4f I ! ?5 Y b ■■-r"' TRIFLES FROM MY PORTFOLIO. BY J. M. LKMOINK, AUTHOR OF " MAPLE LEAVES." BiBiid Philea: SQACNON,r 'I' K I F L E S FRO M M \' V O R T F 1. 1 O BY J. M. LEMOINE, AUTHOR OK " MAPLE LEAVES. iriE (;i;lf steamers — father loktus — GASl'E — PERCE — PASl'EBIAC ALIAS PASPY JACK, ALIAS POSPILLAT — MAL BAY — DOUGLASTOWM. On the 12th Sept., a soft and hazy after- noon, the good steamer " Gaspe," Com- mander Baquet, was gliding noiselessly past the many lovely isles of the St. Lawrence^ past' the/Fraverse, past the Pilgrims; so noifielessly,fin fact, that, to one standing on short it might have seemed that she had returend to her old trade, viz : secretly carrying cotton from the land of Dixie to the white cliifs of Old England, in spite of thej screeching .of the American Eagle. Though a good sea boat, she is not by any means a last one; and as blockade runners are expected to show at times a pair of lieels, and this she failed to do, she was forced, on receiving two shot holes in her ,bovv, to alter her ways. It is owing" to this that she became a respectable Canadian craft — one of the Gulf Port .Steamers. After en- joying a substantial meal, the passengers, one and all, ascended to the deck; some to smoke — some to talk politics — some to r-ack jokes — a motly assembly from every part of the Dominion, and some foreigners. Amongst the latter was a, big-fisted fadre. who persisted in cracking tremendous jokes. There was in his behavior some- thing peculiar, some made him Jout an American — others said he belonged to the Greek dispensation. As he was fierce at times — as fierce, in fact, as a Greek when "Greek meets Greek" — we all agreed a Greek he should be, and such he remained to us, under the historic name of suggested to " wait until morning." No clergyman was thrown overboard, and next morning — why, it was calm. At 9 a.m. a boat came alongside, ami took ashore the passengers for Father Point and Rimouski, including a most jovial Quebec broker. On all that day our brave steamer kept her course, under steam and sails, amidst the gorgeous scenery of the St. I>awrence. In the distance were visible the blue peaks of mountains bathed in autumnal sunshine, their wooded valleys and green gorges all aglow with the bla/e of colors which .Sep- tember drops on the foliage of our maple and oak trees, — gold, crimson, red, maroon, amber, jiale green, brown — a landscape such as neither Claude Loraiiie nor I^aiid- seerever dared to attempt in theii' bright- est day dreams ; a spectacle which invests the most humble Canadian cot with hues and surroundings denied ro the turreted castle and park of the proudest English nobleman. On we steamed, past Cape Chate, a name borrowed two centuries back and more from the Commander de Chate, a French nobleman, and mentioned as such by Champlain in his map as early as 1^)12. Antiquarians will please take note that it has nothing to do with a cat, (whether a rhat or a chatte) the learned dissertations to the contrary notwithstand- ing. A beacon for ships was lighted on it on the iith August last. On tlie opposite side, where the Lauren- tian chain seems to end. is Pointe des Monts (the Point of the Mountains), and not Pointe Demon (the Devil's Point) as some geographers have been pleased to in- " Father Loftus." * * ♦ * *' scribe on the charts; some, however, will Soon the wind sprung up; the ship she have it that M. de Monts, more than two rocked; a storm was brewing. Was it centuries ago, bequeathed it his name, owing to having clergymen on board .!■ An Antiquarians, there is a nut for you to irreverent joker advised to throw one of't^iack! them overboard ; it was, however, mildly I The trip was truly delightful. Trifles from My Portfolio. We hail on board some "choice Bpirits" of an enquiring turn of mind — constantly making experiments to ascertain which was the best cure for !sea-sickneK!>. As the steamer rolieci consid Tabiv at times, the eiu]uiry had a practical bearing. Whs "hot Scotch" a specific in all cases i" Or was Irislj potheen to he resorted to when the patient felt a kind of sinking sensation at the pit of the stomach? Here, as well as at the Vatican, the opinions were divided us on the cjuestion of intallibility. After steaming thirty-eight hours, the " Gasp^" was securely moored at Lowndes wharf, (iaspe Basin, one of the most snug harbors in all British North America.* The beach below is occupied by stores, warehouses, olTices ; the heigh Is where the (J' 1 1 arras, Per- chards ami .Arnolds fonneriy lived, are now held by the modern aristocracy of (iaspe, and otlicials on both sides of the Basin. (Jn the south side, amidst trees, frowns Kort Ramsav with its cannon. The new and substantial residence of Hon. John LeBou- tillier, M.L.C.. is conspicuous iVoni afar, amongst the less >lu>wy ilwellings of several other members of his clan. On the corresponding shore, sits the roomy dwelling of the respected Collector of the port, |. C. Belleau, Esij., a Irue- hearted patriot of 1S37, who. with the Vigera, DeWitts and other men of note, were consigned to dungeons most dismal, for having dared to suspect that under the Family Compact there were some abuses in Canada. Adjoining the Collector's residence, and facing the spot where the Royal sipiadron anchored in i860, with the Prince of Wales on board, riourishes the temple of Roman Catholic worship. They were grand times, indeed, these gala days of [S6o, when Albert of Wales visited his Royal mother's lieges, the Gaspesians. The oflicials. military and civil, turned out in tremendous force. Plumes, cocked hats, ^ong-tailed coats, short-tailed coats, coats • tJiispp Bay is well descrilx-il liy Cliampliiin, p.iyt- '<*>.S — iXJ &c.; tilt ii.mit: it.MjII, it is .suf,'ncslcil by hi-, intniiientalors, is, horrowi'il t'rom tiie pirtiirtj,i)uc irifk, diLRlied IVom the shnix- ihrco miUs hiyhcr Ui.ii\ Cape (l.Tspc, known tn ^c.lrn(;^ ,is "Ship I Uad, ''or tin- '• Old ^V'oiii ui." IrciMi ihe sinjj;iil.ir ir.i n?,!i;i ination t(i/-(;/i' ( ihridt'i'd into ^'t.^^ni.)—S,■,•Clu)m■ I without tails, spurti, swords, helmets, every I device, in fact, calculated to lend <'c/(// to I the pageant. I Amongst other items of news, we heard it talked (if to restore to Gasp^ an office of I high rank and ancient creation — the I olfice of Lieut.-Governor of Gasptf . Major 1 C(jx, in 1775, appears to have been the I resident Lieut.-Governor. We were shown a hickory chair that belonged to him. This seat did not seem firm, nor very dur- able, though it was a century old; we felt, on sitting down on it, just like a Governor — pardon, a Lieut.-Governor — as Lieut. - Ciovernors ,s many ollices exist- ed with emoluments well defined and duties very problematical. The Lieutenant- Governorship of Gaspd. with a salary of i' 1,000 and perquisites — why, there were many things worse than that! Should a Lieut.-Governor be now ap- pointed for Gaspi — amongst the residents, no one at the Basin can doubt who it will be. Messrs Joseph and John Eden own ex- tensive wharves and stores on the beach; but, alas, the Free Port system, which crammed the Gaspe stores with goods and deluged the coast with cheap gin and St. Pierre de Miquelon brandy, is a dream now — a melancholy dream ui the past. We have to thank the afoiesaid active Govern- ment olVicers for their courtesy to .strangers* The old Coflin Motel, now much enlarged, is beautifully located on the hill, and merely reipiires an experienced "Russell" to retider it profitable, and a source of pleasure to the many tourists wiio will iiereafter wind their way each summer to Gaspe Basin. Higher up than their wharves, the Messrs Lowndes have in operation an ex- tensive saw-mill, which provides daily bread for many, many Gasp(i families. Let us hope it tnay tlourish. One of the chief amusements at Gaspe Basin during the summer months, is yachting and bobbing for mackerel, just outside the Basin, in the Ba}'. It is a most exciting and itivigorating pastime. The worthy American Consul counts on num- erous American craft entering the basin so soon as the new Washington Treaty goes in force. Trifles froiH My Portfolio ClIAPTKU II. GASl'E BASIN — UOlMiLASTOWN — PUINT ST- I'KlIiR'S — MAL BAY — NKW CAKLISLK— rASl'EBlAC;— TKi: <.KI.\I ir.K>ii-.v KIKMs. There is sonietliinL; siiiitiihiily striking when, on a briglil SiUiiiiJav inommg, ul break of day, with the far-reaching I>ay ol Gaspi before you lit up wilh golden sun- shine, your ear catches th- boom of the heavyguns fired by thetwoCiulf Port steam- ers — the one from I'lclou, tlu- oilier from Quebec; their usual signal on Hearing the placid waters of the IJasiii. They an; so well timed that both freipiently arrive logether. Hark! to the wild eclu) boumling over the waters, and then leaping from peak to peak in this wierd, mountainous region. Three centuries ago and more, otiier echoes no less wild disturbed the ipiiet of this tbrest home — the shouts of joy of jacijues Car- tier's adventurous crew, wlieii plain ing a cross on the sandy |)oiiU a! the entrance, on the J.jth July, 15,54 ; 'i"^' when taking po' ses- sion in the name of Francis I of l''raiice: not, however, without an energetic protest being then aiul there niaile by a great chief, "clad in a bear ^kin. and standing erect in his canoe, followed by iii^ numer- ous warriors." Ilakluyt tells us that the old chief was enticed on board the French ships, and on his sons TaiguraL: n v and Dom.igaya being decked out in most gor- geous raiment, he was prevailed to let the vain youths accompany the French cap- tain to the couit of the French King. I'cjor vain lads! had vou been wisi.' yon would have jum]>ed overlx^anl ami svvain upbore when you passed Ship Head. Where are no'v the (.lescendaiits of the tierce Imliaiis who th>n grei-ted Caitier, amt whose huts were loi'ated on 'lie lockv ledge where I now stand.' There vveic Ihen no swiftsteamers churning th'se ghid wattis - n(j golden wheat-fields, as iIiom- 1 can now see at Sandy Be.-ich ; but e\'ei\wher<' the torest primeval — its ghjom— its inukless wilds — its us.;les<;ness lo civili/eu man. On we s|)cd, with Nteam and sails Soon opened on us the extensive old selllcin'iit of Douglastowu. It was not named alU r any tierce lllaek Dougla.-,. celebi ileil in song, but bv an unas^ninin.; l.itul>ur\''y' t I of that name. Numerous descendants of I the first settlers, of 17.S5— the U. E. Loyal- ists — still survive : the Kennedys, Thoinp- ! sons, Murisons, biz., industrious fishermen Jail. The wli )k I5a> is studded with fishing stations and small villages, in which gene- rall\' the R. C church is the most conspi- cuous object. Alter parsing Grand Grave , and Chien IJlanc, both the scene of awful I marine disasters, the steamer hugs the ' shore towarils I'oint St. Peter's, a large I and important fishing settletnent, and , creeps through a deep channel between the ' rock> ledge calletl Plateau and Point St. Prlei's. and another thriving fishing loca- tion called Mai Hay. According to Champ- lain and hi.- commentator, the origin of I the name is taken frotn Molue.s or Monies Bale (Codfish Hay) — which the English turned into M;d Hay. I lowevi'r, tlon'l be surprised at any trans- I lormation in these wild regions, as Cat ! Cape (Cap Ciiatte) and Devil's Point (Point des Monts) suHiciently testify, I might add another (p;eer transmogrifica- tion. At St. l-uct» thi.'re is a deep cove and jutting poirit; in spring it is in- tested with muscl'.'s, which the French call (fcs Coci/iits: hence tlie F'rench name /.' Aiisr iiiix Coa/iiis. Hut the English will ha\e a cock instead, and have named it Cock Point. I know I shall make the mouths of aiuii|uariaiis water when 1 tell ihi-m 1 ha\e at last, alter a deal (jf research, got hold of the origin of the name of Father Point, a little higher up than Cock Point; but of this hereafter. Let us hurry on to the great, grand, and growing capital on tin; Canatiiau side of Haie des Chaleurs I New Carlisle!. All know why the Bay was called Haie des Chaleurs by Cartier, thouj^h all of u- on board the '• Gaspe' tbuiul the place extremely cold. On -.1 high bank, with a southern exj^o- suie, lii;s a line champagne country laid out in -quale blocks of four acres each, for a tow n— chiefly inhabited by English and I Si'.'icli. with an ICpiscopalian church, a \ Uoman Catholic ciuirch. a new court- ! hon-c and jail, and no le-- than two judges, ( living within view of each other. Two I rc-ident judges in N';j>v Carlisle remind lone ol the two rival Roman Catholic rliurche- s'ariii 2 ,it )ii ■ aiv")tn.;r at Trois 6 Trifles from My Pirt/nlio. Pistoles— one cvidi-ntly will have to knock I under, the |)liice cannot afford such a luxury. It is said there Ik hereenough litiga- tion to fatten three resident lawyers, and that there are three physicians in the place. It is healthy notwitiistanding, and some of the inhabitants have been known to attain great ages. Little or no fishing is done at the shire town. I had not time to find out whether it derives its name from an Earl of Carlisle, or from Thomas Carlyle the Es- sayist, a great coiner of words. From the readiness with which words and names are altered, one would fain believe it hails from tlic great essayist. One case in point: that of the neigiiboring fishing settlement — its commercial emi^oriuin — Paspebiac. This is an Indian name — the English-speaking population have altered it into Paspy Jack. Thev call themselves Paspy Jacks, and the French, who get their backs up readily, especially since they liave had I'arliamcn. tary elections to manage, call it Pofpillat and themselves D^■^ Poxfiillufs. In Bishop Piessis's account of his mission here in iSii, we read that in jnany instances the maternal ancestors of the Pospillats were Micmac sqiiaws. much to the disgust of the neighboring settlements. These half-breeds were then accounted fierce and revengeful. Tom Carlyle must have hatl something to ilo with this wori! coining. But let us re- turn to the county town. The view from the heights is mo-t im()osing. \'ou notice here and there a better style of dwelling, trim flower-gardens interspersed with the scarlet clusters of the mountain ash or roan berr\ — comfortal)le old homesteads, like that of the Hamiltons — splendiil new resi- dences, like that of Ur. Robitaille. M. P. * "New Cirlislp \v;is fust >otllcoy:ilisls. tli;il is, hv persons wln'sc Inv illv Inline liritisli Crown iimIuckI thcin to lc:ivf the I'tulicl Sl:iti-s al the period ol the Kcvolutioii. Tlu'si' persons oliliiini'd true j^rants nf land, iijjricii.'tural implftnciits, sci'd and pro- visions for one year. Lieut .- of XS.ijixio >terlinir, a hirsje amount wlieii we consider the little proirre^s made in I'ither locality. The .Mdw Ferhind .slater 111 It |ud'_T Thoaij>son once joculaiU oh-erved There are several educated families located at New Carlisle, which renders it a most pleasant residence, especially during the summer months; but beware how you utter the word " Election," and keep a dignified reserve on this explosive subject until you are at least past, on your return. Ship Head or Fox River. Talking of fierce- ly-contested elections reminds one of the great election o*" Eatanswill, mentioned in " Pickwick." Forty-fi e green parasols, jiuliciously bestowed, had turned the scale on that eventful day. In Canada, barrels of flour are said to be moreeflective. However, let us hope that in Bonaventure, the election was carried with that lofty patriotism and excjuisite purity, the shinitig characteristic of all Canadian elections in June last ! 1 1 Hem ! ! F'or tourists in quest of healHi, sea-bath- ing and good fishing, I know few places more eligible than Baie des Chaleurs and Gaspc Basin. Paspebiac, with its roadstead running out to a point in the Bay, is the seaport — the great fishing stand of the Messrs. Robin and the Messrs. LeBouthillier I5iothers. The fishing establishments — a crowd of nice while warehouses, witli doors painted red, comprising stores, ofilces forges, joiners' shops, dwellings for fisher- men, even to powder magazines — are on a low beach or sand bar, connected with the shore by a ford for horses, and a trestle- work bridge for foot passengers, which is taken down each fall and restored each spring at tlie expense of the Messrs. Robin. It seems singular that the business and wealth centered here cannot afford a bridge. Crossing by ford al night, when the tide is high, is anytliing but an agreeable pros- pect. Perhaps when «ome of the magnates ol tiie place are found drowned in the ford, the i?ri(iL(c question will assume a more tangible phase. I'aspebiac is three miles east of New Car- lisle. Here the Custom House is located. I'lie Collector is J. F\aser, Esq.. an active, well-informed old .Scotchman. The baron to the Roman Catholic Hishop of t^ii hei , that '' this sum can only have been spent in making excavations nndcrtrround, nothinu appearinjf on the snrlace to ju--tifv such an cjutlay!"— /^rcVv (liisf<,- Siiiiii-y. Trifles from My Portfolio. whicli ilie fishing warehouses, stand, is | thfiugh a worthy rival of its neighbors, it a regular triangle formed by sand and is not so ancient as the great house of C. other marine lir/n'tus. The interior of the R. C. (Charles Robin & Co.) N -ne of the triangle isgradually filling up. The fisher- Robins, however, reside here. C. R. C. men dwell here in summer, and remove to is a mighty name on the Gaspe coast. It their winter quarters on the heights in rear has existed more than a hundred years, in December. | Whether the "Co." is represented by It was in 1766 that Charles Robin. Esij., sons, as formerly, I cannot tell; perhaps, first landed at Paspebiac and explored tlie like the great London house immortalized coast in a small brig called the '• Sea- ' by Dickens, C. R. C. might now mean Flower." Forty-six years previous (17J0) daughters — it is well known " Dombey it other explorers were landing a little to the : Son" turned out a daughter; but who south in the "May-Flower." On nth June, ! cares.' C. R. C. amongst the CJaspesians 1778, two American privateers plunder-^d represent millions; seven vast establish- Mr. Robin's store of all his goods, furs, and ments rejoice under this mystic combina seized his two vessels, the " Bee" and the " Hope," which were moored in the Paspe- biac Roads. But the " Bee " and the New England privateers were all recaptured in the Restigouche,by II.B.M. vessels " Hun- ter" and " Piper ;" and the heavy salvage tion. It would be akin to sacrilege to say, at Paspebiac, that they could be alTected by hard times. No one can fathom their resources: no one dare dispute the princi- ple on which each establishment is carried Mr. R. was called on to pay, viz : one-eighth, on. The poor clerks and managers, 'tis caused him to fail, and he left for Jersey. In ' true, cannot own wives or families at their 1783 he returned, sailing uniler French ] residences at (iaspe; the founder of the colors and continued to accumulate wealth until 1803, when he left for Europe. On the green hills in rear, the , MI(-MA( ACqiAINTANTK— NOl \ KI.I.K — t Mli.orAl — PORT DANIKI.