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2i
DI
BY
pjiii
\
VOYAGE
Aim
JOURNEY
O? THB
2nir J^aft. ^tots fusilier §mth,
VROM
SOUTHAMPTON TO MONTRSAL,
DUEIN& THE WINTER OF 1861-2.
BY A SOLDIER OP THE REGIMENT.
MONTREAL :
PRINTED FOR THE PUBLISHER BY JOHN WILSON
AND FOR S4LK At TBB 1»KWB ITOBIS OF
Pickup, Dalton, Flynn, and Riddell.
iat)2.
I
(
/'■ *
H
IIUU
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T >■»■
VOYAGE AND JOURNEY
OP THE
Snd Batt. Sects Fnslller Gnards
From Southampton {England) to Montreal
(Canada,)
DURING THE WINTER OP^ 1861-8.
Trm Routt io hold ourselves in readiness for service in Canada was received from
the Horse Guards on the llth December, 1861. From that date until the 19th
tna day on which we were to leave London, we were busily emploved in nack-
'"^ l^i!? ' "»8P«ctinp to see who were fit and unfit for active service : visitine
^nt'J.f ♦k'"* *'*'^'f '° fnends and relatives ; making arrangements for the com-
fort of the married women who were all left behind ; and numberless other thinea
too numerous to menuon." I went out on the evening of the 18th to bid
good-bye" to some friends ; when I came home about midnight, I expected to
fhl ,H •?!?•" *" '" ^1l^"i "'". "".'P"'«** '''""' ^ K"' to my^room to find
them all sitting around the fire, singing songs, and apparently as merry as if
they had not a singe care in life. In the interval between the sones thev
discussed with much animation the prospect of war with the Northern States
of America; most of them entertained the opinion that the disgustinir pride of
the ankees would make them stick to their prisoners,- when a war must ine-
vitably ensue ; and as a matter of course, gold chains, wooden legs, arras in
ing and talking until sleep gradually overpowered us ; no one, however, thouirht
tf.?^ '"^^'^l ^V^'^l ^^'"^ '^'y '"' "' 1*^- We were rinsed about 4 aS
i?i«^.fH^'*^''*°'^P"^ T' *'*P5 ^"^ether. We fell in on parade whilst
tL if^.f .• ^'^^u ; ^«.*«re inspected and the roll called, when, to the credit of
the battalion be It said, not a man was absent. 'Ihe Grenadier Guards, also
for service in Canada, started half an hour before us. Numbers of ladies
officers, and relauons and friends of the men, were assembled in the barrack
square to see us off. When the word of command, " Fours Right," was «iven
such a cheer arose as made the welkin ring again. Unfortunately, owiL to
the lamented death of His Royal Highness the Prince Consort, we h;dnomVic
^h^i 1 "?.°" """^ P"*=''' **'''^'y ^""'^^ '" London not being allowed to play
Tuef^u- '^i""'' }? »a mourning. We missed the familiar strains of the " Qir^
I left behind me," and other tunes usually played on leaving a station. Many
t^^fH ^^ •'''® ^°"'? ^^ " ^"°*'"*'' ^""^ t^*' '' »<« a ^»d omen. To make up
w«.t " «Ph """"if '" '°^''"°»ent«l music, there was plenty of vocal. " To the
West, "Cheer Boys, Cheer," and " Dixie's Land," were sung again and again
in our progress through the streets. People were continually rushing into the
ra^s to shake hands, and bid adieu to friends, sweethearts or relattons
Wives walked by the side of their husbands, their eyes red and swollen with
weeping j they fully believed (as did most of 'the men, that we were gSh.ron
»o ire service, and the thought that they might never see each other again was
doubUess uppermost in their minds. It must have been a severe trial to pwt
Ind T am"lfr •h""/-'*^^'"^'' "^P^^^Hy ^^ose who had been newly married;
^n „rn th« V ^ ??# ^'^""."'^ ""^^ '^'"""Bs) that a good deal of th. mirth
seen upon the faces of the single men was only assumed, to put a good face on
our parting. Most of us left i-elatives behind, and I did'not know^one wh^«d
not leave som ebody dearer than any relative.
• Mason and Slidell. "
^' u c u \
Considering the size of London, but few people Jmd turned out to see us off •
'n H ?n°"5 .?°w" °"' "|'":«ras on our appearance were heard oftener than
"God speed you." We arrijed at the Waterloo Station of the South Western Rh"
wav at TJ a.nj^ and in a few minutes we were seated in the train. When the
Mn mov9d off; the scene at the station could hardly be Raied upon • wiii.
and sweethearts were crying fit to break their hearts, their husbands 'i^ the
train looking a ast fond adieu. Wc were quickly whirled past many famil-
«/irirJ '^J<''^'^^'\^^^i'^^y^^Mkn^^, was AldersLtt; bu^a sight
of it was devoid of any pleasant recollections. We arrived at Southampton at
12 am. I a number of people were assembled at the station, and a band belonff-
ing to a volunteer regiment played us to the ship's side; 'it took near^ two
hours to get on boarJ and get our accoutrements stowed away; immediateTv
we were al onboard the ship steamed out of the dock. The quays were
.^T/^'th!:',' V""' 'f '^^'••'°'«. ''^^ apparently to a man, hkd turnK t^s^o
usoff; the ladies, dear creatures, waved their white handkerchiefs; the men
cheered and waved the r hats, the band meanwhile playing the inspir ng st^^in
Of " Cheer boys, cheer," and then the melting melody, "Aud lane svL'n
was a scene which we can never forget, and did greal'credit to th^e p%« Ir
Sottthampton ; we contrasted it wilS tLe parting%t Waterloo, not Sab?v
to the latter. After getting clear of the dock tl»e anchor wis dropped and
we lajr at auohor until morning. While the ship lay at anehor, I examWd her
machinery and other portions of her. The ship herself. Z Parana Cantafn
Sawyer was of 2800 tons burthen, and 800 horse power \here were 35 oXm
and 850 men of our Battalion, 5 officers and 120 men of hrRS^EnSera
a few casuals of other regiments, and the crew; in all, 1200souls "^ '
We were told oft in messes, 12 men to each mess ; each mess had a table
and mess traps; each man was provided with a beramock, which was hun«
from hooks in the deck, above his own table; one man of each mess was ei^
cused all other duty, for the purpose of waiting on his mess ; hi^duty was to
Srib^ur;hl°^';„'"v' '^'^^ V^^ '°^^> •^"'^ '»""« '^^^^ backwhn cooked ani
^f ^. n„ Ta° •"' ""u^:. Our rations were salt pork aud beef, on alternate
days; on pork days we had pudding of flour, suet and raisins • the raisiiia f«w
"grog" at sea; and each had one pound of sea biscu4ts per diem ; we had cho-
never drink the choeolate, it was so greasy, and smelt abominably The
crew of the ship was the worst I over saw.-a lot of worn-out oM men bardlv
aWe to wait he deck, and totally unfit for duty in the rigging l^he ship had
been cocnJsswned in a hurry, and they could not find Sod sailore to <to a
ITJ^LTryf"""^-" '° the winter time. It is reported tbafwhea h" Govfra-
ment Inspectors in8pect,ed the ship and crew, that the con»pany had collIctTd
together a aumber of able seamen from the other ships belonging to them and
so passed muster. Certain it is, as after experience proved, had it not teen for
the assistance of our men, some of whom were as good sailirs as soldiera S
would never have managed to set or take in sailf HaTkg now ifien'som^
Idea of our board and lodging, with permission we will weifh anctor
w.- l^A ^ °J^"*"- ,-0'f'»*«'- 20/A, 18W. At 8 o'clock a.K. the anchor was
w»£'h°»''^';? '^'"y .l"'!.'''* ^"""^ ^^^ E°g"«l> GhanneK The mornhj?
was hne, but dull ; we walked about the deck looking at the various landscaM^
which we were passing, and making our comments thereon When atTa
anythmg unusual that passes becomes an object of interest, and a&rds matter
}^^. 'w.?^"'^^' """^u^^ mainland on the other ; we here saw a number of
empty botUea floating about;, various opinions were given "s to bo w the^ came
there Boae saying Neptune had been on the spree, others that a pTcnio pL"v
had been there the night before. At noon we sailed throueh the nar?ow^«
sage called the Veedlcs j there is a Fort upon one side caufd " Hum oLue »
commanding the passage. The channel here is very shal ow, so a iifo^iw
on each paddle box taking soundings; one of them gave the soundTnLs in^
rery musical manner ; I stood and watohed him for a long time charmed to
hearbimsing ^hy m d»p nine'' or whatever the dopth^ight be llaw
900309
,3
several porpoUes— lar^e fish which swim with surprising swiftness, but in a
▼ery ungainly rolling manner ; they swim in a straight line through the waves,
which causes them to be a good deal out of the water when they come to thi
trough of a wave. We had fresh meat for dinner to-day ; we recommended
tue cook to wash np with the soup. We were served out in tbe afternoon with
^,^^ll f ^tl '^*5' 2""^ one PO"n<J of tobacco ; government charges one
«iln ?i» M P"""'' "^ ^°^'""'°- ^ '"«« ^t*"*™" parsed us in the evening;
when twilight came upon us wo formed a ring on the forecastle, and held a
!^™-v . .f K • *"^y «on<="t. calling on the landlord (who, I need n«t say, never
came) to bring another pot." About eight o'cloclt we went below to go to bed ;
r partly undressed and got into my hammock, but as [ had not learned the art
211^'^'°*' It properly 1 could not sleep in it, so I tumbled out, rolled a blanket
upi^r d™ck °" " ' *''° previous night being One, I slept on the
.^'"'l\^'^ ^^'f.—^^eri I got up in the morning the Lizard point was in
sight ; the morning was rather a cold one, but fair, with a favorable breeie from
the east. We passed the Scilly islands at 10 a.m., a rugged looking and dan-
gerous group of rocks, off the Land's End-the brave Sir Cloudsley Shovel who
commandea the fleet at the siege of Gibraltar, was wrecked o a these rocks,
every soul in his ship being lost. We lost sight of our native land about noon ;
I stood and watched the lighthouse on the Lands End gradually sink into the
horizon, and when it had entirely faded from my view, I said "farewell," and
wondered within myself whether I should be fortunate enough to see it again.
