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'\v,, t-rf /•'.-• ' .-..: ^Ma^ IOUNO4 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA, ^; INTERSPERSED WITH ^>".-;^ Canadian Tales ^ Anecdotes^ AND INTERESTING INFORMATION TO INTENDING EMIORANTa 'V.,. "., ^^1'h BT TH4»tfAS ^OHNSTOK. 6U^-%4i, >.-ir EDINBURGH : PRINTED BY J» OIiA8t» 44, SOUTH BRIDGB STRBET; ^ FOR TBB AUTHOR. < 1^ ■,*t. f c 3.VA51T UOUOIIIIT • V. ^J.':v-r. >l S-kV/?^' '^ lEADEI i Tork wo V "..■;.■: desigu t 1 . i !<';.;.■'■.•;, wu recol SDces, w ■ t^A imerous ess. 1 1 orkt ext ialiao»ti( ends, an ndiqiff ei y, I bavi itter myi e cllmati oQidnoi ictioos. >mpli8be< V.;.' -ii'J-ir^^ :• thewor ■.f i;>.r".r- : Dsorloas. t-'. : iii)fl'i!r/:iaa ;;if 1.,- >'ti,.f.v,. .uiiutjk AMP no i thors^ai] lluboffgb iir.^ w-' '■.• i*^' .« ,]■! ;V^: EADER, PREFACE. .^-iti'Vi /^u ■>i •<<^ 7 When I 3frroie my JbornalMid Travels tbroai^I^ ower Canada, I had not even a distant prospect that the Tork would ererb^OttUed td'thePimri. Itwaa wrMen witb design to amose mgt frienxlB at jboaie> . abo ta bring to my wn recoUeetiMi periods of my lifie with, intevestiti^ oceur- inces, which mif ht escape my memory, i > ' • . ut' f / .. t.'O iv.'ji^ *i'>'?n'*,»nM yiv ti': I have been requested^ from lime to time, hy a ii^*^ imeroas circle of acquaintances, ta commit the world to* >iti«' in ^ ess. I have done it with rclnctanee, knowing that there am ' ^ii ^ orks extant of the same nature, written by m^ of supelrior *• »^y laiiftoations ; at the same time, willing to «ccommo<^ite' mjr ^lY^' ends, and give what information li^ ia 'mjr pdwiir!^ the in*^ i: rod ace, and mannibi of the inbabitantB<*>^i^ nld notbe found saying any thing in iMrdurolF nay own pro- vni'/ ctioDs. If any shoidd reap a b)WMtyn(f deaigoriftso far ac*^ >nii'^ mplished^ ; t am aware tbat^ttiexe mt^tamif:- ifni^rfeMion» ^ >''i^ the work. The desceming eriflc, I hope wi^i aot ; be over ' sorious. - > . .r, ;* .j'sJl cO The borrowed pasiMtges are takeo/rom jretq;)9ctable thors, and I hope will pravea sogrse of entertainmentu fitri tn i a ''tt - - , - ,n»^ jp^tahnwiiT baf||[h, May IB2T*. a^'-^o^ scUlo aoiojaiirj— •u>tntw 1o /!oRoiq^ A. • ; . ., . - - Wi\ hna vfu:.:i s^"\, • ^oMt-up mull Jiiiifisj i* .'It v> 1^^ CONTENTS. \l' I I*. ■«■ Departure from Greenock, « * . 5 Jourofd of the Voyage, - - - .6 View of Quebec, from the River iSt Lawrence, • 9 Conquest of the City and Provincet, - - 11 View of the principal buildings, dc. • • • '■ )l»<' Anecdote of Ctoadliin Superstition, • . .. y It French Baker, a Tale, - .'.).! •??! i anl&v a^yfji^t The English Officer and a btaatiful Naa, a Tale,i^vo i(iM>Ni0r View of the sturroonding €oimtvyy,fitiom Cape Dianond^. 22 Fall of Most'Morraneie, - » tj < #4 View of a Wonderfol Narrow in Coqnecttaut Riv^r, <''Ji J //St^' Voyage upwards from Qaebacj • | S9 Various Incidents^) ".nil m'¥i\ fhiti' oi^frr n^'-'^fS ^^i\ 1 40 Arrival at Monlieal; Jimuip>gMit*''j««t«itn?^'*'>.-; l^ 'vi'jil') -t^v^'' First Ship Laonchedyy i v.- (u. .'.*i",j5l':;!'!'T ii'i>/ \' 'n\^i • ■•.'.•ti I|b^'.- View of the TowDy > 'i:•^^ 2 -^f hv; &n 'j-uii i'nu4g>(f JndiaitBoy, ." , ■ < '^ ■- ^'h-:'.^U-.irv^\m^^\\^~ The Tanky and his La^ly, - — - !m .-:if > -^(^.1 An Uproar apoiir«eeaaniaf'9|^ng aa Old Lady's Haly . Water, ;i:i -.♦;.> -^^i- • ■. . ynt-'ncj^iioH /.in^.*) View4»f aCanfM^'of iB4Mi«» '- ^^*i> "iJ'^i-^''^ I'"'-"'? ^^ ^ofgl^'f ■ Canadianft^^tkabdMOi flprto■H^ *b^ :' ' ^ ' «0 - Sk«tek of ilie lMko4iiiii)i»wiB« Miipk 8ug«s «ad pre- \.,^.^ n 'J fpiii iliv/ i^i^/il i /•'«ii|jgO!: pailiigilif«as4y / 'j On Rafts, 4be« View of the eoimtnr fiK>m.MoatTeal Moan(&iD> E&cuiileB to ISIiaft*i|lliil»«9l| A FineMillj -- 4^ - - • t/ Thmwwr ^tonn, ' > «• » Excursion into the Forest, Approach of winter—Customs of tl|e Caontrj, . '. , :^ Snow and Jet, - ^ - • BemarkaUa Baribiess at Mbatreal* Earthquake, an' Stiaw toary one. Falls of Niagara,. . . ^ Departure man Quebec, . • • Journal of tba Voyage, •• • • Stom at Sea, . • • • » Arrival at 6f«eiiock» • » •> A Word to Inttudiag Emigrants, » ■* :.k .VrMClL n 76 S5 93 )t e Pag S 9 U It m «b.' r 48 «^ 69 71 ib. 76 85 96 90 93 J«i:».;t*1 • ' A TRAVELS '^■ijAlhtV/ . 'IJW THROUGH • v^ .i.i'ftv ISt^b^^r Caiia(^^< ♦^i"; ,.7"'i^ t f.ril .0, . ■^^ •IJJTTVJJi^ls'i; i;!"''.:,; ♦'>< « ON ihe firsi day of Jqly^ 1S14, we went OD board the brig Emily^ at Greenock^ bound for Quebec and Montreal^ in which we found sixteen passengertffiackidingpfour children, who were all busy arranging their affairs for ihe voyage. We dropt gently downward^ and cast anchor about a mile below the town* NeiLt night lay opposite a small village called Lamlash* T>Qefol« lowing day we passed the MuU of Kin^ tyre, and in. a short time got a view of the north of Ireland* A pretty strong bree^se sprang up^ and almost our whole company were attacked by the sea^sickness^ wbi^k made our situation icry. disagreeable for a time* I began io write my Journal ok the 20tht but fdnnd myself Tet*y ill accbm* modated for the undertaking, my chest* served me for a iable, and my mattress for a seat* Being in the steerage, I was daily ^Annoyed with the noise of the«children, and the general clash of toiatgueflUi Grammed up in a corner, I had no light but whatr the hatehway afforded ; even iviliatl^ was often deprived of by the pas8«ogei^| for having nothing to do^ they were ^oaiiati* 4rily in motion^' ^^n. ^\n \4^^:^'^i:, . w While our nntive land appealed in rieW^ the eyes of all w<*re directed towards i(. Now on the western ocean, bounded by «ky, the eye seems to invite another lantf, thoug'h far distant. The parting* strug^gfle, which seemed to pervade the whole, sub- siding by degrees, we began to amuse oarseiVes with the prospects before us, and endeavoured to make ourselves as com- fortable as possible. On the 30th, when at supper below, we were alarmed by a loud cry of** All hands on deck." Terror •truck, we hastened up the hatchway, but our panic still increased on beholding our captain and whole crew in a state of agi^tr tation, and a large ship less than a league i^ the leeward, which they supposed to be a French privateer. She fired twice, but , our captain showed no inclination to strike^. Having passed us, she fired a third time^ but finding- lis unwiUing* to lie to, slie be^^ ^an to tack about. Eixpecting* to be made prisoners, the passengers put themselves in their best apparel, that they might appear more respectable before the enemy%t Amongst our number we had an old Hig;hlandman and his wife, who seemed, nost alarmed. They had a bag* of mon»y^ •onsistingf of some gold^ silver/i and a con- siderable quantity of counterfeit halfpenccf , which probably wa« their all. Alter they't had spent some time in hiding it amongst^ the lumber in the hold, they came upon^ ii^^kf andy in a plaintive tone, tol4 tb« «Apfait), " That they wanted to ffo dot df at their ig^norance, for at this time we were some hundred miles from any land. The enemy's vessel, in en- deavouring* to tack,^ had missed her stays, fortunate for us. We immediately set every sail, and being* favoured with a good breeze, and approaching^ night, escaped. Not long af» derstandiog that it was inhabited by a Ceimily of f le name of Grant, from Scot- land), we strolled in various directions, but ol 1 we ^ k rded dketf I we [and) litb forty were Wng; >er of polish I pur- ofeet ix to thing sage, 3rovU fisb, eces* cunxo were 1 was hiffb the here ;rary on Un- Icot- Lbut BRW no person, A^ter lacking abont ten days in Uio Gulph, wc got into the River* Here wc took our pilot on board. At the lower extremity of the Isle of Orleans, we had land on both sides in view, and small farm houses at intervals. On the 25th of August we had a fine prospect of the Fall of Mont Morrancie, distant about eight miles. In its fall over the precipice, it resembled snow falling from the roof of a house in a thaw. Having passed Point licvy village and church on our left, we immediately got a view of the City of Quebec on our right hand. " /' " •< This city, when viewed from the River St Lawrence, a mile distant, wears a most romantic appearance. The hill, or rather tte rock, upon which that part of the city fronting the river is built, is so rugged and steep^ that the houses appear as if standing one npun the top of anotLcr. ^* The spires of the different churches, which overtop the other buldings, being neatly covered with tin plate, immediately icatch the eye as it rolls over the promis- eaous whole. The astonishiijig height of the rock — the strong fortifications, with the gnns pointing in every direction, these on one hand, with the thundering cataract On the other, strike the surprised stranger with awe. At noon we cast anchor op- posite the Lower Town, and went ashore ; navingbeen seven weeks and four days from Scotland, and eight weeks from Greenock*. I m The Piroyibce of Quebec is calculated at six hundred mfles in lengthy and two^ hundred in breadth; and lies; betvraen 61 and 81 deg-rees west longitude^ and 46 and 5^ north latitude*^ ^^ Quebec, the capi" tal of Canada, as welt as of all the British dominions in North America, is situated in 47 degrees north latitude » and 71 west longitude, upon a rugged eminence at the confluence of the St Lawrence and St Charles Rivere. It is estimated at four hundred miles from the sea» The rock upon which it stands is a composition of marble and slate* The foundation of the city was laid, in 1608; at that time the River St Lawrence is. said to have reached the base of the rocky but has gradually receed- ed, leaving that space of ground complet- ely dry upon which the liower Town i^ tiuilt, which in oonsequence of it» situa- tion, became^ and still is a favourable resir dence for mcrchantjs and mariners, and is^ now of considerable magnitude,?* "^^ The fortifications of Quebec are irregu- lar bi^t strong.. The Lower Town is de- fended by two bastions, level with the water at high tide*. A little above, to the right, is half a biKtion, cut out of the solid Fock ; this bastion is over-looked by a large battery, and still higher arises the most regular of all the fortifications* It is of a square form, and contains the Governor's house, which of late, has been consider^ ably improved* In X806, the v^foden pabr e- the ih^ solid arge no$t ofa ior?s der* pair II isaxle which encircled the east quarter of the city was removed, and a strong' ston^ wall was built iA its place. From the rock fronting south east^ immediately below Cape Diamond, a projecting; battery of wood, containing' four large guns, has been lately erected. The bulwarks^ batteries^ and the walls, are in excellent repair, and are considered to be a proof against any attack* Within the city there are seldom fewer than two regiments of regular troops besides one hundred of the Royal Artil- lery« The different stations in and around the city^ require no less than forty soldiers en constant duty. ■ ' ■ it^ u ■ ** Quebec was attacked in 1759, by the British under General Wolf, who fell g^loriouslyt at the moment victory had crowned hi» heroic exertions* The Ameri- cans attempted to retake it in 1775^ but were repulsed with the loss of their &;aUant commander Montgomery* The nos^tile aspect which the United States-have lately assumed toward Britain, has- caused con- siderable improvements ^be made on the fortifications around the city.. ,<^ ^^ The conquest af Cape Briton evened the way iqto Canada*^ An English fleet entered the B/iver Si Lawrence in J^ne^ 1759» No 8€M>]Qer was^'ii anchored at the Isle of Orleans,, than eight fire shipa w^re sent off io consume it^ but the captains who conducted the operations set nre ta ...4 12 ? • " m (heir ships ioo soon, and (he ass^ailantisi were delivered from the danger. ** The British flao;- sooi/oppearcd before Qaebee. The banks of the rfver were, however^ so well entrenched anddefended by troops and redoubts, that every attempt to land, cost them torrents of blood, witn- out g-aining- any ground, They had per* eisted for six wri8e| 13 or if tliai should fail, to beseige it in form* 'Though the colony had Ions* been in dreadful want of every thing, the prepara>^ tions were already made^ when the ice^ < which covered the whole river,^ began to •give way toward the middle, and open* ed a small canal; they dragged some boata over the ice,^ and slipped them into the water ; the army fell down this stream with inconceivable ardour. On the I2th of April, 1760, the British thought they still lay quiet in their winter quarters. The army landed, and was just arrived at an advanced giiard of fifteen hundred meu^ thatwerepostt$dthree|leagne8from Quebec, when an unfortunate aiDCident disconcerts ed the whole scheme. A gunner, in attemt^ is^ t» step oift of his boat, hafd fellen into the water ; he caught hold of a flake of ice^ climbed up upon it, and was carried down the streaan. As be passed Quebec, he wa6 seen by a eentinel^ who on observing a man in distress, callcfd out for help; some of the garrison flew to bis assistance, and found .'bim motionless. They knew him by hm upiform to be a Frencb soldier, and carried him into the Governor's house^ where, by the help of spiri tons liquors, they recalled nim to life for a moment ; he just recovered speech enough to tell them, that an army of ten thouse.nd French was at the fates, and expired. The Governor imme^ lately dispatched orders to the advanced g-uards to come within the walls, with ^U i ] i I i . 