— riM-; (II.DISI MA^(>K IN THF. DOMINION. The Mic-Mac and other liuliaiis li.ni' jjfradually deserted many points of Uic Gasp^ coast, which swarmed wilii them rormeriy. Some ^cx) or (\vnt have i-oni(i-e- jjaled at Mission Point, on tiie Re^tis^ouche. up Hay des Chaieurs, Douhtless the lierci Vospillats will also gradually decrease in numbers as the admixture of Indian l)li)f)d is not favorable either to morality oi- loln- nization. [..eft to their unbridled instincts, what delightful drinkiny-bouts these lazy mountaineers, the Mic-Macs. must have! What wholesale slaughter '»f the lordly .salmon, at all seasons, wliether it is spawn- ing or not ! I low many moose and caribou are left in the close season to rot mi the mountains, with their fomjue, nioullli' or hide alone removed' This indix riminatt- slaughter of our tinest uianie b:is already rendered extinct the majestic Wapite, ■which one hundreii and thirty years atjo roamed in countless droves oyor a i^reat portion of l^ower Canada. Now. you have to go all the way to the Kockv Mountain'- to get a sight of the Wapite. 1 am no ail- tnirer of the red man, tboui,'h I'cniniore Cooper can make a lieri^ of him : those I have inet so far, with some exceptions, I felt inclined to see them improved — as Brother Jonathan improves them — nlVthe face of the earth. Om; of these except ions is Peter Jiaskel. ICsC]. of Restigouche. Peter Basket is the name of the L;reat Mic-Mac chief who visited (.^leen Victoria and the Prince Consort, about iSso. and returned loadeil with pres^-nts. As lu' seems to delight in courts ami ^reat folks, may I ask whether he or some ancestor of his was one of the orators who fortnerlv waited on His Excellency, Lord Aylmer.' eral, he once went on an excursion to (lasp^. Amongst others who Hocked there to welcome the representative of royalty were Mic-Mac Indians, numbering some 500 or ^KK). When Ills Excellency landed with a brilliant statV. he was met by this n^pectable deputation of the aboriginal race. The chief, a line powerful man, sur- rounded by his principal warriors, at once commenced a long oration delivered in the Usual solcnin, sing-song tone, accompa- nied with fretiuenf bowing of the head. It happened that a vessel had been wrecked some months previously, in the Gulf, and the Indians, proving themselves ready and adroit wreckers, had profited largely by the windlall. Among (jthei' ornatncnts which they had seized, was a box full of la- bels I'or decanters, inarked in conspicuous character. Rum. (jin, Brandy, iVc. The chielhad his head liberally incircled within ornament-, of the usual kinil. and, on this occasion, had dexterously atllxed to his ears and nose sgiuc of the labels. At the beginning of the inte'view, these were not particularly discerni!)le amid the novelty ol the spectacle; and it was only while lis- teniiig to the lengthened harangue of the sax age chief that His ICxcellency began to -crutini/e his appearance and dress; and then bis ears and nos(! with the labels in- scribed Urandy, (iin. Rum, iVc. (jlancing toward his stall', he coidil no longer main- tain his gravity, and was joined in a hearty but indecorous burst of unrestrainable laughter. The indignant chief, with his t"ollowers. immediately withdrew, and would neither l)e pacified nor persuaded to return, although the cause of His Excel- lency's ill-timed merriment was explained •o him.' The road, on leaving Paspebiac beach reaches the heights — some nicelv-wooddd heights formerly the property of Mesrs. Rob- in \Co., now called llojietown, a thriving settletnent of industrious and economical Scotchmen, llantlsome cottages are rapid- ly taking here the place of the forest. The village of Nouvelle comes next; then a set- tlement called Chigouac, with a good mill stream, and two grist mills erected on it. When being jolted in a two-wheeletl post stage, without springs, over these vihain- Trifics from My Poriftuio. 9 ou« road«, tlir traveller will do well to lix I any larj^t; size; but there is jjoud anchorage before liaiul tlie stoppinj,' places (for meals) \ under the Cape. (Jn this, the ea»l side ot a«i hoRtelriex are tew and fnr between, j the river, just at the harbor'> mouth, snusuvory of its products! The "Ga^iie Fishery and Coal Mining — fresh li«l.— always at coniniand. .Such Company'' coruivienced an ehlablishment would he a licliision and a snare. On my and built a couple of small vessels on thi» coinplainiu;,' once of this deprivation, my ; river— and their so-called coal-field, a Ifctl th()Ui;hlfiil landlndy informed me that hhe ' 0/ s/uile, is about three miles up the strciim. hud refr.iined from -^ivini; me two days in | Crossini^ the I'erry about a (piarter of a Mieccskion, fi«!»h macliC'rcl trom fear of, mile further, is another river, on which hurting my feelings, and lesi f should .^o tiicie is a small saw-mill." — /-|>c'.v (rUs/>(! away with ttieidea that no olher diet could Siiw/rrv. hf. hal i)iit a li-.h diet. As a rule, you can ! must conl'ess, thi> picture»[|ue sunlit count oil the perpirtual •• Ham ;tnd Egt;s," i landscapi- will dwell loii^ in ir.y menior\. for breakl'avl. diiiniT and sup|)er; but in Possibly, some sfiols you visit for the »(>ine portions of these latitudes, the hens, lirst time, seem to \(Hir enchanted eye still it appearii. on strike either tor le»s work, inore lo\ely, from the jjleasant associations or better food, bad decidctl not to lay, and wliich linger arounii them. A slight ai-l J had to m-'.ke the mostof"lJain" .vf/z/i. i of kindness where _\ou e.vpectcil but the This ham regime, when protracted, gels irk- j cold iiulillerence of the world ; a hospitable sonic; you l(;ng tor the eg<; cOLintiN , where welcome; the hanil of good I'ellowshii), hens aie not on »triki'. An omelette lei me cordially exteiuleil by an utter slrant^er; tell you is not a thing to be lightly talked i the exchange of cultivated ideas ami intel- of or despised, my sherry - sipping and lectual converse where, at best, you count- plum-pudilingcating travelling friend. An ' ed merely on the rude and unsympathi/ing epicure ol' mv acciuaintanee hold.-, as an 1 gaxe of tlie boor or the stranger : such in- axiom that i! reipiirci. three pcrbons to cidenls, no doubt, contribute to cre.nte vivid serve up an omi;lette properly; one to mix \ lasting aiul pleasurable emotions, which be, it — another to try it — a third to turn it in ing identitied with the landscape itself, leave the pan, withouL lodging it in the lire. a doli;^hllul I'ccord in the chambers of Hut on thjij iioini 1 I'ound nothing in ' memory. It v,;is n.y good fortune to ex- llaekluyt nor in I'urehar.. great I ravellers perience this welconue at I'url Daniel. The though they be. Chief Magistrate of Port Daniel, William An lioiir'*, liriv; iroin i.'lii^ou;u- brings ■ .Macpherson. K.sq.. is a well-int'ormed and you to a beautilul farmin.; ctuuitiy, a deep, warm-hearted \V'orsJiii)t"ul Mayor, I should picturcstiuc bay— called Port D.miel in s.iy the Prince and Nestor ot' Mayors on the Township of Port D:uiiel. wiiicli begins the C.uspe coaM, as 1 Icarii iie has graced at Poiute au Ma4|iu-reau, a rocky p,)ini jut. the ci\ic chair twcnly-six years, lie is a ting in ihe sea. W'nen you reach the sum • Scot, a true .Scot. L'luier what portion of mil of the range ot' Cap au Di:d)le, the , the vault of Heaven will you not find a beautit'ul Uay of Port Daniel siiddvuly uu'i'l^ Ciiniiy .Scoi. prospctous. high in place, tiie eve, and :t upleiuiid aiul varied ])!ino- well-to cio.'^ The great tea-in*;rchants in raina lies bel'orr \()u. As yt>u descend the ;C!>ina are .Scodli ; the greatest philoso- luoiiiilain on a fine »uniini-r al'ternoon. an pliers in the I'nited Kingdom of Great intere>.ling and iir.iuKing scene .)fien pre- , Britain are Scotch; the wealthiest corn- sent* itself. The innumerable ^►hing boats panic* in Cnnada are .Scotch — Allan, iv:c. having returned, men, women and chil- j At the Council Board in the Dominion dren are all busily engageit in laiuiing. j Government ; in ( )ntario ; (juebcc — Mac •plittin;; >ki\d conveying the tish to the 1 Donalds. MacDonald*., RohertRons, all • tagtt*. At the mouth of Port Daniel Riv. ; Scots. Am i not then justified in quoting «r we have again the u«ual lagoon, aiul iar from the i)ria;e poem read at the St. Andrew'* whicli prevauts the entrance of veh»eU o j Meeting in Montreal, Halloween, iS()6: — lO Trifles from Mv Por/folio. " An' sac it i* the wide woi " o'er On fair or bnrren spot Krae Tropic isles to Arctic »liore Ye'U fin" the canny S«ot All post* (;' lioniir weel he tills, I i.ai snbjeirt o' his C|ii«en ; For liiyalty an' honcMy L'l»ini kin \vi' ll.Tllowcen ;" So loiiij life to llii WoKhIp ot IVirt Daniel! /LiUoivent. 1S71 . Cii\i'Ti;u I\ . brave men, so many lovint^ young hearts. On my way down 1 had been shown, in the churchyards at Paspebiacand Port Daniel, the graves of the lliidsons, of Cap. Kent, and of se^' ;.i' other victims of that ship- wieek. IJelore the era of liijht-houses, fog-whis- tlcs, beacons. iVc., the coast of Gaspc was particularly dreaded by English inariners bouiul lor Montreal or C^^iebec. Many and heart- rend i Hi: wore the tales of marine dis- astel•^, starva:ion and death, in these loca- lities: hut none left a lieeper impression than tin; loss of the ill -fated barque " Col- borne," stranded at Pointe-aii-M:ii|ueroaii on the i6ih October, 1S3S. 'i'lie exlraonlinai'v value of her cargo. — THE sui:'wm:i K- THE I_)IS.\STI:K. HI- OWN" \T KSH)N Of ; some .>-)(X).oof) worth of silks, wines, hard- HARIUNOTOX COVE - P. ,ixTK - Ai.-M v.i.1 K- ^^..^,.^^ ^,,^.^,,. pi.^,,., .p^.^j,., drifting ashorc KEAU— THE LOSS oE THE '" coEHoRXE " ' at Harrington's Cove and Port Daniel, a IN iS.^S — AX L'XExrEcTEi) KEXcoxTRi: N'astluap of confusion; the spoils picked WITH OXE oE Tin: EEW suKVivoKs oE "P ''-^' ^vrcckcrs; the sale by auction of such ur.told wealth, which built up the fortiuies of many a nobby family; the apjialling loss of life, exposure and siiflerings of the few survisors, all convpired to render the shipwreck of the Montreal trailer a most haridwiiig, ;i memorable occurrence. It now com iiiem(>rates an '.-r.-i on the (iaspe Coa^t. .After crossing l)y the fortl at Port Daniel, the patii wiiuf^ round a cape of very rug- ed aspect. l>y some it is called Cap d'lCnler, by others Cap an Diable, and to The 2ist .September 1N71, was indeed a bleak, glriomy day o" t!ie sea I'oa-'t: the ;uitumnalequini)x \\ a- r.'i_;ing. .Scrauib- ling over mountain gijrge^ ;ind tlark gul- lies in a s[)riugie>s. two-wheeled ]iost st:ige is not cheering at any time, still less with a raw ea->terly wind and i!riz;'.l i iig rain switching your face. One leature of the landscape was in piarvi-llou> keeping with the surrounding gioom — the ceaseless roar <>nc a!-cending these dreary heights, at the of the surf on tlu' iron-ijoiuu! coa.^t I w:is skirting. gluaming, on a bleak autumn evenii^g, it tloes seem a haunt not uncongenial to His Satanic Majesty. An artist might httingly dejiict ti e .Spirit ol" Evil hovering over Pointe-au-Maciuereau, under the guise of the •'Flying DiHchman," looking out for ^ome storm-tos>ed bark to revel in the de;ith-groans ot' the drowning mariners. I On we jogged. o\er rough roads and grander tones— never in inoie impressive i rougher bridges, unti 1 the sombre outlines iTiajesty. 1 cannot say it had exactly a de- of the trees in the vallev bent-ath, were " A hollow, lioilow, hnllov.' sound, A^ is that (liwuny ri>:n- Wlien ilistallt hillo\s'> lioil and hoiniil Aloni; ;c sliini;ly ■-I'ort." - /f<,Hl. Never had 1 heard ohl (')ct'an's vciice in seaicely visible at all. lAenino bad fairl\' set in; tlu- rain, winil. ;nui moaning ol'the pressing inlhience : it made one thoughlful. Closing in with the dark r(jcks of I'ointe- au-Mac|uereau, bristling with their silvery 1 sea increased. Seein- no dwelling, I at crest of foam. I nalnr:illy tiioughi. o( (he la^d a-ked the jelui. svho was rather of a horrors of tluit awful nigiit of October. l.il)nhuis turn, "Where are we then to 1S38. which, at this \ery spot, consigtu-d stop to-night .'" I was told, jocosely, that to the •■ chambers of the deep" so many we were rapidly nearing rAiise-au-Gascon ; 7 rifles froDi My Portfolio. II that the hospitable roof oC Ji-. loiu's Acte- son, Esq., J.F'., woulil soon shclti'r us.- "Are thiMw tluwi, no lo^uho- liott;l.-> on this coiinI V 1 fiiqiiiicil. '•None, sir. 1 am vorrv to -aw 'I'r.u i Hers have to depend on the nooii-w ill oi' tip in- habitants tor I'ndd. '^roL', and slu Her; how- ever, 30U are. I eonsidei," lie added, " ratiier in liicU"s war, \ou w Ihj .ijqiear so keen after loeal traditions — hu-al lii-iorw and general inl'oiinalion. \ 011 will soon ha\e an o[i|>ortnnit y of eonversinsj; with a tlioroii^h-<:(oin,i,' ICns^h^linian — the lather of a iniinerous t'auiiiy- -probably the sole sur- vivor on this side ol' the Atlantic, of the 54 hniiian heiui^s who, in I'^^jS, eon ill-starred ship." I wi- lire irdiii'^l V inlMuluced to Squire Acteson. J. 1',, and though he ^ull'er- ed at tlu' tune from a kick (;f a lior-c. he turiu'd o;il so i:ominnnicati\e that, tea beins dispatched. I asked hini for lull par- ticulars of the si lipwreck. and with hi.^ consent eominilled them ''n his jiresence to papei'. as lollows ; — IIII'. LOSS Ol- IIIF. ■■COI.HOKM-." \r MAKTRKl. r riirsfl tiiulit, I've Sfcri a lliousaiul lioniil sli.i|i. ■■ Ituo! ot lii ni- extremes I >!' fever, and jiio^t lil^iiUul liiin:.' - l..n 1 i;aii:iiiil in my ilrcains." ( rUr l\ ■)!, ■II- Si, !/• — //•':■. i.\ " The ' Coll-'oi lie' u a>. a hark of about :; v > tons, owned by parlies in lluli. and ciin- iiiaiuied by Captain Kent, an t \[h-i ienccd seaman. She had sailed iVom l- pi-rm (jil, spices. There w.is al.-o on iio.ird \-alu- able silver plate i'.)r .Sir John Colboriie ; I ornaments for R. C. churches, and a n;.iii- ber of boxes of specie tor the hanks, each box containinji about Ci.o'i.i. The cievv consisted ot seventeen men, and some thirtj-eijiht jiasseni^ers, .amongst whom 1 I remember Capt. James Elliott Hudson, of I the British Aiiun, and lady, with live I liaiighti-rs anil six sons; Mr. Win. Walker, I of the Royal Na\ \ . h' other-in-law to Capt. i Hudson ; Mr. W. .Scobell, of Hamilton, i I I'. C. ; .Mr. j. Seohell, f;f Devonshire, wile I and six children, and also lour children of ibis sisier, a De\(mshire widow; Capt. I Hiicket. wile andchihl; Mr. Gilbert, father j of a ])ersoii 01' that name in Hamilton; "vlis. Wilson, wife of — ^Vilson, E'-ep. Ham- jiiton: Mrs. Keast, mother • if Mr. H;nvkins, I of Toronto; M". IJairows, of Devonshire. j and Mr. George .Manly, ipletl with iu^t time to iuiiip on hoard, as we left the boat-hooks for their liulc Ixidie--. And Londun docks. It i^ now lhirt\-three fishetl Them ii|> i)etweeri tin' iiatcli;-.. I \ ears a'^o since 1 hearil his cries of desp.iir coutii shed tears as if ihe whole thni:^; had atid manv a time have 1 woke in tny sleep happened Inil vesterdaw I wa- voiinu; and liorr]fu>l. lancvini^ I hi'ard tiiesanie awful active then, and an i 'm i-lli'iit -winimer: >cieanrs. At five o'clock next iuoriiin'4 our five seamen and m\-clf had man.-e^iii to louij-hoat was towi-d by the natives into ij;et in tlie joll <. -boat, which \\ :i~ am id^h ips ' ,\n -•-aii-fi iscou. Sotne of us were i(uite and liad served as a root to protect --oiiu" ' iiisiiisihU- ; but the un rcniitl i iii^ attention livestock deposited oi I'lc Ion t;'- boar. A siiowii toiisbv t!ie French and ICns^'lish hui^je green billow -truck iier. and making ' (isbcmcn. in'ii-r some hour■^ hroughlus all her turn o\er a -omer-.auU. i I'cll i;i \ si'lf round, 'fiic " Colbornc " drifted about, sinking to a gi-eat d'-[)tli. At ihat inonii'iit i watcr-loggt-tl. from Moiulav nigiit to the 1 thought it was ail up: ! laiicied I could following Saturdav. when the numerous see tnyriad- of itars hi^ii above -nv head, i boat-- wtnidi the news of iier shi])wreck had shining Ihrou'/li the wa'a'r- — tiie most attiactcil. succeeded in towiiig her ashore secret thoughts oi' !n\' wliole lite ei'o wded in I lari'ir.gton Covi.'. a mile ami three- before m\- miml . a- it' 1 werelookinu in a qiuorers dl-.t ;uit tVom I'ort 1 )aniel 1 larbor. ndrror. I'ossihl \- tie- siar- . -eri nr'^^'it ha\'e Some of the ci'cw were foum.l intherig- lieen tile pliospnorn^ i.mu it ted h\' i he wa\ es | ging ^piite dead: some quite exhausted. dLii-iiiLr the stor:n. n- riie wbide •-!.■. i -.ei'Uied | L':ipt. Ihnlson w.:is I'ished up with a b(jat- on lire th:U ,i!v,''nt. ! _o-:uiuail v ro-e to tlie ! hook Irom the wreck, also two children surface; my first tliou_;''.t w:i- to i-id mv- and .Mr. \V';dker;one s:iiloi-. the l)Oiiy of selt'of my coat, iiut it w:f- tio i.i-.e tr\ing. 1 L':ipt. Kent and auotlier weie i)icked up m;ide t'or tlie siup"> yard. :t^ --lie w;is on Iter • ;imongst the rigging — .all were l;d11\' notif C'lu'ter, Ivcp, where ti'.e inipiest was held, when slu- c;ip-.i;^e:l, 1 g^•^ into i.jn.- long- < )|' the 5.] souls (.)n boiird, tiie second mate. bo;it, wdu>.h was befsv -en tiie ma-t- in I'le- i.-i',du -.eiimen. two -ons of t.":ipt. Hudson, water. :i.iid after cle.u'oi'^ iier tVom thenv,- :uul one steerage passenger were :i!one ging, we trietl to re;icii the wi-eck to pick >,i\>-d. 1 am now 57 years of age and have up soni'.' of the eresvor pa- -en ,'■:- : fmt, r.-ijed on tjie ta).i.-t e\er since. h;iving Iniving lo.-t Llic ^)ar-. we ii;ul to ilrilt :it tin- m.irried ls^d)ella ChediU', the tiaughter ol" mercy 01" tiie \\:i.ve-. \\'it'i .-ome iiM:irds 1 he m:in who re-cued me tiie nuiining a Iter which wo found in iier, we rigged :i kind of . liie shipwreck. :lfl->.iil by sitting with our b;icks to them ; ■ •• Several iiodus wire jnckeii up. It was this kept tile boat.'s iie:id t.) the -e:i. Thus reported tliat the l)odv of Mrs. Iludson. on we drit"teii aij'mt al! 'ught. wi.ich w.is whom was tbuiid ,t(>oo in biink bills, had intcn-ely cold, ;uui two (/i' (.':i;it. llndsoifs heeri I'ouml. tlie same having dril'ted across sons will) were on i)o:iid wouid likely h.ive tin- i;a\. :inii a number of vessels had been peri-lied from cold, wet and e\h:uistion, -i-in picking up the goods flouting in the h:id we not protei'ti'-d I h -m i)v sitting ilown . l'>ii\- aiul (iull'. 1 coiiLi mention to von on thi;m. We ■vei'.' in t!ie neigiilxirliood man\' olhei- detai Is. but it is gi'tt ing bite." oftlieship. and ewuld h^arall nigh' p;irti- It Vvas iuiieed. as .Sipiiie .