The engines were only going at half speed, but they set alf the sails, which
helped us along. We were now fairly in the Atlantic, nothing to be seen but
a waste of sea and sky. We had salt beef for dinner ; I did not like it, con-
tented myself with the weak soup, steeping a biscuit in it. The ship had now
Degun to roll, and a good many gave their dinner to tbe fishes. We had some
good singing in the evening; we also had the drums, fifes, and pipes playing
for an hour. A man of war passed ns, all sails set; she looked a fine specimen
ot man s handiwork. The pipes must have frightened the fishes and old Daddy
weptune, for such a noise I am certain they never heard before. As we were
ratner crowded below when it came to sleeping time, one-third of *he battalion
was put upon watch ; at night they were not allowed to go to bed, thus leaving
plenty of room for the remainder; the watch's duty was to help the sailors,
carry water to the cooks, and keep the decks clean. I was on watch to-night
I had nothing to do but smoke or walk up and down the deck
Deeembtr niuj.,— Sunday. A cold raw morning, I managed to ret a cup of
« w!l'.h!; ,Vu\^?.'f '^"^ .^''°°°''''° i ^« paraded at ten o'clock for a sermon
?n r^ri ^^» ' .^"' A' *"'"^'' °".' ^° ^^ •* '«'""■« : t''" '«*' '^'^s "Cleanliness next
to godliness —the Captain seemg no reason why we should not turn out a little
smarter, brush boots, and stars, and look a little more respectable in general.
We saw a reason, thouM, lie did not. The wind blew away a jib • another was
w„l "? '" i '° ?°"F^,^ °'Ll''^ ^'^^- ^°™^ °f »"f men sick again at dinner time.
«mM-f7"' "li'.J^'"' * '''"^ '^°°"^" guernsey. lu the evening some of us as-
sembled round the cnpstan, and sang some of our beautiful psalm tunes. Met
i^nV, foil"^-!? f'.'''^^°^ countryman belonging to the Royal Engineers ; Tiad a
fpSVv L'^ffl "™ w-^H u"".' "'■ '"''J"'^- ^ ''"«'^" «f facts were distribu-
t^ *J tl>c officers Wind beginning to whistle amongst Hie rigging. To-njirht.
for the first fme slept in a hammock ; rather enjoyed it than otherwise ^^
^ hnm-waf^l •T^'^.'' '"^ ^ bcautiful momiug, there was hardly any wind ;
k.^ r^T ^"""t.'' 'r*"P P*","^ "^ : *« ^'^'^ t'le fi'Jdler up this forenoon, an(i
had a dance on the forecastle ; saw a shoal of porpoises, and great numbers of
^e3die?,,'nf '"''^'''\-, More. tracts and h/mn "book's distfibuted amoag^
the soldiers and crew; all the sails were set, and we went merrily alone. Aa
we got farther Into the Atlantic the water appeared, instead of he S co*r
bSnes %W ^"P'V^'i Channel, to be of 'a deep 'blue, almost a^nount^ng to
^«P, ^« h J'"*^ "'** ^''? ""?'" ""*' ^f immense depth, perhaps four or five
Wh/n Twpn^, a concert m the evening, officers and meS joining together.
n To "^ fiamraoek the wind was rising. 6 b •
•hn.ff'<r=*« 24/A.— When I got up f found ihe weather looking very stormy.;
«bout 9 a.m. it began to rain, a cold wind blowing. I ipounted guard at 19
«.m. ; wo pajsot* a large French ship at 1 1 n.m. ; wo signalled her : she answered
and saluted the English flag. It continued raiuiug unUl C p.m., when the cloada
.l^^lilfr^?;: ^^' ?''*"" "^T' "' ^^""'"8 Star, wa's seen to shine wiul
splendid brlllmney : hor rays shone upon the water, and her light was but little
1°. .l?*" ?x * , u i^" ""^" '" '^* '^^'^ •=<»""''"y i all the stars seemed larger and
brighter than I had ever seen them before, the wind again began to rue. and
by n P.m. It had increased to a gale; being on guard I was of course up all
night and had the full benefit of the storm. I was on sentry on the engine
tank from 12 till 2 in the morning. ouB'""
X>ecm6er 2WA.-While standing half asleep looking at the engines, I saw tba
water •nuudating the floor, on which number of the men had made down their
beds ; although it was anything but pleasant to them I could not help laughlnB
at the miserable expre^jslon on their faces, when thev found themselves in dan-
ger of being (ioated away on their beds ; they had to take them up and walk in
search of a drier place to hnish their nap on. The ship was now rolling a
good deal and shipping water, which I could hear dashing over the ship above
my head. At 2 a.m. I went on the upper deck ; I had great difficultv in keep-
ing my feet; got them wet by the water which was dashing about the decks,
and ray face washed by the spray which dashed over the ship. Towards morn-
ng the wint^ shifted aud then fell, and by day-light it was liuite cilm again,
the sun shining out beautifully. I had nearly forgotten it was Christmas Day
and when it came to my recollection it did not tend to increase of good spirits!
J thought of how diflerently I might have been enjoying myself in London, ia
the company of those I loved. Thoughts of roast beef and plum puddintr float-
ed through my head, but the reality was salt pork and biscuits, hard enough ta
require a hammer to break them. Because it was Christmas Day we Kot a
double allowance of rum ; I went to bed early, and fell asleep, thinking of home.
Vtctmber 26/A.— About 7 a.m., commenced to blow very hard, and soon bad
ncreased to a gale ; although it rained I kept on deck, sheltering myself in the
lee ot the cow-house ; a goodly number of us stood there watching the waves
which were running mountains high. We had lots of fun seeing the men
tnmbling about the decks as the ship rose on the crest, or sunk into the hollow
or a wave. The cooks got scalded whenever they took the cover off a ''copper "
the motion of the ship threw the boiling water over them, to the great dange'r
ot their precious lives ; in consequence, our dinner was at a rather fashionable
hour. Two vessels passed us to-day, both homeward bound ; I and a few more
wishea we had been going the same road . Great fun at dinner time ; the dishe.<i
betrayed a decided inclination towards the bottom of the table, and from thence*
to the floor was but a short way ; in fact you could hardly find the way to your
own mouth. It is very disagreeable to be below in a storm ; the motion below
tends more to sea sickpess. There were a great many sea-sick to-day We
hud a double allowance of grog to keep out the cold ; a fog gathered round us.
so that we could see nothing. To-day they found such difficulty in furling and
unt\irllng the sails, that they engaged a number of our men to assist in workina
the ship. The rain and wind kept up the whole of the day ; I went to bed at
4 in the afternoon, and had a capital sleep until morning.
December 27M.— The gale had abated during the night; a vessel appeared on
the starboard side, sailing on the same course as ourselves ; we gradually left
her behind. About mid-day commenced raining, and by evening once more
blew a gale of wind; we rather liked the gales at first, but we were now
heartny tired of them ; every mile we were advancing we felt it growing cold-
er and polder ; it also began to get very foggy, showing we were not far from
the banks of Newfoundland, where fogs prevail.
December 28M.— Very cold frosty morning ; all the sails were furled, and every
thing made ready for a storm ; but we were agreeably disappointed ; it turned
out a fine day and still finer evening, Venus again shining beautifully. An im-
mense number of diving birds were swimming and diving about the ship • they
fan remain for m extraordinary long time below water. We again had sing-
ing on the upper deck, and afterwards a great deal of talk about seeing land*
December 29/A.— Sunday morning, cold and raining, steam shut off to toko
voundings ; the depth was 90 fathoms. We were served out with lnn~ hcnUs
to-day. At noon we were reported 100 miles from Cape Race,' on Newfound.
N
land. A number of land birda flying about ; a few of ua joined tofethor and
sang some psalms, the time now hanging huavily on our handa, and *' land,"
" land" was all the talk, both amongst officers and men.
Dictmber 30/A.- ^till foggy and dreadfully cold ; owing to the fog no ob-
servation could be taken, and they did not seem to know very well where they
were ; they kept sounding, the depth gradually decreasing ; there was a man at
the mast head on the look out for land ; the Captain and all the officers of the
ship were on the paddle boxes evidently especting to see land ; they very fre-
quently directed their telescopes to a certain polut, the man at the mast head
looking in the same direction ; of course every body took the cue from them,
and looked the same way, but the fog was so thick we could only see a short
distance around us. When the man at the mast head came down he was cov-
ered with ice, and nearly insensible from the effects of the cold. No land was
seen, and no change in the weather occurred during the day.
Dteembtr 31«/.— Land reported in sight; turned out to be a false alarm.
More warm clothing given ua to-day— woollen shirts, drawers and comforters.
I was very much depressed to-day ; I had found out that we were not going to
Halifax, but up the St. Lawrence. I knew from books the dangers of the St.
Lawrence, especially in the winter time, and that it was impossible in fact to go
toBic, where we were to have been disembarked. It was hogmanay night, a
night on which a true Scot likes to enjoy himself, of all the nights in the year.
It was certainly the most cheerless and coldest I ever spent ; I went to bed in
bad humour with myself, the weather, and things in general.
January U/, 1862.— At 7 a.m., land in sight. This was my first glimpse of
the New World, and most certainly its appearance was not inviUng ; it roso
steeply from the water, and was covered with snow ; a few stunted trees were
scattered here and there ; there was a light-house, the keeper's, and two or
three more houses on the island, which was called St. Paul's. A terribly
cold wind blew off the land, nearly taking the breath, and making the
teeth chatter, whilst we were not very sure whether our toes were on our feet
or in our pockets ; there was also land on the other side, high, rocky, and pre-
cipitous, and apparently uninhabited. We ran up the signal for a pilot at the
fore peak ; three men came running out of a house waving a red flag, which they
planted in the snow, and then rau back to their house, again coming back and
waving the flag ; but no one came off; we understood the red flag to mean that
it was dangerous to go farther up the gulf. If such was their meaning, the warn-
ing was unheeded, and we proceeded on our voyage upwards. The strange
sight of land made us forget the cold for a time, and gave us something to talk
about. The sudden changes in the weather was something astonishing ; at 13
a.m. it was bitterly cold, and a high sea running ; in two hours after, the sea
was as smooth as a mill pond, not a breath of air ruffling its surface. I passed
the whole of this afternoon at the bow of the ship, musing on the beauty of the
scene, and of the tremendous power of '"■•n who rules the waves, Immease
numbers of porpoises played round the sbl , hey also seemed to enjoy the beau-
tiful evening, and as they jumped and ; imbied over each other, I wondesed
whethflr these were young porpoises just let out of school, and whether th6y
were playing at leap frog, or some other tea game, the name of which I knew
not. About 3 p.m. passed a rock called Bird Island ; we got our fur caps and
gloves this afternoon. I immediately put mine on ; found them very warm ; the
gloves were furred Inside as well as out. We had singing again in the evening.