14 ei;peditioD* Notwithstandinfif fheir pre- cipitant retreat, the French oad time to attack their rear, and a few moments later they would have been defeated, and the dty retaken. The assailants, however, marched on with intrepidity, which seem- ed as they expected every thing* from their valour. They were within a league of the town, when they were met by a body of four thousand men, who had been sent out to stop them. The first onset was sharp,, and the resistance obstinate; the English were driven back within the walls, leaving eighteen hundred of their bravest men upon the field, and their artillery in the enemy^s hands ; the trenches were im- mediately opened before Quebec, but a^ there were none but field pieces — as no succours arrived from France— and as a strong English squadron wore comings up the river, they were obliged to raise the siege, and retreat from post to post to Montreal ; three formidable armies sur- rounded these troops, whicli were reduced by frequent skirmishes and continual fa- tigues, and were in waat of both provi- sions and warlike stores* *' These miserable remains of a l>ody of ten thousand men were obliged to cap- itulate, and for the whole colony. The conquest was confirmed by a treaty of peace, and this country increased the pos- sessions of the British in North America.*' ^ In Qfiebee there arc two market placear^ IS rkioh are commojily called the Upper and lower Market, the one being- within tho t jity, which termed the Upper Town, the ^ »ther near the wharf, in the Lower Town, j [The principal days are Monday and Fri- i lay. These markets are well supplied with ^ he produce of the country, but inferior to ^ :he grand markets of Montreal, of which i ^e will have occasion to speak in the course ^. ►f the work. The streets are irregular, U iome of them remarkably steep and crooked* ^^ "ountatn Street, which connects the Up- {? »er with the liower Town, is formed from p- [he solid rock, of difficult access, especially i In winter. Here you decend into another ^ >y wooden steps, where, in a deep storm^ ' [he snow is equal to the eaves of the build- i| |ngs, and the inhabitants are obligped to .% lut a narrow alley by front of their houses, ^^ m each side of the street, to admit the ;% light and get access to one another. In ,| sneral, the streets in the Lower Town ^ •e narrow and unwholesome.^ ^-*i .4- y^ The city is not soconfined^ being exposed ^. [othe free air. St John^s, which is thii irincipal street, is pretty level, bnt the louses are ^'^w, and upon account pf the laterial^ of which they are built,and the little itig-enuity displayed in the workman- ibip, they exhibit but a mean appearance, n a niche, cut in the corner of a house in this street, stands the statue of General o]f pointing- to the spot where the ^Bri- tish army were encamped, immediately b\»- ».i V •'! If 16 Tore the city was taken* The houses with« in the wall, and those of the Lower Town^ are built of stone dug* from the rock^ which beings of a limestone nature^ is reduceable by fire ; should the internal part be con- sumedf'the walls m ust be razed* The roofs ar^ mostly of wood lap-boarded^ or cover- ed with shing^lest The principal buildiB^ is the Governor's house. Its situation renders it very plea- sant, standing- upon that part of the rock immediately above the wharfs, it com- mands a prospect unequalled by any in Quebec. The English church is a modern building, with a oeautiful spire covered with tin-plate. There are no other build- ings worthy of notice. • - p^ < In Quebec there are six places of wor- ship or churches. Fou r of these belong to the Catholics,Chnrch of England, Church of Scotland ,• there are also a few dissenters, but their number is small. The inhabi- tants being mostly of French extraction, this language was in general use, and the polite^ness, civility, and gaiety of that na- tion has infused itself into the prevailing manners ; ^the qualities, however, are not accompanied by proportionate liberality and knowledge ; the Canadians, particu- lary the lower orders^ are generally ig- norant ; few of the men can read or write, the little learning among them is confined to the women. A Canadian seldom takes any step of importance without qonsulting .ft' vr liift wife^ bjK'vrfaose opinioii he abides, both men and women are remarkably super* etiUouS) and also blindly devoted to their priests^ who seem to have an absolute sway over them f the followiii]gf instance, from a late writer, Mr Wild I lake the liberty to g-ive my readers, as a specimen t — ^^Oo the eveoiiifi;'^'^ before we reached Quebec, westopt at the viHag« of St Au- gustine Calvaire, and, after having strolled about for some time, returned to the farm- bouse where we had taken up quarters for the nififht« The people, who bad cooked some nsh that had just been caught while we had been walking' about, and every thing- beidg' ready on our return, we sat down to sapper by the Bgbt of a lamp, which was suspended froin the ceiling- ; the •glimmering* light, however, that it afford- ed, scarcely enaliled us to see what was on the table* We complained of it to the man of the house, and the lamp was, in eonsequence, trimmed* It was replen- ished with oil, taken down, set on the table, still the light was very bad* ^^ Sarre Dieu,^^ exolaimcul be, but you shall not eat yoiir fish in the dark*'^ So saying, he step- ped aside to a small cupboard, took out a candle, nnd, having lighted it^ placed it beside us* Now all was going on well, when the wife, who had been absent for a few minutes, suddenly returninsf, poured forth a volley of the most terribfe execra- *^y **■ ■:.. iii.-J. '[ I ■■I \b .J i'' IS tions against ber poor bii^jbiliiHli for ba^io^ presumed to baye aqted as he. baddnMiiek UnaU^ to answer a single word^ the fellow stood aghast, ignornant of what be had done to offisnd hcin We were- quite at a loss to knom wJhat h^A vgiven rise to sueb asuddenstorm*) The wife^ boWeversnateh- ing up the candle and Jiae^ily extinguishing it, addressed us in aiplaiaHve tone^of voite and explained the whole, affisiir* It was the holy candle, fIia:chapdeUehenite,^ which her giddy husband had set on the table. It had been conisrecrated at a neighbouring chdrch, and . supposing there should be a tempest at any tiine,. with .thunder and lightning ererso terrible, yet: if this c«indle were but kqpt burning whi^ it laated^ the house, the barti, and .every thing bc^lotigiiig to it, were to be secnried from all: 4^nger|t If any of the family happened to« ^be ^s^c^kf the candle was to ba lighted, andiibeyvwc^re iui^tantlyto recover* Ji had bie^n. gijlyen to her that morning by yjtlie .priest of :tjie ▼illage, witbnn assurai^ that itpos^^iy^ed 11^ rairaoolous power of prto^ving Urn famiLy from harmfaiid: she :was copificl.Qiit -that what was told her was.true ; to Jb^^ ucontradicted the poor woman would; bs^vie ibeen nseless* Fori the rsake of , our ea9$(f .bowever, we endeavoured to pacify bof, and that being accomplish^, we satdopiTA to supper, and even maite ih^ best . of /OAr fish in th^ dark»'' o 'm)'\ Although these poor delnded people are If i^avefiil to: obey tbeh* priesis in certain punctilios^ yet tiieir leaoers are not over concreiehtious in their charge* The plro^ faniation of the liord^s day is nothing' though of* Gaming and dancing is much practrered in and aromid the city^ seemingiy Yvithroiit restraintyl and many vices over- l6ok^d« Indeed -t he Sabbath seems to be over wh«M public i^orsfaip is ended* Residing in Quebec almost twelve vnrootibs, 1 g6t acquainted with several Oati^rdian 'familres^ where I some^mes {lA^sedv a wiiiter evenii^J They are exi> ■itibMifi^ljr^ foiid of hearing* )and relating won* dei*fifl advenrtaresi They consider the taking of ^eb^$ to be a desperate at* t^mjfyt, and rebite wonderful stones of that a^hfe^ement^ and eircurastanees immedi* •ately connected with it* Bei^ seated by thestove^onife evenhigf an old Canadian 'being request ed^ we were amused with the 'l0llowing relation. After the British had taken Queb^c^ poison ipeeied d could Miy ac«- iDtence lis own usuaL 'oasted d Camp on 9» immed beiDgf nd the ag-aiiK 9. when Towiif r lady, t at a ention ions— latiooy hat he »pon4- was hastLy g'htest vever, d on. The 21 holy fathers, inflatiied with rag'c, Were de- termined to dispatch her out of tb6 way, and she was condemned to the flames, the jninishment of those who are guilty of for^ nication within the Holy See. Beings ac- quainted with this theit* design, she found means to apprise the officer tvith herfewful situation, who weht immediatdy t6 the holy fathers, and, in a civil manner, de- manded her of them, but, they stoutly re- fused, at the same time denouncing ven- geauce against her. The officer, who little expected to meet with such treiatment^ oraered out a party of soldiertr, dre^ ihem ujp in front of the cronvent, and sent this short message to the fathers,^ That if the lady he had demandt^fd was not delitte^ed up without ddav, h^ would bum the nun^ n^ry oV€!r their hea^, with all that apper- tained tor it/ This message, and the manned t»f deifverilig it, with a view of the English soldiers under arms, wrought powerfully ; they delivered her up, at least th^ persons sent had free libetty to take her au-ay, although they them&relves made their votieiries believe that sfai^tvas wrested ttoiti them by fbrce.^^ What^v^r might hs the consequeti^e afterw^lid, ish^ was setit oter th6 wati^r to Pdint LeV^, and ^ootk afttet to Bngliind.'* There are a number of respect able' mer- chants in Quebec, whose stores^ ar^ coiv- nidbra^fol^; Upon artit'ks imported ir6tti J^lif ope, they e^xpect 50|)^^ cent, but seUotti^ I / I;- l. 1 1 1 > 1 - J I ; 22 reach !(• Cotfoii {*"oods are chcan^ wnl many other uilicles nre nearly as low an they can he purchased in Britain. The niarkets are in general wAl at fended^ both 8umiucr and wiulcr — Ijutohcr meat is low. Fire fvood brin^i^s a g-ood price^ when we consider! he iaimense forests which sur- round t he place. But when we take a view of Montreal markets^ Uic price of every article which there meets the eye sJiall be g-iven. s., ^,,^ , Before we leave Quebec, let us f jxkc a view of the surround in»' country. Cape Diamond, the highest pai^t of the hill or rock upon which the city is built,, is said to be tour hundred feet above the surface of the river. Standing here, the vessels, in coming up to the wharfs before the Low- er Town, seem as if they were under your feet. Prom this eminence the whole City of Quebe<3 falls under the eye; the great St Lawrence rollingin majesty — St Charles one of its small tributaries, silently joins its little stream, almost unpcrceived — ,while thundering Mont Morrancie throws itself over the tremendous precipice, bolt- ing upon the light of the distant spectator. After St Lawrence River passes Quebec, it divides itself inta two branches, the strong-est current bends toward the east, and is that which the ships come up and go down. The ether branch takes a nor- tiiern direction, spreading itself about two ^leagqca*, This/l\as rather the appearance low aJi The i^ botli is low. en we ;h 8ur- ft view every liall be f jikc Ji Cape hill or is Baiil mrfacc vessels^ B Low- er your »le City } great Uharles y joins [}ived — throws e, bolt- ctator. Quebec, es, the e east, up and a nor- out two ^arance 23 « of a lake; and in a fine Bummer evenfng^ like a vast mirror, yon may behold t&r various tints of the sky^ a« well an the images of the difl[erent objectif on (he banksv which reflect a lustre inconceivable* The southern banks of this branch of the rivert are indented fancifully with bays and pro* montorie^y which remrain nearly in* a state of nature* Bui the opposite shore is tbiclo- ly covered with honseff, extending along in one niunterrirpted village, Neemingly as far fkP> the eye can reach* On this side^ the prospect i» temiinated by an extensive range ot mountains* The flat lands^ situ- ated between the villages cm the banks^ not Ijeing visible to a spectator at Quebec^ it appears- a»if the mountains rose directly out of the water, and the houses wrere- built on their steep and rugged sides* The horizon, under the eye of a spectator upoti Cape Diamond, though mit very cxtenstvey. contains beauties pernaps unparalteTedr in any country*. *^ 1 he scenery ^'*^ says Wild^ ^^ that is here exhibited^ for its grandeur^ its beauty,^ and its diversity^ surpasses all I have hitherto seen in America^, or indeed in any other part of tbe globe*. In the variegated expanse that is laid open before you, stupendous rocks,, immense riVers, trackless forests,, and cultivatecl. plains, mountains^ lakes, towns^ and viliages, in their turn strike the attentibn, and the senses are almost bewildered in coiktem^ platiiig the vastness of the scene*. Nature Hi t . ill h here sc^n o'fi the gYand^st scale, nnJ it is scafcely pofefeible foi* thfe liYiag-i^latfoii to paint tb itself aiiy thing moi-e stihiime thdti *aH the sevei'al prophets ptfesent^d' to thfe f^ghi of the dieiightecl spei^tritor.''^ How- ever, It may be J^eihQiked^ that beacitiful /as this •scene Way appear to alt fiittc^ntivj^ >? observer, Ibere are tftaii^ wio diSfeern not .its beanty* People whd» larid hiere froiii ;Bn tain, are generally too much eng-aged 'withthciirowfr priv^ie concetni^, and fiibour 'nn'dfer too many persotiial didicnltieil, to ^ enjoy the prospects afford t^d by the conntry around then], aed so pass from place to 'placi*, like a OTininal conveyed from onb ^wpnrty to another. The emle^aint who has been pent ujpih a ship for eight or. teb ^vveeks, whose smail fikiiA, has beeh ex- *nfiii$ted in defraying expetfc6 of his passage, lands upon the shore of this ne^ '^f>6«htr^.