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MAP OF THE SOUTH-WEST PORTION 01 
 
 lonj^tude "West 89° ftw 
 
 Viym»a &. S o n* . U iko 
 
 _1 
 
ST PORTION OF THE PROVINCEOF MANITOBA 
 
 Longitude 'West 89° fbom. Greenwich. 
 
 I 'I 
 
 Gf QiMan S« London.W.C 
 
Manitoba 
 
 I 
 
 ^AlyIn•A JLoont. Uiiio 
 
 G^Qu««D S« Lo&dlon.W.C 
 
.SV\ 
 
 AS^?? 
 
 M 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIBED: 
 
 llnd.Res. 
 
 ^-9? 
 
 i!i:is(. 
 
 A .sl:k[i:s of gl:xei;.\l observations 
 
 ii'ijN rule 
 
 Farniin^^, CliinxtCy Spjrt, Natural History, 
 and Future Prospects of the Country. 
 
 nv 
 
 ROBERT MILLER ClIRLSTV. 
 
 WITH MAPS. 
 
 LONDON : 
 WYMAN & SONS, 74-76, GREAT QUEEN STREET, 
 i.i\(Oi-N\s-iN'x rir.i.ns. 
 1SS5. 
 
 / 
 
 k S^ Loxulon.W.C 
 
I' 
 
 "There is, indeed, scarcely a I'ritish Colony, or a State of the 
 Union, which has not an agency in this country engaged in distributing 
 the most glowing accounts of the unrivalled riches, above ground and 
 beneath, which are waiting to be picked up in their respective 
 territories. And I am far from spying that many of the documents so 
 circulated are not carefully prepared, and their contents, to a great 
 extent, justified by the facts. But they are not what is needed. Not 
 one of them, that ever I saw, tells a youngster how he will be housed 
 and fed, what wages he may hope to earn, what sort of company he 
 will be thrown amongst." — Tiihmas IIic.iies. 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 
 r 
 
 it nil 
 upon 
 more 
 arc a 
 it ni; 
 modi 
 value( 
 it nov 
 will n: 
 
 Fui 
 the re 
 
 My 
 Canac 
 kindl> 
 which 
 
 Chi 
 
PREFACE, 
 
 i 
 
 tate of the 
 listributing 
 ijiound and 
 
 respective 
 icuments so 
 
 to a j;reat 
 ded. Not 
 
 be housed 
 
 nipany he 
 
 IN launching this, niv little hark, upon the iruuhled sen 
 of Literature, 1 have only to express one hope : that 
 it may escape those perils of shipwreck and collision which, 
 upon waters so crowded with crafts bearing larger and 
 more valuable cargoes of intellectual goods of every kind, 
 are always imminent ; and that, in the course of its voyages, 
 it may ultimately reach many havens where the com- 
 modities with which it is laden will be welcomed and 
 valued. The good name of the firm under whose auspices 
 it now first sets sail is at least one guarantee that this hoj e 
 will meet with fulfilment. 
 
 I'or an explanation of the scope and object of the work 
 the reader is referred to the Introduction. 
 
 My warmest thanks are due to Sir Charles Tupper, the 
 Canadian High Commissioner in London, who has most 
 kindly supplied the very excellent map of the Dominion 
 which accompanies this work. 
 
 R. M. C. 
 Chelmsford, January 15, 1S85. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 ■«o» 
 
 iMkUDLcilU.V. 
 
 Unc-si(lc(l nature of 
 ntcrc 
 journey out 
 
 CHAl'IKR I. 
 
 (^KNKRAL OnsKKVAT.ONS ON tHK PHV.ICAL AX,> o,„EK 
 IKATURKS or MANITOIJA. 
 
 ^'nam^'-n,''' ^"""^'^'••'■■N "i'^e. n.ul posilion-OnViu „f ,J,, 
 4nd 1 Uk tV'"'''"' ^' '". '''^- ^''^^"'-' ^f fJ'^' North-uVs -!^T1,, 
 
 krtility of the soil-Muctuatiuns in the water-level 
 
 /"s 
 
 ON 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 'J III-; ACJICN OF I'KAIKIK FIRLs IN THk 
 NOR IH-WKSJ-. 
 
 CANADIAN 
 
 ilestroved hv fl,^,r,_n.i,«.. .7 , ' , V^'" Hie l)]ufl.s arc 
 
 destroyed by them-Other damage done by ihcm 
 
 /''.. 
 
 2U 
 
VI 
 
 MANITOr.A DESCRir.ED. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 OBSERVATIONS ON THE CLIMATE OF MANITODA. 
 
 The r'anadian winter — Its severity in the North-west — Professor 
 Tanner and the Mark Lane Express — The climate of Manitoba 
 — American stoves— Precautions against the winter — Snowdrifts 
 on the prairies — Blizzards — Summer-time — Thunderstorms — 
 The mirage — The Indian summer page 
 
 49 
 
 4 
 
 oi 
 
 \\\x\ 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 FAR.MIXG IX MANITOBA. 
 
 The advantages and disadvantages of prairie-farming — Breaking 
 — Backsetting — Sowing — The various crops grown in Manitoba 
 — Potatoes — Barley — Oats — Wheat — Self-binding reapers — 
 Yield of wheat per acre, and cost of cultivation — The season of 
 1883 — Fencing materials — Particulars as to the horses, cattle, 
 sheep, wagons, ^:c., used in Manitoba — Red River carts — 
 " Spear-grass" — Bell l-'arm — Locusts- -The Provincial Depart- 
 ment of Agriculture — Fruit and tree culture on the prairies, /^^f 
 
 63 
 
 lir 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 HINTS I"OR I'HOSE WHO CONTEMPLATE EMIORATINC. 
 
 ^Vho should emigrate and who should not — State-aided emigra- 
 tion — Amount of capital required — How and when to go to 
 Manitoba — Labour, wages, and prices — How to obtain land-- 
 What to take and wha; not — Amount of cultivated land in the 
 Province ... ... ... ... ... pai;c 
 
 (lO 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 SETTLERS IN MANITOBA : THE SOCIAL AND i'OLITICAL 
 CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH THEY LIVE. 
 
 The kind of settlers now in Manitoba — Their intellectual con- 
 ditions, nationalities, and religions — The Mennonites — The 
 tribes of Indians — The settler's shanty — A "raising bee" — 
 Plducational and Church acconnnodation — The mode of survey 
 — Money values — Weights aud measures — The postal service — 
 Prairie .oads — How settlers live — The Liquor Laws — The 
 coal-sui)ply — Manitoban newspapers — Canadian politics — 
 
 JU teh'ra 
 
 poi^v 1 1 \ 
 
CON'TrXTS. 
 
 VII 
 
 DDA, 
 
 jfeshor 
 nitoba 
 tvdrifts 
 )rins — 
 
 49 
 
 ;aking 
 litoba 
 )ers — 
 son of 
 :attle, 
 irts — 
 fipart- 
 
 OK AMKKICAN KMIAVAVS ,X ,;„xkKa,.. 
 
 ling conveniences ^^^^^^"-Tl.c Western plains-Travel- 
 
 ••• A'^i"'-' 127 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE -nOOM" AX„ ITS KVIL kfFKCTS. 
 
 Xature of the boom— Depression in i.o,?. ti 
 Carbeny ... H'ression in trade -The town of 
 
 ••• /''y:;r 146 
 
 TIXC. 
 
 ligra- 
 [o to 
 nd- 
 n the 
 
 CHAPTl'R IX. 
 
 I'ili; CrjA 01 DRAXDOX 
 Brandon: its rapid rr,owth, it.s .siiuat 
 
 farms near the citv 
 
 ion. an<l its in-o,pccts --I.rxrrrL. 
 
 •• /'(v" 151 
 
 niCAL 
 
 con- 
 The 
 
 rvey 
 :e — 
 Tlic 
 
 oj^c U\ 
 
 CHAPIKR X. 
 
 PORTAGE-LA-PRAIRIL AND THE PROVINCIAL AGRICULTUR M 
 
 EXHIBITIOX FOR 1883. 
 
 The Provincial Agricultural Kxhibition-The evhibits PnrH 
 ia-I'rairie — Pecii Tifif^c ,.r ti „ . ^"i- c.\uious — i or trifle 
 
 An Indian buHal-grolmd .. .'"''" ""^^ nei.hbo„H....L 
 
 nei<^hbourhoo("l— 
 
 /'rj,y 156 
 
VI 11 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIBED. 
 
 CHAPTER Xr. 
 
 THI:: CITY OF WINNIPEG. 
 
 The mud in the streets — The history of Winnipeg— Its buildings 
 —Scientific society of Manitoba — Ogilvie's mill — Old Fort 
 Garry — The Red River rebellion fagc 164 
 
 CHAPTER Xn. 
 
 DISCONTENT AMONG SETTLERS. 
 Its probable causes — Land speculation 
 
 paoc 174 
 
 CHAPTER Xni. 
 
 SPORT AXn NATURAL HISTORY IN MANITOIJA. 
 
 The Canadian idea of sport — Abundance of winged game — The 
 Ciamc Laws — Big game — Death of a bear- -Prairie chickens — 
 The Arctic army of wild fowl — Hares — Musk-rats — Wolves — 
 Skunks — Mosquitoes — Fireflies ... ... ... .., fai^e 177 
 
 CHAPTER XR'. 
 
 IS THE Hudson's bay route feasible? 
 
 Hudson's Bay — Early navigation of the bay — Its harbours — Im- 
 portance of the route to the North-west — Hudson's Strait — 
 Its navigation — Archangel — Likelihood of the route proving 
 feasible — Country around the Bay page 1S5 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 the journey ho.me. 
 
 Winnipeg to Port Arthur — Dense forests — Rocks and lakes — The 
 Lake of the Woods — Rat Portage— Keewat in — Destruction of 
 forests by fire — Port Arthur — Home again ... ... /(T^v 203 
 
 I 
 
dings 
 Fort 
 fagc 164 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIBED. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 page 174 
 
 DA. 
 
 —The 
 cens— 
 
 A'CS — 
 
 pai^e 177 
 
 -Im- 
 Irait — 
 roving 
 
 page 1S5 
 
 -The 
 lou of 
 
 page 203 
 
 IN laying this little book licfore my indulgent readers, I 
 cannot claim, as many authors arc able to do, that 
 there is any dearth of literature upon the subject of which 
 it treats. On the contrary, this country has, for some time 
 past, been inunda<"ed by a surprising number of books, 
 pamphlets, newspapers, and maps, all professing to give a 
 true and correct account of }.Fanitol)a, and of the prospects 
 of those who emigrate thither. 
 
 Ikit every one will be agreed that there is literature and 
 literature ; and, seeing that by far the larger ])ortion of the 
 printed matter, which has been circulated so lavishly by the 
 Dominion Government and the Canadian Pacific Railway 
 Company, has emanated from parties having a more or less 
 direct and personal interest in persuading as large a number 
 of persons as possible to proceed to Manitoba, for one 
 purpose or another, it is plain that it must not be relied on 
 imjilicitly, unless supported by a considerable amount of 
 independent testimony. Nov,', I do not for one moment 
 wish to say that there are any statements in these pamphlets 
 which are deliberate falsehoods ; but every one who has 
 been persuaded by them to emigrate will know that those 
 who put forward these glowing descriptions are apt to 
 speak enthusiastically of the advantages of the new country, 
 whilst its disadv'antages are kept so completely in the back- 
 ground, and are passed over with such scanty notice, that 
 the simple-hearted emigrant is in danger of falling into the 
 belief that he has only to proceed to the country in 
 question in order to reach a Utopian land where his 
 
 B 
 
MAN ITODA I)I:SCRI VAA). 
 
 troubles will be for ever ended. For instance, in all the 
 ])anii)hlets that have been issued conccrninii; Manitoba, I 
 have been unable to find, afier a brief search, that the 
 mean winter temperature is anywhere straiL;htfor\vardly 
 stated, though figures are given from which tliis may be 
 ascertained. There is, however, j)]enty of information as 
 to the delights of the summer season. That these pam- 
 phlets should endeavour to jjut the best side outermost is 
 only natural ; but I know well, from personal experience, 
 how old IVIanitoban settlers desi)ise such literature as that 
 I speak of; and many a time have I heard them a])[)ly 
 epithets to it which I should not care to repeat here. They 
 know well enough that the very best of new countries 
 present some hardshij)s that must be contended against. 
 
 So far as I am aware, almost the only independent and 
 detailed evidence as to the good or bad prosjjccts of the 
 Manitoban settler, coming direct from an entirely dis- 
 interested person who has seen the country as an emigrant 
 sees it, is that contained in a small work by " A Retired 
 Oflicer,"' and entitled " A Year in Manitoba." With the 
 author of this little volume I see no reason to (juarrel, but 
 maintain, nevertheless, that his book is now to a large 
 extent out of date, having been written during i8Si (now 
 more than three years sini:e), at a time when Winnipeg was 
 only able to boast some 8,000 inhabitants, and our author, 
 by his own confession, had not been further west than his 
 own residence at Headingley, thirteen mi'es from the capital. 
 Moreover, at that time the railway extended but a few 
 miles to the west of the city. Now, Winnipeg is a place 
 with 30,000 inhabitants ; a complete line of railway has 
 been pushed over a thousand miles to the westward, having 
 its present terminus among the Rocky Mountains ; six 
 other lines of railway also run into the city ; towns and 
 villages have sprung up in every direction throughout the 
 province ; and it is not too much to say that the country 
 has itself been made within these last three years — that in 
 that time it has changed more, and made greater progress, 
 than any agricultural iiart of England usually does in three 
 times thirty. 
 
 For these reasons I venture to think that a completely 
 independent account of how the country and its prospects 
 
INTRODUCTIOX. 
 
 las 
 
 I 
 
 api^carod to me during a recent visit will not be altogether 
 unacceptable. In the llrst place, let me most clearly 
 and distinctly state that my evidence is absolutely without 
 bias, either one way or the other. I liave not one single 
 cent invested in Manitol)a, nor any other reasons v/hatso- 
 cver likely to induce m.e to represent things there ollierwise 
 than as they really are. I paid my own i)assage out ; went 
 how, when, and where I i)leased ; and, indeed, held no 
 intercourse with interested otlicials until three days before 
 leaving. I was especially careful to gain my information 
 direct from genuine settlers ; ami, in the course of journeys 
 from place to place, undertaken with other objects in view, 
 I stopped at their liouses, ate at their tables, saw them at 
 work, and generally mixed witli them a great deal. I did 
 not de])end upon the railway for my ideas of the country, 
 as do numberless ])ersons who, coming as they say to 
 inspect it, rush westward to the Rocky Mountains, after- 
 wards v.-riting newspai)er articles which provoke the scorn 
 of the hard-working settlers. The last thing I did before 
 leaving tlie country was to make an extensive expedition 
 northward towards I''ort Eliice, in order to see something 
 of the more thinly-settled portions of the country. There- 
 fore, whatever my readers may think of the use I have 
 made of my opportunities, I must ask them to admit that 
 no better means could ha\'e been taken to ascertain the 
 truth. If I have si)oken enthusiastically, I have only done 
 so after personal investigation and inquiry ; and I have not 
 in the slightest de'^ee endeavoured to conceal certain 
 serious drawbacks which I found. 
 
 Once for all, I wish here to acknowledge the great 
 hospitality which I received at the hands of many English 
 gentlemen and others who, whilst on my journeys and at 
 other times, treated me as they would have done an old 
 ac{[uaintance. Undoubtedly, in young countries like 
 Manitoba, hospitality is dispiMised with a more liberal 
 hand than in older ones. I met with innumerable acts 
 of kindness, which I should never have expected at home ; 
 or, expecting, should certainly not have received. To my 
 friends, Messrs. Arthur S. Thomjjson and E. E. T. Seton, 
 of Carberry, my thanks are especially due. 
 
 I must ask those of my readers who find the minute 
 
 B 2 
 
A!ANITOBA DESCRIliin. 
 
 details, into which I have entered in some parts of :ny 
 subject, to be irksome, to remember that they are inserted 
 for the benefit of those who would most desire such pointed 
 information. 
 
 Finally, let me repeat that this book is not written with 
 the object of " cracking-uj)" the country of which it treats, 
 nor for the purpose of persuading any persons to emigrate 
 thither; but, having gone to that country before the wheat 
 was in ear, and remained till the harvest was got in, and 
 winter had laid its grasp upon the soil, and having, during 
 that time, been much interested in all that was to be seen, 
 I made it an object to intiuire into everything concerning 
 the present state and future prospects of the country, with 
 results which are embodied in the following chapters. 
 Although I do not pretend that this book is the only one 
 which an intending emigrant to Manitoba need consult, I 
 have in it endeavoured to give just such an unbiassed 
 account of what I saw and thought as 1 should like to have 
 before me for my guidance were 1 a young i)erson in doubt 
 as to the advisability of emigrating to that country ; and I 
 can honestly ask my readers to accept tlje following state- 
 ments exactly as they would the testimony of one of their 
 own ])crsonal friends whom they had sent out to report 
 impartially on the present state of Manitoba. 
 
 I left Liverpool for New York by the Inman Line steamer 
 City of Chester on July 5, 1883, and duly arrived at the 
 latter place on the morning of the 14th, after a voyage 
 which was prosperous and uneventful, except for the occur- 
 rence of a few hours of very bad weather when four days out. 
 The violence of the sea completely carried away the wheel- 
 house on the stern of the vessel and did other damage, but 
 the remainder of our time at sea was as pleasant as it could 
 well be. However, an Atlantic voyage has been so often 
 described that I shall make no attempt to describe it again. 
 After spending a few days sight-seeing in New York, I pro- 
 ceeded on towards Winnipeg by way of Niagara, Chicago, 
 and St. Paul, making a short stay at each of those places. 
 In Winnipeg only a few hours were spent before the journey 
 was again resumed. At Carberry, 105 miles west of the 
 capital, I found a warm welcome from kind friends, and 
 saw the first of a setder's life on the IVLanitoban prairies, the 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 details of wliich I shall attempt to sketch iu the following 
 chai)ters. 
 
 pro- 
 
 icago, 
 
 laces. 
 
 ley 
 
 the 
 
 and 
 
 k the 
 
 lirn< 
 
 Since this hook was coni])lcted (in April, 18S4), I have 
 au;ain had occasion to undertake a journey to America, and 
 have i)aid two distinct visits to Manitoba. 'J'hese visits, 
 though somewhat brief, afforded a most excellent oi)por- 
 tunity for corroborating and adding to the observations 
 made during my fust and more extended stay in that 
 country. I have thought it desirable, in most cases, to 
 insert as foot-notes such alterations or additions as I 
 desired to make, rather than to insert them in the original 
 text ; and, if the fewness of the alterations which I have 
 thus made affords any clue as to the reliability of what I 
 originally wrote, my readers may certainly place great faith 
 in my observations. 
 
 In a general way, I have l)Ut few additional remarks to 
 offer. The amount of visible progress which the country 
 had made since my first visit was not great ; the depression 
 in business was still considerable, but certainly not so severe 
 as during the previous autumn. The weather, during the 
 first half of the year, had been in every way propitious, and 
 prospects of an abundant harvest — to which every one was 
 anxiously looking forward — were everywhere to be seen. 
 These expectations were not, at that time, without good 
 foundations ; but, unfortunately, since my return home, 
 accounts have come to hand that wet and stormy weather 
 has seriously interfered with the getting-in of the crops. In 
 other respects, the situation did not appear to me much 
 altered. 
 
 It should be observed that the dates in the text refer to 
 the year 1883, those in the foot-notes to 1884. 
 
MAMior.A i>is< kir.iK. 
 
 ciiAPri'.k 1. 
 
 (JKNr.K \1, onsiKVAI ION ; ('\ IIII': imivsicai, axd othkk 
 KKA'l'UUl'.S OF MANirOMA. 
 
 Ti'.N or twelve yonrs ngo. li;ul ;iny man in I''ii,:;laiul been 
 asked tlu> wlKicahoiits of Manitoba, it would not have 
 shown any unpardonaMe i^'jioranee on his jiait had he 
 rejtlied that heilid not know : for at that time the jnovincc 
 had seaii'cly entered upon its existence. Now, however, 
 the ease is very different. Not even the dullest < an have 
 failed to i;ain some knowlcclL;e of this mueh-advertised 
 country. It we juek up almi'st any local newspaper, or 
 enter the small general shop which serves as Posl-Oftice in 
 some remote country villaL;e, there we are almost certain 
 \o he confronted by an announcement as to lu)w nuich 
 land mav be obtained in Manitoba as a "free urant "" from 
 Cicnernment. There seems, nevertheless, to be still some 
 misconcejition left, many perst)ns usinj; the name Manit{)b:i 
 to signify a much larger tract of country than that to which 
 it reallv belongs. Manitoba is situated in what is now 
 commonly known as the North-west, or the Canadian 
 North-west : but still it is not one of the " North-west 
 Territories," being a province of the Dominion of Canada, 
 and having a separate Provincial Covernment of its own. 
 The enormous region known as the North-west Territories, 
 including the adjacent islands in the Polar Sea, covers an 
 area of 2.665,252 scjuare miles. It was ac([uired by 
 purchase from the Hudson's Bay Com})any, and added to the 
 Dominion of Canada in 1870. In 1882 a portion of this 
 region was divided up into four huge districts or territories, 
 which lie to the north and west of Manitoba, and have 
 received the names of Assiniboia (95,000 square miles), 
 Alberta (100,000 square miles), Athabasca (122,000 square 
 
(W.NI.KM, OIISFRVA'IIONS f)N M AN'I'K )r..\. 
 
 by 
 Ithe 
 [his 
 [cs, 
 
 ive 
 
 ire 
 
 miles), nnd S;isk.'il( In-w:iu (i i,),coo siiuan.' miles). It juay 
 hvrc l)c cxplaiiu'd lliat in tins hook I am only < fjuccrncd 
 with Manitoba proper.*'' 
 
 Manit(.ba, with a ,L;rc-atrr or less extent of the country 
 surrotnulini; it, has, in the jta^t, been known by the lollow- 
 inp; names, amons^ others : Red River ( !ountry, Red River 
 Settlement, I'ort ( '.arry, Selkirk Scltlenient, Iluflson's I'.ay 
 Territory, Rui)ert's Land, and ,\ssiniboia. Since its forma- 
 tion into a jirovince in the year 1.S70, its boutidariis have 
 undergone exteti'^ion ; and, at the present time, it is 
 projjosed to extend them ai/ain as lar to the north as 
 Hudson's j'.a\-. Then, as n'.- ■, the .jfjth |)arallel of north 
 latitude, fonniiiLr tlu- boundarv Ime between ("aiiada and 
 the United States, constituted its soutlr.rn limit. ( )n the 
 west, the <)(){\\ de;.';. of west lonj^itude ; on the north, a line 
 drawn -^o mil), north of the 5 ist par.dlel ;and on the east, the 
 r)6th (K'l;. of west longitude, foiined its other boundaries. 
 'I'he province at that lime measured about 135 by 105 
 mile.--, and (oiUained an area of i.l,.vto S'juare miles, or 
 9,177,600 acres, with a total population of about i.S,ooo 
 ])ersons,inchuling nearly 7.000 Indians. Fort (larry, the well- 
 known chief trading station of the liudsc^n's iiay (Company, 
 or rather the settlement around it (num!)ering, at that time, 
 some 250 souls), which ! had now come to be known as 
 \\'innipeg, was the capital ; Vv'hilst there was also a small 
 settlement at Portage la Rrairie, as well as a considerable 
 nmnber of Half-breeds, Indians, and old servants of the 
 company located along the banks of the Red River and 
 the Assiniboine. I>ut in i.SSo the area of Manitoba was 
 increased by the addition of territory on all sides except 
 the south. On the south, the provinc e is still divided from 
 Minnesota and Dakota by the 49th parallel of north 
 latitude; it extends northward as far as 52 deg. 50 min. 
 north latitude, taking in the major portions of the great 
 lakes of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Winnijiegosis ; on the 
 west, it adjoins the territory of Assiniboia in loi deg. 20 min. 
 west longitude; while on the east it extends to the Lake 
 
 * Those desiring to know more of the great country to the nf)rth 
 nnd west of Manitoba '^hould consult "Manitoba and the threat North- 
 west " (Jack, Ludgate Hill, London, 1883), by Professor John 
 Macoun, Botanist to the Dominion Government Geological Survey. 
 

 8 
 
 MANIT0I5A DKSCRIItEI). 
 
 of tlic ^\'oo(ls, joining on to tlic province of Ontario in 
 west longitude 95 dug. It measures, therefore, about 260 
 miles from north to soutli, 300 from east to west, and con- 
 tains, rouglily, an area of about 80,000 scjuare miles, or 
 51,000,000 acres. JUit it should be observed that for some 
 time ]nist the respective Governments of Ontario and 
 Manitoba have carried on a very vigorous discussion as 
 to which shall possess the stretch of country lying between 
 the Lake of the Woods and Lake Superior. If this is 
 ultimately awarded to ^Llnitoba, the province will then 
 extend eastward as far as the 89th deg. of west longitude, 
 and will contain about 123,200 sciuare miles, or 78,848,000 
 acres, which is an area considerably larger than that of the 
 United Kingdom. As this area is the one given in the 
 Government pamphlets, it has been usually employed in 
 making calculations. 
 
 The country thus marked out occu})ies an almost exactly 
 central ])Osition in North America, hence the name of 
 " the Centre Province," which is occasionally a])i)lied to it. 
 By the route at present i)roposed for the Canadian Pacific 
 Railroad, \Vinnipeg will, 1 believe, be within twenty miles of 
 being eciui-distant from Montreal and Port Moody, the two 
 termini of the line ; while its position in the continent is 
 almost equally central, reckoning from north to south. 
 This fact may astonish some people, but it is true never- 
 theless. There are numbers of persons in England who, 
 having never troubled themselves to consult a map in 
 order to ascertain the truth, and who — forgetting that Mani- 
 toba is far removed from that great eciualiser of temjjerature, 
 the sea, and consequently can have its atmosphere warmed 
 by no such kind friend as the Gulf Stream, which renders 
 our climate so mild and damp, — have contracted the 
 not unnatural idea that, on account of its exceedingly cold 
 winter, Manitoba must be a country not very far removed 
 from the Arctic Circle. I have sometimes amused myself 
 since my return by asking friends how many hundreds of 
 miles north of London they imagined Manitoba to be 
 situated ; and the replies have actually ranged from " a few 
 miles " up to " about 900 " ! No wonder, then, that some 
 have been astonished when they have been informed that 
 Winnipeg, being situated close to the 50th parallel, is 
 
 1 
 
 il 
 
i;i:\i:r.\i, oi!skksamons on mamioha. 
 
 'J 
 in 
 
 11 cd 
 icrs 
 the 
 old 
 v'cd 
 self 
 
 of 
 
 be 
 
 e\v 
 
 ime 
 
 lat 
 
 is 
 
 nearer the latitude of Paris than that of London, or more 
 than i,ooo miles from the Arctic Circle. 
 
 The ori;j;in of the name Manitoba* which I heard 
 given differs considerably from that which Professor 
 Tanner mentions in his recent '* Report." It means 
 literally *' 'i"he voice of the (Ireat Spirit," and is taken from 
 the 1-ake Manitoba, so called by the Indians, it is said, 
 from the tact that at a certain part of what is known as the 
 ''narrows" of the lake, the rushiiiLj of the water jjioduces 
 a sound which is su' erslitiously said by them to be '* The 
 voice of the (ireat Spirit " {.\fanitou). Unless I have been 
 wrongly informed, the name was never ajjplied by the 
 Indians to the country ; but, when the jjrovince was formed 
 the euj)honious Indian name of the lake was given to it. 
 
 I'Tom the fcjregoing, it may be seen what an exceedingly 
 small i)()rtion of Pritish North America (or, as it is now 
 called, the Dominican of Canadat) Manitoba forms. An 
 illustration may serve to make this still i)lainer: if we take 
 a piece of pa])er exactly one yard scjuare to rei)resent the 
 si/.e of Canada, anil mark off, in any part of it, a space 
 about six inches scjuare, that portion will re[)resent the size 
 of Manitoba. The Dominion of Canada has an estimated 
 area of 3,470,392 square miles, and is actually larger than 
 the United States, not including Alaska. It is I^igland's 
 largest, nearest, and by lar her most important colony. 
 The natural wealth of Canada is immense. Provided with 
 magnificent sea-ports, both ( n the Atlantic and Pacific 
 coasts, she has also an unui:ually excellent internal water 
 communication ; her stores of coal are enormous ; her 
 forests are inexpressibly vast ; her minerals, in some regions, 
 are in immense abundance ; her fisheries are among the 
 most valuable in the world ; one vast area has unrivalled 
 corn-growing cai)abilities ; while a region still vaster has, 
 for over two centuries, supplied wild animals provided with 
 
 * In England the name is frequently pronounced Manitoba, with 
 the accent on the last syllable ; but in the country itself I never heard 
 it otherwise than Manitoba, with the accent on the penultimate syllable, 
 as in Dakota. 
 
 t Newfoundland, which has an area of 40,200 square miles, and is 
 Kngland's oldest colony, forms no part of the Dominion of Canada. 
 It is still a separate colony, with a Government of its own. 
 
10 
 
 MAMTOHA Dr.sciiir.r.i). 
 
 I 
 
 valual)lc furs, wliich have cnnblcd one of the lari:(cst trading 
 companies in the universe to pay a steady dividend. !»ut 
 l)y no means tlie smallest part of Canada's wealth lies in 
 her hardy, independent, intelligent, industrious, and pushinj^ 
 l)opulation. which, since the year 1784 (that is, in exactly a 
 century), is said to have increased no less than 3,000 per 
 cent., or more than twice as fast as that of the United Stales 
 during the same ])eriod. Canada alone, had luigland no other 
 dejjendencies, has regions of such great fertility, and of 
 such vast extent, that she would be able to relieve the mother- 
 country of her surplus population for very many years to 
 come. In spite of all the noise that has been m:ide over 
 the few thousand colonists who have gone to Manitoba, it 
 is certain that ik t one ten-thousandth part of nil the good 
 and fertile land in the \orth-west is now under any sort 
 of cultivation. A\'ere the whole of this vast region thickly 
 settled, Canada would be able to sujjply us with her surplus 
 grain in such immense (|uantities that we should scarcely 
 need to trouble our heads about that arriving from any 
 other (piarters. On the whole, it would be far more 
 unreasonable to doubt that, in the future, Canada is 
 destined to become a great and powerful nation, than it 
 would have been, a few hundred years ago, to doubt that 
 England would ever rise to the jjroud position she now 
 occupies. 
 
 But I have been diving into the future where prophets 
 and seers alone are accustomed to tread, and, not being one 
 of these, I will retrace my steps to speak of the present 
 state of Manitoba. 
 
 Manitoba is often spoken of as the " Prairie Province," 
 and it is well so-called — ])rairies being its most striking 
 feature — though, eastward from \\'innipeg, it is true there is 
 a region of almost unbroken forest, widely different from 
 the kind of countrv extending for hundreds of miles west 
 of the city. Certainly the province cannot be generally 
 described as a beautiful or very jiicturescjue one, in the 
 usual sense of those words. No country, of which prairies 
 are the main feature, could well be so, even though watered 
 by great rivers and in places covered by a dense growth of 
 small timber. Some parts of Manitoba, therefore, are of 
 an undeniably dismal aspect; but, speaking personally, I 
 
 
 I 
 
CKNIUAI- OIISEUVATIONS ON MAMTOI'.A. 
 
 IX 
 
 ^r. " 
 
 0111 
 
 est 
 ^lly 
 the 
 ries 
 led 
 of 
 of 
 I 
 
 do not consider that by any means tlie whole of the 
 country answers to this description : on the contrary, I saw 
 several very |>ictures(iiie scenes — notably Shoal Lake. 
 Not only Manitoba, but tlie whole North-wtst has a 
 romantic interest and a fascination about it whi< h nuist 
 inevitably be felt by all travellers who have the slightest 
 appreciation of Mature in her wild and untamed aspects. 
 The unknown, solitary e\]>anse of dark pine forests, the 
 great 'herds of wild jjuffalos which formerly existed, the 
 roving Indians, the enormous lakes antl solitary rivers, the 
 desolate, waste sandhills, and the fertile, endless jtrairies, 
 have all their (harms, even for one, like myself, who has 
 but seen their outskirts. 
 
 It does not take mu( h research to fmd that the country 
 of which I speak — and not only Manitoba, but much of 
 that beyond has deeply impressed nearly all iiUelligent 
 travellers who have visited it for the last twenty or thirty 
 years. Many of them have expressed in powerful language 
 their belief that in the near future it is destined to become 
 a thriving agricultural region, supporting a large jjopulation. 
 How near their prophecies are to being fulfilled will, I 
 think, be seen from the few jjaragraphs I will next (juote. 
 
 Captain (now Colonel) lUuIcr, who, as I learned from the 
 newspajjcrs, visited the North-west during the time I was 
 there, writes, in his charming book, "The Creat Lone 
 Land,'' of the district around the forks of the Saskat- 
 chewan : " It is impossible that the wave of life which rolls 
 unceasingly into America can leave unoccupied this great 
 
 fertile tract As I stood in twilight, looking down on 
 
 the silent rivers, merging into the great :;ingle stream which 
 here enters the forest region, the n ind had little difficulty 
 in seeing another picture, when the river forks would be a 
 busy scene of commerce, and man's labour would awaken 
 echoes now answering only to the wild things of plain and 
 forest." Elsewhere the same author says : " The plain 
 through which the Red River flows is fertile beyond de- 
 scription." 
 
 Professor Henry Y. Hind, writing in i860,* says: "Many 
 
 * "Narrative of the Canadian Red River, Assiniboine, and Sas- 
 katchewan Exploring Expeditions," vol. i., p. 191. 
 
4 
 
 I 
 
 12 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIBED. 
 
 ' l-f 
 
 I % ,' 
 
 million acres of land which cannot be surpassed for fertility, 
 being composed of rich jjrairie mould from i8 in. to 2 ft. 
 deep, lie free and unsettled on the banks of Red River, the 
 Assiniboine, and their tributaries, inviting settlement.'' 
 Further on (p. 226) he writes: "No fact, however, is 
 more satisfactorily determined than the adaptation of the 
 climate of Assiniboia [now Manitoba] to the cultivation of 
 wheat. I'orty bushels to the acre is a common return on 
 new land." 
 
 The report of Mr. J. A. Dickenson to Professor Hind, 
 the head of the expedition, after the former Iiad returned 
 from a branch ex|)edition which he had undertaken in order 
 to ex{)lore the valley of the (^u'Aj^pelle, reads now like true 
 prophecy. Having ascended an elevation near the Crooked 
 Lake, he writes (y). 373) : " As I stood upon the summit 
 of *he bluff, looking down uj)on the glittering lake 300 ft. 
 below and across the boundless plains, no living thing in 
 view, no sound of life anywhere, I thought of the time to 
 come when will be seen swiftly ]:)assing along the distant 
 horizon the white cloud of the locomotive on the way from 
 the Atlantic to the Pacific, and when the valley will resound 
 with the merry voices of those who have come from the 
 busy city on the banks of Red Kiver to see the beautiful 
 lakes of the Qu'Appellc." It is needless to say how nearly 
 all this has been fulfilled. The railway, which at that time 
 was scarcely even projected, now passes hundreds of miles 
 to the westward, though not yet (}uite to the Pacific ; the 
 Qu'Appellc valley now contains the largest arable farm in the 
 whole world ; and " the busy city on the banks of Red 
 River," then a village of 150 inhabitants, is now an accom- 
 plished fact. 
 
 In 1S65, Viscount Milton and Dr. Cheadle, in their 
 fascinating book, "The North-west Passage by Land," 
 which describes the hardships of their journey from the 
 Atlantic to the Pacific, and which most people will have 
 read, speak (in the preface) of " the magnificent regions of 
 the Red River and Saskatchewan, where 65,000 square 
 miles of a country of unsurpassed fertility and abounding 
 in mineral wealth lies isolated from the world, neglected and 
 almost unknown, although destined, at no very distant 
 period, perhaps, to become one of the most valuable 
 
 i 
 
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON MANITOHA. 
 
 13 
 
 the 
 lutiful 
 early- 
 time 
 miles 
 the 
 in the 
 Red 
 com- 
 
 thcir 
 and/' 
 L the 
 have 
 )ns of 
 quare 
 tiding 
 dand 
 istant 
 uable 
 
 possessions of the British Crown." Again (p. 41), tliey 
 say : " From Red River to the Rocky Mountains, along the 
 banks of the Assiniboinc, and the fertile belt of the 
 Saskatchewan, at least sixty millions of acres of the richest 
 soil lie ready for the farmer when he shall be allowed to 
 enter in and possess it. This glorious country, capable of 
 sustaining an enormous poi)ulation, lies utterly useless, 
 except for the su[)port of a few Indians and the enrichment 
 of the shareholders of the Last Great Monopoly."' 
 
 The Rev. James McOregor, D.D., who accompanied tlie 
 Marfjuis of Lome on his journey through the North-west 
 Territories in 1881, afterwards wrote as follows in the 
 Contemporary Fcvien' : — " As day after day, and week after 
 week, we drove across those fertile regions, it was a daily 
 wonder to us all how they had so long been kept hidden 
 from the hungry millions of luu-ope. From \Vinni])eg to 
 the Rocky Mountains, we did not come across a tliousand 
 acres which were not fit for grazing or for agriculture.^^ Of 
 the marvellotis fertility of the hrst prairie steppe, tiie Red 
 River Region, there is no doubt whatever. 'I'lie soil is a 
 rich, black, friable mould, from 2 ft. to 4 ft. in de|)th, and 
 has in some ])laces yielded crops of wheat for fifty years 
 without manure." 
 
 Nothing would be easier than to multiply these cpiota- 
 tions to any extent, for such enthusiastic descriptions are 
 the rule among travellers, and it would need some search 
 to meet with exceptions. To the testimony already brought 
 forward, I will merely add a few words to the effect that, 
 although I have seen but a comparatively small j)ortinn of the 
 lands in the valleys of the Assiniboine and Red River, and 
 nothing at all of those in the vallevs of the Saskatchewan 
 and ()u'A])pelle,t the innate fertility of the soil, and the fair 
 excellence of the crops raised on it, by means which, if 
 adopted in Fngland, would result in complete faihire, far 
 surpassed my wildest CN])ectations. It is, 1 think, almost 
 impossible for any one to travel through the North-west 
 without being impressed with the fact that, in'the course of 
 
 * In this case, th.-n, I think His Kxcclloncy must have been con- 
 ducted thr()U.;li the iiick of the country, for I saw liundieds of acres 
 that were practicably worthless for either purpose. 
 
 f See p. 142. 
 
14 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIBED. 
 
 i; 
 
 time, wlien railways sliall have rendered its many capa- 
 bilities available, the country will have before it a bright 
 future. 
 
 There could, however, hardly be a greater mistake than 
 to imagine all the land of ^Manitoba to be of this excellent 
 character ; for, although I do not believe that the better 
 parts could, for fertility, be suri)assed in the world, still 
 there are parts so execrably bad that I hardly know of any 
 use on earth to which they could be put. They nil,^ht keep 
 one or two sheep to the scjuare mile, but for any other agri- 
 cultural puri)ose I believe them to be as valueless as the 
 middle of the Atlantic ! I allude to the ranges of sand- 
 hills which occupy a very large stretch of country-^pro- 
 bably not less than i,ooo S{[uare miles — on the north bank 
 of the Assiniboine, sending out s])urs far to the northward, 
 which, crossing the main line of the Canadian Pacific Rail- 
 way, have the tendency of very much disappointing travellers 
 who view the country merely from the line. The sand-hills 
 proper are merely wind-blown dunes of absolutely pure 
 sand. They are never of great height, and are separated 
 by hollows, in the bottoms of which water often stands. 
 A {q.\\ spruce-trees or stunted oaks and poplars are gene- 
 rally scattered over their surface, but never grow densely. 
 Willows and various other shrub-like trees often surround 
 the ponds. The surface of the sand is covered by a dry, 
 scant growth of benty grass, which, with a plant known to 
 settlers by the name of " ground juniper," and which sends 
 out long, rope-like branches, thickly covered with leaves 
 that cross and recross with one another till the sand is 
 covered with a thick carpet of evergreen verdure, doubtless has 
 a very marked effect in preventing the shifting of the sand 
 during high winds. These desolate sand-hills are the home 
 of many a bright flower and many wild birds and other 
 animals, which might often live long months together with- 
 out seeing a human being. 
 
 Beside the sand-hills proper, there are in their neigh- 
 bourhood large tracts of sandy soil, which are of next to 
 no value, excei)t as grazing- lands, and very little for that. 
 In some parts, too, immense numbers of erratic boulders 
 obstruct cultivation : in others, innumerable ponds, lakes, 
 and " sleughs " render the ground very wet ; while in other 
 
 k 
 
 i 
 
bright 
 
 gcne- 
 
 nsely. 
 
 ■ound 
 
 0. dry, 
 
 )\vn to 
 
 sends 
 
 eaves 
 
 md is 
 
 sshas 
 
 sand 
 
 home 
 
 other 
 
 with- 
 
 leigh- 
 )\t to 
 that, 
 ilders 
 akes, 
 other 
 
 GENERAL OUSERVATIONS ON MANIIOF.A. 1 5 
 
 places the soil is hardly as yet capable of cultivation, on 
 account of the fact that in the spring time it is covered with 
 water, resulting from the melting of the snow. It is evi- 
 dent, however, that these last are difficulties that can, and 
 doubtless will, be remedied when, all the first-class land 
 being taken up, the second-class land comes to be more 
 valuable. Drainage is an operati(jn which is hardly likely 
 to recommend itself to the Manitoban farmer for a long 
 while to come yet ; but there is no (question that very much 
 of the land at present wet could, by its aid, be rendered 
 fit for cultivation. It not unfre(|uently hapi)ens that such 
 land lies on the highest ground, as, for instance, the wet 
 districts round Rapid Citv. This is due to the retentive 
 nature of the clay sub-soil. The fact, too, that most of the 
 rivers flow along the bottoms of more or less deep gorges 
 will be found of great advantage when drainage comes to 
 be undertaken. 
 
 A friend of mine, who has seen a good deal of the 
 country, has made a very rough calculation. He estimates 
 that, of all ^Manitoba, one-third is prime land, ready for the 
 plough; one-third is second-rate, but most of it ca})al)le of 
 being made almost as good as the first ; and one-third is 
 almost worthless. In this I think my friend is not very 
 far wrong. 
 
 Throughout the entire province there is little variation in 
 the nature of the soil which forms the surface of the ground. 
 Excei)t upon the sand-hills, it is everywhere a fine, black, 
 powdery, and almost soot-like mould, too sandy in some 
 places to be of much value, but elsewhere of surjjrising 
 fertility and great productive power. Soil it can hardly be 
 called : manure would be a better name. In the next 
 chapter (where also will be found some analyses) I have 
 given reasons for believing that its fineness, blackness, and 
 fertility are due to the action of prairie fires. Nothing 
 sjjeaks more strongly in favour of the soil of the prairies of 
 the North-west than the fact that, go where you may, nearly 
 every settler assures you that nowhere can better soil be 
 found than that of the district in which his farm hai)pens to 
 lie. Over and over again have people told me this, till 
 there is scarcely any well-settled • portion of the Province 
 of ^Manitoba which I have not been assured is absolutely the 
 
iStl! 
 
 16 
 
 MANITOHA DKSCRir.KD. 
 
 best, I do not think Mr. Hcpple Hall is very far wrong 
 when, in his " Lands of Plenty," he says : " Tlic soil, it may 
 be safely stated, is as fertile as any the sun shines on in 
 this world." The thickness of this stratum of black loam 
 varies considerably : in some ])laces it is barely one foot, in 
 others four ; but the average is perhaps about eighteen 
 inches. In some parts a high wind will cause the surface 
 of ploughed land to drift when very dry. l^ielow the loam 
 is, in most parts, a stratum of very fine, imi)crvious, sandy 
 clay, varying in thickness from two to four feet, and suital.'le 
 for making into bricks, as is done near most of the towns. 
 Beneath the clay, again, is often an unknown thickness of 
 fme, pure sand, which forms the sand-hills when it comes to 
 the surface. In some parts large numbers of erratic blocks 
 of granite and other sorts of rock strew the surface or are 
 found in large quantities beneath it ; but for some miles 
 round Carberry 1 did not (with one e.\rei)tion) see half a 
 dozen stones weighing as much as a (^ouple of ounces. 
 
 'J'here seems to be a very general, and ai)parently well- 
 grounded, opinion that for the last few years the whole 
 body of water throughout INlanitoba and the North-west 
 Territories has been gradually rising ; in fact, that it under- 
 goes ])eriodical flu(^tuations. Thinking this an interesting 
 circumstance, T endeavoured to inquire into the matter, but 
 with only a very j^artial amount of success, the great ma- 
 jority of the settlers having been in the country much too 
 short a time for them to hnve mnde any extended observa- 
 tions. The belief in the fluctuations, however, appears to 
 be wide-s})read, and not a few settlers could give me what 
 seem to be actual instances. Some appeared to be of the 
 opinion that the water had now been falling for a year, or 
 perhaps more. 
 
 About two miles to the south of Carberry is a large "mus- 
 keg," or swamp, over a square mile in area, and presenting a 
 good deal of open water. Mr. William Harkness, who lives 
 on ♦^he edge of it, told me that a few years since grass could 
 be cut with a mowing-machine in many parts where now 
 is open water, upon which terns, ducks, and grebes disport 
 themselves. There is a long, narrow sleugh running up 
 towards Carberry on the eastern side, concerning which a 
 farmer stated that he could now procure water for his cattle 
 
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON MANITOBA. 
 
 17 
 
 ■ wrong 
 
 it may 
 
 s on in 
 
 :k loam 
 
 foot, in 
 
 :iij;litt.'cn 
 
 surface 
 :ic loam 
 >, saiuly 
 suital.'lc 
 3 towns, 
 ^ness of 
 omes to 
 : blocks 
 e or are 
 le miles 
 3 half a 
 es. 
 
 tly well- 
 e whole 
 rth-west 
 t under- 
 ercslinu; 
 Iter, but 
 leat ma- 
 luch too 
 
 bserva- 
 k'ars to 
 
 le what 
 of the 
 
 /ear, or 
 
 "miis- 
 tntinsi a 
 |io lives 
 Is could 
 
 re now 
 [disport 
 ling u\i 
 Ihich a 
 cattle 
 
 at a spot something like a mile nearer to the town, and 
 closer to the beginning of the sleugh, than he could five 
 years ago. I was told of other sleughs in that neighbour- 
 hood which formerly could be crossed with a wagon, but 
 are now almost impassable. But the most valuable 
 piece of testimony I received was from the Rev. H. 
 McKellar, of High Bluff. This gentleman has an extensive 
 knowledge of some of the more remote parts of the country, 
 having, for many years past, acted as missionary. The 
 regular i)eriodicaI rise and fall of the water seemed to be a 
 phenomenon which he fully recognised, and he was inclined 
 to believe that it passed from a maximum to a minimum 
 in about seven years. At present the water was slowly 
 falling, having passed its maximum height about two years 
 since. Several years ago, when returning from Prince 
 Albert, on the Saskatchewan, whither he had gone a year 
 or two before, he was able to drive through ])laces which 
 had been impassable on the journey up, and there were 
 other unmistakable signs of a falling of the water. On 
 the whole, although the exact period occupied by each rise 
 or fall may at present be unascertained, it hardly seems 
 reasonable to doubt that s(jme such fluctuation does ac- 
 tually take place ; and, seeing that periodical fluctuations 
 in the height of the water in the Great Lakes have, for years, 
 been well known to occur, it seems only reasonable to 
 suppose that these two interesting i)henomena may have 
 some connexion. 
 
 Professor Hind makes a good many remarks upon this 
 subject ('"Exploring Expeditions," vol. i., p. iS), some of 
 which I take the liberty of ([noting : " The occasional 
 fluctuations in the level of the waters of Lake Sui)erior 
 
 certainly exceed 3 ft In the region about Lake 
 
 Superior the years 1845-6 were unusually dry, and in 1847 
 the lake had reached a very low stage of water. The years 
 1849-50 were wet, and the level of the lake in 1851 was 
 from 3 to 3 5 ft. above the level of 1847."'*^ The Pro- 
 fessor adds : " The variations in the levels of the great 
 Canadian lakes are phenomena of the utmost importance 
 
 * "Report on the Geology of Lake Suporior District," by J. W. 
 Foster and J. D, Whitney, U.S. Geologists. 
 
 C 
 
i8 
 
 MANITOnA DESCRinED. 
 
 to commercial interests. The supply of water to the Erie 
 and Wclland Canals is dependant upon the relative height 
 of the water of Lake Erie. Periods of great anxiety have 
 occurred among mercantile men at IkifAalo respecting the 
 supply of water to the great artery which unites Lake JM-ie 
 with llic Hudson River." Professor Hind next gives a tabic 
 showing the lluctuations of the height of the water in Lake 
 Erie, as observed for many years past by various autho- 
 rities : — 
 
 IIekuits of Water ix Lake Erie (1790 to 1S59). 
 
 Maxima. 
 
 1st. 1790, 5 ft. 6 in. above 
 
 lowcbt level. 
 2ncl. I Sot. 
 
 3rcl. 181 5, 2 ft. below 1S3S. 
 4th. 1827-30. 
 5th. 183S, 5 ft. 3 in. above 
 
 zero. 
 6th. 1S53, 
 
 Minima. 
 
 1st. 1795. 
 
 2n(l. 1 8 10, 6 ft. below 1838. 
 
 3nl. 1820, zero of eoniparison. 
 
 4th. 1832. 
 
 5th. 1846, 2 ft. above zero. 
 
 1859 (April), 5 ft. 6 in. 
 above zero. 
 
 After commenting on these figures, he says : "As a result 
 of observations extending over twelve years (1846 to 1857) 
 in the variations of the level of Lake Ontario, the following 
 facts have been established: — (i) The mean minimum 
 level is attained in January or February. (2) 'Plie mean 
 maximum level in June. (3) The mean annual variation 
 is 25 in. (4) The maximum variation in twelve years 
 was 4 ft. 6 in. (5) There is no periodicity observable 
 m the fluctuations of the lakes, and recent observations tend 
 to show that there is no flux and reflux dependent upon 
 lunar influence. "■^' With the first three paragraphs I 
 am not particularly concerned. They treat merely of 
 an annual variation which is very easy of exi)lanation. 
 The water is lowest at the time when all the small 
 feeders of the lakes are frozen solid, and anything that 
 falls will remain uj^on the ground ; while the maximum 
 is attained during the summer month of June, when all the 
 snows of winter have been melted and poured into the 
 
 * Whittlesea and Dewey, American Journal of Science and Art, 
 May, 1859. 
 
GKXI.RAT- OnSERVATIONS ON MANITORA. 
 
 19 
 
 inuim 
 
 mean 
 
 Iriation 
 
 years 
 
 rvablc 
 
 s tend 
 
 upon 
 
 )hs I 
 
 [ely of 
 
 ation. 
 
 small 
 
 that 
 
 limum 
 
 ,11 the 
 
 to the 
 
 i 
 
 swollen streams to be carried down to the lakes. A similar 
 fluctuation may be observed daily in many — perhaps all — 
 rivers which have their orii,nn among snow-cai)})ed moun- 
 tains. They are highest during the day, when the sun is 
 melting the snow, and lowest during the night, when the snow 
 is not being interfered with. This annual variation amounts 
 to only twenty-five inches, whilst I am speaking of a variation 
 of several feet in several years. Twelve years seems to me 
 altogether too short a ])eriod of observation for the state- 
 ment to be made that " no periodicity is observable in the 
 fluctuation"; for reference to I'rofessor Mind's table shows 
 that there is a certain amount of periodicity observable, 
 and, although there arc exceptions, that the passage from a 
 maximum to a minimum, or rice vcrsa^ occupies about six 
 years, or not much different from that which is stated to be 
 the case with the water throughout the North-west. This 
 latter, if it really takes place, will, from time to time, 
 exercise a considerable influence on the "sleughs" and 
 *' muskegs " on the prairies, and it seems |-robable that 
 those settlers who have dug their wells during the recent 
 wet years will shortly find it necessary to deepen them. It 
 may further be observed that frightful floods, consecpient 
 upon the overflow of the Red River, are reported to have 
 taken place in 1776, 1790, 1809, 1826, and 1852, all of which 
 dates, except 1809, correspond with those mentioned by 
 Professor Hind as having been marked by a maximum of 
 water in Lake Erie. Whether or not these few remarks 
 may ever assist in throwing light upon the subject I cannot 
 say. They are merely given here for what they are worth.* 
 
 ^ The fact that fluctuations in the water-level do take place in the 
 North-west has not escaped the notice of the meuil)er5 of the Geological 
 Survey of Canada, as reference to the reports will show; but only a 
 sinking seems to have been observed by them. Professor Selwyn, the 
 director, speaks of this in an account of a journey r.cross the country in 
 1874. 
 
 Art, 
 
 C 2 
 
20 
 
 MANiioiiA ni:scuiiu;i). 
 
 CllAPri'.R II, 
 
 ox iiii: ACTION oi' I'UMuii; 111-11, s IN riii; cax.ndian 
 
 N(^KiII WKST. 
 
 'I'mur, is n vonKuico about tho vasl prairies of America 
 wliith is not likely soon to disappear. All of us iVoin (Uir 
 rhildliooil have reail tales ot' Indians, ol" hunters and fur- 
 trai)pers, ot" wolves and of hullaloes, of the boundless 
 extent of the prairies, and of the vast eonlla^rations which 
 otlen sweep over their surface. These and other thinns 
 have all heliKxl to create in our minds a feelinjj; of interest 
 in these great nnendiuL; meadows ; but, to ])ersons who 
 have travelled over their surface day after day, seeini;, 
 perhaps, neidier man, nor house, nor tree, - nothinL; but 
 the _i;rassy llat, bounded by an ever shit'tini;, unreachable 
 hori/on, — no comparison will seem more a|)t than that 
 (■om])aring them with a threat ocean. 'I'he simile is in 
 many points strikingly (\)rrect. I'A'erywhere stretches an 
 ocean — not of water, but o( grass ; here the surlace is 
 smooth and level, but wo travel on, and i)resently arrive at 
 a spot where it is uneven anil rt)lling ; travellers need a 
 compass or the stars as their guide : the smoke of a loco- 
 motive drills away and spreads itself on the hori/on like that 
 of a steamer at sea ; living creatures are comj)aratively 
 seldom seen ; a vulture may sail over with easy, magnificent 
 flight, conjuring up the idea that he is the albatross of the 
 Prairie Ocean, but usually all is still ; provisions and other 
 necessaries for a long journey have to be taken in at the 
 outset ; storms, tempests, and high winds swee[) over the 
 ocean of grass, as over th.it of water; if a cluster of trees 
 does appear on the tar-distant horizon, i)erhaps raised up 
 and brought into view by the decei)tive mirage, it calls up 
 the idea of a cluster of jialms on some low coral reef : the 
 fact, too, that there is one great main ocean, joined by 
 many smaller tributary seas — all these, and many other 
 things, help to strengthen the com])arison. 
 
 In many minds the question will arise : " Why should 
 
PHAIKir, FIRI.S IN' IHr, CANADIAN Nf )Rrir WIS I , 
 
 \N \i)IAN 
 
 Aniciii ;i 
 
 inin our 
 
 ;in(l lin- 
 
 ;)Uii(llrsK 
 
 s which 
 
 •r tilings 
 
 i lit I rest 
 
 )iis wlu) 
 
 sccinjj;, 
 
 linij, hut 
 
 .'achnhle 
 
 ,i;ui that 
 
 \c is in 
 
 (lies an 
 
 rtacc is 
 
 It rive at 
 
 need a 
 
 a loco- 
 
 kc that 
 
 ativcly 
 
 lificcnt 
 
 of the 
 
 d otlicr 
 
 at the 
 
 er the 
 
 f trees 
 
 sed up 
 
 alls up 
 
 If: the 
 
 icd l)y 
 
 other 
 
 should 
 
 the prairies l)c ?.(» hare and treeless?" 'I'lie soil, in many 
 paits at least, is ahtuidantly feilile; the hi;.^li winds that 
 sweep over their 'airlai e aic n(»t so hi^^h hut what trees 
 could llourish. That the prairies lie too near to the i( y 
 noilh till trees to !;rnw on thein is ridi<:uIous ; for by far 
 the larger port inn of tli' ir area lies south of Scotland, while 
 nowhere are the forests denser or niore extensive than on 
 their northern niar;'in. 
 
