the respect of his fellow men, incurred the displeasure of heaven, and, blindly led by the impulse of depraved nature, for the gratification of his vicious and brutal pro- pensities he has plunged himself into dis- grace and infamy. lie has torn his unfor- tunate victim, perhaps, from a husband, once dear to her as her own soul ; whose society and regard, until she became ac- quainted with her seducer, afforded her the highest degree of earthly enjoyment and happiness; from a lovely and innocent young family, who now ask for theii* " mamma *' in vain, and wonder that the mention of her name should excite such despair and anguish in the mind of their wretched father. He has rendered misera- ble her unfortunate husband, until now happy in the supposed, probably real, affections of her who was wiiolly possessed of his, who, with the dear innocent pledges of their former mutual love, was the prin- cipal source of all his enjoyments, of all his ^1 i p^^ r % .! 1 858 care and anxiety, who participated in all his satisfactions, and cheered him in the gloom of adversity. He, wretched man, hears the dreadful intelligence with consternation and anguish, aggravated most probably by the circumstance of the execrable author of his bitter sufferings having been the object of his esteem and warmest friendship ; admit- ted into his house, and to the enjoyment of his hospitality, with the most unsuspecting confidence ; in return for which he has cruelly and ungratefully planted thorns — thorns of the most envenomed and rankling wound, where he had gathered roses cf the most fragrant kind ! He has blasted the fond hopes, and destroyed the fair pro- spects of his benefactor, who, in the loss of his peace, his honour, and almost every thing dear to him here, is almost desirous to have involved that of his life also. The interest and welfare of his family, however, demand his attention, and recall him to the exercise of his various duties ; while the fu- ture destiny of the lately beloved partner If- ii. S59 of his life presses heavily on his distracted mind. She, poor, deluded, wretched crea- ture ! is soon to reap the fruits of her folly and crime. Can it be expected tliat lie, who was capable of such villany towards the man that had loaded him with benefits, thereby imposing a weighty debt of grati- tude upon him, will be too sensible to the calls of honour to forget the duty he owes to her who, for Iiis gratification, has left a fond husband, an amiable and endearing family, a comfortable and once happy home, and relincpiished all the exalted satis- factions arising from these, and imprudently a!id most wickedly cast herself upon his protection? Ah! no — The unfeeling wretch that could be guilty of the first crime, after his brutal desires are satiated, the evil consequences of his conduct begin to dcvclope tlicmselves, and the unfortu- nate dupe of his perfidy, and partner in his crime, begins to be a burden upon him ; unmindful of the sacrifices she has made tori li: si'ke, a!i d impatient of the cumbroi 13. n tih ( »l S60 and now no longer delightful charge, he resolves to forsake her ! Now commence her sufferings — Deserted by him to whom alone, under existing circumstances, she could look for support ; rejected and de- spised by the virtuous ; destitute of the comforts, nay, even the common necessa- ries of life, what must follow ! If by her folly she has plunged her hus- band into an abyss of misery and woe, the blow now recoils with equal, if not re- doubled force, upon her own devoted head. If her heart be not callous to every tender feeling, if rellection be not entirely exclud- ed from her mind, the recollection of home, the irreparable injury done to her husband and her forsaken family, the disgrace she has brought upon her friends, the awful and appalling situation in which she has placed herself, remorse for the past, and terror and dismay for the future, excite in her breast sensations perhaps no more easily conceived, by those unacquainted with them, than described. t vM il charge, he w commence liira to whom (istances, she tcted and de- titute of the [non necessa- iged her hus- and woe, the 1, if not re- levoted head, every tender tirely excUid- tion of home, her husband disgrace she s, the awful lich she has ;he past, and ire, excite in o more easily tainted with 561 Here, tlien, is misery — misery of the most complicate and afflicting kind ! An unfortunate man bereaved, in an unexpect- ed moment, of the present possession, and future prospect, of the most dehghtful plea- sures ; his beloved wife snatched from his fond embrace ; his young and helpless fa- mily deprived of the benefit of being brought up under the auspices of a tender and affectionate mother ; his home, that but lately possessed attractions, and afford- ed comforts such as could no where else be found, now converted into a lonely wilder- ness ; recalling to mind former joys, now vanished for ever ! A lovely woman, once happy, now rendered miserable, and hurled to ruin : an extensive circle of friends of both parties plunged into affliction by the mekincholy event ! and all for what ? mere- ly for the momentary gratification of one of the vilest and most worthless of mankind ! He, too, has, in all probability, been the seducer of virgin innocence, he has brought to shame and ruin a young, lovely, inno- ^ H U f i '.I 36 -2 cent and unsuspecting female, who, deceiv- ed by his false and specious insinuations and professions, reposed confidence in his integrity, and, in an evil, unguarded mo- ment, permitted herself to be deprived of her honour, her character, and her inno- cence ! She who was hitherto the delifjht and consolation of her, perhaps aged, parents ; and by her amiable conduct and unreiTiitting attention to their wants and comforts, was soothing their