^ 'W to encOti^'age him |pr the futiire, care and anxiety prevail ^^p;^cr cuMo^^^ He views the variegateil |8^V h^ ^e^s aU tMlIgs the Wf oj^S'/way^' ^; Jlp jtafeh :r8^JV r set oiit to see th^ Pall ^^i^l^J^ont-pd^^ but the St Xawrence bei%' broke up, I went by th^ Wobd^a BtMt js the rence S6 bridge across St» Charles, and aloojg^ f be banks. Arrivingf at the top of the FaU, I felt the ground to shake considerably^ Upon account of the melting snow, and breaking up of the ice, the river was mueb swollen. Large fragments of ice, trees, and brush wood, came floating downward, and, increasing; in velocity as they ap^- preached the Fall, went over in a moment, and for a while disappeared in the bason below. The noise of this rocky river is entirely lost in the tremendous roa* of the cataract* ^ v^iaHM T)own from the forest vrlW, the copious flood O'er roclc» in rapids roll, toward the ^^^S^>t ^^ ^ e% The frightful precipice, where tumbling oVrv With horrid crash, ** doth shake the country round ^'^ Creeping cautiously forward, I beheld the amazing scene from top to bottom, a per- pend ictuar height of no less than two huii^ dred and forty feet. Near the verge of the fall stands a small wooden house ; it was built on purpose ia accommodate visitors, I understand few cWose to venture into it; from this the cataract is viewed advan- tageously. The water, soon after leaving the precipice^is broken by projecting rocks, and assumes the appearance of snow ; should any person be so unfortunate as to fall within the power of the cataract above the fall, he must inevitably perish ; the ba$on below is formed of rocks, from which tberirer flows gently toward St Lawrence* ^#;. :li!f m 2f« Fbr'graiideiir and beauty, this fall is said to be sop^rior to any in America. • Here I most beg leave of my readers to inti^o* dm»e* a d escripiion of a wonderfbl narrow in Connetfticat River. ** Ttis 'river is five (bnndred miles long, and four ittiles broiftd at its month, itsintier banks, or -obalnbel^ is half a mile broad, it tak;<^ its ris^ from the wbit^ hills in the north ol^ Eng-latid^ ivhere ateo springs the river Kenn^ebeicv 'abdat five hundred rivulets^' whiehi^istf^ 41rom lakes and drowned lands, felt into 4t^ many of them are larger than thoTirai^es at London ; in March, when the rain and 8un melts the snow and i<(;e, eacb' river ^s overcharft'cd, ai|d kindly hastens to pyer*> 'flow, fertiiia^e, and preserve its trenibling^ meadows, they lili up enc»'mons cakes of ice, borstiiifif from their frozen beds, with -threatnin^ mtentioilsr: of ^))@^wing' lip ibe ftfl^g-bted eal'tb^ and eAtry '>them rapidly down ihe falls,' of which iher^^t ffve^ the firi^ sixty miles from itr mouths In^^itls ^liorifaern parts are three great bendingi called conosse^, and about onee hobdved miles asunder^ two hundred na)ile& frptii the sound- there i«'a tiarrotir of five' yard^ only, formed by two shelving^ moiHi^iitiJI^ ;of solid ' Tockv whos^ tops imteveept * the dduds v throitgib' this di^0i«m are compelled to pas^ all wat^ips, whiiah i» tjlne dtA6&^ 4^bury the^ nDrtberili e^ttntryv At t^he u^f»dt* ^cohofe^tli^ river then- spreiidi« twenty Ibdr «miles Wide^ and f4gr fivo or, six Wcebs fehijJs of war juififbt; sail over laods ik^ii jB0^rr wards produce^ the greatest orojis iof bay and grUin in i America. People who can bear the gight^thcfi-roansy tbe tremblings, the fitirly motion ot the water, trees, and ice through thi^ passage, view with astoU- ishme^^t one of the greatest p.hen6i»eno ns in nature. Here water is consolidated i ^wcthout frost by presscrre, by s wiftne^^s be- ^weeo. the pinching sturdy rocks, to $ucb |«Ld;i^gTee of indiivation, that no iron crow can be forced into it ; here iron, lead, and cork, have one conuuoo weight; bere^ steady as iime^ and harder tbanmarMe, tbe Lihe stream passes irresastable, if not swifl ;as lightaiiig, the dectrie fluid rends tre^es 'with no greatec ease tbaa dQes> ibis npight v water. At high water are carried tbrougii thisstvait, maiits and other timber, with incredible swiftness, and sometimes with safety, but when the water is low, the masts, timber, and trees,, strike on one kside or the other, and though of the larg'- Q&i size, are rentin one moment to shivers, and ^liotered Uke a^broom^ to the amaflse* ment of spectators. The meadows fc^ yard^ I many miles bielow are covered witib ini- I mense quanijiies of wood ihw torn in ^ pieces, ivibicb compel the hardiest traveller to reflectliQW feeble is man, and how great that mighty being who formed the light- ning, the thunder, and the irresistaU<» ^strength of waters. '. IS said • Here inti^o* larrpw is five broiftd mlibel^ ^ from igiaifd^ 11146 b^V k issti^ intbitv 'baiihfes lin and rivei^ f s p oyer* nal^ling akes oi* , with p. the apidly e^ the Ini >itls indingB nlidved s'frpin if pt * the [i{M^ted tidijdfe > uppdr ty Ibdr K^fehiiis ■f lit I i 28 ISetween two sturdy rocks, whose towering topi Asunder tear the burdened wintry cloud, * 8wift flies Connecticut, whose mfurble brim Bears through with lightning's speed the lofty pine, Or dashed against eacli side witb thundering roar. In splinters strew their wrtcivs algn^st the slii^^e » Majestic flows This adafRantine flood, '" "' ' *"' To show poor feeble n^an the power of God, i.y*ji t"^" No livings creature was ever kown to pass ihrough ihis uarrow, exept an Indian wo« man, who was in a 4)anoe attempting to <.'ro88 the river above it, but carelessly «nf- fered herself to fall within the powt^r of the current ; perceiving" her danger, -she took a bottle of rum which she had with her and drank the whole of it, and then lav down in her canoe to meet her destkiy-; she mar- vellously went through safely, and was 4aken out of the canoe some miles below -quite intoxicated by some Englishmen; being asked how she could be so daringly imprudent as to drink such «L quantity of rum with the prospect of instant death be- fore her, the Squaw, as well as her condition -^wouldlet her, replied, ^^ yes it was too much '^um for once, to be sure, but I was not *^willing to lose a drop of it, so I drank it, «nd you see I have saved all." ^ Quebec being as was observed, the keyi ^of the country, ships of every descrip^#ll| land at it, and most part of them dislditd their cargoes. Goods for Montreal are put aboard smaller vessels, of which there €lEe| ^ great number employed during the sum- 29 ... . , . . mcr months. Passeng-ers g^cncrallygo up. in sldops or steamboats, the fare to Mon- treal 18 two dollars, and if the wind he* favourable, a sloop makes the voyage in forty-eight hours ; a steam-boat is the more . certain conveyance, but none sail in the night* On the 20th of May I embarked onboard a small sloop for Montreal, which is one hundred and sixty miles from Quebec' Nothing is more pleasant than a voyage up the St liawrence at this season of the year, nature was now lavishing her beauties upon the wondering eye, and every thing bespoke the approach of summer. The river at Quebec is nearly a mile broad, being^coniined by the steepness of the banks; in sailing upward you have a fine view of the bouses on the banks of the river on each side, lyin«^ contiguous, they appear at first sight to oe one continuea village. The grounds are laid out in such a manner, that each farmer has the advantage of ther:Ver to bring down his grain and wood to jns^V" kety and to improve the fishing seasoii, the the farms being- narrow in proportion to their length. About a mile upward irom Quebec, tlie river has a quick bending'. to the north- we^ti, and as it banks are steep eiKd ro6ky* you immediately lose sight of 'the city aiid* harbour ; here it is said to be upwards of thirty fathoms deep^ above tlils it spreads tVid'e, and its channel is very iu- tricute. Every vessel mu^i have a pilot on ' C ■ ; --^^- H'f ii I,? ,: J it \)Ottd^ trho hath a thoroDffh knotrledgc of f he channel who is intrusted with the sole charge of the vesseL The pilot is g'uided by certain land marks, which are only to be seen In broad day, they must cast anchor during the night, though the wind should ^veii prove mvourable ; some have paid dear for their folly in attempting to sail during the night. At every six or eight miles you meet with a Church, either on the right or left side of the river, there is also cupolas and crosses to be met with by the way side^ of which notice shall be ta^ ken afterwards. Forty miles above Quebec we came to anchor for the first night and when morn appeared We were becalmed ; availing ourselves of this opportunity of visiting the neighbouring farmers, five of us passengers made a motion to go on shore in the boat which belonged to the sloop, viz. two Lieutenants, Englishmen, who were going op to Montreal to join their regiment, a young woman, my wife, and myself* The river here is four miles broad when the tide flows, having reached the shore on the west side of the river, we fas- tened the boat, and made towards the near- est house* A woman presented herself, who desired us, in the French language, to step in, we asked her, in Bnglish, if 3^ could accommodate us with a bason W milk, and some bread to eat* ^'Je n^nte ns pas,^^ I do not understand^ returned she ; mustering all the French we were masters M eo tin ''JH wl sic ha we gcof lided ly to ichor lould paki ) sail eight er on 5Te i» ithby )e ta- uebec t and Imed; ity of 5ve of \ shore sloop^ wno their i^ and broad d the ve fas- »on Intens d she; lasters 81 of, she at lenfifth understood, and cheer* Ailly answered onr demand. Having re« freshed ourselves with this wholesoniB eonntry cheer, and strolled about a long time, at sunset we made towards the boa^ which we were surprised to find at a con- siderable distance from the water, and^ half buried in sand. The tide had retired, we attempted to drag her forward, but she only wrought deeper into the sand, and every effort proved fruitless ; upon observing this, and the approach of nighty one of the Lieutenants sent forth a volley of oaths and imprecations, which lasted for a considerable time without intermis- sion ; after this storm was over, we made another attempt by running her forward upon the oars, with much labour we got her afloat, and gained the sloop, which we had almost lost sight of. Next iuor«»^ ning, being ip the ^ame situation, our Cap- taiu, who was a Cans^diat^, and acquainted with Miajpiy of the farmers on the banks, purposed to accompanv vs ashore on tile east side, and after breakfast we went down into the boat; this day we were^ Joined by two American merchants, who' were also passengers, the one a native of |New York, the other of Boston, they had b^n irading at Quebec, and were on their jway home. Pulling ashore, we landed near the foot of a precipice ; here we were met by a young man, and two young wo*, men, tlanadians, (one of whom played a'. ! 32 sort of tambourine,) who conducted us to their, cottftgc. While we were nartakin^ of what the house afforded, the ndghbour- ing peasanhy flocked in, and g-azed with looks of admiration, minutely iu^pectinr rr OS one by one. Knowing" by our dress we WL're English, jthey enquired of the Cap- tain where w^e wereboruid for, who repliodt Montreal, upon which old madam ask(M.l her daughters if they would go with the English *^ ah oui," answrred they, smiling; ** Oh, ho ! c'est bon," SMid their father pul- ling his pipe from his mouth. They shew- ed us every «ttf*ntion, conversed with freedom, and, so far as I couldjudge, were honest, industrious people. Their houses were clean, and every thing neat, con- sidering their furniture, which seemed mostly of their own manufacture. After paying for our refreshment, we walked along the highway, and came to one of the Crosses erected by the Catholics. It is a fdece of wood, about ten or twelve feet ong, having a cross head of four feet, and painted black, standingdose by the w»y side* On approaching it, our Captain did reverence- by lifting his hat, and bending cnc knee ; the two yout)g women followed his example. We wbre surprised at their superstition, and they as much at our non- conformity; but to attempt to convince ilsem would prove us: less, so we passed on, leaving them muttering out their de- votions. Here we saw several of the men ihi ha dr( I ftil 33 ploiij^hingp their grounds. The ploughs in a«e weve small and slc^der^ compared to the Scotch plough, and had two wheels^ which seemed to facilitate the movement | their yoke was two horses ; they paid little attention to strerg-bting' the furrows, but turned over the soil in a careless manner^ which seemed soft and easily wrought; their harrows are in form of a triangi^ ; the whole of their implements were eoarse, and very HI tie in^nuity is displayed in the workmanship. We entered the forest, and employed some time in gathering- what the Yankies call Canadian oalsam, whieh bursted from some of the trees, like large drops of gum. Here were hundreds of fallen trees, rotting* amongst the under gfrowth, and thousands of $ttakes in iha swamps. Being grievously annoyed with musquitoes, we returned towards the shor6 of the river, but the rest of our companions had gone aboard the sloop, which wa$ a m9e distant. Perceiving a small oanoc upon the beach, meliMiBoned her. I went aboard and ^ei myself in the bottom, and the Yanky set io work to g»in the sloop. I took up anot4er paddle to assist, and leaning over ^he side .of this narrow vessel, in a moment she upset, -and planged us both over ihe «ho«ldevs jn the stiver* Having reoove|»ed oorselves, we oaug^ .the 4)ttnoe, wUok ^was boating, bottom up. Standing tnp to tibe middle, I wa« doomed to hear agreai variety ctfjiew coined oc^ths) i branded with hein^ wuIlt 8iig0; oii shore £^^in, tho iC^fnadiansiOn^ ;,¥anhiei upp^ltliedecjk,^ ready ;to step Hito the boat^ ;i5fe we^ealarmed with a sbritl fcii'y. of *<>:0, helpf belp ;lv^ l^rnn ]up, a^d^ l^okingf w^r tlijei (lide of th^/ vesisel^i&Ctjtir theryoung wo^- 'H. 85 inati pass-^ng-er li'inw-ing" Ly a ropo wiih both hnnrtn noar the sterD, and her body hnlf under wnter, the boRt drifting- downward with a boy in her. Seeing* there was