 To the solution of this |)oint, tlnii, let us now turn our 
 attention. I inav at once state my unhesitating' belief that 
 the ti(( K'ssness of the prairies is due to arti(ici;il causes — 
 that the a'^i'iv v \>v whi( h the prairies have been biouL'ht to 
 their pif^e'it 'tale is biki, one of the best ser\ants, but, at 
 the '-auie lime, one of the worst masters, inan ever had, 
 \\ hen it i; undtrslood that, to the i»revaletve of I'rairie 
 l''iresin the past, I am inclined to attribute, to a lar^e ex- 
 tent at least, the \ei\' existeiK e of the prairies themselves, 
 tlu ir dreat\' treelessness, the fertility of their soil ;md its 
 fme, blai k, soot like t(Mure, the alteration of the flora, and 
 the extermination of certain or;^^anic creatures (which are 
 usually abundant in similar situations, and would, I believe, 
 exist now on the prairies had it not been for the fires), I do 
 not know whether I shall find many persons willing to go 
 with me so far as I go myself; but my oi)inions, iferrone<')US, 
 are, at v.uy rate, formed from personal observation, and 
 after coiner.^ation with many residents on the [irairies 
 themseKes. 
 
 The idea that the prairies are due largely to the action 
 of i'\rc is not by any means a new one. It cro])S up 
 fre<Huntly as an almost accej);ed fact in the accounts of 
 tra\el in the I'rairie Region, which tlie more observant 
 travellers have given us. I'.ut T do not know of any work 
 ])ublished in this country which presents all the aspects of 
 the (piestion and all the facts so methodically and so clearly 
 to its readers as I shall attempt to do, 
 
 I'A'ery one is fiimiliar with the glowing tales of the huge 
 fires which are well known to occur on the prairies, and of 
 the way in which hunters and travellers are accustomed to 
 " fight fire with fire," when ])laced in situations of danger. 
 But not a few persons in this country have, I believe, a 
 vague sort of an idea that these fires are in some way due 
 
 ^\ 
 
22 
 
 MAMTOr.A DKSCRinKD. 
 
 to natural agencies ; and, indeed, 1 will not deny tliat, 
 before visiting tlic prairies, I, more or less, held this belief, 
 if I held any !)elief at all- which, never having; thought 
 seriously about the matter, was hardly the case. lUit 
 though there may very possibly have been instances in 
 which hres have been caused by some such natural 
 ageiicies as lightning or friction of the boughs of a tree; 
 though the change they have worketl upon the face 
 of the country is incalculable, and the mischief they 
 annually cause, in oneway oranotlier, is enormous ; still, all 
 the evidence goes to show that they are, in nearly every 
 case, due to human agency, and 1 know of little or none to 
 the contrary. 
 
 Prairie fires, in the first case, originated among the 
 Indians who, when on their " Great Fall Hunts,"' used to 
 " put out fire " as a signal to their friends that they had 
 found buffalo, or with the object of more effectually gather- 
 ing the animals together by limiting their feeding-ground. 
 Lieut. R. I. Dodge, in his "Hunting-Grounds of the \\'ild 
 West" (p. 29), says: "The Indians burn i)ortions of the 
 prairie [i.e., the " plains " of America] every fall, setting the 
 lire so as to burn as vast an extent of country as possible, 
 and yet preserve unburnt a good section in the vicinity 
 where they purpose to make their Fall Hunt. The buffaloes, 
 finding nothing to eat on the burned ground, collect on 
 that unburned, greatly reducing the lal)our of the hunt."' 
 But the buffalo has now been exterminated, and the 
 Indians have no longer any cause for setting the prairie 
 alight, and yet fires continue. 'l"he fires now, however, 
 have probably a different origin from those of years past. 
 They are, I believe, caused in nearly every case by 
 travellers who carelessly neglect to extinguish their camp- 
 fires ; by persons who maliciously put out fire ; or by 
 settlers who do so with the mistaken idea that by burning 
 the grass they lessen the number of mosciuitoes, or for the 
 purpose of improving the pasturage the following year. As 
 the larva of the mosquito is an aquatic creature, burning 
 the grass cannot lessen the abundance of this insect. The 
 delusion has arisen from the fact that the mosquitoes hide 
 in the grass, and have thus led many settlers to the belief 
 that they are born there. 
 
Liiy that, 
 
 lis belief, 
 
 \ thor.p;lit 
 
 e. J] lit 
 
 mces in 
 
 natunil 
 
 :i tree ; 
 
 he face 
 
 ief they 
 
 ; still, all 
 
 ly every 
 
 none to 
 
 ontf the 
 
 used to 
 
 hey had 
 
 / gather- 
 
 -ground. 
 
 ;he Wild 
 
 i of the 
 
 fting the 
 
 possible, 
 
 vicinity 
 
 iffalocs, 
 
 lect on 
 
 hunt." 
 
 nd the 
 
 prairie 
 
 owcver, 
 
 's past. 
 
 ise by 
 
 ' canip- 
 
 or by 
 
 )urning 
 
 or the 
 
 As 
 
 urning 
 
 The 
 
 is hide 
 
 belief 
 
 %. 
 
 I'RAIRIi: FIRKS IN THK CANADIAN NORTH-WF.ST. 2^ 
 
 Fires may take i)lace either in the si)ring or autumn. 
 All travellers, who journeyed through the land years ago 
 when the buffalo still e\i>ited, and the Indians set fire to 
 the grass for convenience during their Fall Hunts, speak of 
 the |)rairie fires as taking place at the latter season, before 
 the wiiUer snows hatl fallen ; but I am very strongly 
 inclined to belie\e that, although great fires do still come 
 in the autunm, the majority (or, at least, many more than 
 formerly) nmv come in the s/^ri/ii^. 'I'he reason for this is, 
 that the settlers do not like to put out fire in the fall, 
 because they prefer io kee}) the pasturage for theiv cattle 
 until as late a period in the year as j)ossible, and also 
 because there are at that se.ison corn and hay stacks stand- 
 ing about in every direction : but in the spring-lime none of 
 these reasons have any force, and the settlers then burn the 
 prairie, with the objects already mentioned, as soon as the 
 disapjiearance of the snow has left the dead grass dry 
 enough to " carry fire."' 
 
 Towards the end of .September, the j)rairie, which u^) to 
 that time has been so gay with a never-tailing succession of 
 brilliant flowers, becomes of a uniform, sombre brown 
 colour. A very abundant, bright-blue species of gentian 
 is the last flower to a]:)pear, and, when that is over, 
 nothiuLT remains but a few strav blossoms belonging to 
 an odd assortnient of species ; while the grass, hitherto 
 green, becomes dead, dry, and highly inflammable. From 
 this time until the first tall of snow, which often does not 
 come till December is well ailvanced, is the time when the 
 autumn fires ajjpear ; or, if they do not come then, the 
 dead grass remains and can be burned as easilv the fol- 
 lowing spring. 
 
 IJefore visiting the ])rairies of the Xorth-we>,t, I must 
 confess that, like many other persons, I had no clear idea 
 as to the great prevalence of the fires, regarding them as 
 occasional occurrences only ; but, from what I have seen 
 and heard, I imagine that the larger i)ortion, at least, of the 
 whole area of the prairies gets burned over annually. This 
 is not surprising when it is considered that the only con- 
 ditions required for fire to run over hundreds of miles — or 
 round the world, for the matter of that, — are a more or less 
 strong wind behind and a stretch of dry grass in front. I 
 
 H 
 
24 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRHU:!). 
 
 myself saw a fire whirli I had reason to l)clicve was forty 
 miles in lengtli, wliile Professor H. V. Iliiul, to whose 
 "Narrative of the Canadian Red River, Assiniboine, and 
 Saskatchewan Ivxplorinj; Ivxjjedilions of 1857 and 185.S," 
 I have already referred, says: "From beyond the south 
 brancli of the Saskatchewan to the Red River, all the 
 ])rairies were burned last autumn [1857]— a vast contlagra- 
 tion extendin^i; for r,ooo miles in len!j;tli and several hundred 
 in oreadth." It is, h(iwever, very ])robable that the jtrairie 
 fu'es occurring now in the North-west are not so extensive 
 as formerly, although probably they are more numerous, 
 on account of the very much greater number of persons 
 there are to start them. 'J'hat their courses should be 
 shorter now than formerly is not due to any increase of the 
 only natural obstacle to their progress, — namely, water, in 
 lakes or streams, — but to the amount of ploiii^lud land 
 which now, both in sj)ring and autumn, largely checks their 
 movements. Iwen on stubble, 1 was told, hre could only 
 run before a very high wind. 
 
 lUit, if 1 have been compelled to enlarge my ideas as to 
 the ordinary frecjuency and extent of the hres, I have, on 
 the other hand, found it iiecessary to contract my notions 
 as to their average magnitude. It ajipears that on the 
 prairies there are fires and fires : everything de])ends on 
 the length of the grass and the strength of the wind. 
 Every settler, with the slightest grain of forethought, i)ro- 
 vides his house and i)remises with what is known as a " fire- 
 guard." This is done by the very sinijjle process of turning 
 a few furrows Avith a i)lough all round the pren"i,,..s. Many 
 a settler, through the neglect of this jirecauiion, or when 
 he has allowed his fire-guard to become old and overgrown 
 with grass, has had to bemoan the loss of a stack of wheat, 
 oats, or hay, his farm-buildings, or a comfortable house or 
 shanty, built with the labour of his own hands. Not a few 
 persons, whose ideas of prairie fires have been gathered 
 from what they have read, or from pictures in which men, 
 horses, cattle, buffaloes, hare, deer, birds, and what not, 
 are depicted as flying before the devouring element, may 
 feel disinclined to believe that such a simple precaution 
 could be sufficient to stay the onward progress of a fire ; 
 but in most cases it will suffice. On many of the drier 
 
PRAIUIi: riKF.S I\ TIIK CANADIAN NORTH-WKsT. 
 
 25 
 
 was forty 
 whose 
 iiie, and 
 (1 1S5.S," 
 ic south 
 , all the 
 nntlnp;ra- 
 h unci red 
 c prairie 
 xtcnsive 
 uiicrous, 
 persons 
 ould be 
 e of the 
 vater, in 
 H'd land 
 :ks their 
 lid only 
 
 :as as to 
 
 lavc, on 
 
 notions 
 
 on the 
 
 nds on 
 
 wind. 
 t, pro- 
 
 ' iire- 
 . urn inn- 
 
 ATany 
 
 when 
 
 irown 
 wheat, 
 use or 
 
 a few 
 hered 
 
 men, 
 t not, 
 
 may 
 LUtion 
 
 fire ; 
 
 drier 
 
 4 
 
 portions of tlie prairies, the ^Tnss is very sliort and scanty, 
 and a fire will not "run " unless there be ronsiderablc wind 
 to drive it. ' I'-veii then it is but a very small alTair — merely 
 a narrow, llickerin.i,' line of advancing flame, whi( h uuL^ht 
 almost be llipi)ed out with a wet pocket-handkerchief; and, 
 indeed, as a matter of fact, is olU'U brushed out for short 
 distances with a wet sack or a broom by settlers nn\i )us 
 to preserve their homes ; for. if the fire be stopped alonj^ 
 the windward side of a settler's j)remises, the wind carries 
 the tw( winus of the luv on jtast the sides of the buildin^^^s ; 
 and, althoULih they may eventually join aicain to the 
 leeward, they cannot then ntmn to burn the premises, 
 unless the wind shifts completely round. Such small fues 
 as those of which I now s])eak are often stopped for con- 
 siderable distances by obstacles of much smaller im- 
 jjortaiice than a settler's fire-j,aiard — for instance, by the 
 numerous " traib." as the prairie roads arc called. These, 
 thouuh merely, as a rule, two narrow wheel-marks with L;rass 
 fzrowini,^ between (the "team" runnini:; in the wheel-tracks), 
 often slo|) fires for short distances ; but, bein^ able to cross 
 the trail at other spots, the broken line of flanie L;radually 
 joins again, leaving many triangular patches of imburnt 
 grass on the leeward side of the trail, the apex of the 
 triangle, of course, pointing in the direction in which the 
 fire has gone. I saw instances of this one bright moon- 
 light night when T was i)assing over the dry, sandy prairie 
 between I'ort b.llice and Klkhorn. 'i'hc short, scanty grass 
 had been burned by a fire, the lurid glare of which I had 
 plainly seen, miles away, after dark on the previous evening. 
 The trail 1 travelled on, though but faintly worn, served, 
 nevertheless, to check the fire for 100 yards in some places, 
 so that on one hand I had burned, and on the other un- 
 burned, prairie ; but in ])laces the flames had contrived 
 to creep across, and had gone on their way rejoicing. On 
 one occasion, too, I remember seeing a spot where a small 
 fire had been checked, for several yards at least, by the 
 wheels of a wagon having previously crossed its track, 
 pressing down the short grass, though they had left almost 
 no impression on the soil. Such trumpery fires as these 
 are the rule in dry districts ; but there are times when the 
 wind is strong, and the waving grass grows long and rank 
 
 ■ ii 
 
 i 
 

 26 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIHED. 
 
 in a moist soil, when fires occur of much more serious pro- 
 portions. Then a great wall of flame, yards in height, 
 rushes along, causing danger to travellers over the prairie, 
 and destruction to all kinds of settlers' effects. I have been 
 credibly informed that such fires find no difficulty in leaping 
 such a river as the Assiniboine. The f.Uowing account of 
 an adventure with the fire I clijiped from a newspaper. It 
 recounts the experience of a gentleman from Toronto, and 
 will show the danger there is at times : — 
 
 A Prairik Firk. — Severe prairie fires arc raging between the North 
 and South Saskatchewan, ar ' extending east and west for hundreds 
 of miles, burning up everything throughout this part of the country. 
 I left Battleford last Friday on a buckhoard, accompanied by Dr. 
 Dyke Parker. For several days IJattlefc^rd had been enshrouded in 
 smoke ; anc^ as we advanced southward, the smoke became denser, 
 until some eighteen miles south of ikittlefcird a heavy column of dense 
 smoke and flame was seen advancing towartls us, with a strong wind 
 blowing directly in our teeth. For some little time we dnjve towards 
 it, and then halted, with the intention of burning a patch in which to 
 stand as the fnc swept jiast. V/e were advised by some Indians, 
 however, who were going before the lire, to make for a butie, or hill, 
 where the grass was short, and to run through the fire th.ere, as the 
 smoke was becoming unbearable. This wo accordingly did, reaching 
 it just before the llames lapped up the l<jng grass in the bottom below, 
 and roared through the poplar bluffs on either side. Then, ns it 
 rushed up the hill-side, we i)Ut the horse at it, and sliutting our eyes 
 and wrapping ourselves in blankets, we dashed through where the fire 
 was lowest, and emerged into a blackened v.'aste beyond, half suffo- 
 cated, but none the worse. We travelled onward through burnt and 
 smoking country all the day, and the following day again met the fire 
 on its southern course. Taking our foregoing experience, we waited 
 until it reachetl the short herbage on some rising ground, and again 
 cleared it safely, but had a sharp run before it, as it swept rapidly after 
 us, and reached the high grass in the low land beyond. All day the 
 smoke was almost unbearable, but we pushed on, and towards evening 
 had ,again to dash through the fire several limes, which we safely 
 accomplished with a slight singeing. We were now nearing a long 
 stretch of Hat prairie where the grass had attained a considerable 
 height, through which the tire was dashing with lightning speed, and 
 the llames rising ten feet high and more. As we advanced, in its rear, 
 a team attached to a wagon was seen madly dashing through the 
 flame and smoke towards us. They slackened speed as they breasted 
 t':e. hid on which we stood, and on driving up we found the rig badly 
 sni-'ished, the horses with manes and tails burnt completely off, and 
 their hides burnt and torn off in large patches, leaving the raw and 
 bleeding flesh. They were terribly burnt, and cannot live. Mr. 
 Prince, of Battleford, and a boy were with them, and they were also 
 much burnt, esjx'cially Mr. Prince, whose face and hands were masses 
 
 I 
 
 -V 
 
PRAIRIE riRES IN THE CAN'ADIAX XORTH-WI.ST. 27 
 
 ■lous pro- 
 
 I height, 
 e prairie, 
 ave been 
 
 II leaping 
 count of 
 iper. It 
 )nto, and 
 
 the North 
 hundreds 
 e country. 
 ;l l)y Dr. 
 roudcd in 
 le denser, 
 1 of dense 
 onj^ wind 
 e towards 
 which to 
 Indinns, 
 -, or hill, 
 re, ns the 
 I reaching 
 m below, 
 , as it 
 our eyes 
 the fire 
 alf sulTo- 
 rnt and 
 the fire 
 waited 
 a^ljain 
 y after 
 day the 
 
 id 
 
 evening 
 safely 
 a long 
 lucrable 
 ed, and 
 ts rear, 
 igh the 
 )reasted 
 I badly 
 IT, and 
 w and 
 Mr. 
 re also 
 masses 
 
 of bli.^lers, and with beard and hair burnt off. lie told us he had 
 been caught in the high grass, that the wind suddenly changed, and 
 that before they could burn a jiatch the ilanics ruhhed down upon 
 them. He, however, might have outslrip])ed them wiih his fast team 
 had it not been that he had gt)ne to the help of some incoming settlers, 
 con.-,i:^t.ir,g <.)( two men and .-.omc women and children, who had an ox- 
 wagin heavily laden. \Ve gave him what assistance lay in our power, 
 and travelled on. lie will leave his horses with the boy and walk into 
 lialtleford, or wait for the chance of a lift by some incondng traveller. 
 Shortly afterwards we met the ox-wagon. Tin; nun Mhov.ed terriljle 
 cviiience of the severe ordeal through which they had ])asse(.l, and 
 were ■evt-'rely burned about the face and hands. Tlie oxen were also 
 very badly burned, and their hides were cracked and peeling off. The 
 women and children were placed on top of the wagcjn, wliicii was 
 piled high with furniture, and blankets were wrapped round them. 
 They got off with burnt hands. They will cauip until some teams 
 that arc coming up arrive. These teams v.e hurried on to meet, and 
 sent them forward at their best speed to help the olhurs nn. Till we 
 rcachei! the South Saskatchewan, the country was a dreary, blackened 
 waste, liut, on the other side of the river, southward to Swifi Current; 
 stati(.)!) on the Canadian racilic Railway, the prairie-grass v.aved in full 
 
 vigour, 
 
 Tlie grass on the prairies, so far as my observation goes, 
 becomes in the autumn much drier and more combustible 
 than it usually does in England; and when it is remembered 
 that the IManitoban climate is drier than ours, tliat high 
 winds are more prevalent, and that the area over which a 
 fire can run, when once started, is very extensive, no one 
 need wonder that very great conOagrations often take [)lace ; 
 nor is it difiicult to see why such fires do not gain ground 
 in civilised countries such as England. The grass here is 
 greener and much more succulent ; it is generally fed-off 
 so close that there is no dry, inllammable })ortion left ; the 
 climate is moister ; high winds are not so frecpient ; while 
 the number of hedges, and the large extent of cultivated 
 ground, would soon check any fire that once got started. 
 
 It being now understood how very prevalent these prairie 
 fires are, the reader will, in a measure, be })rei)ared for 
 my statements as to the very powerful effect they have 
 been able to exercise upon the lace of the country in 
 various ways ; but, before discussing this effect in detail, I 
 wish to say something more of my own exi)erience of the 
 fires themselves. j\Iy experience certainly has not been 
 extensive ; but I crossed not a few portions of the prairie 
 
if 
 
 28 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIBED. 
 
 li!' 
 ! 
 
 "where fires had been, and saw small ones actually burning 
 in the distance. The spectacle of a large fire at night is 
 said to be one of the most terrific sights imaginable. The 
 volumes of flame and smoke, and the lurid, red glare over 
 the whole sky, give everything a most unearthly appearance. 
 The little fires I saw were only large enough to look 
 " uncanny," without being grand. On October 12, whilst 
 on the prairie, at a locality known as Viola Dale, near the 
 head of Oak River, I came upon the place where a large 
 fire had been thirteen days before. A settlers family, 
 living a few miles off, told me that it had come from near 
 Fort I'lllice ; that it had burned up many settlers' effects, 
 and that they had seen it at night, with flames leai)ing high 
 into the air, " rushing along at the rate of a locomotive," 
 colouring the sky with an unearthly glare, and so filling the 
 atmosphere with dense smoke that it was un])leaHant to 
 breathe. Another man told me that he had burned his 
 hands whilst endeavouring to save his father's premises 
 from the flames. In one place I saw an absent settler's 
 house which had been saved entirely by its fire-guard. 
 How wide the fire may have been I do not know, as it was 
 a good de..l split up near its end by meeting with i)onds 
 and sleughs, which, j)erhaps aided by the wind falling and 
 the fire reaching the river, had caused its stoi;page ; but, 
 after following up its track for a mile or two, I arrived at a 
 place where it must have been several miles in width, as 
 on every side nothing was visible but burned grass. The 
 appearance of the country was most dismal, and the smell 
 like that of a burned straw-stack. Yet this fire cannot 
 have been a very large one, for the gra';3 it had consumed 
 had been comi)aratively short, except in some of the 
 moister spots, and in many places tlie trail had, for short 
 distances, checked its advance. This being the first fire of 
 any magnitude that I had seen, I was a good deal interested 
 in observing the support which it gave to the beliefs already 
 advanced as to the various effects of fire on the prairies. 
 First, let me take the matter of the blackness and fertility 
 of the soil. That the soil is very black and very fertile 
 has already been put forward ; and, with the knowledge 
 already gained as to the prevalence of fires, it seems only 
 like putting two and two together to make four, to conclude 
 
 i 
 
 m 
 
PRAIRIE FIRES IN THE CANADIAN NORTH-WEST. 
 
 29 
 
 J burning 
 : night is 
 le. The 
 Lire over 
 )e:irancc. 
 
 to look 
 2, whilst 
 near the 
 
 a large 
 
 family, 
 oni near 
 
 effects, 
 ing liigh 
 notive," 
 ling the 
 isant to 
 ncd his 
 premises 
 settler's 
 >guard. 
 3 it was 
 
 ponds 
 wd and 
 but, 
 
 d at a 
 
 dth, as 
 
 The 
 
 smell 
 
 an not 
 
 umed 
 the 
 
 short 
 
 ire of 
 rested 
 
 ready 
 :iiries. 
 
 rtility 
 'I'rtile 
 
 ledge 
 
 only 
 
 hide 
 
 it 
 
 tliat these features are due to the fires. In any case, the 
 ash of the burnt grass was left as a black deposit upon 
 the surface of the ground ; and this was especially the case 
 in the bottoms of sleughs and hollows, and where the 
 willows had made the grass long and rank by shading the 
 soil and keeping it moist. Such siiots, at a little distance, 
 ai)pcared much blacker than the rest of the prairie, and 
 examination showed the deposit of ash to be sometimes as 
 much as one-eighth of an inch in thickness. Now, it is a 
 matter of common observation- that the black prairie- 
 loam is usually blackest in such situations, and I do 
 not think it is at all difficult for any well-trained mind, 
 capable of weighing the effect of a very small cause very 
 often repeated, readily tn comprehend that the blackness, 
 fineness, and fertility of the soil of the prairies is the effect^ 
 in a very large measure at least, of the annual deposition, 
 for many generations past, of a very small quantity of this 
 ash, which must undoubtedly have great manurial value. 
 The thickness of the black loam varies from about one to 
 three feet ; but, taking the average at about eighteen inches 
 and the average annual dej^osition of ash at only one- 
 thirty-second of an inch, we find that it would have taken 
 just 576 years to deposit eighteen inches of soil by 
 this means alone. But the ash would certainly rot further 
 and l)ecome consolidated after deposition ; therefore, let us 
 double our figures, and we get 1,152 years as the time 
 required for the formation of eighteen inches of black loam. 
 Of course, in moist districts, where the grass grows long, 
 the rate would be higher, and in dry districts lower. I am 
 perfectly aware that the foregoing is a very vague, and 
 largely a speculative, calculation ; but it will serve to 
 illustrate my point. 
 
 The belief as to the black loam having originated thus 
 is far from being an original one, as I met and conversed 
 with many settlers who fully supported it ; whilst others 
 accepted the view, when the facts of the case were repre- 
 sented to them, and only a few dissented. 
 
 If the blackness and fertility of the soil are not due to 
 the fires, to what are these features due ? Some persons 
 told me that the gradual decay of the grass for generations 
 
 past was the cause ; but dead 
 
 grass 
 
 and leaves have 
 
30 
 
 MANM(M!\ ni',^tKH'.II>. 
 
 (lotMvod in in;uiv iAhcv placrs (or r^ucwxUowi without 
 UmvIu!:. so Inv as 1 h.wc si-rn. a soil nrarlv so lilack as that 
 
 ol 
 
 M 
 
 uiilol>a 
 
 ri 
 
 10 opimon o 
 
 t" r 
 
 oii'^sof Shcliloti. of iho 
 
 .\!:ii(ultural ('o1U\l;o, Pownton. \\ih'-hii(\ is o)ilv mother 
 Mt^ci^ ol' o\ idonco in lavoiu' ot thcMiios, though he docs not 
 alhido I(> th(Mn. llowrilc-s: "Thosoilot' Manitolia is ;i 
 
 1 
 
 jMUVly \^\;\t 
 
 taMo loam. Mark as ink and lull ol" or^ani 
 
 niatt(a-, m sonu^ placos nianv toot 
 
 thicl 
 
 <, I'c'stin:; o 
 
 n the 
 'Vhv 
 
 allnxial drift of iho \\(\\ and Assinihoino Rivers." 
 viMv 1i"\v analvsi^s o[' [he soil of Manitoba that ha\o \)ccn 
 made have hoon iniMishod in I'aniuralion Pamphlets almost 
 tiJ 7h7USi\7?n : but, as thev bear on this subject, I will 
 introdn<-e tw»> ot" them liere : 
 
 AxAiAsis NiMra i; Om: 
 
 ANAivriiM I , mum; \ rtii^v. Si'uia-oN'-' II\ii. 
 
 l-aMMU'Rcn. .'\;y ;;//•(•>■ l.|, 1S76. 
 
 "NToisturc 
 
 Orgaiiie matter (\intainii\i; nilroL^en eijual U) 
 
 anmionia, j^^ 
 Saline matter : 
 
 rhosphaies 
 
 C'arbetnate lit" lime 
 
 Carbonate oi' maLrncsia 
 
 Alkaline salts ... 
 
 CHide ot" iron ... 
 
 Silieious niatter : 
 Sand and siliea 
 Aluminia 
 
 21-364 
 
 \l'22^ 
 
 0-47.7 
 
 ">/ 
 
 
 51-721 
 
 8 ■ 1 3 2 
 
 7'5(^>o 
 
 59'^'53 
 
 lOO'OOO 
 
 Tito above soil is very rieh in orp;anic matter, and con- 
 tains the full amount ot' the saline I'ertilising matters Ibund 
 in all soils of a good bearing quality. 
 
 (Signed) SrErHEXsox !M.\cadam, M.D. 
 
 Lecturer on Chcmisin\ 6"V. 
 
 >*MR 
 
without 
 < ;is (hat 
 1. «>( llu' 
 
 inollicT 
 loi's nol 
 )I).i is a 
 (TUMuic 
 
 ."' 'VUc 
 
 ; almost 
 , I will 
 
 Ml. 
 
 ■}. iS7('). 
 
 
 '^C)o 
 
 ^\53 
 
 'OOO 
 
 con- 
 :)uncl 
 
 I 
 
 I f -P, 
 
 rKAnui: irurs fN mr ( \^'At•r^^^ nmi- i rt wi -i. ',r 
 Anm.vsis Ntmi'I i; Two. 
 
 A^('. I. — Surfiuc Sinl. 
 
 1. Moisture ... ••• ... •• 4"^^' 
 
 2. ()r<^aiiic. nuittcr, liiiiinis ( nnt.iiiiiri;; 
 
 ni(ro[;cn, 
 
 'v I'liosplialo and ( atlioiiMtc of" liinc ... ,:; i '[ 
 
 .|. Soliililc alk;iliii(.' salts, potash and soda >VU 
 
 5. Insoluble sili<a and [.^lavel ... ... 4,V^> 
 
 lOO'O 
 
 N(K 2. — Soil n I 15 ///. /i('!(>7(' S'lrfitcr. 
 
 1. Moisture ... ... ... .-• 3*2 
 
 2. ( )r<;anic matter ... ... ... ... f/o 
 
 ;^. IMiospliate and < arhonate of lime ... 5 t "4 
 
 4. Soluble alkaline salts ... ... ... 4*6 
 
 5. Insoluble siliea ... ... ... ... 3r'8 
 
 lOO'O 
 
 jVo. 3. — Soil a I 24 ///. />c/oii< Surface. 
 
 1. Moisture 
 
 2. Organie matter ... 
 
 3. Carbonate and j)hos])hale of lime 
 
 4. Soluble alkaline salts ... 
 
 5. lnsolu])le silicates and gravel ... 
 
 7-2 
 2 8- 6 
 io*4 
 
 5i-« 
 
 lOO'O 
 
 I consider the aljove a very favourable result for a 
 wlieat soil. It contains a fair average of the constituents 
 of an immediate crop on the surface No. i. l)Oth in 
 ammonia and phospliate of lime, and the constituents of 
 No. 2 and No. 3 show tliat the soil in this res])ect is endur- 
 ing and practically inexhaustible under ordinary prairie 
 tillage. 
 
 (Signed) J. Bakkr Iu)W.\rds, Ph.TJ)., D.Ch. 
 
 Professor of Chemistry, Montreal. 
 Jan. 20, 1883. 
 
 s 
 
f 
 
 32 
 
 MANITOUA DKSCUinKD. 
 
 No less an authority than Dr. (lilbcrt lias also analysed 
 sanii)lcs of Manitoban soil, and hears testimony to its 
 extraordinary richness in nitrot^en.^' 
 
 * I cannot pass from tliis discussion as to the ]H'ciiliaiitios and pro- 
 bable origin of the black soil of the North American prairies, willuuit 
 alluilin}; to the ((hor>to:ei>i, or black earth, of Southern Russia, so well 
 described by Sir Roderick Murchison in his " (Icohji^y of Russia in 
 ICurojie and the Ural Mountains " (vol, i., p. 557), and in the 
 " 'ournal of the Royal At:;ricultural Society " (vol. iii., p. 125). The 
 region occupieil by the black earth is an enornu)Us one. llaviiiLj its 
 connnencenRMit in Iluni:[ary on the west, it extends completely across 
 the whole of Munipean Russia, and, althou};h its limits upon the i)lains 
 of Siberia are unknown, it is reported to extend "over considerable 
 spaces in the eastern, central, and southern jiarls of that reifion," and 
 is probably of a somewhat similar nalu'e to the nxitr, or dark soil, of 
 Central India. A line drawn from Kief on tlie l)niei)er, through 
 Kasan on the Volga, to ICkalerinburi; on the eastern side of the Urals, 
 marks its northern boundary ; while another line, <lrawn from 
 Odessa to Oreid)urj; on the Ural River, rouii;hly indicates its soutlieru 
 limit. In the district thus marked out, the black earth is not universal, 
 but occurs in ]ialclies only, though some of these are of great extent. 
 It always overlies all other kinds of soil ; occurs at all elevations ; and 
 varies from 15 ft. to 20 ft. in thickness. It is "jet black when 
 moist" ; is similar in nature throughout the entire area ; is excessively 
 fertile ; and, though slightly intermixed with sand, is so light and line 
 that travellers crossing patches of it in a dry season are often thickly 
 covered with a black dust, which rises up in clouds lluDUgh the dense 
 covering of rich grass when disturbed by a horse's feet. Of its great 
 fertility there i« no doubt. Sir Ro^lerick says : " Tlie tclioDio'.riii is 
 unquestionably the fnicst soil in Russia, whether for the production of 
 wheat or grass. It is so fertile as arable land that the farmers never 
 apply manure ; and, after taking many crops in succession, leave it 
 fallow for a year or two, and then resume their scourging treatment." 
 As is the case with the soil of tlie prairies, the natural fertility of the 
 tchoriiowin is so great that sk)venly methods of farming are encouraged, 
 and manure is allowed to accumulate in " hillocks of considerable 
 magnitude." The results of two analyses which are given show it to 
 be very rich in organic matter and nitrogen. The following, which is 
 one of them, would serve almost equally well for the black soil either 
 of Russia or Manitoba : — 
 
 Silica 
 
 Aluminia ... 
 
 Lime 
 
 Oxide of iron 
 
 Organic matter ... 
 
 Traces of humic acid, chlorine, &c. 
 
 69-8 
 
 1 3 '5 
 1-6 
 7-0 
 
 6-4 
 
 lOO'O 
 
 .A ''hough the nature and properties of the tchoniozeni and the prairie 
 
PRAIRIK FIRKS IN THK CANADIAN NORTH WKSr 
 
 35 
 
 analysed 
 f to its 
 
 i and pro- 
 
 s, witliDiiL 
 
 ia, so well 
 
 Kussiri in 
 
 (1 in the 
 
 25). The 
 
 llavinq; its 
 
 Icly across 
 
 Ihe plains 
 
 nsiilcrahle 
 
 ^ion," and 
 
 rk soil, of 
 
 r, thioiii;li 
 
 the Urals, 
 
 awn from 
 
 s southern 
 
 universal, 
 
 .'at extent. 
 
 ions ; and 
 
 ack when 
 
 •xeessively 
 
 It and line 
 
 en thickly 
 
 the dense 
 
 f its ^reat 
 
 n!oz</ii is 
 
 hiction of 
 
 ers never 
 
 , leave it 
 
 ■atmenl." 
 
 ty of the 
 
 oura^ed, 
 
 siilerable 
 
 low it to 
 
 which is 
 
 [oil either 
 
 19 -s 
 
 LV5 
 1-6 
 
 7-0 
 
 1 6-4 
 17 
 
 i 
 I 
 
 prairie 
 
 This point, then, l)uin^' disposed of, let us turn to others. 
 Obviously the ])erpetual occurrence of prairie fires must 
 have exercised a very jjowerful influence upon the flora and 
 fauna of the country. We will take the latter first. 
 
 It is a remarkable f:ict that, although very many species 
 of fresh-water moUusca {i.e. snails) inhabit almost every 
 ])ond, lake, and stream, not a single species, so far as my 
 observation goes, inhabits the bare, open |)rairie. That 
 this is not due to the cold of winter, is, I think, obviotis. 
 I am convinced that the ])rairie fires must again be put 
 forward as the cause of this ren^'irkable fact; for I was 
 careful to observe that the fire l)urns the grass so com- 
 pletely down to the ground that, had any snails been 
 sheltering among its roots (as they habitually do in 
 England), they would certainly have been burned. Not 
 unfrec[uently in dry parts of the prairie the settlers cut 
 hay round the ])onds which collect in the depressions, 
 afterwards setting light to the rushes to make the grass 
 more succulent next year. In many such cases I noticed, 
 where the pond had been dried up by the drought this 
 summer, leaving the molluscs lying on the mud, that the 
 flames, in burning the rushes, had burned the shells so 
 severely that their occui)ants would certainly have been 
 killed had they not been already dead through the effect 
 
 soil are thus shown to be very closely allied, it does not necessarily 
 follow that the two have a similar origin. .Sir Roderick Murchison is 
 altogether opposed to the belief that the Russian black earth is " the 
 humus arising from decayed forests or vegetables during the present 
 period," though he admits this to be "the prevalent opinion in 
 Russia," and some of the reasons which he advances against this view- 
 do not appear to me to be at all conclusive. The possibility of fire 
 having had something, at least, to do with the deposition of the black 
 soil is not referred to by Sir Roderick, who, in opposition to a certain 
 author whom he quotes, expresses his total disbelief " in the former 
 existence of forests which have been destroyed (for Herodotus tells us 
 that large tracts of the Scythians were entirely bare of wood), and we 
 are firmly persuaded that by no efforts could any Government produce 
 forests in those districts, except in certain rocky and moist s]Jots." 
 This may be quite true of the Russian .Steppes ; but I am conti'lent 
 that the case is different with the prairies of America. Sir Roderick's 
 opinion is that the tchoniozem is a sub-aqueous deposit, probably 
 derived, to some extent at least, from the denudation of the black 
 Jurassic shale ; but he does not deny that some speculation is needed 
 in order to account for the whole area covered, on this hypothesis, 
 
 D 
 
1 
 
 34 
 
 MANiror.A i)r,scKii;i:D. 
 
 of drought. There arc, however, a few snuill species of 
 lantl-snails inhalMlini; the extensive spruce swamps and 
 the wet moss beside tile slcu,<j;lis whicli, (jf course, the lire 
 does not attack. P'urther, there are, 1 lielieve, at the 
 present time no mammals haJMtuaily freijuenting the open 
 praiiie except burrcnvinij; ones. A ])(jssil)le exception to 
 tliis may have to l)e made on account of one or more 
 .sj)ecies of liare, but these in most parts (if not all parts) of 
 the ])rairie are very rare, though not uncommon in the 
 woods. In times past, of course, the Buffalo formed 
 another exception. 'I'hese facts may, I believe, be easiest 
 explained by sup|)osing that the fires, by constantly sweep- 
 ing over the prairies, have rendered them uninhabitable, 
 except by burrowing animals. To the same cause may, I 
 believe, be attributed (at least in a large degree) a still 
 more remarkable circumstance, namely, the entire absence 
 of ecrth-worms from the prairies of the North-west. 1 have 
 been assured of this absence by many settlers and have 
 verified it by my own observation. Having elsewhere 
 treated more fully of the subject,"^ I will but briefly refer 
 to it here. Most persons will be accjuainted with Mr. 
 Darwin's interesting work, published shortly before Iiis 
 death, in which he shows that over the larger port on of 
 the earth's surface we are in no slight measure benefited 
 by the actions of these humble creatures. They are, in fact, 
 nature's agriculturists, which, for generations past, have 
 regularly i)loughed and rendered the soil fertile in their 
 own way. liut, as there are no earth-worms in the North- 
 west, it is certain that the fineness and fertility of the soil 
 of that country, which has of late attracted so much atten- 
 tion, cannot be due to their actions : consequently this 
 enormous area of over two million square miles must be 
 regarded as forming an exce])tion to the general rule shown 
 to exist by Mr. Darwin. This absence of earth-worms is 
 rendered all the more noticeable by Mr. Darwin's remark 
 that " earth-worms are found in all parts of the world, and 
 some of the genera have an enormous range. They inhabit 
 the most isolated islands," &c., and further that " worms 
 throw up plenty of castings in the United States." 
 
 ..•St 
 
 Nature^ January 3, 1S84, page 213. 
 
i'RAIRIE FIRF.S IN TIIi: CANADIAN NOKTII-WKST. 35 
 
 )ccics of 
 ii])s and 
 , the fire 
 , at the 
 the open 
 jption to 
 or more 
 parts) of 
 >n in tlic 
 ) formed 
 )e easiest 
 ly sweep- 
 liabi table, 
 e may, I 
 ic) a still 
 e absence 
 . 1 have 
 and have 
 elsewhere 
 -ielly refer 
 with Mr. 
 )efore Ins 
 ort on of 
 benefited 
 |re, in fact, 
 last, have 
 in their 
 lie North- 
 f the soil 
 ch atten- 
 ntly this 
 must be 
 le shown 
 1- worms is 
 's remark 
 rid, and 
 ;y inhabit 
 '• worms 
 
 I do not know of any cause which can satisf:;ctorily 
 account for the absence of worms from the prairies except 
 the fire, which, by burnintf the grass over large areas, would 
 annually ile[)rive the worms of that variety of decaying 
 vegetable matter which constitutes their food. Frost, the 
 only other possible cause, seems inadmissible, since worms 
 are known to occur in Iceland hundreds of miles to the 
 north. 
 
 It appears, therefore, as if the cause which has deprived 
 the soil of the North-west of that natural cultivation which 
 the s(jils of most other countries enjoy has, at the same 
 time, liberally su])i)lied it with a manure resulting from tlie 
 ashes of the grass which is annually burned. 
 
 W'c come now to the consideration of another statement 
 that I have already put forward, which is this : That the 
 fires, by gradually killing and consuming the forests, have 
 caused the treelessness of the prairies ; or, in other words, 
 that the prairies themselves are, largely at least, due to fire. 
 The evidence on this point is, I think, very clear. Several 
 exi)lorers of the North-west, from whose works I shall take 
 the liberty of (quoting, since great experience lends weight 
 to their opinions, speak of this matter without the slightest 
 hesito^ion. It can be shown, on the clearest evidence, that, 
 if the lires have not caused the prairies, they are at least now 
 extending them in numberless places ; that trees still grow 
 on the prairies in spots that are protected from the fire ; 
 and that over large portions of the prairies young trees 
 spring up annually, only to be at once burned ; but, if jjro- 
 tected from the fire, they would grow, and in due time 
 reproduce the banished forest-growth. We will consider 
 the last point first. It is a matter of every-day observation 
 on the prairies, that on any piece of ground over which the 
 fire is prevented from passing (as, for instance, that inside 
 a settler's fire-guard), a flourishing growth of willows, roses, 
 silver-leaf bushes, and poplars at once shows itself. If a 
 portion of the prairie escapes the fire for one year, the 
 growth of bushes has time to attain a height of, say, one 
 or two feet ; but, by keeping the ground moister, they en- 
 courage the growth of long grass, and thus bring about 
 more surely their own destruction ; for, when the relentless 
 fire comes, it catches the grass, and burns the young shoots 
 
 D 2 
 
 <i 
 
f 
 
 I f 
 
 36 
 
 MANIl'OliA DKSCRIP.KI). 
 
 of the bushes along with it ; but there is no reason what- 
 ever why the poplars, at least, should not grow into trees, 
 if they were i)roterted from the fire. There is a very 
 general im])ression abroad among settlers that, because 
 trees do not grow on the prairies, the soil is not suited to 
 supi)ort them, consecjuently that they will not grow ; but 
 no delusion eould well be greater than this, or more com- 
 pletely opposed to every-day observation ; and it is only 
 fair to the settlers to say that, as most of them have, as yet, 
 been but a short time in the country, their errors of opinion 
 may be excused. Not a few of them have i)lanted rows of 
 trees near their houses, but, generally, with the very worst 
 success. In a country where the winds are so strong as in 
 Manitoba, trees, if planted at all, need some protection at 
 first, such as being planted in clumps, or, still better, raised 
 from seed in })lantations. That they will grow from seed 
 in the soil of the prairies has already been shown con- 
 clusively, and at High Bluff I saw several thick clumps of 
 nourishing young maples that had been thus raised from 
 seed and protected from fire. One man, who had round his 
 house several clusters of well-grown young poplars, told me 
 that he had observed them springing up ten years before, 
 and had preserved them solely by means of a fire-guard. In 
 confirmation of what is here advanced, I may mention the 
 case of Mr. J. F. Roberts, a very intelligent Ontarian 
 gentleman, now farming on the bare, treeless prairie, about 
 five miles north of Brandon. On first taking up his land, 
 he was assured by his neighbours that it was unreasonable 
 to suppose he would ever get trees to grow on his farm, for, 
 had the soil been suitable to them, they would certainly have 
 been there. But Mr. Roberts was too acute a man to be- 
 lieve this, and observing last spring a number of seedling 
 poplars springing up in a slight depression, where the soil 
 was more moist than on the level ground, he protected 
 them by a fire-guard. The result of this was, that, when I 
 saw them last September, they were a flourishing lot of 
 young trees, some two feet high, which he hoped soon to 
 be able to transplant. These trees must have originated 
 from wind-blown seeds, as there were, I believe, no other 
 trees whatever within three or four mile;, at least; and 
 Mr. Roberts has at present co go eight or nine miles for 
 
I'RAIRir. IIRKS IN THK CANADIAN NOKTir-WLST. 37 
 
 5on wliat- 
 ito trees, 
 is a very 
 because 
 suited to 
 •ow ; but 
 lore corn- 
 it is only 
 ve, as yet, 
 )f opinion 
 :d rows of 
 /ery worst 
 rong as in 
 tection at 
 ter, raised 
 from seed 
 lown con- 
 clumps of 
 .ised from 
 round his 
 Is, told me 
 ,rs before, 
 5uard. In 
 Mition the 
 Ontarian 
 irie, about 
 ) his land, 
 easonable 
 farm, for, 
 ainly have 
 an to be- 
 seedling 
 the soil 
 1 protected 
 when I 
 [ng lot of 
 soon to 
 )riginated 
 no other 
 bast ; and 
 miles for 
 
 1 
 
 
 his sui)i)ly of firewood, which, it may well l)c imagined, 
 keeps him pretty busy all winter. 
 
 Those who have occasion nowadays to cross those por- 
 tions of Iowa and Minnesota, where, fifteen years ago, there 
 existed nothing but a treeless and uninhabited prairie, will 
 see numerous clusters of nourishing aspens, while every 
 settler's house has a few trees planted round it for the sake 
 of shelter. What has been done in these and other States 
 of the Union, where a 'i'ree-culture Act is in force, proves 
 most conclusively that trees will grow well on the j)rairies, if 
 only they are planted and i)rotecte(l. Again, along each side 
 of the Northern Pacific Railroad, at least as far west as the 
 Missouri, young aspens have been planted as snow-breaks 
 wherever there is a danger of the line being blocked by 
 snow in winter. In years to come, these will |)rovi(ie an 
 inexpensive substitute for the wooden snow-breaks at pre- 
 sent in use. 
 
 Evidence as to the past and present destruction of forests 
 and conse([uent extension of the prairie through fire is not 
 less conclusive. An old half-breed told Mr. Seton that 
 when, as a boy, he used to hunt the buffalo on what is now 
 known as the " liig Plain," it was covered with bluffs of 
 good timber, which have now almost completely disappeared. 
 Many settlers can point to some dead tre- or small clump 
 of bushes which forms the last remnant of a respectable-sized 
 bluff that has been destroyed by the fire within the last 
 year or two. A settler always likes, where ])ossible, to be 
 able to shelter his house from the icy blasts of winter behind 
 some small bluff; but if he wishes to preserve his shelter, 
 it is imperatively necessary to surround it with a fire-guard. 
 There is hardly a bluff that docs not show signs of the fierce 
 conflict it annually has to wage with the merciless fire. 
 The destruction wrought is often heart-rending to see. The 
 prostrate trunks of trees, charred ar 1 blackened by the 
 fire, everywhere lie around the outside, while, further in, 
 the trees have a melancholy, drooping, woe-begone aj){)ear- 
 ance. A typical case is something of this kind : — A fire 
 comes over the prairie, and, arriving at the edge of a bluff 
 (as isolated clumps of trees are always called) or at the 
 edge of the more extensive " bush," it attacks the outer 
 trees, burning one side of their trunks just above the ground. 
 
 •^i 
 
38 
 
 MAMTOUA Dr.SCKIISF.I). 
 
 I i 
 
 il i 
 
 also Icajjing uj) and ronsuniing their smaller l)ranclies. 
 Thus, i)(.rha])S, over an area of several acres the lire has 
 eaten into the hush, consuming the imderwood, injuring 
 (if not killing) the trees, but still leaving them standing. 
 Next year the fire comes again from the same dire(-lion. 
 If any young underwood has sprung up it is again destroyed, 
 and the fire enlarges the hollow in the trunks of the standing 
 trees that it had commenced the year before. This, if it 
 does not ])rostrate them, effectually destroys their vitality ; 
 while the fire proceeds on still further into the bush, 
 destroying as it goes. The year after the hungry fire comes 
 again. — always from the same direction. Again the under- 
 growth is destroyed ; again the hollows in the tree-trunks 
 just above the ground are enlarged ; again some of the 
 trees fall and lie charred and half-burned as the fire i)asses 
 on, again adding a larger area to that over which it has 
 already spread hideous disfigurement. Those trees which 
 were first attacked, and which have not already fallen, have 
 now great black hollows scooj)ed out of their trunks as if 
 some animal had gnawed into their bases till nothing but a 
 shell remained to supi)ort them. Jkit the fire seldom 
 forgets to return year by year. AMien it does come it gnaws 
 again at the same spot where it has already several times 
 found food for its unai)peasable appetite ; the trees fall, and 
 the fire, jxissing on in its h. -te to attack those it has as yet 
 only partially overcome, leaves them as charred and black- 
 ened legs upon the ground. Year by year the fire comes ; 
 seizes on these logs ; chars them more and more com})letely, 
 and rushes on further and further into the bluff; until, in 
 a few years, it is all destroyed. Tet us suppose that some 
 twenty or thirty acres of wood have been thus destroyed in, 
 say, seven or eight years : will any one imagine the trees 
 will grow again in the same period ? The bluff may have 
 been growing there for centuries, or ])ossibly it may have 
 been destroyed, in like manner, many years before and 
 have grown up again ; but, as growth is slow and destruc- 
 tion by fire is swift, it is evident that, even supposing some 
 of the destroyed bluffs do grow again — which is not impro- 
 bable — on the whole the prairies would extend their boun- 
 daries. And with such havoc as I have described going on 
 year by year who can wonder at it ? I have sketched no 
 
rKAIRli: FIRES I\ TIIK CANADIAN' NOKI II-Wr.ST. 39 
 
 
 )rnn("hcs. 
 flic lias 
 injurin^r 
 standing, 
 lircction. 
 cstroycd, 
 standini; 
 riiis, if it 
 ■ vitality ; 
 lie bush, 
 ro comes 
 le under- 
 ee-lrunks 
 e of the 
 ire i)asses 
 ch it has 
 x's which 
 Icn, have 
 Links as if 
 ing but a 
 J seldom 
 it gnaws 
 ral times 
 fall, and 
 las as yet 
 . black- 
 comes ; 
 mpletcly, 
 until, in 
 lat some 
 oyed in, 
 he trees 
 nay have 
 nay have 
 fore and 
 destruc- 
 mg some 
 Dt im pro- 
 sir boun- 
 going on 
 :ched no 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 f iiK V i>i(turc, but one which I have seen in all stages of 
 completion in the bluffs round (.'arberry and elsewhere. It 
 does not seem to me reasonable for any man who has seen 
 the destructive effect of these fires to deny that ^ufticient 
 time inlv is wanted for exactlv the same means to have 
 originated even the wide ])rairies themselves. Over and 
 over again I'rofessor Hind speaks of having observed the 
 same thing — forests of large i)ines, spruces, or tamaracs, 
 l)rostrated by the fire, to be partially succeeded by a less 
 valuable growth f elm, poplar, or willow, which, in its turn, 
 is at last destroyed. Here is what he says upon the 
 subject:-— "That forests once covered avast area in Rupert's 
 Land there is no reason to doubt. Not only do the tradi- 
 tions of the natives refer to former forests, but the remains 
 of many still exist as detached groves in secluded valleys, or 
 on the crests of hills, or in the form of blackened, pro- 
 strated trunks, covered with rich grass and sometimes with 
 vegetable mould or drifted sand. The aLrent which has 
 caused the destruction of the forests which once covered 
 many parts of the prairies is undoubtedly iu-e ; and the 
 same swift and effectual tiestroyer prevents the young 
 growth from acquiring dimensions wi.'-h would enable it 
 to check their annual progress. Nearly everywhere, with 
 the exception of the treeless, arid prairie west of the Souris, 
 and west of l.ong Lake on the north side of the (^u'Appelle, 
 young willows and asjjcns were showing themselves in 1^58, 
 where fire had not been in the previous year. South of the 
 Assiniboine and Qu'Api)elle, few plains had esca])ed the 
 conllagration in 1S57, and the blackened shoots of willow 
 were visible as bushes, clumps, or wide-spreading thickets, 
 where the fire had passed." Again, he says : — " 'i'he annual 
 extension of the prairies from this cause [fire] is very 
 remarkable. The limits of the wooded country are becoming 
 less year by year ; and, from the almost universal i)revalence 
 of small asjjcn woods, it appears that in former times the 
 wooded country extended beyond the Qu'Appelle, or three 
 
 or fcjur degrees of latitude south of its present limit 
 
 This lamentable destruction of forests is a great drawback to 
 the country, and a serious obstacle to its future i)rogress." 
 There is no mistaking the tenor of these remarks ; but the 
 same facts must strike every observant traveller on the 
 
 ' *i 
 
40 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRII'.KD. 
 
 i i 
 
 prairies. Macoun, for instance, writes : — " The real cause 
 of the absence of wood on every part of the region uhder 
 consideration is undoubtedly prairie fires, which sweep over 
 every ])art of it year after year, destroying the seedling 
 trees as long as there are any seeds left to germinate, and 
 year by year killing the bushes till the capacity of the root 
 to send up shoots dies out, and then ever willows cease to 
 
 grow Finally, there is not a series of sand-hills 
 
 throughout the country, no matter how poor the soil, but 
 what has either wood or brush ; while immense tracts of 
 first-class soil are without a bush. The rich soil, with its 
 abundance of grass, affords, when dry [presumably the grass 
 is meant], fuel for the flame which destroys any seedlings 
 which may spring up ; at the same time the sand-hills, being 
 unable to carry fire through their extreme poverty, keep it 
 [the growth of seedlings] alive." 
 
 Professor Macoun has, over and over again, expre • ;ed 
 ■ ■''■'-n belief in the opinions I have here advanced as to 
 ili^ ^, .trur.tion of the forest-growth by means of fire, and 
 many statements in supi)ort of these views may be found 
 in his interesting work, " Manitoba and the Great North- 
 West " (especially on pages 27 and 28), where he states 
 that between the Rocky Mountains and an imaginary 
 straight line connecting Moose Mountain and the Touch- 
 wood Hills, the whole country is utterly devoid of wood as 
 far north as latitude 52, with the exception of Wood 
 Mountain, the Cypress Hills, and certain narrow river 
 valleys. Elsewhere, in reference to Professor Hind's 
 journey of exploration in 1859, Professor Macoun adds 
 that " where he saw large forests, I passed over in 1880 
 and never saw a twig." 
 
 Although further evidence may not be wanting to 
 corroborate that \\ hich has gone before, I will make one 
 more extract. Professor A. R. C. Selwyn, Director of the 
 Geological Survey of Canada, writes as follows : " Whatever 
 the effect may be of these destructive conflagrations, in 
 reference to the water-supply of the region, there is no 
 doubt that at different times almost every square mile of 
 the country between Red River and the Rocky Mountains 
 has been subjected to them ; and that hundreds of miles 
 of forest have thus been converted into wide and almost 
 
PRAIRIE FIRES IN THE CANADIAN NORTH-WEST. 
 
 4it 
 
 ?al cause 
 )n uhder 
 eep over 
 seedling 
 late, and 
 the root 
 cease to 
 and-hills 
 soil, but 
 tracts of 
 with its 
 :he grass 
 leedlings 
 Is, being 
 , keep it 
 
 xpre . ;ed 
 :d as to 
 fire, and 
 e found 
 
 North- 
 e states 
 1 aginary 
 
 Touch- 
 A'ood as 
 
 \V'ood 
 w river 
 
 Hind's 
 |in adds 
 n 1880 
 
 ting to 
 ike one 
 
 of the 
 hatever 
 ions, in 
 is no 
 mile of 
 untains 
 f miles 
 
 almost 
 
 treeless expanses of prairie." He then goes on to speak of 
 the large area now devoid of trees. Dr. R. IJell, the 
 Assistant Director, in forwarding a report t ; Professor 
 Selwyn shortly after, comments upon the foregoing 
 sentence in the following words : " Your remarks upon 
 the destruction of forests by fire, between Red River 
 and the Rocky Mountains, are corroborated by all that 
 I could hear u})on the subject. The rapidity with which 
 some tracts between Prairie Portage and Fort EUice were 
 stated to have been converted from forest to prairie, is 
 almost incredible." 
 
 Could anything show more conclusively than the foregoing 
 statements the destruction which these fires have wrought? 
 
 It may, however, be asked : What has become of the 
 trunks and stumps of these destroyed trees ? The former, 
 lying upon the surface of the ground, would be annually 
 attacked by the fire, and at last would be entirely con- 
 verted into ash, or they would be speedily disintegrated, 
 when once well rotted, by a species of ant which drives 
 tunnels through such soft logs in all directions. Dr. 
 Bell, in speaking of the district south of Fort Ellice, 
 writes : " The aspens of that rc^gion burn much more 
 readily than does the wood of the same tree in Ontario 
 and (Quebec, and the portions which escape total destruc- 
 tion by fire rot and disappear in the course of one or two 
 years." I have heard of charred logs being dug up from a 
 considerable depth below the surface of the open prairie. 
 They had probably been covered by the burrowings of 
 gophers and badgers. 'J'he working of these animals will 
 also, to some extent, account for the disappearance of the 
 roots and stumps of the trees ; but it certainly is surprising 
 that these should have disappeared so completely as they 
 have done. 
 