rugged de- scent to the grave, has now, through his villanv, been the means of strewiu'j it with thorns and bringing down their hoary hairs thither with shame and sorrow ! See her now, who, but a short time ago, was the pride and delight of her family, tlie object of envy to many, ouv of sjcicly's brightest ornaments, admired and esteemed by her acquaintance, exemplary for moral- ity and virtue, whose moilesty and delicacy wouUI have been affected at meeting the glance of a stranger of the opposite sex ; how cliangod ! how fallen ! See her now, 363 I say, parading the streets, and staring the passing stranger in the face with unblushing effrontery, and enticing him from the path of virtue into a fatal, destructive snare ! — The object of terror to the virtuous of her own sex, of the contempt and scorn of the good, and of the insult of the unfeeling and rude of the other ! See her in the theatre and places of public resort, glittering, but with powerless and undazzling lustre, in the gaudy finery of dress ; and, divested of that natural modesty and backwardness of her sex which recedes from, rather than courts the public gaze, placing herself in the most conspicuous situations, making a display of her countenance and figure, and dispensing around her borrowed, deceitful and dangerous smiles, to allure the inex- perienced to ruin and disgrace ! See her in private, lost to virtue, with every good impression apparently obliterated from her mind, instigating her unhappy followers to acts of the most atrocious character, which have, in too many instances, brought them 364 i J t V i , ' M • at last to an ignominious and untimely end ! Oh melancholy and most afflicting thought, that she, whose friendship and society, in the days of her innocence, would have afforded the most exalted satisfaction and enjoyment, should now, through the perfidy and artifices of a villain, lead the unwary soul down to the chambers of death 1 These, vile seducer of virgin innocence! these, base, hateful and execrable adulterer! are the melancholy, agonizing and destruc- tive effects of your iniquity. For " one moment's guilty pleasure '* see what lasting pain and sorrow you bring upon numbers of innocent and virtuous people, who would recoil, with horror, at the idea of acting towards you, as you have done towards them ! But in this accumulation of sor- row, the result of your depravity, do you remain untouched, unaffected, witliout your share of it ? Surely not-^If you have any remains of humanity yet existing, your conscience must cry aloud against your proceedings : anguish and remorse must 365 afflict your guilty breast, the wounds you have inflicted upon others must be felt by yourself. A retrospective view of your life must ** harrow up your soul, *' and in the prospective surely nothing presents it- self to you but ** a fearful looking-for of judgment and fiery indignation 1*' And shall I, exasperated and indignant at a re* view of your crimes, consign you, with merited curses, to that awful doom ? Shall 1 invoke heaven for the sudden execution of the sentence upon your guilty head ? No — It rather becomes me, in charity, to entreat you to regard your actions in their real, hideous, and offensive light ; and, while in mercy you are allowed the oppor- tunity, stop short in your iniquitous career, implore pardon of your justly and grossly offended Creator, and, with his assistance, ** go and sin no more." The soldier, perhaps, under orders to depart for a foreign country, to fight the battles, redress the grievances, or support and extend the glory and advantages of his own. IS » m He receives the command to quit his country, and all its endearing attractions, perhaps to return no more, to expose him- self to all the dangers and hardships that man can be liable to ; the perils of the sea, the point of the bayonet, and the cannon's mouth ; a sickly climate, the treachery of professed friends, and open hostility of enemies ; hunger and thirst, excessive fa- tigue, drenching rains and scorching sun, &c. without uttering a murmur, or deplor- ing the peculiar inconveniences of his pro- fession, but rather with cheerfulness and satisfaction. With promotion in view he overlooks all the toils and difficulties, and even danger of death he has to encounter, in order to arrive at it. On the field of battle he has the distress- ing sight before him of his friend, who, but a few minutes before, was in the bloom of life, gay and active, jovial and entertaining, falling prostrate at his feet in the agonies of death, expiring in torture, without having it in his power to alleviate, for a / II., \ \ ill 1 to quit his ^ attractions, expose him- ardsliips that ils of the sea, tlie cannon's treachery of 1 hostility of excessive fa- jorching sun, ur, or deplor- jes of his pro- prfulness and n in view he fficulties, and o encounter, the distress, nd, who, but the bloom of entertaining, the agonies re, without eviate, for a 367 moment, his dying pains, or afford him any relief; and witnessing, perhaps, in this suffering of his friend, but a picture of his own fast approaching fate. Possibly the next ball is the awful messenger to summon him from the scene, and in a moment put an end to his career, by burying his hopes with his glory in the dust ! When we reflect upon the melancholy consequences of war, with the numerous and dreadful calamities it produces to man- kind—thousands of lives sacrificed ; the wife, in a moment, made a widow, and de- prived of her only support ; cast, helpless and destitute, upon the world, to buffet with all its hardships, and suffer great pri- vations ; children rendered fatherless, and pianged into sorrow and misery ; their mother's hopes respecting them blasted in an instant, and she encumbered with the oppressive charge of protecting and provid- ing for them ; fathers deprived of their sons ; mothers and sisters overwhelmed with distress at the loss of children or bro- I i /I «*' IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) J-/ % 1.0 I.I l^|2£ |2.5 ■ 50 i"^™ MHB 1^ 1^ 12.2 I 1.8 1.25 ,.4|,.6 -* 6" ► V] <^ A >^ '•^ y Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) S72-4S03 /. ^ .