no time to lose, I caog-ht hold of the next rope, coiled it, and threw it to the ])oy, ealiing, at the same time, to the poor wom»n to hold fast. Having- pulled up (be boat, the woman was taken in. almost sjicjechlf^^js ; while I held her she fainted, and some time elapsed before she eonld be taken up into the sloop* She said that she went dotvU' to the boat to secure a g-dod seaty^biit the boy too hastily and im- prodehtly loosed the rope wliich fastened it to'the sloopv and of course 4ifc>:diifted; the woman perceiving- this, caug-hctla >ope that accidentally hang- over the>stdra?of the . sioop^ and sutlefred the boat- to get frdm/ boiow her.i (After this fri^'jji^ht, she neven ^uuld . be pre'vailed upon to '^o mi fshore. Notwithstanding, five- of us went to the .west bank, Which we fbund steep and rogg-cd. Looking- around ii% ite spied a creature ascending- before as about the sizeofaibx, which we pursued. One of the Yankies, a little a head* stopt all of a sudden, " O hp! my stinking friend," said he, ^^ I know you, it is the skiitok, let ns avoid it." No sooner had he spoken, than the noisome effluvia,^ri6iqg'firon| tbe matter which it had squi^te^j from its boi^y tail, was fv-lt. ** r.knowt ai g-entler man,^'^ continued he, ^^ who ioit it suit ^f Hi 3« new clothes by this siiDkingf devil/' Pro* ceeding' downward, we came to a fine mill, wbich was dmen by a small stream* The miller, bein^ an Englishman, received us kindly ; after showing us the machinery, we were hospitably entertained in hi» bouse* Nexit ilay, we went ashore on the east side of the river, and wandering- downward^ came to a cupola, supported by four pil- lars of wood, in which niang* a fine image of our Saviour «ipon the Cross, which gwre a striking representation of his sufferings — we gazed upMi it with admiration* As 'Soon as we entered the dome, the Cana- dians kneeled and began cbeir devotions* We felt considerably aflfected by the sa* lemnity if the scene, and some of us could, not help observing, that such represanta« iions might have a good effect, provided idolatory were -out af the question* Below the feet of the image a •small iron chest was placed, t« receive the offerings* En- tering the next farmhouse without any ceremony^ w^e were surprised to find it furnished after the EngUiMiiashion* Every 4)t.rticle waa of a superior kind, yet^till the 'Consecrated jpine branch, holy water, and other frjigments «>f popery^ made their «ippearaiice* Here we pnrchased «eggs at foorpenoe |>er do^en* AlilMng^ tbe conortry upward from (Quebec is heantifiil, and the «oil in general ^poodf jfei there Jire very few English set^ 37 tiers to be found until you pasa \Tontiv»!« Alinoftt the whole of the land;4 uloufr the I bnnks of the river, on each side, Hre oecu» >ied by French Canadians, who seem lappy in tlieir situations, retain their an-^ euk their own lang-u- a^-e. Their houses, which are of woody* are in g'-:n':^ral cb^ao and comfortable, and the land cleared in front and backward| as they find convenient. . Having- a fair wind, next day we reach- ed Trois Heveirs, or Three Rivers, a small town upon the west bank of thr^ St Law-^ rencc, at the confluence of three Rivers,, each of which appears larger than the Tweed, The Indians come down tht^se rivers in July and Aug*ust, bringing* with furs, which they sell and barter with them the merchants. In exchang-e they receive cIoatI)s, hardware, r!:m and trinkets, of which they are extremely fond. The sit- uation of Three Rivers is pleasant, of easy^ access, and it carries on a good trade ; the inhabitants are all mostly Canadians, and some English. A manufactory of carron ware is carried on here, to a considerable extent. The num'>erof the houses may be estimated at n- iii Leaving this places, we arrivedl at Lake St Peter, which is fourteen miles long t.nd twelve broad. In Bunimer it is so shallow that the niojst skilful pilot finds much dif. liculty to bring a heavy vejsel through it. Wej)as8ed two ehi^'i aground; their crews were toiling in their respective boats to drag them into deeper water. At this laJke the tide ceiises. Vte fell in with seve^ral Indian canoes, c^^d ac aight had much lightning with thunder. Lying at anchor in a place much confin- ed with wood, ive were infested with a grievous swarm of mu«quitoes, which pes- tered us so much that even under the oed clothes we found no shelter from their ¥e- nomous fangis. Next morning we were covered with red sprits, which felt hard, and were very palninl On the 4th of Juiic^ we anchored oppo- site a small town cMed Sorrel. This town which is jfifleen miles from Montreal, was founded for the Loyal Americans in 1787 ; it contains about one hundred bouses; their piincipal trad« is ship-build ing« Here the the River €hambl^ falls into the St-LaW" rence. Ne^ct day about noon we arrived at Montreal, and Just time enough to see the Dunlopa beautiful merchantman launched* An Indian froai the upper cojjntry, whi* had never seen «o large a canoe as he call- ed it, could not conceive how it was possi* bl| to ^e t her into the riven That be might ■ m Icm tai^ d< stai of si sion wne acijc app< wall alth( ledt attt stre< with nier, buih En^ ■lrrf:.i Satisfy his curiosity, he watched three dayf9 and had the pleasure to see her descend in majesty, amid the shouts of some thou- sands of spectators, who also feasted their eyes upon the scene, perhaps as curious to them as it was to the savafi;-o Indian* Montreal is five hundred and sixty miles from the sea, and the river is navig-able for ships drawing" fourteen feet water* Upon account of the rapids naj|esse^ lare-er than a batteau can pass this place* T^e town Istands upon a gentle eminence, of easy ac- cess on all sides. The walls are entirely demolished, some of the gates are still standing* It appears to have been a place [of strength, to defend against the incur* isions ot the savaa^es. We are told that [wnen the King ot France examined the acc!ompt of building and materials, the sura appeared so va«t that he asked *' If the walls rTMontreal were built with r^ollars," [although, in those days, the stones were lied from the qunrries in the neighbourhood lat three half pence per cart load* 'I'he streets are open and regular, cogipared with ihose of Quebec, and during the sum- iiAer, kept remarkably clean* The chief build ing;s are the Court House, College, English Church, and the Higli Churdi, which belong-s to the Catholics* The town is one mile in length, and the inha^ ibitants are estimated at ten thousand, the Jsuburbs included ; since the late destruc* Stive fires, no person is allowed to build a . i ill ,1 > 40 log house within tlic^ ^ates; owing* to the want of free stone, the modern buildings, though substanial, have but a mean ap- * p( arancc ; yet the stones, which are a kind of lime stone, by much labour, are wrought into rebats, lintele, cornices, &c. There is plenty of lime, which is sold at five shil- lings a load. The sand is flat, more suit- able for the plasterer than the mason, 'i'here is a particular sand bank a quarter of a mile from th0 town, above forty feet deep ; in this sand is a mixture of small shiuing* particles of a g*old colour; the ^ walls of a room, when polished with the .trowel, appears elegantly span";le d; but these particles are so thin and light, that they cannot be separated, nor felt be- tween the fingers, Besides the buildings .1 ^ntioncd, there are three Catholic churches, the Church of Scotland, a dis- senting meeting- house, and one belonging to methodists. Let us now view the markets, which are said io excel any in America, These hold on Monday and Friday, but the latter is the principal day. The two squares in » w^hfch thry hold are called the upper ^nd lower market place. In the first of these ere sold fire-wood, hay, &c. The wood ; which meets the readiest purchaser is maple, ash, elm, and oak, with several 41 and Bplrt. For a eart load they commonly ask 5s« bnt the price depends much upon^ the present demand* However, the Can* adian will not sell his hen in a rainy day. *^ How much for that load,^' said an old Irish lady to a youngs Canadian, *^ Je ne vous intend pas," returned he, ^^ I do not understand you." ^^ God bless me child, what do you say." " Parlez vous Fauj^ai, Madam," — " Oo you speak French, Madam, ^^ No, no, no, 141 just give 38 and a glass of rum, so follow me to St. Paul stree*." '* Sacre Dieu," exclaimed he^ shaking his head. However, the load ▼^a Sought for 5s 6d. It is difficult to c<..-«;uiude a bargain without a little French, as you seldom meet with a Canadian who understands English. « Before you can reach the centre of the lower market, by St Paul Street, you must I press through between two long ranges of caris, loaded with the production of the country. Wheat, flour, Indian corn, po- tatoes,, pork, mutton, live sheep, geese, turkies, > j iS, chickens, &c. with a name* less vai k & / ^ f articles of country manufac- ture. Amoug^^t these rush bottomed chairs, for w^hich they charge 6s for half-a-dozen, and plaster laths, of which I saw a cart- load sold at 2s 6d per thousand. Ap- proaching the square, the next scene is the veget.^ -le markets. Here are cabbages, melons.^ <3ueumbers, fruits in their season, D !■:■ Pi^ m 4i itppleS) pears, currants, chcrrKs, Ac# Around the square tbc butchery retail their meat in open sheds. Beef ^d, mutton 3,\(}, and pork 5d and 6d the English pound.. My attention was caught by a soldier and a Canadian butcher. *^ How much for your beef a pound, friend ?" * Quatre sous, monsieur/ ' I know notliing* about your cat sow, cut me two pounds of steak.' ' Du livres, mastier, ah onT, bon beef, bon beefr ' Give me no|fe* of your bones^ friend.' ' No bon^ sacreP Here a boy vohmtecreti his i^ rviees as an interpreter, so the matter Wats; icably adjusted. • On the east, toward the river, is the fish market, but salmon and trout are rarely to be met with* Ainongist the various other kinds of tish which come here in plenty, the shad claims the preference. It re- sembles the salmon, and in June and July, which are the only months it is to be caught, is remarkably cheap. A fish, weigiiing* six, seven, or eight pounds, may be boug-bt fof 3d ; it is Excellent eating, and many barrels of them are put up for winter. They are caught in nets in the river, and are brought in by the country people in carts, covered with green branch- es. There is also a plentiful supply of cod. In winter codlings are solcl at Sd and 4d the forpits ; how they are got, at that season, I am not certain, i The leather merchants and shoemakers. '^ ij I* ^Vi •5 ?:■»'?', The leather is mcich inferior in quality io iimt mannfactnred in England. The shoes are mostly of the lig:ht kind, and are sold abou^ 48 a pair. Mogozeens, which are only worn by Canadians, are cheap. Besides these, the Indians itirnish a superior kind^ beautifully Indented with porcupine quills. They also bring- to market a variety of birch ycssels, ef curious workmanship^- I was accosted by an Indian woman, who had moor-berries'*iil a basket for sale ; sh« had upon her back an infant, which ap« peared to be about two ojr three week» Did; ^his eat together, the stick i» ' m Jlii' li' 44 drawn up« and there the aninml is lodged for at least three months, afad W;ben taken out, is fat, and fit for market; in thisman- ner the bear lives during^ winter, without meat or drink ; it is said they live by suck- ing their • I went along with an ac- quaintance to see him give air to his ani- mal in the yard; he mounted upon the heap, and thrust down the stick, 1 heard it moving its chain, and to convince me farther, he made it roar by pushing it with the stick; it is necessary to keep the air hole clear, from which you can perceive the breath of the animal to ascend in a dear days In winter, milk is brought to market in small ice cakes^ packed in basketst^r boxes^ in purchasing 2d worth, you are compli- mented with a little straw to keep it from slipping through your fingers* I pur- chased a dressed mutton, which weighed aboutfthirty pounds, for a dollar, and, f^- lowip^ the example of other people, liung it in a situation exposed to tjie air, to save salting it ; in a short time found it quite hard, so that I was obliged to saw it like a board, piece-meal. ^Hie taverns conti- guiitos to the market, are glenerally crowd- ed ; the chief drink is grog, -RUm is sold in tiie'lshops at I5d, and wine^ called black strapy tfi lOd per bottle, but in public houseil at double costo Brandy and gin are dearer, «le ed, cider 3d, e^d spruce beer l^d per bottle. Canadian sugar^ 1.5 which IS drawn rro»i iUc maple trec^ >« Irou^ht io the market in c^kes, and sold f\t ^dani 6d per pound. Tobacco sold in the leaf^, but twisted like ropes of strawy »nd coiled up, may be pureha«ed very low ; I saw a coil, weifihing- ei^^^fat pounds, bought for 6s ,• but that which is manufhcturecT in Britain'is preferaWe;* T ' Stroiling- throug-h the market one dayi I saw ^ crowd of people around an Indian boy, who, with a bow of the description used by those of the upper country, shewed his dexterity as a marksman ; at the dis- tance of about twenty yards he split an apple, which was stfiek upon a rod f this he did repeatedly, when several oFt^e lookers-on gave ^im a half-penny, ant} a loud cjheer. An areh rogue of a monkey, that sat iipon the sole of a garret window, witKapipeinbis^nouth,/on purpose I sup- pose to mock the Canadians, who seldom go without one) to ang^ment the general roar at levery buzza, threw over upon tfie crowd A pitcher of water, which some wag- handed him firom the inside. Befqrre vise proceed furtbejri I shall notice a strai^e spectacle .which happened a short tiliie'beiore. A rov^ingYanky brought doWL ajrontigl^y