\cteson well cularly lou.i .ind meiancholv crie- on ob-erved, jetti iii; bite and I retired to mv ho;irii : ihi- wa- .1 poweiful \o.ing sailor, :^K'epi ng-qmirter- fai iiiu' the bea(di, from who never >-i .i-- ' ni'i.iriing until he sank which broke forth like a moiirntnl dirge, pxhau.sted about morning, utteiing even | the ceaseless io:ir of the -ea; that rident- from under the waves a loud scream tor I l..-s sea whose f )am like a shroud had / rijJcs from My Portfolio. n rlostd ovtT poor Capluin Kent ;uul Jiis luckless p;isseiii;crs. ■' W'iMt wtTc thi' will! w.ivc.'. >,iyiiiy ?" Ni'vL m()rnin<,' mv host ic. Id me rill aboiil llie exlnioidiir.irv iiiipi-aniiK-e of 'he bav aiul beacli. Nti-ewn witli Ilie valuable mer- cliaiuiise ol r.lie straiuled sliip when she broke up; silver plate put uji to auction, and few bidilers; church ornaments of tfreat value Used by the natives as wearing appari 1 : costly wines ami silk liresses knocked liown for a truie ; Tue boxes of s|>f.'cieof .t;i.(xx) were saved. In spite ofthe ellorts of the auctionver ami authorities valuable lots disappear! ii'^' as if b\- magic. Tlie $4oc).()CX) ol" the ••C'oli)orne " did in- deed enrich manv wreckers and some that were net wreckers. C lAl'lKU \'. NK\\' Poic r (ovi; — r.Mios — (,K \M) ki\i;k — rrs Ku KKiT'i- (.1.1) liRrix.i — c.\ri; lovi-: —CM' u'i:.si>i)iR— ciKiors i kansicjk- M.\rioxs or .NAMi:s — siii.i. MomotiRi- <)i:s Li:(;i;.vi)s. The leadei- ha> no doubt. enj()\ed as much as I did at !.he time, the .i,'rapi>ic des- cription of flu; lo-s i)f the •• Colboiiie," as It fell from ih.e iips t.if my iiospiiable host, S(;uiri! Acteson : this Icti us at Anse-au- (jascon, not \-ery far distant tVom Pointe- au-Ma(|uereau, the western boundary of t lie Countv ol" (iaspe. l'oi'ili;-au-M:ique- reau marks the eniranci.' to the ISav lies Chaleurs, the isl.ind .\ii-c.n, distant .. abtjut flit. 'en miles, hijin^ tlte bnumlarv ol' M. the ba\', on the \^w 'Jrunswick si. the road leaves the .-Imie. and passes tlirouijh m the woods. 'I'liesi- Island.- .ue twu patches % of rock where, w ._• were tokl. Captain V* Philii) Dean, of J 'rs,-y. unci- had a fishiniV stand. I'ointe-an-Maiiueii.'au is not visible irom the rond. so iljat the tr.neller passes the boundary between the two counties without Ijcinn' aware of it. 'I'he land tiiroip^h this porta-.;e is rockv and scarcely fit for setllenii'iit. •'The seii,niiory of I'abos joins that of (irand River (to I lie east). Next cotnes Great I'abos where a chartered English company, untler the name ot the ' Ga.spd Fishery and Coal .Minintf Company,' for- inerly established their lieadciuarters, and squandered the moneys entrustedto them by the duped shareholders. I'nder the French rule this appears to have been a well-settled locality. " On a small island, in the middle ol the lagoon, traces could be lately seen of what once constituted the foundations and cellar of a Iar>,'e house, said to be that of the (ioveriKM- or Intendant. The remains of thre>' mill dams on the north side of the river were also visible, and the various articles founii from time to time prove that a considerable number of families must ha\e once occupied the tVoni. '• l^abos is a bar harbor and very dilli- cult of access. There are two rivers wliich empty themselves into the lagoon, at a short distance from each other. A large portion of the iand in great I'abos is unfit I for cuituie. " Next to (ueat I'abos is Little I'abos with a river of the same name, which was bridgeti by tlie fjovernmcnt in 1S4.1. The I'abos as well as (the next settlement of) I (irand River, are the resorts of large (locks i of wild towl in the spring and fall. The I inhabitants are all sportsmen. The dis- I tance I'rom I'abos to Grand River is about : eight miles— from Newport to I'abos, three." I'abos the Great, seemed to me an ordi- I nary French-Canadian parish, with a respectable-looking chuii-li. .\ telegraph otllce has recently been opened here, in ! tlie house of a Scotchman, bv name of ; .Vrchibald Kerr. l'"rom this house, on t!ie heights, where I -topped I'or dinner. I could notice a point behjvv wnere the sea fowl (tile Monmriis, I fancied) seemed to congregate and feed in countless numbers. I was told that they never left the s]iol from May till November, and slept at night (jii the waters. Grand River will be memorable to me on account 01" its long and ricketty old bridge. •• ll was built out of a loan from the ' Municipal Loan l-'und," and is a stand- ing monument of what local dissension can do. Grand River was conceded, on the jrst May, 1697, by Louis de Buade, H Trifles 'from My Portfolio. Mr. RoiiO lluhort, cxteiuiini; ti>w:ir(ls Cjijh' Hope, rK'sir tlie Ijihtiui of Plmci^. " This Seii^niorv was purchased bv tho laic Mr. Charlfs Robin from Mr. Duncan Aiuierson on the ;Sl.h Juno, 179.V J'"^' Ca|)e nientioin'cl in ilio concession as Cape Hope is the L'a|>e Despair of our (ia\."' 'l"hc Ahbe I'crland, in his Journal, speaks \erv hiyhlv ot'Cirand River, ncl; onlv as a v.iluable lishin,:;' station, but as re>5ards its soil anil as^ricu lural cajiabilities. lie also slates ••thai i 1 cori-.e(|uence of the iui- niense ciuantiiv of wild fowl resortintj to this vicinity every sprini; and tall, all tlie men are sportsmen; t\iat if shootins^ has its deli.t^hts, it has aNo its dan^'ers, as many hands are seen minus a finger 01 thumb; and that. l)v a remarkable coin- cidence, accidents of thi^ kintl have uni- versally happenid on a .Sabbath or otlur liolv day."" Tiie Messrs. Robin are .-.till iIil- owiw rs of tlie soil. Wmv few ol' the settlers en their estate have i>aid tor tlie land, and ihe majoritv can only be \iewed in the lij^htof tenants. The land is ^ood, l"''i' tiie m every season li-hiiiL;' on this establishment. . . IJesides ibis firm there aie three oiher mcrcanlib' establish- ments in (jrand River, namely Messrs. [. (). Sirois, Thomas 'I'remblay. andThoinas Carbeiy. This, like all the ri\ irs on the coast, has a bar which makes it i)oth ditricnlt ;ind dangerous oi' kci..-- ii, iiuu ^•.^ .uhei-. .Small schooners can enter the hartjor at high water and remain in pertect security. 'I'he population of the seigiiiorv anil township of Grand River, which, by the last cen.sus ' ol Count do Frontenac ('Governor ,, ami John I 1S61) wan. SyQsouJK, Ir rapidly increasing, P>ocharl f [iitemianl), to Mr. James Cocbii, 'and a perceptible improvement has taken of (irand River, — ccMiimi ncini; I'rom the 1 place in the ajipearance of the buildings SeiL,'iiiorv of (ireat I'abos, bolonuin;; to j within the last few years.* • The distance from (irand River to Cape Co\'e, .1 large settlement, is ten miles, and eiLjIlt fi-)in thence to I'ercd; it forms part of the towiisbii> ol tint name, which ex- tends about eighteen miles along the »ea- cou-t. •Tlie population of this settlement is chietly J^-otc'-tant. the cluirch torming a prominent object in the view. There is also a large Roman Catholic cluirch at Cape Despair to the west of Cape Cove. Cape Cove, like Perjc, is an important tishing station. 'J'here are three commer- cial houses. >ressrs. De la Parrelle lirothers, Tl.os. Savage, and Amice Payne, ("he two t'lrst-named tlrins are also ship- owners, and all are njitives of Jersey. There is eKcellent land and some good tarms in the \ icinitv. Mr. Savage has an extensive t'arin, and a very tine grist-mill, whicli is 111 a hollow half a mile beyond iiis barn. The mill is by far the best of its kiiul in ihedistricl; but. unfortunately, the siipplv of water is not suincient for such a combination of machinery, which includeh all the latest iniprovements. Ca[)e Despair, which shelters the Cove to the westward, is acomparati\ely low head- land, and is said to have been originally called <"(// ir/£.(>/r. or Cape Hope. The lugubrious changt of name ii reported to have been caused by the total loss thereon (it an Knglish man-of-war, or transport, carrying troops, forming portion of Sir llovenden Walker's squadron.'"! Shortly alter the repulse before (jj^iebec. in i''m)o, (;f .Sir William Phipps (whose e.v- pedilion had cf)st the British £100.000), the Karl ol' Sunderland, then .Secretary of State, determined to make another attempt to dislodge the French from their strong ])osiiioii at C^iebec. The armament in- tended for this object, in 1707, was entrust- ed to General Macartney; but the det"eat of the allied forces at Alanianza compelled (^ieen Anne to help her ally, Charleb III. King 01 .Spain, and General Macartney, '/'iv".« Gaffr Sf entry. t ihi. lit). Trijies from My Portfolio. 15 instead of sailing for Qjiieboc, was sent to | &c." The Minerve next gave this news as Portugal. ilirect from St. Albans, as follows : " Tho Four years after (171 1) General Xichol- Protestant Bi^hop of this city shot his son, a i)rovincial oflu-er, who had just wife and liimsclf. He was killed, and taken possession of Nova -Scotia, having his wife is not expected to recover." And suggested the plan of the campaign, live the Daily Nev-'s hrouglil up tiu- rear with thousaiul troops from England and 1 wo the curious version that "a murder and thousand Provincials were jilaced under the command of General Hill, brother to the Q^ieen's favorite, Mrs. M:isii;iiii. tiie naval ibrce being commanded by Admiral suicide took place yesterday at St. Albans. In u fit of jealousy, a man kiUed himself and afterwards killed hi- wife." I.egendary as well as antiquarian lore Walker ; a dash was made for old C^iebec : surrounds th..- hoary and frowning Cape the great disaster which lietell, was caused with a ma/e of romance, chielly by fog on the jjnd August, 1711. (.^lecn .\nn sent in 1711, as aforesaid, a Let us say a word of this famous spot : — powerful lleet, witli seven or eight thou- Our readers are, no doubt, aware that tl is sm,,! troops, to kill off forever French stormy cape has fiuMiished footl for mar •■ power in Canada. /V most violent storm antiquarian disciuisitions. On some old arose, disjjersed the Armatia, and eight of maps it is nuuked as Cape Hope. .V/'V — on tne vessels were lost, with every soul on more recent ones as Cape Desj^air. It cer- board, in the Ciulf of St. Lawrence, chietlv tainly turned out as sucli to Aduiiral on Egg Lshjmi. It is supposed that the Hovenclen Walker's distracted tleet. in 171 1, fragments of the wi-eck. generally Known The English Armada, which that yeai" was ;is the \ted that they belonged to a by-gone savs age. C)n her bow is seen tiie tall figure of one who-e mien and dress denote that he is a superior olhcer. One toot resting on The French-Canadian papers made bad work of the late Bishop tragedy in St. Albans. Finding the announcement in ' the bowsprit, in an attitude as though he English that "John Bishop, of St. Albans, j were preiiared to spring ashore, with his in a fit of jealousy, shot his wife and him- '■ right hand Ik; appears to point out the dark helf," one of the French papers translated cape to the helnrsman, whilst on his left it lor its own cohunns as follows : " ycd/i arm be supports a female figure clad in Evcijue, de St. Allurtis, (inns iiii acces f/r white ll<->wing robes. With wild and light- falousie. a iiie sti fcinine .'" The Franco- j ning sjieed the doomed bark rushes to des- Canadien took this up, and as it would trnction, as though urged o\\ by some in- nevei d(j to have it supposed for an instant I visible and supernatur.-d ageney. One that a bishop of the Chun'h of Rome was ! might\' i-rash— a wild cry of despair in married, made all plain by making it reail. "The Protestant Bishop of St. Albans, a woman- and :ill is over. The phantom which is plaiiil\- distinguished the \-oice of i6 Trifles from My Portfolio. ship with her liviny freight; has disiippcar- cil benciitii tlic roaring surge."' CMAPTIiK' VI. rm: i-.\Rr.v iiisioKV oi' immjck — riiE uock \> vri;wi.ii i;v naimk m.ists — r\vo uiv\L KKi'ur.i.ics — \vH\r M.w i.i;,\i) ro \v,\i<. A Nhort drive over lolerable road^- aiul rutiier dangerous bridges hrougiit nie iVoni L'ai)e Cove to Perce — the shire town, or chi/'licu, of the (jaspc district. This is a verv onavenlure Island, which chai)el was called .Saiute Claire. To the two first missionaries succeeded, in 1675, l''atiier Chretien Le Clerccp who I wrote on Can.'ula two works now \erv scarce : ''/. destroy the French settlements in America, and to I ; attempt to seize on Canada. Peice w;is ■ attacked without a moment's warning. I'atlier jumeau relates as t'ollrnvs this i:-])!- J sod'.' ot tile war, which t(n)k jilace in : .\ugusi. 1690 : — . I '"Two British men-(jl'-war appeared under French colors in the ro.idstead of j Honaventure Island, and by this stratagem I easily captured tive lishing-vi'ssels, whose I captains \\\\i\ crews, entirelv engaged with the tisherw had to make lor (.Jj^iebec, not I being able to ilefend their shii)s. 'l"he ' enenj\' landed .... pillaged, sackeil j and burnt the liousjs of the inhabitants — i some eight or leu families, who, for the ; most part, had already taken reluge in tlie woods .... I am seized with horror at the bar^' nuMuory of the impiety which ihosc miscreants committed in our I churcli. whiili ihe^' had converted into a ■ guard- hoii^e. Tlie\' broke and trampled i under Iret oui images. 'flu; paintings j rcjiresi'ii I i iig the llolv \'iru;ii) and St. I Peter we'e both pi.-rci'd iiv mori- than one hundrett and tillv ■j;un shots .... 1 Not a cross escaped their fury, with the ! exception ol the one 1 Iku! toriiierl_\' planted on Rolland's 'liable, which, from its height on a iiearl\' in.accessi'nle mountain, still subsists as a moMUinent ot our Chris- tianity .... Tiiev set lire to the foui' corni'is of our cliurch, which was soon consumed, as \vell as the church ol our BoiKiventure Island Mission." The historian, l'V>rland, to whom I am indebted for these interesting details, draws a liveU sketch ^d' the death-liki' Trijles from My Portfolio. '7 iitillTresc which pervade* the ccttlcment tluring the lonely winter months, and the awakening buhtle, stir, luui cheerCiilni'ss which the return of the hhips brings with it in May- A poet's fancy miglit. indeed, revel in the sight, and lind thennn a con- genial theme. "At peep of il.iy you see the shore swarm- ing with .stalwart Jersey latis, in their bine smocks, or shirts, worn over their ])ants, busy launching their liglit barges ibr a long and sometimes a dangerous day's cruise; in a minute or two the sunlit ocean seems all studded with wiiite speeks , — a whole Heet of swilt fishing-sniacks, with their white sails filling to the last breath of the hind breeze, like a tlork of \ernal birds winging their flight o\er the glad waters towards some fairvland in the blue distance — the return of the venturesome crew from the dreaded Orphan's Hank* — some three or lour hundred, with the last of the sea breeze, at eventide, each pro- claiming his success witii boisterous mii'th, loud shouts, love ditties watted — thev would wisii — t(i that bright isle, their native land, their Eden, tar in the East, where more than one 'black-exed .Susun' sighs for their return, they liope." IJut enough for Perce; as may be ob- ' served, it has its lights and shades. ! Let ns again translate t>om our old iViend's Journal — the Abbe I'eriaud. Here is one ol' his delightt'ul chromos of Percd Rock and its airy inhabitants — the gulls ' and cormorants. More than once have I my sell watched these curious proceed- ings:— •• From the windows of the priest's resi- dence one can see distinctly the green plateau of Perce Rock. It is streweil with conspicuous objects, which at times seem to move, at others are stationary — the winged denizens of this retreat; some are busy hatching their eggs, whilst others are on guard to protect tiie lunvly-born vonng. This airy city is divided into two wariis : one isoccupied by the Gulls (the Herring Gull), and the other by the Cormorants. If anv member of one tribe presumes to wander beyond the boundary of those ot his feather, such an encroachment is not silentlv borne A formidable outcry, formed of one thou- sand voices, pervades the air, and is heani some times at a distance of several miles. . A cloud like a heavy storm of snow hovers over the spot tainted by the i^resence of the Istranget. If the invaders should be in j numhers, a column detaches itselffrom the • innumerable inhabitants ot the threatened territory, iind describing a half circle : rushes to attack the rear of the enemy. As the defenders of the country are always formidable and fierce on their native soil' • the strangers have to withdraw and shrink ' from the blows and maledictions of their ' ailversaries." This border warfare causes frequent en- counteis; scarcely a quarter of an hour elapses w'thout one's being aware from the loud I ries that Discorti has let fly her shafts. The two republics, whose territory com- bined covers about two acres in superficies, • were olyore protected by the steepness of tlie rock 'awkX lived soiiire far from the reach ol' man. The paternal ne-t was bequeathed from one generation to the next. The Gulls and Cormorants educated their chiKiren at the identical spot where ilicy tlu-tnselves had sprung from the shell into this wicked world. This workl. however, was imdergoin"' changes. It >vas, 'tis true, alwavs above the same sky: around the same sea, roar- ing and lashing the solid foundations of their citadel, and covering with the foam of its mountainous waves the beaches of the twf) adjoining coves. I5ut. close bv, a few luindreii vards away, the world was not the saine. The forest was cut down; smoke rose over roofs inhabited by the white man; the shore had ceased "to be solitary; the surf bore on its crest, vessels witli white sails and long masts. The republic was in danger; her fi'-heries were invaded by barbarians, who, on more occa- sions than one, had shed the blood of the ancient denizens of the rock. After all. if it did become prudent to go and catch fish at a greater distance, cormorants and gulls could equally eat it in safety from the in- accessible summit of their habitation. Fallacious hope ! — for gulls no more than for men. Nothing on earth exists free from change. About the year 1S05, some thou- sand of years after the establishment here of the descendant of the first gull, two fool- hardy fishermen resolved to scale the fort- ress which so far had been considered im- • The Orphan's liaiiK, wincii is lai out at soa, is not visited l>y all. A violent wind iVnin tin: lain! may blow nut the hoats to sea. Tlii' fate nl niaiiy in llic past— ■ watery g-ave— niunt tje tlie itsuit. llenre the name. pregnable. • • • A single point seemed to offer a chance of success. \ear one of the archt's. about forty feet above the base, the rock forms a point, and underneath the ascent seetris more practicable. But the fearless fishermen chose another through braviido; it might have scared a chamois. With oars lied together, and leaning on the surface of the rock, they managed to climb the most steep portion of the rock, and then by hanging on to projections and shrubs, they actually got to the top. It was indeed a glorious feat, this ascent of the rock by Dtiguay and Moriarty— for iS TriJUt from My PortfoUo. the first time. It is true tlien- was a vaj^i.e tradition that on certain occa.sion^ a youth ot' horiiilt-an proportions and pp'ternatur- al ajipearauce had bt.