^^. 5^V%^ i/. &/ ^ \ i'''l i I 368 thers ; whole families hurled, in an unpro- pitious moment, to poverty and misery^ by having their property destroyed, or taken forcibly from them before their eyes, with- out daring to make one effort to save it :— when we remember that all these calami- ties, and many more, are brought upon whole nations, possibly merely to gratify the ambition or revenge of a single indivi- dual, under the specious pretext of bene- fitting the public, what great reason have we to deplore the fate of those countries, the form of whose government exposes them to such horrors, at any time their princes may feel disposed to involve them in them : and, on the other hand, how grateful should the consideration cause every subject of the British crown to feel to Providence for favouring him so highly in the form of his, which is such as to pre- serve him from those miseries, when the mere caprice of his prince or rulers would bring them upon him : and by the great majority of the people having, through the !-* ", « in an unpro- d misery^ by red, or taken ir eyes, with- to save it :— hese calami- •ought upon \y to gratify single indivi- text of bene- reason have se countries, ent exposes r time their nvolve them hand, how ation cause own to feel im so highly ch as to pre- , when the ulers would y the great through the i 869 medium of their representatives in parlia- ment, a voice in the councils of the nation, they have the satisfaction of being able to oppose every attempt of government to in- volve them in the calamities of war, except when the interest and welfare of the coun- try, the injuries or insults of foes, or other equally laudable causes render it indispen- sably necessary. There, perhaps, goes the libertine, who, preferring folly to wisdom from his earliest years, displayed in his schoolboy days what his after life would bring forth. At that season of life when the mind was unembar- rassed with the cares of die world, and in a proper state for the reception of those seeds of improvement and knowledge that would have in riper years enabled him to reap an abundant and profitable harvest from them, he would not permit them to take root, but cast them from him with disdain, and allowed noxious weeds alone to occupy tlieir place, and spring up abundantly.—- The corrections and remonstrances of his :. ..' 370 teachers, the baneful consequences of simi- lar conduct in some of his school-fellows, and the happy effects of good and obedient behaviour that he observed in others, all proved insufficient to have a salutary effect upon him : he played truant, neglected his lessons, associated constantly with vicious companions, who poisoned his mind by their wicked precepts and examples, and he con- tinued in his vile and froward course. As he approached manhood, instead of attending to the duties of the vocation in life for which he was intended, and endea- vouring to obtain a complete knowledge of his business or profession, he neglected every thing relative to it ; and, notwith- standing all the representations and exhor- tations of his kind parents or guardians, and their endeavours and stratagems to re- form him, he was deaf to their admonitions and still persisted in his folly. Arrived at man's estate, and getting the reins of government in his own hands, he had a full opportunity, by indulging in his ■\ ices of simi- lool-fellows, nd obedient others, all lutary effect eglected his ivith vicious lind by their and he con- course. instead of vocation in and endea- nowledge of 3 neglected id, notwith- 3 and exhor- • guardians, igems to re- idmonitions getting the n hands, he dging in his 371 evil and uncontrolled propensities, of exhi- biting the consequences, and reaping the fruits of his former perverse conduct. In- stead of devoting his time to his lawful and necessary affairs he neglected them, and abandoned himself to sinful and ruinous pleasures and pursuits, that destroyed his constitution, wasted his property, and hurl- ed him to ruin and disgrace. See him, who might have been an ho- nourable, respected, and useful member of society, enjoying the comforts, and real legitimate pleasures of life, by omitting to cultivate the bright advantages that Provi- dence had bestowed upon him, now an outcast from society, hated and spurned by every respectable individual of his acquaint- ance ; and, perhaps, from having been con- cerned in some outrage on the decorum of society, obliged to make a precipitate flight from the scene of his folly, to be a stranger, a vagrant, in some distant land ! This, and too frequently even worse, is the end of profligacy like his ; and although melan- I i 2 » ' s |! , /j,f tk. ' 372 choly examples of its baneful effects are daily to be met with, they are not sufficient to deter others from devoting themselves to it! The deeply involved debtor, perhaps; his affliirs in such a desperate state, and probably such aggravated circumstances attending his failure, that he is obliged to abscond. Influenced by ambition, instead of confining the extent of his business to that of his capital, he has waded far beyond his depth ; he has undertaken things that he was quite unable to perform, and entered into engagements that he could not fulfil ; and in this predicament, yet with a hope of one day recovering himself by some lucky turn of fortune in his favour, he was unwilling to forego the chance of that cir- cumstance, and still endeavoured