ft^bni t>ne of the neigh- boutihg stai:es to see Montreal. After they had ^peirt the day in dashing about^ he mounted his horse to return home, huit his |)artn6r found herself at a lo9S^ as no person volunteereAtbeir-seryjiqes to 'assist )■'■ >\ ■I ', 'Si' ! % 46 her io gfetting; behind him. Spying* alai^^'e cask pear, she moanted upon it, but while the Yanky was employed in turnings in his crazy horse, down went the end of the cask, and in a moment the poor unfortu^ nate creature was immersed! to the middle in trjeacle — then ran the laughing* crowd from every direction. The Yanky alarmed^ and fearing* the consequences, for the liquid flowed over copiously, clapped spurs to his horse, and rode off; upon which the woman raised a laoientable cry of ^ Jona- than^ Jonathan, if you do not come back and free me irom this molaases cask, yoii sh^U never inherit my precious body/ He s stopped by some persons-r^returned — ~ after a squabble with the merchant to whom it belonged, with the kind aid of some bystanders, the lady was extricated, and a porter prevailed upon to carry h^r upon bis back to the next public^house, ^^ who was followed by a large a886mblag;e of roguish boys, who licked their lips as |hey went along. A spacious market is now cleared, which was formerly the sjte of a French College, at the head' of which a moi^ament in mem- ory of Admiral Nelson is erected* Mon- treal is the chief residence of the North west Fur Company ; the inhabitants as at Qqebee, f!tre mostly of French ^xtractipn, but the i^uipber of Fng^lisfa, particularly North British, is ^eater, and they occu- py: many of the prii)f;jpal bouses; these are 4T mostly merchants and mechanics. « As thb fuel is hard wood, care is taken of this ashesy which give a good price^ and arc collected by men sent out for that purpose by manufactnrers of potash, which i^icoQ-. sidered a staple commodity in Canada; an old man, bund of one eye, one of these collectors of ashes, had a cart, which was drawn by two dogs of a middle size, har- nessed after the manner of cart horses ; these dogs would draw no less than ten or twelve stones 6f ashes in bags, and vvhere the way is level, Uie old m:\n rode above all, lashing up the poo-r amuials with his whip, and encouraging them with his voice to proceed ; one day I witnessed three butchers^ dogs drawing a cow io* wards the market, on a sleigh ^ and was told that a gentleman travelled from Mon« treat to Quebec in three days, in a carryol drawn by one large dog ; there is noihmg more common in the winter season than to see dogs employed for such purposes ; Horses and Cows are of the middle size; the former generally bring a good price, but kine are low ; I purchased a young cow in the market for eleven dollars, at the same time, three pigs of six weeks old, at 7^d each, which 1 fed for some time upon refuse, melons, and cucumbers, &o* which I found in my garden* Beings mecnanic, I was employed by a certain French gentleman, of great pow- «r and respectability) to repair some of 1 'U :t -f m 48 •of his rooms; when about to begin ol a Hitting room, which belonged to thb oH lady his mother, the pictures were remov- ed, a number of pirie%ranche8,whi(h time out of mind had been sprinkled with holy water, were bundled upland carftilly cai^ ried away ; after which we came to a large wooden frame of ancient w^orknianship, Covered with g-lass-;* this' said the gentle- man^ * belonged to my grandfather, it Is very valuable ; these are fragments of the bunes of different popes, ^' ho lived at such a period) and at such a place, you see they are fixed carefully gainst the back of the frame with silver chains, but still' continu- ed be, * they are like other precious relics subject to decay.' Having cleared the room of fhjBSe t|''umpery, and just about to con:- mence work^I espied a small leaden cross with the image of our Saviour upon if, hanging against the wall, which I took carefully down and laid in a bed ; a little boy. who stood bye, perceiving this run run down stairs, iniid in a moment the whole family W€ re about me, amongst the rest old gr§fidmother, wringing her hands and almost breathless, crying^ *Mon Dieu I mon Dieu!' My God! my God! I could not conceive what had given rise to this uproar; I asked ihci boy who spoke a little English what w^s the matter, * O !' said he, * you have spilt all grandmother's holy water,' ;I was confounded; *did you not know' said the gentleman^ lifting up the imagfe id fr^m the bed, ^thatthis small chest^ point- ing- to the bottom of it, ^contained holy water.; no, I suppose yon did not,^ eontin- ncd he ^ nor do yon know the proper use oftt; well, it is a pity, g-randmother is very bad about it/ * I am sorry for spil- ling it^ said I ^ but T knew nOthmg of holy water befng" there ; I laid it in the bed a^ a. place of safety, until you g-ot it removed to a convenient placje; * Well well, I must go to the priest and tell him the accident^ and request a little more ; come down stairs, I see you are concerned, we will have avglass of g'rog't I know yo'd English will he oareAif not to spill a glass of About midsunimer the Itidians coiHe down the river in bircli canoes, with furs of different kinds, which they sell and barter at Montreal. One day When return*- H^ from j^eeiug* a ship laanched, I saw a ci^wd of people, went up to them, and was suiiprised to tind them Indians, and itiost^- ly naked; some of their chiefs were with them, wfco were clad in calico, and their he{enee huqg at their eans 60 tind nosf A ; rum and iobacco are avticlcft they nro very fond of and often spend their all on Ihiise ; but now the Kn^lish law for- Wds any to sell them liquor exceeding a ceHain qnaiitity These and thd CUmo* (Hans, our allies^ make but a poor appear- ance as soldiers; I witneMed a review of a party of Canadian militia a few days api-o at this town, whi( h brought to my recol- lection a story I hdve heard of one some- what similar. * Attentian,' cried their OfB- rer,>he who hath stocking's aaid shoes ^t and in the front, he'whoha'thsnoes and no stock- ings stand in Ihe rear, he who hath neither, «tand in the iniddW The dress of a Canadian is coarse grey cloth, undressed and of their own manu- facture* The coat is long aT)d wide^ which t'hey lap over, and tie about their middle with a sash of red, green, arid yellow; trowsers of the same, and brown mo^)^ zeens* Instead of a hat, they wrear a w8 cap hanging to the shoulders. T he women also follow their <>w«i(i passions, and are Tery careful to cultivate the growth of their hair, which they plait double up, and fix with ahave, it does tiot appciar in fine cloaths* In winter, the common people w^ear great coats, larrge mttts, and sook« over their shoes. Tlioj^e in a superior station, walk •abroad in fnrs.» A gentleman in his grewt »coat, muff, and tippet, with ^oeks over his Aoots, or wrapt np in b^ar skin^ dabbing* wfoii«* with broad at niM-day, and tea fir- 'oflfee toward the eveniiij*. They rise be- iines ; at five in the moniin^- I have frf^-v [piently soen some of them almost naked^ atfing" at the door, devouring" bacon and »arlic with gfreediness. Labonrers w^ho ire sometimes at a distant from home?, »flen make a dinner of breads maple, sng*i>r^ ^ md butter. > efore proceeding' fiirthi^r, I shall g*ive - a sketch of their method of drawin": his sugar, and preparing* it for use. In [he month of Murch, when the sap beg-in*. ^0 ascend the tree, when the days are clear, ind the nig-hts frosty, the Canadian com•^ ences his sug-ar harvest. Parties of Eng-- lish prompted by curiosity, make excur- sions into the bush to see their operations, '^our of us having- provided ourselves with little brandy, set out, and with some iifiiculty, owing* to the deepness of the ;now, arri\^d at a place where this work was ffoing" on. We found a boy, who was jmployed in collecting* the juice from a g-reat number of trees which bad been piofeod ; at the root stood a vessel of wood, m '.1 .a '. : ceuf ainingf a quart, aiore or less, which he enii>tied into a pitcher, a^^d carried to a largfe kettle, suspended from the b4anch of a tree, undern^^ath which a moderate fire was buruing** A sufficient qu^antity being" thus collected, was boiled a con- siderable time,t during- which it was scum« nied frequently. Being- sufficiently boiled, it is then put into a troug-h or cask, having- a hole at the bottom to drain off the mol- asses. This done, they put it into siich vessels as they have at hand,, where ithar- deiis, and is brought to market in cakes. A quart of the maple juice, with a propor- tion of spirits^eniakes an excellent drink. In July and August an immense quantity of v;ood is brought down the river in rafts. f)ak always claims the preference, staves in general meet with a ready purchaser. Besides various kinds for mechanical pur^ poses, mu(;h fire w od is broug;ht down the country in rafts, and those whose cir- cumstances will permit, can purchase from the raft at a much easier rate than can be done in the market. As rafts difibr greatly in dimension, and one kind of wood Is more valuable than another^ so ^^^e prices are more or less. A g-ood raft will bring- its proprietors fifty doHars. Some of these come a Ipng way. The wood is cut in winter, whep t(]e hands of the husband- man are bound up from agriculture. If| ihis property is extensive, and his circum- stances good, he employs a number of! "--.I-*- ■--•m-v -^"W,^. 6S hands; sends 'them into the bush ^ coD« siderabletimev finding* them- io yictqe^ls*. They pitehiipon a place where the kind of ti^ees intended to be ciit, may be easily drag-g-ed to the water ; this done^ they erect , a temporal^ wooden house, in ithicn they* deposit theiv provision, and other neces- sary articles. This poor hut, with a thick blanket for their cfoveriog*, is all the de- fence they have against the extremity of winter nig-hts. Their hours of work are from sunrising to sunsetting. Each must cook in his turn, and their allowance is flour, beef, rum, &c« After sunset they kindle a large fire, having secured the door, lie down round it upon the floor, smoke, and talk three or four hours, then renew the fire, draw close to each ot^ier, and resign themselves to sleep. Maimy oJF of them are excellent workmen; it *s as- tonishing to see how quickly they go through their work of cutting down and squarmg trees of great diameter. When th^; snow is very deep, to keep a large tree from sinking, they fell two or three small ones across the way of its falL The rafts are built dose to the water, so that when the river swells theiy get afloat* A large raft musi have eiffht or ten men upon it to conduct it sately through the rapids. Great dexterity is used by these men in pending the raft from the stream into MonV^eal harbour, they sometimes fail and ate carried down,whichis abeavyioss* E } I .'•»■ 1 . im- m- mv. m H Hairkig tsftieii a view of the town and markets, let us now extend the prospect. iThe island of Montreal h twenty miles in length, and ten in breadth* It is formed by the junotion of the St Lawrence and Ottaway rivers, a part of the latter falling* Into St Liawrenee at the head of the island, the ^eater branch takingf a northerly di- rection, joins it nine miles below the town. The soil is fertile, especially that which lies contiguous to the rivers. M- ward) a fine garden. The shrubbery seems to encircle the whole island. The int ual beauties of this island are entirely hid from the spectator; standing upon the wharf at Montreal, he sees only a clump of trees, which appears like a detached part of the forest, llut what is most worthy of notice, is a ^ur mill, upon the north extremity ^of the Island. The miller being a Scotchman, cheerfully shewed us the machinery* Of mgki pair of stones, four Were at work atjj^resent* The method of supplying thcf different hoppers with wh«at, {s by tisi boxes or cannisters, fixed at con- if W-- I* rv' i^i'i' se rTenieht distancosj^upon a broo^d leather belt. This belt is turned by a pinion near the roof^ and another in^ a trOug-h^on the f round floor, which contains the grain* 'he empty cannisters in turning- among^st the grain, are filled, and passing over the upper pinion^ throw it into a large hopper on the upper flat, which serves as a reser- voir to the rest below. The bolting ma- chine is supplied after the same manner, :so that one man can with ease attend to all the work. Nature hath £6rmed for this valuable mill a barrier, which is adnrable ridge of rocks, extending a considerable .way into the river, so that no labour is re- quired to keep it in repair. Upon the •whole, the banks of the river from Quebec rupwards, during the spring .and summer 'months, wear a most agreeable aspect,^ •and may compare with the Tweed and >the Teviot; only the romantic beauties of icertain places,, in both these rivers, must Ibe allowed to : outvie them. But retirej backward, you are lost in a wilderness, the! (extent .of which has never yet been ascer- liained, nor has its interior been explored ^by Jbe intrepid ; traveller. The liritish I emigrant, whose, youthful days has been; -devoted to the stock, or agricultural line,! : upon hearing thefrequent news of a large vQpen country, algenerous soil, Ac. he dis-; Ipo^es of bis Sitock and mo v;eable8, crosses , the ocean, pushes his way, pdthaps somcj hundreds of miles up thisgreat river, may mm' be he iA foritiMte^ovgkto oUaiti agmwt of one, two, or tfar0«^ fattttdrod acres of wood land. After bulMii^ a hut for siieltering himself and ftMMnjr, he tnn«t commence the arduoos ta^of ecrtting- and clearing the wood from bis groand, urgted on by the calls of nrecesftity, he feeb nis situation very disagreeable for ii longtime. He and his family mtist be supported, if red need in circumstances, -he k oilea obliged to give his neififhb^uts a share of his labour. In the midst of toil, sold tAHifif insurmountable difficulties, be begins to discover, " That the plea&m*e of an in- dependency isonly to be attuned by ardent inaustry.'