-en seen on the top; but these supe'rhtitious tales merely served to exhibit in uiort! vivid colors the ven- turesome sjjiril of tiie mortals who iiad dared to brave tin; genius of I'erce Rock, and beard him in his inaccessible den. The leat sii^.i^ested to these two men by the love of distinction, was prompted in others by motivi^s of 'nlerest :uui the rage of imitatio.i ; once the i)ath was kno\. n. one half of tlic ditliculties disappeared. Each ^e.ir llieeLjysund young birds were robbed. At first tlie presence of man dislii.bed the . old birds so iiule that they often remained on the nest until removed. Fortunately a bv-la.v of the matfistrates ot Perc(*. pro- hibiting' these [>ractices. has restored the peaceable inlialiitants of the Rock to their hearths and iioines. The loud cries of these birds, heard from alar, have more than once been of ureat help to boats or ships cauj.'ht in the fog near Perce; they were cxccUent fog-whislles and beacons to tiie benighted marine-. Chapter VII. PERCIC— THE PHKCE ROCK— MOUNT JOLI — liONAVENTURE ISLAND— CAPTAIN Di;- VAL — THE CEJ,I::BKATED PRIVATEER " VLLTURE." '•The Village of Pt^rcd, which derives its name fiom the Rock, is most advantageous- ly tiuiated for the cod fishery. It consists ct' two small coves, called North and South Beacli. TliP principal part of the population reside at North Beach, which also contains the co'jri-liouse, jail, and Roman Catholic church, bouth Beach is chiefly occupied by the important fishing establishment of Messrs Charles Robin & Co., who own the principal parlo: 11. e land on that side. The two coves are separated by a headland called Mont Joli, supposed by some to have been once united with the Rock. On this promontory formerly stood the Pro- testant Episcopal church, and the grave- yaid still mark.-, the spot. Tne population of Percd does not exceed live hundred souls. excei)t during the summer months, when It I- more than doubled. It is the shire town of the County of Gasp^. " Few spots, if any, on the sea-board of Canada possesses 'greater attraction for the artist iiiii iovir ol wild ami romantic scenery than Peic6 and its environs. Mont Ste. Anno, m rear of the village, rising I almost abruptly to the height of 1300 feet, I ih, the liist land sighted by all vessels coming .ip the Gulf to the southward of the Island of Anticosti. In clear weather if may be seen at a distance of sixty to 'seventy miles, and it is even confidently ' asserted by shipmasters worthy of credit, I that it has been seen by them at a distance of seventy-five to eiglitv miles. "If you a. cend the highroad towards the f^ettlement called ' French Town,' and stand on the rising ground in rear of Bellevue, you have beneath you, and all around, one of the most magnificent pano- ramas the eye can wish to rest upon. Ste. Anne rising in all its towering majesty on your left, and extending to the eastward, lorms within Barry Head a portion of an amphitheatre, almost enclosing the village on two sides. The Roman Catholic church is a striking object at the foot of Barry Head. Over and beyond this, at a distance of six miles, is seen Point St. Peter and I Plateau. To the right of this, nothing is I seen but the sea as far as the eye can reach. '- Then comes the Rock, which you overlook I from this point. The birds (gulls and cormorants) on its summit can also be distinctly seen." A romantic legend, alluded to by the j Abb^ Ferland, attaches to the Percd Rock I I have myself seen the snow-white gulls j resting on their nests on this green summit I in July. You might have imagined the froth of the sea or gigantic snow-flakes spread amidst verdant pastures — a most attractive spectacle to the eye of a naturalist. " The Island of Bonaventure then forms the foreground. But to the westward of that again the sea meets the eye, until it rests on Cape Despair, and you get a bird's-eye view of Cape Cove and L'Anse aBeau Fils. From this point you have a most extensive sea view down the Gulf and to the entrance of the Bay of Chaleurs, the light on the Island of Miscou, New Brunswick, distant about thirty-two miles, being often seen on a clear night. " Leaving thosi.' lower regions, if you undertake to ascend Mont .Ste. Anne — no ' very di'ficult task tor those who are free ( fro'n gout and asthma — a view presents it- I self to the astonished eye, grand beyond i dcscri])lion. All that we have just de«- 7 rifles from My Portfolio. '• eribed lies in one vn»t panorama at our feet. In rear, ttiat is. frfun west to north, the variegated green f)f the primeval forest met;ts the eye, which seeks in vain some oasiK. as it were, in tlie boundless green pipnnst^ on wliich to rest. 1 lill .-ind liule, monntain and valley, all v\:\<\ in the same verdant garb, extend as tar as the luiinar. ken can ratige. Casting voureye gradually eastward, you see ovei- thi; land into the Gaspd Bay. ami buyond Ship Heacl into the month oi' tli' St. Lawrence; then, far away to seaward, down the Gulf; to the right, up the Bay of Chaleurs. If the weather is clear, besides a number of large vessels, the white sails of a lleet of schooner.s, chicilv American, of from 40 fo 150 tons, and anionnling sometimes to some two or three hundred sail, may he seen engaged in the cod and mackerel fisheries. From this point nothing ob- structs the view, which extends over Bona- venture Istaml and all the headlands on either side, and on a fine calm day two hundred open boats, spread .over the bosom of the treaclierous deep, look like .small specks upon the surface of a mirror. Taken as a whole, we know of no scenery in the British Provinces to equal thib. "The drive or walk round the mountain to the corner of the beach is most romari- tic, as well as the sail round tlie r-l.md of Bonaventure, and should on no .nccount be omitted by tlir excur»ioni>t. The road through the mountain goig>;, wl.ich is tlip highway connecting Perce with Gaspd Basin, must have some resemblance to many portions of Swiss scenery. " Percd possesses two places of worship. That of the Church of England is situated on an eminence at the foot 01 the mountain on the Irish Town road. It is built in the Gothic style, and though very small, bi-ing only capable of containing one hundred persons, yet it is t)ne of the neatest and most complete village cluuches we have Been on this continent. The Protestant community arc mainly indebted to .Me.-srs. Charles Robin 5: Co. for its erection. The Roman Catholic Church is a large building, and when the inteiior i» finished off it will be a very handsome structure. " Percd is strictly a large lisliing-stand — tfas best in Canada — and it is here that the Messrs. Robin have their most exten- sive fi..hing establishment. We believe we are justilV'tl in stating that there is no- thing to equal it, as ;i whole, in Canada. New Brunswick, or Nova .Scotia. Thin establi-hment collects yearly from 14. 000 to 15 O'jT qu'nials of codfish, tit for ship- nifiit. including wiiat they receive Iron tlu'M pianler^ uitl dealers throughout the tnvs n-.liip of Percd. '• I'.rcc' was for ~ome time the risi lencc of Lieut-Governor Cox, who was ap- pointed Governor of Gaspf* al>'>ut 17S1;. Tlui" site ol' the Government House mav still 1)0 seen." — Pve's Gafpe Scenery. The fori'L'ong is certainly a glowing, and. ';> far as I know, a truthful picture of Pi-rcc with I he exception as to u hat relates to the date ol' a()pointment of L'cut.-Gov. Cox. According to Colonel Caldwell's letter* to General James Murray, bearing date 15th June, 1776, Major Cox, formerly of the 47th, was at that time Lieut. -Gov. of Gaspc. Pcrc^. nol withstanding its picturesque scenery, never 1 ad for rne one-half of the attrac'ions of G. >p^ Basin. It must, how- ever, have had some nttractions, even in an.'.ient days, siiic^ Morrseigneur St. Vjii- licr, who f t >pp!:u tlicre on hi^ vovagc frorn France to Ojehcc in 1685. wis induced to revisit if in t'se spring of t6S'S. One is q'lii'^snfe in considering it a lari,'e fi^iiing- stand — in •'act the grandest on tlie coast — the king'.iom of cod. herring, and train oil — the Elysium of fishermen. During the busy mos'ths. coJfish in everv shape, in every stage of preservation or pu'.ref.iction, scents the air — e^fjecially in Auijust. The pebbly beach is strewn and begemmed with codli>h drying, the tl.ikes glisten with it in the tnornipg sun, whiNt underneath ple- tlioric- maggots attain a wonderful size. The shore is stud. led wilii fi^h heiul" rnd li-ii otTal in a lively -tate of decomposition. Cod heaiis and canlin are liberally used to inanure tlie potato fields; the air is * Tliis Old lettu., published in 1S66, tinder tiie aus- pices ot' t!iL' " Liti^rr.ry and Historic:ii Socii.'ly of Quebec''— p.i<;rf 10— coiit.iins the fol lowing passage ; — " On my w:iy I pa-.sed hy the pic'iet drawn itp ui'.der the Field Officer of that day, who was Major Cox, torineily of tho4Tth, and now I.,ieut.-Goveruor of Vrasps." 30 Trijles from My Portfolio. tainted with the efnuvia, the land breeze wafti you odorM which are not those of " Arnby the Blest." The houses in some localities have a fishy JiUicll. The churcheN are not proof ugiiinst it. Not nianv years back, the R. C. IJisliop, vibitint; the chapel on a fishini^ station, on enterinij, exclainit;(J to the pastor, " Is the chapel used to dry and cure oodtisli.-' The stnell here is posi- tively iireaiiful I" " No, my lord." the pas- tor replied; "hut at the news of your approach my parishionerb had the floor carefully washed with soap. Unfor- tunately, the soap was made from fish oil." The historian Ferland relates the anecdote. Even potatoes chime in with the ^enera! honiaife to the llniiy tribe ; some have been known to j^row with botiet. in them. A lady frieiui of mine m;ide tliis her princi- pal grievance against Percii. Slie left it in high dudgeon. She was a juilge's lady. I have often wondered why she did not apply to the Court for an iniiinciion against this intolerable nuisance. The sialest place to be out of the reach ot the fishy aroma Is Dut at sea. But thou.ifli there be fish everywhere — in the .^ea — on the land— in the air — vou may feel like itie Ancient Marinei, " W.itcr, water, every wlu-re, nor .my ilroj, to druiU." It wa.s my ill-iurtunc once to see liah everywhere, and still iione to eat. My landlad}- met my repeated caipiiry for fre.-.li iisii tor dinner, with st to get Iresli codiish for dinner at Perce. It is, notwithstandinsf, a iieallliy loca- tion ; strong smells, though tiiev may i)res>, hard on the olfactory nerves, don't kill. The citizen* of Petrolia, 'tis said, are long livers. Hon. John LeBoutillicr, M. S, C, and Mr. Frs. LeBrurr tiuve itninense t'isher\- establishments here. Hon. y. LeBoutillier resides at Gaspe Basin. Perc6 ha.«; laterlv been sclccred in prefer- ence to Ga»pe Basin a* the ^hire-town (^Che.f-lieH). .\ new court-houKC and jail are m process of erection, and the mo»t pro>y highwJi/tnan or debased murd«r«r I once duly convicted, will enjoy the pri- ( vilege of being duly hanged in view of I all the magnificent scenery just mentioned ; by Mr. Pye. I am sorry for it, on account j of the geniul and educated sheriti of the I liistrict, whose acquaintance I had not tKe ' good fortune to make. I D(»\A\ EN niKh. ISL.\ND. "Till* island, in the depth of winter,. has the appearance of a vast iceberg, and' like the Rock, is one of Nature's wonderful productions, torining a natural break-water- between the South Cove, Perc^ and the ! Gulf. The whole is one vast mass of red- ! ilish conglomerate, trcjin which the term Bonaventure Formation has been derived. j It appears as though it had been uphove I from the bottom of the ocean, forming on I tlie seaside, towards the Gulf, a stupen- I dous wall 3cxi to 500 feet high, with no less ' than fitly t'athonis of water at its base. It. , slopes gradually towards the mainland, I and is well settled, there being a R. C. j church, school-house, and some twenty I dwelling-houses. It is two and a haW J ifiilt-o long, atid three-quarters of a mile bread, and is distant two and a half tniles I (rom the mainland. The depth of water is siiHicient for the largest ships ! alloattobeaf through the channel. Messrs. I LeBoutillier Brothers have a large fishery ! establishment on tiie island, at which i thirty-ei^ht boats and :ihout lio men are einploN'ed. This was once the property ! of the late Captain Peter Duval, a native of tlie ishmd of Jersey, and one whose deeiis and prowess would not disgrace the annals ot England's history. Yet, strange to s;i.-, there appears to be no record pre- served by the family ot a feat scarcely to be surpassed. The grandson of our hero, who still resides on the island, knows nothing of the leading tacts, which are as follows : — • TowanU the close of the last war between Kn 'land and France. Captain Duval commanded a privateer, lugger-rig- ged, mounting I'our guns, with a crew of tweiily-scven hand*, himself included, and owned by the M..>«sr."i. Janvrin, of Jersey. She wa* a small vessel, under loo tons. And appropriately named the 'Vulture,' having bii«n th« l«rror of th« Fr«ncb coast or iHK PAM' -UlCLLE ANkE — UOUCil-Ai- ruwN i'uig Scvmry. continually lioveiin.,' along the cosist, | cnptiirini vessel alter vessel. Tlie port of | Ch.xptbk VIII. Bayonne luid KutVered severely f'nip. the' continued depr.datious .f the [ersev pr>y- ^^^^^ ". FETiCKS-THK moht of other »teer offits entrance, and the n;.MvhaMt> of ^'^V. TH« ikke I'KK^.suiLtt mcmokies the place resolved to make an etVoi-t to cap- ture their tormiMilor. A joint stuLkcompanv WAS formed, nnd a M.itable vo.el obtained. a*'" '1"' i-KtitNO». a brig of about t8o ton*, which being The pichMiihlt- mode of travel from mourned with sixteen gun*, and manned ; Perce to Ga«>pii Uakin is ilecidedly by water by acrewof eighty men. awaited tlic return ' in liummer — the l.ind route being of a of the ' Vulture.' Thar vessel having been ; peculiarly primitive order, trying alike to »een olf the port one tine 'itieriioon. the , man and beast. On leaving the great brig slipped out during the night, disguis- j shire-town, the highway winds round the ed as much as jxjstible, so a.'* to be tuken I hills in rear of the Ste. Anne range — adis- (or a mt-rciiant-vessel, and being sighted ' tiince of several miles— until you reach a early on the tollowing morning by the i sand bank, .vhich divides the sea from the lugger's look-out. the latter iinniedialely ' lagoon. It is called the corner of the gave chase and soon came up with what j beach ; vittiro, •• Corny Deuch." nhe supposed would be an e;isy prize. The j Thescenery through the UKJuntain gorge reader, however, may conceive her aston- j is truly grand, and the contemplation of ishment when, on running alongside of j it» beauties will more than compensate the the brig, the ports were opened and every | tourist for the dilFiculties of the road, preparation m;ule for action. On seeing I About n mile from the higi^iest point, you this the fu-ot, lieutenant of ihe • N'ulture,' ; iia.s immediately by the base of a ^tupen- Captain LeKeuvre, told C.iptam Duval i dous wall of conglomerate, which jippears that having no chanc-e against such pe-fect ' as though it had been upliove by another odds, their only alteru.'itive was to strike. Atlas. There an; indications all round ' Strike !' he exclaimed with an oath. ' So ! Perce that, at home distant period, the long as I have a leg to stand on we shall , mountains havi- i)eea rent, and vast masses fight. If T am knocked off my pins, yon dislodged from their original position bv take command, ami do as* vou please.' ^omc violent convui*ion of nature. The vessels iinniftiiaUdy engaged, the | A few miles out of Perce the country ns- ' Vulture ' keeping so close to lier aiitago- sumes a level appearance. The mountain ni&t that the shrjt from the latter could ranges giadualiy disappear from the back- not take elToct owing to her great length, grrnuni Tiie roads in the Meantime the lugger conliniiod to pour i Township of P^■•rce are decidedly the into the brig a well-direcJ.''d fire of' grape- '. worst in the County of Gasp4, and most shot, cutting her rigging and killing and of the bridges are in a very dangerous wounding half of the French crew. The state, being without railings or guard of captain of the brig, knowing the determin- ; any kind to prevent 'he traveller from td characterof hisopponerit. and expecting i being precipitated into the abyss below, that he would attemiit to board, made for The bay, at Mai Bay. is a splendid sheet Bayonne. The lugger gave chase, but night , of water, bounded tiv Perce on the one coming on, the brig reached port in satety. side, and Point .St. Peter on the Of the lugger's crew, only one was killed i other liefore reaching it. and twoof them slightly wounded ; Captain I one ha« to cross the Mai B.iv stream — a Duval stating that with ten hands he would ; good river for salmon and trout-fishery — have taken the brig by boarding, but he { by means of a scow. feared to attempt it against such fearful i At Belle Anse, in Mai Bay, the high M Trifltx from My PortfoHn. Toiid lc«di to the portage «t riffht «nglf-i. bmnrhinfi; off to Point St. Peter ofn the right and towards Dou^^lastown on the lirtt. The same drizzlv wcaiher followed iiic through this Avcrnian ii»emie, called the Portage — a dismal drive during the siletit hoiirti of niijht. Reluctiintly li.id I to fiiri':,'o the sweet, though at titiies iin'laiioholv satisfaction, of leviKJting old and f;iini!i,ir places: Point St. Peter and its iujspjtnhlc liotm-s. The irre[)reNNihle inemories oi' otiR-r (I:un •till persisted in enshrininij it in a bright halo. Right w.'ll can I recall Point St. Peter; its pebbly beaches, its Kyminelric long rows of boats, at anchor, ;it night- fall, in a straight line — in viewed each li>h- ing-stalion — all dancing nierrilv on t!ie crest of the curling billows, its fearlfss. «ong-loving, blne-sliirted (ishermen. Can I ever forget iu storm-laslu-d rr^f: its crumbling cliffs; its dark ca\cs. in.ide vocal at each easterly blow with the wild discord