Beautiful night.
January 2nd. — A good deal of snow fell daring the night : the sails, ropes, and
the whole of the ship was one mass of ice; ashes had to be sprinkled over the
deck before we could walk on it. I have no occasion, I Puppose, to say that th»
frost was most intense. We paraded in complete marching order to-day, in the
anticipation that we should be landed on the morrow. A dog named "Peter" who
belonged to the Battalion, had been teazed by one of the Officers of the ship un-
til he pit him ; he was then ordered to be drowned ; they were a long time in find-
ing him, as the men endeavoured to hide him ; he however, was found, and
thrown overboard into the cold icy sea. All this day we had the left bank of the
rirer la sight; nothing was tofaoseen but bili upon bill covered with the whita
•now, relieved by patches of wood here and there, which relieved the eye aifler
6
gftcinif go long upon tho dazzling brightness of tbf snow
vrt stood awar from the land.
Towards the erening
January 3rd.— Snow falling ; no land In sight. The grBatest cold we hart
ftU was this forenoon. We formed circles and ran round and round endeavour -
log to keep our feet warm, but after running till we were ready to drop, #o wera
■till cold as erer. We wore so miserable this forenoon, that but for tlie thought
that we might disembark in the evening, many of the men would have been
tempted to throw themselves overboard ; one man actually went delirious from
the ettects of the cold, and attempted to throw himself amongst the macbinerr:
numbers were gathered round the funnels, endeavouring to warm themselves.
The hot steam, escaping from one of the pipes, froze as it escaped, and hung from
tho warm pipe in a largo tangle of ice. The snow was falling so thickly that
we could only see a fo-.v yards around us. After dinner I tumbled into my ham-
mock as being the most comfortable place I could Hnd. About 3 p m. I was
awoke by one of the men ; ho told mo that the ship had run aground, and that
every body was ordered up on deck. I jumped up, put on my boots, and went on
deck ; I met an officer at the top of the stairs, who asked me to go forward aad
assist the crew, who were setting the forward sails ; a. tcr this was done I had
time to look about; the ship had grounded on a sand bank, and was apparently
immovable ; the engines were stopped, and then reversed to try and force her off;
all the men, except those who were setting the sails having been sent aft to light-
en the vessel forward ; the land was only 400 yards off on the port side ; land
was also seen directly ahead of ua. In about twenty minntes the engines suc-
ceeded in forcing her off, and we were rescued from great peril. Had we not
grounded where we did, we might have sailed on until we struck ou the rocks,
when nothing could have sa /cd the ship from becoming a complete wreck We
again breatheJ freely when we were in deep water, and thankea Qod for our de-
liverance. At 5 p.m. a man who was hanging a lamp on the pnddie-bo.x, which
was covered with ice, slipped and fell on to the deck ; he never recovered consci-
ousness, and died at 6 p.m. ; he left a wife and family to bewail his untimely fate ;
between 7 and 8 p.m. we sailed through two large fields of floating ice, and en-
tered a third extending as far as the eye could see ; the ship stuck fast in the Ice,
■o they were obliged to back her out ; a consultation was then held amongst the
orncers of the ship, which resulted in putting on hill steam and trying to force a
passage ; this failed ; we again stuck fast, and to avoid being frozen in they
again had to baok out, and the ship's head was turned down the gulf. We, when
we turned back, were within four hours sail of the Island of Bic, where we were
to have disembarked. The men grumbled dreadfully when they knew we were
going back ; they blamed the Captain, saying he was not fit to command a ship,
«nd that he haa no business to bring us up the gulf at this season of the year.
But he had received his orders from Government, to try the passage of the Gulf
And was of course obliged to try his best. Conjecture was now busy wondering
where we were to go next ; some said we were going to Halifax, others that we
were bound for Sydney to take in coals, of which we were running short. Ter-
ribly cold during the night ; could not sleep.
January 4th.— Aa cold as yesterday ; water getting short ; could not get any
to make the breakfast ; on board a steam vessel they make their own fresh
water, and as coals were short, and the engines barely moving, of course we
were not making much fresh water. I wandered about the deck until dinner
time as miserable as a man possibly could be ; we had another long voyage be-
fore us, and then a long journey, the dangers of which were greatly magnified :
this afternoon the man who died last night, was sewed up in his hammock, the
burial service read over him, and then plunged into the sea ; he now sleeps be-
neath the billows of the St. Lawrence, with the winds to sing his requiem, and
the raging billows to preach a funeral sermon to the survivors. It was an aw-
ful lesson on the brevity of life ; I hope it made many of our men think ; it
certainly made me.
_ January 5/A.— The third Sunday nt sea. To-day the officers read part t)f th«
Church ot England service to their companies. We stopped several times to
take soundings. Psalm-singing again in the evening ; a sailor boy fell down a
hatchway, hurt himseil severely. Frost still severe. Lights were seen dotinr
and
Januaty CM.-Not (o cold «• yMtirday ; m w Una at 9 t.m. Bol.l hilly-look-
ing couDlry. At 12 a.m. we inchorrd in Sydney Harbour on the Island of Cap*
Breton, which li«a at the mouih o.' ih« Gull of St Lawrence. Sydney Bar i« ih«
"■"?• of the town, or rather lar,ce villa«e j it cortiala of uveral hund.ed houaea,
all . uilt of wood ; 1 thought I should never lire feaating my eyea with the varioua
a ghta to be seen on .hore i I hrat aaw a ilejgh here, e.xclamationa were coo-
atantly uttered, aucb ■»-'• Oh ! look, Ihere'a a man ;" or, more iniertating alill,
"•woman;' or, '^ a dog;'- or, 'a pig;' or anythmg Ihat appeared in aight
which we had no been in the habit ol weing on board .hip. We were aa ailly
•i grown up chi dren ; but any on- who ha. been out of «igbt ol land, and endur-
ing what we had done, will be ah e io under.tand our ftelfnga on Ibia occaaion.
There were aeveral coa.ting ve.aeja in the harbour, and one building on the atocka.
Moat of the officer, went on .bore; on their return we heard that there waa no
danger of war b«tween England and the Statea. In the evening the drum, and
hfea marched round the d«cka playing in.piring aira ^e then bad dancing to
the pipea, and were all a. happy a. poa.ible. They told ua that a mail would
beaent away to-morrow, so a great many of us wrote lettera.
January T/A.-Ueautilul morning. The Battalion v.a. to be allowed to ro on
shore; two cornpanies went on shore in the foienoon, lots ol them got tipsy, so
apprehending that no more w^uld be allowed on shorif, I slipt ashore in a'^slJam
tug which had been employed to carry our people backward and forward. My
Z!l IHl'*! "" PI'"'* °" r**""* *" '" ••!" "* '" ■ '"" "P «•»• hill, but the snow
^Zl r^^ '•''It-'' ^°' '"!!1"'»J. •" ' «•• °^"8e<l 'o walk, or rather tumble
along. There was nothing worth looking at in the town ; the people did <,ot seein
very communicative ouUide, so 1 thought I would try them inside I w«nt iniA.
public house called the ..C«pe Breton 'Hotel." 1 .a7no sign Ke'er « jTe5
SfTr^i*"' ''''•'"•"• '»'»y"'°ni«l"nent ahe n'arly filled a tumbler
il!?l hT,?" V ^^Tr', ^ "''"' "^'u^" ^•*' ""' mialaken; she said no, and ex-
plained iha^ an English 6d. was worth 7J currency; their copper miney not
h'2 Zr^f*" T,*;^ "* "rf:- ^ *'*''" '"*[' *""» conveJsa.ion wiTaome naUvM
at the bar ; found them intelligent enough on domestic Tiatters, but newapapera
were eviden ly scarce amongst them ; they did not know much of what wa. g^ng
on in the outer world. Th.y have a strong feeling ot dislike to the Yankees* and
we"^ Jh^^^ll*h?H^*'"i.*«°^ thra-hing; I found that moat ot >be inhabi.'ant*
weie either Scotch and Irish, or descended trom Scolchiren and Irishmen • a «ood
many of hem speak Gaelic, and were hand and glove with our p peTwhoB
^1Z^\,}^" '"''" "''",*• *""[ P'?^"* '^'■""•8'' '*>« principal sireet. There
seemed to be no poor people in the place ; most of them' earn Vnough in he sur^!
mer, to i,eep them during the winter months. Nearly every house wa. a IhZ
having something to sell, however trifling it might bef Tbe^lacrir'mtmtam
from possessing extensive coal-minci; vessels goi* g up and down the S? L^menca
fs"^"^r'f" ^''ir '""'• • '',?yu«*'- 'hemlliverrd at the ."de of ^e ahK
88 6d. per ton. Alter getting all the information I could, I took a walk, an'
then went on board again, ratner tired than pleased withr^y run ashore Num-
hereof boi.ia were around the ship selling fresh provision7to "ur men" ?i«f
weighing 1 J lb. cost an English 6d.. and 1 lb of b'utler coat Is?; fish we« cW
the water where we anchored, teemed with the iiue»t in America You «J
acarcely imagine what a luxury a alice of wheaten bread fnd butVer i. after
bavmg been trying our teeth with hard biscuit and po^l for 18 dS -,. ' I ,"
tytd alMh'e K? ttrnS. "°" ""'^ '^"""« »"' "'^ «^ "' '^y'' «»»»
.Jr^'^AK^V" 12<A.-puring these days we were busily engaged in taking in
coals and freah water; they could not get men on the 'sland to coal he sh p w
they/omd us to volunteer to do it. promising that we should get paid tor it -'^^
tr„«H n.f 'V.^^*' V^"!*^ "'«'", ""* "^'y i •"«"• >^« '"«' don*, and had Ta-
troyed our clothes, and made ourselves like Ethiopians, or • dirtier sween thVn
you usually see, £oO w.. divided equally amongat the Battllirn' flLlt^fo h'd
0. y workeu i noiir receiving as much as those who had worked 12, in imitation
ot the parabH of the kboureis. 1 was getting most heartily tired of Ij ing heiel
a
it was worse even than being at sea ; there was no temptation to leave the ship
then, but here the land was within a few hundred yards, and no one allowed to
£0 on shore. On the morning of the 11th January it was very cold, and ice was
iorming in the harbour, and there was a prospect of getting frozen in, in an out
of the way corner of the world ; but glancing my" eye to the foretop, i saw the
"Blue Peter" flying, the signal that we were about to sail ; shortly alter, three guns
were fired to bring boats off, some of the ofiBcers being ashore. At 12 a.m. the
Fusiliers manned the capstan bars to raise the anchor, the fifes playing merry
tunes, as they ran round, raising the anchor as easily as if it had not weighud a
cwt. 1 was just beginning to get merry again at the prospect of soon being <it
the end of our voyage, but after sailing about iOO yards the anchor was again
dropped ; this was in consequence of the barometer having foretold a storm ; nor
was It in this instance a false prophet; In ten minutes from the time we dropped
anchor we had a gale of wind and snow, which would most likely have sent us
to the bottom. Tbe water of the harbour was lashed into waves, which made us
pitch as if we had actually been at sea; the cold was so intense, and the wind
blew so strongly, that we were obliged to keep below, and thank providence
we were not at sea. The wind fell during the night, and when I went on deck
in the morning the " Blue Peter" was again at the lore peak.