 It is a well-known fact that the growth of forests is 
 intimately connected with the climate of any country, and 
 it is natural to conclude that the disafforestisation of the 
 prairie region must have caused some change in the 
 climate. 7"he whole subject has of late been brought 
 prominently before the Canadian public through an ener- 
 getic pamphlet by Mr. R. W. Phipps, of Toronto, in which 
 he shows that the removal, during the last fifty years or 
 
 ■\{ 
 
 • n 
 
42 
 
 M \M MM! \ IMM KII'M'. 
 
 SO, of (li(^ (vlrnMxr ((Mrsls wluih loiintMh' (ovckmI tin* 
 
 r 
 
 \o\inr('ol ( Mit.mo h;is srnoiish ;illr< ii-ti iis » lim.ilc hv 
 
 low 
 'i'hi 
 
 cnn;; llir nii-;in InnpcMlnu' nmi !«"<•. t-niii!; llir iiiml.i 
 
 s. ;ii:nin. 
 ilo ll 
 
 11,1' 
 
 iliM \r;r>(^(i llu' \olnm<> ol ihc sIhmius, ImiI 
 
 in;uii' llv.MU NiiDjvM t lo 'mm(o\1', llood', on Ihr MppiMiinirc o( 
 li(\n\ i.iin. rhr- Ihmmi; tho r;is(\ onr luav liiitiv < ot\< linle 
 th,\1 ihr viinr vc^snljs li;iv»^ lollnwrd llu' iiMno\,\l ol tho 
 iovrsls m thr Noith wx^sl. .nul lli;i1. wimc iIu^\ ti'slnicd, iho 
 high winds ^mrliuhnj: hii/ /rivtls') would hr !'j(\Ml\ K-sscMud. 
 thi^ i;nr,l;\ll «^|n,ilisrd. ;ind llir iiuMii irtnprinliiro lar.rd. 
 Tho sniuo rnuso nnist. ;is ;ilir;id\ st.ilrd. li;i\i' h;id ;i « oti 
 sidiM;iM«' v\'\'ci'\ on \hc lltM;i ;ind (;iunn. holh iIikm ll\- ;md 
 nidiiv«'tl\. b\ « h.inj^inj; llir ( liin;\1o ;ind b\ \hc r\l('nnin;i 
 tion ol ihosr s]H^ri(^s iitl(^d lor ;i lorosl ]\\{\ in hivonr ol 
 tliosr nioi(^ suitt^d \o c\\'^\ o\\ \])c ojhmi phun. or ;il)lo in 
 soino s]HN lal w;n" to \c'^\A []\c iwc. 
 
 lUMoiv jMOtin^lins; tinllioi U will Ix^ nccrssnrv for mo 
 io ni;iKo two r\p1nn;iti(M\s. Vhc liist is. llinl in s|u\ikinj; 
 ot " ]M,niios" 1 rotor lo tho triio jMinrios onl\, ;ind do 
 lU"*! inrludo tho ;ni«l. stcniU^ roj^ion now » (uninonlv spokon 
 ot' ns tho " Viiont ri;iins."" hot IohiumIn « ;ilK><l llu^ " ( ho;i(; 
 Anicrior.n Po^oil." It is ;i \hm\- roininon thini; lor pooplo 
 tvi oiMilonnd tho /tc^/Vvv.v oi North ,\inori«;i with tho /'/<////v; 
 but this should on no nciount ho dono. lor tho pr;iirio- 
 roi;ion has tonturos and ohar.utoristios (|uito dillcront 
 troni tlit'iso of' tho i>lain roi^ion. Tho wholo oi tho ((Mitral 
 ]>orti('(n (>t X(>rth Amorica. Ivinu hotwoon tho (iiwil 1 akos 
 and tlio Ro(kv Mountains. nia\ \)c dcscribod as a vast 
 plain sh^iMnu downwards h(Mn tho loot ol tlu^ mountains. 
 North o\ tho Intornational In^undarv lino iho slop(> is 
 nuMV north oastward. as sh(>wn bv tho ooursos ol tho 
 Saskatoliowan. Clunvhill. No1s(Mi, and othor rivors ; while 
 south ol" tho lino tho InMindarv is moro sinith oastward, as 
 shown by tho ooursos ot' tho Miss(nni and tho Mississippi, 
 so that, {o S(Mno oxtonl. tho di\ ision botwoon Canada and 
 the Slates is a natural one. AKmiu this boutularv-lino. the 
 surlaoe ol llie ground vises irom alu">ut 700 leet at the point 
 where the Rod River erosses it lo alnnil 4,000 toot at the 
 base of ilie Roeky Mountains, a distanoe ot" about 1,000 
 miles ; but this rise inoludes two sutldon litis ot" over ()oo 
 t"eet each, marking the boundaries of the " three prairie 
 
IT Ml' I 
 
 in ■; IN I III ( AN' A hi AN N'll' I II Wl S'f. 
 
 ^^ 
 
 im.\li> l)v 
 ' i;uiil;ill. 
 .ims, |)ii| 
 n;li;» r n( 
 ( OH" lildr 
 ll »t| tlit< 
 orcd. ll)(« 
 losscnctl, 
 i«' iMJscd. 
 I ;i ton 
 M ll\ .nul 
 
 ;iV()iir nl 
 ;il>lr in 
 
 ■ Ini WW 
 
 iiiiil do 
 
 SpilkiMl 
 
 1 pooplc 
 
 ,' /•/.;//;*•; 
 
 piiiiric 
 
 Iillcirnl 
 
 <\Mili,d 
 
 I ,lkc>S 
 
 ;i v;isl 
 inl.iins. 
 o|H' is 
 ol \hc 
 ; wliilr 
 nrd. as 
 issii)pi, 
 la and 
 no. the 
 point 
 al the 
 
 I,O0O 
 
 cr boo 
 >raiiic 
 
 I 
 
 
 ■,'* 
 
 sl(>pp("; " mlo will' ll til'' y\('j\ »'iiti.d pl.iiii i; n.ifiii illy 
 divided. '\\\v In^l. or ( ;i',trtiiiiio:;t, Ktippi nnlii.iM"; iIm- 
 vallrv^' ol die l'''d kiv'ci ;iiid I'pprr IVI issi . -ippi. Notlli 
 n( die Intciiialionai I'.oiiiiduw il i'; jpoiindcd "n tjic west 
 |»V die « liain of clcval loir; known a ; die !'( iiiliin,i, Ridiru';, 
 |)iHk, and I'a'i Moimlaiip; ; Itut dic^f air iiltoi/;! tli'T 
 niJH naini'd inoiintaiir;, in.iaiin'li ;i;, wImii tlw ii '.iiiniiiit 
 is ?t ;!( lu'd, aiiodici cxtrn .iv<' phiin ^di<' Sc ond I'ijiih; 
 Steppe) i'> (oiind to ev(( lid huin it, avv;iy to the 
 weslwaid. 'riiis, aj;ain. e; l»oiiiid<d on lie- \ve,t \ty 
 anollier similar rise, ol wlm li tli' (ii.ind ( otenu d(; 
 Missouri loiins pari, exli tidiii!', iiotili westwards across tlio 
 Sask;il( liewan lo near I ,ae l,i I'.k Iir. ( )ii ;is((ndin('; this, 
 the 'I'liird Prairie Steppe, w la* li extends to the nioiinfains, 
 is ica< lied. 'I he li lie pr;iii ie , <,i < iip'\ I he I n.t aial Ser ond 
 Steppes. 'I'liey are alamdantly leiiile, v.cll watered, arifl 
 would, loi the most p.irt. Ic (f)V( icd with lore ,ts of as[»eri 
 atid willow, did not the aiinnal fires prev( nt their {growth. 
 The .i',real( I pari of Manitoba lies wilhin the liniifs of the 
 l''iist Steppe, hnt a portion also Iks in the Sc ond. I'.roadly 
 s|H'akin^, the piairie icfMf)!) ol Morth AiiKriea. (oniprises 
 the eastern portions ol Ohio and Inrjiana ; the southern 
 portions ol Mi( hif^'an an-; 'A'ls* oir.in ; portions o( Missouri, 
 Kansas, and Neliraska , almost the whole (»f Illinois, Jowa, 
 Minnesota, and Manitoha ; all of hakota as kir west as the 
 Missouri, and all ol the North west 'I'erritot ic; ol (!ariarla, 
 sonth ol the Saskal( hewan as lar west as the loph (\vi'ri'>'. 
 of lon,L;itnde. 'I'lie true plains o( f iipy the Third I'rairu: 
 Steppe, or all the country liet ween the prairie . and the koeky 
 Mountains, "where" (as Trof. I find says) " l)f>th soil and 
 climate unite in estahlishin;^ a slerih; re^'ion." I'ire may have 
 ht.d somethini!; lo do with denuding.'; this re-Mon of its trees, 
 as I'rof. Maeoun seems to(()nsider; hut, on the' f)fher hand, 
 Lieut. K. 1. hodi^^e, in his intercstinj^' work, "Hunting- 
 grounds of the Wild West,'' says he does not heiieve the 
 trei'lessness of the true |)lains tf) he due solely to lire, hut 
 also ])robal)Iy, in jiart, to liiLdi winds .and laek (jf water.* 
 
 'I'he second point on whit h I wish to offer an ex[)lana- 
 tion is, that in discussing the destruf tion by fire of the 
 
 * For further observations on the- plains, rsce p. 14 r. 
 
44 
 
 MANIT013A DESCRIBED. 
 
 ^ ■ ,y 
 
 forests which once covered large ])ortions of the prairies, 
 wc must take into consideration the fact that the fires 
 will, in nearly all cases, travel eastwards with the i)revail- 
 ing winds. This will be the more clearly seen when it is 
 pointed out that the mean resultant direction of the wind 
 for eleven years (1871 to 1881 inclusive) was N. 44deg. W. 
 This will help us to understand several facts ; such, for 
 instance, as why, if there are any trees, they will, in the 
 majority of cases, be upon the eastern side of a lake or 
 river. Thus, as Captain Butler remarks of the Red River : 
 — " Its tributaries from the east flow through dense forests ; 
 those from the west wind through the vast sandy wastes of 
 the Dakota prairie, where trees are almost unknown." 
 
 Roughly speaking, the whole of the region for hundreds 
 of miles to the east of Red River and Lakes Manitoba, 
 Winnipegoosis, and Winnipeg, is one of dense forests, pro- 
 tected from the ravages of the prairie fires by those friendly 
 pieces of water ; while the whole region to the west is 
 prairie, exposed to the fire. On the north, the north branch 
 of the Saskatchewan forms the boundary of the true prai- 
 ries. Presumably, the fires must have had some open re- 
 gion in the east for them to start upon, before they could 
 gain strength to attack and destroy the forest lying to the 
 east ; and doubtless the arm or extension of the great plain 
 which extends northwards to the South Saskatchewan, 
 provided such a tract. Another conclusive proof that the 
 reason for trees not growing on the prairie is that the fire 
 prevents them so doing, is afforded by the fact that, 
 wherever there is an island in a lake or in the middle of 
 a " sleugh," that island, being protected from the fire, is 
 covered with trees and bushes. Proofs of this may be 
 seen everywhere on the prairies. Further, when a deep 
 ravine, formed by some rivulet, crosses the bare prairie, its 
 sides are thickly covered with bushes, because, as a rule, 
 the wind cannot get down into the ravine to drive the fire 
 onwards. The same thing is often observable where 
 there is a sudden drop in the surface of the ground. 
 
 Captain Butler, in his " Great Lone Land," compares 
 the edge of the great sub-arctic forest, " whose northern 
 extreme must be sought where the waters of the Mackenzie 
 mingle with the waters of the Arctic Sea," to the shore of 
 
I'RAIRIK FIRES IN THE CANADIAN NORTH-WEST. 45 
 
 prairies, 
 the fires 
 prevail- 
 len it is 
 the wind 
 '. deg. \y. 
 uch, for 
 , in the 
 lake or 
 i River : 
 forests ; 
 'astes of 
 1." 
 
 Lindreds 
 anitoba, 
 sts, pro- 
 friendly 
 west is 
 branch 
 -le prai- 
 pen re- 
 y could 
 to the 
 It plain 
 he wan, 
 lat the 
 he fire 
 
 that, 
 die of 
 fire, is 
 lay be 
 
 deep 
 rie, its 
 
 rule, 
 le fire 
 where 
 
 ipares 
 'thern 
 :enzie 
 )re of 
 
 an ocean with *' its capes and promontories, which stretch 
 far into the sea-like prairie, the indentations caused by the 
 fires sometimes forming large bays and open spaces won 
 from the domain of the forest by the fierce flames which 
 beat against it in the dry days of autumn." Of Fort 
 Carlton, on the Saskatchewan, he writes : — " Carlton 
 stands on the edge of the great forest region, whose 
 shores, if we may use the expression, are wasted by 
 the waves of the prairie ocean lying south of it ; but the 
 waves are of fire, not of water. Year by year, the great 
 torrent of flame moves on deeper and deeper into the dark 
 ranks of the solemn, standing pines ; year by year, a wider 
 region is laid open to the influence of sun and shower, and 
 soon the traces of the conflict are hidden beneath the 
 waving grass, and climbing vetches, and the clumps of 
 tufted prairie roses But another species of vegetation also 
 springs up in the track of the fire : groves of aspens and 
 poplars grow out of the burnt soil, giving to the country 
 that park-like appearance already spoken of. Nestling 
 along the borders of the innumerable lakes that stud the 
 face of the Saskatchewan region, these poplar thickets 
 sometimes attain large growth ; but the fire too frequently 
 checks their progress, and many of them stand bare and 
 dry, to delight the eye of the traveller with the assurance of 
 an ample store of bright and warm firewood for his winter 
 camp when the sunset bids him begin to make all cosy 
 against the night." 
 
 Enough evidence has now been brought forward to show 
 that fire is the agency which has destroyed the forest- 
 growth that once covered the prairies, and that, were the 
 fires stopped once for all, trees in plenty would soon grow 
 up in all parts of the prairies, which are at present so bare. 
 Had these fires been stopped some fifty years ago, it is not, 
 I believe, too much to say that at the present day the Pro- 
 vince of Manitoba would better have merited the title of 
 the Sylvan Province than that of the Prairie Province. In 
 support of this, I will again quote Prof. Hind, who says : 
 — '* In the State of Missouri, forests have sprung up with 
 wonderful rapidity on the prairies as the country became 
 settled so as to resist and subdue the encroachment of the 
 annual prairie fires from the west." Again, he says : — " If 
 
 ' 'I 
 
 ii 
 
46 
 
 M \Nll(ni\ DISCKIlilP. 
 
 willmvs and aspens wimt lUMinillrd lo i;i(>\v over the piaities, 
 ihey wouUl soon Ik' eon\eiteil into humid tracts, on which 
 vegetable matter wonld at cunmlate, and a soil adapted to 
 lorest trees be lornu-d. 1 1 a portion ot tlu' prairie escapes 
 the tire tor two or three years, the result is seen in the 
 growtli of willows, :md aspens, thst in patches, then in large 
 areas, which in a short tune become united awA coviM' the 
 country, thus retarding evaporation, anil permitting the 
 necumulation ot'\egelable matter in the soil. A lire comes, 
 destroys the voung lorest growth, and establishes a prairie 
 once more. The reclamation oi iuunensc areas is not be- 
 yond human innver ; the extension oi the prairit-s is evi- 
 ilentlv due to tires, and tires are caused by Indians, chielly 
 lor the juupose of telegra]»hic comnnmicalion, or to divMl 
 the butfaloes from the ct)urse they may be taking. These 
 opcrati(Mis will lease as the Indians and the bulTaloes 
 diminish, - events which are taking place with great 
 ra]>idity.'' 
 
 lUit the whole oi' the indictment against the tires is not 
 yet told. In the spring time, they often destroy tlie nests 
 of the prairie chickens ; and, as might be exi)ected, when 
 they eome in the autunm, they cause immense destrudion 
 among the settlers' croj^s an^l buildings. The following 
 ]")aragraphs will speak for themselves. They are a few of 
 those I clipped Uom various Manitoban journals :* — 
 
 "Prairie tires are raging at Long Lake, .l\gg Lake, and 
 the Heaver Hills. At l\gg Lake the lire has entered C'ajnain 
 Moore's limber limit, and is destriiying all betbre it. Twelve 
 or fifteen miles up the river the lire has run through to the 
 bank, and is now working east. Unless rain f:\lls soon, the 
 chanees are tlic whole ct)untry will be burned over. Ahiny 
 of the tarmers at St. Albert have burned around their stacks, 
 and on the south side they have been ])loughed around. 
 No serious losses have been reported so far, and, with a 
 little i")rceaution, no loss of any account need be sus- 
 tained."' 
 
 ''There has been considerable hay destroyed by fire 
 
 * A single copy of the /vc^/na Leader, which has just come to 
 haml, dated October 22, 1SS4, records no less than eight instances of 
 the loss by settlers of valuable property. There is also a leading 
 article upon the subject. 
 
rKAIkll', IIKIS IN I UK ( \N MU AN N< U I 1 1 W I > r. 47 
 
 " |n;iinos, 
 oil \vhi(~h 
 l;il)tc«l to 
 / ('S( .ipcs 
 ;n in the 
 n ill lnri;o 
 rover the 
 itting the 
 re < (lines, 
 
 a ])niiric 
 is not 1)0- 
 cs is evi- 
 ls, cliiclly 
 
 to (livrt 
 ;. Those 
 
 l)iilTal()os 
 Xh i;roat 
 
 res is not 
 the nests 
 
 led, \vlion 
 struetion 
 \)ll()\vinL!; 
 a low of 
 
 ake, and 
 ("aptain 
 Twolvo 
 h to the 
 
 soon, the 
 Many 
 
 ir stacks, 
 around. 
 
 1, with a, 
 be siis- 
 
 by fire 
 
 t come to 
 
 istances of 
 
 a leading 
 
 ^> 
 
 around tliis district lliis lall. Waller Wells and AIIutI 
 Norton, we arc told, lost all tlicy Ind, in the sliapr of 
 several stac ks, wliii li tlicv l"it n|) at the place known as 
 \i(toria Ho.:;, jaiiies Shaw and ( leor^e Hyde are anion;; 
 th(- lo^<rs in this line. '! iiese ^entU'inen all live in and 
 around llalnioial, and, ol (nin 4', they were not niadr 
 aware ol the liic nnlil it had ,L;ained too iniK h headway 
 to lie |)nt a stop to." 
 
 " .\ prairie lire, driven bv a Iii-Ii wind, swejit over a Iar<';e 
 extent ol" this vi( inity, and (onsinned an iininense «|naiitity 
 ol hay. As a conse(|nen(e, it is leared that sonic settlers 
 will be obli,u,ed to dispose ot the majority of their sto( k. 
 This should be a wariiiiiL'; lo lariners to put lire-guards 
 around, iheii hav as soon as il is stai ked. 'An ounce of 
 l)revention is worth a pound ot euri-.'" 
 
 "Sri. KIRK, ()et. 2. Prairie lires have been ra,L;ing about 
 six miles west, and have done ( onsiderable damage to the 
 hay." 
 
 "The (oiintrv on the ('al,!j;ary trail, between the Dlack 
 Mud and the riju'stone, has been burned. 'I'lie fire crossed 
 the river troin Stony ('reek to the south side, and is now 
 burnin;; furiously." 
 
 "Mr. (lunnc has received information that disastrous 
 fires have been raging in the country around Moose Moun- 
 tain during the i)ast week, a number of settlers having had 
 their entire cro]), and in many cases their hcnises, ( on- 
 sumeil. The reports so far, however, are very meagre." 
 
 "The ])rairie fires swept over the J^lin Valley neigh- 
 bourhood on Tuesday, the 2n(l of the month. Mr. Dougall 
 Cameron mourns the loss of his hay-stacks; Mr. Wright 
 lost i,200 bushels of grain ; and liest l>ros. 700 bushels of 
 wheat and oats, and 17 tons of hay. Mr. I)est came very 
 near losing his house, the fire burning up his wood-pile to 
 within a few feet of the door." 
 
 " A prairie fire a few miles from Crystal City was raging 
 the latter j)art of last month. The horizon on every side 
 was lighted up, and it made ."> landscape long to be remem- 
 bered for its j)ictures(|ue beauty. The fire is said to have 
 started on the American side in Dakota, and swept into 
 Canadian territory with great fury, and we are sorry to state 
 that some of the farmers suffered severe loss in the destruc- 
 
4S 
 
 M.\Nir«)H\ 1)1 s(uim;i). 
 
 tion ol their rro]is. Mr. D. l\)tl(.M, \vc arc told, l«)st ail of 
 a very large rrop, and lUMrly all ol" the < roj) of Mr. Alex. 
 MeTavish was destroyed, as was in part the crops of (lahriel 
 llohues and Corhilt vV ( 'rookshank, and William (loult- 
 hard. Mr. l-orsyth, in 1,15. not only lost all o( his crop, 
 but also his granary, and nearly all the material he had on 
 the ground tor the construction of a dwelling. This sad 
 exjierience oi' those who have had their crops thus ruth- 
 lessly destroyed will i)'()ve a lesson to many to secure their 
 crops with good and j.ulli( ient the breaks." 
 
 l''rt)ni the evidenie now atlduceil, it will be seen that the 
 enormous damage tione by the prairie fires has no com- 
 pensating features, except that the i)asturage after them is, 
 perhaps, imj)rt)ved for a time, a matter of comparatively 
 small moment surely. Net I am convinced that by far the 
 largest number o\' fnes, both in the sjjring and autvunn, arc 
 started intentionally by settlers lo improve their i)asturage, 
 t)r, as they tliink, to ritl themselves of moscjuitoes, while 
 the rest arc due to carelessness in not putting out camj)- 
 lires, iVc. This being the case, most persons will very 
 naturally ask why the starting of a fire should not be 
 heavily punishable by law. 'i'hc only answer returnable 
 is, that it is so ; but the difiiculty of carrying out the law 
 is very great. Mr. Acton lUnrows, Minister of Agriculture, 
 obligingly furnished me with a copy of the Act ])assed on 
 February 8, 1880, and entitled "An Act to Prevent the Ex- 
 tension of Prairie Fires.'' It is rather a curiosity in the 
 way of legislation, and may be summarised as follows : — 
 
 (i.) Any person making haystacks on the oi)en prairie 
 shall ]")rotect them with a ploughed or burned fire-guard, 
 not less than S ft. wide, and not less than 20 ft. from them ; 
 and, to i^'cvent accidents, a tire shall not be lighted for this 
 purpose unless at least three men be present to prevent it 
 running. (2.) Any person disobeying this to be liable to a 
 fine. (3.) Any person allowing tire to run off his own 
 woods or prairies, to the damage of those of other persons, 
 shall be fined, on conviction, not less than 200 dols. or, in 
 defiiult, not more than twelve months' imprisonment. (4.) 
 Any ]-)erson leaving a fire burning without taking effectual 
 means to prevent its spreading on to lands other than his 
 own, shall be finable to the extent of 100 dols., or im- 
 
 I 
 
(•HSl,inA-||«)NS ON 'IlIK CI.IMNTI' (»r MANIInl'.A. 
 
 lost all of 
 
 Mr. AKx. 
 
 of (lal)ricl 
 
 ;iin (!()iilt- 
 
 his crop, 
 
 lie had on 
 
 'I'liis sad 
 
 llius ruth 
 
 .•cure their 
 
 }n thai the 
 s no < oin- 
 •r them is, 
 iparalively 
 by far llie 
 ituinii, are 
 pasturai^e, 
 toes, wliile 
 out canip- 
 s will very 
 Id not be 
 returnable 
 .It the law 
 grieulture, 
 passed on 
 nt the Kx- 
 ity in the 
 ows : - 
 len prairie 
 fire-guard, 
 om them ; 
 ed tor this 
 prevent it 
 liable to a 
 his own 
 r i)ersons, 
 ols. or, in 
 
 ent. (4-) 
 effectual 
 than his 
 
 Is., or im- 
 
 V) 
 
 prisoned lor not more than si\ nionilr.. (5.) The inronncr 
 is to receive half the line. (6.) j'ersons n)ay let out (ire to 
 save Iheujselves from danger. (7.) In case of (ire in woods 
 or on prairies, the nearest overseer of highways may sum- 
 pion tlu> inhabitants to assist in putting it out. (.S.) In 
 case of default, the parties are linabh-. (<).) Damages are 
 recoverable bifore any compelent ( 'ourt of jurisdi* lion. 
 (10.) ( 'opies of this A< I are lo be distributed, (ii.) Ke- 
 l)eals former Ads and ( )rders in Council. 
 
 Here we have the fust section anupclliniyx man to pro 
 te< t his own goods, and, in so doing, either to use a plough, 
 or, at his own option, the very means whi( h are as likely as 
 not to <ause the same danger to all his neighbours as hi: 
 himself is trying lo |)rovide against ; for it is fairly certain 
 that, in many cases, no three men could be sure of preventuig 
 a fire from riuming. A friend told me that he once a( ( i- 
 dentally let lire out in a high wind, and before it hafl run 
 a mile, he was sure the bla/e was two miles wide. I heard, 
 too, of a ease in which a reverend gentleman had been 
 fined the fiill 200 dols. ; but, as a rule, settlers (an fire the 
 prairie with impunity. Difficult as it Uiight be to enforce, 
 a law is recjuired which shall severely punish the lighting 
 of a prairie fire under any ])rete\t whatever, 'i'he severity 
 of the iK'ualties in the ])resenl Act shr)ws that the iMani- 
 toban legislators went to work in the right sjiirit, though 
 with a wrong method. 
 
 I must ask my readers to i)ardon the great length at 
 which I have treated of this j)art of my subject ; but enough 
 has been said to show its great im})ortance. 
 
 •c-* 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 
 OnSERVATION.S ON THE CUMATE OF MANITOI'.A. 
 
 There are many persons who will be inclined to ridicule 
 my remarks ui)on the climate of Manitoba, simjily because 
 I have not spent a complete winter there. JUit, as a 
 result of extensive inquiries, I am convinced that this is 
 
 E 
 
50 
 
 M \M r(M! \ I>^.^( 1:1111 l>. 
 
 ii i 
 
 
 not so meat an onussion ;.s ir.any ]ico]»lo will he iiu iincd 
 to bclicvi". 
 
 Of nil iho cansc'-: wliicli niakc I'-n^lislunon distrMstfiil 
 ol" C'anada as a lu'ld tor scttKincnt, llio scvciilv of the 
 winter is hv far the most poweilul. \\ ere our would he 
 enUL;rants perl'eedy sati>i"ied in their owiv minds that the 
 winter eerlainlv is not so ^reat an obstacle to the luturc 
 (levelopmtMit ol" the (onntry as some lursons have repre- 
 sented it to 1h'. the tide of emii^ration to (Canada as a 
 whole, and to \ anitoha in partieelar, would he j^reatK 
 increased. To tins point, then, ' will now direct my 
 attention. 
 
 To the mind ol" the avera;j;e l''nj;lishman, ( 'anada in 
 ;onsihly jircstMits itscU" as a land of i)iM|ietual winter. The 
 ideas ot" t'nr-cl;id nuai, ol' iinulin;; sleigh hells, of hard 
 frosts, ot" " ice carnivals,"" aiul all other kinds of winter 
 sports arc so iiiscparahly c uniecled with C'anada in the 
 tlu)UL;hts of many, that the nijtio.' of there heinj; a sunmicr 
 at all in that eonnlry — to snynothiiiL; of that sunnncr heini; 
 a delightful one — is, at first, not altoi^ether unlikely to 
 ai>pcar absurd. This idea, that Canada is a country know- 
 int; no other season than the winter time, which has almost 
 nneonsciously iKMineated our thoughts, is, 1 believe, largely 
 resjionsible tor the bad name which Manitoba has now 
 come to ])osscss in ihe eves of many peo])lc. What 
 amonnt of truth there is in it let my readers jndgc after 
 having read mv statements. 
 
 I have no desire whatever to make tlic ISFanitoban winter 
 appear cither more or less severe than it really is ; but the 
 almost universi'l lostimony retxMvcd from actual settlers has 
 }icrfeclly convin( ed nic that the disadvantages of the severe 
 winter have been greatly exaggerated in this country ; 
 though it is useless to deny that they are very great. Lest 
 some should imagine that, having only s'.v'i things at their 
 best, 1 am disinclined to believcthey ever reach their worst, 
 I will here (]uote some remarks made by Captain lUitler in 
 liis "Wild North Land"' (p. 68). He says: ''Those who 
 in summer or autumn visit the great prairie of the vSas- 
 katchewan can form but a faint idea of its winter fierceness 
 and utter desolation. They are prone to paint the scene 
 as wanting only the settler's hut, the yoke of oxen, the 
 
 
()|!Sr,KV.\l IONS f)\ TFtl CF.IMVIT. OT MWIIOIM. 
 
 5' 
 
 |)c iiK lim-d 
 
 (listrustrul 
 •ity »'l llir 
 r would l)r 
 Is thai the 
 
 tlio fntuiv 
 Kivc n'i)rc 
 ;in;i(la as a 
 
 !)(• L;rcall\ 
 
 direct my 
 
 Canada in 
 
 inter. 'I'lie 
 
 Is, of hard 
 
 s i)t winter 
 
 lada in the 
 
 i; a summer 
 
 nmer beinj;]; 
 
 unhkely to 
 
 nitry know- 
 
 iias ahnost 
 
 eve, largely 
 
 1 lias now 
 
 le. What 
 
 udge after 
 
 )han winter 
 is ; but the 
 settler's has 
 
 the severe 
 s country ; 
 reat. I .est 
 iL!;s at their 
 their worst, 
 in lUitler in 
 
 'I'hose who 
 of the vSas- 
 ;r fierceness 
 t the scene 
 f oxen, the 
 
 waiMin, In Ixrninr at omc the I'aradisc (A' the Inisliafid 
 man. Thi'V lilllc know ol what they s|)(ak. Should they 
 really wiJi to lomi a tine ( onception ol lilc in these 
 solitudes, let tin in ;',o out towards the r lose ol November 
 into the treeless waste; ///f// midst liert (vstorm and blindinp, 
 cold, a!i(l snowdrift so densf that earth and Ik av<'n s(( in 
 wrapped together in indistinguishable chaos, they will 
 witness a sight as different from the sununer ideal as a 
 mid-Atlantic mid-winter storm varies from a tranquil 
 mooiilighl on the ,1'"gean Sea.'' Tius, it may be pointed 
 out, is written as a. result of th'- author's (.'Xjierienf e under 
 canvas merely, and, therefore, is not I'kely to be under- 
 drawn ; but, if any one fancies that occasional spells of 
 weather as bad, or even worse than this, renders life in a 
 well warmed house unbearable, let him go out and a^!: the 
 many settlers that are already on the ])rairies <•, Iiat their 
 cxperieiK e has been, and they will answer almost to a man : 
 " Long and severe the winter doubtless is ; but, for all that, 
 it is not unbearable, nor even, at times, imenjoyable." 
 
 The -IA^a/' /.(r//c /'^x/^/rss is leader of the anti-Manitoba 
 faction in this country, in a recent issue, the editor of this 
 usually-reliable journal waxes exceedingly wrolli against 
 Professor Tanner, whose ( hief fault appears to have been 
 that, in his " Report on Canada," he had given his opinion 
 U])()n the Manitoban climate, after having made many 
 incpiiries concerning it upon the spot, instead of setting to 
 work in a London oltice to draw ujjon his imagination for 
 his ideas u[)on the subject, as his antagonist has most 
 clearly done. I do not wish to deny that the Professor's 
 rcj)ort docs require rather more shading, by way of contrast 
 with the sui)er-abundant rose-colour whi(h it shows; but, of 
 the two, his opponent, by rushing infinitely further in '.he 
 oi)i)osite extreme, has fallen int(j by far the gravest error. 
 'J'he North-west is derisively s])oken of as " Pritish 
 Siberia," while, as to its climate, we are told that "sev^n 
 months of winter and five months of mos(luitoe^; is the 
 programme of the year in Manitoba." Next we have the 
 inquiry, very innocently put forward : "Shall we ever get a 
 report on Manitoba written by a visitor who chooses some 
 other time than the pleasant Indian summer — f/n' only 
 tolerable portioii of the year l/i Manitoba — for his travels 
 
 ]•: 2 
 
i i 
 
 'S I 
 
 P I 
 
 52 
 
 MANTJOnA F^ESCRIIJED. 
 
 in the province ? " As showing tlie value of such abuse, it 
 will be well to observe that a few lines higher up we luid 
 been led to suj)pose that no portion of the year was either 
 pleasant or tolerable in Manitoba. It is usually ([uite 
 useless to argue with an author who makes such statements 
 as the foregoing ; but, for the sake of the readers, I wish to 
 poinf out that many reports, such as those asked for, do 
 exist. i''or instance, no one has spoken more highly of the 
 North-west than Cai)tain lUitler, Viscount Milton, Dr. 
 Cheadle, and the author of " A Year in Manitoba," all of 
 whom have passed at least one winter in the country, and 
 some have even suffered considerable hardship from the 
 cold. I'or my own i)art, although I was not in ^Tanitoba 
 during the Indian summer, — a season, it should be remem- 
 bered, which has an average annual duration of less than 
 seven days, — I can assert that during almost the whole of 
 the time that I was there the weather was not only toler- 
 able, but delightful. The author of "A Year in Manitoba," 
 after having sj^ent a winter there, writes : "The sense of 
 cold is certainly much less here than in England ; its dry- 
 ness probably accounts for much of this ; but cold and heat 
 are relative terms as regards the feelings." With 12 deg. 
 of frost, he says, " the weather felt (|uite warm, and both 
 gloves and overcoats seemed sui)erfluous." Ikit the 
 editor's confidence in his own opinion has led him into a 
 trap. He makes an extract from the Professor's report, in 
 which the following appears : — " On account of the bracing 
 dry atmosphere, the fluctuations of temperature are not 
 inconveniently felt, as is the case where the atmosphere is 
 more humid. The warm days in summer are generally 
 followed by cool evenings, and such a thing as very sultry 
 and oppressive heat is scarcely known. The warm days 
 followed by cool nights, and copious dews, facilitate the 
 growth of cereals in a wonderful degree. The winters here 
 are also very pleasant and bracing, proceeding from the 
 same cause, namely, the dryness of our atmosphere." 
 "This is a little too much, and it renders one unavoidably 
 cautious in accepting the Professor's judgment of other 
 matters in Canada," says our editor, apparently over- 
 looking the fact that the foregoing is no vain imagination 
 of Professor Tanner's, but the deliberate opinion of Mr. 
 
 i 
 
 J f 
 
 § 
 
" such abuse, it 
 icr up we liad 
 year was cither 
 usually ([uitc 
 uch statements 
 ders, I wish to 
 asked for, do 
 c highly of the 
 : Milton, Dr. 
 nitoba," all of 
 '2 country, and 
 ship from the 
 t in Manitoba 
 jld be remem- 
 n of less than 
 t the whole of 
 lot only toler- 
 in Manitoba," 
 The sense of 
 ;land ; its dry- 
 cold and heat 
 With 12 deg. 
 rm, and both 
 ." But the 
 )d him into a 
 or's report, in 
 Df the bracing 
 ature are not 
 itmosphere is 
 are generally 
 as very sultry 
 le warm days 
 facilitate the 
 : winters here 
 ing from the 
 atmosphere." 
 : unavoidably 
 ent of other 
 irently over- 
 imagination 
 iiion of Mr. 
 
 
 IM 
 
 'M 
 
Genkral Meteorolocical Means and Ouantities from Ohservations i 
 
 Mean Height of the Darorneter j 29.1369 
 
 Mean Temperature \ 32*43 
 
 Maximum Temperature | ioo'3 
 
 -Minimum Temperature — 40"3 
 
 Mean Percentage of Sky Clouded ' 0-52 
 
 Auiount of Rain in inches 15-600 
 
 Amount of Snow in inches ei-t^o 
 
 Total Precipitation of Rain and melted Snow 20-i75 
 
 Xum her of Days on which Rain fell , j 56 
 
 Number of Days on which Snow fell j 48 
 
 Numbe'- of Fogs J7 
 
 Number of Auroras | ^g 
 
 Number of Thunder-Storms "' j 27 
 
 32-84 
 
 99-5 
 -41 "o 
 
 0-50 
 
 2 1 '620 
 
 73 '02 
 
 30-170 
 
 54 
 46 
 
 9 
 
 59 
 
 27 
 
 29-1295 
 32-29 
 
 94-3 ! 
 
 — ^6-0 i — 
 
 0-49 
 13-vSo 
 36-85 
 
 1 7 -040 
 
 61 
 
 55 
 6 
 
 81 
 
 24 
 
 29-1451 
 31-85 
 94-5 
 387 
 0-41 
 
 14-988 
 
 36-17 
 
 18-314 
 
 47 
 42 
 
 8 
 
 54 
 
 31 
 
 29-1474 
 29-63 
 
 94'3 
 -41 -b 
 
 0-46 
 
 12-290 
 
 47'ii 
 15-847 
 68 
 
 57 
 2 
 
 42 
 13 
 
 Certain Meteorological Means and Quantities 
 
 Pmenemona. 
 
 Jan. 
 
 Feb. 
 
 1 
 
 March. 
 
 April. 
 
 May. 
 
 5475 
 
 83-5 
 29-2 
 
 June. 
 
 Mean Temperature 
 
 Maximum Temperature .... 
 
 .. iSSo 
 > 5 
 
 0-50 
 40-5 
 31-3 
 
 — 2*23 
 364 
 35-3 
 
 447 
 • 36-3 
 
 30-72 
 
 67-5 
 3-2 
 
 62-79 
 
 Minimum Temperature 
 
 i^7*o 
 
 
 34 'o 
 
 Mean Tem])erature 
 
 Maxinnnn Temperature 
 
 Minimum Temperature 
 
 . 1881 
 
 — 9*2 
 
 31-5 
 -40 "5 
 
 37 
 29-0 
 
 -27-3 
 
 1 
 20-8 
 
 41 '3 ! 
 
 8-2 
 
 32-12 
 
 59 5 
 10-3 
 
 57'4 
 84-6 
 21-3 
 
 6-28 
 98-0 
 
 397 
 
 Mean Temperature (avera^j^e)... 
 
 2-9 
 
 30 
 
 i 
 9-0 i 
 
 30-2 
 
 51-2 
 
 63-6 
 
•ROM OliSERVATIONS TAKKN AT ^VI^^•II•E(;, FROM 1871 iO 18S1 INXLUSIVE. 
 
 IS74 
 
 1875 
 
 1876 
 
 29-3191 
 
 31 34 
 95-0 
 43*0 
 0-50 
 22-950 
 74-21 
 29-184 
 68 
 
 46 
 8 
 
 31 
 
 28 
 
 i 
 
 1877 
 
 1878 
 
 1879 
 
 1S80 
 
 1881 
 
 Mean 
 
 for 
 
 II Years. 
 
 29-1451 
 
 31-85 
 
 94-5 
 
 -38-7 
 
 0-41 
 
 14-988 
 36-17 
 
 18-314 
 
 47 
 42 
 
 8 
 
 54 
 31 
 
 29-1474 
 29-63 
 
 94-3 
 — 41-b 
 
 0-46 
 
 12-290 
 
 47-11 
 15-847 
 68 
 
 57 
 2 
 
 42 
 
 13 
 
 29'i5i7 
 36-88 
 
 95-0 
 
 44-3 
 0-48 
 
 22-034 
 
 30-30 
 24-608 
 
 78 
 
 29 
 16 
 
 33 
 25 
 
 29-0993 
 36-96 
 
 94-5 
 
 25-3 
 0-56 
 
 24-135 
 
 34-44 
 
 29*516 
 
 81 
 34 
 
 5 
 12 
 
 17 
 
 29'I'520 
 
 33-36 
 93-0 
 
 -50*5 
 
 0-52 
 19-810 
 
 57-90 
 25*235 
 91 
 
 39 
 
 9 
 
 36 
 
 31 
 
 29-1365 
 
 31-82 
 
 90-3 
 
 —44-4 
 
 0-55 
 21-683 
 
 58-19 
 27-166 
 76 
 46 
 
 7 
 26 
 
 33 
 
 29-1520 
 
 34'3 
 98-0 
 
 —40-5 
 
 0*57 
 
 8*055 
 80-19 
 
 18-094 
 
 79 
 
 49 
 II 
 
 36 
 
 29 
 
 • 
 
 29-1530 
 33-06 
 
 95-34 
 
 40-5 f 
 
 0-51 
 
 16-977 
 
 52-72 
 
 23-304 
 
 69 
 
 45 
 9 
 
 42 
 
 27 
 
 ?ANs AND Quantities observed at Winnh'ec. 
 
 May. 
 
 June. 
 
 Julv. 
 
 
 
 August. 
 
 wSept. 
 
 Oct. 
 
 Nov. 
 
 Dec. 
 
 Year. 
 
 54-75 
 
 83-5 
 29-2 
 
 62-79 
 
 5^7-0 
 
 34-0 
 
 6S-61 
 
 90-3 
 
 39*0 
 
 62-24 
 
 84*3 
 37*0 
 
 51-97 
 78-0 
 
 27-0 
 
 38-25 
 
 74-3 
 14-0 
 
 12.46 
 
 46-3 
 
 25-3 
 
 —2-58 
 
 34-5 
 44*4 
 
 31-82 
 90-3 
 
 44-4 
 
 57-4 
 84-6 
 
 21-3 
 
 6-28 
 98-0 
 
 39-7 
 
 69-9 
 93-5 
 39 -o 
 
 66-4 
 88-7 
 
 
 
 51-1 
 
 81-0 
 
 27-0 
 
 34*3 
 66 -o 
 
 11 -0 
 
 121 
 
 44-8 
 —26-3 
 
 lo-i 
 
 387 
 —27-3 
 
 34*3 
 
 98-0 
 
 —40-5 
 
 51-2 
 
 i 
 
 63-6 
 
 65*9 
 
 64-8 
 
 51-3 1 
 
 40-0 
 
 1 
 
 146 
 
 0-6 
 
 32-6 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 To face p. 53. 
 
li 
 
 ( iKM.KAJ. Mm K<)K()I.()i;i(.\ 
 
 IIKNOMKNA. 
 
 Mean I Icitjht of the Ijarometcr 
 
 Mean 'rcni|)ei-atiirL' 
 
 Maximum Temptiaturc 
 
 M inimum Temperature. . 
 
 Mean I'erceiitage of Sky Clouded 
 
 Amount of Rain in inehes 
 
 Amount of Snow in inches 
 
 Total I'recijiitation of Rain and melted Snow 
 
 Number of Days on which Rain fell 
 
 Number of Days c>n which Snow fell 
 
 Number of Foj^s . . 
 
 Number of Auroras 
 
 Number of Thunder-Storms 
 
 1S7 
 
 29.1 
 32-4 
 
 IOO\3 
 -403 
 
 51-5 
 
 20'I 
 
 5 
 4 
 I 
 
 4 
 2 
 
 1' !§ 
 
 '' I 
 
 Pit K.N EM ON A. 
 
 j an. 
 
 Fei 
 
 Mean Temperature 
 
 18S0 
 
 ) » 
 
 1881 
 J) 
 
 5» 
 
 0-50 
 40-5 
 -31-3 
 
 — 2": 
 
 Maximum Temperature 
 
 Minimum Temiierature 
 
 36 V 
 
 -35-: 
 
 
 Mean Temperature 
 
 Maximum Temperature 
 
 Minimum Temperature 
 
 Mean Temperature (averai^e) 
 
 — 9-2 
 
 31-5 
 
 —40-5 
 
 3-: 
 
 29 'C 
 -27-: 
 
 2-9 
 
 3c 
 
OBSERVATIONS ON THK CLIMATE OF MANir015A. 
 
 53 
 
 5 
 A 
 I 
 
 A 
 
 2 
 
 J) / 
 
 James Stewart, of vSt. Andrews, Manitoba, who has resided 
 there and systematically recorded the fluctuations of the 
 weather since the year 1867. Further comment is need- 
 less. 
 
 So f:ir as the readings of the barometer and thermometer 
 go, no one need any longer be in ignorance of the climate 
 of Winnipeg ; for the daily readings of both, from the 
 beginning of 187 1 to the end of 1S81, together with 
 "certain meteorological means and ([uantities " for each 
 year, and for ^he whole period of eleven years, are given 
 in full in the " Report of the De})artment of Agriculture 
 for 18S2." The first of the two tables on the accomj)any- 
 ing sheet gives the principal results of these observations. 
 The second indicates the maximum, minimum, and mean 
 temperatures for each month in 1880 and 1881, and also 
 for those two years as a whole, as shown by the report : 
 as well as the average mean temperature of Winnipeg for 
 the year and for each month in the year, as given in the 
 article " Canada,'' i'^. the last edition of the "' Encyclopcncdia 
 Britannica." 
 
 Although the winter is thus shown to be excessively 
 severe if the thermometer alone be consulted, the almost 
 universal testimony one receives from settlers is that, 
 although the duration might be considerably shortened with 
 advantage, still it is far from being an unbearable or even 
 disagreeable time ; that a temperature of many degrees 
 below zero is not felt to be anvthing like the inconvenience 
 it would be here. The nights are excessively cold, and so 
 are the mornings and evenings. It is then that the 
 mercury shrinks to 30 deg. or 40 deg. below zero, and 
 people who are not very careful of themselves are certain 
 to get more or less severely frost-bitten. But for several 
 hours at mid-day the state of things is generally very 
 different. The sun shines brightly, and even warmly, 
 through the clear dry air, upon the dazzling white snow : 
 out-door work can be carried on, provided there is no wind ; 
 the mercury rises to zero, or even higher, and all nature 
 looks so cheerful that existence itself is said to be a 
 l)leasure. Of course there are precautions which must be 
 taken, or the return of the intense cold at night will freeze 
 the unlucky settlers in their very beds. 'I'he houses are 
 
54 
 
 MAXITOIiA DESCRIBED. 
 
 u 
 
 ^;[^ 
 
 I 
 
 built bolidly and coni])actly, with small rooms that can be 
 conveniently warmed with a stove in which a fire is kept up 
 all night. Not a few settlers told me that if they could 
 only get plenty of coal they would laugh at the worst frosts. 
 
 The much-abused stove is, of course, as much an insti- 
 tution in Canada as in the States. Whether or not it is 
 more unhealthy than an open fire I do not know ; but I do 
 know that as a warming contrivance it is vastly superior, 
 while, as a cooking api)aratus, it is not inferior. A hot fire 
 is very (juickly obtained in a Canadian stove, and cooking 
 is done as easily as with a kitchen range. Unlike an open 
 grate, a stove gives off heat all round, while the chimney 
 or pii^e, still giving off heat, is carried u}) through the 
 ceiling to the room above (when there is one), where a tin 
 contrivance, called a "drum," is often used. In this the 
 hot air circulates, often giving off as much warmth as the 
 stove below. Thus, the whole of the heat generated by 
 the consumjjtion of fuel in the stove, is, as far as possible, 
 utilised, and but little is sent up the chimney to warm the 
 clouds, which is the i)rincipal effect of open grates. The 
 ]\Ianitoban farmer, with his small, stove-warmed house, has 
 the power of making himself snug, which many an English 
 cottager finds he lacks when an unusually severe winter 
 arrives. 
 
 Out-doors, great fingerless mittens of buffalo-hide are 
 worn on the hands ; huge overcoats, made of woolly bufflilo- 
 robes, and worn over everything, give human beings an 
 extremely ursine api)earance ; while mocassins of soft 
 moose-skin cover the feet, and permit that free circulation 
 of the blood which hard leather boots would prevent, 
 thereby causing the feet to become frozen. Though made 
 of soft skin, there is no danger of their becoming worn out 
 or wet through, for the fine powdery snow is always dry, 
 and always soft, and seldom melts until the arrival of the 
 universal and rapid spring thaw. 
 
 IManitobans know what to expect during winter, and 
 prepare for it accordingly. There is never any doubt, as 
 there is here, whether the coming winter is going to be a 
 hard one, or, indeed, whether there is going to be a winter 
 at all. 'rhe hard frost comes one year much as it came 
 the year before — perhaps a little more or a little less severe, 
 
OI5SERVATI0X.S OX TIIK C Ll.MATi: OF MAXITOI'-A. 
 
 55 
 
 t can be 
 kept up 
 :iy could 
 St frosts, 
 an insti- 
 nct it is 
 but I do 
 superior, 
 ^ hot fire 
 
 cooking 
 
 an open 
 
 chimney 
 
 :)Ugh the 
 
 lere a tin 
 
 this the 
 ith as the 
 erated by 
 ; possil>le, 
 warm the 
 tes. The 
 lOUse, has 
 n Enghsh 
 
 re winter 
 
 •hide are 
 y buffalo- 
 beings an 
 
 of soft 
 irculation 
 
 prevent, 
 (Ugh made 
 worn out 
 Iways dry, 
 val of the 
 
 inter, and 
 doubt, as 
 rm to be a 
 le a wmter 
 as it came 
 ess severe, 
 
 but still always intense. During tlie night, the very earth 
 outside, and the logs or beams of the house, can sometimes 
 be heard cracking like pislol-shots. 'l"he })anes of the 
 window become covered with solid blocks of ice, due to 
 the condensation of moisture, often levelling them up with 
 the sashes: and little buttons of ice form on the lieads of 
 each of the tacks that nail the paper to the frame of tiie 
 house. The winter of 1882-83 ^^"^'^ often si)oken of as a 
 very severe one, the mercury fretjuently falling at night to 
 20 deg. or 30 deg. below zero, while on one occasion it is 
 said to have reached - 50 deg. Fahr. 
 
 The cracking of the beams of a house is akin to the 
 cracking of a ship's timbers during an Arctic winter. It is 
 imaginary rather than real, since no cracks o\^q\\. Hut it 
 is different with the earth. In hollows and slight dei)res- 
 bions on the prairie, where water has stood in the autumn 
 and been frozen with the soil, the surface of the ground 
 during the following summer may be jilainly seen to have 
 been cracked and riven by ziz-zag, lightning-like seams 
 running into one another every few feet or inches. The 
 actual cracks do not ga})e open, but still it is easy enough 
 . to see where they have been. Even on the dr)-, level 
 l)rairie, when breaking is going on, a number of sods may 
 often be seen to break in two in exactly the same line as 
 the plough lifts them. This is due to an old winter frost- 
 crack, which, though it could not before be seen by the 
 eye, thus shows itself 
 
 The winter usually sets in about the last week in October 
 or first in November, and continues without a break until 
 the beginning or middle of April. It is said that a thaw 
 which does not completely clear the ground is more to be 
 dreaded in the North-west than a temperature of 50 deg. 
 below zero ; for the hard crust that forms during the next 
 frost causes manv animals to starve through being unable 
 to get at their food beneath it. lUit it must not be sup- 
 posed that the lovely winter days that have already been 
 spoken of are invariable. As in other countries where the 
 cold of winter is intense, it only becomes unpleasant when 
 a wind is added. A very low temi)erature can be easily 
 endured when all is perfectly still ; but, when a wind is 
 added, frost-bites at once occur. Now ^vlanitoba, being a 
 
56 
 
 MANITOHA DKSCRinEI). 
 
 level, open country, is a good deal exposed to the effect of 
 winds ; and this fact may be blamed for the greater part 
 of all that is disagreeable in connexion with the winter. 
 The fine powdery snow lies on the ground ready to drift 
 with the slightest wind, and it requires no little skill so to 
 manage the winter drifts that they may be turned where 
 they are the least inconvenience. 
 
 Out on the open prairie, the slightest obstruction or 
 eminence causes the driving snow to form a long, narrow 
 drift behind it, which drift, as soon as the wind shifts round 
 to any other ([uarter, throws another drift, as wide as the 
 first is long, and at right-angles to it. Few things throw a 
 worse drift than a straw-stack, or a building with sloping 
 sides ; for, as there is '^othing to turn the wind, the snow 
 is deposited all over and around such a building, whereas 
 a sheer upright wall throws the wind back, to some extent, 
 causing a drift to be formed at a little distance from the 
 wall, — this distance being greater according as the wall is 
 high. 
 
 Of all things Manitoban, the most to be dreaded is a 
 *' blizzard." This phenomenon is usually concurrent with 
 a very low temperature, and woe be to the unlucky settler 
 who is out on the prairie away from shelter when a blizzard 
 comes on ! A terrific wind, chilled below zero, sweeps over 
 the surface of the ground, driving the [)0wdery snow in 
 clouds before it till it is utterly impossible to see one's way. 
 A real blizx.ard of great severity, fortunately, is not of very 
 frec^uent occurrence. A blizzard often lasts for an entire 
 day, but seldom more than one occurs in a year, and that 
 usually about February. During a blizzard, it is not neces- 
 saiy for snow to fall, but that which i)reviously lay on the 
 ground is lifted up and driven forward with tremendous 
 S])eed. One man told me that he had heard of a case in 
 which a settler, returning home with his team, had been 
 caught in a blizzard ; but, by standing up on his load, he 
 was able to get above the snovv into clear atmosphere, and 
 he thus managed to find his way home. Yet, after all, a 
 blizzard is as nothing when compared with the frightful 
 tornadoes, which are sometimes known to sweep over 
 Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Dakota, clearing everything 
 before them, — levelling houses, and killing people. For 
 
 "iiE 
 
OHSKRVATIONS ON llir, t'MMATK 01 MAMIOIIA. 
 
 feet of 
 jr part 
 ^vintcr. 
 
 drift 
 . so to 
 
 wlicrc 
 
 ion or 
 narrow 
 ; rouiid 
 
 as the 
 throw a 
 sloping 
 e snow 
 A'hercas 
 
 extent, 
 om the 
 
 1 wall is 
 
 led is a 
 cnt with 
 y setder 
 blizzard 
 eps over 
 snow in 
 le's way. 
 ; of very 
 n entire 
 nd that 
 |)t neces- 
 on the 
 [iiendous 
 case in 
 lad been 
 load, he 
 ere, and 
 Iter all, a 
 frightful 
 ep over 
 |-erything 
 lie. For 
 
 whatsoever reason it may be, Manitoba has never been 
 cursed with such as tliese. 
 
 The following grai)hic desi riplion of a bli/zard is from 
 the pen of my friend, Mr. E. V. T. Seton, of Carberry. 1 
 make no excuse for inserting it here : -- 
 
 A M.\Nn()i;.\\ l'i.i/,/,.\Rr). 
 
 l^raniati^ pcrsoyuc. — A Manitoban party consist incj (after ("apt. 
 Mayiie Rcid's jilan) of some [^lecnhoins, a scientific member, and an 
 experienced native, known as John. 
 
 All Ontarians liave heard of that simoon of the snow — a Manitoban 
 bli/.zard ; but, unless they have travelled beyond the bounds of their 
 province, they can never have experienced one ; for a bli/zard can 
 only take place in a land of intense cold where there is a level unbroken 
 waste of snow. 
 
 Durinj:^ our first winter we were very naturally lookint; out for the 
 terrors of a bliz/ard. Time W(jre on into the Christmas season ; the 
 snow lay deeper and deeper on the ground, and the thermometer 
 was steadily below zero ; but there was no _L;real <iisturbance to note. 
 
 However, one day it came on to blow hard — as hard as I have ever 
 seen it in Ontario. 'J'he wavy expanse of snow was more and more 
 tossed into heaps — each heaji like a curled but stable wave — and over 
 the crest, in gusty bursts, the wind sent liissing clouds of snow, 
 which hitl from view objects a mile ^Ai and left but smoky outhnes of 
 tho.se nearer. It was also very cold, and to the new comers it seemed 
 a hard day indeed. As we watched the snow-sea being tossed about, 
 one of us asked : " John, is this a lUizzard I "—"No.'' 
 
 Such little spells of blustering weather increased in number and 
 were passed without comment ; they might stop out-door work in 
 Ontario, but the hardy Manitobans heed them not. 
 
 But a harder, fiercer one came on us about the middle of January. 
 The thermometer had fallen 30 (X'i'^. below zero. All night the winds 
 worl^ed around the house and over the prairie, trampling and tossing 
 the line powdery snow in wild sport. Fences were (juickly disappear- 
 ing beneath the fast-accumulating heaps ; while in places the hard 
 grinding of the storm was laying bare the ground. The air was full of 
 snow for 50 ft. up. We could not see 100 yards with clearness. The 
 cutting cold was driven into our faces, so that an hour or more outside 
 necessitated a return to the house to thaw a nose or an ear. Travelling 
 was impcjssible ; and, as we looked at the careering clouds of snow- 
 dust, one said : " John I Tliis is a lilizzard at any rate ?"' The answer 
 was a contemptuous " No ! " 
 
 Time passed, and we were in l'cl)iuary. The snow lay deep over 
 all tilings. The winds had i)iled drills and carved hollows innumer- 
 able about every projection, till the plains seemed like a turbulent 
 ocean of snow. One day, <^owardsthe end of the month, dawn showed 
 a cloudy sky : and, though the weather seemed calm, there was at 
 times a gust 1 if wiml which blew up a cloud of snow for a minute ami 
 
58 
 
 MANITOiJA DE.SCRIl!i:i). 
 
 ir ' ; 
 
 
 !| f ? 
 