by stratagem, and even deception, to hold his ground for some time. By means of artful and plausible repre- sentations, he perhaps induced some of his friends, who felt for his situation, and were 373 desirous of assisting him, to lend him money ; others, confiding in his integrity, to lend their names on his behalf to bonds or other legal instruments, by which he was bound ; unmindful of the possible con- sequences of such a proceeding, and little suspecting that his representations and as- sertions were totally false and unfounded. His ill fortune, or rather the unhappy effects of his temerity and imprudence, still pursued him ; ** the lucky hit '* was never made, his visionary hopes were blasted, and instead of improvement in his affairs, they became every day worse and worse, until at length his ground was no longer tenable, and owing to some unlawful proceedings which he had been imprudent enough to have recourse to, he has been compelled to seek safety out of his own country 1 It were well if all the evil consequences of his misconduct were confined to himself, and that by escaping the hand of justice, the whole matter terminated : but no-^ this is frequently by no means the case, f \ I i If n if l^ ,. » 374 His deceit and cmelty have, by inducing his friends to bo concerned with him in bills, &c. involving their responsibihty, made them, in some instances, the sole sufferers, by his imprudence. Some, per- haps, even reduced to the lamentable and distressing necessity of abandoning their country, home and acquaintance, of break- ing up their establishments, relinquishing their business, and of being cast destitute upon the world ! The young adventurer, perhaps y who, deeply affected by the melancholy state of the unhappy Greeks, while his indignation and revenge have been roused by the atrocities of the barbarous, blood-thirsty infidels ; and inspired by the noble,, generous sympathy for Christian wrongs and sufferings which, in ancient days, pervaded, and was the pride of all Europe ; that excited her kings to league together, and, at enormous expence, transport their armies to a great distance, and, in person, undertake to revenge the insult and violence offered to their holv re- U' y\ by inducing with him in jsponsibih'ty, es, the sole Some, per- lentable and ioning their ce, of break- el inquishing ast destitute •liaps J who, y state of the gnation and he atrocities nfidels ; and IS sympathy rings which, vas the pride her kings to )us expence, at distance, revenge the leir holv re- 375 hgion and its professors by profane and cruel infidels, has determined on devoting his fortune and life in the sacred cause. When the mind turns to Greece, to its present state, the melancholy effects of the revolt of its inhabitants against their hate- ful oppressors, and their glorious, but I fear ineffectual struggle to shake ofi* the insupportable yoke, what painful feelings are excited I After having long groaned under an ignominious burden, too heavy, too painful to be borne— to v/hich death itself was naturally considered pre- ferable by them — they have endeavoured to relieve themselves from it. Great, arduous and daring was the enterprise; nothing but an incapacity any longer to endure their sufferings could prompt to it ; a courage and desperate bravery, no less than that which inspired their ancestors of Thermopylae, alone could resolve upon it. Oh ! ill-fated, wretched Greece ! how does every generous bosom heave with an- guish at a review of your desperate, deplor- /a I I, l,v 1/ tit (i I>1 y-^ A'; 376 able situation ! how are the vindictive and angry powers of the mind roused into action against your cruel destroyers !— Your plains drenched with the blood of your brave, un- conquerably brave, devoted sons ; though not unmixed with that of their perfidious enemies! Your rocky precipices stained with that of some of your fair, your lovely daughters, who have chosen the dreadful alternative of destroying themselves and their offspring, by flinging themselves from their lofty summits, rather than allow their detested enemies the savage satisfaction of adding them to the number of their victims ! Your rivers choked with the shapely and delicate forms of others who, with the same view, have, in despair, rushed into their waters, to find in them a refuge from their fury, while another portion have been in- humanly butchered — butchered without remorse, by fiend-like, merciless barbarians! Oh Greece ! Greece ! how changed are you now from what you once were ! You, whose armies could not only defy every dictive and into action Your plains ■ brave, iin- is; though • perfidious :es stained your lovely le dreadful iselves and selves from allow their i^faction of eir victims! jhapely and th the same I into their J from their ^e been in- id without barbarians! hanged are ere I You, defy every 377 foreign enemy, and effectually repel their attacks, but could also carry their conquer- ing arms into the most distant countries, and astonish the world with their achieve- ments ! You, whose inhabitants, from their attainments in arts, literature and refine- ment, looked to be imitated by all other nations, and spurned, with disdain, the idea of receiving improvement from any other people : Oh, how humbled I how fallen ! Your children, now, mere rebellious slaves of a people who are a disgrace to the other nations of Europe, and contemned and held in abhorrence by them ! And is this — must this— caw this be per- mitted 1 Oh, how long 1 Will no one sfive, Will no one snatch thee from th' o'erwhelming wave ! Where are now the generous, the sympa* thetic Crusaders ? Where are those noble spirits who, even in dark, and, comparative- ly speaking, barbarous times, have repaired with alacrity and devotion, though perhaps, I'' I if- i t: I i^i s\ . r>! ■V sj; i if.. I 378 under the then existing circumstances, with mistaken zeal, and erroneous views, to free a Christian country and Christian people from their impious persecutors ? Ah ! they are, long since, removed hence ; their swords are sheathed ; their bucklers are laid aside ; the arms that wielded them are mouldered into dust, and the minds that actuated them are gone with them ! Oh that we had them now ! Oh that such were in existence in the present day! then would Greece be relieved from her impious, her insolent, her pitiless tyrants ; then would the sacred standard of the Cross wave in triumph, undisturbed, upon her walls and towers ; and the blood-stained Crescent no longer disgrace Christian Europe ! — But ah ! why do I sigh for them, why do I wish them here ! They are gone ! and have left behind them a poste- rity callous to many of those feelings that ennoWed them ; a posterity who can hear with apathy and indifference of a Christian people suffering the most unparalleled stances, with iews, to free stian people ' Ah ! they nee ; their jucklers are led them are ! minds that them ! Oh at such were day ! then her impious, rants ; then f the Cross J, upon her lood-stained Christian gh for them, They are lem a poste- feelings that ho can hear fa Christian unparalleled 379 cruelties ; sufferings that should cause the blood to run cold at the recital of them, that should " cause the veri/ stones to rise and mutiny !** We are told that this is an unavoidable calamity; that existing circumstances for- bid the interference of any of the Euro- pean governments in favour of the Greeks : that the balance of power, which is so ne- cessary to be preserved, might be affected by such intermeddling : that it would be establishing a bad and dangerous precedent for the government of one country to tole- Yuie and encourage rebellion among the subjects of another : that, possibly, such interference would again involve Europe in the horrors of war. 'J'hese and other rea- sons are urged for standing aloof, and, with most unchristian coldness, hearing the dreadful accounts that every week brings from Greece. For my part, I pretend not to be a poli- tician, but I must humbly entertain the idea, that some measure might be adopted K k It '< 380 by the Christian powers, in order to put a atop to the dreadful carnage among the Greeks. Let Greece be made an inde- pendent state ; let her be divided among some of the European nations ; even com- pel her infamous masters to mitigate the laws by which she is governed ; ant/ thing at all rather than allow her inhabitants to be inhumanly massacred. If a sense of impropriety in intermed- dling between a government and its revolt- ing subjects be the reason why no assistance is afforded to the Greeks, whatever might be the general established practice among nations, surely I should think a case such as theirs might and ought to warrant a de- viation from the regular rule. In general it is understood that the subjects of a go- vernment are to be treated, in some degree, with humanity and tenderness, allowed some possibility of dragging out their lives with at least a shadow of independence, of self command, of self importance: but was this the case with the unfortunate ■J 4 it ) ■.. ' ler to put a amonor the le an inde- ided among even coin- nitjgate the ; amj thing habitants to a intermed- id its revolt- \o assistance tever might tice among a case such arrant a de- In general 3ts of a go- ome degree, ss, allowed t their lives lependence, tance : but unfortunate gover- S81 Greeks? The Turks* system c ning them, with the atrocities exercised to^ wards them, are too well and generally known to require an answer here. If, then, those atrocities were such as to offend hu- manity, to excite the commiseration even of hearts not the most tender and compas- sionate, would it, or could it be considered a crime to relieve the distressed^ a duty com- monly enjoined by the moralist upon all men ? If it is an act of philanthropy and religious duty to relieve the suffering Afri- can Heathen from the cruelties exercised upon him by professing Christians, could it be called a dereliction of duty to save the Christian from the merciless barbarity of ihQ Infidel? With respect to the danger of involving Europe in war, it must be said that one Christian power is not called upon alone to step forward to the relief of the Greeks, but it is the duty of all Christendom to unite and deliver their Christian brethren. It may be considered visionary to talk of " -v' -V,' *..; ■"■■J^- •■ '"'*' 4 i > t .* 1'S.I *-lr'' V- ■ \\^ 582 making several nations unanimous in opi- nion upon the point : it is not visionary to talk of it when their mutual safety and in- terests require it ; and why should it be so when their honour, their duty to God and man demand it, without being in the least degree prejudicial to their interests or poli- tical welfare? I would sav to them, ** You are Chris- tians ; you admire and applaud your great Master's golden rule, to * do to others as you would they should do to you ;* the voice of nature constrains you entirely to approve of it ; you acknowledge it a part of your religious duty to conform to it, and yet here is a direct, an impious disregard of that duty !'