January 12th.— Vfe weighed anchor at 7 a.m. and sailed away ; we met tbe
Magdcdena Steamship, which had brought out the 16tb Regiment ; she tiad landed
them safely, and was now on tier way to St. John, Newfoundland, with a cMtery
of Artillery on board, who were to be landed there for the purpose of quelling
some riot which was going on there. The MdgMena lowered a boat, tier cap-
tain and the Halifax pilot coming on board us; from them we learned that the
Orenadier Guards, which left London tbe same day as we did, had safely arrived
at St. John,N. B., and that a report was in circulation that we had been lost in
the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The captain then went on board his own ship, the pilot
remaining with us to take us into Halifax ; we had the church service read to
«8 by the officers in the afternoon; we were now sailing along the coast of Nova
Scotia, which reminded me a good deal of the coast of Scotland, it deriving its
name from its general resemblance to Scotland ; I went to bed early, but could
not sleep ; the wind began to blow, and had in a very short time increased to u
•torm ; the hammocks swayed to and fro, like cradles in motion, the waves dash-
ing against and over the ship, with a noise like the finng of Artillery.
January I3th. — Whilst lying half asleep, half awake, 1 was startled by hearing
a dreadful noise, as if some heavy object, such as a cannon, had fallen through
the deck ; I got up to ascertain what was the matter, and fodnd that a ladder
hai fallen within a few inches of where a number of our men were lying sleep-
ing ; Providence, however, directed its course, and no one was hurt, but a good
many woke up, dreadfully frightened, and anxious to know whether the ship
was sinking; about 6 a.m. whilst it was yet dark, I went on deck to see how
matters were going on there; I had difficulty in keeping my feet, thesbip rolled
eo dreadfully ; the first thing I saw was the cannon overturned, bales ot hay,
boxes and stores, knocking about the deck, to the danger of all who came neai-
them ; carcases of fresh meat which we had taken in at Sydney, had been
knocked off the hooks on which they hung, and were lying on the deck, bleached
white by the water, which was pouring on them. Tbe decks were washed so
clean, ttiat as they say in Scotia, '* you might have supped your porridge of
them ;" I now found out that the ireadful roiling of the ship was caused by the
rudder chain having broke, thus leaving us at the mercy of the winds and waves;
they were two hours in getting the chain repaired, the ship in the interval being
quite unmanageable; after the chain was repaired the ship did not roll about so
much, and as the day wore on tbe storm abated ; this wus the greatest danger
we had encountered on our hapless voyage ; had we been near shore, and the
wind blowing towards it, during the two hours the ship was unmanageable, we
must have been driven upon a rocky, inhospitable shore, and in all probability
not a soul would have been left to tell the tale of misfortune. During the time
the storm lasted many of our men were sick, and the confusion and noise that
prevailed below, completely bafnes description ; men sleeping on tables and
benches, wpre pitchsd on to the floor; iron. plHtes and jugs tumbled from side to
fide accoidinnj as the ship swayed, npakirg a horrible noisi?. But lew this morn-
9
iiig could cat any breakfast, the greater part being gick, and the remainder afraid
to eat, for fear they also should become sick ; by noon the gale had abated, a!-
lliough the sea still ran high ; we again sighted land, and we now began to look
out for Halifax; as I had not slept the nignt before I went to bed early, and wa»
awoke about 11 J by the noise of the chain made as they dropped the anchor in
the harbour ol Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Januai-y IWi.—l gol up at 6 a.m. as I was for duty ; went on deck, and found
thut the snip was one mass of ice, to the dtpth of a couple of inches ; the frost
was most intense, it made me feel as if some one was pricking my ears with
needles; my breath was frozen as it escaped from my mouth, and hung in icicles
from it, whilst my comforter was frozen lo my neck, and 1 had to feel every
now and then lo make suie ihat my nose was in its proper place ; but the feet
suffered most ; ihey soon got erilnely destitute of feeling; it made me grin moat
dreadfully, and 1 was in such pain that had it been fashionable to express my
misery in that way, I should have cried ; the sky was so clear and Lnght, you
could scarcely imagine it could have been so cold. As the day broke we were
able^ to see w;hat like a place we had got lo. Halifax, the capital of Ihe province
of Nova Scolia, is built at the side of a beautiful inlet, lising very steeply from
the water; Ihe hill is crowned by a fort, which commands the town and the
entrance to the harbour; there are two more forts, one on an islet in ihe middle
of the entrance to the harbour, and one on the lell side; there are a goodly num-
ber of churches and chapels here, with lually ^ ome spires ; the houses, with
only few exceptions, are built of wood, a great . ly of them being detached, or
semi-detached, to prevent accidents from lire. There weie a good many coast-
ing vessels lying in the harbour, a mail packet and two men of war; the hai-
bour is a very line one, large and deep enough to shelter a navy ; there is a sub-
urb to Halifax, on the opposite side of the harbour, called New Windsor. I did
nothing all day but walk about the deck, looking at the town, and any object of
interest that turned up. We again procured fresh provisions ; no cne, excepting
officers, were allowed to land, so I am not able to say anything about the
internal appearance of ihe town.
January Ibtk. — Beautiful morning, clear and frosty, and of course very cold.
The Or/anrfo, 51 guns, came into harbour at ten a.m., her band playing the
'• British Grenadiers," the sailors manning the yards, and giving three cheers for
our men, who returned the compliment with interest ; she had been caught in
the storm of the 13th, and had suffered a great deal of damage, and was near
foundering ; we heard that she had also lost some of her crew. During the day,
the weather again grew stormy, snow falling in great quantities, whilst the water
of the harbour was in such a tiiimoil, that no boats could come near the ship.
January 16M.— Blue Peter at the mast-head ; fired several guns to bring those
off who had been on shore all night; the water was so rough they experienced
c jnsiderable difficulty in getting on board again ; at length we got them all on
board, when the anchor was once more weighed, and we set sail for St. John,
Nothing of any importance occurred to-day ; the sea was still high with a strong
head-wind ; we had the coast of Nova Scotia in sight all day, and at night stood
away from it.
January 17<A— Vessel presented an extraordinary appearance, would have been
a hne picture for a photographer ; every inch of the ship was one mass of sheel-
ice ; she looked more like a ship of glass than anything else I could compare her lo-
must have been terribly cold during the night; the spray Iroze as it fell on the'
deck ; land.and a lighthouse on Ihe starboard bow ; the men seemed more con-
tented than they did a week ago ; the intelligence that we were to march from St.
John to Quebec made them put up with the present evil, rather than rush to
one they knew not of. We were sailing slowly during the afternoon and night
January I8//1.— No land in sight; snow falling thickly ; could only see for a
short distance around us. At 6 p m., whilst going very slowly, we suddenly
found that the ship was almost touching the land ; one in the darkness could
almost have supposed that we could have jumped ashore ; the helm was imme-
diately put hard a-port, and in a moment afterwards the anchor was dropped ;
going on deck I could indistinctly see the land ; it appeared to be only a lew
yards off; a gun was fired, but no diisweiing signal was iieard. About 7 p. ui.
the snow cleared off, and we could see the land quite distinctly ; the pilot went
on shoie to reooDnoiiiP, and if possible a.^certain our whereabouts ; he came back
n
10
It
at 12 p.m. wiih the intelligence that we were only 8 miFes from St John • aff^r
receiving this intelligence I went to bed and .lent comfortablv unti mornin/
January im -Beautiful, mild morning; we'^wereonljYoO^'rr from the
•hore; he pilot said he water was so deep that the shipmighthave touched he
and with her bowsprit, and not have touched with her keel ; we were a long
time in weighing anchor ; the water was deep, and the boltomZky • the fiferf
played a good many tunes,-and many a hundred revolutions of ^eL„s?anw,^
St. John at 10 a.m., and disembaiked at 2 p.na. : a great number ot the inhah-
itants were waiting on the pier to welcome us ; thiy were^e ^ resJctahle
^okin? crowd I ever saw, all apparently comfortable and welK nThfworld
Our voyage of 32 days was replete with hardships and privations whilst the
cheerfulness, coolness and courage displayed by our men was iJally as7onishinK*
they were particularly complinriented by the ckptain of the ship for the r cooS
on the day the ship ran aground in the St. Lawrence. We were aH thankfSl
hey thanked Him who had preserved us through so many dancers The lis-
tance from the ship to the " Temporary Barracks" where we werfac^omio^dated
during our stay in St. John, was about half a mile; the snow was See^^dou?