 ; ) 
 
 then let it settle a^ain. Towards nit;hl it tjot wiiuly, hlowiiit,' from 
 the nf)rlh, and the iheiniometer had fallen to 40 de^. beUnv zero. 
 Later (jii, tlie wind increased to a gale, and snow fell steadily. All 
 night we heard the sound of the strong wind ami tiie snow hissing 
 over the roof. Towards morning it got worse. When it shf)uld have 
 been day, we looked out ; hut noliiing was visible at 20 ft. There was 
 nothing but a chaos of whirling pcnvdery snow — a steady Idast of 
 howling, stingnig snow — snow alx ve, snow arcnmd, snow below, snow 
 cvervwiiere -snow driven almost through you, bearing a numbing 
 chill to your very bones. The racing clouds were swept low to earth 
 and whisked along like ice in p to-rcnt. Round the house the wind 
 fairly screamed ; not '■ nv ha -like crack in roof or wall Init 
 became a funnel for sift ' r....v. Twenty feet away from the buildings 
 you seemed to be aloi: ■'; ^w.i.'e ; even your feet were hidden in 
 hissing snow; while the ••.,;r'l'(.: gale, chilled to 40 deg. below zero, 
 was tearing up solid drift, m rar/.. ■ and hurling them high into the 
 gloom. The roaring was deafening, .ike a steady r-r-r-r-r from a 
 fan-blast. The air was like llame on one's ilesh through its very 
 coldness. The universe seemed blotted out by a Niagara of snow. 
 There seemed neither heaven nor earth — nothing but furious winds 
 and driving snow — gloom and terrible frost. The day was darkened 
 and the sun forgotten — to his eyes the lantl was blotted out in the 
 awful tumult 
 
 I can say no more ! " Storm " is a weak word to describe it. For 
 two days it lasted and we liveil hidden. The third morning came, 
 but calm ; it was over. The face of the i)lains was changed ; there 
 were creatures enough dead under that chaste white covering. 
 
 As we dug out the cattle, said one— "John ! That zcas a IJli/./ard." 
 This time there was no reply ! 
 
 AVhatever the reason may be, it is a curious fact, admitted 
 by all jNIanitobans, that Juiglishmen feel the cold of the 
 first few winters less than tliey do themselves ; but, after 
 that, they feel it more. "Old country blood is thicker," 
 natives tell you by way of accounting for this peculiar 
 circumstance. 
 
 In a recently-received letter, a friend of mine — an 
 Englishman — writes from ^Manitoba as follows, under date 
 December 18, 1883, quite unprompted by any questioning 
 on my part : '' It is very cold, but still bright and fine ; 
 and, to a robust man, enjoyable. I daily go shooting, and 
 amusing myself out of doors without any inconvenience, 
 though my nose becomes unpleasantly cool at times."' 
 
 It is very noticeable in jNIanitoba that, however hot the 
 days may be, the nights are always cool. This a[)plies 
 equally to both summer and winter, so that the pains to 
 which a cbrtain newspaper editor has gone to show that the 
 
oiJSERVAiioNS ON tiil: lli.maii; of mam lor.A. 
 
 59 
 
 from 
 /cro. 
 
 All 
 issing 
 
 have 
 c was 
 ast of 
 
 snow 
 mbint; 
 I cnrlh 
 J wind 
 ill but 
 ililings 
 (Icn in 
 ,v zero, 
 iilo the 
 from a 
 Is very 
 
 snow. 
 ; winds 
 likened 
 
 in the 
 
 I. For 
 r came, 
 ^; there 
 
 izzard." 
 
 mittcd 
 
 of the 
 
 after 
 
 ickcr," 
 
 )cculiar 
 
 nc— an 
 cr date 
 lioning 
 d fine ; 
 ng, and 
 
 jnicnce, 
 
 , •"' 
 
 ■5. 
 
 hot the 
 ai)i)Ues 
 )ains to 
 that the 
 
 s. jiild 
 
 .iri-lu 
 
 -every- 
 
 x days 
 
 minimum temperature of all the days in the months of 
 October and April is nearly always some way below the 
 freezini^^-point, though not incorrect, is still hardly a fair 
 way of jtutting the matter, since the ///i\i// of those months 
 is nearly always above the free/ing-jjoint. 
 
 l)Ut there are two scenes in the act — sumir.er and winter. 
 The former comes in with a rush, concjuering everywhere, 
 driving out chill frost, and taking his ])lace. While the 
 reign of warmth and sun-shine lasts there is little to remind 
 one of the storms and conllicts which hold sway over the 
 prairies during the winter time. In the bluffs and on the 
 rivers ; in the air and on the ])lains, all nature is on the 
 move. A constant succession of bright llowers is kept up ; 
 birds are singing and rearing their ) oung ; thous su. of 
 brilliant -winged grasshopi)ers rise as one walks thro^ h 
 the grass; while gorgeous butterllies by hundred, T;.iuer 
 past, forcing all men to wonder why the two si . 
 be so different — why such a surprising contrast ? 
 sunshine overhead is daily succeeded by sunslr' -^ 
 thing seems in harmony with everything else. 
 are nearly always warm, but seldom oppressive ; for, on the 
 open prairies, there is nearly always a suflicient breeze to be 
 perceptible. Sometimes the mercury rises very high. 1 
 have seen it u]) to 88 deg. Fahr., and every one s])oke of 
 two excessively hot days which occurred towards the end 
 of last June, when the mercury stood at 1 18 deg. in the sun, 
 and the heat was so excessive that outdoor work was almost 
 stopped."'^ 
 
 Certainly the summer climate is vcr)' fmc ; and, if it is 
 fair to s])eak from one year's ex{)erience, 1 should say that 
 it is decidedly superior to that of England. As a rule, it 
 is "set fair" : when rain does come, it usually rains with a 
 will, and then stops. Two or three days of half-hearted 
 drizzle seldom occur ; and, when they do, are set down as 
 '' English weather." I saw only one si)ell of such. Many 
 of the summer rains are thunder-showers ; but these, 
 though often very heavy, are soon over. All travellers on 
 
 * Aliout the midille of last July (18S4), 1 c:,neticiiccd a few days 
 of excessive heat in Winnipeg. On one occasion, I believe, the ther- 
 mometer indicated nearly 100 deg. in the shade. 
 
 < 'I 
 
6o 
 
 MAN no HA UESCRIHED. 
 
 li ! I 
 
 the prairies speak of the frequent and excessive thunder- 
 storms. Their severity is probably due to the lack of trees, 
 l)uildings, and other eminences to draw off the electricity 
 from the air to the ground. Natives said the storms this 
 year were not so severe as sometimes; but, in all con- 
 science, I thought them sufficient. I never saw such light- 
 ning or heard such sudden and tremendous crashes of 
 thunder : they literally shook the house. Sometimes at 
 night I have gone out mto the pitchy darkness to watch 
 the magnificent display of brilliant llashes from storms 
 which ajjpeared to surround the whole horizon, while the 
 banging and crashing of the thunder was past descrii)tion. 
 
 The clearness and dryness of the air on the prairies is 
 often si)oken of, and struck me much. Whilst I was in 
 the country I only remember to have seen one fog. As in 
 the higher mountainous i)arts of Switzerland, one is often 
 much deceived as to distance. 
 
 On account, I supjjose, of the clearness of the atmo- 
 sphere, auroras are seen ahnost nightly at some times of the 
 year. I saw them night after night during last August, 
 usually taking the form of a low, wide bow, arching over 
 the north, or of a shapeless haze <^^ white light extending 
 low down for some distance along the northern horizon. 
 In winter, when the frost is severe, they are often much 
 more brilliant. The smoke, too, of a locomotive may often 
 be seen for a long distance, as it floats away on to the 
 horizon exactly like that of a steamer at sea. One evening, 
 about sunset, a train jiassed Carberry for the west. Shortly 
 after I was surprised at seeing a distinct line of smoke, ex- 
 tending rather low down along the northern horizon, from 
 the north-east right round to the west, it having, of course, 
 floated away on a slight southerly breeze. 
 
 The mirage is an oi)tical ])henomenon very frecjuently 
 seen on the prairies. On different occasions the illusion 
 takes slightly different forms ; but its main feature is, of 
 ccarse, a lifting up, and often a magnification, of distant 
 objects. Often, during a hot day, what appears like a 
 clump of bushes, may be seen on the far-off horizon as it 
 slightly elevated ; or, as if seen on the further shore of 
 some wide sheet of water. Another form is usually seen 
 in the early morning, before the thin night-mists have 
 
onsr.RVATioxs on iiir. climah: of mamtoiia. 
 
 6i 
 
 cleared away, and especially after a frosty night ; as, for 
 instance, on the morning of September 8 last, when i was 
 distinctly able to see houses and shanties dotting the plain 
 to the north of Carberry, all ap[)earing to be of (juite 
 double their usual height, as well as being lifted up and 
 distinctly visible, though, of the majority, not a trace can 
 be seen under ordinary conditions. Heyond all, in the 
 distance, the outline of the Kiding Mountain, nearly fifty 
 miles away, was distinctly visible, though usually (piile 
 unseen. C)ne gentleman, living four miles from Brandon 
 and twelve from Rapid City, told me that he had on several 
 occasions sc.'n the former town, and jnce the latter, so 
 raised uj) by the mirage as to be visible from his house, 
 although in both cases, and especially the latter, there is 
 rising ground between which, under ordinary circumstances, 
 absolutely prevents his seeing either place. 
 
 But I must not forget that i)eculiarly calm and dreamy 
 period, the " Indian summer," which has been so often mis- 
 understood, and about which so much has been written but 
 so little really learned, when the summer time, as it were, 
 summons up its last expiring energies as if determined to 
 enjoy itself for a brief period before giving place to its 
 chill, cold enemy — winter. The characteristics of this 
 peculiar phenomenon have been thus described : " Sounds 
 are distinctly audible at great distances ; objects are difti- 
 cult to discern unless close at hand ; the weather is warm 
 and oppressive ; the atmosi)here hazy and calm ; and every 
 object appears to wear a tranquil and drowsy aspect.' 
 According to Hind, the average duration of the Indian 
 summer in Ontario for twenty years (1840 to 1S59 in- 
 clusive) was six days ; the average date of commencement 
 being October 27, and of termination November 2 ; but, 
 in the North-west, the season is more marked, and pro- 
 bably of longer duration. Unfortunately, I left Manitoba 
 just too early to see the Indian summer this year. A few- 
 days after my departure it set in (about November 5) ; but 
 lasted only till the 9th, when the winter cold commenced 
 in earnest. 
 
 All parts of Canada, as well as the more northerly States 
 of the Union, are at times subject to what are known as 
 ** summer frosts," and it may be safely stated that, in the 
 
MA\iroi:\ DF'.scRinr.i). 
 
 \i : I 
 
 North-west, tlicy arc more to he feared than the severest 
 frosts of winter. At times thev have done considerable 
 dama_L;e to t^^rowin;:^ cro[)S ; l)ut, usually, the injury is only 
 sli^dit. 1 l)elieve June is the month in whieli tiicy most 
 fre<|uently a])i)ear. 
 
 If the L^reat alternations of lieat and coh* n-iiicli are 
 thus shown to exist were really painful to bear, ;> irely we 
 should have abundant eomi)laints from those w.io have 
 already emiL!;rated to the North-west ; but, of all the dis- 
 paraging,' remarks which I heard made as to a settler's 
 prospects, few related either to the clin\atc or to the country. 
 All the testimony showed that the winter, which is usually 
 rci)resented to be so unbearable, is, in spite of some draw- 
 backs, (juitc the reverse. Ontarians are rare who do not 
 prefer a Manitoban winter to that of their own ])rovince. 
 The climate of every country has some disadvantages. 
 Unless a man courts disappointment, he will not set out 
 upon a search for a land where ideal meteorologi('al 
 conditions ])revail ; and Englishmen, above all others, are. 
 in this matter, the persons with least right to throw mud at 
 others. Had there been of late in iMigland no disastrous 
 seasons, no wet and sunless summers ; no mild, unseason- 
 able winters ; no great storms to uproot trees, ruin houses, 
 and wreck ships ; no destructive floods and no famine in 
 Ireland, England might well find fault with Manitoba. As 
 it is, the Manitobans are fairly well satisfied with their 
 climate ; and they would on no account exchange it for that 
 of England. If we look at the matter entirely without 
 bias, we shall, I think, be compelled to admit that Nature 
 has been far from unkind to this wild North Eand. A long 
 and rigorous winter she has certainly imposed upon it ; but, 
 as though in compensation for this, she has given it a fertile 
 soil and a delightful summer climate which, in sjiite of the 
 shortness of the latter, many another nation might well 
 envy. 
 
MANITOP.A DISCRII'.F.Ti. 
 
 6:> 
 
 ivcrest 
 cra\)le 
 s only 
 \{ most 
 
 fli arc 
 
 cly we 
 
 ) liavc 
 
 he dis- 
 
 ;cttler's 
 
 r)untry. 
 
 usually 
 
 L' draw 
 
 do not 
 
 ovinre. 
 
 mlages. 
 
 set out 
 
 ological 
 
 [;rs, are, 
 mud at 
 
 sastrous 
 
 iseason- 
 houses, 
 
 mine in 
 3a. As 
 h their 
 or that 
 without 
 Nature 
 A long 
 It : but, 
 a fertile 
 e of the 
 ht well 
 
 ciiAP'n:K 
 
 i\ 
 
 I'ARMINO IS MAMIDIlA. 
 
 In speaking of the methods of agriculture as practised 
 in Manitoba, or in any other equally young and rercntly- 
 [)eoplcd country, it is iiardly necessary to premise that the 
 agricultural art -if art it maybe called where art there is 
 none — is in a very rude and primitive condition, and bears 
 about as much relation to that jiractised in tlu; thickly- 
 peoi)led countries of the Old World as the j)erf()rinances 
 of the house-plasterer, working with a whitewash-brusli, 
 bear to those of the artist, who works with a fine camel's 
 hair ])encil. I'^ach, in its own place, serves its own 
 purp(^se, and would be useless in the ])lace of the other. 
 Thus, in a country where, on account of the abundance of 
 available land, there is practically no system of tenure, but 
 every man tills his own ground, paying neither rent nor 
 tithe — scarcely even taxes — to any man ; where the soil is 
 so unboundedly fertile that the use of manures, the 
 adoption of all systems of fallowing, or the rotation ofcroj^s 
 would be (juite useless, it is not surprising that these 
 more elaborate methods of cultivation have not yet been 
 emi)loyed. 
 
 There is one great advantage which Manitoba possesses 
 over all other British Colonies, l^lsewhere, as a rule, the 
 emigrant commencing colonial life will find it necessary 
 to expend a considerable sum of money and a great deal 
 ofpersonallab ur in order to clear his land of its native 
 forest-growth; but, in Manitoba, nearly the whole of the 
 country is prairie Irnd : consequently the farmer has nothing 
 to do but to fence and plough it, when he will find himself 
 possessed of almost everything constituting a com])lete 
 farm. Nearly the whole of Ontario (from which ])rovin'e 
 Manitoba has been largely peopled) was, until com- 
 paratively recently, covered with a dense growth of splendid 
 
64 
 
 MANiroI'.A Dr.SCRIliKI). 
 
 } i 
 
 
 i 1 
 
 I? 
 
 i 
 
 I I i 
 
 forests, out of wliich every :iere that was brought under 
 eultivatit)!! had to l)e hewn lal)orit)Usly with tlie axe. If a 
 settler added five aeres ])er year to his cuUivated ground, 
 by euttint; down the niaL;nifieent trees, piling them in a 
 hea]> and burning tlienv- even then leaving his ground 
 eneunibered in" their stunins- he might consider that he 
 liad done well in his twelve months. Henre it is often 
 said that So-and-so has gone out into "tlie backwoods of 
 Canada " ; but su( h an expression is wholly inai)i)licable 
 when api)lied to Manitoba, wliere the soil recjuires nothing 
 but the application of the ])lough to enable it to grow good 
 crops of wheat ; and, i)rovided a sufficient number oi 
 men, horses, and ])loughs \)c employed, there is little or 
 nothing to ])revent one farmer from bringing several 
 thousand acres of land under cultivation in a single year. 
 Here, then, Manitoba possesses one marked advantage over 
 the state of things which formerly existed in Ontario, and 
 which now exists in many parts of Australia and New 
 Zealand. lUit Manitoba, like all other countries, has its 
 own peculiar disadvantages ; and these may almost all be 
 collected together under one heading — the length of the 
 winter and consc(iuent shortness of the summer. It is not 
 too much to say that the great and only secret of successful 
 farming in Manitoba, is to farna in a manner which is 
 adapted to the climate. The settler knows well what he 
 has to expect ; and, unless he profits by it, deserves, and 
 will meet with, nothing but lailure. That this ui/i be done 
 is i;roved conclusively by what /ids been done. 
 
 We will suj^i^ose that the emigrant arrives upon the land 
 which he has selected some time during tlie summer. The 
 first matters requiring his attention will be the building of 
 a house and the breaking of some land. Many settlers live 
 in tents until the arrival of winter renders it necessary to 
 remove to some warmer shelt-r ; and, through the warm 
 summer months, this mode of life is not unpleasant ; but it 
 will certainly become the reverse if carried on later than 
 the end of September, and a house of some sort should 
 be ready for occujiation by that date. 
 
 It is a common practice with settlers to raise, or attempt 
 to raise, a. crop the first year ; but I am inclined to doubt 
 the advantages of the plan, except upon a small scale, or 
 
 ;V 
 
FAKMIXC IN' MAN! lOr.A. 
 
 (>5 
 
 undvv 
 ". It" a 
 
 ;;rc)iiiHl, 
 11 in a 
 mouiul 
 "hat lie 
 s often 
 )()ds ot 
 [)lieal)le 
 nothinL:; 
 i\v i^ood 
 iber oi 
 little or 
 
 several 
 Ic year, 
 lue over 
 io, and 
 id New 
 
 has its 
 . all be 
 
 of the 
 It is not 
 cecsstul 
 I'hieh is 
 vhat he 
 es, and 
 be done 
 
 the land 
 ;r. The 
 tiding of 
 tiers live 
 ssary to 
 le warm 
 t ; but it 
 ter than 
 t should 
 
 attempt 
 o doubt 
 scale, or 
 
 when the settler has a larL;e family to \'ccd and very little 
 or no cajjital to purchase provisions. It is, of ('our-se, 
 absolutely necessary for this ])ur])ose that tlie farmer be at 
 work early in the year — certainly not later than the month 
 of May. 'The i)lan adoi)ted is to sow the oats or potatoes 
 upon the prairie and plouj^h them in. in moist places, or 
 in wet seasons, this may succeed ; but, as a rule, 1 !)elieve 
 the results are not very encourai^inu;, and all the crops 
 which I saw grown under these conditions were poor. 
 
 'i'hc method usually adopted, however, on virgin ])rairie 
 soil consists, in the fust place, of " breaking "' it. breaking 
 is done by taking a thin))eel, from one inch to one inch and 
 a half thick, from the surface with an iiihlrumenl known 
 as a " breaking-jjlough.'" '{"his is jjrovided with a shar|)- 
 edged steel wheel that goes in front, cutting tlie sod, which 
 is afterwards turned by the plough-share to a width of 
 fifteen inches at a time. .\n acre and a half is an a\erage 
 day's work with horses ; but oxen are slower. Breaking 
 may be done at any time c'the year e\( ept during winter ; 
 but is usually the farmer's occu])ation alter the i)eriod of 
 seeding. After being broken, the sod is allowed to lie and 
 rot for six weeks or two months, when it is " backset." 
 This operation consists in ploughing it back again, but this 
 time to a dejjth of three or four inches. Some farmers 
 backset their breaking crossways ; but this leaves the 
 ground very rough, and is not a plan usually followed. 
 This double ploughing is very necessary with fresh, prairie 
 soil in order to break tii), as much as possible, the sods, 
 which are rendered very tough by the grass-roots they 
 contain, and which, in any case, do not rot comfiletely for 
 several years. More than an acre of backsetting is often 
 done in a single day ; and the two operations together are 
 at ])resent usually charged for at the rate of si.x or seven 
 dollars ])er acre, backsetting is sometimes done in the 
 spring, and a crop grown on it the same year ; but it is 
 far better done either during the summer, or after harvest, 
 when the terrific frosts of winter assist in the puherisa- 
 tion of the soil, and lea.vc it ready for seeding directly the 
 thaw takes place in sj^ring. 
 
 The ploughing of stubble land is also done both in the 
 spring and after harvest ; but, unless 1 am greatly mihtaken, 
 
 F 
 
66 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIIJKI). 
 
 ♦1 
 
 IS to farm in a manner 
 as spring-wheats only arc 
 
 no good farmer would willingly leave it to be done in the 
 spring ; for, as has been already stated, the great secret of 
 success in jManitoban farmii 
 suited to the climate ; and, 
 
 grown, the most important point of all is to be able to sow 
 at the earliest possible date after the departure of winter, 
 in order that the crops may be able to reach maturity 
 and escape the early frosts of autumn. It is manifestly 
 impossible to do this if the ploughing be not done during 
 the autumn, in which case, too, the soil loses the advantage 
 of being exposed to the winter frosts. 
 
 Of all periods of the year, spring is the time when 
 the Manitoban f^irmer is busiest. Then it is that his 
 resources are strained to the utmost : a few short weeks 
 are all that he has in which to sow his crops ; and, unless 
 they are got into the ground with all possible expedition, 
 the result is likely to prove a disappointment. No sooner 
 has the rapid thaw removed the snow and softened the 
 ground to a depth sufficient to allow sowing to take 
 place, than the harrows should be at work i)reparing a 
 fine seed-bed. Sowing is done with an implement corre- 
 sponding to our drill, but usually called a " broad-cast 
 seeder," since it does not put the seed into the ground, as 
 do our drills, but first distributes it broadcast upon the 
 surface, afterwards covering it with mould by means of 
 the long teeth with which it is fitted. Then again, the 
 harrows are often used to cover it more effectually. Sowing 
 broadcast by hand is not a usual practice in Manitoba, 
 where, on account of the prevalence of high winds, it 
 would be difticult evenly to distribute the seed. Such, 
 then, are the simple methods usually adopted for the 
 cultivation of the soil. 
 
 Next, the crops commonly grown will be treated of. 
 
 Maize, or Indian corn, which, in all parts of America, 
 receives the distinctive name of " corn," cannot usually be 
 grown to advantage, as the summer is too short to ripen it, 
 but many settlers grow it as "green-corn," for household 
 purposes. Indeed, there seems to be no reason why it 
 should not be largely grown in England, for the same 
 ])urpose. Elax is a crop which has been more largely cul- 
 tivated ill the past than it is at present. The only cause 
 
 ( 1,1 
 
FARMING IN MANITOBA. 
 
 67 
 
 which prevents its being extensively grown is tlie want of 
 a market. Nevertlieless, the ]\Iennonites grow a good 
 deal ; and I saw fifty acres of it near iirandon. I'eas 
 and l)eans are seldom grown as field-crops, though they 
 flourish well in gardens. " Roots,"' such as swedes and 
 turnips, will grow surprisingly well where the soil is moist 
 enough; but many ])arts are too dry to bring them to per- 
 fection. Potatoes, too, Hourish wonderfully, but must be 
 got in in good time, or the early frosts of autumn will cut 
 them down. There were 11,892 acres under potatoes in 
 the province last year. The disease is a thing utterly un- 
 known ; and 1 met some settlers who actually did not 
 know what it was. Doubtless this absence is attributable 
 to the unusual fertility of the soil, which })romotes a rapid 
 and healthy growth. The much-dreaded Coiorado beetle, 
 or " potato-bug,*' which is such an intolerable nuisance in 
 other parts of Canada, and in the States, is also (juite un- 
 known ; and Manitobans seem to imagine that they are 
 now safe from its ravages.* The jjotato forms a very 
 miportant item in a settler's diet. A curious and original 
 method is adopted of stealing away, for immediate use, the 
 large tubers that are first formed, the plants being after- 
 ■vvards left to mature their smaller tuljers. This is effected 
 by groping about with the hands in the soft, i)Owdery soil 
 below the roots. The samples grown are sometimes very 
 large ; although, of course, no manure or any other artifice 
 is used. Near Brandon a man showed me an " Early Rose " 
 potato, which I weighed, and found to turn the scale at 
 twenty-six ounces. It was his largest ; but he said he had 
 plenty over one pound in weight. Clover is a crop of 
 Avhich I saw nothing, and was assured that it was not grown, 
 on account of its inability to withstand the winter frosts. 
 But in an article in the Nor'-iuest Farmer its praises are 
 loudly sung, and its cultivation strongly urged, on the 
 ground that, " in t'le adjacent state of ^linnesota, where 
 the conditions of farming are very similar to what they are 
 in Manitoba, clover is coming more and more into demand." 
 Timothy-grass is often grown for hay. 
 
 * Since the foregoing was written, the hisect has lieen met with in 
 M-nall numbers in several districts round I'ortage la Prairie. 
 
 F 2 
 
68 
 
 .MAMiODA DESCRIDKD. 
 
 , ■■! 
 
 .:■ j^ 
 
 fl3 i 
 
 4 ' 
 
 i I 
 
 ti 
 
 Although tlicre were 47,356 acres under barley this year, 
 it is not a croj) very largely grown, on account of the want 
 of a market for it. Oats are very extensively cultivated ; 
 and, according to the ofticial returns, there were in 1883 
 about 168,687 acres under the croj), or an increase of 58 
 per cent, over the previous year. In sj^te of the very large 
 yield usually obtained, I fear the proceeds of such an ex- 
 tensive area. cannot fail to cause much disappointment, as 
 it must lar exceed the retjuirements of the i)rovince : and 
 it is hardly likely that it would be found wortii while, or 
 possible, to export oats. Whilst the railway was beint 
 constructed, a large supi^ly was required, to feed the many 
 teams that were at work ; and the ])rice per bushel for oats 
 was higher than that for wheat. This, combined with the 
 belief that oats were an easier and surer crop than wheat, 
 gave a great impetus to their cultivation ; but the market 
 is now glutted, and the price, in many places, is (or was) 
 as low as fifteen cents per bushel, and nowhere higher than 
 thirty cents. Of rye, the Mennonites grew 1,500 acres 
 last year, against only seven acres in all the rest of the 
 province. 
 
 lUit the crop on which the province must depend for its 
 future prosi^erity is undoubtedly wheat. 'J'he country is 
 essentially a wheat-growing one ; and its welfare is, and in 
 the future will be still more, intimately connected with the 
 cultivation of this cereal. No less than 250,000 acres were 
 returned as being under wheat in 1883, which was an 
 increase of 54 per cent, over the acreage of the previous 
 year.'" Tracticall}-, there is only one sort of wheat grown 
 in Manitoba, — -the '" Red Fyfe," — a spring wheat, said to 
 have had a vScotch origin. Fall, or winter, wheat has as 
 
 ■'• Mr. Bunows's ninth Cro/> DnHctin, which has reccv.tly come to 
 hand, and l)eais date ( )ctob(jr 31 . 1884, does not give a very salisfactory 
 account of tlie liarvest oftlie year. The getting-in of the crops seem-s 
 to liave been seriously liindered l)y tlie weather. The area under 
 whi'at this year was 309,281 acres, an increase of 18 per cent, over 
 •'"''•• Placing the average yield as low as twenty bushels per acre, 
 . , : -, (. >i V ,' !>■,■ abijat 6,205,620 bushels, of which it i.s 
 estiuKiled that about 4,750,000 will be available for export. The area 
 iMvle; (i.u» was 86,944 acre . or 40 per cent, less this year than last ; 
 v\ht!e there we- z 19,345 acres, or 31 per cent., less under barley. The 
 av!i:aijc an.ler potatoes this year is not stated. 
 
 -.'^ i!^ 
 
FARMING IX MAX no P. A. 
 
 69 
 
 IS year, 
 c want 
 ivatcd ; 
 n 1883 
 
 3 of 58 
 
 •y large 
 
 an ex- 
 
 lent, as 
 ;c ; and 
 hile, or 
 s being 
 ,0 many 
 for oats 
 A'ith the 
 I wheat, 
 market 
 (or was) 
 ler than 
 DO acres 
 t of the 
 
 d for its 
 untvy is 
 
 and in 
 witli the 
 res were 
 
 was an 
 
 previous 
 It irrown 
 
 said to 
 t has as 
 
 y come to 
 alisfactory 
 :ops seems 
 rea under 
 cenl. over 
 , per acre, 
 •Inch it is 
 The area 
 than last ; 
 ilcy. The 
 
 yet only been grown eN:i)criincnta!ly. That Red l''yfe should 
 be the only kind grown is not due to any fault of the 
 country or the settlers, but is a result which has been 
 brought about by the combined action of the millers, the 
 railway company, the Hudson's IJay Company, the public 
 P'-ess, and tlie IJoard of Agricukure. These influential 
 bodies issued a ])r()( lamation, some time back, urging the 
 farmers to discontinue the growth of all other kinds ; 
 while the Hoard made arrangements for ])r()curing and 
 selling at a low i)rice a quantity of i")iH-e seed, which the 
 "C. r. R." (as the railway is called) carried free of charge, 
 and the (Government admitted duty-free. It is claimed for 
 this wheat that, for milling purposes, it is the most valuable 
 kind grown, having a thinner skin and containing more 
 gluten than anv other kind, as well as beiuLT verv hard, and 
 conseijuently well suited to the rollers now so largely used 
 instead of mill-stones, esi)ecially in America. It is also 
 claimed that, while the interior, soft, white wheats can be 
 grown elsewhere, the valuable Red Fyfe can only be produced 
 to ])erfection in the North-west ; and it is therefore de- 
 sirable that it alone should be grown. Hence, the action 
 of the authorities.* Much has been written as to the mag- 
 nificent wheat-growing capabilities of the North-west , and 
 nearly every one seems agreed upon the subject The 
 few samjjles which I brought home were much admired by 
 farmer friends and relatives, esi)ecially that mentioned else- 
 where as having taken th'st prize at the ])rovincial show. 
 The grain is small, but very i)lump and dark-coloured. 
 Many farmers express doubt as to the possibility of ving 
 winter wheat on a larue scale in Manitoba, urging i X the 
 time between harvest and winter is too short to anow of 
 the ground being ploughed, the wheat being sowr ind of 
 its coming up. In many cases where it has be^n tried, 
 failure has certainly been the result; but, whert he seed 
 has been got in earlv enough, this has not alwav .'cen the 
 case. 
 
 As a rule, the harvest in Manitoba commences aliout the 
 
 * That it certainly is a valuable kind of wheal is shown I'y the fact 
 that it was being largely advertised for seed this spring by a Minne- 
 apohs fn'm in the princijial newspaper of >rinnesota, in w!''-"!! state 
 there seems to have been (|uite a demand for it. 
 
70 
 
 MAM ioi;.\ ni.srkii'.i.i). 
 
 ■11 i 
 
 :f i 
 
 $• i 
 
 sor()nd work in .\iiu;iisl : but this year It was not in full 
 swini; until tho tusl wwk in Soi)tcnilu'i-, ami was not 
 entirely Unishcd hv the end of iIr- niontli. in a (•l)untr^ 
 where labour is both scarce and dear, and the summer verv 
 short, it is a total impossibility lor the harvest to be i;ot in 
 after the leismvly fashion that is pursued in i'ai^land. Self 
 hindini; reapers are almost in\ariably used. 1 did not see 
 an ac re cut by any other means ; though in some parts 
 ordinary reajiers are still in use. These macliines have 
 advanced mui'h nearer ])ertection in America than with us. 
 and. althouiih several l'-nt:lish makers have now taken to 
 l)uildinL:;lhem ext'Misively for home and colonial use. thevdo 
 so almost entirehon American lines. Across the water main 
 dit'ferent makers, both Canadian and American, keep uj) a 
 very warm competiti(M'i for ])ublic favom\ h'.ach has his 
 own agent in all the larger towns. I'he pru e lor a sell 
 binder in Manitoba is certainly high, being from ,/"6o to 
 ^65 : but, as the harvest literally could not be got in with 
 out them, the settlers /////.sV aflbrd to purch.ise them — j>oor 
 though mauv of them are as yet. The I'aakers have 
 adoi)ted a system under which i)ayment extends over three 
 years, though., of course, in this case. *he jtrice is higher 
 than if ready-money were jxrid down. This ])rice is 
 undoubledlv nuich higher than it would ha\e been liad not 
 the Dominion Ciovernment thoughi i)roper to i)lace the very 
 heavy duty of 35 per cent. c>n all imi)t)rte'J agricultural 
 implements. Thos(^ settlers who have not a sufiiciently large 
 acreage to make it worth their while to pm-chase a binder, 
 join with, or b.ire of, a neighbour. Many farmers are very 
 careless of i'\'h- implements, often leaving binders e\[)oseci 
 for months to wino and weather, largely, however, on account 
 of the lat~k of suitable buildings to house them in. 
 
 'iliere are some eight or nine Canadian makers, all of 
 whose machines I have seen at work, and am convin<ed 
 that there are none better than those turned out by Messrs. 
 Harris, Son. c\: Co., of Brantlbrd, Ontario, who are Orst- 
 class makers. Of American makers the prin("i])al ones arc 
 Deering and MacCormiek, of Chicago, antl Woods, o( 
 New York. All the machines are constructed u])on the 
 same plan, though each maker has his own special points ; 
 and these' are so frequently being changed to niake room 
 
lAK.MINC; IN MANITOr.A. 
 
 7' 
 
 in full 
 .IS not 
 ouiUry 
 cv \c\\ 
 : got ill 
 1/ Self 
 nol scf 
 c jiarts 
 's Ikivc 
 with us, 
 a Is on to 
 I hoy do 
 ;r many 
 o)) uj) a 
 has his 
 
 a solf 
 /;6o to 
 in with 
 1 — jtoor 
 IS have 
 or thrco 
 
 higher 
 )rico is 
 had i^ol 
 iho vory 
 
 ultural 
 tlv laru;o 
 
 )indcr, 
 arc very 
 o\ posed 
 aoroimt 
 
 s, all of 
 mvinocu 
 
 Messrs. 
 \vc first- 
 ones are 
 Dods, of 
 ])on the 
 
 points : 
 <.e room 
 
 for frosh ini])rovotnonts, that a ina( hino niado ono year Ik 
 anli(|natod iho next. I)ouhlloss ihore will yol ho made 
 many vory malorial im])rovomonls : hut I can testify that, 
 in the li^lil crops usually grown in America, they work as 
 it is in a maniur that it is scan oly ])ossih!o to fmd fault 
 with, hindini; tho sheaves with the utmost rei^ularity, neat- 
 ness, and s|)eed. Tho |)art which so-oms princ ipall\' to 
 ;e(iuire piatoc tin.L; is the canvas which ])orforms the 
 '■ elevation " of the straw. 'I'his is liahio to .^l out of 
 order, and its removal, if ])()ssil)lo, would }i;reatly li,L;hten, 
 cheapen, and simplify the machine. I cannot help think- 
 ing that eventually those machines will take the sha[)e of 
 what is now termed a "low-down binder''; which is a 
 machine that hinds the sheaf between the driving-wheel 
 and the cutting table, without elevating it, I believe, 
 however, it is a fact that some of tlie earliest machines were 
 of this kind, and that nearly every American maker has, at 
 some time or oilier, attempted to perfect such a machine; 
 but all have as yet tailed to achieve any great amount of 
 success. 'Ihat self binders will shortly come into general 
 use here there can be no f[ueslion : it is on*. ;• matter of 
 a little time ; but, at i)resent, the i)rice asked by JMiglish 
 makers is outrageously high, Doubtless the greater 
 amount of straw grown here and the dilhculty of ])assing 
 the machines through gates will cause some trouble ; but 
 these are by no means insuperable difliculties. True, there 
 is not here the same necessity to use them, since labour is 
 so much cheajier ; but, as the binder has no wife and 
 children to keep, he can afford to do the work cheai)er than 
 his human comj)Ctitor ; and will, in a short time, find 
 extensive ])atronage amongst emi)loyers of labour in this 
 country. 1 had it trom one of the agents of the principal 
 C'anadian makers, that his firm sold about 450 binders last 
 year in Manitoba, and 550 in Ontario: and that, for i8cS4, 
 they contompKite building 1,500 machines to satisfy the 
 i!U':reasing demand of their customers, 'i'he same firm last 
 year ordered no less than 250 tons of binding-twine for use 
 with their machines. 
 
 Wire-binders have now gone completely out of fashion. 
 Their knotting apparatus was very simj)le ; but the wire 
 remained in the thrashinii-machines and caused much 
 
72 
 
 MANITOr.A DKSCKinED. 
 
 
 ann(;\ancc. 1 was told, too, of a rase in which, after 
 death, ])ic(:cs of wire were found almost to fill the stomachs 
 of two cows which liatl fed on straw that had been bound 
 with wire. 
 
 ]Uit, after ;i]l, il is rather surprising that binders should 
 ])e used at jjresent in Manitoba; for, seeing that the straw 
 is useless, and is invariably set fire to after being thrashed, 
 it seems to me that the binding and subsequent carting and 
 .stacking of it is an unnecessary and unremuncrative oper- 
 ation. If the corn had to stand in stacks to harden, as in 
 Kngland, the case would be different ; but it is not so. 
 'liij <:rain is almost as hard when in the field as when 
 thrashed ; and, if the ears only were removed by some 
 such instrument as that used in California and Australia, 
 and known as a " header," and if the straw were after- 
 wards burned standing, most of its component ])arts would 
 be returned direct to the soil from which they were derived, 
 while a considerable saving of expense would also be 
 effected. 
 
 It has often been stated, and almost as often doubted, 
 that the yield of wheat in Manitoba averages as much as 25 
 bushels ])er acre. 1 therefore took especial i)ains to arrive 
 at the truth on this matter, and, from the fretjuent and very 
 uniform testimony I received, I can honestly say that I 
 believe tlv,^ statement is correct ; though, of course, the 
 above yieli is often exceeded, and as often fallen short of. 
 As a matter of fact, very few settlers ever know what their 
 yield of wheat is ; but I believe, nevertheless, that the 
 foregoing is a fair average, although the (iovcrnment Re- 
 turns ])lace the yield at 29 bushels ])er acre between the 
 years 1876 and 1882. This figure would not, of cour.se, 
 be very high for England, where the expense gone to in 
 growing an acre of wheat is very much greater than in 
 Manitoba ; but, for America, it is very high, and I doubt 
 whether any other ])art of the continent, or even of the 
 world, can compare with it, when the expense of produc- 
 tion is considered. In California and Minnesota, for 
 instance,--two great wheat-growing regions, — the average 
 yield is given at a contemptibly low figure. It must be 
 rememl^ered, however, that the soil which has given this 
 return is,Mn most cases, absolutely virgin soil, and, after a 
 
FAKMINC IN MANITOBA. 
 
 73 
 
 h, after 
 :omachs 
 1 bound 
 
 should 
 lie straw 
 lirashcd. 
 ting and 
 ve opcr- 
 :n, as in 
 
 not so. 
 as wlicn 
 3y some 
 .ustralia, 
 re after- 
 ts would 
 derived, 
 
 also be 
 
 Joubted, 
 ch as 25 
 to arrive 
 and very 
 y that 1 
 urse, the 
 short of. 
 hat their 
 that the 
 lent Re- 
 ^'een the 
 f course, 
 ne to in 
 
 than in 
 
 I doubt 
 n of the 
 
 produc- 
 sota, for 
 ; average 
 
 must be 
 iven this 
 d, after a 
 
 few years' cropping, will certainly i)ro{luce a lower average ; 
 but, on the other hand, it must be verv manv vears before 
 the whole of the fertile region is brought under the plough. 
 If old pasture-land in I^ngland were broken up, a very 
 large yield of wheat could be grown on it at first. The 
 following paragra])h, which I clipped from a newspaper, 
 would certainly '"beat the world," //it were true! — "Thirty 
 acres of \\'hite Fyfe wheat on the R. C. mission-tarm 
 yielded 1,200 bushels. Another field of four acres of the 
 same variety yielded 360 bushels, from eight bushels ot 
 seed. 'I'his beats the world."' Some persons seem to 
 consider that the yield of wheat is largest about the third 
 year, on account of the pulverisation of the soil becoming 
 complete about that time. 
 
 After being cut, the wlieat is generally stooked and 
 allowed to stand in the field for a while, though the 
 owner usually carts it as fast as he conveniently can with 
 the limited means at his disposal. It is in all cases stacked 
 in the field, and the stacks are never thatched, as they are 
 intended to be thrashed as soon as possible. They are 
 not even covered with a cloth, as few settlers can, or will, 
 afford these ; conse([uently, a great deal of grain becomes 
 half ruined if heavy rain sets in soon after harvest. One 
 small, round slack is put uj) every day and finished at 
 night; so that, if ram does come, there is less danger of 
 damage being done ; and a small stack is more convenient 
 when the settler is short-handed, as is usually the case. 
 These small stacks are i)laced in two rows, with sufficient 
 width between for the thrashing-machine to stand. The 
 thrashing day is arranged for as soon as possible. It is a 
 busy time in the settler's house or shanty. A comjjany of 
 men usually comes with the maclune, and these men have 
 to be lodged — often with hay and sacks on the shanty 
 floor — as can best be done. The full strength is made up 
 by the settler's neighbours, who all give him a day's helj), 
 which he, in his turn, pays back when their thrashing-days 
 come round. The whole gang must also be fed by the 
 one for whom the thrashing is being done ; and, with the 
 limited accommodation possessed by most settlers, this is 
 no easy matter. Often, too, for want of a granary, the 
 thrashed corn has to be stored in a room of the house. 
 
74 
 
 MANIT0I5A DESCRir.lD. 
 
 ^ 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 
 1 ■ 
 
 
 Jl 
 
 
 IP 
 
 ' 
 
 
 
 '. 
 
 
 -i 1 
 
 There is no l.K k of tlirasliini^-macliincs in llic country, as 
 they arc built ( heajjer in America th:in witii us, and many 
 a successful settler starts one. 'I"he engines are all, 1 
 believe, fitted to burn either wood or straw, the latter being 
 stuffed in with a fork throui^h a iiole in the side, thouij;h 
 in some i)la<-es they are made to be self-feedint;. The 
 thrashing-machine is always called an ''agitator," and is 
 somewhat different in construction from an I'jiglish 
 machine, being fitted with an elevator, instead of recjuiring 
 a separate one. It seems rather surprising that, where the 
 quantities to be thrashed are small, the moves frefjuent, 
 and sufficient motive-power often difficult to get together, 
 the engines are not made locomotive like many in ICngland. 
 
 Thrashing over, the settler is left to (h-ess his corn at 
 leisure with his " fanning-mill " ; after which he takes it to 
 the nearest town for sale. A few years ago, before dressing- 
 machines were introduced, farmers were compelled to sow 
 very unclean seed, the consequence being that their land 
 is now in an exceedingly foul condition, wild buck- 
 wheat being the greatest nuisance. The thistle — that 
 curse of the Ontarian farmer — has not spread as yet in the 
 North-west, excej't in the old-settled district immediately 
 around Winnij)eg. 
 
 Manure is nowhere used, except in the very oldest-settled 
 portions of the country. Where cattle are kept, it is con- 
 sidered a nuisance, and is destroyed or thrown away. 
 Many a time has a stable or cow-shed been removed, rather 
 than the great heap of dung that has accumulated round 
 it ! A (cw years hence, the Manitoban fiirmer will not be 
 so anxious to get rid of his manure as he now is. Straw- 
 stacks are always set fire to. One day, when I was at 
 High ]Muff, the sky was of a dull, leaden hue, and the 
 white i)uffs of smoke from the thrashing-engines and the 
 larger clouds from the burning straw-stacks all around the 
 distant horizon had a most strange appearance. The straw- 
 crops are usually short ; but, as the straw is of no value, 
 this is no disadvantage. It is an undeniable fact that, had 
 the settlers more capital, and were many of them to 
 cultivate their land in a less slovenly manner, their yield 
 })er acre would, in many cases, be much greater. 
 
 One point, concerning which i took especial pains to 
 inform myself, was the price at which wheat can be grown 
 
lAUMiNd IN M.wiror.A. 
 
 75 
 
 and sold at a |irofit to the produrcr. The results, I think, 
 will not fail to interest I'.ritish faimeis, coniini;, as they du, 
 from a country which promises s^on to take no mean share 
 in the comi)etiti()n a^^ainst which they will have to fii;ht in 
 the future, even harder than at present, 'i'he point is one 
 on which it is very difllcult to ijbtain reliable information, 
 as the settlers seldom know exactly how to estimate the 
 cost of the various ojjerations involved, esi)ecially as very 
 few of them keej) any sort of accounts. The followint,' 
 figures, however, are corret:t, so far as I have the power of 
 making them so. 'I'he cost of growing wheat on freshly- 
 broken ]M-airie and on old stuljble-land will, of course, be 
 kept separate. 
 
 1 believe the ordinary cost of growing an acre of wheat 
 on fresh prairie scjil ami marketing the produce (provided, 
 of course, that the settler lives within a reasonable distance 
 of the railway), the owner hiring to perform the various 
 acts of cultivation, is about 14 dols. per acre, made u[) as 
 follows : — 
 
 Duls. 
 
 Breaking and backsetting ... ... 6 
 
 Seed ... ... ... ... ... 2 
 
 Harrowing, seeding, c\;c. ... .. i 
 
 Cutting and stooking ... ... ... 2 
 
 Stacking, thrashing, (\:c. ... ... ... i 25 
 
 Marketing ... ... ... ... 1 o 
 
 Cts 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 50 
 
 25 
 
 Total 
 
 14 
 
 o 
 
 But, in the following years, this estimate (which, I think, 
 is, if anything, too high) would be reduced con.siderably 
 by the lessened amount of ploughing and harrowing 
 recjuired. Several practical farmers estimated the cost of 
 growing and marketing the i)roduce of an acre of wheat 
 on old stubble, hiring labour throughout, at 8 dols. to 
 10 dols. Taking the mean, and supposing a man to obtain 
 an average yield of 25 bushels, which he sells at a price 
 of, say, 70 cents per bushel, it is clear that his gross 
 profits from the acre would be about 8 dols. 50 cents. 
 But it is also plain enough that, if a man i)uts in his wheat 
 himself (as most do), he will not have to pay in cash for 
 his own labour; consequently, the expenses incurred will 
 
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 (716) 872-4503 
 
 
 
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76 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIliKD. 
 
 
 be less and his i)rofits greater ; indeed, one gentleman even 
 put the actual cost at no more than 4 dols. per acre. 
 These estimates, it will he seen, do not take into account 
 interest on capital, value of land, »!vc. ; but the constant 
 increase in the value of the latter, as that round it becomes 
 more settled, ought to do more than cover these, even in a 
 country where the rate of interest is very high. 'J'he fore- 
 going calculations are, of course, necessarily very rough, 
 'rhough the returns are great, the cost of implements is 
 high, and the income of a man without sufficient capital to 
 hire is limited by the amount of land which he can 
 cultivate himself: hence the progress of such settlers is at 
 first but slow and uphill work. 'J'he ])rice of wheat 
 throughout Manitoba is just the i)ricc in ^Vinnipeg, minus 
 the cost of carriage thither, by road or rail, from any point 
 to the westward. When I was in the city this price was 
 about 80 cents per bushel. It has been much lower in the 
 past, but seldom much higher. I made many in(]uiries of 
 railway officials and others as to the cost of transporting 
 wheat eastward. I believe that between Winni[)eg and 
 Port Arthur over the Canadian racific Railway '435 miles) 
 the charge is 23 cents per bushel ; from Port Arthur to 
 Montreal (chiefly by water) it is about i t cents per bushel. 
 The ocean-freights between Montreal and Liverpool are 
 constantly varying, but may be set down at about 10 cents 
 per bushel."''' As a matter of fact, I believe no Manitoban 
 
 * This would show that the cost-price of a quarter of Manitoban 
 wheat lantled in Liverpool (without takini^ into account "handling," 
 insurance, or profit to importer) to be about 41s. 4d. — not a very en- 
 couraj;ing out-look, certainly, with Mn^lish wlieat at 30s. 6d. or there- 
 abouts. 15ut, on the other hand, the jirice here will probably be 
 somewhat higher in the future than at jircscnt, a sam]:)Ie of "No. I, 
 Hard," Manitoban wheat would iisualiy fetch a higher price than 
 average English wheat, and the railway carriage on the other side of 
 the water will probably be lower in the future than now. Since last 
 year, the charge over the Canadian I'acitic Railway, between Winnipeg 
 and Port Arthur, has been reduced to 17 cents a bushel. Advices 
 recently to hand show that during last October (1SS4), 239,468 bushels 
 of wheat were " shipjied " from Manitoba over the Canadian Pacific 
 Railway. The price now is, of course, much lower than at this time 
 last year. I believe that at Carbcrry and Urandon the jirice is now 
 a little over 50 cents a bushel ; at Winnipeg, something over 60 cents, 
 or perhaps higher. 
 
FARMING IN MAMT015A. 
 
 77 
 
 wheat was exported to Kuroi)e last year. A good deal, 
 however, was sent to Montreal. 
 
 The i)ast year (18S3) in Manitoba is spoken of as having 
 been an altogether abnormal and unfavourable one ; but, 
 in all similarly-situated young countries, this is a tale 
 annually told. There does, however, seem no reason to 
 ([uestion that the weather this season has not l)een so 
 j)ropitious as in some former years, on account of a very 
 severe and prolonged drought (or, as it was always called 
 and spelled, "drouth ''), which lasted from the beginning of 
 June until the middle of July, and severely checked the 
 growth of crops, especially in the drier districts. During 
 the latter half of July, and afterwards, there was an 
 abundance of rain, which mitigated the results of the 
 drought, but never altogether removed them. 
 
 On the night of September 7 came the first frost — a 
 rather severe one — which, besides doing serious injury to 
 some of the wheat, completely cut down the cucum!)ers, 
 potatoes, and peas. The outcry against the Maniloban 
 climate, which the occurrence of this frost raised, can only 
 be silenced by presenting the real, unvarnished facts of the 
 case, which are these : — It apj^ears, upon incpiiry, that the 
 frost did not come this year very unusually early, but that 
 the harvest was most unusually late : hence the damage 
 done. For instance, the author of "A Year in Manitoba" 
 states that in 1S80 the first sharp frost came on the very 
 same date, causing the loss of i)art of a " late-sown " crop 
 of barley. ]>ut the unwelcome frost which caused so much 
 discussion last vSeptember was by no means confined to 
 Manitoba. Its effects were felt the whole way from the 
 Atlantic to the Pacific shores ; and it caused much damage 
 in Ontario, as well as in several states of the Union, which 
 are said never before to have been thus visited. l''or 
 instance, it was stated last January in the Mark Lane 
 Miller that "the Minneapolis millers had grown seriously 
 alarmed, consecpient on the discovery that part of the 
 wheat-crop of northern Minnesota and Dakota (estimated 
 as high as one-fifth of the entire croj) of 21,000,000 buhhcls) 
 had been greatly damaged by the severe frosts of Sei)tember 
 --so much so, indeed, as to be unfit for milling purposes." 
 It will, therefore, be seen that, if the climate of Manitoba 
 
 '<i 
 
 I 1 
 
 \i 
 
JIT- 
 • ♦ ■ 
 
 78 
 
 MANITOliA DliSCRIHEI). 
 
 ^« 
 
 {•^ 
 
 :? f 
 
 i? f 
 
 » It 
 
 
 it ! 
 
 it ' 
 
 
 
 is to be blamed, a very large area besides cannot escape 
 similar censure. Immediately after the frost occurred, 
 grossly-exaggerated reports were set afloat, principally by 
 interested parties, as to the amount of damage done. It 
 is an indisputable fact that injury was caused to the wheat 
 in all parts of the province : not a single farmer I spoke 
 with denied this ; and I myself saw a good deal of grain 
 that had been hurt. I]ut, after all, I am quite unable to 
 believe that so much as 25 i)er cent, was even touched, or 
 that as much as 10 per cent, was ruined ; and there is no 
 question that wheat cut before the frost escaped altogether. 
 I am confident, too, that in most cases where damage took 
 place the fault lay with the farmer, rather than the climate : 
 the former should have farmed in a manner suited to the 
 climate, by sowing his seed earlier. On the whole, the 
 damage was certainly much less than at first reported, 
 though, in some instances where a settler had his whole 
 crop late, it may have entailed considerable hardship. 
 
 The situation may thus be summed up : a late spring 
 threw back seeding ; a very dry June retarded the growth 
 of the crops, causing harvest to come fully a fortnight 
 later than usual ; which, again, caused the latest i)ieces 
 of wheat to get frost-bitten. This late harvest hindered 
 the getting-in of the roots and potatoes, and the still 
 more important oj)eration of autumn ploughing ; so that 
 I fear a great deal was left over to be done in the spring. 
 For this, however, many of the farmers themselves are not 
 altogether blameless. October was a cold month on the 
 whole, with sharp frosts at nights, though the days were 
 warm. One night a large hotel in Brandon caught fire ; 
 and, being of wood, of course burned furiously. A good 
 steam fire-engine threw an abundance of water over it, and 
 in the morning I saw the blackened ruins hanging with 
 icicles, while the unburned floors were covered with sheets 
 of ice. 
 
 In any open, prairie country, like Manitoba, the question 
 of fencing must always remain a difficult and important 
 one. The great scarcity of timber in most parts prevents 
 the construction of the " snake fences " which are so 
 common in all parts of Ontario ; while it is held to be 
 questionable whether the ordinary "quick" could survive 
 
FARMING IN MANITOUA. 
 
 79 
 
 the winter frosts ; or, if it could, wlietlier hedges of it 
 would not cause such extensive drifts as to be worse than 
 useless. No doubt one or two (juick-hedges in a neigh- 
 bourhood would throw serious drifts ; but, if the whole 
 country were covered with hedges, as in England, these 
 drifts could not attain very large size, on account of their 
 great number ; for it must be remembered that it is the 
 extensive, unbroken flatness of the prairies at the present 
 time that causes the snow on them to accumulate in such 
 large (juantities against the comparatively few projections it 
 meets with as it drifts over long distances before the strong 
 winds. There is a native species of hawthorn, with spikes 
 nearly two inches in length, which may come to the rescue 
 some time in the future ; but at jnesent the settlers seem 
 to hang almost all their hopes on what is known as the "barb- 
 wire fencing,"' which, though open to very great objections, 
 is the only kind in use throughout a very large portion of 
 the province. This execrable invention, though perhaps a 
 necessity in Manitoba, has, to some extent, found its way 
 into England, where, seeing that other kinds of fencing 
 are available, its use should be absolutely prohibited by law. 
 The wire is "galvanised," and consists of two strands 
 twisted together, having short pieces of similar wire so 
 inserted between, and twisted round, the main wire, every 
 six inches or so, that four points, each about half an inch 
 long, project on all sides, ready to tear any unfortunate 
 animal that runs against them. A cheaper sort has four- 
 pointed stars cut out of galvanised sheet-iron, and inserted 
 between the strands of the wire, but the points of this kind 
 are easily broken off. This wire is, of course, stretched 
 tightly along on posts set firmly up where the fence is 
 intended to be, the wire being fastened to the posts by 
 small staples. The posts generally in use are of tamarac, 
 cut in the swamps; but cedar posts, obtained from the 
 extensive forests east of Winnipeg, last three times as long, 
 though they cost much more in the first instance. Posts 
 are usually about 3 in. in diameter, stand 5 ft. out of the 
 ground, and are set 12 ft. apart. A complete fence has 
 three wires stretched along it, each rather more than a foot 
 apart, and a light pole nailed along the top to make the 
 whole more conspicuous. The manner in which these 
 
 I 
 
8o 
 
 MANITOP..\ DKSCRIIJKI). 
 
 ii 
 
 )' .i 
 
 f. 
 