* - My next excursion was into tb^ forest> which had almost terminated my career* About the middle of July, ^ 807, 1 visited the mountain a second time, and related an hour upon its summits Here I formed a resolution to make an eiseursion into the bush, and to travel in a northerly direci^ tion. A tbtinder »toi^ approaenii^ I left thiis delightful place, b«itb€/t^>IcoaM extricate myself from ^flie tiru^ wood about its skirts, 1 had the tiior^fibation to be bit all over face alid bands, with these Sests the musquitoes. At ni^bt it tfaim* ered tretn^iiidously. The elotid from which it ifisued was so large, that it eover^ ed the whole blnrizon, and so slow in iti motionfthM it was diflbciilt to know in what direetion it moved« Wlien VLe^^eiity V >,'' m It: was WU|iin(>ibl*ee puls^Uap^Ty or 914 fBvd^i SOm^of the pe^ls )i^^i;a remark- able for their loadaess, and re^^nibled the report of a great guUf more than the hurl- ing noise of ihunder. Its greatest dis- cernible distance was 55 pulsations, wh ich is itbOut ten niiles. Next morning I was surprised to find the shallows encircled XVitn sulphur ; from a washing tub which was leftwitho^t doors, I gathered it on my finger^ so strongly had the air been impregnated*. k> - lai -ni , .hr . ( Being prepared for my projected excur- sion, I prevailed with an acquaintance, a CancidiajQ, whose desire for novelty was as strong as my own, to accompany tne. We ^ere provided with two excellent fusees, apd plenty^pf shot, each a pair of long boots, and provisions for two or three days*-! I.::,: .^^.^k. . ^ .; .- .u%im'.:,^ i -Travelling nor jh ward, we had a good ro^d for ten miles. On the third Monday of July, about noon, we reached the shore of the Ottaway River, and made a signal for a batteau or a boat. Having crossed this,. ford, we stxolled about among the Canadian farmers, until the extreme heat of thc/day was abated, itinting' our dc- sig% some of them advised us t9 give up, others to augment our little stock of pro- vii^ions* Bering' fully determined to pro- ceed,: we complijed,^ and set forward Ayith s^; nunijBfoiis load of brea^, cb|^se,;and pm. An qW ^ap ^9()opip^B^^iJ, ug |jt9^ihc e^tretnity of his cultivatdd grotindf aiidf among otber things^ told us to. avoid tb0 . Indians as nxucb aS: possible ; ^^ for^?' said be, <^ altbough they are under a restraint in the town, who knows what they may: be g-uilty of, when they mve a favourable opportunity, for the sake of plunder." Wo thanked him for his advice and parted* We immediately found ourselves in the forest, all distant scenes disappeared, only we had the pleasure lo g-etapeepat Mon- treal mountain frequently. Plight draw- ing* on, the musquitoes annoyed us. Being* much fatigued, we chose out a place to rest, contrived to kindle a tire, and pas- sed the first ni&'ht in the best manner wo could. ^'--t ' ■ /.^. V : ; ■ ; •-; -: :.:ti\ On Tuesday morning wc set forwar^r but made very slow^ progress, upon a^ouiit of fallen trees and brush wood, besides the ground became swampy; the first thing- that caught our atteutjion, was the snakes; at every step they appeared, but always fled; we observed only two kinds, the black and the greei^; the former sheltered them- selves in the hollow trunks of ro.tton trees, the latier, resembling the ee^, disappeared among the mosi?i; we killed one,, wjhich weasdred thirty two inches in lengthy and four in circumference, saw a fewsquirrels, Alwut mid day rested, and refreshed pu|>i selves, wher^ we had the good, fprtane to find water, wMch we stood much in fieed of; by four o'clock afternwp, we were 'C/^ lii lii 60 qtirte »pettl,ttliclbatiDjSf gcon nothing worth our potice, wo consalted what course to steer, oKmbed a tree, to see, if possible, on what diyeetiea we had moved, but the mountain was beyond our view, So we had only the deolining' sun to guide us. Rum- maging our stock of provisions, we were startled by a sudden burst among the brambles, we prepared ourselves, and made towards the place, it was a large fox devouring a bird of ^e vulture kino, hav* ing both let fly, we killed it, but had not the presence of mind to take of its skin. Pu&fhing our way still north, we arrived at a gentle declivity, inclining west. We travelled in that direction, in hopes of fal- ling in with a stream of water, for we wei*e teirrii^ed at the idea of wanting this article, having already suffered from not h^ytnjg;^^ any vessel to carry it. Here we founoa variety of birds, and ground squir- rels. The soil was scanty, the trees of hfitf d wbed* • Having spent the second day as we hadt dotie the first, when taorh appeared, we pursued onr cotirse. Arming at a rivulet,, vifejiidged itto be the source of a river, a tribtitijiry of one of the three rivers that fb^itito St Xiawrence, eighty miles below Montreal. Travelling downward, w& fdtitld wild grapes and plums, id ^reai j)lenty; some spots also abounded witk moor berries. At noon we rested Upd&the trunk of a fallen tree, and refreshed ottr«^ i! rorth •se to dble, the bad lum- were the £lDd e fox hav- 1 not skin, rived We ^ffal- r we f this ED not •e we siquir* jes of 1) w^ rulet). ver^ a that )eIow r We gfreat witb iit£the : ottr* J*S 61 selves. Havinff travelled a considerable way dowbward without makiiig' einy dis- covery, we passed this night by the river side. ^ • ' ' ' ^ I On the fourth day we began to hesitate, and had some thoughts of returning homet however we still held down the banks ; at last we came to a kind of ford, where wc^ perceived the impression of large feet upon the sand, which we believed were those of the bear; we discharged our pieces, to see if any creature would make its appearance. Hearing a plunging in the water, ran towards the place, a creature sot up its head, sesdmbling an ot- ter, but disappeared in a moment. Here were plenty of fish. Sitting down to breakmst, We, for the first time, espied a bear walking slowly down the opposite bank ; although we were both a little tim^ orous, yet we resolved to attack it; striving to get as near as we could unperceivcd, unluckily liiy neighbours gun went off', while he was pressing* through the bram- bles ; the animal took i he alarm, and made quickly away. As the appearance of the clouds predicted a sudden storm of rain and thuader, we drew towards a rocky hill, and sheltered ourselves under the pro- jecting root of a large tree ; at night it be- gan to thunder, and about midnight the lig^btnings were vitid, eind the rain re- 'markably ; 'beavy^ for t h^- space of three iidfirs ;a bur situation' vdas very dangerous • M) the awful pealg^hook the rock;iomei!iiieg w^ thought that the hu^e root would fall and hurt u« beneath it; m this dileraina wc passed this dreary night* On the morrow we clambered up the bill to look around us, but we saw nothing but forest, bounded by the sky on every side ; our spirits sunk, and our minds re* treated homeward, and we felt our resol- utions fail ; resolying to proceed towards Montreal, We examined our stock of pro* visions, and still had plenty for the journey; just about to depart, we perceived smoke at a considerable distance, north by west, we at once resolved to make towards it^ as we descended the hill, we saw a fox enter a hole, Beheath a loose rock,* we set to work to undermine the place ; a£^l* two hours hard work it gave way, and swept us before it, but we lost our trouble, lot reynardotiheaHngthedisturbanceihought proper to leave bis residence and disap* pear; getting quiekly down the stream, we fell ill with a sort of track, but whether of man or beast, we could not determine* At length we reached another hill, which hiad some spots of verdure upon its sidea^ which we took for a good omen; here we passed the night, anxious to know what next day might produce. Passing down* ward, wc saw that noisome creature, the skunk, and the humming bird, which we killed; this bird is remarkable for its smallness, of a dark blue colour, incluiuig id purple^ being a real euriositv^ we^ pre« » Iseired it, we alio killed two bares, and : carried them witb ub« Now tbe etreani: Ihad many windings, its banlcs were steep and rocliy, we found the track again, ana followed downward as qaickly as possible^ what with trayelling and with want of^ E roper rest, we fbund ourselves quite -de- ^ ilitated, besides this we were frequently overcome with a certain degree of (ear;; we could not tell where we were, nor in what direction we had advanced for near-; ly three days past, our whole dependance . lay in this stream carrying us down to some [innafoited part of the tJountry* Having followed the tract for some time |vTe came at length to a place where somoJ- I trees had lately been cut with an axe, now" we considered ourselves to be in the neigh« bourhood of some human habitation ; In a short time we fell in with an enclosure of! Indian corn, from which we found a good' road leading northward, we followed it, ^ and came unto a canoe unfinished, lyings by the stream, and some wood for other purposes, by these we knew that a dwell- ing must be close upon us, but whether of that of savages, or civilised mankind^ we knew not ; seeing no time was to be ^ lost, we screened ourselves ib the bush,' kelr^ping a close look out, saw the smoke about a quarter of a mile distant, arising ; as it were from one habitation, whidi thd)^ trees hid from our view. At last we per*'' ri Chived nn old mha comingf up the blink on the opposite side df the (stream) lie stoipped at the canoej drew out.somo totds from beneath it and commenoed working; vic crept near to inftpeet him niore narrowly, at length determined to discover ourselves, but juaged proper to fire one of our pieces, which started him so much, that he let the instrument fall from his hand* Seeing bira looking round with astonishment, wc presented ourselves to view, two wretched looking figures, almost in rags; he stood staring at us without offering to move, wc threw down our guns, and my companion saluted him in French, but he stood speech- less, by this time we were close to the stream; I spoke to him in English, and be answerca me immedi«itely ; we felt so overcome %vith joy at this instant that we plunged through the stream at the nearest and took him by the hand, it was some time before we recovered the use of our tongue, and the old man broke the silence. ' Young men,^ said he, * by what chance have you come into this remote place, have you lost your way ?' * Yes,' said I, * we are rather at a loss, our curiosity had led us too far.' * Where came you from, what countrymen are you ?' ^* From Mon-* treal, my comrade is a Canadian, and I am a Briton born.' The old man seemed to feel for us. ^ Go bring your muskets, said he. We did so. * Follow mc, my little cot,i8 hard bye, I need not ask you whether yon are fatigued. Cat I aee you are nOf and stand niaoh in need of both rest and re* freshment'; when within sight of his honaet ^ there is my lonely oottaffe^^ said bai *rett here a little, until I apprise my wife and daughter, for I assure you that neither of them hare seen a man but myself, theae twenty six years/ He soon returned, and we entered the house withlittle eeremony^ and was kindly received by the ffooJ wo- man, but she had much ado to bring her timorous daughter into our presence; after supper, we conversed with ireedom, an* gwered a i>Teat number of questions, for the old couple were very inquisitive; they Ef epared a bed for us on the floor, with a ear skrn for covering, and after iamily prayer, we retired to rest. Next morning we rose betimes, and joined agaii^ with the family in worship** ping God* Afterwards had breakfastf^ which was Indian flour boiled with milk* ^ I have eodeavaured,^ said our host, < ever since I came into this retired place, to spend this day in a suitable nmnner ; I am out of the reach of hearing the gospel preached, but I have it there,^ pointing -to at large bible* ^ And I canvread it, and have often felt much «atisfectfon in periw- ing that blessed book* Almightv £U>4 bath Messed it to nie,;«iii4 he will bleffB it to uevery true seeker (^ hisffaeei* I know iome Indians tvho loved to read it every ■I f "i^ 'Slf''^ «■ '-x^^j*; aSj ■ranches of trees as guides, in ease the next fall of snow fill up the track. This is the mapfcet road) on which there is a continual passing and repassing of sleighs, with country produce. ':\ In 'January tod JPebruary the cold is extreme ; the tce iipojb the fivfer nrleasured three f<^et in thiefcness ; the snow, at an average, was fotir feet deep over the coun- try, yet the aii* was; for the most part pure and healthy ; indeed it was easier to en- idure the' wlntei' cold than the summer heat. ^^ About the latter end of Marcli' the ioe I x.^. I 70 i ■ 'I f! ■M '^begins to give wa^; the ikielted snow make t)»e stireets nearly impassable. , . About the end of April, the river is clear of ice^ and sloops and schooners inake their appearance at Montreal* !,; In May the orchards present a beautiful .