of the sea.' Plateau, its foam- crowned ledges, surrounded by noisv sea 'fowl! Where now the leading men of Point St. Peter I knew of yore.' Where the Johnstons, Creiglitons, Packwoods, Collas, Alexanders of thirty years ago.' Gone, one and all, or nearly so, to their long home. Some reposing in vonder churchyard on thi"- brow of the hill in rear; others, placed by loving hands, in their marble tombs under the shade of their own fairy island of Jersey, sleeping the long sleep. Of sotne scarcely a trace left amongst men ; of others, stalwart sons worthily perpetuating the names of their respected sire.s. Possibly some yet for- gotten behind on this green earth of ours — a few, a very few. Point St. Peter brought back vividly to my mind a most harrowing memory of my youth — fheuntimel-, death, under peculiar- ly painful circumstances, of an early friend ; it reads thus in my diary : It was the hour of noon on a dreamv August day. A loving father was detail ing to me. his friend and guest, long-pon- dered domestic arrangements, cherished hopes, cai-el"ully laid-out plans of family ailvancement. One above others, in the happj family group, he seemed to m^ to doat on — though it was not expressed — a I bright hoy of eleven «ummer», venturesome i full of spirit and intelligence, my daily companion in the boat or with the gun. though b\' several vears mv junior. Of the five blooming children who then lighted up his home, on this one seemed to centre \ all the hopts of the fond parent. The light-hearted youth, humming a I song, shot past me — whiNt I remained con- ' versing with his t'ather— on his way to our , ol't-freiiuenteii fishing-ground, near the wharf, beckoning to me not to delay; but I [dill ilelay. I tairii-d as I was \;oiU. listen- ing to the frank iliscourse of his excellent, true-hearted father. I tarried behind. Alas! why had I not lollowed on. An hour later and I wis re-entering the por- tals of this once happy home, helping to carry a stifTcned. Ii\-id corpse — that of my late companion. I had myself discovered him — dead, quite dead, reclining on his side — softly sleeping beneath the transparent waves, at the spot where he and I had so often en- joyed our favorite pastime of angling for cod and halibut. A trusty servant and mvsell. in silence, laid on a little bed, in lull view of the horror-stricken but not un- submissive father, all that now remained I of so much bright promise, youth and ' hope. All this did happen at this very spot. The sorrowing father was the late ' Henry Bissett Johnston, a highly educat- i ed Scotchman. I can recall it all as a ' scene of yesterday, though it occurred close : on thirty years ago ; but let us hie away. I The portage ro.id from Mai Bay toDoug- I lastown, on a murky September night, re- minds one of the Cimmerian gloom with which Virgil surrounds the abodi'sof souls in Hades. If you are of an enquiring turn of mind, kind reader, gifted with a robust constitution, unappalled by jolting, it will be worth your while to go and see for your- self. At midway a dark bridge spans a I brawling brook still darker in aspect. ' White foam floats about the black pool at i vour feet, at the sight of which your horse I snorts and draws back. More than one goblin story is told of this dreary spot. On ' my asking tny companion whether he could 'discover the bridge through th« gloom j which the shadows of the tall surrounding 'trees deepened into absolute darkness, — Trifles from My Portfolio. *i " No," Raid he, " but [ can lionr the roar I of the brook, and my hortif know^ tli'> »\:iy. j though hoTHes have been more .han once | scnreil by some awhil scrL•:uTl^ ht n- at nii^h', | I can assure you." said he. '• You have," 1 replied, " been tiie mail- | carrier for some time, have you not? Have you ever heard these noises.'" "Never," said he, '* but my uncle's horse did, Bome years ago. A murder, tis related, occurred at this bridge many years ago; and you know." he added, with emphasis, " horses at night can see things which are hidilen froin men. " I cannot," I replied. • charge my me- mory with an instance of the kind hap- pening tome during my travels ;"8oI found that Superstition could assert her sway at the Douglastown Portage as well as on Hounslow Heath, near London — wherever a deed of blood dwells m the memory of man. Chapter IX. THE MAGDALEN ISLAND GROUP— ADMIRAL ISAAC COFFIN — DEAD.MAN's ISLAND — TO.M MOORE, THE IRISH POET. The voyage to the Magdalen Islands is performed in a sailing packet which leaves Gaspd Basin the 5th, and Pictou the 25th of each month. This singular group of islands — thirteen in number — lie at tlie entrance of the Gulf. The chief ones are : Amherst, Entry, Grindstone, Alright, Coffin's, Grosse Isle, Bryon, Deadman's, and the Bird Rocks. Amherst is called afler the distinguished General Amherst, who, in 1759, took such an active part in dislodging the French from their colonial possessions. It is about eleven miles in length and four in breadth, contains excellent soil, and from its shores a most extensive cod. herring, «eal, and mackerel fishery is carried on. The island is annually visited by hundreds of English, French, and American fishing vessels. The harbor, which is entered from Pleasant Bay, iscapableof containing »everal hundred vessels (drawing not over twelv; feet of water), and aftbrds shelter from all winds. In the back-ground is »een the long sand beucij, which divides Plt»a«aat Bay from the wutor« of the Gulf, and extend* to Sindy Hook Channel, which forms the rntrnnca to Pleix^nnt Bay. .Vmi»t'r-t is a port ot entry and a warehousing port. It is sixty miles direct from Capi.' North, in Cape Breton, one hundred ancJ tiuv miles from Gaspd, in Ivosver Canada, one hundred and twentv mi It's from Cape! Ray, Newfoundland, and fifty miles from the e:i-t jtoint of Prince Edward Island. They were granted in 1798 to Captain (afterwards Sir Isaac) Cofiin. It is said he became possessed of them in the following manner: He was conveying out in his frigate the Governor-General of Canada. Lord Dorchester; a furious gale of north, nortii-west wind compelled him to seek shelter under the lee of one of those islands, wiiere the English man-of-war rode another gale in safety. Lord Dorchester, grateful for his escape, and'desirous of marking his gratitude, asked Captain Cotlin whether he would not like to possess these then insig- nificant islands, to which he having assent- ed, the patent was made out on his arrival at Quebec. Adiniral Coflin was born in Boston in 1760, entered the navy at the early uge of thirteen, and passed through the various grades of rank until the mid- shipman became full admiral in 1814. He died in 1839, ^""^ '^'^ ^^*^ islands to hi* nephew, Captain John Townsend Coffin, an officer in the British N'avy, now an adtniral. They are an entailed estate in his posses- sion. Both the late and the present possessor have in a variety of ways testi- fied their interest in the welfare of their tenants, the inhabitants of the islands. The income derived from them is merely nominal, and is always expended in im- provements designed to promote the wel- tare of the inliahitants. At the time the grant was made, the population was about 500 souls. In 1861 tiie total population was found to be 3,651. Amherst Island contains about 1,000 inha- bitants, and is the inost iinportant of the Magdalen group. Let us mention the island styled " Deadman's Island," which, on a dark September evening, in the year 1804, when he passed it, inspired the poet — Thomas Moore — with some harmonious verses, in connection with the old •uper- stition amongst sailors about the phantom ship called the "Flying; Dutchman." H Trifles from My Portfolio. DKADMAN'S ISUAXD. " Tlit-re lietli a wreck nii thf ilifnin! shore Of cold and pitik-ss Labrador, Where, umlertlit; niooii, upon iiuiiints ol froit, H'ull iiianv a inariiiur's lioncs are lotsad. " Yon shadowy bark halh been tothst wreck. And the dim blue *lrc tliat liulils her duck. Doth play on as pale and livid a crew A« erer vet drank tlie churchvnrd dew. " To Deadnian's Isle in thr eye of the bln»t. To Deadiuan's Isle she spetdk licr f.i.->t; Bv skeleton sliapes her sails are I'url'a, And the hand that «teer« 'i not of this world '" Ours is. however, no suprrruiUiiitl craft, but rt phiiii tiitspd cousttT. :niNr;int. of l^oston, who visited these rocks on the aist June, 1S60, for orni- thological parpr)^es, thus liescnbes them ; — '-Thev ar« two in number, called the Great Uird oi- Gannet Rock, and the Little , or North Bird. Thev are ahem., three-qiiar- , tens of a mile apart, llie water between I them vcr\' shoal, sh.owing that, at no very distant epoch, thev lonnt.'d a single island, iriiev are composed entirely of a sott, led- I dish-brown sandstone, the strata of which are verv regular and nearly horizontal, dipping ver\' slightly to the S. \V. The I North Bird is mucli the fimallcsl, and ithoiujh the base is more accessible, the i summit cannot, I believe, be reached — at I !.;'ast. I was unable to do so. It is the \ mo-t irregular in its outline, presenting j manv enormous detached fragments, and I is divni'.'d ill oik; place into two separate j islands at high water— the northerly one ! several times iiiglvr than broad, so as to 1 present the appearance of a huj;e rocky j jiillar. (jannel Rock is a cpiarter of a mile I in its longest tiiameter tVom S. W. to N. E. !The higiiest jioiiit of the rock is at the I northerly end. where, according to the j cliart. ir is 140 feet hiuWi, and from which it jirradualiv i-lojies to tiie soutlierly end, I whiTe it is fr.)ir. So to 100. j ■■Th"siiles aie nearly vertical— the I'lun- I mit ill manv places o\-erhangi ng. There ! are two heachei at its base, on^the south- |eriy and westerly sidi> — tlie most westerly i one <.'Oinparat I vel v smooth and composed '; of rounded ftone*. The easterly one, oil he contrary, is verv rou^h and covered by rregular blocks, man\ of large «i«e and still angular, showing that they have but recently fallen from the clilli above. This beach is very ditRcult to land on; but the other preients no great dirTuulty in or i- ufirv weather. Tlie top of the rock can- not, however, be reacheil from either o! them. The only spot from wiiich at pre- s«nt thii ascent cnn bs miide, it the rocky -I t Trifles from My Portfolio. 25 point between the two In-aches. This has, probably, from the yielding nature of the rock, altered materially since Audubon's visit. At present it winild be impossible to haul a boat up, from want of space. The landing is very diHicult. at all times, as it is necessary to jump from a boat, tiirown about by the surf, on to the inclined sur- face of the ledge, rendered slippery bv the fuci wiiich cover it, and bounded "lovvards the rock by a neaiiy vertical face. The landing once elTected", tin; first part of t!ie ascent is comparaliveiy ea-v, being over large fragments and broad led'^-^es: but the upper part is botii diilicuit a,.d dangerous, as in some places ihc hu-e of the rock is vertical for eight or ten feet, and the pro- jecting led'.ics very narrow, and the rock itseliso^oit that it cannot ijc trusted to, ami in addition rendered ,-lipperv bv the constant trickling from abo\ e, and the ex- crements of the birds tiial cover it in everv direction. "Since .Vudubon's time tlie fi-.liery, which was curried on extcnsivelv i;i the neigiiborhood of IJryon l,,land. lias failed —or at least is less |iroduelive than on the North shore; and I am inclined to luink that at present the i)irds are but liitk dis- turbed. and that co.iserpientl v their num- ber, particularly of the Guillemots, ha. much increa-sed. There was r.o appcaraner ol an_\- recent visit on the top of tiie rocl^. and though after making the accent it \v is obvious that others had preceded us, still the traces were so taint that it was several hours before we succeeded in lindin'>- the landing-p! ace. The birds breeding there. at the tune of our visit, were (J innets. Puf- fins, three species of (iuillemots, Razor- billed Auks, and Kittiw.ikes. These birds are all mentioned b\- Audubon, with the exception of Hriinnieh's (Juillemot, con- founded by him witli the common species. No other breeding-|)lace on our shore is so remarkable at once for the number and variety of the species occupving it. "Of the seven species mentioned, I am not aware that three, namely, the Kittiwake and the Bridled and Bniunich's Guillemot, are known to breed at xnv other i)lace south ot tiie ytrails of Belle Isk- ; of the remaining four, two, the Foolish (iuillomot and Razor-billed Auk, are ibund at many other places and in large numbers; the Pulhn 111 much greater abundance on the North shore, particularly at the Perroiuiet Islands, near .Mingan and Bras d'Or; the Gannet at only two other |)oiiits in the Gull" — at i'erce Rock near (i.ispe, which i.-, perhapseven more remarkable than Gannet Rock, but is at j)resent inaccessible ; and at Gannet Rock near .Mingan, which will soon be deserted' by those binis in conse- quence of the depredations of the fisher- man." Chapter X. TIIK MACJUALKX ISL.\NI).S VHiWED UNDER TIIICIR HISTORICAL, UTILITARIAN AND CO.MMICRCIAL ASPECTS. In the preceding chapter this group of islands were viewed chielly as a land- grant to Sir Isaac Cotlin. •' Deadman's Rock" — so called in consequence of its I striking resemblance when seen from a certain point, to a corpse covered by a sliroud — came in for its share of notice, aiul also as mentioned by Tom Moore; the sketcii was closed by \i\-. Bryant's excellent orniLliologieal report of the Bird Rjcks. which however, possibly-, will be relished by students of natural history alone. Let Us portray these valuable i-lanJs under tlieir most noticeable leature — a seal tishing-station of apparently inex- haustible wealth. I shall quote tVom Comm.mder Foilin's excellent report for 1S64: — "Tiie Ma.'dalen Ul.mds are about forty- live miles iu length; tiieir greate.-t width is thirteen n:iles. They lie near the souLlierii point '.li the Guif of St. Lawrence, facing the principal entrance to that inland sea. between the 47th and 4Sth degrees of north latitude ; their most southerlv extremity being only twenty-five mile's lurther north than the Citv of (4j_iebec, and between the 6i.>t and 6jnd degrees of longitude west iVom Greenwich. " Discovered by Jacques Cartiei on his first voyage to tin. 'fulf of St. Lawrence '" Lrvf- these islai.^.s received the names of Ramees, Bryon ;uui Alezay ; and it was not until a later period that they acquired the names which they now bear. ^ " Situated as they are at the mouth of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and in the sailing line of vessels on their way to Canada, thev were ircquently visited by the French trad- ing ^and tishing vessels a'fter the discoverv of Canada. But it does not api)e;ir that at that time any considerable settlements were made upon them previous to their conces- sion in 1663 by the comjiany of New France to FraiKj-ois Doublet, a s'hip captain of nonlleur. who in the following \ear asso- ciat.eil witii himself Fram,:ois" Gon de C^iime and Claude de Landeinarc. lor the purpose of irauing wmX fishing there. But there is reason to Ik lieve that in 171^ the islands again became the property oi the French (Government, as the latter, accord- ing to Charlevoix, conceded them to Le- compte de .St. Pierre. " In 1763, at tlie time of the cession of Canada and its dependencies to the British 1 rifles from My Par tf olio. Government, Ihey were only inh.ibited bv some ten families of Frcn.-.h and Acadiiin ori-in, who enL(a^a'ci in wulni-^ and seal hnnlinif, and to a small extent in the her- ring' and cod fishery. Sub-equently, an American shippjr. Gridley i)y name, i t'onnded, on Amhor^l. Mand. near tlie entrance to tlie harbor of t';at name, a . tralim; and lishin'jf cstahli-~h!nenl. t iie i rnins of which still exi-t. He took i:r" ; his service families of Freneli oriijin resid- j in'.^ on the islands, in o'tier speeially lo carrv on, upon a large scale, th,- ImnMnu' of the. walrus and the seal, tiie oil obtained from wliicii !)rou,'ht ."^ -400 1 price in ilie markets of the New E'l-^land colonies, a- did also tile skin-, whicli \iL'Kle'i a very thick leallicr, ami ll.e tnsks wliich served as a siibslit'.ite foi- ivory. '• Tne property of Mr. Gridley and his apparatus was 'parllv de-tro} .■ti liuring the American War by tlie pnv:.leer.v()( the revolted colonies, but oa tiic conclu- sion of peace he resumed his irade .md his labors; but the walruses, who^e habits of coming in lierds ui)on the beach had exposed them to the con-ianl attacks oi the hunters, to whom tliey had become a valuable prey, had already almost com- pletelv disappeared from tlie vicinity ot the island.-. On llie other liand. the seals did not appear in as large numbers near the shore, and were not as easily captured as formerly, and in consequence ilie es'.ib- lisiiments of Mr. Gridley and of other shipper^ engaged more especially in the luinling of amnhibious animals, rapiiUy decreased in importance and prosperity. •• i must here observe that besides the fishermen of the Magdalen Ishmd-.a laygi number had alto come from tlie ICu'^ilish Colonies sine the coni lest of Canada. to engage in walrus-lmnting. Tney had carried it on with tli.it iierseverance and energ',- tor w'lich tliev ai-e so celebrated. and to them, in great measure, is to be attributed the evlinction in our waters ol tliis amphibiou.s animal, wliicli i~ secoiul in importance only to the wliale. '• 15. ittlie inhabiiaiits settled on Amiierst. Grindstone, and AUriglit I-lands had al- reatiy begun to engage in a inoix' -tea ly manner in tiie ccjcI and herring lislu.'ry, the produce of which they liarteieti with ihk- traders of the other British I'.ovinces, and even of Jerse}-, I'or provi.-ions ami iner- ciiandise, and this yielded them umioubted benefit. Moreover, the cultiv.-itiou ot' the soil which, howe\'er, the}- by lar too much neglected, as their destxiulants do at tlie present da}', yielded them some certain supplies, and at the time of the conces-jon of all the Magdalen Islands, by tiie British Goverumenl to Admiral Isaac Collin in 1798, as a reward for the services which he had rendered to the English Crown during the American war, the population of the I^iaiuN was estimated at one hundred t'amilies; but from information I was en- abled lo obtain at Amher.st, I believe this amount to be a little exaggerated. In iSji, according to Col. Bo'icbette, the number of fan. dies ha.l in rea-ed lo one hmidn.'d and lirrn -tiiree, and i;i 1831. to one iiun higluM- \\\< ihan (Ja-pe Cape to tr}- their iiiutunein the River St. Lawrence. It is ' rtitiier upon the North shore of the Gulf, iie.'