loads heavy, which made us persp re very freely the fnmiii.rA »,= k„, ii, •
but each man had a place to Ug^is thin'gs on J we we'eaXr crowded bu^'
anything was welcome after the confinement on board the shf [ I 3 a eS
comfortable night's rest, and rose in the morning quite happy to find mywK
land. We were very busy the first day or two getting our arms and ™ccoufre"
ments in good order, and in getting our linen washed ; for the time beine we ha*
to do our own washing, and I may say, without egotism, that T turned Zt^
clean linen as the best washerwoman in Kensal Green could haveHnnP On thf
forenoon of the 20th I was down at the ship gettiV^g out ff luggage a^d Sores
In the afternoon 1 went out to have a look at the town • it I kf HMif^ ;. k!^?;
round the harbour, but does not rise quite so steejy";' t; X^t on^i shouW
at a rough guess, estimate to be about 20,000, principally ScZh Irish and
English ; the town is laid out very regularly, the whole^f the s reets crossS
each other at right angles ; King Street can boast of some shops quite as eood a!
the best in Regent Street, London ; the public and the better chissoT pnVa"!
houses, were really handsome, substantial looking buildings -peMe Tn Tffluent
circumstances al have double Joors and windows to their^lweC I dS S
see a beggar during my stay m St. John, and saw only one case of drunkenness
There are a few people of African descent, principally S^yed af Schmen
or domestic servants ; few of the darkies ap'piared to be inXent rfrcumstanTes •
they are still under the curse of Ham, " servants o^.«rrn"i'- No maTer how
rich they may be, they are never generally received in good "whitest? » S
town was full ol troops of all arms of the service, and presented Tverv livelv
appearance. On the 23rd January, the Scotch gentlemen of the city entertSS
us to s public dinner ; we paraded at 1 p.m. ani marched through the town the
drums, fifes and pipers at our hea^ playing as we went along^^the buiS in
which we dined was a arge car shed belonf»intr in mo •">;s , "le ouumng in
had been previously used fs a Barracks t/Th? Gren''adi^r"i3s?''tria^t' o
Tf thTsTjohn''" s'.nSV' '."I'y •' l^"""'^ °f Honor, consisting Of a ComSny
ot the S)t John " Scottish Volunteers," rece ved uq with nrooontoH o,»,o »► ,V
sution their piper playing the " Campbells are coming ;»Tey wore The Hiih-
and plaid and Glengarry bonnet and fiather ; the cZft'e is t^ coldlo wear fhe
kilt in the winter tune; as we marched in, the Volunteer Band played ''Oa' he
airts the wind can blaw," and several other Scottish airs • thorp ioro „ni J »
tables but each was 300 feet in length ; th^puSte? "ccommodXd AZl
between the tables and along each side ; the tables werebeautifuUy la^ out wd
ornamented with small flags, having emblazoned on them some appropriate s^S-
tence of loyalty or welcome ; the tables were loaded with ^ood cCr'^ of ev1?y
kind-turkeys, ducks chickens, ham, beef, mutton, pies, farts, jellies and con-
^.""7,1' Uh"' rr""" '. P'"'"? °'' '■'■"^ ^'"> '*»«"' rosy'cheek's pi a^d the eye
and adorned the table; silence having been proclaimed; one of the gentlemen, in
» vfirv neat snench hadp ua tv»1<v>m<. to M-«r P-.i--,. : I ■ "'\5'^"i'cincii, in
. ■ ' ' . , - - .._. — II. 1,^^ DiUnsWick, savinff that this <»iitei-
ta.nment was g'ven, not only for our own sakes. but for 'thai also of Her Mo t
(,iMcious Majesty the Queen, whose best and bravest troops .ho had sent out to
11
defend the Colonies ; he then in feeling language, alluded to the death of H. R.
H. Prince Albeit, and concluded his address by again, for himself, and the rest of
our entertdiiiers, wishing us all sorts of happiness and prosperity, and a hearty
we come wherever it mijjht be our lot to go. Our Comroanding Officer, Colonel
Oalrymple, then rose, and in the name of the Battalion gave thanks for the great
honor they had done us ; he said that when we left England, we had expected
a reception ot quite a different character, (alluding to the Yankees j) that now,
happily, there was little chance of fighting, but he knew that if the occasion did
arise, that we were not the men to be second in the field ; he then sat down amid
tremendous cheering-. The Bishop of Frederickton then craved leave to say a
few words before we commenced dinner; the Bishop's speech made us all laugh
heartily, and who knows not that a good laugh is conducive to good appetite ;
Bishops and Ministers generally give the funniest speeches. The Bishop's speech
was as follows :— " Well, my lads, 1 am most happy to see you here this day,
and bid you welcome to New Brunswick ; when you left England you expected
doubtless to have encountered a dangerous and troublesome enemy ; but what is
the reality, why the enemy turns out to be turkeys, geese, ducks, and such like ;
they will make no resistance unless you have bad teeth ; but as most of you are
young nien, I do not suppose you are troubled with that evil of old age ; I expect
you to give a good account of the enemy, and when you are done, 1 hope none of
them will be left on the iield." He th°n gave us warning against the evils of
intemperance ; gave us an outline in geography which was very amusing, and
told us that John Frost was a good master, that he bridged the rivers, made the
roads, and put the ruddy hue of health upon their faces; he ended, amid great
cheering for the funny Bishop; when the noise had subsided he said grace, and
we then fell to, and did justice to the good things before us; coffee was served
during dinner in unlimited quantity, but no alcoholic liquors were seen ; after
dinner, one of the " Glee Club of St. John" sang the solo of " Rule Britannia,"
all our rtien singing chorus, with a strength of lungs that made the building shake;
our singing class then sang several glees ; more speeches were delivered and
responded to ; ih^re were great numbers of ladies present who seemed to enjoy
the scene immensely ; the speakers seemed to be very proud of their women, and
spoke highly ot their beauty, and of the honor conferred by their presence, in-
timating that they were not afraid of the ladies of any other land bearing off the
palm ot beauty (rom New Brunswick; I smiled inwardly when I heard them
talk thus, for their women had very little in the way of beauty to boast ol ; but
Ihey, if possessing little beauty, had plenty of kindness ; they smiled, and pressed
m so much to eat, that had we taken their advice we should have shared the
fate of the frog who tried to make himself look as big as a bullock. After din-
ner our pipers played several pibrochs, which seemed greatly to please the Scottish
part of our entertainers; after some more singing and speechifying, the whole
of us sang " God Save the Queen." We then formed up outside, and went home
singing songs all the way ; we were repeatedly asked to sing •' Dixie," which
seemed to be a sort of " National Anthem" here ; they were obliged not only
with •" Dixie" but also wiih the " Strand ;" and with many of us the wish
to be in the " Strand" was not an idle one. We got all safely to barracks, in
good humour with everybody and everything, and ready to shake hands even
with a Yankee, if one had turned up. The inhabitants of Nova Scotia, and New
Brunswick also, it born in either of these provinces, call themselves blue-noses ;
one need not infer from the word that their noses are of the heavenly colour ; it
is, J believe, a nickname given them by Judge Haliburton, (who wrote Sana
Slick; ') they do not take offence at the name, for if one is asked what country-
man he IS, he will very likely say " I am a blue-nose ;» at all events the blue-
noses are a loyal and kind hearted people, who uniformly showed the greatest
kindness and hospitality to our naen ; not only did they entertain our battalion
thus, but every soldier who passed through St John to Canada, was treated in the
same hospitable manner ; and give the credit to those who most deserve it. This
movement of giving entertainments to the troops, began amongst a few ladies ;
some of the Grenadier Guards, to the number of 150, were quartered near those
ladies' houses ; they privately subscribed together and treated the party to a din-
ner, an example which was soon followed by the rest of the inhabilaiils. On
the 24th of January our battalion began to go up the country; I went on the
morning of the 30th; we paraded at 7 a.m.; I had all my warm clothing on, a
12
blanket foe my f^et, ami one to sit on, or pnt over thr shoulrierg, ns the gtatf of
the weather made advisable ; we did not wedr our boots, we wore moi-oosins
which were warmer to one who meant to remain in the sleigh; those who were
restless and lil<ed to have a walk or run now and then, kept their boots on : one
of our blankets was doubled up and sewed up the side, thus formiriL' a bas for the
|eet. There werel60 men to so to-day belongi,,-; to -he 3rd, 4th,and 5th compan-
ips; these occupied 20 sleiffns, 8 in each, 1 for the officers, and 2 with baggaee
23 in all ; being the centre companies we had the colours with us : the sjeichs
we went in vveie just long boxes with seals in ihem, the boxes being fastened to
two traverse bars, which slipped along easily over ihe smooth snovv or ice • we
w-ere seated in twos, facing each other ; our firelocks had been sewed up in rieces
of canvass to protect them from damp; they, and our knapsacks and accoutre-
ments were stowed away below the seats, and amongst our feet ; we wore our
haversacks on our shoulders ; they ooniained a day's ration in advance, and some-
thing warmerin the shapeofa bottle oi rum, and a bundle of cigars, with a box
of ma ches to ight them. By half past 7 we had all got into our blankets, and
looked like a lot of men going to run a sack race; we had a buffalo robe to
spread over our knees and with the other blanket over our shoulders seemed as
If we coud defy cold ; vain thought, as we afterwards found ont. We now
started, and dasned along the streets, to Ihe music oj the sleigh bells, which are
hung OM the harness of every horse to give intimation of their approach : as the
sleigh makes no noise in its progress over the snovv, they would be dangerous
to foot passengers il they had no hells; numbers of the inhabitants were in the
streets to see us off, otheis pee-ed from their windows, hardly awake, and won-
dering what all the stir v.as about ; we soon left the town behind, and in a few
minutes we were on the river St. John, our road lying across a bay on the river •
you must remember that all the rivers in this part of the country are froaen over'
and aie used as roads; the ice is from 2 to 4 feet in thickness ; the roads across'
rivers are marked by branches of trees stuck in the snow; were it not for 'his
precauliori people would oflen get lost in the snowstorms which occur so often
and so suddenly ; the roads weie very rough and full of nits, which made the
sleighs jolt erribly, sometimes nearly throwing- us out ; the scenery to day was
most beaiitilul; at one time we were on the crest of a high hill, the country
below us broken into hill upon hill, glen upop. glen, and all covered with forests
of large, beautiful and useful trees, such as the Amerirnn pine, which mav not
impropei y be called the king of :he American fo.ests, it overtops all the other
trees, and is entirely destitute of branches, until within a short distance of the
top; the average height in N.,w Brunswick of the pine is 100 feet, but in the
hacljwoods ihey sometimes attain to the enormous attitude of "00 feet The
Migar-mapl.. is another most interesting and vuluable tree ; it is from this tree
tha maple-sugar is made ; m the months of March and April they generally
make their sugar, thpy commence by boring a hole in the free two or three
eel from the ground, and then insertii,;r a reed in Ihe hole; t-ie sap is allowed
o run 'nto '"b-S one person can attend to a great many trees; the sapiseollec-
ed and boiled in large coppers, the scu n being taken off, fresh sap added, and
leboiled, strained and allowed to cool, when it nystalizes ; the fineness of the
sugar depe^nds on the skill of Ihe person who attends the coppers whilst Ihey are
boiling; the refuse makes a very fn.e molasses; various other valuable trees
prow in these forests, such as the cedar, birch, ash, larch, cypreFS. and many
other varieties unknown in Lurope. At one time we got into a den, with a
rock rising at our side 1000 feet, in nearly perpendicular height ; "although the
rock was so steep, it bore a dense crop of trees ; it seemed most astonishin-
where they got nourishment from, there being very little soil; looking up a"?