-scene* The variegated forest decorated • by the plum^ the cherry, the wild apple, and the hawthorn^t has an enlivening ef- , feet* The hardy labourer here has now ^ bis hands fulL The industrious husband- ^ man finds all his exertions to fall short of rfulfiUing his designs. Vegitation eir- ereases so rapidlv, that no time is to be ]ost« This mwta the ground is ready to receive the seed* Wheat is the principal grain, but the growtli is so rapid, that the crop is not i^o weighty as in England; barley grows pretty well, but oats degen- rerate in Lower Canada. Potatoes are Sood in geperal^ h^t upon account of the rpwth are not very plentiful ; their hay is good but not abundant* ^^ - ^^ •-! In June, the fields are cloat^ied in ver- dnrei the beauties of siiof^mer meet, the eye ia every direction; aboiit the middle oi this month the shad flieisf cover the country .and continues passing ii^ward^ following . the course oif the rif^er for sigveral days to- . getber ; tib^y are white, and so numerous , thajt tb^y^ r^s^nible^ a shower of snow; < abojy^ the end of tjiis n^anth, thunder is frequent $ the air being impregnated with % :4 ri sulphur, people feel uneasy, a diflSeiiKy of breathing', and a heaviness about the breast, a little g'ood rum and water taken, has been found to give some relief. -^^■ . An old Scotehman, who had been in this country from his ettrly years, told me, that * about thirty-five years ago, in the month of August, at mid-day, a g>reat darkness was seen approaching up tne St Lawrence^ toward Montreal, which in a short titno enveloped the town, bringing with it an uncommon sulphurous smell- lightning frequent and vivid, gave a mo- mentary brightness to the terrible gloom* At the end of three hours the dairkaess went off, and the cheering orb of day r'e- gained his wonted liberty. ^ ^mumBim Ea: thquakes are not so frequent in Caii- ada as in South America. In 1 807, a sma;!! shock was felt at midnight^ in the month of May. Many of the inhabitants were alarmed, believing this to be the forerun- ner of a dreadful cruptidni Shiee the ti^ lent (joneussioii which bai^ned in the year 1963, which is banded aiDwtt to pest^^r- ity in all its awful circumstances, they^seem terrified at the stte^htest visitatidm ^-^ , Before proceeding ftirtber, I sb^U tttke the liberty ii> lay^ before my readelis a bl>l^ account ol' this eictraerdinarydei^i^ettieiiit of nature* ^^'Oni the ^th of February, about half an hour after four in the eveniilg'y a great ndise was heard al ihe same^ time .^1 II W'. i I" ; r t'Kfotig^hoot the whole of CcCnatIa ; the in- habitaDts, iu order to avoid its effects, im- mediately ran out of doors* But theit* as- tonishment was increased, when they saw their buildings shaken with the g-reatest vipleoce^ and the roof's disposed to fail, sometimes on one side, sometimes on th^ other. The doors opened of themselves, and shut again with a violent ctrasb* All the bells of the churches were sounding-, • although no person touched them* Tne .' Pall isades of the fences seemed to bound out of their places ,• the walls were rent ; the planks of the floor separated, and a- gain sprung together; the dogs answ^ered .these previous tokens of a general disprder of nature, by lamentable bowlings; the sur» Jace of the earth was mov^d like an agitat- ,ed sea ; th© trees were thrown against each pthei*9 afid many, torn up by the roots, w^ye tossed to a considerable dis^tance*, i . :. Sounds pf every description were then h^^r4 ; thipk pi pads of dust, which at the ^inp tpi^ arps0, were taken for smoke, •an4 fwtbe.9yipptoms of an universal ppn- Iflagration ; the cpnsteriiation became so general .that pot only men,; but the ani- .ms^tsappe^r^d struck with wonder; they ^^rj^plin &w^ry quarter, ^thout a, knowledge ^irf tiieir cpiirse ; and wherever they wentf i%hpf ^^nppijnterpd the dangler th^y ^ishf 4 'to a^oidy^v <^-*H-' *if "^":i^ *?^:f^*ri4 '-ji^'Jirl frvf^k^n^ le ice^ which coyered th^ St Lawi:enjQe|^ in- 80 73^ and the otber rivers, broke in pieces^ which , crashed agfainiit each other; Iliargfe bodies of ice were thrown up into the air^ and from the place where they had quitted, a quantity of sand, slime, and watet* spooled up ; the source of several springs, and Iit« tie rivet's, became dry ; the waters of oth- ers were impregnated with sulphur, and appeared red. In the mean time 1 he at- mosphere continued to exhibit the most awful phenomena; an incessant rushing noise was heard and the fires assumed every species o(f form. The first shock continued without interruption, for half Din hour ; about eig-ht o^clock in the evening there came a second, no less violent than the irst; and in the space of half an hour were two others. During the night were reckoned thiry shocks. ^< It appears wonderful that in %6 extra- ordinary a derangement of nature, which lasted ^r six months, no bumufi inhabi- tant should have perished, and no contag- ion should have succeeded. The country soon after, resumed its wonted form and tranquility. Although in some memoirs, it is stated, that the great river, with re- spect to its banks, and some parts of rts course, underwent remarkable changes; that new islands were formed, and others enlarged; of this circnmstanx^e, there docs not appear to have existed a proba;biliti^ ; the liapids of St Louis at Montreal| and 7T the several i^ands, remain in the same stat6 as when Jacques Carter first visited them," (i In August the wheat harvest commences ]> and as the weather is remarkably warm atfd steady^ it is quickly got over ; every farmer has a large barn, or store house, ;, where he deposits his produce, and when . his out labours are over, he retreats rthither, where he employs himself in thrashing out, and preparing his grain for ', the market. X the ly rc- en^oy ipipe of tobaoco ; sometimes I had occasion io (\6 a little iDUsiness with eti|osity, as it approaches towards the ialls ; at last coming to the brink of the tremendous precipice, it tumbles headlong to the bottom, without meeting with any ^'^'f A batteau or butto, is a flat bottomed boat, built on pur- nose to tail on shallow water, but it is not so expeditious ^s it^e eanoe, nor even the common boat. G I i>f it '. T8 • interruption from rocks in its decent. Just at the precipice, the river makes a contid« erable Dend to the right, and the line of the falls, instead of extending fiom bank to bank, in the shortest direction, runs obliquely across. ,.;. ;_ ^., ., . The width of the falls is considerably greater than the width of the river, ad- measured some way below the precipice. The river does not rush down the precipice in one unbroken sheet, but is divided by islands into three distinct colatteral falls. The most stupendous of these is that on the north western or Britsh side of the river, commonly called the great or Horse Shoe Fall, from bearing some resemblance to the shape of a horse's shoe. The height of this is only one hundred and forty two feet, whereas the others are each one hun- dred and sixty feei^ but to ik inferior Jieight, it is indebted principally for its grandeur. The whole extent of the pre- cipice, including the islands, is thirteen thousand three hundred and five yards. This is certainly not an exaggerated state- ment, some have supposed that the line of the falls together, e;sceed an English mile. .The quantity of water carried down the 'fall is prodigious, it wi)l be found to a«^ . HYQunt to 670, 255 tons per minute. ' , We retiirued through the woods, border- ing upon the precipice, to the open fields, -and directed ^^ it \m >( \d- of 70 sible, to descend to the bottom of the cataract. i; On arriving" at the bottom of the cliff, you find yourself in the midst of hug-e pilei of misshapen rocks, with g^reat masses of earth and rocks, projecting from the side of t^ ^ cliff, and overgrown with pines and cedar, hanging over your head, apparent* ly ready to crumble down and crush you to atoms* Many of the large trees grow with their heads downward, being sus- pended by the roots, which had taken such a firm hold in the ground at the top of the cliff, that when part of it gave way, the trees did not fall all together* Having reached the margin of the Pall, we proceeded towards the Great Fall* Here great numbers of the bodies of fish, squirrels, foxes, and various other animals, that, unable to stem the current of the river above the falls, have been carried down them, and consequently killed, are washed up. The shore is likewise found strewed with trees, and large pieces of timber, that have been swept away from the saw mill, above the Falls, and carried down the pre- cipice* >ii r I tvyr^ ^ The timber is generally terribly shatter- ed, and the carcases of ail the large ani- mals, particularly of the large fishes, are found very much bruised* A dreadful stench arises from the quantity of the putrid matter lying on the shore, and the numberless birds of prey, attracted m PL '■Rl prey, by I li. >■ (I i Mi# « 80 • are always ieen hoveringf about the place* In some places where the clift has tumbled down, hug-e oaoutids of earth, rocks, and trees, reaching- to4,he water's edge, oppose your course. It seems impossible to pass them, and indeed, without a guide, a fitranger would never find his way to the opposite side. For to get there, it is ne- cessary to mount nearly to the top, and then crawl on you r hands and kneeai^ through long dark holes, where passages are left open between the torn up roots and trees* After passing these mounds, you have to climb from rock to rock, close under* neath the cliff, for there is but little spaee jbetweeti the cliff and the river, and these I'ocks are so slippery, owing to the con- ;tinual moisture from the spray, which de- scends very heavily, that without the ut- most precaution, it is scarcely possible to escape a fall. At the distance of a quarter of a mile from the Great Fall, we were as , wet, owing to the spray, as if each of us Jiad been thrown into the river. . . ' , There is nothing whatever to prevent from passing to the very foot of the Great Fall, and you might even proceed behind the prodigious sheet of water, that comes pouring down from the top of the preci* pice ; for the water falls from the edge of n projecting rock, and moreover, caverns of a very considerable size, have been hal- lowed out of the rocks at the bottom of the precipice, owing to the violent ebulli- 81 tion of the water, which extends some way underneath ihe bed of the upper part of the river. I advanced within about six yards of the edge of the sheet of water, just far enough to peep ^nto the caverns behind it; but here my breath was nearly taken away, by the violent whirlwind that always rages at the bottom of the cataract, occasioned by the concussion of such a vast body of water against the rock. I confess { had no inclination at the time to go far- ther, nor indeed did any of us afterwards attempt to explore the dreary confines of these caverns, wher^ death seems to meet him that should be daring enough to. enter their threatening jaws. No words can convey an adequate idea of the awful grandeur of the scene ; at the place, your senses are appalled by the sight of the im- mense body of water, that come pouring down so closely to you from the top of the stupendous precipice, and by the thunder- ing sounds of the billows- dashing against * the rocky sides of the caverns below you, you tremble with reverential fear, vvhen you consider, that a blast of the whirlwind might sweep you from off the slippery rocks on which you stand, and precipitate you into the dreadful gulf beneath,^^ from whence all the power of man could not extricate you. iTou feel what an insigni- ficant being you are in the ci^eation, and your mind is forcibly impressed with an awful idesd of the power of that mighty ft ff ■' .. 82 Being- trho commanded the waters to !..>.h:* i;.f ;•]•• 4 i size* in awful iijrandeur, o'er the irembling steep, The great St Lawrence falls— asunder driven, . , By stubborn rocks ; engulphed — deep balls to deep, Loud roaring — heaves her boiling flood to heaven. Think mortal, ye who mount the rocky verge. To scan the wonderous whole, think on that power Who rolls teh thousand times its full discharge, Along the subtle fields of liquid air. , ; ; , * , , - ♦^ A snake of a most enormous made its appearance in Lake Ontario* It was first observed by two men, who were in an open boat* On seeing- it raise itself above tne surface of the water, and making* toward them, they pulled with all their mig-ht to the shore, where they stood staring, terribly affrig-hted. Saw it fold itself up in coils, forming- a circle as large as the end of a hogshead. Its head re- seikibled that of a sow, aind its body was of a tilackish colouro It shewed no in- cllnrttion to come very near the share, but in a little, sprdng backward into the deep* The same, or One of a i^iitiilar kind, at^ tempted to pick a man off a sloop, which Was crossing the Lake, by a great leap against the side of the vesse^l, but failed in the attempt. This monstrous snake, it h most probable, Was bred rn the North Seas, iatii} fonnd its way up the River St ijawreiice, as far as Lake Ontario, of which it hatli taken poi^ession. The length knd thiokness of its body hath not beett aseer- to lio* ho Lise 83 faincdy but it has created no small nlarHi in the neighbourhood of this lake*^^ ,, j ;•*. A CALLENDER shewing the Variation of the Weather, the Progress of Vegetation, and the Customs of the Inha* bitant's at Montreal, dec. 1816. March 10. — Smart showers of hail. — In this month the sap begins to ascend, and the sugar drawers begin their operations. — Towards the end of this month the earth begins to emerge from its winter covering 20-27. — The ice upon the river broke up, and began io move downward, which continues a fortnight.— The induence of the sun is considerable, and upon account of the rapid melting of the snow, the streets and lanes are almost im- passable. — Carryolsahd sleighs are laid aside, and wheel- ed carriages are substituted in their place.-*-P^ople are obliged to walk in wooden shoes, or bro£;ue»v Upon ac- count of the breaking up of the ic«, the mai^ketsare tbinly attended. *' April. — About the middle of this month, Canadian sloops and scfiooners make their appear? 