.r tlie I-iand ol Anticosti. ami at the en- 1 trance of the Straits ot Belleisje, that the i n.'Ki- of ice are met with u|ion which are generally found the greatest number of -eals. It is hardU necessary for me to repeat, tiiat tlie female sea!.-, which jiene- j trat ' the (julf of St. Lawrence in enormous herd- ill the month of December, '■'= get up I * I-t'ii- ;i satisf.iet iry n.'|ily tu the question pro" i p.)ui.ii' il l\v an Amciiciii wviU'r as lo Lliv hyliuniaou- ' ii:-n if the Atiska .-o.ils, as ri)llo\v.s; — I I'll,' i^i.iiiis '^'( .Vlaska arc lliu -uinmiir rcsurl ' ni .-1 ,il- i:i iinmtiisu iiiim|ii'r> ; but where tiny sp'iul '.I'.cir '.viniiTS is an uiiinlveil iiivsturv. SuHiiii.'nt t'lreli 1 as !)ct:n iiiaiU' Inr llieir wiiitLT aiiodos — with a '. i( w f> t.iUmj lluir ^Mns — lo show Dial llii'y iln not I iiul in aiiv cnsiJcialili' iimnbcrs on any known (i;i"un(l. 1 hey bcijin lo Iravc llio islands carlv in 0,;t'ili(.i-, ami by the niiililUMif Diciriiber liavc all left I .:ihI noiiu .nit M'L-n a;;aiii until April or .M.iy. .\ few i luruiricl, mostly yomiL; pups, are taUrn i'V the In- I lil.nis .ircpinul Sitka, 1,200 miles east of Ihc i-lamls, . duinm Ihu 111. mill of Dcttnnlicv, auam in M.ircli on Uair relnrn to the isl.uuls, and in I'ubniaiy oil' tlie I coast ol" Urilish Columbia; biit in sneh smaHnmiibors I a^^ 10 niakr no apprcieiabk- dillcreiirc in the Imnuinsc nimibi'r liiatvi-il tin. iilauil.- annu.illy. It i- elaiincd ' by till' natives that the seals return invariably the ML- ind year to tluir pi. ices ol' biiih, aiul, when not i toil 0tu.11 d is tin bud by driving, continue to ilo so. In 1 order lo test the truth of tliis story, Air. Ilyrant, Trifles from My Portfolio. 27 on the floating ice about tlic middle or end I ir.cals, and to siipplv tlieni with hot drinks of March to bring fortli their young, wliich ; in order to protect them from tiie eilects ot they nurse with great tenderness and suckle \ tlie cold and d:nn;i. to which they are in- for the three or four weeks, or perhaps cessantly exposed. With their clubs they more, which time they [)a~s upon the ice \ stun all tlie '^eais wl:ich ih,:y come upon, without going into the w.iter. It is during \ and then u-e llieir kuive-. to dispatch 'Jiem that period that our lur.Uers have to use ' and remove the skin and lat. When they their endeavors t > got ili in into tii'ir po,->- \ iliink tlifir harvc'-t hirgi; enough, thev tie session by killing them cilJier wit'.i club- ] tiget'e.er with a rope, with which they are or by shojtin_;; for vubsLC|'i:-nll v wi-.cn piov'doil. as much of their ^jjoils a^ will they have attained -ulVicieiit --ti-.iigth. tiiey : ^iilliee to make a i)urthen of from three take to the water and the hnnt.r-. see them j hundred to three hundreii and lilty pounds, no moi-i;. l>ut the il mating ice al-.() serves 1 find they then drag tlii- va!ual)le loail from for a habitation for the ad. ill seals— cspe- | ""<■' pi<^ce of ice to another to the shore, cially the females— u liile ihey are lending 1 where thev leave it in safety, and relm-n to their young, and o\w huiitcr- purine them j the same ground to gather a fresh harvest. eagerly where il is in their power to do so— j This (aligning and often dangerous labor that is when they can approach them with- (continues throughout the whole day, and out being perceived, or else when these oven th.> night in clear weather, so long as amphibious animals are upon ice so closely there are any -,eals on the ice near the packed togetiier that tliey can find no open ; shore, and the ice has not been driven away place through which lu plunge into the ' b\ the laml breeze, [have been told that vvatei-, and so escape pursnU. Tiien our ' foi merly. when t'.e seals were more nuiner- hunters make great slaughter anxMig them, I ous than at present in ll:e water.s of the and crews of seven men iiave been Mime- i Gulf, the inhabitants of the Magdalen times known to kill hundreds. "Coiuinues high wiiuls, biowirig tVom the saine quarter lor some ieiv^th of time. drive the fields of ice covered with seals towards the shores of the l>lanils. an.d Islands had taken as many as from one thousand live hundred to two lhous;ind seaK. nearly all young on the liekls of ice aground near the shore. I5ut since I have been xisiiing the islands, the results pro- keep tiiem aground near the coast until a : duced by seal-hunlilig have been less change of wind supervenes, anil at such times great [iri/^es tail to the Islanders. In an instant the news is spread thrcnigh all the Islands by the ringing of bells and the filing ol gun.";, and soon the whole pojiula- tion rushes to the shore, whence may easily be seen the seals scattered rner the ice as far as the eye can reach, " Wnmgandold men. each armed with a abundant, and have sometimes amoiuUed to hardly anything. This year(iS64) by a happ\ conciuTence of circumstances, it was ])roductive. having yiehled at least six thousand seals, which cannot be \alued at less than three dollars each, thus giving a total value ot' eighteen thousanti dollars. This excellent hunting took place on the jylh. jS.h. ami pan of the ::9'h April, large Knife, a rope, and a club, -pring on [having consequently lasted but two days to the lields 01 ite, while the women remain I •1"'-' '^ I'^l'"- The ice driven by a : iiong on the siiore within reach, to prepare their | o^'-t wind drifted out to sea. cairying with i it thousands of seals be\oiui the icaeh of „ . , . . r .1 T r^ . . . t.-. ^ 'li"-' hunter-, who-e disappointment may be Speciiil Aj-ciit (if Uic 1 rc.isiiry DLiiarlmcnl ;U St. ' ' • Paul's Isl:iiul, liiis iiistittitcd an tx|ii'rimciit of an ] more easily imagined than ilescribed. oininoiitly pniclical cliaraclcr, altliniii;li it nii.'ht not i-Diiimainl till' I'litirc approval ol Mr. licr^li, whose "Tills hunting is very often allended with jiirisdk-tioM, lunv.'MT, clorsiir.icxieiul to .AiasU.i. lie ijanger, for the currents or the wind some- had one liu lulled male pups siltelid ln-toro kaviny;, | . ' ,. , . on arookcivono mile iioithoitiK- vill.iLrcandiiiarUcd ' times drive Oil tile ICC felore tiic liunters l,yeuttini;olltluHeltear,nounted in number this year to J5." Thi- navigation of these crafts amongst the icc-tloL's, ill early spring, amid-t snow- storms and hurrican-.'s. i.-. atlendcii witii considerable danger. Thns perished the "Emma" and tlie '• Hreez^.'"— the crew^ leaving 13 widows and -] 5 nrphans. ()l the herring, maciverel and cod lUlieries, ^cc.. ol the^e island-, impoctanl and remunera- tive pursuits thoiigii they he. \ will, for want of space, merely give Commander Fortin's olHcial return-^ lor 1864: — Seal limiting. 6,000 seals killed bv t'ne inhabi- tants on the ice. at .$3 00 a seal, - - - .$iS.ooo 00 1,633 seals i.i!iy li.is licrn fonm-'l in MintrcMl, |).irt of the c.ipil.il licliiy suh- scrih.; t iicro, t'.)r the prosecution m" t!ie slmI fishery. Twd fine iiuw steamers, the '' Iceland" and " Green- land," are no.v oil tlie p.issaife iVoin .Vljerdeen, liav- io;^ luen liuilt by t'ais IJoinpiny. It is reported thai Sir lliirli Aliaa lias a considerable interest in this adventure. Another new steamer for tlie feaHisherVi called the " Wolf" has jnst arrived to \V. Grieve it Co. *'rhe " I'i'^ress," a Ibiirth new steamer, owned by some of our own luerchauts, and Iniilt in (^lebec, was unfortiin.itely locked in the ice, in consequence "fan " oarly closin;^ inovement" on t!ie part of the St. Lawrence, last Xoviinber, .S.he is, of course, pre- cluded from bharing in ;lii.s year's lisliery. Summer Mackerel Fishery. 1,400 barrels of mackerel, at $10. 00 a barrel, $14,000 00 IV/ialc Oil. 360 of whale oil, at 70 cents a gallon, . - . . 25^ 00 $86,590 05 Alright Island lies to the north-east of Amherst Island, and forms the north-east boundary oi Pleasatit Bay, which has a width of about twelve miles. The island is about totir miles long by two broad, and it- surface is almost entirely a succession of small hills and \-alleys. Grindstone IbL'iiul is so called from a lofty conical cape of sandstone on its south-east shore, called by the French Cap de .Mcale. This i.sland ibi'iiis the north-east boundarj' of Pleasant Bay. and is almost live miles in length. Its soil is ricii, and agriculture is prose- cuted with vigor. At its western limit is the thriving village of L'Etang du Nord. The Jutige of Bonaventure District holds !us court e.icli year at the Magdalen Is- lands in September, and I had the pleasure of recognizing in this dignitary a worthy Q^iebec Police .Magistrate of ancient days — His ilonoi- Mr. Jtistice Maguire. From the Magdalen group, the sailing packet takes you -ither to Gaspe Basin or to Piclou, and the Gulf Port steamers con- vey the traveller from the latter place to Paspebiac. , Cri.\PTER XI. NEW RICII.MOND — M\UI.\ — ITS MYSTERIOUS LIGHT— CARLKTON — ITS ROTHSCHILD, J(JIIN ME.VGHICR, ESq^ — THE HOME OF THE .VC.\DI.\NS. There are several other points of interest in the Bay which I had not an opportunity of visiting. For the following notes on the same 1 am indebted to a well-informed ollicial of Port Daniel : — " On leaving Black Cape you travel over hills and valleys of fertile, well-cultivated lands settled by Scotch and French Cana- dians, until you arrive at the little river, the homestead of the Pritchards on the (lat lands. Trifles from My lurlh li'n. 29 '•'rtu- tirstsctllLTs of New Riclm-iOnd were ' four Frencli-CiuKulian ramilies — Biiikels, I)e2fousJC, Saver. Cormier — and in 17S3 t:iree families of Loyalists, viz.. Pi it chard, ^\■illol, DulTev — tiie head of one, Captain i'ritchard, was rather more than a Loyal- i>-l — being an ollicerin the Atnerican Army, he Wiml o\er to the Britisli. lie received liair nay until his ilealh in 1827, ami was to the last a ^t()ut, darini^ olii man. • On crossing tlie little river, lording at low walerorby scow at high, yon arrive at the hj-iness part of it. There are here two charches — a Presbyterian and a R.C. churcii witliin hall a mile of each other; two mercantile establishments ; mills where the ijiisines.-. of the townshiji is centered. , Here Wm. Cnthberl, of Ayrshire, e.<:tab- lishrd hiin-rlf in iSjo, By dint ol energy> enteiprise an ! honesty he accumulated a t'oriune of $400,000 as -partner ot Robert Cuthhert. in Greenock, on the Clyde; and \ dieii recerill}', much re'peded. Robert; Moniuomerv and son have i-ucceeded him in \'-\v Richmond, and do a large bu>incss in m;i:^•. timber, \'c. •• 'I'ne p jpnlation is Scotch and French- Caiia.iian interniixed. One mile and a hall fr)u Mrs. Cuthburl"!- bring- you to the biu i:\-r ot New Richmond, in Indian iaiiguage. Ca.'-cniieJiac, tin- di\i>;.>n line ot the town.ship of Muria. on crossing the b.g ri\'er by scow, lot it aj'pe.ars we are never destined to have bridge.-,, ie>;>-"epl on the dawn of elections, ti'Cy are ne\er sjioker, oil.; The east point of Maria i.s an Indian res^Mve rie«l of the mission. Point Re.sligouche, twice a year. These Indians arc of the lowest cnnnillc of the genius, red- skin. ]-.-aving the Indians one iniie, yon get into a prosperous settlement of t rench- Canadians for one mile and a half, when you ariive at the snug residence of Harvey Manderson, Esq., J. P.. a clever and origi- nal character. In rear of Mr. Manderson, there exists a prosperous settlement of Pallanders, formed twenty- five years ago. Two miles further brings you lo the R. C. church, and to the residences ol tlic numerous and patriarchal family of Au- dettes. One must not forget the harth old Anticosti trajijier. R.Camiibell. Esq., now a successful merchant in Maria. On the Cape of Maria shines nightly the my-teri- oiis light which disappears when aji- proached. It indicates the presence of a treasure buried here in days of yore — 'Bu! don't tell it to the Marines.' Five mile--- further is Carleton, the home of liie Acadians ui' old, tlie Landry, Atl.ird. Aliain, Le Blanc, Jacpie, Caisy familie'^. One of the formei" industries of the Buy. the smoking of herrings, has cpiite di.-ap- peared, as it did not jiay. At the foot o'' the loft^- mountain range known as the Tracadegetche Mountains, is built the ri.- mantie \iilat(e of Carleton in a shellercJ nook. In 1S61, the population of the enti'e townsliip was nine iiundrcd and fifty-eig'it souls, of whom twenty-six were Proti .- tarits. This portion of the coast was fi-' settled b_\ Acadians, \viio, coniing fro n Tracadie, named thi^ .siiot Tracadigcletfe, or little Tracadie. "The Bay of Caileton is a fine shec (f water formed by Mlgouacha anil T:;' ,i- digetche points. The I'iver Xouv- '.:■.' empties itself in tiiis Bay. Tiie anchora.:-.' is good, and the Bay atifords a safe reU.^e for shijiping from northerU- and east'iiy gales. It is a 1V.\ .■.!-i;i.' i-e.-oi-t ol th.e her- ring in >]iring a- a spawning-groiuu!. .1". I immen.-e qiantitic- are cauuhi. wiiich ..r^ u-ed not only a-- food, but ai-^'i as mrvuM;.'. Ili're resides the wealthy and I'espcc'vd member of the count} . John Moagiier, E- q., the fallie--in-law of our young friend at Qj.iebec. P. Chauvi.'au. Escp Here our much-re-pected townsman. Dr. Landry of (.^lebec), ha.^ b.iilt himself a snug \illa, '■> spend thereat llie sumnici- m.-jnths. "New Richmond is a 1 ic!i agricuUur.'il country lor many \ears back, expc)rtin:' largely to Halifax ari^! New Ibundiai'.d, a- well as several cargoes of timber and deaii to Britain. Maria and Bonaventure export agricultuial produce to some extent. Carle- ton is a stirring place, with ;i baniv agency and consideiable bu'^iness. A few >ears ago this place threatened to ri\ai Rimouski as the seat of the EpisCO|Mc\ lor this district. There is a hands, )'ne con\-enl at Carleton, founded main|\ hv the liberality of Mr, John Meagher, A 'ow miles from Carleton the line of the IiiJ.i- colonial Railroad comes out, and liie village of Matapedia will much bcn-.Mit thereby. Here lies the beautiful farm of Big Dan Eraser, the prince of Ga pe fanr.ets and good fellows." 3® Trijics from My Port folic LANMAN, TEUR. A WASHINCiTON LITTKRA- •\Ve walked silent iilong the slioix- (il llie nsouiuliiig «ta."' CiiAr-TKR XII. side of the Atlantic lor his adventurous I ''Gil Bias''— fresh froni the groves of AN IICOSTI — I LOrSA.M AND |ETSAM — DIE , BlarnCV. I PIRATE OK THE ST. LAWRENCK (oA- ' The historian f\*rhind has left us in MACHE) DELINEATED Bv CM ARLES i 0"^ of hls light and huHiorous papers a vcry j good pen-and-ink photo of the pirate, j whose den he visited in iS.^i. Amongst ! the implements of warfare which orna- mented the walls, he noticed twelve fire- arms, chiefly double-barrel guns, and a ! small cannon in front of the house. The 1 can recall Anticosti in its palmiest days Abbe's sketch, no doubt, guided our friend, forromance. and in its darkest era for sea- Charles Lanman, in his delineationsof the faring men, before the epoch of fog- celebrated sea rover, who was indeed whistles, lightships, and beacons. Fond ! . , VI.. II " A man 01" loneliness and niysleiv." memory takes me back to a well-remem- ■' bered sea voyage, prescribed in 1843 by At the time I visited Anticosti for the doctors, in quest of health, and made in a first time, the particulars of the melan- well-known Gaspe whaler — tlie •' Breeze," choly fate of the "Granicus" were >till Captain Arbour. In that year I visited for fresh in every mind. the first time the desolate isle which The brig -'Granicus" was stranded at Gamache — the legendary and dreaded ' Fox Bay, on the east end of the Island. wrecker— had selected as a secure retreat in November, 1828. There are yet at the lor his plunder, if not for a happy home, tiine I write, living witnesses amongst us 'I'he redoubted pirate was then in the zenith I of the "Granicus" tragedy; amongst of his fan:e (if fame means lawless deeds) others Captain Jesse Armstrong, Harbor — encounters with Her Majesty's Revenue Master at Q^iebec, who having sailed from officers— predatory attacks on the for- that port un the 24th Oct., iSi8, for the lorn crews which the autumnal storms i West Indies, was in company with the might, perchance, cast on the God-forsaken "Granicus" and a dozen other vessels, at ^hores of Ellis B.ay. , Pointe de Monts a few days before the Louis Olivier Gamache, delineated by an j accident which befel those vessels. Tiie adept of the new sensational school, would greatest number were cast ashore; some have exhibited in his person the imprint of , were never heard of afterwards. The a full-blown htros de romcins. What rich j passengers and crew of the "Granicus" vistas of feeling, bravado, and remorse, \ safely arrived on land to meet a more this master spirit of evil might have re- hideous and lingering fate. All perished vealed under the magic wand of Alexander Dumas, Wilkie CoUins, Eugene Sue, or Fenimore Cooper ! It was, doubtless, from tluring the ensuing svir.ter, and when the Government schooner called at the Island in th« spring following, to stock the light- Gamache that Leever borrowed some of i house with provisions, &c., the decayed the dark traits of his "Black Boatswain " j remains of these unfortunate men were ill "Con Cregan," selecting at the same j discovered in a rude hut. They had liter- iuK- Anticosti as the landing-place on thi ^ ■ ally starved to death. In a pot over a lire- Trifles from Xh Portfolio. 3' placi \v,is lami.iii ihsli, revealing- tlie | awful fact that in tlieir last extremity tliey had resorted to tiiis horrible mode of pro- loiiginy life. Amongst the passengers, there was a Montreal lady and her two • •hildren. The old residents of Anticosti must more than once have had duties to perform, such as those described by 'I'horeau, at Cape Cod :— " Once." says he, •• it was mv business to go in search of the relics of a human body mangled by sharks, which had just; been cast up a week after a wreck. Having ' got the direction from a lighthouse — I should find it a mile or two di»tant over the sand, a dozen rods from the waiei, covered with a cloth, by a stick stuck up — I expected that I must look very narrowlv to find so small an object: hul the sandy ; beach, half a mile wide, and stretching farther tl»an the eye could reach, was so perfectly smooth and bare, and the mirage towards the .■lea so magnifying, that when i 1 was half a mile distant, the insignificant i sliver which marked the s[)ot looked like: a bleached spear, and the relic> were a^ conspicuous as it' they lay in slate on that; sandy plain, or a generation had labored ; to i)ile up theii- cairn liierc. Close at: hand there were simply some bones with a little tlesh adhering to them ; in fact. oel conihined. Tlie intellijfcnce he e iiimuni- eates respectiu;^ trie ^vealllcr he expericiiced, is put in llie to|l.)u'iri luase is not of ,i melaucliolv turn. Instead o( complaini!!