ihis tremendous rock, one wishes that he were not quite so near the base of it •
you tancy you can see a lump of rock on Ihe face of the precipice just ready to
tumble down, and grind you to an impalpable powder ; the driver of the sleigh
torn me the name of this rock, but it has now escaped my memory ; we saw
liumeious cleunngs, with houses on ihem of all sorts and sizes, and of all the
orders of architecture that have ever been known. Before I go farther 1 must
explain what clearings are ; in a few words, a clearing is another name for farm ;
wjien a settler romes out and buys a piece of land, he generally finds it covered
«..,'« larjfer Ei?e to serve as a barn and byre ; he then attacks the trees, euttinj
IS Ihp slafH of
ore mncL-ssins
lose who wpte
boots on ; one
g a bag for the
(1 5th compan-
rt'ith baggags,
5 ; the sleighs
ig fastened to
w or ice ; we
edupin pieces
and accoutre-
we wore our
ice, and some-
i, with a box
l>lankets, and
iiffalo robe to
rs seerned as
lit. We now
Is, which are
oach ; as the
be dangerous
were in the
ke, and won-
uid in a few
on the river ;
s froaen over,
roads across
not for this
•ciir so often
;h made tlie
r 10 day was
the country
with forests
ich may not
nil the other
tancfi of the
■, but in the
) fest. The
Dm this tree
!y generally
wo or three
p is allowed
sapiscollec-
1 added, and
eness of the
ilst they are
iluable treea
• and many
len, with a
ilthough the
astonishing
•king up at
base of it ;
1st ready to
f the sleigh
V ; we saw
I of all the
her 1 must
nefortarm;
it covered
to find one
les, cutting
13
very simple process-the lol/s which ha vrhpl .m^ Ihem; snake-fencing is a
the top of each other in a z°SL^ nan ler th!ir ■ K^T" ^""^ '""^^y '"''' "n
to knock down : when the reef hrvlhl'n^r weight being too much for cattle
clear, and the f;.rLr"nh!snr?dearvvh ft h"'^"'."'^'. \' '''"'' '^ ''"^ »" ^e
cleaimg. The fms st"l- v v dee I v nt T" ''""'''. ^'''^ ''"■""' '^""^ '' »
comesinspringlhefrosttlvel^hpl u ^r i''"''u'^' ^"f ^■''*" '^'^ '^aw
boarded over with shingles; a coin le of ?mVll ^ *""' "" '^'" P"' "P. ""d
is ready to live in; if /^ has Tolh/r. ^T'°"'' ^'^ P"""" "'"' ^-'^ house
knockLewboards\o:JL and Seas whi'h";,'' ^T "^"'"^ ''"' '^7
as mahogany would do. A settler comh^i'n^' ""'""■ "'^ P"'P°^« "« ^^^'l
hismindtofoushitagooddeTl- af°era ve r /"'"'. '""'; 7 '""'' '"=''^« "P
proper wood house, and in a few mo ew.llh/t ,7 ''" '*''" ^' "'''^ '" '^"'''' »
only he must worl hard at / rsTTuWn / h^ ,' , ' 'ntents, an independent man,
do l^yond cutting tirewood and ;t;en X^' ^S^'atT'^'u 1^7 '/^ •''"'^ '»
of our journey to-day, but was verv w^ m ■ ,' , ," '' snowed durmg part
to teed the horses and ro re hn.,?'L^ '.'".'. ^".,''?PP^^ ^^ «" ^"n about 11 a.m.
singing songs, to the great deli" n'fn^^,,•^ f crickets; xve commenced
customed to%' uch surging. fe'\:i";t'r::;7'^'' ''^'"'^""y had not been ac-
either toilin,. up a hurin^low im" „ ^o t 71 ""irl" ,' ''' r' P"'^''^"y
the sleigh once set in m.^ion would hlv^[u,\ I ,*^ '^ ''T" ^"^ °"'^'' ^"'e J
impetus"; nor was their vantin" a 1 le d l! TJ ',''"''°''' '"?"' ''^ ''^ °«'"
thing would happen to the sleigh in rnntiir u ^"'"'^". V"' .P^fney ; some-
like^thewind.LIdunab^tr^ti wSruninTo^' "^'^ behind coming down
in it; sometimes our ro..d la/aCAhe XT„ Iv!' "'"''"^'^r ^■*'° ^^^^
loose snow to p, event us roin- . ver i?, ^Ih,?'"^''^ ''"'"' ^"*' ""'^ ^ bank of
not on the >juivive migh-'ge "nitrhed on/ of l u ' '"''' '°''"' °"^ ^^° *«"
amid the laughter of his comrLC which vl h^'' "•'° ^^^'•ea'h of snow,
who h,vi laughed so mi chTt ^ 'th; l L ' ^ril ^ ".!"''''"^ if Bome other one'
could get hu't amon"t the St nou-^ Ti ''[^'J"'''^ of cosrse noone
generallyturnedouttfh 5L| olTt/s -w f^ef 'I'u'' f '""-. ''^'' '°'^ ^''^^
at a hamlet called Welshtord t hev ( .,i ' f ^ ' ? '^""' ^'°'''' '"s w- passed ;
bung across the road, not'^w^ ^ ^'g vvas'
scriptions; on the oiie acTO the o ,1 ' v s eli;^ v"^ ^°'^ '"-
on the reverse side was .e<-n on 'ook ,.^ l.Ll- ,^ 7',"^"'' ' Heroes," and
gentleman, who had a fl-mh^usVi LfSable'ir.i'^ "Farewell ;» one old
servants, cheering the men as "he d VrATt S ° '""".' ""•"* ''''''' ^'^
had pass'ed, he go^t into his^^^n slel^ b ntf pZ ".^'"o 7h''' '^^' ^'^''^'^
nndaccompaniedustoourhaltiiicDlacefor hfni'^t, ,1? °^ '^^ Pfocession,
during our journey, where tht in tlHn?/=,iir !*"'.'■ ''','' '''^' ^^^ ""'/ P'a«:«
ue mil remember^he gentlran a W^^^^^ gave us a cheer;
a place called PetersWife boTs „' .'it "^ ^"J " '''"^ time. We arrived a
accommodated 120 of us, the remaim^; ^ f TT' ''T,'^ '"'§« '°S ^'"N «'h'ch
had been led to '^xpL iZuC^^^^^ i we
it had to be cooked after our arr v I v! , T '"' ^"I ^'^ ^"^ ^^'s^PPointed ;
but most of the men were by tha til.' Z"T. T'' **' « P-™- ""^ '^a at 1 p.m
floor was covered w^h bra iches ot tL nf ^' '"' ""f " "° ''"'^ '° ^'««P°" 5 'h«
blankets which we haVC3u\vuT.s^'ThS:i"'' ?T ^"^ only 'the 'two
and g, • into the blanket which wV'^wed up o l'^ h'l "Lt'^'"^ T '" ""'*'■"»
on the tot), the rest of the clotl^mr ,Zilv / '^' ^ "'"^"^ around, great coat
■nade a capital pillow this Ja f way r 1^'"," ' "^","'"1' ''"'' "^^ ''"«P««"=1^
once I ^o' !nf„ rn- hi- r-! ' ■ ■ ^ ^'^P' '*"''"'■' '^e whole of the iournev •
you"are%ure to be^ wa™ The"ffic!rl l\T' ""'„";'"'" ''°.'' ''" ^'^'•■'"'ie the air)
..se they f.red no be.te.hi^^^^l^rr J^^iig^ ^h^t^^ii::^
14
Colonel Lambton ; he went into thp hnf ,„j
«.lced it the Colond was inV" yes " renlZ r'"^'T" ,""« '""'''"S "' ">« Are,
was no other than the Colonel himself rooki'"'''^"''!''' '^^'' was cooking, who
they also had to sleep on fea'hernfLfr^^^^^^^^ an ome et for his own suppe"!
backs could see the light through "he ton of L' hr:'^"^ ' ,T' "* *« '"y "" »"
very cold, we did not feel it : a counlenfmi "'' ''"S':"h°"«h the night was
<n; there were four stoves in\Lhurri^f"XT "^ ' "'^^' "» ''^•'P '^e fires
up by a larger pine bough tharordinary havSt*?^' ^^',"8 "°-v l.nd again woke
or a piece of wood, or pTickle runn Z in.„ ^i^.^ ' ""? ""^ «'"'>'' °( my back.