* But the cruelties they hear of are com- mitted at a distance ; they feel no imme- diate ill effects resulting to themselves from them, and they pretend to be greathj shock- ed, but, apparently, soon forget and over- look them with cruel indifference ! There, perhaps, goes the great landed 383 ous in opi- ^isionary to etv and in- uld it be so ;o God and in the least ests or poli- i are Cliris- your great others as 1 you ;* the entirely to \e it a part [n to it, and s disregard if are com- il no imme- selves from eatlij shock- and o ver- se ! eat landed proprietor, leaving his native country where he has been reluctantly remaining a short time, arranging matters relative to his estate, and probably receiving his rents, a considerable sum, which has been, in nu- merous instances, extorted by violence and cruelty from his suffering and impoverished tenantry. He is hastening to the sister kingdom, or some foreign country, to waste, in luxury, extravagance and folly, what should naturally be expended in his own, in order that those who are toiling for his ease might enjoy the benefit arising from its expendi- ture among them : and by draining the country of its wealth, without making any kind of return or compensation whatever for the injury done to it, he is impoverish- ing the inhabitants, draining its resources, fettering and ruining commerce, and, of course, ultimately injuring himself by caus- ing his property to depreciate very consi- derably in value. Instead of residing on his estate, where K k 2 I» 1- . 1 384 he might be in the full enjoyment of the pure, innocent, satisfying and delightful pleasures that the country is known to af- ford to the virtuous and enlightened mind ; instead of employing the superfluity of his income in the improvement and embellish- ment of his estate ; aflfbrding employment to the labouring class of his tenantry ; building comfortable cottages for their ac- commodation ; encouraging agriculture ; relieving the wants of the distressed ; watching over the interests of his tenants ; dispensing equal and impartial justice among the contentious ; preventing cruel- ty and oppression ; repressing disorder and riot ; and destroying the seeds of rebellion that might be generating in the country — and these, and many other equally useful and praiseworthy duties, might be attended to by him, yielding him in return a peace- ful satisfaction at the moment, and the re- view of which would afterwards afford de- light, unmixed with any bitter or unplea- sant reflection — instead of enjoying the so- lent of the delightful lown to af- sned mind ; luity of his embellish- mployment tenantry ; 3r their ac- ^ri culture ; distressed ; is tenants ; ial justice iting cruel- isorder and 3f rebellion country — lally useful )e attended rn a peace- and the re- 5 afford de- or iinplea- /ing the so- 3S5 ciety of a few select friends ; all the com- forts, conveniences and elegancies of life j innocent pleasures ; useful and laudable employment of his time ; a serene mind j the approval of God and his conscience ; the praise of the world ; the veneration of his inferiors ; the admiration and esteem of his equals ; the friend of the good, and the terror and suppressor of the bad ; the comfort and delight of his family, and an ornament and treasure to his countrv ; in- stead of enjoying all these noble and ex- alted satisfactions, and few will pretend to say they were not within his reach, provi- ded he were a good man, he resigns them all for the short-lived, unsatisfying, and ruinous follies of the town ! There, he is, perhaps, constant in his at- tendance at the scenes of dissipation and vice : the gambling house is a fiivouritc resort, and the broadest and shortest road he can find to lead him to destruction, — Here, in a few hours, nay, even minutes, he frequently squanders away immense I m lUj' 386 sums, that would have been quite adequate to the noble and exalted purposes before- mentioned, in the company of unprincipled men who, without remorse, can desolate his family, reduce him to poverty and ruin, and exult in the acquisition of their ill- gotten wealth ! And what pleasure does he receive in re- turn for his losses ? In the very act his reason must upbraid him for his madness ; the most intense and perplexing anxiety disturbs his thoughts, and sets his mind upon the rack while his fate is pending ; and when the die is cast that determines against him, despair, anguish and dismay take possession of his breast, and torture their wretched victim. He returns to his family with a heav} and agonized heart, deploring his infatua- tion, which, without yielding him any en- joyment in return, has deprived him of the means that were to have provided for their comfort and convenience ; the funds for defraying the necessary expenses of . „,.,«.rr'.'- 387 his house and family having been appro- priated to the discharge of " debts of honour" (what a prostituted word ! by the bye, how much more apposite would hQ folly or injamy!) which could not, upon any consi- deration, be omitted nor deferred ; while the honest, industrious tradesmen, &c. who have accommodated him with their goods to a large amount, and are suffering great inconvenience for want of the sums due to them, are allowed to call repeatedly for them, and as often to be turned away, in dissappointment and vexation. With a view to recover his losses he is induced by hope, which whispers a flatter- ing tale in his ear, to " try his fortune once more," Various success attends him for a while, still holding forth the prospect of a fortu.nate issue : a bad throw occa- sionally, however, not only snatches from his fond grasp what he had just acquired, but obliges him to make some new sacri- fice, to enable him to retain his chance of succeeding eventually. His bad fortune .