 'I 
 
 I 
 
 ( 
 
 ill 
 
 1 
 
 1' 
 
 
 f'f 
 
 
 posts arc set up on the i)rairies is very much (juicker than 
 the laborious method employed in England of diggin^j a 
 hole for each, and then ramming the earth i\o\\n firmly 
 round it. One day a master of the art showed me how it 
 was done. The j^osts are all neatly pointed beforehand : 
 a man takes one of them in his hands and brings the jjoint 
 down as heavily as possible on to the ground at therecju'^-^d 
 spot. This is done several times, until a hole is formed in 
 the fine black loam several inches deep. Into this about a 
 (juarter of a pint of water is poured, and the operation con- 
 tinued as before. The water so assists the jjost in its 
 descent that, after a few blows with a mallet, or even by 
 merely using the hands, it quickly penetrates i8 in. or so 
 into the ground, and remains standing firmly enough for 
 any purpose. The effect of the water is most suri)rising : 
 by its aid a skilful hand recjuires no more than five minutes 
 to put in a post. The fence is run straight by the eye. 
 For larger posts an instrument known as a "post-hole auger" 
 is used. This is constructed something after the fashion of 
 r irpenter's auger, with a wooden handle ; but the shank, 
 generally a piece of gaspipe, is about 4 ft. long. The 
 auger cuts a neat round hole : and, on being pulled up, 
 lifts the loose earth with it. There is a hollow down the 
 handle of the auger, which, by allowing the entrance of air 
 to the hole, prevents suction when the earth is being pulled 
 up. 
 
 One great advantage of this style of fencing is, that it 
 casts no drifts to delay spring-ploughing, as fences of timber, 
 especially snake-fences, are apt to do ; and this is no small 
 advantage, when it is remembered that to be able to sow as 
 soon as possible after the spring thaw, is, in the North-west, 
 a matter of prime necessity. Another advantage is, that 
 barb-wire fencing is as cheap as anything that could be got. 
 The posts usually cost nothing, as the settler cuts them in 
 the swamp, if there be one near, and draws them home in 
 winter, — stealing them, in nine cases out of ten, off some 
 Govornnu ir -csrvvation : brt if cedar posts be used, these 
 cost from 10 cents to 15 cents each. I understood that 
 the barb-wire costs about i dol. 80 cents per 100 yards ; 
 and a friend told me that he estimated the cost of fencing 
 to be about 9 cents per yard, wire, posts, and labour 
 
ker than 
 igging a 
 n firmly 
 »c how it 
 )rchand : 
 :he point 
 rctjU'-'id 
 ormed in 
 s about a 
 tion con- 
 )st in its 
 even by 
 in. or so 
 lough for 
 .irprising : 
 e minutes 
 ' the eye. 
 jle auger" 
 fashion of 
 he shank, 
 .ng. The 
 Hilled up, 
 down the 
 nee of air 
 ing pulled 
 
 IS, that it 
 of timber, 
 
 no small 
 to sow as 
 orth-west, 
 re is, that 
 Id be got. 
 s them in 
 n home in 
 
 off some 
 sed, these 
 ,tood that 
 
 oo yards ; 
 of fencing 
 nd labour 
 
 iakminm; in manitoi'.a. 
 
 Si 
 
 included. In England, the wire is advertised at tlie i)rire 
 of I OS. per loo yards. 
 
 The great disadvantages of barb-wire as a fencing ma- 
 terial nre that, being almost invisil)le in the dark, persons 
 are liable to run against it. 1 remember seeing several 
 faces very much distigured by this means. Cattle, too, are 
 almost unable to see it, and sometimes gel hideously torn 
 on the spikes, which, however, are misnamed "barbs"': 
 they are merely sharp jxjints. As yet, but few farmers have 
 been able to fuul sulficient time to procure i)oIes and nail 
 tlum along the top ; and, until this is done, the fences 
 will remain dangerous. Horses will sometimes become 
 very careful not to run against the sjjikes, and probably 
 soon learn not to " kick aga'nst the jiricks."' American 
 cattle seem to have a greater inborn desire to break bounds 
 than I-"nglish ones ; and a beast with this character largely 
 developed is spoken of as being '"breachy."' 
 
 l>arb-wire is a somewhat recent invention. \\'hen it first 
 came out in Canada, it was as a single strand, round which 
 the spikes were twisted. Uut it was found that in great 
 frosts the tension of the wire, when stretch.ed from })ost to 
 l)Ost, became so great as to snaj) it. Then some one brought 
 out the two-strand wire, which was found to stand the frost, 
 even though '' galvanised," after being twisted, thus prac- 
 tically making one wire. A fortune, i)robal)ly, awaits the 
 man who will invent some cheap fencing that is not open 
 to these objections ; and inventors seem to have .their eyes 
 fully opened, as 1 sometimes saw several other kinds of 
 fencing. Round Portage la Prairie, where there is an 
 abundance of timber, and much of the land has been 
 .settled for years, snake fences are numerous, as in some 
 other i)arts of the country ; but still, in most places, barb- 
 wire is the rule. 
 
 The style of horse used for farm work throughout Mani- 
 toba is by no means bad ; but, according to English ideas, 
 is too light for the purpose. Nearly all the horses I saw 
 would ]jass with us under the name of "nag," and would 
 be used here for driving purposes. They are seldom shod, 
 except on the fore-feet, as the roads, not being metalled, 
 are soft, and shoeing is not necessary, except when the 
 ground is frozen hard before the snow comes. A farmer 
 
83 
 
 MANIIOHA I)I.S( i<ii:i:[>. 
 
 r? 
 
 
 •i 
 
 ; i 
 
 tM 
 
 usually has a "team " of horses (that is two), which serve- 
 him for all i)urposes. They draw the plough, the seeder, 
 the harrows, the binder, and the wagon; and, if the owner 
 should reciuire it, one or other acts as a saddle-horse, or 
 runs in the buggy. F-xcept in the last two cases, a single 
 horse is never used. The wagon and all *'arm implements 
 are made with a pole (or, as it is called, a " tongue "), 
 and a " neck-yoke," and the invariable " team '' is used, no 
 matter how light the load may be. Shafts are unknown, 
 excej)! upon buggies. Horses are worked to an extent 
 which, in England, would be called very hard ; but in 
 Manitoba it seems to cause no remark. The same two 
 plough from morning till night, with but a very brief midday 
 rest ; and the three that are harnessed to the binder in the 
 morning keep on till night, though the work is far from 
 light. The reason for this is j^lain enough : if a change 
 were reijuired, the work would generally have to stand 
 still, for none but the most well-to-do settlers are, as yet, 
 able to keep more than one team. A great many, if not a 
 majority, of the settlers in AEanitoba use oxen instead of 
 horses ; and this is especially the case with beginners ; for, 
 vdiile the first cost of oxen is less than that of horses, they 
 can also be kept very much cheaper, since they require, as 
 food, nothing but the hay which may be made in any 
 (|uantity on the prairies ; while horses require corn, and 
 this a fresh settlor would have to purchase. I'robably, 
 however, horses will be more kept now that oats are so 
 cheap. Whilst in IManitoba, I saw (^uite as much as I 
 cared of oxen as beasts of draught : as a rule, they are 
 slow, sullen, and often vicious brutes, and I cannot under- 
 stand how any one would use them who was able to afford 
 horses, although many settlers said that, on account of 
 their being steadier than horses, they were preferable for 
 breaking. This may be so ; but I cannot help thinking 
 that, in some cases, " the grapes are sour," and that in 
 reality horses are best. At all events, if I were a settler, 
 I should be inclined to make the wish the father of the 
 thought ! A team of oxen, however, costs only about 
 200 dels., while horses, if good, would cost double that 
 All the horses in Manitoba, as well as nearly all the cattle, 
 have been brought up from Ontario. 
 
FAR MING IN' MANIT0I3A. 
 
 •9 
 
 ch serve" 
 seeder, 
 ic owner 
 liorse, or 
 , a silvjilc 
 plemenls 
 onguc "), 
 iiseil, IK) 
 inknown, 
 ui extent 
 ; but in 
 same two 
 li midday 
 der in the 
 , far from 
 a change 
 to stand 
 re, as yet, 
 V, if not a 
 instead of 
 mers ; for, 
 orses, they 
 require, as 
 ,c in any 
 corn, and 
 Probably, 
 ats are so 
 much as I 
 j, they are 
 not under- 
 e to afford 
 [account ot 
 ferable for 
 ,p thinking 
 nd that in 
 e a settler, 
 Ither of the 
 lonly about 
 ouble that 
 the cattle, 
 
 The wagons which are invariably used are light and 
 convenient. They weigh about Soo 11)., and cost about 
 75 dols. An excellent drawing of one is given in " A N'car 
 in Manitoba." 'I'hc '* box," as it is called, is removable, 
 and, in some pioneers' wagons, it is said to be made water- 
 tight, in order that it may be floated across rivers. The 
 harness used, alike for ploughing and for the wagon, is very 
 light and simple. It is fitted with nickel buckles, and is 
 good enough, when new, for any gentleman's carriage. 
 Two-wheeled vehicles are very seldom driven, buggies 
 being invariably used. These extremely light, strong, four- 
 wheeled conveyances are equally common in (Canada and 
 the United .States ; and it is strange that they should not 
 be much more used than they are in luiglaiul, where the 
 good roads are well suited to them ; but customs here arc 
 very much like the laws of the Medes and Persians. The 
 " buckboard ' is a species of buggy, fitted with a seat for 
 two in front, and a platform behind for luggage. The 
 whole vehicle is of the lightest description possible, and is 
 largely used in travelling. But the ancient, native con- 
 veyance of the country, though it has attained to consider- 
 able fame under the name of" Red River cart," is, in all 
 truth, a most primaival affair. It is constructed entirely of 
 wood, usually without one particle of metal, though I have 
 sometimes seen a strip of buffalo-hide nailed round the 
 nave of the wheel, or used as a tire. The various parts of 
 the vehicle are put together with pegs ; and, though the 
 whole is of small capacity and of most antediluvian a])pear- 
 ance, it is well suited to its uses, the broad, high, tireless 
 ■wheels passing very well over the sleughs and soft ])laces 
 on the prairies ; indeed, the strength and utility of these 
 carts is well shown by a passage in Prof. Hind's work. He 
 says : — "There were 2,108 in the settlement [round Fort 
 
 Garry] in 1856 These carts will last for several 
 
 years ; and one which conveyed some heavy boxes of geo- 
 logical specimens from Red River to Crow Wing last 
 autumn had previously been twice near to the foot of the 
 Rocky Mountains, and was still in good condition." Red 
 River carts are now chiefly used by the Indians, who drive 
 oxen in harness in the shafts. 
 Sheep and cattle are, as yet, not kept to a ver)- large 
 
 G 2 
 
84 
 
 MANITOliA l)i:.SCKIi;l.l). 
 
 i i 
 
 1 tj 
 
 ) : 
 
 ■•ii-i" 
 
 • 1 
 
 extent in Manitoba. The reason for this is, that to com- 
 mence stock-raising re<iuires far more capital than to start 
 corn-j;ro\ving ; and, although the majority of settlers admit 
 that the former would pay them well, they are, at present 
 at least, uiiahle to go in for it. Time, and the sure increase 
 of ca|)ilal, will, of course, remedy this state of things ; and, 
 as it is, more cattle are kept in the older-settled district 
 round I'ortage la Prairie than anvwhere else. A certain 
 Mr. Mackenzie, of JJurnside, keei)S, I understand, a very 
 large herd, ^\'here a man is [)ossLSsed of <attle. he is 
 generally able to let them have a very extensive run during 
 the summer months ; for, unless he be near a town, there is 
 sure to be a large extent of unoccupied land that is in the 
 hands of speculators all around his farm, over which there 
 is nothing to prevent him running his cattle, or cutting 
 as much hay as he ])leases to feed them during the live 
 months of " stabling,"' as the Canadian says. The imj)res- 
 sion is very strong in Engkuid that the cold of winter is so 
 great as to render it impossible to keep cattle to advantage 
 in Manitoba. 'I'here may be something in this view ; but 
 the fact that many settlers do keep a few cattle through the 
 winter, and would keej) more had they only capital enough, 
 is conclusive proof that the difficulties are exaggerated. 
 During winter the animals should certainly be kept under 
 cover^at least during the night. Although some of the 
 more well-to-do settlers have imported excellent pedigree 
 bulls, the animals usually kept in Manitoba are not, as yet, 
 of a very high class, though many settlers would be glad 
 of well-bred beasts if they could get them. 
 
 Having read much as to the excellence of the prairie 
 grasses, 1 was rather surprised to find them very different 
 from my expectations. In the drier parts of the prairie the 
 grass is miserably scanty and short ; and esi)ecially in 
 the autumn, it is harsh and dry, having about it nothing 
 of the greenness and succulence of English grass. In 
 the wetter parts it is just the same, but much longer, and 
 it would, in England, certainly pass as useless "sedge ;" but 
 that cattle eat it, and that it is highly nutritious, there is no 
 question whatever. 
 
 The system of haymaking is rather peculiar. In the 
 moist parts, where the grass grows long, the hay is cut with 
 
lAKMIN.. IN .NrANITDHA. 
 
 8$ 
 
 to com 
 n to start 
 i;is admit 
 t ])rcscnt 
 : increase 
 igs ; aiul, 
 [ district 
 A. certain 
 d, a very 
 lie, he is 
 Lin durin;j; 
 1, there is 
 t is in the 
 lich there 
 )r cuuini; 
 l; tlie five 
 le impres- 
 inter is so 
 advantage 
 view ; but 
 irough the 
 \\ enough, 
 
 <i Iterated, 
 pt under 
 lie of tlie 
 pedigree 
 
 )t, as yet, 
 
 1 be glad 
 
 le prairie 
 different 
 )rairie the 
 )ecially in 
 nothing 
 grass. In 
 )nger, and 
 dge ;" but 
 here is no 
 
 In the 
 s cut with 
 
 a mower on tlie prairie, and j)iled up in great heajjs. 
 These are not ihalclied, but left until wanted during the 
 winter, when drawing tliem hon^.e affords work for the 
 horses. It is estimated that any amount of hay may thus 
 be put u]) for i dol. a ton. In the drier dislrids, su( h as 
 tlie country around IJraiulon and the IJig Plain, the grass 
 on the prairie is generally so sliort as to be useless for hay, 
 and it has to be cut in the hollows and round the edges of 
 the sloughs. Tlie settler goes with his scythe, antl, wading 
 ankle dcej) in water among the tall grass, cuts just as much 
 as he wants. So little succulence is there in it that the 
 next day it is made up into great cocks and left standing 
 until the winter, when it is carted home. This, of course, 
 affords winter-work for the horses ; and, in any case, the 
 hay could not be drawn off until the surface of the swamj) 
 or "muskeg" was fro/en: under other conditions tlie 
 wagon and horses would be engulfed. One settler never 
 interferes with another's hay, thcnigh it lies unprotected for 
 months. 
 
 Sheep are kept by a few farmers in small lots, and the 
 universal testimony is that they thrive astonishingly. One 
 man who had kept a few for several years told me that he 
 would not be afraid to start with i,ooo. Sheej) will thrive 
 on the very shortest grass, and there is no reason why they 
 should not be largely kept on the prairies. The great 
 drawback is supi)osed to be the wild oat or spear grass 
 {Stipa spartca)^ which is very abundant on all dry i)arts of 
 the prairies, 'i'he seeds, which ripen during July, have an 
 excessively sharp, barbed point, and are easily able to 
 penetrate the skins of sheep by means of what is known as 
 •'hygroscopic r..-tion." This takes place in the shaft or 
 awn, some 3 in. in length, with which the seed is provided. 
 When dry this is twisted ; but, when wetted, it untwists and 
 elongates, driving the point forward and receiving resistance 
 from behind by means of a portion of the shaft forming a right 
 angle with the main i)ortion, and being provided with many 
 minute teeth which catch in the wool and prevent the whole 
 contrivance from going backwards. That these seeds have 
 the power of penetrating the skins of sheep has been denied 
 on good authority ; but I am able to state, as a result of 
 extensive inquiries, that they often do so in great numbers, 
 
 (' 
 
 i 
 
R6 
 
 MANnonA Dr.scRir.rn. 
 
 ; i: ^ 
 
 especially about the shoulders of the animals. Some seeds 
 I brou|;ht home penetrated half an inch into the shcnilder 
 of one of our sheep. Most settlers are well aware of this 
 peculiarity, as the seeds also trouble curly-haired doi^s and 
 severely ])ri(k the lej^s of any one walkin^^ throut;!! the i^'rass. 
 I have elsewhere jjublished in detail my (observations on 
 this point, and have l)een able to show that the seeds are 
 only troublesome during about three weeks in the year: 
 that, by running a mowing-machine over ilie ground infested 
 with the grass, or by keeping the sheej) on enclosed ground, 
 they ent the grass down, its seeds never reach maturity, 
 and their harmfulness is destroyed ; consetiuenlly, the 
 sj)ear-grass need be no serious hindrance to the kee|)ing of 
 sheej) in Manitoba. I do not believe the seed has the 
 power of killing animals, as I could never hear of a fatal 
 case, though often told that such had occurred. 
 
 The gigantic " JJell I'arm," near Indian Head, has gained 
 such world-wide celebrity that 1 cannot pass on without 
 referring to it, though it lies far to the west of the province 
 of Manitoba. On the loth of July, 1884, whilst upon a 
 journey from ^^'innipeg to Medicine Hat, I managed to 
 spare a day for the puri)ose of visiting the Bell Farm. The 
 following tacts are gleaned partly from notes made upon 
 the sj)ot, and partly from information since supplied l)y 
 Major liell : — 
 
 Notes on a Visit 10 tmf. Bki.i, Farm.* 
 
 The IJell Farm lies upon the line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, 
 J?I2 miles west from Winnipeg, and close to the town and station of 
 Indian Head, in the Territory of Assiniboia, It is the property of the 
 Qu'Appelle Valley Farming Company, Limited, which was formed in 
 the year 18S1, but it takes its name from its able manager, Major \V. 
 R. Hell, who resides upon the spot. The entire area contained within 
 the boundaries of the farm is 64,000 acres, or 100 square miles ; but of 
 this a number of sections are the property of the Iludson's Bay Com- 
 pany, while others are reserved by (Government for educational 
 purposes, so that the area actually covered by the farm is not more 
 than about 54,000 acres. It is, however, I believe, a fact that Major 
 
 <(i 
 
 * This article appeared in ihe FiWii on December 27, 1SS4. It is 
 reprinted (with slight alterations) by the kind permission of the 
 editor. 
 
ic seeds 
 iKJulder 
 ! of this 
 t)i^s and 
 le grass, 
 ions on 
 jeds arc 
 10 year ; 
 infested 
 i^round, 
 naturity, 
 uly, the 
 ei)ing of 
 lias the 
 f a fatal 
 
 s gained 
 without 
 province 
 ; upon a 
 laged to 
 ii."^ The 
 de upon 
 lied l)y 
 
 Railway, 
 
 station of 
 
 erty of the 
 
 'onned in 
 
 Major W. 
 
 ncd within 
 
 es ; but of 
 
 Bay Com- 
 
 lucalional 
 
 not more 
 
 hat Major 
 
 84. It is 
 m of the 
 
 I AK.MINi; IN MAM lOI'.A. -'7 
 
 r.cll i-> till' iin;i.i;,'i'r of llio l.ir;:;c>t. siii^U-, arahic farm in the uuiM ; but 
 this >tatiiiuiit will lint be.u- ci(»e exammatioii, fur as yet i»nly a com- 
 paratively ^mAIl jiortion i>. uikUt ciihivatiun. Nritlicr i> it ahD^rtlier 
 correct to describe llie eoinjiany as a fannin},' company only, ^iiice it 
 has two striiij^-. to its bow, and is aI>o to some extent a l"oU)ni>ation 
 (,'omiiaiiy. a-< will lie hereafter explaiiieil. 
 
 Wiieii, (.n April 20, iSSj, the cmnpaiiy 'ibtaiiied p>i-.sc>-.ioii of the 
 land by >p(eial Ael ot Parliament, it lay more lliaii two hundred miles 
 distant from tlie nearest railway station. The ditiindty nf olitaininjj 
 so lari^e a tract uf land, iiidiroken by tlie honu-.lead-. nf Mitleia, 
 neee-iitated the location of tlir farm so far away in the wist ; but so 
 rapidly was the construction of the railway carried on, that Imlian 
 Head wa-. reacheil, and the liiu- wa> running; thmu'^li t' centre of the 
 farm, within a feu moiuli>. Nor is the >iluation of the firm in any 
 respect other than a ^'ood one. Much ha> hitely l)een written «)f the 
 almo>t (abulou^. Ua'tility of the line black soil of the prairies ; and 
 nowhere i^ the >oil better than in the \allcy of the (JuWppelle or Callini; 
 Kiver, wliere the larm lies. It is .sli_i;htly stony, however, in places, 
 and is everywhere markeil by tlie old paths ol the buffalo. .ScviTal 
 plea>aiit <\).'iA'ru with >lieam> in their boltoni--, interred the farm. The 
 condiiioii-, under which >uch a lartje trad was made over to a >in}^le 
 private company were that the company >hould have the land at the 
 exceeiliin;ly low price of 1} dol. {$•-.) per acre, on condition that not 
 le-.s than 4,000 acres were t" be broken ami broui^lil under cultivation 
 aiui'.ially foi live years, or 20,000 acre> in all ; but the>e coinlitions 
 have probably been lound too irksome, for I undersland that applica- 
 tion is about to be made to Gi>vernineiit for their cancellation. It was 
 con>idered that the advaiitafjje to the whole country of brini;ini; so 
 lar<;e an amount of laiul under cultivation would more than conii)en- 
 sate f<jr the low jirice at which it was sold. The general scheme of the 
 company is to briii^; the land under cultivation, dividing; it u|) into 
 about J50 separate farms of 213 acres, each ])rovided with a good 
 house ai;d l)uildiii},'s. 'I'iieso fiarias will then be offered for sale to the 
 men who have eliar^e of them, at a valuation price, payable in 
 instalments (Aer a term of years. At present the selling price is 
 from 12 dols. to 20 dol>. per acre. The whole of the land i> intended 
 uhimalely for sale, thoujjh the home-farm of about 20,000 acres might 
 be retained by the company if found to be sullicienlly prolitable. In 
 any case it is expecterl to be all under cultivation two years hence — 
 j.t\, at the end of 1SS6. 
 
 No one visitini; the farm will fail to be struck with the idea that in 
 Major iJell the Company lias a remarkably cleardieadetl iiianat;er. His 
 cner<;y and foresight are made obvious by the perlectly methodic 
 manner in which every operation is carried out — so dilferent from 
 the slip-shod ways of the average settler. Roughly speaking, his 
 system of farming, when conijilete, will be as follows : ' Kach 
 "section," or sipiaie mile, will be divided into three portions of 
 213 acres each, one of which it is inteiidetl to fallow yearly. \Vhile 
 the company retains possession of the land, a foreman will be set 
 over about every twelve farms or four sections. 1 will next speak 
 of what has been ami is being done. 
 
 iliS^ 
 
88 
 
 MAMTOr.A DF.SCRll'.KI*. 
 
 jt jif ^ t 
 
 ■' I) 
 
 In li . 
 
 H 
 
 
 V f 
 
 
 The plDUj^Ii.N commenced to "break" the rich, black, prairie soil 
 on June 15, 1SS2, and, before winter set in, 2,400 acres were ready 
 for croppinj^ the following year. In the middle of August the farm 
 buildin};s were cf)nnnenced. As early as possible next sprint; one 
 half of the broken area was sown with oats, and the other half 
 with wheat. The latter gave an average yield of 19 j bushels per 
 acre, and such of it as was sold (local demand taking nearly the 
 whole of it for seed) realised an average price of one cent over 
 the dollar (4s. 2.^d.) ])cr bushel. Some (jf the later-sown wheal was 
 injured by the early frost on the night of September 7. In the same 
 year (iS8^) 4,600 adilitional acres were broken, making 7,000 in all, 
 and the following spring (1884) about 5,500 acres were sown with 
 wheat, l,230 w'th oats, and the remainder with llax. This crop was. 
 of course, still on the ground at the time of my visit, and it was 
 a really line sight which the Major was able to show me during the 
 very enjoyable drive round his farm which he was kind enough to 
 take me. The longest furrow to be seen was two miles in length : 
 several single pieces of wheat covered more than 1,000 acres each ; while 
 the largest extended to 1,500 acres. In all directions ploughs were 
 at work tearing u\i the splendid virgin soil, for an additional 5,500 
 acres were to be broken before winter, and the entire year's plough- 
 ing was expected to r'ach 12,000 acres. As we gained a slight 
 eminence and were able to look around (or miles over the level 
 prairie, seeing, on all sides, fields of waving grain, large expanses 
 of recently-broken ground, horses and men l.usily engaged in breaking 
 more, ih^. substantial r.tone farmhouse, with the other farm buildings 
 (including the large circular stone stable) grouped around it, and 
 the sun shining biightly on the zinc roofs of the little houses of the 
 foremen, scattered widely on every side, each with its acre of garden, 
 one ct)uKl but feel a parclonable })ride in the thought that the energy 
 and power of man was thus able to convert what, only three years 
 before, had been an uninhabited waste, into the smiling and pros- 
 perous scene then around us. 
 
 As we went along I made many notes of the more interesting points 
 mentioned by Major Bell. The whole of the ploughing is done with 
 horses, of which 193 are now kept. The Major will not hear of steam 
 being used, urging (with much force) thai, as he would rerpiire just as 
 many horses as he now keeps to sow and reap his crops, they may just 
 as well do the ploughing also, instead of standing idle for a good 
 portion of the year while the j^loughing is being done l)y steam. The 
 ploughs used are all sulkies and gang-ploughs, on which the men ride. 
 Each turns more than one furrow to a depth of rather over 
 three inches, and each is required to travel sixteen miles a day ; indeed, 
 it is said that twenty miles forms an average day's work when no 
 accident occurs. The width of the furrows is from fourteen to sixteen 
 inches. At the time of my visit forty-five ploughs were breaking over 
 one hundred acres per day. Breaking is continued during the whole 
 of the summer. After the sod has lain a while to rot, the disc- 
 harrows are passed o' .,'r it diagonally, cutting it up into lozenge-shaped 
 pieces and leaving it ready for seeding first thing in the spring. 
 *' Back-sctiing "' is dispensed with on the farm. As much as 
 
 
FAU.MINi; IN MAMTOnA. 
 
 89 
 
 prairie soil 
 ivere rendy 
 ^t I hi.' farm 
 sprincj one 
 other half 
 )ushels per 
 nearly the 
 cent over 
 wlieat was 
 n tlie same 
 ,000 in all, 
 sown with 
 s crop was. 
 and it was 
 (lurinLi; the 
 enough t(j 
 in len;j;th : 
 .■ach ; wh'le 
 oui;hs were 
 ional 5,500 
 ir's plout^h- 
 icd a slii^ht 
 r the level 
 ^e expanses 
 in breakinjjj 
 11 buildini;'' 
 11(1 it, and 
 )uses of the 
 ; of garden, 
 the enerj^y 
 three years 
 ; anil i^ros- 
 
 ;ting points 
 
 done with 
 
 lar of steam 
 
 juire just as 
 
 ey may just 
 
 for a good 
 
 :ani. The 
 
 men ride. 
 
 lather over 
 
 ly ; indeed, 
 
 Ik when no 
 
 |i to sixteen 
 
 laking over 
 
 the whole 
 
 the disc- 
 
 hge-shaped 
 
 |he spring. 
 
 much as 
 
 possible of the sluhhle-ploughing is done in the autumn, so that 
 the secil may he got in the moment after the frost takes its dejiar- 
 ture in spring. Sowing is done with broadcast seeders, a kind o( 
 coml.Mnation i)elween drill and harrows. Last year twenty-two self- 
 hinders by Deering, of Chicago, were used in getting in tlje crops : 
 but to these there have this \ear been added twenty-live more by 
 an excellent Canadian firm, the Messrs. Harris, of Ihantford, 
 making forty--even in all. Al)out sixty head of cattle and some pigs 
 are at present kept upon the farm. Harb-wire is largely used for 
 fencing .So great has been the number of visitors to tlie farm that 
 the conijiany li.is l)een compelled to erect, at considerable expense, a 
 large brick hotel at Indian lleail ; but it is not yet open. Tlie farm 
 has become so well known that there is never any difliculty in getting 
 sufficient men, especially as good wages are given. This summer 
 160 to l.So men were employed, at 30 dols. per month and l)oard. 
 During the cijtning winter a much smaller number will be '-etained at 
 15 dois. per montii. The bareness of the i)rairie has been enlivened 
 by the planting of such large nund)ers of smnll jioplar trees that, if all 
 had been planted in a straight line at their present distances apart, they 
 would have extended no less than twenty-four miles. The trees were 
 dug in the " blutfs," or clumps of wood, and set out beside the roads 
 which give access to the different ])arts of the farm. Altogether the 
 total amount of capital expended upon the farm is ujiwards of 
 375,000 dols. (/77,i6o). 
 
 I)uri:ig an afternoon's drive of some miles 1 had an excellent oppor- 
 tunity of noticing the pieces of wheat through which we jjassed. In 
 most cases the colour and ctmdition was excellent, and formed a great 
 contrast with the foul anil uneven pieces so often grown by the average 
 settler. Tliere were, however, jiieces which did not promise nearly so 
 well as the rest. l'"or iiistance, there was a volunteer croj), that had 
 appeared on a piece of land which had borne a crop the previous year, 
 anil had been intended as a fallow this season, and looked so healthy, 
 that it was allowed to grow by way of experiment -not, however, with 
 very good results ; for I havi; since heard that it did not yield more 
 than on average of six bushels per acre, though it certainly promised 
 more in July. This was, of course, fall or winter wheat, wliich has as 
 yet only been grown experimentally in the North-west, and even then 
 with but little success. Then there were 640 acres sown with wheat 
 that had been injured by frost the previous autumn through, being back- 
 ward, gophers having eaten down the hrst spring-growMi. About half 
 of the aiea sown was in good condition, the soil being slightly moist ; 
 the other half was thin and |)oor, a drier piece of ground a])parenlly 
 not suiting it ; and, as it lay close to the house, it proved a gieat eye- 
 sore to M.ajor Hell. The whole, however, has not yielded badl_\. for 
 the product is now estimated at twenty bushels per acre. 
 
 To nie the Major's statements as to what it cost him to produce a 
 bushel of wheat were of chief interest, as doubtless they will be to 
 most readers, lie assured me th.at, as near as he couM ..ilculate, the 
 cost to him of growing and placing on the rail at Indian Head each 
 bushel of wheat that Iv. produces is from 30c. to 33c. (is. 3d. to 
 Is, 4id.), which he also estimates to be 40 per cent, lower than the 
 
 t 
 
 :! 
 
 ? • 
 
 Id 
 I /I 
 
90 
 
 MANIJOJiA DKSCRllilJ). 
 
 rjH 
 
 isi] 
 
 J 'i ; 
 1 ;' • 
 
 mi 
 
 f 
 
 
 1 1 
 
 . 1 
 
 t' ■ 
 
 
 cost to the average scUlcr. l''uitlier, he says that not more than 7 e. 
 to 9c. (3j(1. to 4^(i.) I'L'r bushel is paid for manual labour. At the 
 l)resent time the Ireij^iil from Indian Head to Montreal (1,746 miles) 
 is 32c. (is. 4(1.) jjcr bushel, but it will be lower next year, and Major 
 Eell is confident that when, two years hence, the whcde of his home 
 farm is under the jjlough, lie will be nble to lay prime hard "Red 
 Fyfc" wheat, of the excellent (piality usually jirocluced in the North- 
 West, down in Liverjtool at a co.^t price of 75 c. (3s. i^d.) per bushel, 
 or 6 dols. (25s.) per (juarter, or even lower. 
 
 Of the iin.-.ncial slandinij of the concern I am not com]ietcnt to 
 speak, nor am I able to draw any coni|)arison between the Hell Farm 
 and the large wheat-farms of the Unileil States, though I have visited 
 the Dalrymple Farm in Dakota. 
 
 The following calculations, though they may not give any very 
 valuable results, will be interesting, as showing the magnitude of the 
 operations which Major IJell carries on. A plough having a single 
 share only, cutting 12 in. wide, would reijuire to travel eight miles 
 and a cpiarter in order to plough an acre. Jf the whole of this year's 
 ploughing were to be done with one such ])lough, it would require to 
 travel 99,000 miles, or about four and one-eighth times round the globe, 
 which would occupy nearly sixteen years and a half at the rate of two 
 acres per day, or nearly thirty-three years if oxen were used, and one 
 iicre a day only were jjlought'd. If a single team were to have started 
 to cut this year's crops with a 5 ft- -swartli machine, and to have tra- 
 velled twenty miles ])er day, they would have taken 577 days to accom- 
 plish the work. When the entire home farm is under cultivation, the 
 estimated yield of wheal will be upwards of half a million bushels, 
 which would require a train consisting of over i,coo of the ordinary 
 grain-cars to carry it all away. 
 
 Althougli farmers in Manitoba suffer from various dis- 
 advantages, such as short summers, cold winters, unseason- 
 able frosts, want of labour, and the like, still, many of the 
 principal disadvantages of farming in England are absent. 
 There are no rent-days, no tithes, no sparrows, no rats, no 
 costly manures to be bought, no burdensome taxes, no 
 anticjuated landlord's restrictions, and but (cw insect i)ests. 
 Sometimes the crops are injured by frost or hailstorms; but 
 this is not often. .Si)arrows will, doubtless, arrive in due 
 time, as also rats. Farmers consider gojjhers injurious to 
 their grain-crops, and often boast of having shot 150 or 200 
 in a year. A gopher is a small burrowing animal, of which 
 two si)ecies {Spcnnopliilusfrauklini and 6'. tridcccni-lincatus) 
 are common on the prairie. One farmer told me that he 
 had recently taken as much as half a luishel of good wheat 
 out of a gopher's store-house. The cosmopolitan English 
 mouse has not yet found its way to Manitoba ; but settlers 
 
 
FARMING IN MANITOCA. 
 
 91 
 
 't 
 
 which 
 
 lat he 
 wheat 
 ngHsh 
 ttlers 
 
 make great complaints concerning a species of prairie 
 mouse {llcspcroniys Icucopiis)^ which enters their houses, 
 and, by destroying clothing, makes itself even more trouble- 
 some than our mouse does. About two years back cats 
 were so much in request, and so difticult to procure, that 
 there was really an opening for some enteri)rising young 
 follower of Dick Whittington, of story-book celebrity. In 
 one place I saw a cat which was accustomed to being 
 regularly taken round to three different houses in turn, in 
 order to kee}) down the mice ! 
 
 For some years to come yet, however, there will always 
 be the danger of n fresh invasion of locusts, or, as they 
 are generally called, " grasshoppers." These destructive 
 insects have, at irregular periods of years, invaded Mani- 
 toba, as well as a very large area adjoining it in the United 
 States, coming from the westward in numbers that are 
 perfectly incredible, completely devastating the country and 
 devouring every blade of green grass. They seem usually 
 to appear for two years running. Some idea of their inde- 
 scribable numbers may be gained from Professor Hind's 
 account of his exploring expedition in 1857-58, in which 
 years they were extremely abundant. In the past the 
 locusts are known to have appeared in the years 18 18-19, 
 1857-58, and lastly in 1874-5. Should they occur again 
 shortly, it cannot be denied that they would cause untold 
 loss to the settler. 
 
 I cannot leave this part of my subject without sjjcaking 
 of the statistical work which is being carried out under the 
 able management of Mr. Acton Jiurrows, J. P., l)ei)uty- 
 Provincial Minister of Agriculture, to whom my best 
 thanks are due for information most kindlv given. A 
 system of " Crop Bulletins " was commenced and carried 
 out this summer in a way that is a model for all colonial 
 countries. The arrangements which have been made 
 follow the lines of those previously pursued in the State of 
 Iowa. A " crop correspondent " is appointed in every 
 township, and to each of these men, numbering altogether 
 several hundred, a circular of incpiiry is sent as often as 
 information is desired. In return for their replies, the 
 correspondents are granted certain ])rivileges by the Poard 
 of Agriculture. The replies are digested and printed in 
 
 , ■■ %\ 
 
 i:| 
 
 rn 
 
1 
 
 92 
 
 MANITOBA DKSCkllSKI). 
 
 i 
 
 h ■' 
 
 ■ ■ I 
 
 ! X 
 
 
 ■If; ; 
 
 '1 1^ 
 
 f 
 
 
 
 the bulletins, of which five were issued at irregular intervals 
 this year. But the "Report of the J)ei)artment of Agri- 
 culture and Statistics of the Province of Manitoba for 
 1882," — a bulky, closely-printed volume of 320 pages, — 
 contains a far greater amount of really interesting reading. 
 The information given relates to almost every subject in 
 which the province has a direct concern. There are long 
 articles treating of the crops, the census returns, the postal 
 service, the construction of the railway, the geology, the 
 climate, and innumerable other mattc^s, among which the 
 meteorological statistics are very prominent. The volume 
 is altogether devoid of puff; it contains little besides solid 
 facts ; and, in my opinion, deserves almost unc^ualified 
 praise, except in one; particular: it is a great deal too wordy ; 
 but this is a fault which nearly all American ofticial publi- 
 cations of the kind exhibit to a greater degree even than 
 English ones. 
 
 The kindred subjects of horticulture and arboriculture 
 deserve some notice here. Close to Brandon I held con- 
 versation with an Irishman who was following the trade of 
 nursery-gardener on a small patch of ground. His i)eas, 
 lettuces, beets, sweet-corn, citrons, and water-melons had, 
 he said, all done well, though the latter required to be cut 
 and allowed to ripen under glass. He was of opinion that 
 almost anything that grows in the open air in England 
 would grow in Manitoba and I'icc Te/sa. On June 19, 
 there had been a slight frost, but not enough to kill 
 cucumbers. Potatoes, he considered, should not be put in 
 till May, or they would be likely to suffer from the frost. 
 Some butter-beans, — a Canadian dwarf kind of French 
 bean, — astonished me by their prolific yield. I believe 
 most of the plants bore far more than their own weight 
 of pods. 
 
 Although very few settlers have, as yet, kept bees, there 
 is no reason whatever why they should not prove profit- 
 able, — in fact, the abundance of wild flowers is a strong 
 argument in t^cir favour; but the bees would, of course, 
 require some procection from the winter frosts. One 
 person has, I know, kept bees in Manitoba with good 
 results for three seasons. Wild bees, though not abundant, 
 are far from rare. 
 
 
FARMING IN MANITOBA. 
 
 93 
 
 intervals 
 of Agri- 
 toba for 
 pages,— 
 reading, 
 lijcct in 
 are lonij 
 le postal 
 Dgy, the 
 hich the 
 volume 
 les solid 
 jualified 
 ) wordy ; 
 il publi- 
 en than 
 
 •iculture 
 eld con- 
 trade of 
 [is peas, 
 ns had, 
 be cut 
 ion that 
 England 
 ne 19, 
 to kill 
 put in 
 frost, 
 ^rench 
 believe 
 weight 
 
 there 
 profit- 
 stron*:; 
 :ourse, 
 One 
 
 good 
 ndant, 
 
 Much controversy has been waged, and many conflicting 
 opinions expressed, as to the fruit-growing capabilities of 
 Manitoba and the North-west. The country certainly will 
 never grow a very great <|uantity of fruit ; and, at i)resent, 
 the amount i)roduced is practically //// .■ but I can see no 
 reason why any sort of fruit should not grow that does not 
 re(piire a very long summer to ripen it. In some i)laces 
 (though not much where I went), plums, currants, goose- 
 berries, cranberries, and rasi)berries grow wild alnindantly. 
 A small strawberry, about the size of the wild English one 
 and having a deliciously-flavoured fruit, grows wild m 
 (juantities on the prairie, and is often used for jam. Some 
 cultivated raspberry and currant bushes brought uj) from 
 (Ontario in the autumn of 18S2, stood the winter well and 
 bore fruit sparingly last summer ; but some ajiplc-trees had 
 been killed above the graft, probably through having been 
 too long a time out of the ground. With regard to apples, 
 it is certain that tliey now grow well in Minnesota ; and, at 
 the last meeting of the American Pomological Society, a 
 collection of no less than 140 varieties from that iitate was 
 shown, though it is but a few years since the possibility of 
 their growing there was altogether ridiculed. Not a few 
 attempts have already been made to plant fruit-trees in 
 Manitoba, and most of these have certainly met with poor 
 success ; but this has, undoubtedly, been due to insufficient 
 care and knowledge of planting, and to the selection of 
 sorts ill-adapted to the circumstances, rather than to the 
 defects of climate or soil. The North-west is a country 
 which has been denuded of its trees by artificial means ; 
 and the fact that certain trees do not grow there is no proof 
 that they 7c>i7/ not. In planting fruit-trees on the prairie, it 
 is highly desirable, if not absolutely necessary, that they 
 should be protected from the high winds that are due 
 largely to the bareness of the country ; and this should be 
 done by planting other trees as wind-breaks. 
 
 The kinds of fruit grown in Ontario and the United 
 States are principally those which have been introduced 
 from the mild and humid countries of Western Europe ; 
 and it is not reasonable to suppose that these sorts would 
 continue to flourish and bear abundantly if suddenly 
 transplanted to a country where the winters are longer and 
 
 ■ 1 
 
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 more rigorous, and the summers, though bright, are short. 
 If these sorts are ever to grow in Manitoba, it is evident 
 that it can only l)e after a carefully-conducted system of 
 " hardening off," which must be a slow, tedious, and often 
 disajipointing matter. lUit it is only fair that infjuiry should 
 be made as to what has been done in the colder and less 
 kindly regions of I'^astern Europe. This has been done 
 with most encouraging results. Two gentlemen have lately 
 been in Russia, making inquiries as to the sorts of ai)ples 
 and other fruits which are there grown in districts where 
 the climate is less, or at all events no more, propitious 
 than in Manitolia. After hearing the oj)ini()ns of these 
 gentlemen and others, at a meeting held in Winnipeg in 
 August last, an influential association was formed, having 
 as its object the encouragement of horticulture and arbori- 
 culture in the province ; and I understand that the Ciovern- 
 ment, through the l>oard of Agriculture, is jirepared to 
 back this society. It seems that at nine or ten towns and 
 villages near the city of Simbersk on the Volga, there are 
 thousands of acres planted with apple-trees, which, for 
 hundreds of years past, have supplied the cities of Moscow, 
 Nijni-Novgorod, Simbersk, and Kazan with an abundance 
 of fruit, though these places all lie hundreds of miles north 
 of the latitude of Winnipeg, in the dry, arid, steppe region 
 of Russia, where the days are excessively hot, the nights 
 very cool, and the winter climate decidedly colder than 
 that of Manitoba. In addition to apples, i)lums, cherries, 
 and pears are grown in large quantities, and their quality 
 is described as being that of " really choice fruit." The 
 fruit-trees are dwarf ones, — bushes, in fact, rather than 
 trees, — and belong to special sorts, unknown in Western 
 Europe. It is these sorts which are now about to be 
 introduced, and which it is proposed, with good prospect 
 of success, to cultivate in Manitoba. 
 
 The subject of tree-culture is, to my mind, one of such 
 great importance to the future prosperity of Manitoba — 
 not to speak of the whole prairie section of the North- 
 west — that it should on no account be left to private 
 enterprise, but should at once engage the most earnest 
 attention of the Government, — or, rather, should have done 
 so long ago. True, certain " tree-planting regulations " are 
 
lAR.MIN'C IN M.Wiroi'.A. 
 
 95 
 
 already in force ; but they have been found inoperative, 
 and should now be rei)laced by fresh ones. In speakini; 
 of the scarcity of timber, it is very necessary to state 
 whether building-timber or fuel is meant. The former is 
 very scarce in all parts of the j)rovince lying west of 
 Winnipeg. Years ago. Professor Hind wrote :--" Timber 
 fit for lumbering puri)oses is only found in narrow strips 
 on the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, and in still less 
 (luantities on the Roseau and Rat Rivers. It consists of 
 elm, oak, and ])oi)lar of very large growth, as is stated 
 elsewhere ; but, if the settlements progress (and why should 
 they not ?), these sui)i)lies will soon be consumed." The 
 scarcity of good timber is further shown by the precise 
 regulations in the " Dominion Lands Act '' for the careful 
 husbanding of what little there is. That there are no valid 
 natural reasons why the country should be devoid of timber, 
 has already been shown ; and the matter is one which 
 might well be urged ujjon the attention of the (lovernment. 
 so that in years to come the province would not be alto- 
 gether de])endent upon supi)lies from outside. 
 
 Wood for fuel is, of course, much more easily i)rocurable. 
 Wherever the country is wet, or much interspersed by lakes 
 and rivers, or wherever there are extensive sand-hills, the 
 supply of fuel is usually good, and sometimes abundant ; 
 but it is very different in some other parts, such as the dry, 
 bare prairie around Urandon, the Big I 'lain, and other 
 places, to say nothing of the absolutely treeless i)lains in 
 the North-west Territory, where one may travel for days 
 without seeing any growing thing taller than a dwarf rose- 
 bush. Even in Manitoba, some settlers have to go as 
 much as ten miles for their firewood, and few will say this 
 is no disadvantage ; although, of course, the matter will 
 be of less consequence when coal comes into more general 
 use. Yet, in spite of all this, the official compilers of the 
 pamphlet, entitled " What Farmers say of their Personal 
 Experience in the Canadian North-west," have the face to 
 write as follows : — " Wood for building and fencing 
 purposes is a matter of great importance in a prairie 
 country, and hi this respect the Canadian North-ivcst is 
 peculiarly favoured. [!] Although there are sections where 
 wood is scarce, as a general rule there is a well-regulated 
 
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 su))!)!)- throiigliout the country. " These words can give no 
 other impression tlian tliat timher jit for building::; purposes 
 is readily obtainable, wliich impression is wholly wrong so 
 tar as many very extensive districts are concerned. Of 
 course, it may be argued that there is an inexhaustible 
 supply ol" building timber on the east, north, and north- 
 west of the ])rairies, but this is not to the point : such 
 wood is fiot easily obtainable. Next, we have given "The 
 Testimony of Settlers resi)ecting Wood and iniel," from 
 which, as we are told, " it will be seen that, on the whole, 
 there is not much difficulty in obtaining suflicient wood 
 for the i)urposes of the farm." 'I"he evidence brought 
 forward will, no doubt, jn-ove perfectly conclusive to 
 emigrants before they leave our shores ; but, after their 
 arrival in the colony, they may learn that the whole of the 
 testimon)- brought forward has been collected from a limited 
 area in the moist regions around iMnerson, Winnii)eg, and 
 the Portage, and along the banks of the rivers between 
 those places — possibly as much as one-thousandth part of 
 the whole North-west ! True, it may be urged that when 
 these statements were penned no other portion of the 
 North-west had been opened u]), but this does not alter 
 the case ; and though, doulHless, these statements have 
 only been sent out of late through an oversight, it is now 
 time that they should be discontinued. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 HINTS FOR THOSE WHO CONTEMPLATE EMIGRATING. 
 
 From the way in which Manitoba has been spoken of in 
 the foregoing pages, some might be led to believe that I 
 am about to adopt the persuasive ways of the ordinary 
 emigration pamphlet-writers, and promiscuouly advise all 
 kinds and all classes of people to take advantage of the 
 magnificent opportunities of bettering their condition, 
 which this promising colony affords ; but this is far from 
 
HIN'IS 10 INTKNDINU EMICRAM'S. 
 
 97 
 
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 being my intention. Should any of my readers desire to 
 ask, whether I consider it desirable for him or her to 
 emigrate to Manitoba, the wish shall, once for all, be 
 satisfied by my most emi)haticaliy answering : '* No : I 
 have not the least intention of accepting the responsibility 
 of recommending any particular person or persons to take 
 such an important step in their lives as emigration." 
 
 1 have spoken of the country in terms of admiration 
 because I believe facts warrant it. No other Jiritish 
 colony has, within an ecpuilly s' ort time, made such xA\n(l 
 progress as Manitoba ; and this is in itself a recommenda- 
 tion, since this progress carries with it a rapid rise in the 
 value of land which cannot fail to benefit the emigrant. 
 But, supposing it were proved that Manitoba possesses 
 greater advantages than any other colony, this does not 
 affect the great fact, which cannot be too strongly put 
 forward, that there are ]ieoj)le who sJwuld emigrate ; and 
 there are people who should not. lianking and brewing 
 are very lucrative businesses ; but it does not follow that 
 every one can go into them with e([ual chance of success. 
 To some the colonies offer magnificent advantages ; but to 
 others they offer next to none. It must lie with every 
 man to decide for himself whether he is, or whether he is 
 not, fitted for a colonial life ; and I am bound to say that 
 I think comparatively few middle-class Englishmen are 
 thus fitted. The matter is one in which hard-and-fast 
 rules cannot be laid down ; but let every one remember 
 that in emigrating to Manitoba, or any other of the 
 colonies, an important step in life is being taken which, 
 if wrong, it may, or may not, be i)ossible to rectify. 
 
 With many persons emigration is now a panacea for all 
 the ills due to dense population and excessive business 
 competition. I do not regard things in this light ; but yet 
 am most strongly of opinion that, things being as they are, 
 a very large proportion of our population would benefit 
 itself, as well as that left behind, by judicious emigra- 
 tion ; yet, on the other hand, unless great caution be used 
 the intended benefit may very easily become an unintended 
 and unexpected curse. Whilst in Canada I met many 
 settlers, some of whom had bettered their circumstances 
 by emigrating ; whilst some others belonged to the class 
 
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 98 
 
 MANITOnA DESCRIIiKI). 
 
 which docs foolishly in leaving England. It is with the 
 object of assisting the former with reliable information, and 
 of deterring the latter, that this book is penned. 
 
 It is impossible for any person to make use of too much 
 caution in deciding the great (juestion whether he or she 
 should, or should not, emigrate. Nearly all the failures 
 among settlers I saw in Manitoba were those of jjersons 
 who never should have gone there at all ; while nearly all 
 the disparaging accounts I ever read of any of the colonies 
 evidently had their origin in the same cause. As a general 
 rule in all the colonies, and es})ecially in Manitoba, young 
 and unmarried ])ersons have a \ery great advantage over 
 those who are already married and burdened with a family, 
 particularly in those cases where the amount of availai)le 
 capital is very small. A man with a young family, and 
 without ample capital to start in a small way on his own 
 account, should think very seriously before emigrating. A 
 man with sufficient capital and a strong working family, the 
 grown-up members of which can "hire-out" if need be, has 
 usually i)retty good prospects before him. 
 
 Few persons will need to be told that the life usually led 
 by settlers is a rough one (at least, at first), or that a con- 
 siderable amount of really hard manual labour has to 1)0 
 gone through — indeed the very first thing that has to be 
 considered is that no one need ever dream of succeeding 
 in the colonies unless he is prepared to run the chance 
 (amounting, in fact, almost to a certainty) of having to go 
 through both of these. Of course it is just possible that a 
 young man may obtain genteel employment in a town, in 
 which case he will probably receive a fair salary, but 
 situations of this kind are generally as hard, or harder, 
 to obtain in any of the colonies than in England. It is 
 to agriculture, in one branch or another, that nine out 
 of every ten emigrants must expect to turn their attention. 
 
 I believe it is correct that by far the larger number of 
 persons who have already emigrated have been drawn 
 from the professional and labouring classes — a somewhat 
 unusual connection of the two. Some jDeople hold the 
 opinion that it is to young men of the former class that 
 the colonies offer the greatest advantages ; but in this I 
 beg to "differ from them — indeed, I have formed the opinion 
 
 
HINTS TO INTF.NDINC; KMIGRAX'I S. 
 
 99 
 
 that, ns a rule, surh voutm men make a mistake in cml-'ra- 
 ting, unless useless for any purpose here. Were they to 
 live as roughly and work as hard here as they would l)e com- 
 l)elled to do to obtain a mere living, or, at best, a romfort- 
 able position there, the jjrobabilities are that in the end 
 they would reap greater results here than there. Let such 
 young men consider that in the colonies they will in all 
 probability waste an excellent education, far from (Hiltivated 
 society, or in the so(Mety of men fre(iuently the reverse of 
 cultivated ; leading, for a time at least, a life which, so far 
 as material comforts arc confcrned, is as rough as that of 
 the average agricultural labourer m I'jigland, and ])erfoi-m- 
 ing manual labour which does not differ one whit from 
 that which " I lodge " does in our fields, except that, as 
 a rule, it will be for himself, instead of for an emiiloyer; 
 but, supi)osing that he seeks employment on the railway 
 at what would be called '' navvy's work " in l''ngland, his 
 labour would not have even that advantage ; and 1 heard 
 of cases in which well-educated young men, brought up 
 to lirofessions, had sought this employment — indeed, it 
 was affirmed (I know not how truly) by the newspapers 
 whilst I was in Manitoba, that a son of the Poet Laureate 
 was at work out West upon the railroad. 
 
 Of course, however, there is, as usual, another side to 
 the (juestion. Instead of manual labour being looked down 
 upon in tne colonies as in l^ngland, the reverse is the 
 case ; and, as already stated, almost the only employment 
 that a young man who emigrates must expect to obtain, 
 is directly manual. To some the freedom and absolute 
 independence of the life, the feeling that they are their 
 own masters, the owners of so much " landed property," 
 freed from the irksome shackles of civilisation, living in 
 a free country where they are at liberty to wander where 
 they please and shoot what game they can — these, and 
 other similar advantages, more than compensate for the 
 inconveniences. But all persons belonging to the class 
 spoken of are not cast in a mould of this nature ; and, 
 to a very large proportion of refined and educated people, 
 who have never been trained to do a stroke of manual 
 labour, the early portion of an emigrant's life is one of 
 drudgery and hardship. 
 
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 MANITOHA DESCRIIJKD. 
 
 I do not at all desire entirely io discouraL^e the emigra- 
 tion of gentlemen's sons to Manitoba or any of the other 
 colonies, for it is (juite certain tliat many such have left 
 England greatly to their own advantage ; i)Ut I should do 
 very wrong were 1 not to enjoin great caution upon them 
 before deciding to emigrate. It is much to be regretted 
 that there are not more thoroughly good schools at whii h 
 the sons of gentlemen, while receiving a sound general 
 education, might also receive a practical agricultural train- 
 ing, which would accustom them to labour with their 
 hands, and thus in a measure fit them i'uv a colonial life. 
 Of course, if a young man goes out supplied with, say, 
 j^'i,ooo capital, there is no reason why he should not do 
 as well, perhai)S better, than in I'Jigland, without much 
 hardship, for the very good reason that any one starting 
 ■with a capital (in a colony, i)erhaps, more than rnywhere 
 •else) has a very great advantage over any one without it ; 
 but then those with the cc^nunand of even a small amount 
 of caj)ital are not generally those who wish to emigrate. 
 The matter ought to be considered this way : suppose the 
 son of a doctor and the son of an agricultural labourer 
 go out together without capital, and both take up land 
 in the same colony. JJoth may succeed, or both may 
 fail ; but the latter will run the greater chance of success, 
 on account of his having had a previous training which fits 
 him for the life which, if not distasteful, is at least novel 
 to the former. At the same time, there is no reason why 
 the doctor's son should not succeed, provided he intends 
 so to do. Taken all round, however, for young men of 
 good education, or with the remotest prospects of success 
 in this country, emigration is very often a game which is 
 not "worth the candle." 
 
 But, if I am correct in saying that there is a class which 
 should not emigrate, I am certainly still nearer the truth in 
 saying that there is a class which sJiould emigrate, and 
 whose fault alone it will be if its condition is not bettered 
 by so doing. This class it is which comprises the agricultural 
 labourer, the crowded working population of our large towns, 
 and those, generally, who perform, for a bare subsistence, 
 what, in this country, is so often called " menial work." Of 
 this very large class, no portion would be more benefited 
 
 
HINTS TO INTF.NniNC. KMICRANTS. 
 