offensive object, turn round7andsl5a"'°„?^'r^' ^'''" ^ ''i^ ""V^^'' °f 'he
iQ th.3 30rt of life that I rather enjoyed i? ' "^^ something so romantic
clear of trees; a great fire called the MiCi fi™ ^''S"?''^ ^"■"^^J' ^«8 very
years previously, and blackened, charred st^mn/w' ^'*''„^''»t the forest somi
had once been « fine forest, a fire K« S"^^'* "" *''*' remained of what
grassand underwood, and he t^es them Jvp?' " * *f"*'^« ''''"ff. the long
like tinder; the fire itWrai.eVSofSwM\''J,^,'^ '^"'J^^y ^^^'^ "P
every house was burned up, and the inhaWt^ntrV -^ ^''^' *° ^"^« '' "long;
rivers to preserve their lives ; it was dreadf^nl . iT" ^^ ^^^ ''^"^e in the
Ungles oficewerehangingfrom the beard, iL^' f°1. '" ^ '"«"' "noments
wmd was so keen that it was imnosslble to h<^rf "^h?"/"^<=^«« °^ ^^^ »««» I the
wrapped up as we were, we felt the winV ,,?. • ^^ /""^^ ^"^*'''i 't, and well
gotcold andmanyofthemrn got out and wTif i'''""^* *" ! our feet also
again when we came to go dowfhiH and ,n ^^'^JP ^^^ '''"«> J^-^Ping in
clearings to-day, stoppinf abo^t ba fl'way to ?eed 'th A' ^^''"^ ? g^eat'mlny
ments; our men often remarked tha no h!..l.^® ^'""^^ «°'^ get refresh-
seen and the only wild animal we had s en' T ^^^^^.^Parrow was to be
Frederlcton the capital of the Province of New R* rabbit._We arrived at
Governor lives here in a large handsome bri.k- h ^^""^f'^k i. the Lieutenant
town ofabout 2000 inhabitants we w^Ain^i"?"^®' Fredericton is a small
St. John runs past the town7the7e w Ja v1n« '° ? ^'"'/■"'^ ^''' ' '^' "^«"
Side of the river, so I crossed'on the U^anA^lT, "^ ^°*^ *•"' °" '^^ °PPosite
of wanting a light for my pipe I won?int^ ^ ^ ^}T * ""'^'^ ' on the pretence
they call them f it was a\«^ 'ridTp ace T."'^ '^'" ^*«' °^ ^'S^^ms as
sit, but squat on the ground upon buffalo 'Jtl "'° "° furniture, they never
corner; their women are called squaws and heir hX'°'' °^ " ^^ '^'°& '"^ »
babies was hung up in a basket on the wall i^ t '' ^^n'"'-' °"^ "^ ^^^'"^
nothing to be seen but its little uglv shan^d hp«^ 7 i "?".?''' '° *h« ^"^ket,
their papooses heads whilst they a e youn? S ^% ^'^M^'^'^n squaws squeeze
observable in Indians. Those Ind ans that Fvilit^^''"" ^''^^^treating forehead
belonging to the Roman Cathoi" Church th«- '^ *"'" ' *°^S«"«'»»^
work more than one day at a time -the on wA^ ^'l very lazy, and hardly e vei-
ls hunting, their squaws do aT the haS^S''''°w>'''^^H^°y^«"«''' '»
makmg embroidered moccassins and rfth«, ^' cultivating their clearings,
they have a young child, may be'seea work n^7n"r°^\.""'='?i: *''«^' ''^''^
in Its basket, hung on their backs bvaltrani^-'^^ ^^^^I' ,'^''^ ^^^ P'^Poo^e
squaws seem to be very fond of thefr husbnnr "°f '""""^ "'^ ^"'^^""^^ i their
faithful; a smile is hardly ever seen uSonfhJ'f*"'^ T '^^°'^'^ ^o be very
tion with one who could talk EShifi,^!,'^ ^^<='' ' ^ «?'"e<l i^to conversa-
of talking about hunting; he to"d me thltTr^ "" ^"r"''"'^""'' ^""^ fo°d
bear3,wolve3,raccoon3,hkrerrabbU3 A. A .r'® P'^?'^ "^ wild animals,
gave me a parUcular accoun 'of moose huntt' ^''^ "'"" *['° P'^^^^ "^ ^eer ; ha'
deer as large as an ordinary sized^ox «nH^^^ "^ snow-shoes ; the moose is a
As the snow is, on an average 4 fee^'i^Hlnth* ^"'^ dangerous animal to hunt,
ever there are U beaten rofds thev at ^in' ^71^°^'. "^"^^ ^^ "««<!, where!
breadth at the middle, tapering 'o&Doint at H^.k''''/'' ^V"!^'^ *°^ 1^ i"
a frame of wood with two cross hart fiiil?.^?''' ^"'^^i ^^^^y are made of
on which the foot restsf the foot fsf'asteiTn^ « net-work of moose's skin
left free play, the snow-shoe rdrLVtrXinn^ rlt^"" \ ^^V^'' ^^ ^"-^^ being
iking at the fire,
.;a8 cooking, who-
is own supper;
! we lay on our
1 the night was
to keep the fires
and again woke
ill of my back,
myselt of the
ng 80 romantic
unning stream j
-day was very
he forest some
aiainedofwhat
hing, the long
they burn up
rive it along;
refuge in the
few moments
the men ; the
I it, and well
our feet also
3) jumping in
I great many
I get refresh.
)w was to be
'e arrived at
e Lieutenant
m is a small
re I the river
the opposite
the pretence
wigwams as
', they never
<i lying in a
one of their
the basket,
laws squeeze
ing forehead
nd generally
hardly ever
ly delight in
r clearings,
they, when
the papoose
head; their
to be very
3 conversa-
t, and fond
Id animals,
of deer ; ha
moose is a
al to hunt,
sed, where-
and IJ in
e made of
oose'a skin
heel being
'eat care is
Bsaowyou
)t to tread
stili more
15
a tumble in the snow-shoes. I returned tnhJtt^ ?^ "'/• *« ^ *•«'« °ot yet had
breaktsSS;i;S^^ro;Tr°Vf^So^t a good
journey, were each 30 miles in leW °feitarn°V°." *^** *^« ^"' ^^° ^^'
w th a spire and a very appronriaff. h'o^^ "^^^ *' ^ »■"»■. noticed a church
with the fingers dincheVexceJ^ng the^refin" "^^ '^K°^ '' ' '' ^^^ « hand
ward ; such a device as thij makp, « 1 forefinger, which was poinlinff heaven-
not ; if it had been a weathercock I^^*h/S'°^ °* '''*^«° whether hf wfll or
wind blew, but that finger S me thill J'^'l? ?°> "'""Rht which wly the
never forget. Our route to-day 1^^°/^'''* '' ^*^ 'ntended we sLuld
was little difference in the appJaroL^i"^^^^*^ ^"""^^ of the river St. John there
pearance of having any grea'^^^pTa7„°°"°^^^^^^^^^ has not the lea^t aj^
bS^P?/'"*^*' ^"h a strip^f c eCd^^n^T '• ^f''" but hill ui^nhifi^
breadth ; the men now began to tirPn^aiw-" ^"•'yng from 1 to 4 rniles in
numbers of them were to be seen walkfnJ ^? '° '°"? '° *^° «'«'«b'. a^d grelt
Jwhind the sleighs ; some of the sle^h, nn?' °' ',",°°>« "nd tumbling almiir
.»P in t, ,od j„„ enJogb ,° ,'. SS" "" ^'f' ' ™ >"^ "« room w . ttlj
«ongs, so we sang Psalmsra^theC? wfv'h''"^^""'^'^^ ^« co"ld n^tling
fttM'r^"!r '1^ ^^°ts for' a pint I drSt^"'' ' ^"^ ""^' ^tuflf the? cal ef
attended
the pTesencroFde^^h mZ, °^ " ^°"°^ woman ,'Tt iT wonZfi,rhf °"",'"« '
dea";!' We^L'rreHrStS ^^sf ^ -- t>S r/^thTp^e^^ceTf
we.e again lodperJ in » «p"™, • * P"™-' ""r day's inurn»v oo^l-^f.^^^^
16
Free-Will Baptist Church ; now I am generally reverent in a church, but tha
manner in which thej conducted their devotions nearly made me laugh outriirht •
they began by one gentleman giving out a psalm ; during the time he was read-'
ing, another gent starts up and bawls out a number and the name of a tune •
they then sang it to a ranting air; then one prayed, then another, until six
men had prayed, ana then, us a climax, a youns hidv pops on her knees and
prayed ; tins young lady's prayer, which I thought better and sweeter tlian tha
men's, (inished the praying department ; there was no one in the pulpit ■ after
the praying was done, one old gentleman iuvited any one to step up and give
their "experience"; no one stepped up, however, ao he gave us his own c.xpBi-i-
ence, beginning in a whisper, getting louder and louder as he went on until ho
ended in a bellow, and sat down quite exhausted. I left the cliurcli before tlio
service concluded ; I was quite disgusted with the exliibition ; I could not call
it a religious service. We did not leave Woodstock next day ; we took a rest
to-day, but It was no rest to me, for I was on guard ; Woodstock is a small vil-
lage, only distant 12 miles from the State of Maine.
February ith.—Uh at 9 a.m., only six men in a 'sleich ; as the roads were
getting worse, passed through several villages ; walked a good deal to-day our
course still lying along the bank of the St. John .'liver ; we arrived at the
village of Florencevillo at 3 p. m. ; travelled 25 miles to-duy ; lodged in tha
basement rooms of i hotel j lay again on the floor, which was only covered with
pine-boughs. ''
Fibruary 5<A.— Left Florencevillo at 7 a.m. ; roads very had ; still along the
bank of the river, and close by the State of Maine ; weather clear, frosty and
cold; no villages along the road, but plenty of clearings ; saw a small animal
resembling a squirrel, a crow, and some birds of most beautiful plumage ■ ar-
rived at a pretty village called Tobique ; 3lei)t on pine boughs freshly Ra'the'red ■
day's journey, 40 miles ; very tired. '
February 6<A.— Nearly frost-bitten in the fingers ; when I washed in the rnoru-
mg the iron basin stuck to my wet fingers ; was obliged to run inside and rub
my fingers. Left Tobique at SJ a.m., crossed the river Roustac on a very hand-
some bridge, leaving the St. John on our right ; saw a large grist mill ; our road
lay for the most part through a forest, saw some splendid pine-trees ; arrived at
the Grand Falls of St. John at 2| p.m., good quarters, plenty of room, and
pine branches to sleep on ; had my dinner, and then went out to have a look at
the falls ; there is a bridge about one hundred and fifty yards below the falls
from which a splendid view is obtained ; the river here tumbles over a rock
seventy-four feet m perpendicular height, whilst the spray rose in a misty cloud
above It; below the grand falls it rushes away at the rate of forty miles au
hour, falling seventy feet more in a few hundred yards length : after feasting
my eyes with this truly grand and terrific sight, I took a stroll through the vil-
lage, and then went to bed— our day's journey twenty-five miles
February 7th.— Left Grand Falls at 8 a.m. ; the settlers in this part of the
country are all French ; we crossed the river on the ice to the right bank along
which our road lay for many miles ; the roads were very bad to-day, full of rut?
and very dangerous. The pigs in this part are of a Frencli breed, very lean'
would make good hunters ; they have a hump on their backs like camels'; they
are of a d.rty brown, or russet colour, some of them having a white ring round
their body, which give them a strange appearance; others were striped like
tigers ; tliey were the dirtiest and most disgusting looking pigs that belong to
the porcine tribe. Crossed several rivulets spanned by handsome wooden
bridges ; it snowed during the last two hours of our journey ; we passed a
handsome French Church, covered nil over with crosses, also a college and
shrine. We arrived at Little Falls at 5 p.m.. terribly tired, having been 9 houns
on the road ; Little Falls is a French village ; we had travelled 40 miles to-day
We again had pine-boughs to sleep on ; numbers of the Frenchmen came to
hear the pipers play.