*if' M 'I iSf,|/i < .If' 'H. " ll If' i< (f (1 J' 388 still pursues him ; and, after a long and anxious struggle, he is at length compelled to relinquish it, with a further sacrifice of his fortune and happiness. He is, possibly, by these means, at last reduced to the melancholy alternative of surrendering his extensive estate and beau- tiful residence into the hands of his credi- tors, until his debts be liquidated^ and to be exiled, in miserably reduced circumstances, from his native land to a land of strangers, prejudiced against him on account of his country and religion, and ready upon all occasions to offer insult and contempt to him who, until now, commanded the re- spect and submission of thousands. His family that had been accustomed to hixury and unbounded affluence, with all the ad- vantages and enjoyments arising from them, reduced to a scanty income, removed to a distance from their home and society, and experiencing hardships and privations that they never cOuld have anticipated, and for which they are but ill qualified, leaving a .... * t:- 389 sting in his conscience, to the poignancy of which every day adds its share ! He is, probably, a member of Parliament, and, in his seat in the house, can propose measures for the amelioration of his unhap- py country, and rail at the ministry for their supineness in adopting means for its improvement : while at the same time he is himself one of the greatest of all its ene- mies ; for no measure that I can conceive could be adopted by the legislatur;j, capa- ble of counteracting effectually the para- mount bane of Ireland, that of the non-re- sidence of the nobility and gentry, which drains it of its wealth without returning any equivalent whatever for it. Some measures might afford a trifling temporary relief, but none can prove an» effectual an- tidote for its disorders, and restore prospe- rity to it, but the residence of the landed proprietors. Money is the main-spring of all the affairs of life. : it keeps the great and complicated machine of worldly transactions in motion J and without it, business of every i/M I' 1 I •If ^ I \ii\\ 'i P 390 kind is at a stand ; consequently the coun- try whose wealth is continually drained from it must be involved in poverty and distress. He perhaps seldom reflects upon the de- gree of responsibility attached to his situa- tion and circumstances in life, although the opportunity and power of being so ex- tensively useful prove iL to be xery great. He, to all appearance, loses sight of the real design of Providence in bestowing such a profusion of his blessings upon him, and the consequences of abusing them ; and yet he is expressly told, that ** of him to whom much is given, much will be required."* From a view of the case of this indivi- dual a useful conclusion may be deduced. While the man who, by strict and constant attention to some lawful employment de- rives a comfortable competency from his industry, observes the man of fashion and * Tlie foregoing observations are, in their application, of course, limited to a portion of the class of indiriduals referred to, and not to be understood as general. .j.-« i 39« are naturally possessed of passions and de- sires similar to his, and that probably your exemption from their evil effects is rather owing to the impossibility of gratifying them, or freedom from temptation, than to any inherent goodness in you. Monday, 22d August — I rose early, and on going upon deck was gratified with the delightful sight of the Rostrevor and Car- lingford mountains, just a-headof the vessel. However pleasant the feelings of the traveller may be at the sight of his coun- try, after having been absent a long time, yet as he approaches the particular spot in that country where he is acquainted, and that brings his own residence almost in view, then are his sensations raised to the highest degree of satisfaction. The anti- cipation of home, and a happy meeting with his friends, makes him almost fancy the enjoyment of the reality, but in a mo- ment " recollection at hand " removes the delusion, which gives way to an almost un- conquerable impatience for the desired 393 event : this increases rather than dimi- nishes as the distance becomes shorter, and the happy moment approaches. Influenced by such feelings, how neces- sary, too frequently, are prudence and re- flection to regulate and control the violence of the emotions of the mind, and prepare it for any unexpected change in the exist- ing auspicious appearances ! I was, upon this occasion, again taught this lesson. — About twelve o'clock, while indulging the fond idea of soon reaching home, which, from the appearances of the moment, I considered must be realized, the wind being quite favourable, the weather particularly fine, the entrance of the harbour but a short distance from us, and two pilots on board, wlio entertained no doubt of the vessel reaching Warren Point with the tide that was then flowing, I went below for a little, and on returning upon deck, to my great surprise, and perhaps disappointment, found the vessel enveloped in a thick fog. This circumstance rendered our arrival in ill w^ 394 the harbour that evening very doubtful : there was still a probability of it, however, and I was willing to entertain a hope of it. When we had sailed a sufficient distance to induce the pilots to believe we must be near the light-house, the fog being so very dense as to prevent us from seeing it, " all Jiands " were placed on *' the look out, " and in a few minutes we heard the sound of the light-house bell, which was rung in order to apprize us of the distance and di- rection we were in from it. At length one person cried, " There it is ! *' when it im- mediately became faintly visible through the fog, very near the vessel. " All was now right,'* according to the general opi- nion J we crossed the Bar in safety ; the only danger previously apprehended was now removed ; one of the pilots left us here, the other knew exactly the course to steer, and spoke with so much confidence as to dispel every doubt of reaching the Point that evening. The crew placed en- tire confidence in his skill and long-tried lifl ) i •>*., ■ 395 acquaintance with the harbour, and gave full scope to the delightful idea of hailing their homes, families and friends in a few, very few hours. 