'v. =^i 22. — Thunder — Vegetation makto *apidprogtef»s. -' May 2 — The first ship from Britain came into Ihe harbbur. 10. — >Yheat and barley sown. Indian corn, pipkinsj «.nd potatoes planted. In this month the aj.fple and other fruit trees present a beautiful appearance. 15. — Most of the migratory birda, comnion to this country, pay their annual visit. 26. — Warm weather, thermometer 75 at noon. Musquitoes very troublesome 27, 2S. — Several ships from Britain* '. - - r^-, June.— Thunder with showers. ' 'c>.\j- ",.»;: ft .ii 10. 11. — Ctdse warm weather, mnch lightning and ihandi^r { from the N. W- Thermometer 80. Abotit this time the '"'. shad flies pass upwafd, followed by a plentiful supply of ' * ' shad fish. People in general wear cottoto cloths. July 5. — Very warm weather, mU|ph thunder ffow the sou^. Green t*eas in Market, •. ^ ^ , - ^^ " " ^ ^'^• 15.— Ciicumbers and new PotM6e4}" • - n .-. 18.-^ The riyer miijlc warm, ice used to cool it for '^vva\\^i^* ^^ passing alouf^ the shares of the river, yoU. may see, {ver- haps, 6ne hundtecl Jifii)lops are forty feet in the keel, rigged with a miiin mast, and fore mast and lug sails, furnished with four oars, three of which row on one side, and the other, which is twice as large., be- lays the other three by being rowed side- ways over the stern, by a man who stands for that purpose, with his face towards the its pes, of [nd- it is iter [ace to >ro- ion "FT rowers, counteractiDg; them, as he gives , way to the boat. .>«w j. { Each of these men is furnished with two i lines, one on each side of the boat, andy each furnished with two hooks, so there i are sixteen hooks constantly enioloyed, ; which are thoug-ht to make a tolerable; g'ood day's work, if they bring- in from five to ten quintals^ offish, thoug^h they have stowage for, and often bring in thiHy; two ;. hundred qui ntals:|; is called a saving* vpyage, . but not under. The bait used is small fish; of all kinds, herring-, capelin, lance, torn, cod, or young- cod, the nrst of which they salt, and keep for some time, in case of scarcity of the rest, but these are not so eag-erly taken by the fish when salted. In case small fish cannot be g-ot, they use sea fowl, which are easily taken, in vast numbers, by spreading- nets over the holes in the rocks where they come to roost in the night ; if neither small fish nor birds are to be gfot, they are forced to use the maws of the fish they cutch, which is the worst bait of any. '*?---• .^^ ^- W Jen the fish are taken, they are car- ried to thestag^e, which is built with one end over the water, for the convenience of throwing- the oflals into the sea, and for their boats being able to come close to discharge their fish; as soon as they come f A quintal of fish, in Newfoundland, is 100 pounds aver- dcpoisc. * $ tows, 18 cwt. and 2 quarters, nearly. ; v ; ^ i 'i ' »!=;:. il M: to the staffet.a boy hands ihem to the header, who stands at the side of a table next the watep, and whose business it is to ^at the fish and cnt offthe head, which he does by pressing* the back of the head against the side of the table, which is made sharp for that purpose, when both head and entrails fall through a hole in the floor into tiie water; he then shoves the fish to the splitter, who stands opposite to him. His business is to split the fish, beginning at the head and opening down to the tail ; at the next cut he takes out the largest part of the back bone, which falls through the floor into the water; he tben shoves the fish off the table, which drops into a kind of hand barrow, which, as soon as filled, is carried to the salt pile* The header also flings the liver into a ae* parate basket, for the making of train oily used by the curriers, which brings a high- erprice than whale oik * • ^ -- In the salt pile, the fish are spread apofi one another, with a layer of salt between. Thus they remain till they have taken salt, and when cured, the superfluous salt is Washed ofi*, by throwing them from the shore in a kind of float called a pond. As soon as this is completed, they are carried te the last operation of drying, which is done on standing flakes, madeJ)y a slight wattle, just strong enough to support the men who lay en the fish. These flakes are supported by poles, in some places a high ti9 Ivrcniy feet from the ground \ hcife ihfey ure exposed with the open air to the bud^ and every night, in coarse weather, they are piled up five or dix in a heap, and a large one laid skin uppermost, to shelter the rest ; when they are tolerably dry, which, in good weather, is in a week's time, tliey are put in round piles, of eight or ten quintals each, covering them on the top with bark, in these piles they remain three or four defys to sweat, after which they are again spread, and then put into lar&^er heaps^ and covered with canvass, and left there till they are put on board, thus prepared, they are sent to the Medi- terrranean, where they fetch a good price. The number of permanent inhabitants in Newfoundland does not exceed four thou- sand; the fishermen who resort there dur- ing the summer, alw^s return upon the approach of winter. Xieaving this inhos- pitable climate, we launched into the great Atlantic Ocean,, and after fourteen days bad ei9j)€ed, in which we had agreeable weather, and a fair wind, we beaan to be apprehensive of a storm from the north; . Our cotik, who was an old seamen, and endued with more than ordinary discern- ment respecting the weather, raised his black visage towards the (northern sky, and having considered appearances, gave us to understand^ by a significant nod, that his prospects were far from encour- ^s^ng ; in a short time the wind began to H .. . . ^ i l\ \ ' tl ;];;{ ';°l ' '■i Mow hardi two mm w^re i^nt up to'fli«f ttiftftt head to look out for land — descried . land at a consideirtthlc distance on the riglit hand; although 'ttiestofni was iloW tnoreasing' rapidly, J^e^ We felt a sort of jdoasure in drawing* near hoine^, fend in the lielief that if we were hard put to it, we ittiffht run into some harbour^ and there tindliotfety until it wa^ over; cheered by this idea, the steward, one of the mates, and I, were taking* a buin^er of our Ameri- can rum, for each had brought ft fi^ttle for o»r private use, when we hear^ialotid rap oft deck^ and a cry of * Land,' land ! all hands on deck 1' Immediately our .carg;o shifted, and laid the lee side of the vessel Onder to the main hatchway ; I hurried up the hatchway, but how wns I appalled when I perceived the dismal agitation which prevaded the whole crew ? a mbm- eniry silence prevailed, for their senses seemed bewildered; looking- a head^ I soon perceived the principal cause of their alarm, frightful rocks I'^ared theii- tops amidst the boisterous billovr^^' and being* a short ,way ahead of iis, f^i«^ otir vessel under a g-reat press of sail, th^y tli*re£ttened imme- diate destruction. Silence wits noW brokte by a voice from the eabiri doori < D— n ! H-^l!! B^nl H-^HI pull me*i>, pull P' In a moment all was activity ; haat notwith- standing- all our ^^x^ tioB«, i n a f eHv fni- nutes we w ere cIjgs^ upon the rodks^ and . ^narrowly escaped tiiidm ; e^ery esyil^ias Jnow reefed, the main sheet excepted ; had ■I leried n the now ort of n the ♦, we there d by lates, meri- le for I (J rap i! all carg-o vessel ed up called mbm- ;enses [ soon ilarra^ mid«t short ider a rame- brokie )— n! ' In with- er tm- $9 atnl ii %as ;had 01 ihe rocks not bcea okficrvcd at thq tiiue,| they were, we mu^t iuevitably all iiavo*' pcrisl^ed* Bat although we had eaoapecli: ibe rocks^ wc were still in the utivosi;* (lander, bein^ between two lands, ai^d at , np great distance from either ; it was ; found ^I;>Bolute]y neiJossary to bear up r; ag^ainst. th^^ wind aai ixiiMcli t^s pogaib^, that > we mig^bt avoid beii^ driven upon a ]ee share;- night was now approaehing-i and> little enciMM'U^ement was given us to hope • that we stiould see the jii^ht of aiiptber Wet and epld, I went dow<^ b^low to , change so^qe of my clothes, iB^nd see how , matters Wicnt w^ith my wife, who \ym ^i . this timcaloq^; she had attenitped to CQii^l upon deck5 but, terrified at. the sppne 9>B4r ii[)rt>arj had ret innod apd cjlambei»ed inta her bed^ wbere I fpund tiep sitting^*, holdft iug'41i\*t) with bqtb Mr h^i^l^^ aroup4 ^\ l^f^e post, ip a very e^tt lighted state* Av l%ht; Wits.handetJ ^own to niy ohai^fe* wjtb an. ipjui^otion to preairve it if. po»*ibleir tb^t i^f^. bii^!n>iole i^ii^bt he suppjied. For\ seem:}ty I tied wysejlf Mp **^^ip^t a sV ^^g ] ppsti a^nd ihuf^ pi^ssed the dreary nigM* . Ofi tbfe n^or^ow PVir prospect w^* }^iiie bpttoTf .pay light u^bpre^jl i^to^ qu^ yi^W bam'qphill.s ^4 unii^lmbHedw^^t^^PM each liand. 'JPbe ^Qck oi' QP^ ¥«8^ri Wf^s a pe^^ I'wt wrepk-r-the bii^warl^s^p^ib^ jee mi^.: were broke in — the .c^iii Jbo: %, tiipi^b. s^i^a^ly eb^in^dy was tuniJ ^4 , dQWVr- eyery thing inov§£ibl€ w]pi8 pwpjif pft 'ik§, ; t M IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) V -% ^ A %s r/. f/. 1.0 I.I lAillB |2.5 :^ »£ 12.0 im 1.25 II U III 1.6 ^ 6" ► m '/. CM ^ INTENDINIS^ EMIGRANTS. 5"f 5 - !> H^ e * Trs step yon are about to take, is of vast importance, and deserves your most sertotis consideration, particularly r^ifbere families are dependant on your* iWu^try* N ■ ' ■ w m 1 •4 The danntry 3Mn!i have been viewiDg- in ibe perasal of this little piece* is extensite^ luotitly lyiiig; under wood. The climate dif* fers/from that of your native soil* The es- tceiuiiy of sammer heat and winter cold^ has been laid before you* What you must lay your acjeQuot itith^ after obtaining^ a ^rant of iand from g-o vernment, is^ it> the IftTst instance^ hard labour^ and labobr of that description to which you have nev^r been hitherto accustomed. The clearing' of land is. certainly as laboriou^t a w<^rk as any ,man can be employed in^ particularly during- the extreme heat of the s^mnier montiis^Ji^ Canada* Btit besidei( ^hiathQire are many other things, which you w^uld do well to take inrto consideration s Yoiriiiusi haire a habitation to. shelter your v&iBily9 your grounds will prodooe y ott tbe^ tnateir- ials^ but a wooden faou&e^ eVen, ^/thie or^i-^ nary .kind, «ufi:icient to defend yctitjig^miltst the severity of winter, wiU Ico^t wncti )ra« hour. and e^ipenc^ ; true^ you mayioblaj^p assistance iTom kind neigphbouk-s^obut I* would not hate:: you plac^ tdp^muohd^pleiir. dance upon this as many have beeQ';4Jl6^^ pointed* Another thing' under your no- tice is the expence of carriage which cousi- derably addatp the expence of cultivation, hath in niany instances been Tdutidtb equal teariy the whole- price* It js true ipi^e^d, that your families will be f iipp]lie4 ^it^ plenty, yckift twill feel ^o ira^ ot-p^ovis|4His^ but , tkej^Bf grf ma|i; othef ihk^m Mkisik ydn will find iiidispeiisaUf f ntoesiAtp Clotfaih^ mast bcr porchaseiL^fitmitare futist be bad— and implements' of biisrbav;* dry, Ac» Hel^e I would recommend a tim^oUiS provision oF bed clotbe% ond iveadJDgf Hpparelf before you leavie vonr Jia- tire eountry. These articles are in gnkai request in Canada, especially in th6i]|yper proTince4 The coiintryr farmers dress in a coarse plain manner, and those who hare a little stock) sometimes man nfacinre their own cloathifag*, but this req^iires 'tim;ei ' Bet caotions in nsing^ the luxuries of the eoiintry, aiid in overstretching' ydurself at your labours,. many have suffDredtnateriatly by overheating* themselves, and drinking* too freely of the water of the Rivei*« TJie comniion drink is grog- — when moderately used, dt. proves a medicine ; but it some- times proves an introduction to a habit Of driilkiiag', which in this, 'as rn every other country, destroys the bestconsisltution, arid shortens life* The low price of rum has often encourag*ed the immediate use of it; ma»y drink too freely, until a oomplication of diseases render them iinAt for the duties of theiir. calling?. The emigrant has more need to ibe upon his guard ill this new country, than be ever had in his native soil. It is weU known, that? the nature of the climate-— the provisions-^he water, ifec* prey upon tilie constitution ; and I may venture to affirm, that the geiieca^fcy of North British einigfraiits feHs this by ex? w^ T- 11 s m H if i m ■^ wmfpt^twi Utomt '^migimiiBg t0 his Mft** jBtfjrV iominkinR in this quarter of the ^lobcf oo^ htA i consider it to be my duty to put etery person apon his ^aard^ lest Ibr want of proper intelligence) and an : ideft of the coontrVf he m^y find reason to rewost idf leatiiig his native place. T^he accoobts w« yearly receive^ are &» various and unequal) as the fortunes of tk« writers. In this paA*t of tbe world, as well OS in Britain, there are rich and poor, men are not alike fortunate, nor all alike 4iligpent» But an industrious, healthy man, will sueceed not only in procnring^ a Utc- lihood for htmsell^ but, in a proper situa- tion, leave bis successors in an easy way. I know this has been the principed object M ma%who have cnHgrated if itht large fainilies. \ Tradesmen will find employment* If (hey cannot fall in at Quebec or Montreal, let them go upwards, if their circumstances will permit* A wilUng mind, with a little perseverance, will succeeds SujSSer me to remark, that on landing at Quebec, all the money in my possessioai was the siuall «um of 2|d. ^ I r^aired to the miirket place, and being a mechanical man, found employment at ^3 per day. Let none de- spfi^r, 1 continued nearly five years in the oonntry, during which period 1 succeeded t?«njf welL « FINIS. rS2 if tbe 'duty I lest id an ion to re c» ^fike swell poor, alike mail, lire. Bitaa- way. object large U If treal, itUe ne to Utile small irket foand e de- ll the 3eded H 'i^-