 101 
 
 by cmii^ration than the first that which contains the agrl- 
 riiUural lal)()iirer. The present dei^'raded state of the rural 
 labourer must be well known to every one. Much has 
 been written as to the lowness of the farm labourer's waives, 
 which is, to a large extent, the cause of the unsatisfai tory 
 rendition of his class, and some statisticians take threat 
 ])leasure in showinj^' that his wages have increased faster in 
 proportion during a certain periotl of years than the income 
 of any other part of the community ; but this is not to the 
 ])oint : it merely shi)ws that the former state was 7t'rv bad, 
 and the present state (though it may be, and is, i)Ltter) 
 may still be, and is, bad. To admit that the farm-labourer 
 is underpaid, but to say that he cannot receive better wages 
 because the farmers, though they do their besi, :ire, in these 
 times, unable to make ends meet, is not disjjo^ing ( f the 
 (juestion, but only enlarging and making itwor. ••. Many 
 thousands of farm-labourers' families are being brought up 
 on 13s. to 15s. a week; and this miserable sum is gained 
 in employment which, be the workman ever so good or 
 ever so bad, will always remain the same, and will not, in 
 one rase out of a thousand, offer to the workman in his old 
 age the slightest i)rosi)ect of saving enough to spend his 
 last days in comtbrt. Those ac(]uainted with '• Ilotige '' 
 are usually accjuainted also with his views u\,on the matter. 
 He knows well enough that it is impossible for him to 
 save — that the workhouse is his perfect right — his only 
 hold u[)on the country, given to him because he has been 
 deprived of every other stake in the land, and must still be 
 kei)t alive for the credit of humanity ; and why should he 
 not take advantage of his indisputable rights, and end his 
 days ignobly within the four walls of the workhouse, when 
 no other alternative is o])en to him? The agriiultural 
 labourer has, moreover, in him just the very habits and the 
 very qualities which an emigrant wants. He is accustomed 
 to living a more or less comfortless life in a crazy cottage, 
 to eating coarse food, and to performing hard physical 
 labour ; and these are the very things which offer an emi- 
 grant success in a new land. It seems, therefore, as if one 
 of the very classes which most require assistance has, more 
 than any other, the best chances of obtaining it by emigra- 
 tion to the colonies ; and, to a man belonging to this class, 
 
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102 
 
 MAN1T0I5A 1JKSCRI15KD. 
 
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 I am convinced that, in Manitoba at least, to say notliing 
 of any other place, success is, in all human certainty, 
 assured, provided only that reasonable means be taken to 
 ensure it. It is my honest conviction that, ])rovide(l such 
 a man be steady and industrious, emigration oilers to him 
 the o})})ortunity of raising himself, in time, from the con- 
 dition of a prospectless hireling here, to that of a comfort- 
 able and independent, but not rich, farmer in Manitoba, 
 or some other of the IJritish dependencies. ]}ut every 
 emigrant, of whatever class, must fully recognise that every- 
 thing rests with himself; that in young countries, like 
 Canada, the influences for bad are very numerous ; that in 
 bettered circumstances it is much easier to give way to 
 them ; and that, if this be done, success is no more likely 
 to b ^ obtained in any of the colonies than in England. 
 
 But there is one other warning needed. Some i)ersons 
 go out with the hope and expectation of making a speedy 
 fortune in the colonies,, and then returning home again. 
 Let me assure any such that they had much better remain 
 at home. Manitoba and the other British colonies are not 
 places where a fortune is easily and quickly made. A few, 
 by well-directed speculation, may make a considerable sum 
 of money in a short while (often at the expense of honest 
 workers), and are able to return home and live handsomely; 
 but these are the exceptions which are brought so promi- 
 nently before us : of the majority we hear little or nothing. 
 The Canadian North-West, like all the other colonies, is a 
 place where a great many may, and can, obtain a comtbrt- 
 able independence, though few will ever grow rich. 
 
 I am one of those who think it the duty of the Imperial 
 Government to take steps to promote more rapid emigration 
 to our colonies. It cannot be denied that there are in this 
 country large numbers of ]jersons who are able and willing 
 to work, could they but obtain employment ; while there 
 are numberless or})hans and deserted children who, if they 
 remain in England, will surely go to swell our vast army of 
 paupers. I have already urged the case of the agricultural 
 labourers, because that is the class of which I have seen 
 most ; but many of those who are well acquainted with the 
 state of things in our larger towns have still more strongly 
 urged the necessity of assisting the poorer classes of urban 
 
HINTS TO INTENDING EMIGRANTS. 
 
 lO' 
 
 labourers to emigrate. On the other hand, our colonies 
 have millions of acres of fertile lanrl Ivinur vacant for want 
 of that which is the life-bh^od of all countries — jjopulation. 
 Could anything seem more rational, or more likely to bring 
 about a right feeling between England and her various 
 dependencies, than that the Imperial Government should 
 do what lays within its power to transfer our surplus labour 
 to the place where it is so badly wanted ? The fact that, 
 while (ireat l^ritain and Ireland have, on an average, no less 
 than about 299 })ersons to the s([uaremile, Canada has only 
 about 1*25, New Zealand only a little over 5, and Australia 
 considerably under i, most clearly shows how much such a 
 transference is needed. Yet, although I believe this to be 
 one of the most pressing questions of the day, I am willing 
 also to admit that it is one of the most difticult. To whom 
 assistance should be given, or exactlv how it should be 
 given, I am not as yet prepared to say, further than this : 
 that whatever is done must be done with the greatest 
 possible amount of care and forethought. It is quite true 
 that our colonies have vacant lands, and that we have 
 surplus labour, but to bring the two together hap-hazard is 
 not more likely to result in tidy farms and prosjjcrous 
 settlers than the mere bringing together of ink and j)aper is 
 likely to })roduce a book. It cannot be too strongly urged 
 that the mere sending out of poor and heljiless emigrants 
 to the land that awaits cultivation, is not enough. With 
 young, unmarried persons, able to look after themselves, 
 and having nobody dependent upon them, this may not be 
 altogether unsafe ; but for those who have tamilies it is 
 imperatii'cly ncct'ssary that some provision should be made 
 to enable them to commence life in the new country. To 
 accomplish this a loan should be made, for the repayment 
 of which and the interest thereon the land itself may, under 
 the laws of Canada, be held as security. The section of 
 the "Dominion Lands Act" (1S83, chap. 17, § 38), under 
 which this is made possible cannot be made too well known. 
 It is as follows : — 
 
 " If any person or persons, lliereunto authorised by the Minister of 
 the Interior, place immigrants as settlers on homestead lands in 
 Manitoba, or the North-West Territories, free of expense to the 
 Government, the Governor in Council may order that the expenses, 
 
lOA 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIBED. 
 
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 If ' 
 
 or any part thereof, incurred for such person or persons for passage 
 money, or subsistence in hrin^int; out an immigrant, or for aid in 
 erecting buildings on his homestead [l6o acres], or in providing horses, 
 cattle, farm implements, or seed grain for him, may, if so agreed 
 upon by the parties, be made a charge upon the homestead of such 
 immigrant." The (Government will not convey to the settler the fee of 
 his homestead until he has ])aid off the charge and interests. 'J'he 
 principal money charged is not to exceed 500 dols. (^loo), and not 
 more than 6 per cent, interest is j^ayable. 
 
 I am well aware that many Canadians will (juarrel with 
 me for some of the sentiments I have expressed regarding 
 emigration. " Send us," they say, " good farmers, men of 
 stibstance, with sufficient capital to take up and cultivate 
 our unoccupied, though fertile, lands. These poor people 
 are no good to us." This is, of course, perfectly natural 
 from their point of view ; but, as a rule, men of substance 
 can find an opening here, and are, consequently, unwilling 
 to undergo the trials which are more or less inseparable 
 from the commencement of a settler's life in a new country. 
 On the other hand, it should be remembered that it is 
 chiefly the honest poor, unable to find work here, who are 
 most benefited by emigration, and that the great advantage 
 possessed by Canada and the other colonies over England 
 is, that given due time and sufficient industry, a vast and 
 almost unlimited number of such persons may raise them- 
 selves to positions of comfort and independence. In 
 speaking as some Canadians often do, they are apt to over- 
 look the fact that many, if not most, of those now holding 
 good positions in the colony, or their fathers, have raised 
 themselves from positions (juite as humble as those of many 
 of the poor emigrants now landing on the shores of the 
 New World. 
 
 The amount of capital required by a settler is another 
 point concerning which information can only be given on 
 general lines. The statements circulated by the Canadian 
 Pacific Railway authorities in their pamphlets, that "some 
 re([uire more than others," and that "a man with ;^ioo to 
 ^£150 would be able to do well " are perfectly true ; but to 
 the latter should be added the words, "provided that he 
 knew how to use it well." It is quite certain that many 
 men are now doing fairly well who started with much less, 
 or even with nothing ; for, be the settler's capital great or 
 
HINTS TO INTENDING EMIGRANTS. 
 
 105 
 
 ■. <l 
 
 small, everything depends upon the use he makes of it. 
 If a man takes up land and starts farming with but little 
 capital — say ;2£^ioo — he must not mind putting up with 
 considerable privation at first ; as, of course, it will be a full 
 year before his land can make him any return. Of course, 
 too, for a man who possesses nothing but his strong arms, 
 and has at first to " hire out "' and work and live hard 
 in order to save something to start on his own account, 
 the hardships encountered will be greater still ; but it 
 is the fact that not a lew, but many men are able thus 
 to start with nothing and raise themselves in time to 
 comfortable independence, which is the great advan- 
 tage possessed by Manitoba and the other colonies over 
 England. 
 
 Those who emigrate to Manitoba with the idea of hiring 
 out till they can save enough to start for themselves, should 
 clearly understand that, unless they make all-the-year-round 
 engagements, they will probnbly find it very difficult to 
 obtain employment during the winter months, /.c., from 
 November to March, although during the remaining months 
 a steady, sober, and industrious man will alir.ost certainly 
 be able to get employment, if not on a farm then on the 
 railway, though this kind of work is often hard and rough. 
 As to the female sex, information is easily given. Any 
 woman who can work with her hands may emigrate to 
 Manitoba with perfect safety. Female domestic servants 
 are in very great demand in the towns, and receive high 
 wages. Any marriageable young ladies may also go thither 
 with safety, as the demand for v>'ives among the settlers is 
 considerable. There are many young men who went out 
 when but litde more than youths, and, having now attained 
 to a fair degree of prosperity, are anxiously looking out tor 
 wives to keep their houses for them. Of course, the life is 
 more or less rough, but still it need not be a hard one. 
 I would respectfully suggest to the editor of the Matrimo- 
 nial Neivs that he would do well to extend his circulation 
 throughout the North-West ! 
 
 Some will doubtless say that what I have now writLcn 
 upon the subject of emigration has been marked by an 
 excess of caution ; but I do not think so. Emigration is 
 an important step for any man to take, and therefore re- 
 
 '■ > >r 
 
io6 
 
 jSIANITOlSA DESCKH5ED. 
 
 ♦ . 
 
 ■f 11 
 
 I- 
 
 ii 
 
 5 i 
 
 quires great caution. To those, then, who have convinced 
 themselves that they are of tiie right class, and have 
 decided to emigrate, I will next proceed to offer a few 
 practical remarks. 
 
 No one can do better than choose the Allan Line of 
 steamers by which to cross the ocean, 'i'hey are all first- 
 class vessels ; and the " intermediate " accommodation 
 with which they are ]jrovidcd is such that no man, 
 however well brought-up, need Ijc afraid of, if he intends 
 to go farming in the North-West. 
 
 The practical recommendations given in the pam])hlcts 
 issued by the (iovernment as to what to take and how to 
 get to Manitoba may, I believe, be relied on. Emigrants 
 will do well to take a ticket straight through to \\ innipeg, 
 as it comes nmch cheaper and saves trouble. If it is 
 desired to break the journey at any })articular i)lace there 
 is generally not much trouble in arranging to do so. 
 During the season "the Lake Route," 7'/ci Collingwood or 
 Sarnia to Port Arthur, is decidedly to be recommended, 
 as being cheaper, i)leasanter, and but little slower than the 
 " all-rail route " : but those who cannot j)Ut up with very 
 rough accommodation had better not take what is called 
 "second-class'' by these boats. The accommodation 
 would be miserable were it called steerage, no food is 
 ])rovided, and high rates are, I believe, charged. During 
 the coming spring, however, the Canadian Pacific Railway 
 will start running a line of its own steamers to connect its 
 two termini at Algoma and Port Arthur, which route will, 
 doubtless, be found to be the best."-" 
 
 The best time of year to go to the North-West varies a 
 good deal according to circumstances. If a man is going 
 to friends, one time of year is almost as good as another. 
 Any man intending to hire-out vrould do well to get there 
 in the early spring — say the beginning of April. A person 
 intending to take up land as soon as possible can hardly 
 get there too early in the spring, as he will then have more 
 time to select his location, build a house, and get some 
 breaking done ready for the following year. In any case 
 it is undesirable to arrive out just before winter ; and a 
 
 See p. 140. 
 
HINTS TO INTEXDIXC; EMIGRANTS. 
 
 107 
 
 arics a 
 
 settler taking out a wile and family would do well to leave 
 them behind in Ontario, until he has got together a habi- 
 tation for them, as it is often nothing less than a cruelty 
 to take a family up into the wikls of the North-West until 
 this be done. " Land hunters," as those are called, who 
 start out in search of land on which to settle, should 
 procure the " Land Prospector's Manual," by Ca[)tain C. 
 W. Allen,* which gives many detailed hints and e.\i)lains 
 the very simple (but, at first, rather puzzling) system of 
 survey which has been adopted. The book also contains a 
 useful synopsis of the ])ominion Lands Act. As to clothing 
 by all means let emigrants take what they jjosscss, especially 
 if it be warm. Some recommend that an additional sui)ply 
 should not be procured; but in this 1 do not agree. I believe 
 the bulk of American clothing is far inferior to l-Lnglish 
 goods at the same price. Emigrants could hardly do better 
 than apply to such a firm as Messrs. Gardner tv' Co., of 
 Whitechapel and Deptford, for their sup})lies of clothing. 
 It is certainly desirable to take all personal belongings, 
 such as boots ; for in Manitoba, one gives six or seven 
 dollars for a pair far inferior to what could be obtained 
 for ;^i at home. Great, thick-soled, iron-tipped, hob- 
 nailed boots are, however, not in fashion, and Canadians 
 laugh at them. On the prairies there is scarcely any 
 wear on the soles, and these may, theretbre, be thin ; 
 whilst the "uppers" should be stout to withstand the 
 friction against the harsh i)rairie grasses. The boots 
 almost invariably worn are light-soled top-boots, coming up 
 nearly to the knee. Thi-^k corduroy and fustian clothing 
 also is seldom seen; but "overalls" made of "duck," 
 often put together largely with copper rivets, are in 
 common use. Small household ornaments and nick- 
 nacks would be found very useful in making a settler's 
 shanty look home-like, but there is scarcely any article 
 in ordinary use, or which could reasonably be expected to 
 be obtainable, that cannot be had in the stores, of which 
 there is no lack in the towns. No emigrant, however 
 
 ■* London ; Simmons & Co., Upper Thames-street : The Toronto 
 News Company and the Montreal News Company, 1881. Trice, 
 25 cents. 
 
io8 
 
 MANITORA DESCRIBED. 
 
 ]} 
 
 poor, should attempt to take any article of furniture. It is 
 almost needless to say that an emigrant will save himself 
 much trouble and will make sure of obtaining a first-class 
 outfit by procuring it of Messrs. S. W, Silver & Co., the 
 well-known colonial outfitters, of Cornhill. It is a very 
 good i)lan to take out a variety of garden-seeds, and these 
 may be best obtained of Messrs. Jas. Carter & Co., of 
 High Hol!)orn. I'A'erything sent out by this firm may be 
 thoroughly relied upon. 
 
 An emigrant should clearly understand that there are 
 various means by which he may acquire land. First, he 
 may take up a " homestead," or a free grant from (lovern- 
 ment of 160 acres, for which he will i)ay nothing but a 
 registration fee often dollars ; but he will have, neverthe- 
 less, to reside upon it for at least six months in each of his 
 first three years, and to perform a certain amount of 
 cultivation, before he is entitled to what settlers call a 
 " recommend," which entitles him to the "patent" which 
 gives him full possession of his land and "perfects his 
 homestead entry," as the expression is. It should, how- 
 ever, be kept in mind that much searching would now be 
 needed to find a really good homestead anywhere within a 
 reasonable distance of the railway or a large town, with- 
 out going a hundred or a hundred and fifty miles, at least, 
 west of Winnipeg. A homesteader may also take up a 
 "pre emption " of 160 acres adjoining his homestead on 
 payment of two dols. fifty cents per acre. This right will 
 cease after J'^nuary ist, 1887. Any man with sufficient 
 caj)ital to buy land could obtain an almost unlimited 
 (|uantity, even close to the towns, by purchase from the 
 Railway Company, the Hudson's Bay Company, the various 
 Land and Colonisation companies, or from private owners. 
 Full particulars are given in the various pamphlets so 
 lavishly distributed by these several bodies. Canadians are 
 often amused at the pride shown by young Englishmen in 
 the possession of land. This commodity is with us bound 
 up in so few hands, and the title " landed proprietor " 
 carries so much along with it, that many an emigrant cannot 
 conceal his satisfaction at having attained, at last, to the 
 dignity of a landowner, even though it be in a country 
 where all men are, or can be, such. 
 
HINTS TO INTLNDING EMIGRANTS. 
 
 109 
 
 mited 
 
 the 
 
 irious 
 
 v'ners. 
 
 ts so 
 
 s are 
 
 n in 
 
 ound 
 
 itor " 
 
 nnot 
 
 ' the 
 
 intry 
 
 It is a common practice for young settlers l)clonging to 
 fairly well-to-do families, when first emigrating to any 
 colony, to pay a premium to some settler who is already 
 established on a farm, in order to be taught farming. This 
 is a plan often followed in Manitoba. In some cases it 
 has advantages : in others it has none. \\'hen the parents 
 of a youth who is altogether fresh to farming (perhaps fresh 
 to a country life) can afford to pay a premium, and desire 
 to know that, for a time at least, their son will be more or 
 less looked after, the system may not be a bad one ; but, 
 on the other hand, there is seldom any real necessity why 
 it should be followed, and very often the premium that is 
 paid is simply wasted. Farming in Manitoba is not such 
 a difficult trade to learn, or employment so hard to obtain 
 there, but that a young man of average cai)abilities can 
 easily obtain the latter, and consequently learn the former, 
 receiving wages for so doing, instead of paying a premium, 
 which may be sorely missed from a very limited ;:apital ; 
 and, as a general rule, it is not advisable to pay this pre- 
 mium. The reason why so many settlers are anxious to 
 take in pupils is, that the ])remium is very often an object 
 with them ; and, labour being scarce and dear to employ, 
 it is an advantage to be able to obtain any one who will 
 work for his board, without being so independent as to be 
 wanting to leave every now and again. 
 
 In all parts of Canada, the "hired man," as he is called, 
 is in most ways the equal of his master, living in the same 
 house on terms of perfect eciuality, excejjt that, of course, 
 he has to work. It is obviously very difficult to give any 
 hard-and-fast information as to wages, because these are 
 frequently altering at different times and in different places. 
 For all kinds of labour, wages are now considerably lower 
 than they were during the boom. An ordinary farm-hand 
 could then get something like 2}, dols. per day: now the 
 same man's wages '>,'Ould be about 20 dols. to 25 dols. per 
 month, in addition to board and lodging. During harvest 
 wages are higher : a man will then sometimes be able to 
 obtain i dol. 50 cents per day, with board, &c. The wages 
 of labouring men, other than farm hands, are, as a rule, 
 higher. The Government sets the value of a day's " statute 
 labour" (eight hours), at road-making, at i dol. 50 cents. 
 
 < ' 
 
I lO 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIBED. 
 
 I'loads arc made by all householders being summoned by 
 the " path- master," on a certain date, to give so many days' 
 labour, or their eriuivalent, according to the number of 
 teams they ])ossess. This is a custom which has been 
 brought uj) from Ontario. I'V-malcs, cajiable of taking 
 service as domestic servants, are certain to obtain situations 
 at good wages. A good man, steady, and able to work, 
 will be able to find emi)loyment on a farm for eight months 
 out of the twelve ; l)ut, during the winter, the demand for 
 hands is very slack, except for " lumber-men " in the forests 
 east of Winnii)eg. At the present time, the demand for 
 labour is very much greater, and wages are higher, in the 
 North-West than in the older provinces of Ontario and 
 Quebec. Employment can be obtained on the Canadian 
 Pacific Railway nearly the whole year round. 
 
 A comjjrehensive list of the ruling market prices of 
 household commodities in dailv use is ufiven weeklv in the 
 Manitoba Free Press, but would i)robably be misleading 
 were I to quote any of the figures here. Manitoba is un- 
 (]uestionably a much dearer place to buy in than England, 
 or even the eastern provinces of the Dominion. This is, 
 of course, largely on account of the stringent policy of 
 Protection, which the province severely feels, having to 
 buy everything in a dear market, yet having, at ]oresent, no 
 manufactories to share in the jjrofits yielded by the ab- 
 normal stimulation of prices. 
 
 So much noise has been occasioned by the advertising 
 of Manitoban land, that some might begin to imagine that 
 by this time it is all taken up ; but there could hardly be 
 any idea more absurd. The population of the province is 
 of the scantiest kind : one may often walk for miles along 
 trails, crossing fertile prairie lands, without seeing a house ; 
 v.'hile, except in a few very limited localities lying close to 
 the railway, the cultivated land is but a minute fraction of 
 the whole. According to the official returns for 1883, there 
 were then only 597,420 acres cultivated in the province. 
 Adding the large allowance of one-quarter for land unre- 
 ported, we get 746,775 acres, or about 1 per cent, of the 
 whole ! But, as showing the vast extent of almost equally 
 available soil lying inthestill more thinly-peopled North-West 
 Territories, and which will in time come to be occupied by an 
 
LIFE OF SKTII.KKS IN' MANTIOIIA. 
 
 I I I 
 
 taking 
 
 induslrions population, I will here (luote a paragraph from 
 Captain lUitlcr's work, "The Wild North Land."' He 
 says : — " In the deed of surrender, by which the Hudson's 
 Bay Company transferred to the (lovernment of Canada the 
 Territory of the North-West, the I'Vrlile l>elt was defined 
 as being bounded on the north by the North Saskatchewan 
 River. It will yet be found that there are ten acres of 
 fertile land lying }iorth of the North Saskatchewan for 
 every one acre lying soutli of it."' Astonishing as this 
 statement may seem, who will ([uestion, at least, its ai)proxi- 
 matc correctness, when it is deliberately put forward by a 
 man who knows so well what he is speaking of as Captain 
 Butler? This immense area will, \w due time, come to bo 
 occupied; but, at present, few will find it to their advantage 
 rto penetrate into the tar West and North. 'I'here seems 
 at the present time, as everybody who visits >ranitoba will 
 see, a mania for rushing West. The cry there is, " West- 
 w^ard Ho ! " once more. For some time, at least, the 
 settler's supplies will all come fro))! the East, while all his 
 produce will go to the East ; and it is certain that the land 
 in Manitoba is as good as any lying further West, while it 
 is unquestionably far better that a great deal. 
 
 ab- 
 
 CH.\PTER VI. 
 
 SETTLERS IN MAMTOIJA : THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL 
 CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH THEY LIVE. 
 
 The present place seems the most suitable for presenting a 
 variety of information ns to the classes of people usually 
 met with in ]\Ianitol)a, their mode of life, and the social 
 conditions under which they live. 
 
 To describe the general chnracteristics of the inhabitants 
 of any country is always a more or less difficult task ; and 
 especially is it so when any part of America is the country 
 
II 
 
 MANMTOIiA DKSCRiniil). 
 
 ■^. 1 
 
 under discussion ; for, in that rase, the population to be 
 desr,ril)cd is usually the most helero,ii;eneous mixture of all 
 nationalities imaginable. Manitoba is no exception to this 
 rule, but rather a tyj)i(al example of it. Among tlie 
 different sorts and classes of men there rcjiresented, may 
 be found retired military and naval officers of all ranks 
 (who have usually come out to settle their sons), English 
 labouring-men of all kinds, clergymen's sons, Icelanders, 
 Ontarians, broken-down ICnglish farmers, the sons of JMiglish 
 gentlemen (often with college educations), Irish cotters, 
 Frenchmen, (iermans, Scotchmen, Yankees, Mennonites, 
 Indians, Half-breeds (of divers kinds), Swedes, Norwegians, 
 and representatives of nearly all other European countries. 
 The contrast between two neighbours is often most curious. 
 As a rule, however, each class of settler is more or less 
 confined to particular localities. Thus there are certain 
 districts mostly inhabited by Englishmen, by Icelanders, 
 by Mennonites, or by Onkirians ; but in all rural parts the 
 fmely-i)olished element is in the minority. 
 
 There are in the province nearly 8,000 Mennonites. 
 These industrious i)eoi)le are of (jerman origin ; but, having 
 a conscientious objection to the conscription, they were 
 compelled to leav their native country, and a large body 
 of them settled in Russia. There, however, they still met 
 with persecution on account of their religious beliefs ; and 
 in 1875 arrangements were made with the xManitoban 
 Government for establishing them in a colony on a large 
 tract of land specially set apart for them on the bank of the 
 Red River, just north of the International Boundary. The 
 daily life of the Mennonites is a simple one; their industry 
 is very great, and I doubt whether, at the present day, 
 there are in Manitoba any settlers more prosperous than 
 they. Their small, though tidy, cottages and farm buildings, 
 surrounded with little neat gardens, full of bright flowers, 
 are collected together in small clusters or villages, of which 
 a considerable number, scattered over the level prairie, 
 may be seen at the same time from the train. The Men- 
 nonites, from having been longer on the ground, ])ossess 
 many more cattle than ordinary settlers. During the 
 summer-time, many herds, each belonging to the inhabitants 
 of one village, and in charge of a boy or girl, may be seen 
 
I,IFi: OF SF.'ITr.KRS IN MANITOIlA. 
 
 113 
 
 from the windows of a passint,' train, feeding beside the 
 line. 
 
 There have been settlements of Irelanders at Gimli and 
 Iloosavik, on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg, since the 
 year 1875. 
 
 lUit, after all, the person most often met with is the 
 Ontarian, Probably two out of every tlirec settlers one 
 meets in Manitoba are from Ontario. That this should be 
 so is, on first thoughts, rather strange, for Ontario still 
 professes to be ojjcn for immigration. The exjjlanation 
 lies in the fact that every Canadian wants to own a farm ; 
 and conse'iuently the liojiulation moves where iinoc(:u])ied 
 land is most abundant, 'i'o obtain a farm in Ontario it is 
 necessary to purchase one, or hew one out of the forest; 
 but in Manitoba neither of these courses is necessary. 
 These Ontarians, of all persons, make the most desirable 
 class of settler. Accustomed, in a large degree, in the 
 ways of the country, to the great extremes of the ( limate, 
 to the use of the axe from childhood, to hard work and 
 rough living, and provided with a very fair allowance of self- 
 reliance and intelligence, it is no wonder that they thrive 
 in the young province, or that they should hold, as I know 
 from exj)erience many of them do, most English settlers in 
 considerable derision. 
 
 The last Dominion census was taken in 188 1, and, 
 although the figures relating to Manitoba were very inaccu- 
 rately taken, they may have an interest as showing the 
 difference in the relative numbers of the two sexes which 
 exists between a young colony and the long-peoi)led coun- 
 tries of the Old World. The population of the; })rovince in 
 1 88 1 was returned as 65,954 ; but it is safe to say that it 
 was at least 80,000. During 1881 this was increased by 
 about 25,000, in 1882 by 44,500, and in 1883 by about 
 42,772, bringing the total population, at the end of that 
 year, to something like 192,272.* In 188 1, there were 
 12,803 inhabited houses (including 401 "shanties"), which 
 housed 14,169 families. There were also 1,136 houses 
 building. The males of the population numbered 37,207 ; 
 
 * In 1884, the number of immigrants was 30,265, bringing the total 
 population to about 222,500. 
 
 I 
 
114 
 
 MANIIOIJA Di:.SCKinEI>. 
 
 the females 28,747 — a wide divergence, coiisiderini; tliat in 
 lOnglatid the males stand U) the Icmalcs in the [jropurlion of 
 100 to io5"5. The difference in Manitoba is, nevertheless, 
 largely included among unmarried i)ers(jns and children ; 
 for, among the married persons, there was only an excess of 
 405 males, showing tiiat UKxst married settlers had their 
 wives with them. In Canada, the taking of a census showing 
 the religions of the people does not seem to l)e dreaded as 
 in England. In Manit(;l)a, in i8Si,the peo[)le worshii)ped 
 as follows: — 
 
 Cliuicli of ICiiyland 
 J'rL'sl)ytcri;iii 
 IvonKin Catholic ... 
 Mcthixlist.. 
 liapUst, iiicliulinj; 
 Mciinoiiitcs 
 
 7,77<^ 
 
 14,297 
 
 14,29:; 
 
 12,240 
 
 9,470 
 
 9.449 
 
 Piijjan 
 
 LmliL-ran 
 
 (Ju.ikcis 
 
 2,175 
 
 9S4 
 
 43 
 
 &c. live. 
 
 The birth-places of the people are given as follows : — 
 
 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 m 
 
 
 m 
 
 
 i 
 
 . 
 
 II 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 a 
 
 England 
 
 Ireland 
 
 .Scotland 
 
 Quebec 
 
 Ontario 
 
 3>457 
 
 2,Stj8 
 
 4,3^'i5 
 19,125 
 
 Manito!)a ... 
 
 Russia and Toland, includ 
 
 in;; .Mennonites 
 United .Slates 
 
 &.C. Sec. 
 
 lS,020 
 
 5,651 
 1,752 
 
 In 1871 the population of Manitoba was 18,995, includ- 
 ing 6,767 Indians. 
 
 So far as I was able to learn, the following tribes of 
 Indians are more or less numerously represents 1 in the 
 province. The Crees are the original inhabitants of the 
 country, and are divided into several sub-tribes. There 
 are also Chippewa or Ojibway Indians, who inhabit mostly 
 the forest country west of Winnipeg, and the Sioux, the 
 latter being an offshoot of the great Dakota nation, and 
 have occu[)ied the country from the south. Whether or 
 not there ever was any foundation for the halo of poetry 
 and romance with which the Indians are surrounded 
 (principally on account of the writings of the poet 
 Longfellow) I cannot say ; but certainly the glory of the 
 Indians of to-day has departed. The present specimens 
 of the red-skinned race, instead of being the bold, self- 
 reliant, independent fellows their fathers were, are now, 
 so tar as Manitoba is concerned, but little better than 
 
Mil: OF SKTTI.KKS IN MAMTOUA. 
 
 I I 
 
 M75 
 9S4 
 
 43 
 
 luingcrs-on of civilisation, cariiii^^ a \vrct( hcd j^ipsyliko 
 Vwuvj, l)y carting firewood, siiootin:,^ anil scUint; wild ducks, 
 and the like. Certainly on one or two occasions I did see 
 a few sj)ecimcns of the race dressed in all that im|)()sinL^ 
 array of beaded, hriL^htly-coloiired i^arnients for which their 
 ])assi()n is well known ; but the majority now assume the 
 garb of civilisation, and dress in ragged, ill-made clothes, 
 >yhich dctra't no little from the interest with which one 
 regards their much-talked-of wearers. Their bead-work is 
 sometimes very handsome, but I fancy they are now a 
 good deal leaving off the making of it. During the summer 
 most of the Indians pitch their tents or '•tei)ees" close to 
 the towns, retiring in winter to more sheltered situati(jns in 
 the bush. A most inordinate number of dogs is attached 
 to each lent. Many of them possess a Red River cart; 
 or, in some cases, a wagon and a pair of jjonies. The 
 Indians are, I believe, fairly honest now, as well as 
 peaceably inclined, and there is positively less bodily harm 
 to be fearetl from them llian from the l"'enians in JMigland, 
 although they have no [)arlicular liking for the wliite men, 
 and live a good deal to themselves. Whilst 1 was in 
 Manitoba an luiglish clergyman wrote to a friend there 
 asking whether there was any danger to be apprehended 
 from Indians or wolves. His letter was thought such a 
 good joke that it found its way into the news])apers ! It 
 has often been said of the Indians on the United States 
 side of the boundary that they are inhuman and imtame- 
 able beasts ; but the present peaceful condition of nearly 
 all the Canadian Indians, who liave been tairly-well treated 
 from the first, is proof to the contrary. One day I saw an 
 Indian on the jjlatform of the station at lirandon whilst the 
 train was waiting there. He stood stock-still, with folded 
 arms, gravely watching the bustling scene. The solemnity 
 of his appearance was not a little increased by the f ict of 
 his wearing a pair of goggles ! This he probably did f)r 
 no other reason than that, having seen white men do so, 
 he knew of nothing to i)revent him following their fashions I 
 After the train had left I saw him walking back to his tent 
 with a slow and meditative step, as if fully conscious that, 
 of all the many agencies which had helped in taking from 
 him the undisputed possession of the hunting-grounds of \m 
 
 I 2 
 
ii6 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIBED. 
 
 
 ! 
 
 ,r' 
 
 
 fathers, the railway-train was the most powerful. Never- 
 theless on more than one occasion I saw Indians travelling 
 by train — a most incongruous thing surely I One was 
 evidently an old chief. He wore a blanket over his 
 shoulders, had his gun in a canvas cover, ana was accom- 
 panied by a younger, and rather handsome, man — evidently 
 his son — who wore beautifully bead-worked leggings. Two 
 other Indians had come down to see them off. Indians 
 probably have not very resthetic tastes in the matter of 
 diet. They religiously follow, t ^. the best of their knowledge, 
 the principle, so often taught to young peoi)le — not to 
 waste good food ! Dead horse is said to be a great luxury 
 with them. It matters not in the least /i07ci the horse died, 
 so long as it ts dead ! Skunk, too, is another of their 
 dainties, as ebewhere mentioned. In one settler's house I 
 was told of a skunk that had been killed at the height of 
 summer and allowed to lay for a fortnight, when some 
 passing Indians carried it off as a prize ! At the snrae 
 time and i)lace I was assured that, after a number of dogs 
 had been poisoned in a particular district by strychnine 
 laid out for wolves, the Indians came round, gathered them 
 up and carried them off to eat ; but, as no information was 
 forthcoming as to what followed the feast, I took the 
 liberty of doubting the truth of the incident. 
 
 As a rule, a new settler erects, and lives in, what is 
 known as a " shanty," and fa//<:s of the time when he will 
 build a house. A "shanty" is a construction too primitive 
 to have the latter title bestowed upon it. In districts 
 where a sufficiently good supply of building-timber is 
 obtainable, the settlers' houses are usually of rough logs ; 
 but in othci parts they are of " lumber" {i.e. boarding), 
 and these latter are usually the most devoid of artistic 
 appearance. Some of the settlers seem vory })oor hands at 
 house-building. Many of their residences are positively 
 hid'"r»us, while others lean strongly to one side. All houses 
 are built very small, the usual size being less than that of an 
 average cottage here. For this, there are several reasons, 
 the principal of which are cheapness and the greater ease 
 with which small houses are warmed. Ontarians often 
 laugh at the great " Englishmen's houses " built by self 
 willed Britons. 
 
 
LIFE OF SETTLERS IN MANITOBA. 
 
 117 
 
 The log-house style of architecture originated in Ontario, 
 and has, from there, been imported into Manitoba. The 
 strength and neatness of a building in this style are 
 sufficient to astonish any one who sees a '"raising'' for the 
 first time ; especially as the whole of the work is usually 
 done with the axe alone. The Ontarian is at home when 
 he is handling the axe : it is his sole and only tool ; and 
 the skill and precision often attained in the use of it are 
 wonderful to see. By the axe Ontario itself has been hewn 
 out of the primaeval forests, and the same tool now serves 
 the Ontarian as hammer, mallet, chisel, plane, saw, and 
 often butcher's cleaver ; while I have heard it said that 
 pioneers have even used it to iron their linen and to shave 
 with ! The Canadian woodman's axe is, however, a different 
 tool from an English carpenter's axe, having a much 
 narrower blade and a curved cutting edge. 
 
 One day I had the good fortune to witness a " raising." 
 When a settler requires some new building put up, he 
 invites as many of his neighbours as the magnitude of the 
 work requires. This constitutes a " raising bee." When 
 these neighbours, in their turn, have a raising, the first 
 settler gives each as many days' help as the other gave him. 
 On account of the weight of the logs to be lifted, cut and 
 fitted, eight men can, of course, do far more work in one 
 day than one man could in eight days — if, indeed, one man 
 could do anything at all, which is doubtful. The building 
 I saw put up was a " cow-stable," as the term is, twenty-five 
 feet by twelve, which is a large size. The logs used were 
 of spruce, hewn from trees a foot or more in diameter, cut 
 and drawn home from the bush during the previous 
 winter. The preparation of these logs requires a great 
 deal of time and hewing. A man stands on the log and 
 " hacks " with his axe, as roughly and as deeply as he can, 
 into each side of the log : this loosens the wood. A 
 " broad axe " is next brought into use, and the sides of the 
 log, which are to form the inside and the outside of the 
 building, are cut down flat to a chalk line. The broad axe 
 has a cutting edge nearly a foot wide, and requires great 
 skill to use it well. The log is now ready to go uj). For 
 foundation, a log-building seldom has more than four large 
 logs laid on the prairie sod and carefully levelled. On 
 
iiS 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIHED. 
 
 M 
 
 , being 
 corners. 
 
 •^1 
 
 l)iiilding, 
 
 these the logs which form the walls are laid 
 securely dovetailed into one another at the 
 The axeman stands over the corner of the 
 turns uj) the log, cuts the notch in it, and carefully fits it 
 into its place. 'I'he corners made by these roui^h means 
 are surprisingly neat — almost as straight, in fact, as those 
 of any brick building. They are afterwards cased with 
 boards in order to ]irevent tb.e wet getting in and starting 
 rot in the joints. The dovetailing is done entirely with 
 the axe. I cannot believe but that it could be done 
 e([ually well v^-ith a saw,, but no Canadian would hear of 
 such a thing. The saw onlv comes into use in cutting off 
 the projecting ends of the logs, and in cutting out the door 
 and windows, which are made afterwards. Of course the 
 substantiality of such a building is very great, as also the 
 quantity of timber used. The building I saw took two 
 men two days to raise nine tiers of logs all round, but the 
 logs used were large ones.' They had, however, ail been 
 hewn into shape beforehand by the owner, a fi .Mid of mine, 
 who made the ^ dculation that each required one hour and 
 a half and about 3,500 blows with the axe to get it into 
 shape. After the walls are up there is still much that 
 remains to be done. The gaps between the logj have 
 all to be " chinked " or filled with pieces of wood nailed 
 securely in. After this every crack in the walls has to be 
 filled with mortar to keej) out the cold. Then the door 
 and windows have to be finished and the roof put on. 
 Mother Earth usually provides a fioor, and often a roof 
 too, as the settlers say sods make a warmer covering than 
 straw. But with houses of the better sort " shingles "' are 
 always used for roofing. 'J'hese are small boards twelve or 
 fourteen inches long by six wide and a quarter-inch thick at 
 one end, tapering thinner at the other. They are put on 
 three deep all over the roof, the thin end being covered 
 by the thick end of the one above it, so that only about 
 one-third of each shingle is exposed. The best shingles 
 are of cedar, but most are of spruce or tamarac, and cost 
 about five dollars per thousand. 
 
 This is the way the settler usually builds his shanty, 
 which is never a very grand affair — seldom more than 
 twelve or fifteen feet by twenty feet, with only just 
 
LIFE OF SETTLERS IN MANITODA. 
 
 119 
 
 , •) 
 
 sufficient height to stand upright in — and many a man's 
 pigs in England are housed in a more sightly, if not in a 
 more comfortable, edifice — indeed, after the house is built, 
 the shanty is often used as a pig-sty. 
 
 Thick brown paper, either tarred or not, is a material 
 largely used by settlers for lining the insides of their houses. 
 It has several advantages, among which are its cheapness, 
 convenience, and -warmth. 
 
 The educational arrangements throughout Canada seem 
 particularly good. In Ontario, a really promising youth 
 can obtain a good education almost for nothing, by mertns 
 of scholarships. In ]\Ianitol)a, two sections in every town- 
 ship (that is, one acre in every eighteen) are reserved for 
 school purpose?-. As soon as the surrounding district is 
 sufficiently thickly inhabited, these sections are sold, and 
 the school is started. It is hardly, however, to be expected 
 that, with a population so widely scattered, there should 
 not be many cases in which it is almost impossible to 
 secure projicr instruction for children. 
 
 Everything being considered, the Church accommodation 
 may also be pronounced excellent. The Presl)yterians, 
 the Church of England party, and the Baptists are all very 
 pushing, especially the former ; and no district able to 
 support a church is long without one. There is in Canada 
 no '' Established Church," as in luigland. Although the 
 Church of England is numerically very strong, it rests 
 entirely upon its own merits, exactly like any other sect. 
 
 On account of the scarcity of named places and towns, 
 direction has nearly always to be exi)ressed by the cardinal 
 points of the compass ; and the system of survey which 
 has been, and is being, carried out in the country is so 
 simple that addresses may be, and often are, given numeri- 
 cally. The whole of the North-\Vest has been divided by 
 certain arbitrary lines, called Principal Meridians, running 
 due north and south. The first of these runs through the 
 village of Rosser, about ten miles west of Winnipeg; the 
 second is about 180 miles further west, or about ten miles 
 beyond the boundary of the province. All the others are 
 separated from one another by about an ecjual distance. 
 The country between these lines is surveyed off into 
 columns, each six miles broau, and running northward 
 
I20 
 
 MANITOI'.A I)KSCRI15ED. 
 
 ( ) 
 
 from ihc United Stales IJouiulary-line. These are all 
 niiniberetl in regular order, and are called " ranges." There 
 are some ranges east of the Mrst Principal Meridian. 
 Next, the country is divided i)y j) uallel lines running east 
 and west, eacJi six miles apart, and cutting the ranges uj) 
 into " townships," each six miles s(|uare. Kach township 
 is again dividetl up into thirty-six "sections" of one square 
 mile, or 640 acres. These are again divided u\) into 
 *' quarter-sections,"' of 160 acres each. The townships and 
 sections are all numbered in regular order, so that it is possible 
 to imiicate any j)articular (juarter-section in any surveyed 
 portion of the country by means ot numbers only. For 
 instance, Rapid City is in (ju irtcr-seclion north-east, sec. 
 20, Tp. 13, K. 1 9 west (of the I-'irst Principal Meridian under- 
 stood). All ranges west of the Second Principal Meridian arc 
 in the North-West 'I'erritory. This simple method of 
 survey is extremely convenient, as distance can be easily 
 reckoned with accuracy on a map by counting the number 
 of sections or townships to be crossed ; and, as the corner 
 of every section is marked by a numbered i)ost set up on the 
 prairie, no one need ever get lost so long as he is provided 
 with a maj), and is able to find a " section-post," and to 
 read the numbers thereon. 
 
 The Canadian system of money-values is similar to that 
 used in the United States. The value of a cent is i)racti- 
 cally .Ul. ; of a dollar (looc), 4s. 2d.; and of a "cjuarter" 
 (25c.), about IS. The bronze coins are of the values of 
 ic. and 2c. ; but these are, as yet, very scarce in Mani- 
 toba, and I do not rembember having seen a si)ecimen of 
 either, the whole time I was in the province. The authori- 
 ties did on one occasion have a number brought up from 
 Ontario, much to the alarm of the shopkeepers, who had 
 former])- jirofited by not being able to give small change, 
 and who now thought that *' the hope of their gains was 
 gone."' The silver coins are of the values of 5c., loc, 
 25c., and 50c. A 20-cent piece has now been called in 
 on ac( ount of mistakes occasioned by its resemblance to 
 the (luarler-dollar. The lo-cent piece is not called ji 
 " dime,'" as in the States. The 5-cent piece is practically 
 the lowest coin : nothing could be bought for less, nor 
 would change usually be given to a smaller amount. Of 
 
 I 
 
LIFIC OF SKITLKRS IN xMANITOIiA. 
 
 121 
 
 notes, tlierc is the " sliin-plaster," value 25c., or is., and 
 measuring about 4 in. by 2 in. There are ''bills" for i, 2, 
 4, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 dollars. 'I'hc convenience of 
 these for sending by post is very great. In Canada, a 
 liundredweight is really 100 lb., and a ton, consetjuently, 
 2,000 lb., or about one-eighth less than an English ton. A 
 Canadian bushel is not a measure of cjuantity, but of 
 weight, and varies according to the article, 'i'hus, a bushel 
 of wheat, peas, beans, or clover-seed is 6olb. ; of rye or 
 maize, 561b.; of barley, 48II). ; and of oats, 341b. 'I'hc 
 " ([uarter " is not generally used as a measure of grain. 
 
 The i)ostal service throughout Manitoba seems to be 
 exceptionally good, all things considered. Offices are 
 oi)ened in the smallest villages, and are well conducted, 
 though the postmaster, who is always a storekeeper as well, 
 receives no salary, as his })rivate business is supi)osed to 
 profit through the custom brought by the i)Ostal business. 
 Although the settlers are so scattered, there seem to be 
 but few letters lost in Manitoba, though at "the end of the 
 track" there are great comj)laints of the uncertainty of the 
 post. Registration is, however, a good deal more used 
 than in England. 
 
 The number of trails crossing the prairies in every di- 
 rection is very great. A settler's wagon, passing over the 
 same ground several times, leaves a mark which often 
 remains for a long while. Some of the trails are very old 
 ones, made by the trading carts of the Hudson's liay 
 Comi)any. These are distinguishable from the more nu- 
 merous wagon-trails by their appearing to have three 
 wheel-marks, the centre one being formed by the feet of 
 the ox. On wagon-trails there are only two tracks, as the 
 horses run in the wheel-marks. As a space has been 
 allowed in the survey for a road to run down the side of 
 every section, the settlers always plough up the old trails, 
 and turn the traffic into the si)ace that has been left to 
 accommodate it. I had heard much of the shocking con- 
 dition of the roads in Manitoba, and, for some time after my 
 arrival there I wondered how such good roads could have 
 got such a bad name. When it is considered that the trails 
 run across the fine soil of the prairie without ever having 
 been made, and that there is often no material within miles 
 
m 
 
 122 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIED. 
 
 m 
 
 to make thcni of, the trails must be pronounced wonderfully 
 good ones. But this is their fine-weather appearance : a 
 season of rain works a vast change. The fine black soil 
 is then kneaded up into a paste by the wheels of the pass- 
 ing vehicles, and the roads become most objectionable, 
 either to walk or drive upon. The state of the Winnipeg 
 streets will hereafter be alluded to. After the spring thaw, 
 the trails are generally in an indescribable condition. 
 
 It will be scarcely necessary to say that, as a rule, the 
 settlers live a simple and frugal life. They themselves 
 supply, where possil)le, the articles they use or consume, 
 and the amount of actual cash which passes through their 
 hands in the course of a year is but small. Breakfast is 
 generally taken as early as six or seven o'clock ; dinner 
 about 12; and tea (always called "supper," being the last 
 meal of the day) at six. Tea is drunk at all meals; 
 though coffee and cocoa (the latter bearing the well-known 
 brand of Kpj)s & Co.) ap[)ear on some tables. Potatoes, 
 and a very coarse sort of treacle, known as " molasses," 
 are two edibles which frecjuently appear on the table ; but 
 salt pork, fried in slices like bacon, is in most cases the 
 staple article of diet, both for breakfast and dinner. All 
 settlers will find it needful to harden their hearts and eat 
 largely of this article ; for fresh meat, other than game, is, 
 of course, difficult to procure away from the towns. 
 
 Nearly every settler has his well close to his door, but 
 the usual quality of the water is not first-class. Sometimes 
 it is stinking and alkaline ; but the water in wells which are 
 in constant use is generally of fair (pality. Unless, how- 
 ever, it is frecpiently drawn, it acquires a rather disagreeable 
 smell and taste, which is usually attributed to the woodwork 
 put to prevent the sandy sides from caving in, but which, 
 I think, is more likely due to a slight admixture of alkali. 
 The average depth at which water is met with is about 20 ft. 
 
 I took considerable pains to inquire concerning the liquor 
 laws in Manitoba, and talked with many temperance advo- 
 cates ; but the law, on this point, seems to be in such a 
 confused state that I was about as wise at the end as at the 
 beginnin-^. In the North- West Territories the sale of all 
 intoxicatmg liquors is totally prohibited : without an official 
 "permit" none may cross the boundary. A member of 
 
MFK or SETTLERS IN MANITOBA. 
 
 123 
 
 ider fully 
 iiicc : a 
 ack soil 
 he i)ass- 
 ionable, 
 Winnipeg 
 ig thaw, 
 
 iile, the 
 ;msclves 
 on s lime, 
 gh their 
 akfast is 
 ; dinner 
 the last 
 meals; 
 l-kno\vn 
 'otatoes, 
 classes," 
 )le ; but 
 ises the 
 ;r. All 
 and eat 
 ame, is, 
 
 or, hut 
 netimes 
 lich are 
 s, how- 
 reeable 
 3d\vork 
 which, 
 
 alkali, 
 t 20 ft. 
 
 liquor 
 ) advo- 
 such a 
 
 at the 
 
 of all 
 official 
 ber of 
 
 the mounted police occasionally searches the trains, and 
 should any alcoholic lifjuors be found, he empties them out 
 of the window. Such a regulation sj^eaks volumes for the 
 social condition of that part of the country ; but I fear it is 
 not infrefjuently evaded. Manitoba, however, is not under 
 what is called the "North-West Act : '' let no mistake arise 
 on this point. There are many persons now in Manitoba 
 who have gone there under the impression that by so doing 
 they will be able to escape from the temptation to drink 
 which has been their ruin in this cour.try This is more 
 especially the case in that part of Manitoba which has been 
 somewhat recently added, having formerly been in the 
 North-West Territories. I have known of cases in which 
 friends at home have been under the impression that their 
 relatives in Manitoloa were free from that temptation to 
 over-indulge in drink which was tb.eir ruin at home, whereas 
 they really were not. Any man living an isolated life tar 
 away from a town would, very probably, find it difficult to 
 obtain intoxicating drinks ; but, however thi; law may stand, 
 I can state positively that in the towns nearly every hotel is 
 provided with a bar; that there is a good deal of drinking 
 and drunkenness ; and that, by those who wish them, alco- 
 holic liquors are as easily obtainable as in England. They 
 are, however, seldom taken at meals, and their sale to 
 Indians is, I believe, at all tinies i)rohil)ited. 
 
 The importance of an ami)le supi)ly of coal can nowadays 
 hardly be exaggerated in any country. This applies with 
 especial force to the North-\'rest, where the cold of winter 
 is so great, and timber for fuel, in some parts, so scarce, 
 that coal is next door to an imperative necessity. It is, 
 therefore, encouraging to learn that there is every })rospect 
 of the supply of coal to the region in ([uestion becoming, 
 in the immediate future, enormous. Far away to the West, 
 on the bunks of the rivers which, rising in the Rocky 
 Mountains, feed the Saskatchewan, large seams of excellent 
 coal lie close to the surface ; and although the railway has 
 but recently reached the district, several mines are already 
 at work. Sir Alexander (lalt has a mine on the Belly 
 River, from which, when in Winnipeg, I saw a pillar of 
 first-rate coal weighing 610 pounds. The Woodworth Mine, 
 near Medicine Hat, made its first shipment of coal eastward 
 
124 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIBED. 
 
 ^ mi 
 
 
 Hi 
 
 4- 
 
 i 
 
 
 ."V 
 
 on tlic 26th of September last. Hitherto the transport 
 difficulty has been the great drawback, the coal having had 
 to be brought in barges down the river to the rail at 
 Medicine Mat ; but, daring 1884, it is expected that a line 
 of rails will be laid down direct to the mine.* Already the 
 railway company is using this native coal on the western 
 portion of its line, and whilst I was in \Vinnipeg it was 
 selling there at the rate of 9 dols. per ton. It must, how- 
 ever, be remembered that the Canadian ton is about one- 
 eighth less than an English ten. As the coal, in order to 
 reach \\'inni[jeg, has to be carried some 600 miles by rail, 
 it is clear that the carriage will come to more than the first 
 cost. Coal, of some kind or other, is said to be found in 
 the Turtle Mountain district, close to the boundary, and 
 the Souris Coal-fields are occasionally spoken ofj but 
 some doubt may legitimately be entertained as to the nature, 
 value, and extent of the deposits in these places, as there 
 has been no little excitement concerning coal in Manitoba, 
 and many a man cherishes the belief that it will shortly be 
 worked on his flirm ! As already stated, the settlers are 
 very anxiously looking forward to the time when they shall 
 be able to obtain coal at a reasonably low price. 
 
 Settlers in Manitoba and the North- West Territories will 
 find themselves decidedly well off so far as newspapers are 
 concerned. I noticed the following journals all advertised 
 in one panii^hlet : The IVinniJ^eg Sun, Minnedosa Tribune, 
 Manitoba Free Press, Selkirk Herald, Rapid City Standard, 
 NortJi- West Advoeate, Manitoba Liberal, Stoiieivall Nezvs, 
 the Signal, the Daily Sentinel, and the Regina Leader, 
 beside which I know of several others. Canadian 
 journalists are c^uite as enterprising as their proverbially- 
 pushing brethren in the United States, and many a 
 ludicrously small place has its own newspaper. The price 
 of all, or almost all, papers is 5 cents ; but a weekly edition 
 is generally issued for circulation among farmers, and the 
 price for this is 10 cents. The Alanitoba Free Press and 
 the Winnipeg Times are the leading journals. The weekly 
 edition of the former (" the monarch of the weeklies," as 
 it calls itself) contains an astonishingly large amount of 
 
 * This has been partially done. 
 
LIFL OF SETTLERS IN MANinJllA. 
 
 ^25 
 
 ;ransport 
 v'ing had 
 i rail at 
 at a line 
 cady the 
 \vestern 
 g it was 
 1st, how- 
 Dut one- 
 order to 
 > by rail, 
 the first 
 found in 
 ary, and 
 of ; but 
 : nature, 
 as there 
 anitoba, 
 lortly be 
 tiers are 
 ley shall 
 
 ries will 
 
 jers are 
 
 ertised 
 
 Tribime^ 
 
 andard, 
 
 l NeivSy 
 
 Leader^ 
 
 madian 
 
 rbially- 
 
 nany a 
 
 le price 
 
 edition 
 
 nd the 
 
 ss and 
 
 weekly 
 
 es," as 
 
 unt of 
 
 really well-written matter. As a rule, however, tlie quality 
 of the matter printed by these ])ioncer journals is not up 
 even to a low standard of cxccllcnre — no one, indeed, 
 would expect it to be of a very hi^h-class kind. I brought 
 home a copy of the Por/aj^c J)iuly Tribune. This in- 
 fluential organ is merely a ])rintc(l sheet measuring 20 in. 
 by 27 in. The news with which it was laden covered just 
 165 sfjuare inches, or rather more than one-sixth of the 
 available s])ace, the rest being reserved for advertise)iients. 
 The distribution (jf news seems, in fact, to be but a 
 secondary object with some Manitoban journals : their 
 pnmary object appears to be to slander and abuse their 
 contemi)oraries and opponents of the opjxjsite jjolitical 
 party. Jkoudon, with its two nev»sjxipers, is, indeed, a 
 veritable second edition of the far-famed borough of 
 Eatanswill. Directly and intentionally dishonest motives 
 are constantly attributed to ojjponL-nts ; and even the very 
 best journals are not altogether free from blame on this 
 head. 
 
 In Cr.nada political feeling often runs very high ; and, as, 
 of course, each province has its own House of Legislature 
 (and, con.;e([uently, its own elections), there is plenty of 
 scoi)e for loud and energetic controversy, which it cannot 
 be said is always carried on with a strict regard to good 
 taste, any more than that carried on by the various political 
 parties in Kngland. The last Dominion (Government called 
 itself *' Liberal," but the present Ciovernment, which calls 
 itself " Conservative," calls its predecessors "Grits." The 
 existing Government has now been in i)Ower over five years, 
 but there was a general election about a year since. The 
 Right Hon. Sir John A. Macdonald is Premier. Of course, 
 all the legislators receive salaries as well as " mileage," 
 according to the distance they have to travel in attending 
 to their duties. The Manitoban Legislature is also Con- 
 servative, and the Hon. John Norquay is Premier. 
 
 xAs a rule, the average Canadian is strictly loyal to the 
 British Crown and House of Commons. England is 
 almost invariably spoken of as "the Old Country" — a term 
 which undoubtedly had its origin in the minds of emigrants 
 who entertained atTectionate memories of home, although, 
 nowadays, it may be used conventionally and without any 
 
126 
 
 MANITOIJA DESCRIKED. 
 