1 too, equally confident of my hopes being realized, went down to the cabin to dress and prepare for going on shore ; but while occupied in this way, and when least expecting it, my disappointment was com. plete. About four o'clock I heard the cry ** She's aground !" and almost at the same instant, by the pilot, ** Put the helm hard a-port !" *' She's aground !" ** She's aground !" resounded from one end of the vessel to the other. I hurried up on deck, where I witnessed a very different scene from'-what had exist- ed when I had been up last : the vessel was fast in the mud near Greenore Point, which, however, we could not see for the fog. Rage and disappointment exhibited themselves in their most hideous forms in tl^e countenances and expressions of the L 1 2 396 I' > i ' sailors, who were transported by them, and order and subordination appeared to be forgotten. The men were ordered up the masts to furl the sails ; this seemed an in- tolerable and most vexatious task, and they almost hesitated, apparently lest their dis- appointment should thereby be confirmed beyond hope. They went about it, how- ever, with great reluctance, murmuring and cursing the pilot for his ignorance and stupidity. The kedge anchor was taken out and dropped a-stern of the vessel, and every ex- ertion made to set her afloat, but the tide being at its height, every effort proved fruitless. The harsh and unjustifiable ex- pressions and conduct of most of the ship's company to the pilot, excited in me such a strong feeling of sympathy for him, and my thoughts at the moment were so much en- gaged with his most unpleasant situation, that I almost forgot my own disappoint- ment. As there was no possibility of getting a hem, and h1 to be ;d up the ed an in- and they their dis- confirmed ; it, hovv- urmuring ranee and out and every ex- t the tide rt proved fiable ex- the ship's tne such a n, and my much en- situation, isappoint- getting a 397 boat at this hour to take me up to Warren Point, I was under the agreeable necessity of making myself as contented as possible for the night ; which, however, was not a very difficult matter, since I had the conso' lation of being aware that we were ',aje a- shore, only a few miles from home. The following morning a boat from the shore came along side, which the master and I engaged to take us up to the Point, and in a short time we left the vessel. While proceeding up the bay, I was re- minded of a brig that had sailed up, after a long voyage, the day before we sailed for Quebec. Upon that occasion I was im- pressed with the circumstances attending her safe arrival. Her owner, and those concerned in the voyage, had long been in a state of anxiety respecting her safety, and the success of the adventure ; the families and friends of those on board were deeply interested in her fate ; every gale that blew excited their alarm and apprehension ; the crew had been exposed to hardships and h-f \ T- -) if ij , :^ ill .1 ■ ¥ ii -■i. 1 .M 898 dangers of the most fearful kind : these were then all removed ; suspense was at an end ; fear gave place to joy ; hardship and danger were forgotten, and her arrival was hailed with satisfaction by all parties. We were then about to encounter the perils they had braved and escaped : we could not hope to be in similar circumstan- ces in less than four months ; it was a long time to look forward to, particularly as it might be very eventful, but the nature of those events being as yet concealed in the womb of time. Hope fondly whispered " all will be well, '* but accident, or rather the great disposer of ail events might de- termine otherwise. That time, however, has now elapsed, thought I, and it appears but as yesterday that the same objects met our view that now delight it j they bear the same appearance which they did then ; we perceive no particular indications of a long lapse of time, and, with a trifling dif- ference, (the situation of the vessel not being such as to warrant or excite any ap- i\ 399 prehensions respecting her safety,) the case of the brig, crew, &c. just alluded to, is one with ours. About twelve o'clock we land- ed at Warren Point. The Christian's life may be, witli great propriety, as it has often been, compared with a voyage by sea. When he first be- comes acquainted with his situation, and the grand scheme of his salvation, he re- solves to take advantage of the latter, and therefore undertakes the voyage. He may possibly have the prospect of a long one through life : he encounters storms and tempests of a fearful and painful kind ; in some cases these are not of long conti- nuance, nor frequent, in others there is little else. But, although the storms be great and the waves high j although he be troubled and afraid ; his privations and suf- ferings painful to endure j yet the winds, though boisterous, being favourable, they waft him to the desired port at last j and no sooner does the haven appear, and the weather-beaten vessel enter in safety, than \ 400 all the pains and sufiFerings that were expe- rienced, though grievous to be borne while they existed, are forgotten as though they had never been, and succeeded by joys un- speakable, pleasures *' such as eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither hath it en- tered into the heart of man to conceive." This certain result, then, should be no small inducement to undertake the voyage ; particularly as it differs from that with which it is compared, inasmuch as, with the proper pilot on board, there is no dan- ger of foundering, wreck, or other fatal ac- cidents, incident to the other. Iri U il \ '■ I riNis. I'KIN I K.n AT THK TELKGRAI'H OFfICK, NEWRY. ,1i t ,11 i if were expe- lorne while ^ough they >yjoys un- i eye hath hath it en- nceive." }uld be no he voyage ; that with h as, with 1 18 no dan- er fatal ac- EWRy.