-.; of the breezy, free/y, snowy, l)!owjr weather, he ■;i!oi;iy.',s ill t!ie sulijoined stanzas our liiihtliouscf , aiut delic.Ucly points out in the two last verses a deticiencv ttiat exists at M.inieouay^an, which we h.ppe. al'ier Captain Cruielic tlicre's some in >i)i:lit Like .miidin' star, 0:i rock :in' headhin", or in biifht, Tliat shines alar. " 'Sour pilots now niiiy work tor ever I'lie liahts are placed for tliem ^o cle\ei ; To keei> them all their side the river. Seen s wide awake; s.niat An-ton-ey bless the jifiver, IC'en lor their sake I " liut list ye, sirs, to a lady's prayer — Could you not your bounty s!iai<-, And anither lantern spare I'"or Maiiicouas^an ? .\ bi^lil is inuckle wanlit tlitre 'l"o save a (lairgon. •' I'"or, sirs, I'll whisper in your e.ir. Us inony :i bottom's scrubbed, I fear; K\ en mine, alas I it made feel i|ueer An' rumpled sairly ; Therefore I hope my words ye'll hear. An" h'trlit it early." S2 Trifles from My Portfolio wiis concctlcd ill 1680 to Jean Jollict. i iliifled iIowti the rivei> oi ihc main land, 'I'iii- island is i^j miles long. 30 broad, '• and pailiculaiiv Iho St. Lawrence. Some and 270 miles in eireiimf'erence. and con- of the scinared timber mav have been de- laine nearly 2,cx3C),ooo acies of land. Its lived from wrecks. Anticosti, frotn its neaiCNt poiiil is about .};n miles beh)w position at the entrance of the Gull', from CJjKbec. its natural resouree>. and the teeming life The limehlone rocUs on the coa^t are of the sea which surroutui'- it. has attracted covered with a thick a:ui often impenetra considerable notice of late years. Kllis ble lorest of dwarf s|)ruce. wiiii ynarlcd Hay miglil heconic an important naval branches so twisted and malted IOi,'elher station. The isl.ind originally formed " that a man may walk for a considerable part of tic country called Labrador. \\\ distance on their summits. 1SJ5 U wa- rc-ai:nexed to Lower Canada In the interior some liin- timber exists, by an act of the Imperial Parliament. It l'ur>li. who visited the I.~land in 1S17. i.- nnw i/, tlu 1. ami- of a considerable num- fmind the jiond pine ;//;,v/.>- , t!ic coast Mr. Lanman's sKi^tch ol its «elebrated abo'ind with trout anJ salmon in the sum- wiicker. Gamache. iVom the \'civ York mil -oa-on. Ti:e chie'' ones are Jupiter yoin-iuil 0/ Coviiinrci- : — River, Sahnon Ru-er ami Schalioii Creek. hea.- licqiicnt Ihi hal J;nu'.- tone rocks in vast numbers. ^L'lckerei in imnvMi'^e Lonel_\' and desolate are the shores of shoa!.coni;regate around all part . o; the ^^^X'"'''^'' /" ;^;;"'^- '/'"f^ ="-^' '^'^^l^ed u,i -' == ' , Willi ice and wh.itened with snow, — and in coa-t I>ear.s are very numerous; foxes summer aiinosl continually enveloped in and nartens abnmlan: . ( Jlters. and a tew lo^t;s. To all mai incrs who have occasion mice, complete tl;. known li-t of cp.i.uiru to sail the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Ihev are ,,,,,1 v,;m,,,. ...1 , . 1 . '^ perpetual terror, and the main- shii)- jiei)-, .Neithei snakes, toads iif>r -.'jl^s. ' •' • .1 1 ■ .,' ■^ wrecKs occurring there have L"ven to the are ki. >wn to exist on this desolate island. Lland a mournful celebrity. Two li^jhl- Tliere are no good natural haibois on liouses, lighted from March to December. Antici.-^ti. Provision posts have been ii"'-' !\^<' P''^^'--'"" 'i^'pol-sare tiie onl c locali- cstabn-hcd by the Canadian Government, l'*"' "".^'"^' V''''"'' '''''^''^ ^''"=''' ^^''" '"'S' lor the reuet of ciew> wrecked on the ' have escaped a watery grave can obtain .-uccor from famine and cold, and the mos! Islam;, and three lighthouses are . now noted of tliem is the Bay of Gamache. It mainl;rncd at the wot. east and south- '^ 'iboi'L 'ive mile.- in circuni ference, the west p..ints. When 1 vi.-iied tlie south- ■ °"';' , ''''.'">■ .:'''-"'"^" ''-^'-'J"'' /» the region „ , ,. , , and derives its name Irom the strange man west point in 1S43. the lighthouse was ^vho there first made himself a ' liome. kept b\ :;n old Waterloo soldier of the name From C^^iebec to Gaspc, — from Gaspc to o( MctJi'.vrav. so I'ar as I can recollect Pictou. not a name was better known, and Mr. Pope was in cliaige ol one of the "'^ '"'"-''''''rf '^t^'-iC'^ picked up by the writer ciiiei' 1-yhthouscs for manv' vears. Tlicsc > v • , , ■ , ,. . , " " .\otiti IS liirL'liv ;iiven, tlml a))p!it;iliiiii will lie llghthon-es are about 90 teet high, most >n.-u!c to tl.c l>.,rliae. be saw a sti.lwait Indian di^. embark fiom ills (.ante, aid witti :l !k ttl. in his haijd. march directly lor the dwellim,'. T);e mcvements of 'be s;c\age. bis fond- ness fcr liquor, aid Lis well-known charticter for fii^bti'}i(. poi tended trouble. As he approached, Gamr.che planted him- self at tbe ib.reshold of bis casile. ritle in hand, and exclaimed, '• One step further, and I will fuel" Tbe step was t:, ken. but it was the last, fc r a builet shattereil the thiiib bone of the savage. Thus reduced to helplessness, he was gratified to find that Gamacbe carrier! bim 'nto tbe bouse, placed him en abed, doctored his wound and took <.\oons. bis fears were ex- cited to the highest pitch. Gamacbe ob- served this, but onl ■' eiijove'il tbe stranger's r.nsternation. A smoking suppi r was -pread upon tbe table but even the moolle aid tbe beavers tail wi.re only tasted by cne of the party — the e} c of the ether quivereil with exci emei:t, and his thoughts were bent upon tbe tale that wouKl circulate rei-pecting bis late. He matle a di-play of gayety ; when the even- ing was waxing on, he lose to depai t and with many expressions of thankfiillness be offered his band to bislu.st, " Nc , no, my iriend," said Gamacbe, ''jou must not leave here; tbe sea Is roui'h, and the night is dark and wet, and you cannct leave the bay. I have a comlortable bed upstairs, and to-morrow you may leave if still alive." These wonls sounded like a knell, and up in the ebrniber ol death, as b.e supposed, asceuiied tbe pilot. "You may sleep," continued Gairacbe, a? bo handed bis guest a lamp •• as lorg and soundly as you can. Your bed is soft; it is made with the down cfb-rds I m\ self have kil'ed ; for I am a good >.bot. and \ ne\ er miss my game." For a while the pi'ot bad found it impos- sible to cjuiet bis never certain s'eep : but nature finally gave way, and he UU into a doze which was anything but relresbing. As tbe clock struck twelve he was startled by a noise, ami opened his eyes. There sTood Gamacho by the bedside wi!h a candle in one bantl and a gun in the other. •• I see you are awake," saiil be, '-but why so very "pale } You have beard, undoubted- I ly, thatl am in the habit ol mirdering every one who tarries at my l;ouse, and — banging the gun on the two w^ooden pegs — "I have c( me to give you a settler tor t\;e night!" With this remark be displayed a bottle of brandy and tumbler, and alter drinking the health of tbe pilot, banded bim tbe glass and continued— '' There, take a good pull ; it will make you sleep soundly, and if Gamacbe comes to attack you during the niglit, you can defend yourself with the loaded gun banging over your head," and thus the joke ended. "When morning came, the storm bad disappeared; and the pilot and bis host were quite as happy as the day was bright. Trifles from My Portfolio. 35 And thus was it, as the iiiooti catrie upon him, that Gatnache eiuloavorcci to relieve the monotony of his self iiiHicteti exile. II is ntllietiotis seemed to have eiiaimed his charaeler; tiiough certainly witliout j,aiile, a kind o( passi(M) lor doiiit^ out-ol-ihe-way thintj;s lollowed him to the close ol' his lite, and j^ave liim tl.e uner.viahlc reputation he possessed. lie died in iSv| Ironi the ellects of exposiiie to cold, anil the [ileasant Bay with his name is ahout the only memo- rial he left hehind. And now for a tew authentic particulars respeclini^ the (general character of the Islaiui ol' Anticosli, as develoiieil hy recent explorations. It is one luuuiied and lliirty- six miles long, ami thirty-six miles wiile;a large part of the coast has a lielt of lime- stone reels that are ilry at low water; the south side ol the Island is generally low, but on the northern coast there are hills and dill's that attain an elevation of three, foiu' and live hnmired lei'f. The only attempts at cultivation that have heen made are at Gamache Uay, South-West Point and Heath Point, and the chief agricul- tural productions are potatoes, barley and peas; the forest land is abundant, but-the trees are commonlv small, and even dwarf- ish, and peat or mossy bogs abound in every direction. Fruit- hearing trees and shrubs are ipiite plentiful, hut one of the most valuable natural proiluctions is a wild pea growing along the shore of the ocean. The two principal rivers are the .Salmon and the Jupiter, and all tl.e streams as well as the lakes, which are numerous, are said to swarm with salmon, salmon trout and trout; the wild animals are the bear, the black, red anil silver fox, and the marten. In the hogs and moie sheltered [larts of the coast seals are extremely abundant. Hesic'es the harbor named after Gamache, I hut originally called l^llis Bay, there is a I Harbor called Fox Bay, but neither of ! them would shelter vessels of more than I live huiulred tons burden. The Inland is I under the Jurisdiction of Lower Canada, but is the jirivate property of a family residing at Q^iebec, 36 Irijlea from My Portfolio. C'llAI'TKK Mil. "THE VOIfKS Ul' rilli SICA "— \ '^HIKM WITKOIT WIND — SOMr. <'! J MH^L'ES lAKTll It's \N1> >. II \KI.I A i'I\ lOllill VAKN; Till-; I.r.(iKNliAUY H>KI. dl ITIE ST. I-AWKKNCK — I.K IlK \ 1 1. 1. \K l< I)K LA MAlit>KI.KINi:. The reliini trip irom A'.Uicosli wa- murkeii by a lingular incident — a lieav\ swell witlioiU a breath of wind. The " Breeze" having no lieadway. would not steer, and rolled helplessly in the trough of the sea: so much at times, that one might have expected her masts to snap like reeds i — a mo.st radiant sunshine during all this while. No noise caut;lit the ear except cer- tain low luul'.erings in the distance, which' chimed ;n niournt'ully with the creaking oi' the vards as the vessel rose and tell lo the billows. A school oi whale-, and some ])orpoibes, disported themselves north of Us, the former spouting from their nostrils the briny surt. Did these munnuring- proceed from these ie\iathans oi the deep.' It lecalled those '■ mysterious noiscs ol the ocean " .>o excpiisitely des.'riheil by Chateaubriand, and likened by liim to ihe 'voices ot birds: — " Ces oiseau.v ;ivaieiit des voix extracjrdinaire^. v. mine ceiles qui sortent de nier-. Si I'ocean :i sa Klore. il a aussi sa I'hiloinele : lor-qu'au voucher du soleil le courlis sitlle'sur ia pointe dun locher, et que le bruit des v:i:;ue> r;uom- ])agne. c'est une des harmonies le- plus jiiaintives que Ton puisse entendre." It ^va.1 not. however. * ^ " A wild, |lll>lllia^.■U')ll^ >ouiid, I.,iUe l)ioki.ii lluiiidtTS Unit ;it dis\;nicf roai , '')r iiillow.s inuniuiring on the liollow shoro, The eccentric Thoreau depicts thus, those peculiar utterings of Old Ocean which are at times heard in tlie midst of a calm or before a storm :— "The soiindH which the ocean makes must be very significant and interesting to those who live near it. When I was leav- ing the shore at this place (Cape Cod) the next summer, and had got a quarter of a mile distant, ascending a hill, I was startled by a certain loud sound from the sea, as if a large vessel were letting dff steam by the shore, so that I caught my breath and felt my blood run cold for an instant, and I turned about expecting to see one of the Atlantic steamers thus far out of iier course, but there was nothing uni:su;il lo be seen. There was a low bank at tlie entrance of the hollow, between me and the ocean, and suspecting that I might have risen into another stratum of air in ascending the hill, which had wafted to me only the ordinary roar of the sea, 1 immediately descended again, to see if I lost hearing of it: but without regard to tn\ a>eending or descending, it died away in a minute or two. and }et there was scarcely any wind all the while. The old man said that this was what ti»ey called the • rut,' a peculiar roar of the sea before the wind changes, which, however, he could not account for. lie thought that he could tell all about the weather from the sounds wliicli the sea made. ■• Old Joselyn, who came to New England in ifJ^S, has it ;imong his weather signs that 'the resounding of the sea from the shore, and murmuring of winds in the woods, without apparent wind, sheweth wind to follow.' •' Being on another part of the coast one night since this. I heard the roar of the surf a mile distant, and the inhabitants said it was a sign that the wind would work round east, and we should have rainy Trifles from My Portfolio. 37 weather. The ocean was heaped up some- where at the eastward, and this roar was occasioned by its eflort to preserve itsequi- libriiim, the wave reaching the siiore be- fore the wind. Also the captain of a pack- et between this country and England told me that he sometimes met with a wave on the Atlantic coming against the wind, perhaps in a calm sea, which indi- cated that at a distance the wind was blow- ing from an opposite quarter, but the un- dulation had travelled faster than it. Sail- ors tell of 'tide-rips' and 'ground- swells,' which they supi)ose to have been occasioned by hurricanes and earthquakes, and to have travelled many hundreds, and sometimes even two or three thousand miles." (Cape Cod — Thoreau — p. 39.) How many thousand miles away was brisk Eurus stirring up his domain? and this unuxplicable tide-rip, or ground-swell, from whence had it travelled? The caption to this chapter leads the reader to exp"ct, inter alia, some " tough yarns '' from old travellers; the reader must not be disappointed. Charlevoix, the historian, relates that Jacques Cartier, on the 15th May, 1534, on visiting the Bird Rocks recently describ- ed, had an encounter with *" a white bear of the size of a cow, who sprang into the sea on seeing Cartier 's boats. The day after, the great discoverer captured Bruin whilst swimming near the coast of Newfoundland — fourteen leagues distant!" Heugh ! what a swim ! Leander's feat on the Hellespont was a mere joke to this; the Arctic stranger may also have been swim- ming for love! Who dares deny? This seems tough, but what Charlevoix says of the flesh and habits of the Canadian horn- ed owl is even more so. t " This bird," says be " is good eating, ♦ " De la il (Cartier) rcmnnta aunord,ct ijagna ilcs iles qu'il appc'la dans sos Mtiunircs Ics lies aiix Ois- eaui. EUes sout eloignces de Terreiieuve de qua- torze lieues, et il fut bien surpris d'y voir un ours blanc, de la jjrosseur d'une vache, qui avail fuit ce trajct a la nage. Dis que cet animal eut apercu les chaloupes qui allaient a terre, il se jetta a la mer et le lendemain Cartier I'ayant reinnntre assez prfes de Terreneuve, le tua et le prit." (Hist: Nouvelle France, Vol. i, p. 8.) t La chaire du Chat Huaot Canadien est bonne a inanfrer, et bien des gens la prcfirent a celle de la many prefer his flesii to that of chickenw. lie lives in winter on groimd-mice, which he has caught in the previous full, breaking their legs first (a most usi'fid precaution, to prevent their escape) and then fatten* them up with care, for his daily use." This, no doubt, is pushing to its extreme limits the privilege of great travellers. I, for one. will unhesitatingly claim tlie right of accepting this " white bear story" and owl anecdote, cum ^rann salis, or, as the Frenchman says, sous benefice (Vint'en- tairc. At page 16 of Charlevoix's Htsloin- de la Noiivellc France, sve find something else spicy. Everyone is aware of the popu- lar tradition which goes to explain the un- gainly appearance of the EsqiiitJKiux tribe, viz., that the Esquimaux are the otr>priiig of tsvo seals, who, having beconu tired of the liquid element, resolved, like C ipt.iin I Cuttle, to spend the remaiiuler of their lives on shore, and in their old ago had several children who iiad lost all taste lor the sea, and became the ancestors of the Esquiinaux. This is startling enough with regard to our unctuous, oleaginous, and aromatic brethren of the far North, but the peculiar organization which Jac- ques Cartier lends them is still more worthy of note. Cartier was told by Dona- cona that there existed in a distant land (nothing like distance to lend enchant- ment to objects), human beings who did not eat, but lived by what they drank (Neal Dow has discovered many such, even in our own country) ; that in another place the men had but one leg, a veiy large one; one arm, witli two hands on it — and a variety of other peculiarities of lively interest to Profe-ssor Owen and coinparative anatomy. But rez'enon^ a nos moutons : tlie " storm of calm," as our captain called the troubled state of the waters without wind, lasted a few hours, during all which the brightest of noonday suns lit up the scene. The currents and winds wat'ted us then higher up than Little Fox River, and we anchored close to the River Magdeleine. so famous for its wild Poule . • . Sa provision pour I'liyvcr sont des Mulots, auxquels il casse les pattes, et qu'il engraiss et nourrit avec soin, jusqu' a ce qu'il ait en besoin." (Lettre de Charlevoix a la Duchesse de Les Piguircs 721,) 3« Trijlas from My Portfolio. legends amongst the seafaring people a Gasp^. The " Br«eze " was riding at anchor in the vicinity of the spot wliere the famous Braillard de la Magdehine is heard dur- ing the great storms which sweep the coast. Before setting fortii the version whicli an old dame — a second Bessie Millie, and who also possibly "helped out her subsistence by selling favorable winds to mariners" — gave us, on landing, I shall quote from \.\\& Soirees CanadteH/ies (or Octobiir, iS6i, the humorous description of the Braillard, b) our late and lamented friend, the histo- rian of Canada, Abbe Ferland. " We are opposite the River Magdeleine, | famous in the chronicles of the country i for ghost stories connected -vith it. ' Where is the Canadian sailoi:, familiar > with this coast, who lias not heard of the ! plaintive sounds and doleful cries uttered I by lao Braillard dcla Magdeleine? \Vhere \ would you Mui.i native seaman who would I consent to spend a few days by himself in | tills locality, wherein a troubled spirit < seeks to make known the torments it en- | dures.' Is it the soul of a shipwrecked i mariner askin^f for Christian burial for its j bones, or imploring the prayers of the , Church for its repose? Is it "the voice of I the murderer condemned to expiate his j crime on the very spot which witnessed its i commision.