 Iri 
 
 ' * 
 
 m 
 
 ! 
 
 i 
 
 ■•; i 
 
 'I' ,. 
 
 direct meaning. Tlierc are, of course, persons who arc in 
 favour of throwing off all dependence uj)on the IJritish 
 (iovernment, but this is not the desire of the majority. 
 The Canadian, however, lives next door to, and is very 
 intimate with, the members of a great and flourishing re- 
 ])uhlic, in which class-privilege, he'"editary legislators, and 
 the like fmd no i)lace ; and it is but natural that the 
 Canadian's thoughts and opinions should have been, to 
 some extent, at least, influenced l.iy this fiict. The result 
 of this circumstance is that in Canada there is an under- 
 current of feeling that the country ought to have some 
 more direct re])rcsentation in the Imi)erial House of 
 Commons, in order that she might be better able to make 
 known her wants, and this feeling cannot fail to increase 
 as time goes on. The ordinary Canadian is able to tolerate 
 Royalty, but an hereditary, legislating House of Peers is to 
 him a wondering-stock. One settler confided to me the 
 opinion that it would bej^etter for England " if all the 
 Lords were thrown into the sea ! " My reply to the man 
 who preached this doctrine was that I agreed with him as 
 to the object which he had in view, but not as to the means 
 he thought it desirable to take in order to obtain that 
 object. An " Established" and State-supported Church is 
 also an anomaly in a Canadian's eyes."^ 
 
 * Since llicse sheets went to press, iievvs ]i;is come to hand tliat 
 some of the Indian tribes have joined tlie Half-breed revolt now goinf; 
 on in tlie Saskatchewan district under Lcjuis Kiel. In spite of the 
 apparently peaccal)le state of the Canailian Indians, it is certain that 
 many of them are now in a very unenviable condition, through the 
 extermination of the buffalo ; and it is, therefore, not sur])rising that 
 some of them shouUl be ready to join any movement of malcontents 
 tliat may arise. The present revolt is not likely to be very serious, 
 unless it produces a general rising of tlie Indian tribes throughout 
 the North-West ; and, in any case, settlers in Manitoba are not likely 
 to be placed in situations of real danger. Although nearly all the 
 newspapers spoke of the "revolt in Manitoba," the seat of the rising 
 lies more than two hundred miles north-west of any part of the pro- 
 vince. 
 
arc in 
 Hritish 
 
 najority. 
 is very 
 hing re- 
 jrs, and 
 hat the 
 jccn, to 
 c result 
 
 1 under- 
 ^e some 
 )use of 
 to make 
 increase 
 tolerate 
 
 ers is to 
 me the 
 ■ all the 
 he man 
 I him as 
 i means 
 lin that 
 lurch is 
 
 ml that 
 
 \v goiiifj 
 
 of the 
 
 ain that 
 
 ugh the 
 
 ng that 
 
 ontents 
 
 serious, 
 
 oiit^hout 
 
 t likely 
 
 all the 
 
 : rising 
 
 le pro- 
 
 MANITOIJA DKSCKIIiF.I). 
 
 127 
 
 CHAPTER Vll. 
 
 OF Iiri: CANADIAN PACiriC RAIIAVW IN' I'ARriCUI.AR AND 
 OF AMERICAN RAIIAVAVS IN (iKNKRAI,. 
 
 Tin: Continent of North America is, and for long has 
 been, the home of great railway undertakings. The 
 necessity for oi)ening uj), and providing transit across, 
 her vast territories has fostered this entcr[jri^,e and led 
 originally to the proposal (at first regarded as an insane 
 one) of building a line of railway from the Atlantic Ocean, 
 across the barren plains of the West, and over the Rocky 
 Mountains to the Pacific Coast. All the world knows 
 that our enterprising cousins, the \'ankces, have long 
 ago found out that, like many other " impossibilities," the 
 thing was by no means so very diliictilt when )nce it was 
 taken in hand ; and it has now been done, not once only, 
 but several times. 
 
 But it is now some twenty-five or thirty years since we 
 ourselves began to talk of doing the same thing for our 
 e(iually wide possessions on the American continent, antl, 
 though the project is at the present time on the high-road 
 toward completion, still we must confess that it is not yet 
 done — that the more pushing inhabitants of the United 
 States have, in this matter as in so many others, given us 
 a lead. 
 
 Since the thing first came to be agitated, several well- 
 equipped exploring expeditions have been sent out to dis- 
 cover and survey the best route ; whilst private travellers, 
 who have been over the regions to be crossed, have also 
 given the world the benefit of their opinions. The expedi- 
 tion on which Viscount Milton and Dr. Cheadle suffered 
 such hardship had partly this object in view ; while Captain 
 (now Colonel) Butler, whose entertaining stories of travel 
 
128 
 
 M.\\rroiv\ DKscRinr.i). 
 
 
 H; 
 
 in the "Great I-r)nc Land" every one knf)ws, urged, in an 
 appendix to his second book, that the route to i)e taken 
 should lie north of the north branch of the River Sas- 
 katchewan, where, he says, it would traverse a country 
 " fitted for inniiediate settlement ; a country where ri( h 
 soil, i;ood water and abundant wood for fuel or buildini; 
 could be easily obtained." 'I'iie point at which the i)ro- 
 posed line should cross the Rocky Mountains has always 
 been especially diflicult to decide. It was orii;inally 
 intended that the route should lie far to the north of the 
 location which has now been selected, and that it should 
 cross the mountains by what has been variously known as 
 the Tete Jaune, \'ellow Head, or Jasjjcr H(juse I'ass ; 
 but Colonel Uutler has shown that this is impossible — 
 that the difficulty of crossing the canons of the I'Vazer, 
 Columbia, and 'J'hompson Rivers is insurmountable. 
 In its i)lacc he reconmiends the Peace River or Smoking 
 River Pass, All these, Jiowever, have now been rcHn- 
 quished in favour of another i)ass some 150 miles further 
 to the south. 
 
 Thus it will be seen that, since the proposal to build the 
 line was first put forward, its ])rogress has been much 
 che [uered, and has evoked mu'^h discussion. Rut the 
 plans assumed a much more definite form when, in 1871, 
 the Province of Rritish Columbia entered the Dominion, 
 one of the articles of confederacy being, that the Dominion 
 Government should undertake to promote the construction 
 of a trans-continental railway, which would bring the 
 mineral resources of the new province nearer to the older 
 provinces, and, generally, connect the former with the 
 world at large. With the object of fulfilling this condition 
 the late Liberal Government, before it was overturned by 
 the present Conservative one, had already taken the matter 
 hi hand, and actually commenced work on the railroad, 
 intending to carry it out slowly, bit by bit, as their resources 
 permitted or opportunity offered. A commencement had 
 been made east of Lake Superior ; another portion had 
 been begun between Thunder Bay and Winnipeg ; and yet 
 another piece had been commenced west of the Rocky 
 Mountains on the Pacific Coast. This plan, if carried out, 
 would have.had its advantages. It would have been slow, 
 
THi: CANADIAN I'ACIFIC RAILWAY. 
 
 129 
 
 1, in an 
 c taken 
 cr Sas- 
 rounlry 
 ;rc ri( li 
 miklini; 
 lie pro- 
 
 always 
 riginally 
 1 of the 
 
 should 
 ■\o\\\\ as 
 L" Pass ; 
 ssiblc — 
 
 l""ra/.cr, 
 Lintahle. 
 hiioking 
 n rclin- 
 i further 
 
 uild the 
 much 
 ut the 
 iSyr, 
 minion, 
 pminion 
 uction 
 nir the 
 e older 
 h the 
 mdition 
 ned by 
 matter 
 ail road, 
 sources 
 nt had 
 Dn had 
 ind yet 
 Rocky 
 ed out, 
 n slow, 
 
 hut sure ; and the line, when comjjleted, would have 
 belonged to the country instead of being owned by a 
 ' omjjany o monopolists with a huge land-grant. I'ut a 
 new Ciovernn.'.nt came with a new policy. An agreement 
 was entered inti, with a powerful and wealthy ".Syndicate,"' 
 which bound the latter to build and comjjletely c(\u'\\) the 
 line before the ist of May, 1S91. A friend has kindly 
 ))rocured for me a c{>\y of the extra number of the CiviaJa 
 (iazctte^ dated February 16, 1881, which contains this 
 agreement. It is of such great importance to the whole 
 North-West that I make no excuse for inserting an abstract 
 of its conditions here. 
 
 The agreement, dated February 16, 1881, is between the 
 Canadian (lovernment and the following persons, who 
 constitute the " .Syndicate " or directorate of the company : 
 (leo. Stephen and Duncan Mclntyre, of Montreal; John 
 S. Kennedy, of New York ; Richard W. Angus and J. J. 
 Hill, of St. Paul ; Morton, Rose, t.V Co., of London; and 
 Kohn, Reinach, c\: (!o., of Paris. 
 
 The sections of the contract provide as fo'lows : — 
 
 I. That portion of the Canadian Pacific Railway to be constructed 
 al(jng tlic north shore of Lake Superior from near Lake Nipissing to 
 Port Arthur shall be called the Kastern section ; that portion between 
 Lake Superior and Winnipeg is the Lake .Superior section ; that 
 portion between Winnipeg and Kamloopson the west of tlie mountains 
 is the Central section; and that portion between Kamloops and Tort 
 Moody on the Pacific Coast is the Western section. The whole shall 
 be called the Canadian Pacific Railway. 2. The company shall 
 deposit with the Government i,o<X),ooo dols. as security for the com- 
 pletion of the line, on which the Government will pay interest at the 
 rate of 4 per cent, per annum until a default occurs : on completion 
 of the line the whole sum with any accrued interest shall be returned 
 to the company. 3. Provides for arbitration in case of dispute ; for 
 the construction of the line at a standard eijual to that of the Union 
 Pacific R.ailway ; and with a gauge of 56! in. 4. Work shall com- 
 mence at the eastern end of the Eastern section before the following 
 July I ; and on the Central section before May I ; both to be pushed 
 f'orward vigorously so as to be fully equipped and in ruiming order 
 before May i, 1891, unless unavoidably prevented. 5. The company 
 to pay to the CJovernment the cost of the construction of the portion of 
 railway extending west from Winnipeg for 100 miles. 6. Unless 
 unavoidably prevented the Government shall in every way complete 
 the Lake .Superior section and that portion of the Western section 
 between K.imloops and Port Moody by the dates of the then existing 
 contracts. 7. These portions, when in every way complete, to be 
 
 K 
 
a>J 
 
 %■■' 
 ,'(,( 
 
 130 
 
 MANITOPA T)ESCRII'.r;i>. 
 
 handed over to the company (Init without cqi'ipment) as then- pro- 
 perty, to be by them eOkiently maintained. 8. The company shall 
 at once ecpiip and maintain these several portions. 9. Ciovern- 
 mont grants to the company a subsidy or bonus of 25,000,000 dols. 
 in cash and 25,000.000 acres of land, to be p-^.d in instalments 
 on the completion of portions of the line not less than 20 miles in 
 length and subject to various conditions and regulations, ic. Govern- 
 ment also grants all land required by the ccjmpany for the railway, 
 stations, workshops, wharfs, &c. ; and agrees to admit, duty-free, all 
 steel rails and every other sort of material to be used in the firsl 
 construction of the railway or line of telegraph in connexion there- 
 with. II. The grant of land to consist of every alternate section of 
 640 acres in a belt 24 miles broad on each side of the line ; but if any 
 of such land be "not fairly fit for settlement," the company may 
 reject it and choose any other vacant Government lands elsewhere. 
 12. Indian title to be extinguished where necessary. 13. The com- 
 pany may build the line where they please, subject to the approval 
 of the Governor in Council, so long as they preserve the terminal 
 points already mentioned. [The Yellow Head Pass has since l>een 
 relinquished in favour of the Kicking Horse Pass.] 14. The company 
 may buM any branch lines, subject to the approval of (Jovernment, 
 whic? It all the necessary lands that are in its possession. 
 
 15. "tor lu^.ity y°ar= from the date hereof, no line of railway shall 
 be authorised by the Dominion Parliament to be constructed south of 
 the Canadian Pacific Railway, from any point at, or near, the Canadian 
 Pacific Railway, except such line as shall n:n south-west or the west- 
 ward of south-west ; nor to within fifteen miles of latitude 49 [the 
 United States frontier]. And in the establishment of any new pro- 
 vince in the North-West Territories, j^-ovision shall be made for continu- 
 ing such prohibition afier such establishment until the expiration of 
 the said i)eriod." 16. The entire railway shall be for ever free of 
 every kind of taxation ; and its lands shall not be taxed for twenty 
 years unless they are previously sold. 17. Empowers the company to 
 issue bonds secured upon their land grant under various conditions. 
 18, 19, and 20. Relate principally to the said bonds. 21. Relates to 
 the incorporation of the company. 22. Provides that the Railway 
 Act of 1879 shall apply in all cases where it does not interfere with 
 the foregoing provisions. 
 
 The document also contains ntmierous other regulations 
 and conditions relating })rincipally to the management and 
 incorporation of the company ; but those already set 
 forward are the ones that are of chief public interest. 
 
 Were any English line of railway to be constructed under 
 such conditions as these, the British public would indeed 
 have good reasons for expressing astonishn:ient ; but the 
 conditions previously existing in England are widely 
 different frpm those existing in America. Here, it is not 
 
rin: caxaimax pacific raiiavav 
 
 131 
 
 cii- pro- 
 ly shall 
 Liovcrn- 
 )0 dols. 
 alments 
 miles in 
 Govern- 
 raihvay, 
 ■free, all 
 the first 
 n there- 
 jction o( 
 lit if any 
 my may 
 ■;ewhcre. 
 'he com- 
 appvoval 
 terminal 
 ;icc l.^een 
 company 
 ernment, 
 issession. 
 svay shall 
 
 south of 
 Canadian 
 the west- 
 ; 49 [the 
 new pro- 
 \ continu- 
 liration of 
 
 r free of 
 [n- twenty 
 
 iiipany to 
 
 nditions. 
 
 .flates to 
 Railway 
 
 ere with 
 
 ilations 
 mt and 
 idy set 
 
 under 
 
 indeed 
 
 )ut the 
 
 ^videly 
 
 It is not 
 
 the custom to make large grants of public money and land 
 in order to enal)le a private conii)any to build a cue of 
 railway ; but, in America, this is far from an uncommon 
 occurrence. 
 
 Enormous as are the benefits which Canada may 
 expect to derive from the line in (question, no one 
 will deny that the concessions arc also enormous. 
 Relieved of all fear of competition, of all taxation, and 
 of all the exi)ense of purchasing land ; with a cash bonus 
 of 25,000,000 dols. ; with portions of their line over 700 
 miles in length, already completed by Government at an 
 estimated exi)ense of 35,000,000 dols. (exclusive of large 
 sums previously spent on surveys), and handed over to the 
 company gratis; with a land-grant of 25,000,000 acres, 
 which it is especially stated is to be *' fairly fit for settle- 
 ment," and which is now being sold at 2 dols. 50 cents 
 per acre and uj) wards (although, of course, the process of 
 sale is a slow one) — with all these concessions, surely the 
 Canadian Pacific Railway ot/i:^/it to thrive. 
 
 Let us look for a minute at the advantages which tlic 
 construction of the line will confer upon the Dominion of 
 Canada. In the first place, a new and higlily advantageous 
 route will be opened up between England and the Eastern 
 J^siatic countries — China, Japan, and even India — and, on 
 the completion of the railway, it is intended to start lines 
 of steamers to these countries, as well as to our colonies 
 of Australia and New Zealand. From Montreal (the 
 present eastern terminus) to Winnipeg by the "CP. R." 
 (as the line is invariably called in (panada) will be 
 308 miles shorter than the existing all-rail route 7'/i7 
 Chicago ; the distance from Atlantic to Pacific by the 
 Canadian Pacific Railway will be 494 miles shorter tlicm 
 the distance between New York and San Francisco ; and 
 the route from Liverpool to Yokohama by the same line of 
 railway, when completed, will have the advantage of being 
 1,053 niiles less than the existing route 7'id San Frnncisco. 
 In the next place, an enormous extent of boundlessly fertile 
 country will be opened u]) as a home and as a source of 
 food for the struggling millions of lun-ope ; trade of every 
 kind will be stimulated : the mineral resources of Pritish 
 Columbia will be brought nearer to Europe; while the 
 
 K 2 
 
132 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIUKD. 
 
 agricultural products of the prairies can be sent westward to 
 feed the mining population across the mountains ; the 
 enormous stores of coal in the upper valley of the Sas- 
 katchewan will be made available ; the extremes of the 
 wide Dominion will be more closely bound together ; and 
 in a thousand indefinable ways Canada, and a large portion 
 of the civilised world besides, will be benefited — indeed, in 
 the complex state of society which we call Civilisation, it is 
 almost impossible to over-estimate the importance, if not 
 the necessity, of such easy means of transit as railways alone 
 provide. It is not too much to say that the line in question 
 has practically created an enormous area of country ; for, 
 though it is true that the land was there before, still it lay 
 almost uninhabited and unapproachable, and, consequently, 
 was almost worthless. Looked at in this light, the price 
 which Canada has had to pay seems insignificant ; but it 
 may still be doubted whether one, at least, of the con- 
 cessions is not a little too great — that which practically 
 gives the company a monopoly being, of course, the one 
 referred to. 
 
 All railways are, to a certain extent, monopolies ; and 
 this is truer of American railways than of those in England. 
 But few, even in America, are such unmitigated monopolies 
 as the one now under discussion. Not long since I read 
 in an American newspaper that some New York financier 
 had expressed his opinion that the Dominion Government 
 would have done better had they handed over their power 
 and position to the Syndicate (as the company is always 
 termed), reserving only the railway and its vast concessions 
 to themselves ! As a matter of fact, the Syndicate is now 
 omnipotent over the larger part of the Dominion, and is 
 the virtual, if not the actual, Government of this portion. 
 
 The large concessions and financial aid which, as now 
 described, the Government of Canada has thought fit to 
 grant to the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, are so 
 enormous that in this country, where arrangements of a 
 similar kind are but seldom made by governments, many 
 people might be readily excused for falling into the belief 
 that the company would henceforth be able to build its 
 railway without further assistance. But this has not turned 
 out to be' the case. The difficulties encountered have 
 
THK CANADIAN PACIFIC RAIIAVAV. 
 
 ^33 
 
 ward to 
 ns ; the 
 he Sas- 
 
 of the 
 ;r ; and 
 portion 
 ieed, in 
 on, it is 
 i, if not 
 ys alone 
 i^uestion 
 ry; for, 
 ;ill it lay 
 quently, 
 lie price 
 
 ; but it 
 
 ;he con- 
 
 •actically 
 
 the one 
 
 |ies; and 
 ngland. 
 mopolies 
 e I read 
 financier 
 ernment 
 ir power 
 always 
 icessions 
 e is now 
 1, and is 
 ortion. 
 as now 
 It fit to 
 are so 
 nts of a 
 ts, many 
 le belief 
 build its 
 )t turned 
 ed have 
 
 proved so great that, although there can be no (luestion as 
 to the soundness of the com])any as a commercial ( oncern 
 (which the traffic receipts for last year clearly show), the 
 privileges which the company already possesses have now 
 been found insufficient to enable it to build the line at the 
 rate at which it is in every way desirable that it should be 
 built. Last November, therefore, fresh negotiations were 
 opened with the Government, the objects of which were 
 to obtain for the company furtner financial assistance in 
 order to enable it to continue vigorously its work of con- 
 struction ; and, so great are the advantages which the early 
 completion of the line is expected to confer upon the whole 
 country, that, after careful consideration, the Government 
 decided to enter into engagements by which it guaranteed 
 a semi-annual dividend of 3 per cent, upon the whole of 
 the outstanding stock of the company for ten years, upon 
 certain security being given. This, it was thought, would 
 so promote the sale of the company's stock as to i)rovide 
 it with sufficient funds to carry the work to a completion ; 
 but, for various causes, the results were not as had been 
 confidently anticipated ; and, :.lthough the company was in 
 possession of resources amply *rge enough to have com- 
 pleted the line within the contract-time, so desirable did it 
 seem that it should be completed at as early a date as 
 possible, that the Government were again ap])iied to for 
 further aid. This time a direct loan was asked for. 
 
 American railways of all kinds are fickle-minded concerns 
 in the extreme, while the intentions of their directors are 
 perfectly inscrutable. The various lines there are, to a 
 large extent, in the hands of private speculators, who use 
 them tu attain their own ends, and to cut out rival lines, 
 much more than could be done in England. With a new 
 line everything appears to hang on the matter of a honiis^ 
 which may thus be regarded as *' the root of all evil." 
 The conditions under which American lines are constructed 
 are, of course, widely different from those existing with 
 us. Here, railway companies have a ready-made country, 
 with old-established, deeply-rooted towns, from one of 
 which to another the lines are made to run, gaining usually 
 an immediate return on their outlay — in short, the towns 
 make the railways. But in America the railways make the 
 
■•MiiM 
 
 |i» 
 
 134 
 
 MANITOIJA DKSCRIP.El). 
 
 
 1 Sst ' 
 
 1 
 
 towns. In building a railroad there, such as the Canadian 
 Pacific Railway, the new line nearly always passes through 
 more or less uninhabited country, where there can be but 
 a very slow return for the outlay until the railway itself, by 
 opening up and rendering the dist»-ict available, has 
 populated it — hence arose the system under which Govern- 
 ments make enormous land-grants to any new company. 
 The land is usually (juite valueless to the Government 
 without a railway ; but the comijany, by providing the line, 
 render the land at once of marketable value ; and being, 
 thereui)on, enabled to sell it, gain for themselves some 
 return for their outlay ; and, at the same time, perform a 
 public service by finding a population for the new district, 
 which, again, will provide them with dividends and the 
 Government with an increased revenue. From much the 
 same causes arose the custom of particular localities giving 
 bonuses to railway companies. It is difficult, under the 
 circumstances, to see exactly how the matter could be 
 arranged otherwise ; but it is undeniable that the bonus is 
 very often a source of dispute and uncertainty as to the 
 route to be taken by a new line. For instance, a company 
 of speculators or capitalists meet together, and, after a 
 little agitation, procure a charter from Government. It is 
 then master of the situation, except, perhaps, in the matter 
 of funds — a great consideration, it is true. The country 
 to be traversed, though it may be fertile, is unavailable and 
 thinly inhabited. What few towns or settlements there are 
 already in existence are young and small and, metaphorically 
 speaking, have got no roots. If the company chooses to 
 spite the inhabitants of any such a town, it can start a new 
 one of its own near at hand on its own land, when the old 
 one may as well " bust up and go on West," as the Yankees 
 say. But the inhabitants of the town naturally have no 
 wish to " bust up : " they want the railway to increase the 
 value of their property, and, if the line goes elsewhere, 
 they may be ruined ; w^hile, on the other hand, the company 
 usually wants funds to help it to build its line. Hence 
 arose the custom of the towais giving bonuses — a system 
 under which mere villages saddle themselves with a debt of 
 50,000 dols. or 100,000 dols. The directors always skilfully 
 
 latters and make them appear unsettled. 
 
 lay 
 
Tin; lANADIAX PACIFIC RAILWAY. 
 
 135 
 
 until they finally know which towns will give them the 
 largest bonus : and this is the reason why i)roi)osed railways 
 in the North-West are expected any time, years before they 
 actually come ; why the intentions of the directors are 
 always doubtful ; why all manner of contradictory rumours 
 are current ; and why there is no certainty of knowing 
 where the line will run until the rails are actually laid down. 
 'I'he following newspaper-cutting will serve as a specimen : — 
 '" Portage la Prairie, September 10. — Various railway 
 rumours are current here. One has it that the Canadian 
 Pacific Railway Company have promised backing to the 
 Souris and Rocky Mountain Company, and are urging the 
 latter to proceed rapidly in order to cut out the Alanitoba 
 and North-Western in the North-Western district. Another 
 is that the Grand Trunk is about to purchase the Manitoba 
 and North-Western. Many here hope the latter is true." 
 It must be clearly understood, however, that the Canadian 
 Pacific Railway has a semi-official status which places it 
 above such i)etty hagglings as those just described as 
 the usual accompaniments of the birth of the smaller and 
 less important lines. 
 
 Having now treated at some length of American railways 
 in general, I will next proceed to give further information 
 regarding the construction and working of the Canadian 
 Pacific Railway in particular."^' The rapidity of the progress 
 of construction since the company was incorporated on 
 February 16, 1881, has been far ahead of the rate at which 
 any of the trans-continental lines in the United States were 
 built, and is altogether unparalleled in the history of rail- 
 way building in any part of the world. Within three 
 months of the company being incorporated (that is, about 
 the beginning of May, 1881), work was commenced on the 
 main line west of A\'innipeg ; and, by the close of that 
 year, the track was laid as far as Oak Lake, 165 miles from 
 the commencement, while considerable progress had been 
 made with the grading beyond. In the spring of 1882 
 construction was much delayed by the floods in the Red 
 River valley, which, for a time, caused a break in the rail- 
 
 '■' I have pleasure in acknowledf^ins; the courtesy with which Mr. II. 
 Moody, tlie I^ondon manairer of the Canadian Pr.cific Railway, has 
 supplied me with some of the following items of information. 
 
136 
 
 MAMIOI'.A DLSCKIliia). 
 
 .u 
 
 "ii 
 
 way communication with the south. On this account only 
 sixty-nine miles were completed l)etween tiie beginning of 
 April and the end of June. After this, however, the work 
 was pushed forward with surprising rapidity, as the following 
 record in miles will show: July, 64; August, 86; Sep- 
 tember, 7I2 ; October, 59?.; November, 38; and De- 
 cember, 30. By the end of 1882, therefore, "the end of 
 the track " had been advanced to Rush Lake, 585 miles 
 west of Winnipeg, while the year's record was raised to 420 
 miles. The best month's work was done in August, when 
 eighty-six miles were laid, being an average of 3*2 miles 
 for each working day; though, on two occasions during the 
 month, more than four miles of track were laid in one day. 
 Grading was stopped by the frost on November 13, but 
 recommenced again at the end of the following March 
 (1883), and track-laying on April 18. From that date until 
 the track reached Calgary, on August 15, the monthly 
 record in miles was as follows : April, 17^ ; May, 52 ; June, 
 67; July, 92; and August, 26. On seven occasions during 
 June and July the day's record exceeded four miles ; twice 
 during the latter month more than six miles of track were 
 laid in the day ; while the average for all the days in the 
 same month on which any work was done was as high as 
 37 miles. At Calgary the line enters the Pass, and the 
 ascent of the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains begins. 
 On November 27 last the summit, 122 miles west of Cal- 
 gary, was reached, raising the year's mileage to 377 miles, 
 and making the total distance from Winnipeg 962 miles. 
 The entire mileage constructed during 1883 upon all the 
 main and branch lines of which the company has the 
 management is returned as 918 miles. Looked at in any 
 light whatever this is a record which cannot be called a 
 poor one. More than t,ooo miles of railway laid within 
 a little more than thirty consecutive months (or in about 
 twenty-five months during which work was actually going 
 on), is a triumph which, as already stated, has yet to be 
 equalled. It must not, however, be for one moment suj)- 
 posed that because the work has been done thus rapidly it 
 has been scamped or done in a slovenly manner. When 
 compared with some of the best English railroads, the 
 laying of the track of the Canadian Pacific Railway will, of 
 
THE CANADIAN I'ACIFIC RAILWAY. 
 
 ur 
 
 course, appear to have been done in a very temporary 
 manner ; but, on the other hand, it is certain that the 
 work would compare favourablv with that which any other 
 western American railway could show. The Union Pacific 
 Railway was from the first selected as a standard of excel- 
 lence which the Syndicate were compelled to come up to, 
 or the conditions of their agreement with the (lovern- 
 ment would have been broken. As a matter of fact, the 
 line was entirely completed, piece by piece, as construction 
 went on : the grading was done, the rails laid down and 
 secured, stations were built, engine-sheds erected, tele- 
 graphs ])ut up, sidings laid down, and the line was ecjuipped 
 with all necessary rolling-stock as fast as the work pro- 
 ceeded. This was, in fact, a necessity, or the materials for 
 construction could not possibly have been got to the front. 
 There is a siding at each station — that is to say, about 
 every eight miles — and the aggregate length of all the 
 sidings is sixty-six miles, which amount is not included in 
 the figures which have been already given as to the length 
 of the line. It is hardly necessary to say that the track is 
 a single-lined one, and that it was laid down from one end 
 only. The " ties," or sleepers used have all been cut in 
 the forests around the Lake of the Woods. I'he rails used 
 have all been of best English or German steel, about one- 
 half having come from Barrow, and the other half from 
 Krupp's works at Essen, Prussia. All the stations and 
 other buildings are of a substantial and permanent cha- 
 racter. The greater part of the work has been done by 
 the firm of Langdon, Shepard, & Co., contractors. This 
 firm, within fifteen months (including, of course, a winter), 
 completed 677 miles of main-line, 48 miles of sidings, 
 and is estimated to have moved something like ten million 
 cubic yards of earth. In most places it was necessary to 
 keep the grading done a long way in advance of the track- 
 layers, in order that the work of the latter might not be 
 interfered with. In some cases it was even necessary to 
 have men as much as 200 miles in advance, and the diffi- 
 culty of keeping them supplied with necessaries in a 
 country where there were no roads, can be better imagined 
 than described. During the construction of the line, yards 
 were established at intervals of 100 miles : at these all the 
 
I3S 
 
 MANITOBA l)i;SCRIP.i;i). 
 
 ^ 
 
 \ 
 
 necessary materials and supplies were carefully sorted and 
 forwarded to the front in selected lots, each train taking 
 exactly the proper number of rails, ties, spikes, telegraph- 
 poles, cV'c, to comi)lete a certain amount of track, so that 
 there was no material scattered along the line in small 
 quantities. 'J"he houses composing the village which sur- 
 rounded each yard were made portable, so that, when it 
 became necessary to shift the seat of operations nearer the 
 front, the houses were put on Hat trucks, and carried for- 
 ward to the i)oint at which the new yard was to be estab- 
 lished. As showing the admirable arrangements that were 
 in force, it may be mentioned tliat the materials for con- 
 struction were delivered at the end of the track, day after 
 day, with such regularity that, during two seasons, it is said 
 the greatest delay experienced by the track layers did not 
 once exceed three hours. It has also been stated that, 
 with one exception near the crossing of the Saskatchewan, 
 the maximum gradient between Winnipeg and a j)oint four 
 miles below the summit of the Rocky Mountains (a dis- 
 tance (jf 958 miles), does not exceed forty feet to the mile. 
 The amount of earthwork l)ctween Winnipeg and Calgary 
 (840 miles) has averaged 16,300 cubic yards to the mile, 
 which is a very high average for a ^irairie country, but is 
 accounted for by the fact tliat the line has been well raised 
 up above the level of the ])rairie in order tcj avoid its being 
 blocked by snowdrifts in the winter. 
 
 It should, however, be pointed out, in connexion with the 
 rapidity with which the main line of the Canadian Pacific 
 Railway between Montreal and the Rockies has been 
 carried out, that nearly the whole of this distance (800 
 miles of it, at least), was upon fairly-level prairie, where 
 the difficulties of construction were reduced to a mini- 
 mum. There are still some 260 miles of the mountains 
 to be crossed, and over 400 miles still remain to be com- 
 pleted in the wild, rocky region north of Lake Superior. 
 It is now, however, confidently announced that the entire 
 line from the Atlantic to the Pacific will be completed and 
 in running order in less than two years from the present 
 tiuie, or before the end of 1885, which wid be no less than 
 five-and-a-half years before the contract-time I It ought, 
 then, to be possible to go from Liverpool to Yokohama by 
 
tin: CANADIAN PACIFIC KAII^VA^• 
 
 ^39 
 
 the Canadian I'acifir. Railway willi hut two changes — one 
 at Montreal and the other at Port Moody.* 
 
 J.ast autumn rumours were s]iread ahroad to the effect 
 that the Kicking Horse Pass liad Ijeen ijrv)nounced im- 
 practicable by the company's engineers, and tliat work had 
 been suspended in conseiiuence — one rumour, wliich I 
 heard in \\'innii)eg, actually said for two years ! I have, 
 however, been jjositively assured that the Kicking Horse 
 Pass has not been abandoned : but, as work on the moun- 
 tains had necessarily to be suspended for a time on account 
 of the snow, the engineers thought it worth while to occupy 
 the interval of enforced idleness with a fresh survey of tlie 
 route selected. Ily this })ass the company claims to have 
 found a route through the mountains which will effect a 
 saving of 120 miles over the 'J'cte Jaune Pass in the 
 distance between the two oceans ; which will give gradients 
 easier than those that have had to be crossed by any of 
 the lines in the United States ; and which will concentrate 
 all its steep gradients into three short sections of twenty 
 miles each. 
 
 That section of the line between Port Arthur and Lake 
 Nipissing is being pushed rapidly forward by enormous 
 gangs of men. Some 8,000 or 9,000 have been kei)t at 
 work the entire winter through : and it is confidently antici- 
 pated that, with the aid of large (luantities of dynamite, the 
 line will be completed about the same time as that ])art 
 which crosses the mountains. Already the track is laid 
 over 100 miles east of Port Arthur, and, with the oj^ening 
 of the spring of the present year (1S84), a branch line will be 
 completed to Algoma Mill, on the shore of the (leorgian 
 Ray, Lake Superior. From this i)oint the company will at 
 once commence running a line of steamers on their own 
 
 * At the time of writing (December 1S84) the latest advices to hand 
 state tliat unexpecleilly rapid progress has been made witlr the line 
 north of Lake Sup-erior which is expected to be complete by April 
 next. The "end of the track " is now said to be seventy miles west 
 of the summit of the Rocky Mountains. StMiie difficult work has been 
 experienced in descending the Kicking Horse Pass and live tunnels 
 have been bored. Two more ranges in Ikitish Columbia have yet to 
 be crossed, but 3, coo men will be kejit at work all winter, and it is 
 said that the main line will be com])lete and in running order by 
 November next. 
 
']■•".* 
 
 
 140 
 
 MANIT0I5A DKSCRIUKI). 
 
 account to Port Arthur (360 miles), when they will, at last, 
 be able to convey passengers by a route entirely their own 
 from Montreal to the summit of the Rocky ^iountains — 
 a distance of 2,300 miles. This route will also be more 
 direct than any at present existing between the North-West 
 and the Atlantic sea-board, and will, doubtless, find much 
 favour until the final completion of the line renders it an 
 unnecessary one. 'J'hree fast, steel, Clyde-built steamers 
 have been already delivered over to the comj)any, ready 
 for work when navigation oi)ens.* 
 
 In addition to the main line between Montreal and 
 Port Moody (which, when comi)leied, will be 2,875 n^il^'S 
 in length), the company has '\\\ 0])eration branches from 
 Winnii)eg running to Stonewall (20 miles), to SelKirk 
 (22 miles), to Manitou (loi miles), and to St. Vincent 
 (68 miles), on the boundary, where connexion is made 
 with the St. Paul, Minneapolis, and M.an»Loba Railway, 
 and, through it, with the whole American railway system. 
 It has also acquired possession of the Manitoba and South- 
 western Line, feeding the much-ta!ked-of Turtle Mountain 
 district, which will this summer be pushed forward ;t while 
 the Manitoba and North-Western Railway and the Souris 
 and Rocky Mountain Railway are independent lines, which 
 are being j^ushed north-westward, and will, in time, serve 
 as useful feeders for the main line. That portion of the 
 line between Port Arthur and AVinnipeg was completed by 
 Government and handed over to the Syndicate in May, 
 1883. It is now busily in operation. Shortly after its 
 incorporation the Syndicate purchased the partly-finished 
 Canada Central Railway, in order to connect its eastern 
 terminus, near Lake Nipissing, with Montreal on the 
 Atlantic coast. Several other short branch lines have 
 
 * At the last moment, and just as I myself was preparing to travel 
 over this route, it was ann<ninced that, on account of difficulties con- 
 nected with the getting of tlie steamers to Algoma, and because of the 
 insufficiency of buoys in the channel, the vessels would run from Owen 
 Sound, at the south end of the Georgian 15ay, instead of from Algoma. 
 The three vessels on this line are named Alherta, Athabasca, and 
 Algoma. They are splendid ships, lit entirely by the electric light. I 
 made the first trip up the lakes, which any of them made this springs 
 on board the last-named. 
 
 f This has not been done. 
 
Tlir, CANADIAN PACIFIC KAILWAV. 
 
 141 
 
 at last, 
 jir own 
 tains — 
 e more 
 :h-West 
 1 niiicli 
 rs it an 
 teamers 
 ', ready 
 
 sal and 
 5 miles 
 js from 
 Sekirk 
 Vincent 
 i made 
 Railway, 
 system. 
 I South- 
 ountain 
 1+ while 
 
 Souris 
 5, which 
 e, serve 
 
 of the 
 cted by 
 n May, 
 ifter its 
 inished 
 
 eastern 
 ion the 
 have 
 
 to travel 
 ties con- 
 se of the 
 m Owen 
 Algoma. 
 >va, and 
 light. I 
 spnng» 
 
 construction, 
 
 arrangements 
 
 also been purchased, or are now under 
 by the Syndicate ; and it is stated that 
 arc now in progress by which the comi)any will gain access 
 to the winter ports of Boston, Portland, and St. John, and 
 which, when completed, will })lace the two termini of the 
 railway considerably more than 3,000 miles apart. The total 
 mileage of the Canadian Pacific Railway, oi)en at the end of 
 1883, was 2,963 miles, of which 503 miles were constructed 
 by the Government, 1,414 miles by the Syndicate, and the 
 remaining 1,046 miles consisted of lines that have been 
 leased or i)urchased. Some idea of the enormous number 
 of men to which the construction of the line gives emjjloy- 
 ment may be gained from the fact that, during the first half 
 uf last July over 800 were sent West by the Winnipci-; om- 
 ployment-bureau. Probably, when work commences in 
 earnest this year (1S84), the company will have in its 
 employ over 20,000 men. Mr. Moody writes: — "The 
 company employs on the line as many thousand men as 
 it can get : next season we ho[)e to have 10,000 men at 
 work in the Rocky Mountains."' According to the returns 
 the company's " pay roll "' (presumably including wages 
 only) amounted to 2,241,638 dols. in 1882. From the 
 foregoing, every one will see what an enormous power this 
 young Railway Giant will wield when he comes to attain 
 his full growth. 
 
 The route across the prairie-region which the company's 
 engineers have chosen has caused surprise to not a few 
 people. Certainly it does not show by any means the best 
 aspect of the country to those who merely pass through it 
 by rail ; but it is very direct, and probably that fact was 
 the one which weighed most strongly with the authorities. 
 About sixty miles west of Winnipeg the line i)asses through 
 a wet and thickly-wooded country, while the stations of 
 Sydney and Melbourne are situated among desolate sand- 
 hills, where but few persons have been fools enough to 
 locate. After this, the line passes through good country 
 for several hundred miles, until the Great Plains, which 
 occupy the Third Prairie Steppe, are reached. Much dis- 
 cussion has been waged as to whether or not this bare, arid, 
 and treeless tract is fit for settlement. It certainly is a 
 northern extension of the vast plain which used formerly 
 
WM ■ ■ 
 
 i.jj 
 
 MAMior. \ i)i;s(Uir.i.ii. 
 
 
 to 1)0 known as "ThcCiivat American Desert"; but tlic 
 nieni'oers of tlie Syndicate arc evidi-nlly of opinion that 
 their |>orlit)n of it is capable of cultivation, for they have 
 not rejected it as i)art of their land .^rant, which the terms 
 of their a,i;reement with the (lo.ernment expressly ^'ives 
 them power to do, should they so wish. Probably in time 
 a very larj^e part will be settled, but not until the better 
 
 anc 
 
 lly 
 
 uil; iu)rtli and e;ist is a 
 
 ()C( 
 
 upie( 
 
 * So many coiUrary ami lonlliotin!^ staleiiuMil-. and opinions liavr 
 boon |uU foiwaril as totlic capaliilitics ol this region tliat i may as well 
 sol liMtli luTo my own oljscrvalion-,, altlioiii^li (lie sulijrt:! is not one 
 (liii'iily coMncclicI wiili Manitolta. Lasl July ( iSS.}.), I had occasion 
 to uniU'itako tlu' joniiu-y (Vom ^Vinnipci; W'. -.twards almost as far 
 Mcilicinc Hat, in the valky of the Saskatchewan, and back. Im- 
 mediately attcrwaids I went south, and then journeyed out over the 
 Ni)ithein I'acitic as far west as Helena, Montana, at the foot of the 
 main ranije of the Rocky Moimtains. I will speak of the last journey 
 fu'st. The country in the Red River \'alley ai)oul I*'arj;o, and in 
 Dakota as far west as the Misscwui, seemed to he ([uite as i^ood as, 
 and not very dissimilar from, the coutitry I have praised so highly in 
 Manitoba. West u{ the Misxiuri, however, the threat plain of the 
 Third Prairie Steppe is at once reached. The vey;etalion is scanty, 
 but affords fair pasturage for cattle, except in those parts wlicre a 
 parched and sandy soil ])roduccs nolhiu;^ but cactus, or where alkali is 
 especially abundant. The vei;etation in the valley of the \'ellowstone 
 is very parched and scanty in appi-arance ; but it is, perhaps, hardly 
 fair to jud^e of the surrounding country ])y what may be seen in the 
 river-valley alone. 
 
 Of the country lyini^ Immediately west of Winnipeg I have already 
 .spoken. With the exception of the wet, wooded, ami sandy tracts 
 between rortageda-Prairie and Carberry, it is of fairly uniform ex- 
 cellence, at least as far as Regina, 356 miles from the capital. A few 
 miles west of l\.egina the Third Prairie Stepjie, or True Plains, are 
 reached, and the line, black, fertile loam of the true prairies to the 
 east is exchanged for a drier, sandier, and less fertile light brownish 
 soil. From this pomt to Medicine Hat (a distance of 300 miles) very 
 little change of any kind is observable. The surfiice is never ilal, but 
 invariably rolling. This circumstance did not at all agree with my 
 preconceived ideas of the country. The elevations never attain to 
 any great height, but are always of a sufficient altitude to prevent the 
 traveller obtaining a view from the train more than a few miles in 
 extent. The face of the ground is so completely devoid of everything 
 of the nature of a shrub that, for hundreds of miles, no stick large 
 enough to form a pen-holder is to be seen, except here and there when 
 crossing the valley of a small stream. The vegetation has both a 
 scanty and a parched appearance, and there are large patches of sand, 
 alkali, and cactus ; but, on the whole, I am bound to confess that I was 
 most agreeably surprised at the nature of the country. Ilea.'say had 
 
'Ilir CWAhF.W I'\(III( MMI.WW. 
 
 I !•> 
 
 One |)assL'nL;cr liain runs over llic ti.uk «.a( Ii way ilail) 
 as tar west as Moose Jaw, while twi( c a wick trains run tn 
 the end of tlio track and l)a( k, 'I In- ( ars arc seldom otlur 
 wise than well filled. ( )n most (kiys also there is a _L;ooili 
 (or, as it is always railed, a " freight train ") ea<li way. 
 'I'hose {.^oin^ West are ^^eiierally " ( onslruction traiiv." 
 They are laden with rails, lies, and other material for the 
 end of the tra< k, and arc often of ;^reat len,t;th. 'I'he ordi- 
 nary passen.^er fire east of Urandon is ^^ c. per mile; west 
 of that place it is 4 < . This rate is lower dian that ( har^'ed 
 by most other western railroads (notably by the Northern 
 Pa( ific), and comjjares very favourably with the fares (jii 
 most i'ai^lish lines, beinir, in fact, K ss than the avera,L;e 
 second-class fare ; while the (omfort afforded, even by the 
 ordinary American "cars,"'*' is, to my thinking, greater tlian 
 
 led nu" to suppose llie whole aicM ;i uscles'^ desert ; Imi it is nio>t 
 cmpIiiUieally iiotliiii;^ of the l.iinl. .\ \\yy ];w^c poilion ol tlic ri'jMoii 
 I p;is>c'i| tliidu^li would un<|iiLs!i(.n;il)ly support \ast licids of tattK- ; 
 while, further west, anions; the foot-hills ol the Kocky Mountain^, is a 
 still better eountry, where nxire sheltered valleys, <^reeii''r ^'ra>s, and a 
 milder winter hold out great pioiiiise to ranch-men. I'urther, I am 
 not afraid to say (indeed, I feel eonlidenl) that in years to come, when 
 the increase of population shall have over-run tlie more fertile prairies, 
 we sliall hear of the plouijh and the harrow heinj; successfully employed 
 upon these now clieerless, solitary plains. I feel hut little douht that 
 they could he rendered more haliilahle by the careful plantini; o( tree-., 
 which would have a stron}^ tendency to increase the present scanty 
 rain-fall, and break the now violent winds. Whether, however, trees 
 ever grew naturally on the plains, and have been destroyed by fire, is 
 a point I cannot decide. I'rof. .Macoun states his belief that this has 
 been the case ; but the fact that the soil is not black, like that of the 
 prairies, lends no sui)port to this view. 'Ihe Canadian i'acilic Railway 
 authorities have made a commendable effort to solve the (picstion of 
 the fcrlility of the jjlaiiis for themselves. Last year a special train 
 left Winnipeg laden witli horses, ploughs, men, fencing materials, and 
 other implements of husbandry. Tatchi's of ground were roughly 
 cultivateii and sown. 1 have had the opportunity of inspecting several 
 of these " ICxperimental Farms," and can testify that, alllujugh it 
 would be untrue to say the crops were good, still they were fairly so, 
 though evidently in want of moisture. On the whole, I consider the 
 average of the country along the Canadian Pacitic Kailway to be 
 decidedly superior to that along the Northern Pacitic Railway. 
 
 * l""or a berth in a Pullman-car an additional charge ol fr(jm 3 dols. 
 to 4 dols. a (lay (twenty-four hours) is made. 1 have covered some 
 very long distances in " sleepers," as they are called, and consider 
 they afford the utmost perfection of comfort as yet attainable in railway 
 travelling. 
 
m 
 
 144 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIBED. 
 
 iifiMt 
 
 that given by any English first-class carriage, except in the 
 matter of that " solitary confinement " which the insular- 
 minded Britoi so dearly loves. A complete American 
 train generally contains the following kinds of cars : — first, 
 the baggage- jar, the mail-car, and the express car; next, 
 the emigrant-car, the second-class (01 smoking-car), and the 
 first-class car; after that, the dining-car ; nnd, lastly, one or 
 more " Pullman palace sleeping-cars." '* On board '' such 
 a train as this little is wanted beside bath- and reading- 
 rooms to convert it into a travelling hotel or club-house. 
 The advantages possessed by such a train over an English 
 train are these : the cars are better lighted at night, are 
 more roomy, and better warmed (often, indeed, far too well 
 warmed) ; the seats are more comfortable, and, being re- 
 versible, no one need ever sit with his back to the engine ; 
 further, the traveller can obtain all conveniences, such as 
 walking about, partaking of meals, washing, going to bed, 
 purchasi-^g books, newspapers, fruit, &:c., without leaving 
 the trail). The " checking " of luggage, too, is a system 
 almost too excellent foi" praise. It is quite impossible to 
 see why it should not be adopted here. For my part, 
 whether the journey be long or short, I much i)refer rail- 
 way travelling in America to the same in England.* 
 
 * The author of "A Year in Manito'oa " must surely be an Irish- 
 man ; at least he strongly reminds me of the Irishman who complained 
 bitterly because all his grievances had been talien away and he had 
 nothing left to grumble about! Our author writes that checking "is 
 done by giving the traveller a brass ticke'. for each package, the 
 baggage-man retcining a duplicate. With a lot of luggage this is a 
 serious cttcttmbrance !^^ Vox myself I can say that, although I have 
 travelled o\ :r 20,000 miles by rail in the United States and Canada, 
 I cannot remember ever to have had my baggage labelled with my 
 name or destination (my address was placed inside for safety), nor have 
 I ever lost anything. Why, too, cannot oui engines be provided with 
 whistles similar to those used in America? Instead of the discordant 
 and detestable screech we now hear, we should then have a base 
 *'boom," which would be jiudible at much greater distances, and would 
 be in no way unpleasant. Certainly one drawlxnck to American rail 
 way travelling is the totally unnecessary destruction of baggage that 
 goes on. Trunks are often thrown bodily out of the baggage-cars on 
 to the platform and then rolled along on their corners, bumping 
 heavily. I have two suggestions to oifer to travellers : the first is, 
 that they should apply to Mr. Griffiths, " the safe man," for one of his 
 massive, burglar^iroof constructions, into which their goods might be 
 
THE CANADIAN' PACIFIC RAIIAVAV, 
 
 145 
 
 t in the 
 insular- 
 nerican 
 : — first, 
 • ; next, 
 and the 
 , one or 
 1 " such 
 reading- 
 D-house. 
 English 
 ght, are 
 too well 
 eing re- 
 engine ; 
 such as 
 to bed, 
 leaving 
 , system 
 jsible to 
 ny part, 
 ;fer rail- 
 
 an Irish- 
 implained 
 :1 he had 
 |:king "is 
 age, ihe 
 this is a 
 iih I have 
 Canada, 
 with my 
 nor have 
 ided with 
 liscordant 
 |c a base 
 id would 
 tican rail 
 ;age that 
 t-cars on 
 ibumping 
 |e first is, 
 ine of his 
 ight be 
 
 The guard is always a "conductor," and, on freight- 
 trains, his van is always a "caboose." There are already 
 over 200 cabooses in use on the line. The conductors are 
 always men of a superior class. Those connected with 
 freight-trains are paid by the number of miles they run, and 
 are said often to earn as much as 130 dols. per month, 
 whilst those on passenger-trains often earn 100 dols. 'I'he 
 following ideal regulation is said to have been issued to the 
 company's servants, and to be now in force, but I fear 
 the force must be a weak one : — " In future, the use of all 
 intoxicating liquors, either on or off duty, is strictly pro- 
 hibited. Any violation of this order will be severely dealt 
 with." All the post-office and baggage-cars in use on the 
 line are built with sliding, instead of folding, doors, and the 
 windows are securely barred, so that an effectual resistance 
 could be offered in case of an attack. Some interesting 
 figures in the Report of the I)e[)artment of Agriculture and 
 Statistics show that in 1882 the total mileage of passenger- 
 trains was 281,377, o^ freight-trains 1,841,146, and of mixed 
 trains 44,451. Altogether, 758,448 tons of freight were 
 carried over the Western Division, of which, however, 
 rather more than one-half was for the use of the com})any 
 itself. At Winnipeg, no less than 109,164 "pieces of 
 baggage were handled," as the expression is. The number 
 of passengers travelling over the line during the year was 
 258,058. The gross traffic receipts of the entire line for 
 the year 1882 were 2,536,420 dols., or at the rate of about 
 3,500 dols. per mile. Considering the fragmenta'-y state of 
 the main line, and the fact that that year was only the 
 second of the company's existence, this result may be said 
 to be most surprising ; still more so when it is added that 
 in the following year the gross receipts amounted to 
 5,281,811 dois., or more than double. 
 
 Passengers are allowed to travel by freight-trains at the 
 
 packed with safety ; the second is, that they sliould employ ordinary 
 trunks and label them " Dynamite loith care." The last plan is worth 
 a trial. The American hotel system is, to my thinking, superior to 
 the ordinary European plan. A fixed daily charge is made for a bed- 
 room and three meals. There are a few hotels in London that are 
 carried on under this system, — for instance, the American Hotel, 34, 
 St. Martin's Street, Leicester Square. 
 
.-oiMMMM 
 
 r' 
 
 t 
 
 i 
 
 
 146 
 
 MANITOBA JJKSCRlllKD. 
 
 regular fare and at their own risk. The cabooses attached 
 to these trains are fitted uj) with greater comfort than an 
 average Knglisli third-class carriage, and generally have 
 occujjants. No one should imagine, however, that these 
 trains afford very smooth or enjoyable travelling, or that 
 they keej) to anything like their ai)pointed time. Those I 
 journeyed by were from one to eight hours late ! 
 
 
 ciiArTJiLR vm. 
 
 THE "BOOM AND ITS EVlI, EFFECTS. 
 
 u 
 
 No visitor to Manitoba will have been more than a very 
 short time in the country before he hears of the " boom.'' 
 A " boom •' is, I believe, strictly an American institution — 
 at least so far as land is concerned. It is, in principle, 
 identical with the "gold-rushes'' which have taken place 
 in Australia and California in years past. The wildest and 
 most insane speculation is the only foundation on which a 
 " boom'' can thrive. During its existence business of every 
 kind is in a state of altogether abnormal and unhealthy 
 activity ; wages and i)rices are exceedingly high ; and 
 every one is endeavouring to buy and sell at an unusual 
 rate. In ^Manitoba the " boom " took the form of a mania 
 for dealing in " town-lots." It seems to have extended to 
 nearly every town in the province ; though, })erhaps, it 
 was more fully developed at some than at others. It 
 originated in the autumn of 1881 ; and "the bottom fell 
 out," as the expression is, about the end of the following 
 spring. During this time the condition of business was 
 almost beyond the conception of those who did not see 
 it. Town-lots, measuring usually about 30 feet by 100 
 feet, were bought, houses were run up, and stores opened 
 by the score. In the towns it is literally a fact that nearly 
 every place of business was also a real-estate office. Every 
 hotel-bar was placarded with advertisements and crowded 
 with people cra^y to sell town-lots. It mattered nothing if 
 
 4 
 
 r ! 
 
tachcd 
 i:in an 
 ,' have 
 these 
 )!• til at 
 
 lOSC I 
 
 a very 
 boom.'" 
 iition — 
 inciple, 
 1 place 
 est and 
 Ahich a 
 f every 
 |healthy 
 ; and 
 iinusual 
 mania 
 ded to 
 aps, it 
 irs. It 
 m fell 
 llowing 
 kss was 
 lot sec 
 )y 1 oo 
 )pened 
 nearly 
 Every 
 fowded 
 Ihing if 
 
 nii; 
 
 I'.OO.M 
 
 AND MS i:\ll, IIFKCIS. 
 
 '47 
 
 these lots were at the bottom of the Assiniboine, or in the 
 middle of a pond, or even if they had no existence at all ; 
 so lonj^ as they were shown on ))aper they were eagerly 
 bought by persons willing to give enormous ))rices for the 
 prospect — usually a g(j()d one of selling them again at a 
 liandsome jirofit. Inspecting them was an altogether 
 supcrlluous accompaniment either of sale or purchase. 
 Auctions, at which these ])aper towns found ready sale, 
 were, I believe, held in all the j)rincipal cities of Canada. 
 It is a fact that the town of lirandon was surveyed for a 
 radius of several miles in every direction beyond its present 
 limits ; and many other ])laces were in the same state. 
 Professor Macoun gives the f(jlIowing sket'^h of the "boom" 
 in his work on ''Manitoba and the (Ireat North-West" : — 
 
 " Nothing to ecpial it had ever before occurred on 
 Canadian or ih'itish soil. Thousands of dollars were made 
 by operators in a few minutes. Vast fortunes were secured 
 in a day. The excitement s})read like wild-fire all over the 
 country. Cool-headed professional and business men 
 (clerical as well as lay) left their callings in other parts of 
 the country for the scene of the modern Canadian VA 
 Dorado. Real-estate agents became as numerous as the 
 sand on the seashore. The educated and refined, as well 
 as the illiterate, took part in land transactions. No regard 
 was i)aid as to whether the vendor had a right to sell or 
 not : everything was taken for granted." 
 
 ^\^^o will wonder that there should come a time of 
 reaction and dei)ression after such proceedings as these? 
 
 During the time the boom lasted, a common labouring 
 man's wages were something like 2\ dols. per day, and he 
 lived on champagne like a lord. In Winnipeg it was difficult 
 to get a bed to sleep in at night, so great was the incoming 
 tide of people, attracted by the i)rospects of realising a 
 speedy fortune through gambling with town-lots. Farm- 
 land, too, shared in the inflation produced by the boom, 
 but not to the same extent as town-lots. 
 
 None, however, but the very simplest could ex])ect this 
 state of things to last long ; and, as already stated, the 
 depression which inevitably follows a ])eriod of abnormal 
 business activity soon began to be felt, and is now only 
 slowly removing its woful effects from the towns all over 
 
 L 2 
 
.,s 
 
 Ai \M loi'. \ ni -<( i^iin n. 
 