February 8W.— Left Little Palls at 7 a.m. ; terribly cold fo-day ; the first
7 miles we were nearly shaken to pieces, the roads were so bad ; the snow had
also drifted a good deal during the night ; we crossed the boundary lino between
Canada and New Brunswick about 9 a.m. ; the road was now broad and irood :
gnow ploughs go along every day to keei. it clear, and wo went aloii^ a«
smoothly as on a radway, and at a greatly increasi'd speed ; our road to'day
17
Uy along tho bank of the Mndawaska river, and for 20 miles along the aide of
a large lake called Temiscouata ; wo arrived at Fort Ingall at 5 p.m., distance
40 miles to-day. There was a barracks here, so we had beds to sleep on, for
which 1 was thankful ; through lying on the boards to long, I did not sleep
quite so well as I expected. There are some remains of the fortifications still
to be seen; doubtless wild red Indians intent upon scalps, have assembled
round this fort in their paint and feathers, but such days have now passed away ;
the white men hold with a strong hand what was once tiie Indian's patrimony,
whilst they themselves have nearly disappeared from the laud of their fore-
fathers.
February 9/A.— Left Fort Ingall at 7 a.m., halted 12 miles from the fort, and
again at the 24th, where government had a log-hut, and an extra ration of
warm tea ; we rested here an hour ; the rest of tho afternoon was tho coldest
we had felt since we started on our journey ; we arrived at Riviere du Loup,
40 miles from the fort, at 5 p.m. ; 10 hours on the road ; we again had beds to
sleep on, our window? 'o'iking upon the river St. Lawrence, which is here 2
miles in width ; the Ii., ■ du Loup is only two days of sleigh journeying from
the place where we tui )ack on the St. Lawrence, so you will see what a
round about way we hud come; our sleigh journey ended here. Riviere du
Loup is 331 miles from St. John ; Riviere du Loup is the name of a river and
village ; tho Grand Trunk ''ailway has its terminus here ; there were several
large stores in this place ; ive found provisions cheaper here than it any other
place along the road ; the inhabitants are mostly French, and very civil and
polite.
February lOM. — We paraded at 8 a.m. : we had about a mile to walk to tho
elation, and as we had got heavy kits, and a blanket rolled round the knapsack,
we were rather short of wind when we got to the station ; the road was very
Bleep all the way. The carriages r.ere in waiting, and we immediately took
our seats ; one carriage held sixty men ; they are built on an altogather differ-
ent plan from English carriages ; there are no doors in the sides of the carriages,
but one at each end ; all the carriages communicate with each other, they are
seated crosswise, with a passage down the centre ; two persons sit on each seat,
other two facing them ; not only can the guard and Uriver communicate by
passing through tho carriages, but instantaneous communication can be held
by a bell which passes through the carriages ; each carriage is provided with a
closet, drinking water, stove, and, in ordinary passenger trains, with smoking
and sleeping carriages. There is onlv a single line of rails, and but little diffi-
culty has been experienced in making the permanent way ; tho country through
which the railway passes is very flat, the rails are laid down at about the same
guage as the English Great Western Railway ; the engines burn wood instead
of coal, which neces.sitttte3 their stopping very often to take in wood ; we had
two day's provisions in our haversacks ; the train started at 9 a.m. — The line
of railway from Riviere du Loup to Quebec runs within a short distance of
the St. Lawrence ; there was a good deal of cleared land along the line oi rail-
way, and numerous villages, the names of which 1 can only just mention —
St. Alexandre, St. Paschal, Rivier Quelle, St. Anne, St. Roch, St. Jean, L'Islet,
St. Thomas, St. Francis, St. Charles, Traverse Chemiae De Fere and Chau-
diere. We stopped at most of these places to wood or water, but nothing was
seen worthy of recording; we arrived at Chaudiere at 35 p.m.; Chaudiera
station is about eight miles from Quebec ; we had to stay here 4J hours, wait-
ing for another train ; we cooked our tea which wo had Brought with u3 on the
stoves in tho carriages ; we got very tired sitting in tho carriages doing nothing ;
all our old songs were sung, and topics of conversation exhausted long before
the engine was again put to tho carriages ; many of the men were just drop-
ping otf to sleep when we again started at 8 p.m. The frost was very severe
to-night, and away from the stove we soon got chilly. The carriage was full
of smoke nearly all the way, owing to the wood having been cut too long to
allow the stove door to bo shut. We were dreadfully uncomfortable the whole
of the night ; owing to the jolting of the carriages 've could not sleep, al-
though we felt a great inclination to do so.
February iii/j.—- Arrived at Richmum' :'* T a.m. ; Richmond is a large village,
as far as I could judge in the darkness .♦ ' is some good houses ; there was
. c
18
fine markets. Bonsecours and St Ann'-, n ""use, «c. <ec. ihoie are two
cipal streets are paved with atone in /^ 1 '' ^"l """^ ''""^ ''^ ^'^^ P^^^"
from here to England Tho nnm,i \..^ '°^ F'^^' '^ open the mails sail direct
and Sist witf:'spriSlin'^°^o"f rn°k;L%r"^^^
ilfpiigsiii
mm^Mm
them are Fren ch, and have tl^Td vLt^ge 0/ lllnTit'll ''T' ""'?'^S? °'
l^.h„ if not S.U they ..se French. Loot^.^Il^^Zlll!, Tnf^'^^.^^^X
19
I should »ay they aro a very moral people; most of the crimes aw/hel^ ""J
drunkenness; Iho thefts are generally of a petty nature: I ''"« "f^l^'f.^ °f
any great man abusing trust, nor of a secretary absconding with the cash-box ,
noXent assault,, and nothing in the shape of rnurdor. Drunkards are rurely
seen in the streets a drunkard in America is looked d..wn upon by everybody,
no matte what he may be. Books arp cheaper hero than in England ; a book
whkhselirn England for 30 shillings may bo had here for as many centJ.
The?e are several circulating Libraries, well supplied wUh books, prmc.pally
from the New York publishers ; judging from books 1 saw on the shelves of one,
I should say there are too many books in the Newgate style, such as the Cla ude
Duval series, and Reynolds' works. There are several dn.ly "e^P-'P*"- "^^^^
bi-weekly ai^d others weekly ; some of them are published and «'>l'» f"r o"
cent For the size of the town there are a good many music shops, or ra her
■tores-all shops being called » store,." There are several regiments of v"l"tt-
teers and militia in this town ; they are busy drill.ng every evening, ar ■ I am
Informed they pick up their drill very quick ; on one or two oc<^»^'0". hav«
seen them mnrching through the streets with their band ; con'. Jering the rough-
nees of U^o streets fhey marched steadily and in good time, and with a proud,
martial bearing; they did not appear to be the sort of men that would wi-
Hngy submit ?o Yankee domineering, and should the Yanttees ever take it Into
heir heads to have a slap at Canada, they will meet with a warna reception
The houses are all covered with sheets of tin instead of slates or t'les; when
the sun shines on them they dazzle the eye with their brightness ; the roofs ar.
generally steep, so that the snow may slip off easily. There are many cbaritabU
rnstitutions in this city, and several for promoting learning and ^^ '«'""• .Now
that the thaw has commenced, (23rd March) it is very unpleasant walking in
the streets ; some dig away the snow of the pavement m front ot their I'ouses--
the one next door does not; in consequence a pool of water collecis where the
snow has been lug away, only making the former evil the better of the two.
We have had several parades to practice lie'd movement on snow-shoes ; we odb
day crossed ou the ice to the small Island of St. Helens on which there 's » "um-
w of guns but no fortuicalions ; we climbed and slid down the steepest bills on
the Island ; aciing as Light Infantry there were a good many betrayed a/iecided
Incl nation for the horizontal position to the great amusement of those who could
ma ntain the perpendicular. The inhabitants are very fond of racing on snow-
shoes ; the Indians are the fleetest runners, they hive most practice. Our men
like this place well enough, the inhabitants and us agree very well ; the
only drawback is cheap drink, and alack of those amusements which only Loa-
doii can afford ; provisions also are cheaper than lu the old country ; the tobacco
is cheaper but of inferior quality; manufactur'^d goods are dearer than in Enjt-
land, clothing especially. There is no occasion for any one to be in poverty in
his iounty, excepting from long sickness; that there are poor people there i»
no question but improvidence is generally the cause; trade is not so brisk dur-
Ing the winter as in the summer, and something ought to be saved for the ramy
dav The climate is very dry, the snow dues not weigh more than halt of what
alikequaotityofEnglish snow would; the cold is great but nothing to what
we had expected. There is always plenty of work to be had, awd I thinK a per-
son wbo is only earning small wages at home should emigrate If I were dis-
chareed to-day I should stay here, or go to Upper Canada; the persons moit
wanted are agriculturists and mechanics, such as carpenters, masons, and slaters
** The foregoing account of our voyage and journey was not originally
Intended for publication-but having shown it to some friends they thought it
of sufficient merit to advise me to publish it. I have accordingly done so, and
have no doubts that the well known kindness of a generous public will pardon
any imperfection in the construction of sentences, &c., and will talte it tor wnai
it is-a true and correct account of our journey from London to Montreal.
Whether our stay in this country may be for a short or a long period.— we, when
we return to " Dear Old England," will gratefully remember, and talk in onr
qj^ aga of the fine country and finer people it was our lot to be thrown
amonjet.