^ . ". For it is well known j that Gaspd wreckers have not alwavs con- \ (ented themselves with robbery and (lillagc, ' l)ut have sometimes sought concealment j ;(nd impunity by making away with vie- ' (ims,- convinced that the tomb is silent I and reveals not its secrets. Or else, is this i (he celebrated Devil's Land mentioned by j (he cosmographer Thevet. where, accord- \ ing to him, Roberval (in \-^\i) abandoned : his niece, la Domoyselle M, rguerite with! her loverand with her old Norman Duenna. The ancient chronicler places this land i somewhere in tlie Gult of the St. Lawrence, ' and relates that after the deatli of her two 1 compar.ions. the Lady Marguerite had to contend with devils, wlio, under the dis- t'jiise of white bears, tried to frighten her with tiieir claws and their growls. On this legendary topic, Thevet might have found a match in one of our sailors, who certainly knew naught ot the Lady Marguerite, but was particularly well post- ed in all matters referring to the Braillard de la Magdeleine. He felt ill at ease in this neighborhood and whistled for wind, were it even contrary: anything to him seemed prefeiable to remaining in the vici- nity of the Braillard." i^Log of the schooner Sarah, during her (i ip from Quebec to Gaspe in 1836.) On the other hand, the resident cicerone thus held forth : "An awful shipwreck once occurred at this place. A father and mother, amongst crowds of others, here found a watery grave. Their infant son, by some miraculous interposition of his guardian angel, wassaiely washed ashore." Whether in this jase the guardian angel assumed the form of a Newfoundland dog, or the more orthodox appearance of a winged cherub, tradition has failed to say. "The darling boy was safely landed on the pebbly beach, and soon made it vocal with his grief and moans for the loss of his best friends. His infant wailings, bleniled with the swelling storm, struck the ear of some belated ti>herman whose boat was parsing the entrance o( the River Magdeleine. Hence the name " Le Brail- lard de la Mag leleine." The noise is still heard in stormy w.iather, and may be ex- plained either by the action of the surt roll- ing into one of the many hollow caverns along the Gasjxi coast, and vvhicli has as- tonished all observers, or by shelving rocks over which it moans like an unquiet spirit. It would, howevei'. be doing an in- justice to my venerable and pious cicerone, were I to conceal the tact that she admitted, albeit hesitatingly, that the moanings of the ' Braillanl ' mi^ht be caused by the action ot high winds on two large pines which overhang a neighboring cape, and whose trunks grate ominously on one another. Alas I alas! for the marvellous! The Abbe Casgrain tells a tale about the Braillard des lies de la Magdeleine, in which a bad priest became, through grief, reduced to a skeleton, for having refused to christen a child, who subsequently died unbapti/.ed, and was heard to moan con- stantly allerwards." Gentle reader, you have your choice of these explanations. Trifles from My Portfolio. .^9 Chapter XIV. i THE LOWER ST. L.WVRENCE — RIMOf SK I— i :\IETIS— M.\T.\XE. Business liaving brought me recently amongst the happy and prosperous pea- i santry who inhabit the Lower St. Law- i lence, a few rough notes on this locality ; may not be unacceptable, especially at a i time like the present, when the Intercolonial Railway is being constructed. I may first i premise that I am neitlier a railway con- i structor. nor a railway engineer, nor a holder of any lantl in the said locality; my sole motive in penning these lines is to call attention to the beauty and resources of this fertile, healthy and picturesque portion of the Dominion. Nor have I any j hesitation in saying that ere longCacouna \ will be in agreat measure deserted, whenever i a regular and daily intercourse is estab- j lished between Q^iebec and these remote I spots on the Lower St, Lawrence, scarcely known at present. At a fare of two dollars and a few hours of railroading you land safely at Riviere-du-Loup, where a sub- stantial first-class hotel is ready day and night to receive you. The host's kindness to travellers is proverbial, one is mostly reminded of Shenstone's utterance : "Wlio'or h;is travelled life's dull round Where'er his staije.s may have lieen May sigh to think he still has found The warmest welcome ai an inn ' Such is Monsieur Larochelle's unremit- ting attentions. Excellent stages are con- stantly in waiting at the hotel door, and those who like speed can count on reach- ing Rimouski early the same day, provided the\' select one of the spanking tandems constantly on hand. The distance is sixty- six miles; the scenery, especially that of Bic, the mo5t mountainous and beautiful on the whole south shore. Bic, with its lofty crags, land-locked bays, and green fields, reminds one of the Highlands of Scotland. Rimouski has become so populous, so ambition.' of late, that steps have recently been taken to have it incorporated as a town. Tiie R. C. Cathedral, a noble Gothic structure, cost $50,000; it has a Bishop — Bishop Langevin, the brother of the respect" ^d Secretary of State — a convent — a college for young men, numbering some 200 pupils — a court house and jail — and some half dozen resilient lawyers. The Goverment wharf is about j,ioo feet long — one of those solid structures on which the late Mr. Baby left his mark. Tlie teU'graph wire runs some thirty miles lower down to the point of .Metis. Rimouski itself is a ricli parish, dating from 1 701, settled for some miles back, with a fine river running through. The parishes lower down than Rimouski, though much more recently settled, arc progressing very fast — the country merchants making little fortunes' varying from $50,000 to $100,1x30 in a few years,— such as Ste. Luce, ,Sle. Flavie, Metis, Sandy Bay, Matane, &c. I knew an auctioneer in Q^iebec who left the city — some years back — not over-burthened with the good things of this world; he is now one of the "merchant princes" of Matane, with some $So,ojcj to back him, a nice house to live in, and an air of well-to- do in all his liemeanor. The harvest has been excellent this year, and it is not sur- prising that the country merchants pros- per, — they get as much as $1.10 a bushel for their barley ; one has 8, ooobushels, an- other 5,000, another 4, (xxj, and another,^, 000 for sale, and I wish I were permitted to give names. Wheat has given good returns also; some farmers, especially in the in- terior, have from 500 to 1,000 bushels. bo\vlin<^ green, on the edge of the roaring St. Lawrence — so broad here that th*' opposite shore cannot be seen. The back ^o Trifles from My Portfolio. That portion of the population which | for more than forty miles, runs level like a gave up their fishing pursuits for farming, are thriving the most; some, however, still stick to their boats and nets, and look after codfish and herring instead of wheat and ground is diversified by hills, meadows, barley. j rivers and valleys. Some twenty years ago, the most flourish- { I shall retain a long time the vivid ing settlement was a wilderness— Sandy ! impression which Metis made on me, Bay : now it is inhabited to the Sixth Range I whilst travelling through it on the 15th or Concession, and the cure has a res- j November last. It was the first winter pectable rent-roll — as a rule a fair indica- 1 roads ; the weather was bright and frosty, tion of the fertility of parishes. Some of the I Amidst the breaking of the surf on the villages, like Ste. Luce. Ste. Flavie, Metis, j beach, the tinkle of our sleigh-bells was Matane, are built on beautiful deep bays, ; i^carcely audible. Merrily we bowled along in which a winding rivulet or rapid river | in the solemn silence of a Sabbath after- discharges. On the majority of them, sub- j noon, to where duty called. On our right stantial saw-mills, surrounded by bright ' stood the Kirk, lit up with the last rays of pine and spruce deals, proclaim that Eng- ; the setting sun, whilst a bevy of rosy- lish enterprise dwells therein. Echo still cheeked, youthful worshippers poured out repeats the respected name of the "King of of its portals, homeward bound; and far the Saguenay." Wm. Price, Esq. Most ' away in the blue east, a mere speck dancing of these mills are managed by George on the bosom of the greatriver, a noble ship, Sylvain, M. P. for Rimouski. the '• Xestorian," also homeward bound, At Little Metis, a curious spectacle greets canying Lord Monck and his fortunes. the eye — an entiie settlement of Scotchmen, One of those radiant sunsets with which imported from the Land of Cakes some autumn occasionally consoles us for the loss thirty years ago. by the Seigneur of Metis, of summer, was pouring on the waters the late Mr. McXider. numbering about 100 westward its purple light, whilst a pair of (':imilies. They have pushed their settle- hardy fishermen were striving, tugging ment to the third Concession, and seem to lustily at their oars to make the entrance of prosper. I was surprised to find they could j the bay. What a scene for an artist! bupport two churches of the Protestant ' At Matane the traveller finds a comfort- faith. Can it be possible that they vary able boarding-house, kept by a Scotchman the duties of husbandry with a spice of named Grant, who speaks French and has theological quarrels.' Ti -fiildren looked married a smart French-Canadian girl, well clad, rosy and contei. I asked one The Matane river, a splendid salmon and wee lassie, where she was bound for.' " To trout stream, washes the bank in frontof the see my mither, ayount the hills"' she civilly house. The steamers "Gaspe" and "Secret" replied, with charming simplicity. make Metis and Matane stopping-places I hear they speak Gaelic in the settle- and there is little doubt that, in addition to ment. No French-Canadians live there. ' the Montrealers who enjoyed sea-bathing at Their lands are not as much mortgaged as Matane last summer, several Qiiebecers will tl)0se of the French-Canadians, and thev 1 deviate from over-crowded, over-dressed do not intermarry with them. I heard it | and noisy Cacouna, to try Gaspe and the stated that though they belonged to a { lower parishes as bathing-places. One of better class, and brought several agricul- the greatest boons to this portion of Canada tural books and implements with them, \ is tlie opening up of the interior by colo- they gradually fell back to the style of cul- j nization roads ; not those, of course, made ture of the Canadian peasant. Some, 'tis ' mileby mile, such as had been previously the said, have sold their farms and removed to ' case— so that the first mile was rendered Greenbush, Wisconsin— 'tis a loss for ' impassable by the underbrush which in Metis. As to scenery, nothing on the south ! couple of years springs up. shore of the St. Lawrence ecjuals that of | The Tache road, when completed, will be Bic, Matane, and Metis. The high road, | of immense service. It runs parallel to the Trifles from My Portfolio. 41 St. Lawrence, about thirty miles inland from Beauce to Rimous>ki and lower down, and cross roads are being opened towards it from each parish. A wonderful change has come over the Canadian peasantry since the construction of the Grand Trunk Railwpy. Intercourse with the cities and the United States — the spread of education — colleges, court-houses, convents, opened in all the large centres — such is the spectacle which all through greets the eye, even in the remote parishes. I can assure you that I tried in vain to see that " ruin and decay" of which our croakers >im1 tault-finders are unceasingly prating. I found the lower parishes rapidly filling with an industrious and prosperous population. No doubt when the Intercolonial Railway and Lower Port steamers open a constant communication with the District of Rimouski, the march of intellect and of progress will penetrate still lower down. PROFESSOR morse's GEUCiRAl'HY. Just as I was returning from one of my winter trips on the Lower St. Lawrence, of which 1 have furnished some notes, my little daughter, an elfish rogue of some ten summers, who reads the newspapers, as all progressive Canadian children do, gretted me in the following words: "Papa, either Professor Morse or you must be telling stories in what you both have written. Just read in my school Atlas the Professor's account of the parishes lower than C^nebec : " Below J:^nr/>rr, on the St. Lawrence, there are few setllements except snuill fishing x'il- lages." Some lines lurther, llie Professor informs his readers that " Canada was Jirst settled by French in 160S." This remarkable work contains about one hundred plates and letterpress, edited by Harper and Bros., N.Y., and compiled by Sidney Morse, A.M. In the preface, in large text, the reader discovers above the Professor's signa- ture that "the whole woik is the resul^ of long and careful study." The Yankee savant has the hardihood, not to say the ignorance, to lead one to expect merely a few fishing villages in these populous 300 miles of country which line the St. Law- rence from Qiiebec to Cape Chat ! How is he bornt; out by facts and figures.' .Seven flourishing counties, viz.. Levis, Bellechasse, Montmagny, Islet, Kamouraska, Temis- couata, Rimouski, comprise within their limits the parishes spread over the beautiful south shore valley of the St. Lawrence, from Quebec to the County of Gaspe. Rimouski alone one of, if not the laigest county of the Dominion, is one hundred and fifty miles in length. It extends from Bic inclusive to Cape Chat, and lower. Seventeen parishes,* of which six or eight are on the banks of the river, and the remainder in the interior, consti- tute this fine county, together with seven townships. t We are safe in averaging fifteen parishes to each county, which would give one hundred and five parishes, each with a spacious parish church (sometimes two), school-houses, mayor and councillors, post- ollice, iiic. Some, like Montmagny, the old home of one of the A.D.Cs. to the Queen, the late Sir E. 1\ Tache, since it became the chef-lieu (ocunty towns), with resident Judge, Court House, Jail, have sprang into importance very rapidly. The same might be said of Rimouski. In addition to the Court House, Jail, and District Judge, thi^ locality supports a large college and con- vent, under the spiritual cr re of the new bishop, whose magnificent Gothic cathe. dral merely requires an episcopal palace to complete the see. The course taught at Rimout-ki comprises a commercial course. Belles Lettres, Pvhetoric, the Classics, Natural and Moral Philosophy, Chemistry, Malhomatics, Astronomy. In mentioning colleges, one must not omit saying a word of the beautilully located College of Ste. Anne, County i,f Kamouraska. This noble pile, built on the slope of the mountain, covering several acres with its well-wooded parks, gardens, chapels, museums, was founded in 1S27, by an enlightened R. C. priest, the Revd. Mr. Painchaud, of Crane Island, a brother to the late Dr. Painchaud, of Qiiebec. .Ste Anne College has an addi- * St. Simon, St. Matliicu, St. Kabicn, St. Cecil Bic, Town or St. Germain, Parish of St. Germain St. Blandine, St. Anaclct, St. Donate, Ste. Line, Ste. Flavie. Ste. Aiifjelc ilc .Merici, St. Octave Metis, L'Assomplion, McN'iilcr, St. I liic. t Township of Matane, St. Jerome de Matane, St l''elicite, Townships of Cherbourg, Dulebert, Roniien 42 Trifles from My Portfolio. sonal intercRtfor all the friends of agricul- ture, as it gavi birth, under the superin- intendence of the Revd. Mr. Pilote, its Director, to the model farm and agricultural course which has now been flourishing there for several years. It does one good to see carried out, year after year under the eye of the professor, by sturdy young Canadian lads, the system of rota- tion crops, deep-ploughed, well subsoil- drained fields, with no end of Berkshires, Durhams, Ayrshires and Cotswolds in the farmyard and stables. A semi-monthly p.»pfr. in connection with agriculture, // Echo des Campagnes, something like the Toronto Farmer, has been in existence there for some seven or eight years. May it continue 'o prosper! Little remains for me, after what I wrote previously, to add respecting Rimouski.or rather the Town of St. Germain, for suci» is the name fixed on in its Act of Incorporation. I feel sorry, however, to think of the old name Rimouski — of Indian origin though it be — dropped and forgotten : Rimouski, which in former years so nobly responded to the call of the venerable Robt. Rnldwin, left out in tiie cold by his Upper Canada constituents. Rimouski, by its progressive character, wealth and extent, was, indeed worthy of the honor of restoring to public life and usefulness the father of Constitutional Government in Upper Canada. The county also was, lor many years, represented in Parliament by one oi its ablest sons, Dr. Chas. Titch^, Djputy Minister of Agricul- ture. An additional wing to the government , wharf at Rimouski, on which lar^'e steam- ers might land at all hours of the tide, such as the "Secret" and "(ieorgia" together with the completion of the Intercolonial Rail way, whose line nearly skirts the shore, is wanted. These two things effected, Rimou- ski will, no doubt, in a very few years, double its wealth and resources. I presume Professor Morse's "few fishing villages" have been suHiciently disposed of. As to hib grave assertion of Canada having been first settled by the French in 1608, I would recommend the Professor to read up a little more; he may then get more accu- rate knowledge for his next edition. One reason induces me to attach to his state- ments more importance than one does ot those of several recent tourists. There is a class of itinerant libellers and penny-a- liners, who come amongst us in quest of sensational anecdotes and spicy discoveries. One of the fraternity, a sixteen-tumbler man, had not long since to apologize over his signature, in order to escape the horse- whip, for some printed libel perpetrated on ex-Councillor Kirwin; another saw recently in our market places " old dames in white caps and wooden shoes, selling apples and plums," and made the extraordinary dis- covery that carters, as a class, were noisy; others, again, make no hesitation in com- mitting in our midst literary piracy on the grandest scale. This literary banditti, however, with all its mean lies and shanie- lessness, cannot do near so much harm as a grave book circulated in our schools, which are misled by the high-sounding titles A. M. and F. R. S., &c. This is why I should wish our own Educational Bureau would publish and offer for sale, at reasonable prices, correct geographies of America. Our children would escape being victimized by men like Professor Morse ! More anon.