 
 
 
 \ 
 
 I 
 
 lilt 
 
 thr pvo\i>u v\^ M;\nv ;\ l(n\i\ lol is now not wmlli ;is i(i;mv 
 thousaiul « cuts ;is ilollais wcvc i\\\v\\ (or it (Imin;', llu- homii ; 
 m.mv ii st»Mv IS now « IosimI. mam a hiisinrss innn a hank 
 vnpt. an»l nian\ a s)>rr\ilalor mined ; winlr. cvi-n now. 
 1"ailui\ s aro j^unj; »>n wlnrh avr »lni'< tl\ altiihiilaMr lo llu- 
 c\\\ riVt t ts ol till' boom. \ \c\\ of llu' sliaipiM ones niav 
 \).\\\' ba« kr»i onl \\\ Inno. an«l iua»lo }m>o(1 hauls ; Iml tlu- 
 ■,.^,aio\it\ \\c\r. as nsnal. j'jillod. and nian\ nuisl liavi' lost 
 lira\il\. 1 luwnl ol nion who, ihnnig tho hoou), wtMc 
 aiio\nUi*l to \\c worth iipwanls of a hnndn'd thousand 
 «1ollars. who arr now baiolv W(mi1i ihorlothrs thr\ stand ui 
 Ono m-ntliMuau told \\\c that, durinj; the boom, he niadc 
 o\or ^>. 1 .ovv^ \]\ U'ss than si\ weeks; ImiI. luueh shai|Mi 
 th.in most, he knt^w how to keep it, as widl as how to make 
 It. an«l let! tlu^ smkin;; ship in time. The eomplaml now 
 is. that lan»l i\nmvl tlu^ towns is out ol" ullivation, jieinu 
 owned m tmv lots In imknown perso)is all omm ihe 
 OonnnuMi. who kei^p ihemsidxes < aielulh, in the haik ground, 
 lest the\ slhHild he <alled upon to pav rurlhei instahnenls 
 v>n j^K^ts ot u\o\md whieh aii^ now worth less than the lirst 
 instalnuM\t aheadv ]i.iid. l.ookini; l);t(k now. when men's 
 reason has ivtmiied to lluMii. it seems impossible to imder 
 stand livnv sueh .i slate o[ things could ever have aiisen ; 
 but. then, .ill eia/^^s and manias the mlamous .South S(m 
 lUibble, ior instanee, whieh w.is ol a kindred nature with 
 the boiMU seem equallv oulr.igeoiis when (almlv viewed 
 .\ller tho oxeitement has ]ussed away. 
 
 That the ilcpression in business is n»)w teiribly severe in 
 nearb all tlie tv>wiis in Manitoba, as elsewhere mentioned. 
 is ob\ ivnis to e\erv person who mav have oee.ision to \isil 
 tiicm. and its existenee is not tlenied bv the i)ui>lie news- 
 papers ; that it is both direetb and iiulireetly attributable 
 to tlie boom, by it.s liaviiii; eaused i^reat t>ver-li\ulinL; and 
 .m excessive supply ot' goods ; that the present number ol" 
 bankruptcies, though iwint'ul to see, will, in the end, liave 
 a benelicial elTect, by placing l)usiness on a secure looting : 
 
 *" I li;i\o boon croiliMy infiMmoil thai, ilurinj; tlic hoii;lU of llio hi)oiu, 
 l.;nil in WinnijtOjL; ihon .) jilaoo o( only io.».x\) inlial>it;\nts, and 51x3 
 milos from any oontro of oivilis.ition sold for hiq;hor piioos than land 
 will totoh at tho jM-osoni day in (he middle of Chicago— a place of 
 ivx>.ooo inh.tbiianl?.. 
 
I III 
 
 lini.M \M. II, I VII, I I I I f I 
 
 ' 1'^ 
 
 \ir.rn ; 
 
 .> with 
 iowihI 
 
 VVC 111 
 
 it)iu-(l. 
 n visit 
 
 ncws- 
 
 it;il 
 
 )!(• 
 
 and 
 
 Iht 
 
 oi 
 
 have 
 
 lotuu 
 
 boom, 
 kill 5*>t) 
 liii land 
 
 ace o 
 
 i 
 
 fital, wIh I) llii; l,il<("; )ili(r. ItimiiM"^'; will ai^aiii floiirisb ; 
 ainl iIkiI iIh' |a«',( 111 (|r|iir;'.iMii in Im aiic^;';, lirifu^ the 
 MM VllaMc K Mill n( |||ll,ilii)|i rlijr Id flic iiia'ld' ';l ';|i(v l|lallf»ri, 
 • aniiitl ill llir slii'lifi 'it di imi r Ik- alliilmh (| Io any lanlt 
 rtiliiict led Willi ill! ((iiiiih\-, air ,ill (,m|:; wIikIi will lie 
 ( tinallv n|t\|(ii|'; |(» rvi'iv oliM iv< i, 'I'lir f I' 1 1| » ;, ,|oii |i;i<;^ in 
 !!(» 'illj'jil <l('|Mi'c, |m'(|| ;i;'tM;i\';ilr(| Ky ill'' total want, 
 I liMiiij'Jioiil llir hoirinion, < >i ;in\' liw of liank ni|itf y, 'io 
 that the .ilCair ha"; In Ik- niaiiajnd liy ihr r iiinNroiis aii'l 
 wa'^lf'liil |ii(i{ (s'i of hailid^ sci/iirr an<l '.,il''. ( )|)vif»ii';l\', 
 wJKac lllf II- ;i|r <;<» ni,in\' "miIi <, ,111(1 wIm ir ni'iiiry r; now 
 so •>(ai<r. ihiiii-;, inn a 'all loi (,m Ic.-; tli.ni 'Inn nal v-ilnr, 
 as. imlrt'd, is jm nci.illv ihc « a'.c ; ;inf| I Ik ,n'l of many 
 aiti« Ics wliif h had hn n sold at ;in ahsiiiflly low n'Mirc. 
 Ihil, as there is no iiile willionf ,-iii » xfeption, so there is 
 one town wliii h, liavin;; esf,i|ie<I the l»of»ni, has, ( onse- 
 (incntly, seen iiothin!; (»l the de|»iession. This town is 
 ('ailMii\-, ;i |i|;i(e of ;- ■ . oi ,(oo inli.il )it;Mils, l»iit III wlijfh 
 all the laisiiiess done i, heallh\' ;ind tla re h.ive hefai no 
 sales or |)ankMi|tt( ies. .\t the jaesenl time ( arherry is 
 };ro\vin!.'; sl(»wly, honestly, and siihstaiitially, a' eordinj,; to 
 its r(M|iiirein'nls, and does not, like its neifdihoiirs, seem to 
 ONpcel its rei|iiir(Mnents to j.',row alonij; with if. It. is thr 
 only villa,!;e wcafli the name lietwe(ii Itiandon and the 
 Portage, and, hein^ siiironiifled hy an exr eljenf, and well- 
 sc'ttli"d agricultural disfii(t, may expeef to ;/row steadily in 
 the Intiire. Its |)ros|)( i ity may he dircf tly attrihiifed to the 
 laihire of the hooin, whieh seems here to liavfr defeated its 
 own ends. The folhtwin^ is an acj oiint I had ^iven nie of 
 the i;rowth of ('arheny perhaps not altogether rorreet as 
 to detail : — -When, in Aiif^nst, iKXi,the railroad rear hed the 
 liii; IMain, as the district round ( "arherry is railed, the 
 station and town of" " I )e W'inton " were (ommenc.ed anrl 
 named alter deiKaal I )e Winfon, aide de eamp to th(,' 
 \lar(|iiis of Lome. This was done on a section of land 
 about two miles east of tiie present town, the property 
 helongin}^ to a certai i (leneral Kosser, who was in Sf)rnc 
 way eonnec ted with Ik; syndicate, and wonld, douhtless, 
 have lined his juxkets finely had he not, about the fcjllow- 
 ing June, found occasion to differ from his cr^lleaL^ues, who, 
 naturally, had no further wish to aid him in his speculations. 
 
wn 
 
 \fi 
 
 '50 
 
 \| \M |t>Il \ ItlSl Kllll I). 
 
 Iff 
 
 ^t 
 
 I Hi. 
 
 i V 1 
 
 * V 
 
 ,1 < 
 I » 
 
 4t 
 
 If 
 
 A('cor(lini;lv tlu\ « Ioscm! tlirir sl;Uii)n, nnd (Mim t(Ml ;i (cm 
 ]K)r;\r\ imc on a (K-sobtc spot ntnoiii; tlu' s;nul hills, where 
 no one would iIkmui «)r sclllinj;. Ilere it roinniniMl loi- 
 (ucr a month, while the svn(h( ate was l),ngainin,i; lor 
 anolhiM- seetion ol Kind, thi^y tliems(-lves not possessing a 
 suitable one and yet retjuirini; a station to supply the Wu^ 
 riiiin. At last, lor a very high ligure, they pur( has(>d that 
 on whieh ('arbtMi}- now stands. Il«a(> they innnedialelv 
 bnill a new station, surveying the Innd oil' into town lots. 
 whi<h the\ sold as fast as possible. Ol < ourse. \)c \\ inton 
 languished and died : at the ]iri'sent time only a houst" iuid 
 a hall remain, all the others having beiai nioved two unles 
 over the ]>vairio to Carbi'rry. and, to this day, some ol 
 them are considerably out ol the perpendicular, and ben 
 other signs ot injuiy receivcul (luring tln^ ji^urncv. Tln- 
 lH)st otiice was not nu)ved until some time later, when the 
 inconvenience began lo ])e telt (leneral Kosser is s.iid to 
 have sold his land to another speculator, in constMpuaice ol 
 which, though ot" Inst class (|ualilv. it still remains unculli 
 vated. Thus the ( 'ity ot 1 >e W inton '' bust up and went on 
 west," as the \ ankees say. C'arberry has niwv somelhing 
 like lilly houses, iniluding three hotels, si^vcr.il excellent 
 st(>res, a blacksmith's, ilnei^ grain warehouses, \(\ \-c. 
 
 As the railway reaches turlher out into tin- l'"ar \\'est, il 
 carries the boom along with it. ami one reads in tlu^ i);ipers 
 that "things are biu)ming "" at such-and-such a jilace. 
 AMien it reachetl Calgarry. the materials ol" a house were 
 \mloaded t'rom the tr.un one Momlay afternoon, and on 
 Tuesday evening the .said house was built anil 01 c upied. 
 This is the way they do things in the W est ! 
 
',•-> 
 
 ccllonl 
 
 apors 
 ilaci.'. 
 
 Ill 
 
 1 on 
 
 MANirnMA ni'SCRinri). 
 
 '5' 
 
 CIIAn'KK (X 
 
 lirK ( I IT or I'.KANDDN. 
 
 On Scplcinbcr iStli I ("irst saw the rity of Brandon, in 
 the vi<inily of wliich pl.'u c I spent a sliort time. To nic, 
 lifter a h)n^ sojourn in the rural dislrif t round Carl)erry. it 
 ajipeared indeed a city of no mean si/e, although, I |)eheve, 
 its |)Opulation falls a trillc short of 4,000. 
 
 The history of the ra|)id growth of lirandon is a sur- 
 prising o!ie- or, rather, it would he so for any Old World 
 town ; hut, on the other side of the Atlantic, instanf cs 
 t'ould he given even more wonderful. At the time I was 
 in the city 1 l)elieve that its age was almost exactly Iwo years 
 and five months ; and that before the month of May, iH8r, 
 there literally was not a single inhabitant of the spot it now 
 occupies. 1 made the ac(|uaintance of a gentleman who 
 claimed the honour of having jait up the first building. In 
 the spring of iiSSi, after the Canadian Pacific Railway had 
 ]>assed into the hands of the present j)owerful syndicate, and 
 there was every |)rol)ability that the rich prairie lands of the 
 North West would at last be opened up to th.e world by the 
 much-talked-of trans-continental railway, speculation began 
 to be rife among a few keen-sighted men as to the point at 
 which the track would cross the Assiniboine River, believing 
 (and that rightly) that a town would eventually spring up 
 at that spot. During May a complete change in the pro- 
 l)osed route indicated the present site, and the following 
 month of June saw the city born. The streets were sur- 
 veyed, and a number of settlers arrived, who, though most 
 of them spent their first nights on the open prairie, are now 
 among Brandon's foremost men. Within twenty-four hours 
 of the time when the first purchasers of town-lots from the 
 
'52 
 
 MAMIOBA DKSCRinp:D. 
 
 '*:\ 
 
 A'' 
 
 agents of the syndicate had become owners, they had 
 started a l)risk real-estate business, and when, on May 28, 
 a heavy consignment of lumber arrived from Winnipeg by 
 the steamer Auii-i/i-U'esf, it was eagerly bought ujj, and the 
 boom was in full swing, ^\'ithi^ two weeks of this date it 
 is said that " some half-a-dozen stores were already in 
 operation, and every business man had a real-estate branch, 
 of greater or less magnitude, cnnnectc .1 ^"ith his regular 
 calling.'' 'i'he first rush over, h iv-e' , , ,1 iem])orary lull 
 ensued; but the track of the C.^-avlian Pacific Railway, 
 reaching the city about the end ■'" /Vtgnst, brought a 
 revival, and a steady stream of immigrants ■ ok i)lace for 
 the remainder of the year, till, in December, the place 
 must have contained a population of several hundreds, 
 while churches, hotels, a post-office, and a station were all 
 in operation. The first number of the Brandon Sun was 
 published on January 19, 1882 (that is, when the place was 
 less than eight months old), and recorded that at that date 
 the population was estimated to number 700, the buildings 
 170, and their cost was put at 200,000 dols. The progress 
 of the city continued so steadily that, with the commence- 
 ment of sj^ring, the population was 1,500, and the number 
 of business establishments^ 120. On May 30, when just 
 one year old, the city was incorporated by Act of the Pro- 
 vincial Parliament, and the first municipal election took 
 l)lace just a month later. Steadily the growth continued, 
 till, towards the end of September, 1882, the population 
 numbered 3,000 ; but, about that time, an occurrence took 
 place which is commonly described by saying that *' the 
 bottom fell out.'' This, being interpreted, means that the 
 boom, which hitherto had raged furiously, came to a timely 
 end. 
 
 The situation of Brandon is excellent in a commercial 
 point of view. For miles around extends a splendid 
 country for agricultural purposes, while a number of smaller 
 villages must at i)resent draw their supplies from it. Its 
 position, too, is not altogether unpicturesque. It lies on 
 the right-hand sloi)e of the wide, steep-sided valley which 
 the Assiniboine has cut out of the prairie, and which is 
 often called the '-' Grand Valley." Below the town, the 
 river threads its way through a dense growth of willows 
 
I UK CITY OF HRANDON. 
 
 »53 
 
 which covers the level bottom of the valley. Elsewhere, on 
 all sides of the town, extends a rolling, treeless i)rairie of 
 excellent soil. Brandon, at first sight, strikes one as (juite 
 a decent sort of ])lace, very largely on account of its ex- 
 cellent streets, which are far ahead of anything of the kind 
 possessed by any other Manitoban town ; and so they ought 
 to be, considering the large supply of boulders, stones, and 
 gravel of glacial origin found in the neighbourhood, and 
 even under the very town itself. I understand that until 
 last autumn the streets were as bad as those of any other 
 town in the province, but that the municipality s[)ent many 
 thousands of dollars, keei)ing a large gang of men at work 
 until late in November, with the result that Rosser Avenue 
 is now^ as well macadamised as many a London road. An- 
 other thing in flivour of iJrandon is its compactness, in 
 which it forms a great contrast to Tortage-la-Vrairie. (Jn 
 the whole, Brandon has the appearance of a brisk, busy 
 little place, and no doubt will rise to be a thriving city in 
 the future ; but at present the ill effects of the boom are 
 very apparent in the number of stores and shanties which 
 are " for rent." The depression in business is, or has been, 
 exceedingly severe, and I was told that there were very few 
 of the business firms which had not undergone some species 
 of" legal whitewashing."' The number of hotels is quite asto- 
 nishing : I believe they have accommodation for over i,ooo 
 guests. How they all live is a marvel, and probably they 
 all could not but that each is provided with a large billiard- 
 room and a bar at which all spirituous licjuors are freely 
 sold. Most of the buildings are still of wood, but some 
 few of stone or brick are now going up : one, of especially 
 pretentious dimensions, was, I understood, intended for a 
 Masonic Hall. The Ontarian element seems very strong, 
 but still there is a good admixture of P2nglishmen. 1 found 
 that nearly every one had speculative dealings in land — 
 hotel-keepers, shopmen, clerks, even the barber — and 
 wished either to buy or sell, though some worked their 
 farms by hired labour. Although the boom is over, the 
 number of agencies for the sale of town-lots struck me as 
 very great, and the agencies of money-loaning companies 
 are also numerous. Things, on the whole, did not appear 
 to be outrageously dear, though I found, from experience, 
 
154 
 
 MANnor.A DKscRinr.i). 
 
 that tl"'C price of gethnii; one's hair cut amounted to 35 cents, 
 or IS. 5 Ad. !* 
 
 Lrandon has now two new,si)ai)ers, the Afail and the Sun : 
 the latter is Liberal, the former C'onservative. l»oth come 
 out in the evening, and, from an iM"ij.^lish point of view, are 
 equally poor. A f. shion of advertising one's goods on the 
 " board-walks " seemed to be muc h in vogue. 'I'here are 
 two bridges over the Assiniboine, at which toll is taken to 
 the amount of 20 cents for a conveyance and 2 cents for a 
 foot-passenger. There are generally a few Indian " tepees " 
 on the outskirts of the city, and on one occasion I counted 
 as many as twenty. Their inhabitants fre(|uent the streets, 
 where they try to scrape together a little of the " where- 
 withal " by selling the wild-ducks they shoot. iJeing 
 dressed in ragged coats and trousers, they often cut a very 
 sorry figure, but the mocassins they wear are sometimes 
 nicely bead-worked. The enterprising Chinaman seems 
 even to have reached Brandon, and is already at his 
 favourite trade. I left some garments to be washed at the 
 laundry of Mr. or Mrs. Wah Hcj) (I am obliged to confess 
 comi)lete ignorance as to which it was), who gave me a 
 receipt with curious inscriptions thereon, which he (or she) 
 subsequently informed me represented merely the number 
 twenty-five. This surprised me, for I never imagined that, 
 even in China, such an amount of learned-looking cali- 
 graphy (there were thirteen distinct strokes) was required to 
 express so simple a matter. I thought from the first that 
 the situation of the Post Office was most inconvenient, it 
 being the last house but one on the western extremity of 
 the town ; and it was only just before leaving the i)lace 
 that I discovered the reason of this. It seems that the 
 postmaster moved his office to its present situation about a 
 year since, becau.se the house was his own private property ! 
 The newly-erected public school is quite a large building 
 for the district, and, like several others of the better class 
 of buildings, is of white brick, made from clay dug about 
 two miles to the north. 
 
 * 1 have since paid tlie sum of 50 cents (2s.) for the privilege of 
 having this operation performed, and the sum of 25 cents (is. ) for 
 getting my boots l)lac4<ed I This, however, was among the Rocky 
 Mountains. 
 
THE CITV or nRANDOX. 
 
 .■>D 
 
 Around Urandon may l)c found a small, though sub- 
 stantial, class of farmers, which is but slightly represented 
 in any other ])art of the ])rovince. 'I'hese men are |)ersoiis 
 who i)ossess cajjital and tliorou^h business capabilities, and 
 work large farms by means of hired labour, somewhat on 
 the English ])lan. Such are the Hon. j. W. Sifton, Charles 
 Whitehead, J. A. Johnson, Alexander l*"leming, and others. 
 Their farms would average at least a sriuare mile, or 
 640 acres, in extent, and are almost entirely under 
 cultivation. Their owners, being men of capital, have a 
 considerable advantage over the ordinary settler, who has 
 seldom one-half of his land under crop, and often can 
 barely afford the necessary imi>lements to work even that 
 much and to get his harvest in with. Whilst I was in 
 IJrandon, some of the above gentlemen were already 
 thrashing their corn and delivering it in the city at the rate 
 of hundreds of bushels a day, receiving the high price 
 (over <So cents ])er bushel for wheat) to which they were 
 entitled from being the first in the market, whilst many of 
 their neighbours had still their grain in the field. There is 
 room in Manitoba for many more men of this class. I 
 saw the farms of several of the gentlemen 1 have mentioned, 
 and all exhibited good manngement. That of the Hon. 
 Mr. Sifton, who regularly em])loys ten men and eight teams, 
 was well fenced, and, in addition to several hundred acres 
 of wheat, showed some fifty acres of fiax. Another gentle- 
 man — an English ca})italist, who must not be overlooked-- 
 is Mr. J. D. MacBurnie, who is universally res])ected in the 
 neighbourhood. Though not one of the earliest arrivals, 
 this gentleman seems to have been so struck with the 
 prospects of the place as to accjuire an estate of some 
 4,000 acres of farm property, which he has fenced off into 
 farms of about 320 acres, on each of whi( h he has built a 
 house, erected the necessary farm-buildings, and dug a 
 well. These farms are leased to tenants on the following 
 terms : the landlord provides the farm and secd-coni, in 
 return for which he receives one-half the crop, the tenant 
 l)roviding farm-stock and implements, and being thus in 
 time enabled to purchase the fiirm. Mr. Macliurnie also 
 holds a farm of nearly 1,000 acres on his own account. 
 
156 
 
 MANITOI'.A DF.SCkir.F.D. 
 
 CI I A ITER X. 
 
 PORTA«;i: l,.\-I'K.\lkll- AM) TlIK J'KOVINCIAI- AGRICUL'l UKAI, 
 
 Kxmr.iTiox FOR 1883. 
 
 On tlic I St (lay of Ortohcr 1 left IJrnndon and ])rocccde(l 
 to Porta^a'-la- Prairie in order to attend tlie I'rovincial 
 Agricultural I'Ahibition, and to spend a short time in that 
 neighbourhood. 'I'hese exhibitions seem to be great 
 institutions both in Canada and the United States, and are 
 often attended by very large numbers of people. Ueing 
 usually held after harvest, the results of the year's farming 
 operations may be seen at them to great advantage. 
 They often also go by the names of (aW fairs, shows, or 
 industrial exhibitions, the last title best indicating their 
 nature and purpose. The Dominion has a show of its 
 own, which is moved about from city to city, one year 
 after another, the last having been at St. John's, Newfound- 
 land. Then each province has its own fair, as well, 1 
 believe, as most counties ; and generally each of the 
 larger towns has one of its own. The young Province of 
 Manitoba is by no means behind-hand with its shows, for, 
 besides the principal one, nearly every town of any size has 
 a show of its own, \Yhich is generally held in or about the 
 month of September. 
 
 In 1882 the Manitolvin Legislature ])assed "An Act 
 concerning Agriculture and Statistics,'' which, among 
 other things, provided for the formation of a Provincial 
 Board of Agriculture, consisting of one representative from 
 each electoral district. This lioard makes the arrange- 
 ments for holding the Provincial Exhibition, and under its 
 auspices the affiliated societies, of which there are now 
 over two dozen, each receiving an annual grant to augment 
 its funds, hold smaller shows. 
 
 With the Provincial P^xhibition, at which I spent two 
 days, I must confess to a slight feeling of disappointment, — 
 
A(iUICUI,IUI<.\l. SHOW |(»U iSSj. 
 
 / 
 
 great 
 
 not so much with what I saw (wliic h I considered most 
 creditable to the infant province) as witli what I (Ud not 
 SCO, — the very extensive i)ri/e hst havin-f led nie to expect a 
 much hirger show ; whereas^ in many of the sections, there 
 was not a single entry. The railways had agreed to con- 
 vey passengers for the return journey at the rate of a fare 
 and one-third ; the gates were to remain open a whole 
 week ; and the general regulations and arratigements set 
 forth beforehand were on such an elaborate and extensive 
 scale, that I was expecting something which would at least 
 surpass an ordinary ICnglish county show. In this, how- 
 ever, 1 was somewhat disap])(;inted, — perhaj)s unreasonably. 
 With the arrangements which the officers had made, but 
 little fault could be found : everything was done much 
 after the fashion of an English agricultural show. 'I'he 
 ground was rather inconveniently situated, being over a 
 mile from the station; and, covering some iS acres, was 
 open to the rather unusual objection of being too large for 
 its reciuirements, so that at the best it only looked half 
 full, especially as the attendance, throughout the whole 
 time it was open, was miserably small. Although the 
 exhibition was advertised as the ninth annual one, it was 
 in reality the first, the former ones having been held by a 
 society which was not in reality provincial, having always 
 held its shows at its head-(iuarters in AN'innij^eg. 'I'here 
 was, therefore, every reason for marking the commence- 
 ment of the ])resent exhibition ; and the streets of the town 
 were gaily decorated when the Lieut. -(lovernor, accom- 
 panied by Mr. C. J. JJrydges, President of the Jioard, and 
 various members of the (iovernment, oi)ened the show 
 with all due pomp and ceremony on the morning of the 
 first day, the judges being afterwards set to work. The 
 prizes offered (ist, 2nd, an^ ' 3rd, in nearly every case) 
 numbered altogether about 1.570, and amounted to no 
 less a sum than 8,000 dollars, while the list of entries 
 numbered 2,053, — a very handsome total, ail things con- 
 sidered. There were 41 distinct classes, each being again 
 divided into " sections," in whic'.i im/.es were offered for 
 horses, cattle, sheej), i)igs, poultry, dogs, manufactures, 
 cereals, roots (and all other field, garden, and dairy 
 produce), fine arts, natural history collections, ladier,' work, 
 
i(!||r 
 
 iss 
 
 MAXlTOr.A DI'.SCRIDKI). 
 
 school work, and bands of nuisic. In one ivsj^ert tlie 
 show, regarded only as an agricultural exhibition, was 
 decidedly ahead of many lOnglish shows, which, inasmuch 
 iis they do not usually offer i)ri/.es for grain or roots, are 
 i\r ///t' s/iOK's rciihcv \.h{\n (igrii'i///i/ral s/io7js. At the I'ortage, 
 no class was better represented than the grain class. 
 
 Taken all round, the show was an excellent index 
 to the industries of the ])rovince. M'he horses, shec)), 
 <attle, and ])igs, were highly creditable to such a juvenile 
 country as Manitoba. In Class 30 (field ro(>ts) the ex- 
 hibits formed a very striking series, and included i)ota- 
 toes, various sorts of turnips, mangold-Vv'urt/.el, beets, 
 carrots, kohl-rabi, ])umpkins, c\:c., not one of which gave 
 me reason to alter the opinion previously formed as to the 
 great fertility of the soil. The potatoes struck mc as being 
 very su[)erior to those usually found at shows in I'.ngland, 
 and of the disease there was not tbc least trace. The few 
 sorts represented were those which seem to find very 
 s])ecial favour throughout the })rovince, namely, I'.arly Rose, 
 Early Ohio, lieauty of Hebron, and the Climax. Turnij)s 
 and mangolds, although there were few of the latter shown, 
 were a' least as good as those usually exhibited in England, 
 which ii.' saying no little, seeing that these are among the 
 most expensive cro])S a farmer here grows, whilst tliere they 
 arc grown of eciual size by the very roughest and least 
 expensive cultivation, their excellence being solely due to 
 the inherent cai)abilities of the soil. Such garden products 
 as carrots, sweet corn, onions, squashes, and cabbage, were 
 well represented and uniformly of good ([uality; but fruits 
 of all sorts were conspicuous only through their absence, 
 except in the shape of bottled wild fruit for winter use. 
 Pickles were in great force, also for use in the long winter 
 when no green things are obtainable. An interesting 
 feature was a collection of garden vegetables, &r., grown 
 by the Sioux Indians on "White Eagle's reserve. 
 
 liut Class 27, containing the cereals, was, after all, the 
 one which i)roved to me the most interesting. The 
 samples of oats were fairly numerous and uniformly good, 
 Avhile the same might be said of barley and peas, though 
 there were not many lots of either of these, both being, as 
 yet, but little grown in the i)rovince. The samples of 
 
A(.RICUl.rURAL .SHOW 1 OR 1 8S3. 
 
 159 
 
 wheat sliown were Ijotli very numerous and very good — so 
 
 much so, indeed, that the /'>"<■<• Press considered itself 
 
 justified in remarking that, ''Tlie (juaHty of wheat shown 
 
 on this occasion was, no doubt, the best ever seen at an 
 
 exliibilion in tliis or any other country, and will, jM-obably, 
 
 never be excelled." Willi the exception of winter wheat 
 
 (fall wheat), of which, however, none was separately shown, 
 
 all the prizes were for " Red l''yfe,'' in accordance with the 
 
 desire of the millers and the Board that no other sort 
 
 should be grown in the ])rovince, as elsewhere ex])lained. 
 
 The first prize in this section of loo dols. (or gold medal 
 
 at ojjtion), was given by the Hudson's Bay Company, and 
 
 supplemented by a Diploma from the Board. In obtaining 
 
 a sample of the best lot from the grower, Mr. J. R. Hartney, 
 
 of Plum Creek, Souris District, 1 received the information 
 
 that he arrived in Manitoba from Ontario about June, 
 
 1882, getting about 200 acres broken and backset during 
 
 the fall. Between A])ril 30 and May 8, he ])ut in 140 
 
 acres of wheat with seed obtained from tue Board. Cutting 
 
 commenced on August 30, finishing on September 12, or 
 
 just four months after sowing. The average yield of the 140 
 
 acres was 30 bushels 16 lb. per acre. It would be 
 
 difficult to find any more convincing j^roof of the whcat- 
 
 ])roducing ca])abilities of Manitoba. There was also an 
 
 exhibit of Red Fyfe wheat grown on the Bell Farm, which, 
 
 on account of its j)urity, was being sold at the rate ot 
 
 I dol. 25 cents per bushel for seed. 
 
 Nearly every agricultural implement manufacturer doing 
 business in the province was represented on the grounds, 
 although nothing of great novelty was shown. Some of 
 the machinery was in motion, es])ecially the binders, many 
 of which were binding sheaves by hand-power. Among 
 these was one which attracted a good deal of attention on 
 account of its being a " low down "' manufactured in the 
 province. It is intended to be used with two horses 
 instead of three, as usual, and when manufactured for sale 
 will weigh about 1,000 lb., or fully one-third lighter than 
 any other as yet obtainable, excepting one now advertised 
 by Messrs. Harris dv' Co. 
 
 My presence at the show also enabled me to learn a 
 good deal of the neighbourhood around Portage-la-Prairie. 
 
i6o 
 
 MAXITOliA DKSCKir.KD. 
 
 f 
 
 " the I'ortage," and in writing the abbreviation '' V. la 
 is frequent. The name is due to the fact that the old 
 
 There are considerable complaints as to the length of the 
 name of the town, and the adoption of some shorter desig- 
 nation is under consideration. If called Portage merely, 
 it might be confused with Rat Portage and various other 
 Portages, although in conversation it is usually s])oken of 
 as 
 P." 
 
 I'oyagciirs made a " ])ortage "' there across the i)rairie fron^ 
 Lake Manitoba to the River Assiniboine. 
 
 The most curious feature about the town, and the one 
 which will first strike a visitor, is the great amount of ground 
 covered in i)ro})ortion to the number of inhabitants. The 
 jjopulation is, I believe, somewhat larger than that of 
 Brandon, or about 5,000, against 500 in 1880. The length 
 of the town, however, from end to end, is somewhere about 
 three miles, and its breadth a mile and a half, although, I 
 believe, the actual corporation boundaries are even larger ; 
 so that, were the whole built up and lived \\\)0V\, the town 
 could accommodate u})wards of 100,000 persons. This 
 great scattering of the inhabitants, and conseciuent incon- 
 venience, is, of course, due to the Boom, in which town- 
 lots were sold over the whole area, but only some of them 
 were built upon, while the rest now lie unoccupied, and their 
 owners, for the most part, are unknown. The town is 
 divided into two })arts, — the East End, where most of the 
 business is transacted, and the West End, which is "backed" 
 by the Hudson's liay Company, on account of their store 
 being there. The Portage has the appearance of being, 
 and in fact is, a very much older place than Prandon. 
 There has been a settlement of some sort on the spot for 
 sixty or a hundred years past, and a few general stoves have 
 been doing business there for the last dozen years or so. 
 Of course, the size of the place was increased many fold by 
 the boom, which came in the autumn of i8Sr, and ran as 
 high as anywhere ; indeed, I am inclined to think it ran 
 higher than in most other places ; for I read in a newspaper 
 that Portage had been nearly "boomed to death," and that 
 " altogether it was a great misfortune to the Portage that it 
 was not allowed to expand and grow in a natural manner." 
 If one may judge by the number of closed stores and 
 liotels, of which there are more than in Brandon, some of 
 
PORTAGE-LA-PRAIRIE. 
 
 l6l 
 
 them being the largest in the town, and from what I heard 
 and saw as to the number of sheriff's sales, I should imagine 
 that, at the i)resent time, business must be labouring under 
 a terrible dcjiression, and that it must be difficult for even 
 sound firms to keejj on their legs at all. Probably this may 
 be partly attributed to the fact that the Portage is only 
 some sixty miles from the larger city of AVinnipeg, so that 
 many persons make their purchases there, while this would 
 be less likely to be the case with ]>randon. But in the 
 future, Portage, being the centre of a grand agricultural 
 district, and also the junction of two lines of railway, may 
 look forward to times of prosperity. As in Winnijicg, the 
 principal business street is called Alain vStreet. The build- 
 ings, both private and commercial, struck me as being 
 superior to those in Jkandon, i)robably on account of the 
 greater age of the town ; and it is certainly a ])leasanter 
 and less dreary place to live in, on account of there being 
 a few trees ; indeed, between the river and the town there 
 is an extremely dense bush. There are already several 
 manufacturing establishments in the i)lace, the largest being, 
 })erhaps, the mill and elevator of the l*ortage Milling Com- 
 jany, which are situated near the station, and are the 
 largest of their kind in the province, except the Ogilvie 
 Mill at Winnipeg. 
 
 One day a friend drove me out a few miles west of the 
 city along the Sleugh Road to a ])lace where there is an old 
 dismantled fort of the Hudson's Pay Company, — a substan- 
 tial square log building, surrounded with the remains of a 
 high palisade, — now used as a stable. The view from this 
 spot up the river, with its steep, densely-wooded banks, is 
 rather a fine one. On the side of the road just opjjosite 
 the fort is an old, disused Sioux burying-ground. There 
 were a good many Indian " tepees " scattered about, as 
 well as a number of their inhabitants, one of whom — an 
 old lady — I remember particularly well, on account of her 
 wearing a most gorgeous blanket, strij^ed with all the 
 colours of the rainbow. I was told that the farmer, on 
 whose ground the burial-place is situated, had i)rohibited 
 the Indians from making use of it on account of their 
 performing the operation of burial so superficially, that the 
 place had come to possess certain gastronomic attractions 
 
 M 
 
lC2 
 
 IMAMTOHA DESCRinEI), 
 
 "r 
 
 for all the dogs of the ncighl)oiirhood. However, tlie 
 Indians had chosen a fresh spot, half a mile or so further 
 on, and the graves there — some twenty or so in number — 
 presented an extremely tidy and well-kept appearance. 
 In the centre was an erection of poles about lo ft. high, 
 set up like the poles of a " tepee,"' evidently over the grave 
 of a dead chief. Around it were the other graves, all of 
 which were designed on the same plan, but of different 
 materials. Each was covered with a construction resembling 
 the roof of a house, about 7 ft. long and 2 ft. wide and 
 high. Some of these were made of canvas sheeting 
 stretched over a frame, and ornamented with pieces of 
 ribbon, which fluttered in the wind, whilst others were very 
 neatly made of split poles cleverly nailed together. At each 
 end of this covering a small triangular hole had been left, 
 probably for the use of the spirit of the " dear dejxirted," 
 and at the foot of each grave was a stick supporting a linen 
 bag, in which, at certain times of the year, tobacco is 
 placed to satisfy the wants of the spirit of the dead man. 
 as it roams through the " hajjpy huntmg-grounds.'' 
 
 About a hundred yards from the burial-ground, on an 
 elevated si)ot close to the river-bank, was a small area 
 enclosed with bushes, and having stuck up in the middle 
 a taller bush, in the top of which were, for some undivinable 
 reason, a nuniber of small twigs arranged together after the 
 manner of a crow's-nest. The place thus marked was, as 
 my friend told me, one of the old gambling-dens, in which 
 the Indians were accustomed to give way to their insatiable 
 desire for gambling. Many an Indian has, doubtless, 
 entered possessed of several ponies, a rifle, and various 
 household effects, and left, as my friend put it, " with a 
 mortgage on his shirt." 
 
 Another day I started in a drizzle for a walk round the 
 High Bluft" district lying a few miles to the east of the city. 
 The district round the Portage is very different from that 
 further to the Ai;st. Lying just between the lake and the 
 river, the soil itself ^- much moister, while the rainfall is 
 also heavier ; so th ii ilie arought, which was this year felt 
 so severely throu'rh -^11 Western Mrnitoba, was not 
 experienced rcv-iic' tae Porta go. Owiiig to this greater 
 moisture, the g'.is and all the prairie plants grow much 
 
I'ORTAGE-LA-I'RAIRIK. 
 
 ]6' 
 
 city. 
 
 more luxuriantly than on the comparatively dry and arid 
 prairies round Brandon and Carberry, the country being 
 consecjuently much better fitted for cattle-rearing, while, at 
 the same time, it can grow magnificent crops of all kinds. 
 Taken altogether, I consider the district round High Bluff 
 and the Portage was the best ])art of Manitoba I saw. 
 Nearly everything met with on my walk gave evidence of 
 a comparatively old settlement of the district, as is but 
 natural, considering that many of the farms I saw had been 
 occupied for ten or twelve years. For several miles nearly 
 all the land I passed through seemed to be under the 
 plough, one field joining on to another, and separated only 
 by a wire or snake-fence, the latter being largely used on 
 account of the much greater abundance of timber. There 
 were also fenced cattle-yards, which I do not remember to 
 have seen further West. Quite a number of farmers kept 
 sheep in small lots of ten or twelve, and these were 
 invariablv stated to do well. The wool does not seem to 
 be much valued, as there are no mills at which the farmers' 
 wives can get their carding done, as in Ontario ; but one, 
 on whom I called, more thrifty than the rest, said she did 
 her own carding. On account, too, of the greater length 
 of time the country has been settled, the roads are well 
 defined and fenced, and generally a good deal beaten. 
 The farmers' houses and farm-buildings also are more 
 commodious and better built. I was surprised to observe 
 ([uite a number of ruinous log shanties standing here and 
 there beside the road, and, upon inquiry, learned that most 
 of them had been built by half-breeds on their grants of 
 land, which, on the advent of the white man, of whom 
 they are by no means fond, they had sold to speculators 
 and decamped westward. Firewood is easily obtainable 
 from the dense bush, and the general as])ect of the country 
 is much pleasantcr than that of the districts I saw further 
 West. 
 
 M 2 
 
164 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIIiED. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE CITY OF WINNIPEG. 
 
 ■ < i 
 
 With the exception of few minntes spent in Winnipeg on 
 the outward journey, I first saw the city when I entered it 
 on the evening of the i8th of October last; and a more 
 miserable introduction I have seldom had to any place. 
 It was dark, with a bitterly cold wind, accompanied by 
 snow and sleet. The only thing upon which it was jxjssiblc 
 to make observations that night . was the mud in the 
 streets : this I could not have overlooked had I wanted. 
 Much has been written of the bad roads in Manitoba, and 
 I had seen something of muddy streets in the Portage and 
 elsewhere. But the term " muddy " conveys no idc.. of 
 the streets of Winnipeg : mire or slough alone correctly 
 describes their condition, a true conception of which can 
 only enter the mind of man through the eye, not through 
 the ear. Main -street, the principal thoroughfare, 130 
 feet wide, and over a mile in length, instead of being the 
 best, as might be expected, is the very worst, in con- 
 sequence of the heavy traffic. The whole road, as I saw 
 it, lined with shops, thrc /ged by foot-passengers and 
 brilliantl)! lighted by the electric-iight, was literally wi'/ies 
 deep in nift black mud, through which carts and wagons 
 slowly toiled, many of them having the spaces between 
 the spokes of the wheels almost filled by masses of 
 mud. The tram-cars ran down the centre of the street 
 in a little river of slush. The worst of country lanes in 
 Essex in a mild, wet winter are hardly so bad. Top-boots 
 were in high fashion, being worn, indeed, almost as a 
 necessity, though the board-walks were fairly clean and 
 men were at work with shovels — brooms were nowhere — 
 making crossings here and there. Winnipeggers seem so 
 accustomed to this state of things that they scarcely notice 
 
THK CITY OF WINNIPKO. 
 
 I ^'5 
 
 it ; but ncw-comcrs do, and often express no little astonish- 
 ment.* 
 
 Nevertheless, all the circumstances being considered, 
 Winni|)eg is truly a fine city, and certainly the only place 
 in Manitoba deserving that designation, — Brandon and the 
 Portage being mere country villages when compared with 
 it. They, and to a greater or less extent the whole 
 country, are supplied from \Vinnii)eg which is the 
 metropolis, not of the province only, but of the whole 
 North-West. As a settlement, Winnipeg is much older 
 than the other places referred to, but its progress has, 
 nevertheless, been much more wonderful than theirs. The 
 city is not uni)ictures(iuely situated on the level ground 
 close to the junction of the Assiniboinc, with the great 
 Red River of the North, f Its nucleus, Fort (larry, which 
 gave the name Garry to the little settlement before it was 
 finally dubbed AVinnipeg, has for nearly loo years been 
 the head-cjuarters, alike of civilisation and of the Hudson's 
 Bay Company, in the North-west. Vov a good deal o^ 
 the following information I am indebted to the Winnipeg 
 City Directory, a comprehensive and well-printed volume 
 of over 500 pages. It seems that about the year 18 19, or 
 about the time when Lord Selkirk was attempting to carry 
 out his scheme of colonisation, a certain Mr. A. McDermot 
 
 * Rumours without number, to the eflcct that the paving of Main- 
 street was just about to commence, liave been circulated since the 
 foregoing was written ; but, in spite of the falsity of most of these, it 
 is now a fact that this much-needed work has l)cen actually bc^un. 
 
 f Fine as the situation may be in most respects, there is one un- 
 pleasant fact connected with it which should not be altogether over- 
 looked. It is, I believe, correct that no less than seven times within 
 the last no yea/s the present site of the city has been more or less 
 seriously flooded in consequence of ove'-flows of the Red River. In 
 1776, 1790, 1809, l8:,'.6, and 1852 the whole of the surrounding 
 country, including the highest part of the city, was covered by several 
 feet of water ; in 1S61 by about 2^ ft. ; in 1882, the lower, though 
 not the higher parts were submerged. It should be noted that the 
 size of the floods seems to be on the decrease. In 1861 it was less 
 than in j.revious years, and in 18S2 still le^s. This may perhaps be 
 attrilnited to an enlargement of the channel of the Red River. Tradi- 
 tio-^ very confidently states that the width of the river at Winnipeg 
 has very greatly increased since th.e advent of the Selkirk settlers, 
 seventy years ago. It seems, therefore, as if we might look for a still 
 greater diminution in the extent of the floods in future. 
 
iCCy 
 
 -MAN ITOHA I ) KSCK 1 BED. 
 
 
 i< < 
 
 opened a small (general store : but, excepting that of the 
 Hudson's J5ay ('onij)any, this was the only business esta- 
 blishment until 1848, when Mr. A. (1. IJannatyne ojiened 
 another, which still exists as the large wholesale house of 
 Bannatyne «S: Co. In 1862 about a dozen houses of 
 business were at work ; and at the end of 1870, after the 
 sui)i)ression of the rebellion, the inhabitants of the village 
 numbered just 215 souls; but, when once the unsettled 
 times were over, the population began rai)idly to increase, 
 for in 1874 we find ''^e place being incori)orated with a jjopu- 
 lation of 3,700, whicii had risen to 5,000 in the following 
 year. "At the ])resent time (April, 1883) the manu- 
 facturing institutions of the city number over 170, and 
 give employment to over 3,000 persons, male and female ; 
 there are three saw-mills with an annual capacity of over 
 thirty million feet cut ; three Hour-mills arc in operation, 
 whose daily capacity averages over 1,200 barrels of flour; 
 three "*• 'ndries, with machine-shops in connexion, give 
 emi)loyment to over 250 hands ; two steam furniture- 
 factories are in full blast ; and over 60 institutions in the 
 city employ steam-power in connexion with their business. 
 .... With the opening of this spring the wholesale 
 
 houses of every description number ovc" 80 The 
 
 financial institutions of Winnpeg comprise branches from 
 eight of the leading chartered banks of Canada, which are 
 supplemented bv seven private banks, and the agencies of 
 
 eleven loan and investment companies Over 300 
 
 mercantile concerns are now in operation No city 
 
 in the universe of the same size i)ossesses so many com- 
 modious homes for the travelling public Fifteen 
 
 houses in the city are capable of accommodating over 
 100 guests, and five can house comfortably over 150." 
 This is a ])icture of business activity which could be 
 equalled by few, if any, towns of ecpial size and age in the 
 world. Jt is said that between January ist and July 30th, 
 1883, no less a sum than 1,710,850 dollars was expended 
 over building in the city of Winnipeg. 
 
 The number of inhabitants at the present time seems a 
 little uncertain ; but I was told that at the last census, 
 whenever that was, i-t was as high as 25,000, and that now 
 it probably amounts to nearer 30,000. It seems almost 
 
I in; trrv of winnii-kc 
 
 i() 
 
 like an insult to pat \\'innii)eL; on the back, and commend 
 it, as many people do, for havini; made such i^ood use of 
 its time : the city has now arrived at a state of maturity 
 Avhen it no longer needs such patronage. As with many 
 other young towns, however, the larger i)ortion of its busi- 
 ness is cunfmed to a single street, whi( h is known as Main- 
 street. This thoroughfare, from its great width and length, 
 would do crt:dit to a much larger ])lace, but the odd and 
 incongruous assortment of the buildings which line its sides 
 is most ludicrous. Here a small frame-house, scarcely 
 deserving the name of shanty ; next a substantial block of 
 well-fdled stores ; then a small wooden hoiel, or eating- 
 house ; next a huge, many-storied warehouse, such as that 
 of the Hudson's IJay ('ompany ; all tending to show that, 
 whether l)y choice or necessity, \\'inni[)eggers are believers 
 in the trite saying that " variety is pleasing."' 'I'he outskirts 
 of the t(jwn swarm with numbers of minute tents and 
 shanties inhabited by the lower classes of tlie poi)ulation. 
 The modern name is, of course, borrowed from the lake or 
 river of the same denomination, and is said to be derived 
 from two Indian words, ouic ncpiquc^ signifying "dirty 
 water." In \Vinni])eg, one is surrounded by signs of 
 comfort and civilisation to a much greater extent than can 
 be found elsewhere in the i)rovince ; and to me, after an 
 exile of three months in the West, it seemed, indeed, as if 
 I must have got a long way towards home when I reached 
 the capital and saw the wide streets, brightly lighted by elec- 
 tricity, with tram-cars running down the middle, the many 
 churches, the fine bridges which span the rivers, and the 
 numerous stores crammed with all kinds of goods, among 
 which I remember noticing Christy's hats, Keen's mustard, 
 and Huntley & Palmer's biscuits. Of all the buildings 
 which adorn Main-street (or otherwise), that constructed 
 of red brick, which serves as stores for the Hudson's 15ay 
 Company, is certainly the finest ; and th(; variety of goods 
 with which its windows are filled are of a class one would 
 expect to find in Regent-street or Piccadilly, rathei than in 
 what many people would call the "wilds of Manitoba.'' 
 Had my observations been a little less close, I should have 
 given the first place to a large pile of buildings opposite 
 that just mentioned, and known as the " Cauchon Block," 
 
i68 
 
 MANITOBA DKSCRIUKD. 
 
 < ' 
 
 after a local M.P. At first I took it for stone, hut was not 
 long in discovering that it was in reality a ivooden huilding, 
 covered with sheets of ////, cunningly sanded and painted 
 over ! This truni[)ery style oi construction is rather in 
 vogue with our neighbours across the Atlantic, because by 
 its aid a very pretentious house can be run up very cheaply. 
 The city contains many good buildings of white brick, made 
 in the neighbourhood. The various religious sects are pos- 
 sessed of surprisingly large churches, and from having 
 spent a Sunday in \\'innipeg I can testify that it is a ver\' 
 sabl)alarian i)lace : business of every kind is totally sus- 
 pended, and the street-cars stoj) running. 'l\vo fine iron 
 bridges si)an the Red River, and one the Assiniboine. 
 Of course, the telephone is the means by which the 
 Winnipeggers are accustomed to communicate with one 
 another. To deprive the town (or, for the matter of that, any 
 other American town of e(|ual size), of its telephones, would 
 seem to its inhabitants almost as great a catastrophe as the 
 annihilation of the jienny post would seem in London. 
 Every kind of business is transacted through the telephone. 
 I had once the honour of being introduced Ijy one business 
 firm to another through it. At first, the ignorance of the 
 people as to tlieir own city surprised me ; but, on con- 
 sidering its newness, and their own recent arrival in it, 1 
 no longer found cause for wonder in the fact that, whether 
 I asked the whereabouts of any i)articular street, a i):ir- 
 ticular store, or the name of the i)arson belonging to such 
 and such a church, no one had the least idea. I actually 
 had to inquire of seven or eight i)ersons before I could 
 learn the whereabouts of the Government offices ; while I 
 positively found one sho^) where the folks inside did not 
 even know the number of their own house, though it was 
 up over the door."*^ 
 
 From all that I could learn, business is not so dull in 
 Winnipeg as it is in ]>randon and the Portage. It has been 
 
 * Tliis extraordinary ignorance of everything "more tlian a yard 
 away " (as one writer expresses it), is far more noticeable as one gets 
 into the more primitive parts of the States, especially the West and 
 South. People tell one such things as the time of starting of a train 
 or the distance to such ahd such a place, apparently without in the 
 least caring whether their information is right or wrong. 
 
THE CITV OK WINNII'Kd. 
 
 169 
 
 bad, tlianks to the l)oom, but is now said to be improving ; 
 thougli, from the number of slieriffs' sales, sales of bank- 
 rupts' stocks, and closing businesses, I should imagine times 
 are, as yet, not very good. In the due course of things, 
 however, recovery will be assured ; and Lrade will, in time, 
 be pla<'ed on a firmer commercial footing. One evening I 
 attended several sales which I chanced to see going on ; 
 and, from the wav articles of food and clothing were being 
 disposetl of at far below what I knew must be their cost 
 prices,- the auctioneer and sellers not seeming to care, the 
 buyers being evidently accustomed to purchase in that 
 way, — I could easily understand that even sound business 
 men must find it very difficult to keej) on their legs. 
 
 In Main -street (or, as it seems the custom all over 
 Canada to say, " On Main "), I was both pleased and 
 surprised to discover the rooms of the Manitoba Scien- 
 tific and Historical Society, a nourishing institution, with 
 some 200 members who pay a subscrijUion of 4 dols. per 
 annum. It is the nucleus of what may, in the future, prove 
 a most useful scientific body, and has already (being now 
 about three years old) done some good work in the v'ay of 
 publishing, opening grave-mounds, and establishing a 
 Library and Museum. 
 
 >\'hilst in Winnipeg, I had the privilege of going over 
 Ogilvic's mill, which 1 understood to be the largest in the 
 Dominion, and to have cost, together with the elevator 
 adjoining, upwards of 300,000 dols. The mill is a huge 
 white-brick structure of five stories, and altogether is over 
 100 feet in height. The motive power is given by an 
 engine having a fly-wheel weighing 22 tons and carrying a 
 belt 24 inches in width. The internal arrangements of the 
 mill are as near an approach to perfection as is ])ossible at 
 the present day, all the machinery being of the latest and 
 most improved kind. The flour-making ai)pliances consist 
 of two i)airs of the old-fashioned stones (probably for same 
 special purpose), and 36 double pairs of porcelain and 
 chilled-iron rollers, through several of which the flour has 
 to pass before it is ])erfected. On other floors is the 
 machinery by wliich the flour is dressed. It is difficult to 
 describe the i)erfection of the plan on which the whole mill 
 is contrived ; but it will be better understood when I say 
 
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 Photographic 
 
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 WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
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 170 
 
 MANITOl'.A lii:sCKlI!l.li. 
 
 m 
 
 (fl 
 
 tliat, tlioiigh it is cajKiljlc of turning out Iiundreds of sacks 
 of Hour per day, only ten mi!' liands i)roi)er, excluding 
 engineers, are emi)loyed. The mill started running on full 
 time on October 3 last, and now works both night and day. 
 The elevator was not fully comjjleted at the time of my 
 visit, but was expected to lie in working order before winter, 
 when it was intended to fill it, as a reservoir from which 
 sui)])lies might be drawn during the spring and summer 
 months. Jt is fitted with machinery capable of unloading, 
 weighing, and storing the contents of a railway-car (500 
 bushels) in twenty minutes. It has six huge bins, each 
 about 15 feet sfjuare, of great de])th, and caj)able together 
 of containing 140,000 bushels of wheat. 
 
 One day I walked down Main-street to the sj)Ot where it 
 crosses the Assiniboine, close to its junction with the Red 
 River. The object of my visit was to see Fort Ciarry, which 
 formerly stood there. Ijut, what was my surprise, when I 
 found that the building had been almost completely 
 demolished ! It seems a thousand i)ities that this well- 
 known — even historical — old building should not have 
 been s])ared ; but I understand that i)art of it jirojected so 
 inconveniently into the st'/eet that it was difhcult to avoid 
 the act of Vandalism. Ruilt about the year 1829, an 
 interest had collected round the old fort, on account of 
 the visits paiil to it by almost every traveller who has 
 written of his journeyings in the North-west. Tliis interest 
 culminated in its connexion with the Red River Rebellion ; 
 and, although it was, of course, no longer of any actual use 
 to the Hudson's Bay Company, still it seems a ])itythat the 
 old place was not allowed to stand. At the time of my 
 visit the substantial old stone palisade had (juite dis- 
 ai)peared, although many of the antique beam-and-plaster 
 buildings, which served as stores or residences, still stood, 
 and much resembled many of the old farm-houses, built of 
 the same materials, that are so common in the Eastern 
 Counties. A few small guns and rotting gun-carriages 
 were scattered about ; and foundations were visible in 
 several directions. A tram-car was standing on the very 
 spot where, 1 was informed, Scott was murdered by order 
 of the infamous Riel on March 4, 1870 ; and, just on the 
 opposite side of the street, I was shown the prisoji — a small 
 
THE CITV OF WINNIl'llC. 
 
 171 
 
 timber building, with barred windows, and now used as a 
 ])ainter's warehouse— in which Dr. Schultz was confined. 
 It seems extraordinary, looking at tlie place now, with a 
 busy city of 30,000 inhabitants close at hand, to think that 
 such scenes as those of the l^igmy Red River Rebellion 
 could have taken place there only such a short time as 
 thirteen years ago. It is quite unnecessary again to set 
 forth in detail all the particulars connected with this 
 rebellion. luiough has already been written upon the 
 subject to commemorate some much more important his- 
 t*" ical event. The causes which led to the rebellion were, 
 briefly, these : — After having held undisi)uted sway over 
 their vast and silent territories for upwards of two centuries, 
 "the (iovernor and C'ompany of Adventurers of England 
 trading into Hudson's J]ay" began to fmd themselves the 
 object of a good deal of complaint from various ([uarters. 
 It was urged against the Com[)any that it had, in view of 
 its own private interests, i)ersistently opposed everything 
 likely to lead to the oi)ening up of the country over which it 
 ruled ; that it had endeavoured to conceal from the outside 
 world the true value of its vast territories ; and that it had 
 failed adequately to punish certain offences that had been 
 committed under its rule. An inquiry was accordingly 
 held in London, as a result of which the arrangement was 
 made that the Company should surrender its territorial 
 rights to the Government of Canada, receiving in return a 
 large money-compensation and extensive grants of land. 
 This was in the year 1869. At that time it was estimated 
 there were sonie 15,000 half-breeds and others, many being 
 old servants of the Comjxany, settled in the districts around 
 the Red River. These knew no other law or authority 
 than that of the Company, and were not unnaturally 
 alarmed when they hearcl that a new power was about to 
 enter in and rule over them. Their fears were most un- 
 necessarily increased by the very hasty and objectionable 
 means taken by the parties sent up from Ottawvi to form 
 the new government. The native j)opulation accordingly 
 rose in revolt ; the road to the fort from the United States 
 boundary was barricaded ; the new Governor was informed 
 that he was not to advance ; and, finally, the insurgents, 
 under Louis Kiel, established themselves in the fort, where 
 
172 
 
 MANIT015A DESCRIUKD. 
 
 they remained for nine months, until, in the year following- 
 (1870), they were dislodged by Colonel (now (Icneral Lord) 
 Wolseley. These are but the bare outlines of the whole 
 affair. 'I'he half-i)reeds were undoubtedly in the rii^ht to a 
 hirge extent ; and, although the matter never came to be 
 one of fighting, and the only blood si)illed was that of the 
 unfortunate Scott, the half-breeds obtained an acknow- 
 ledgment of what they considered their rights. Titles to 
 their land were ])romised to all those found in peaceable 
 possession, while a grant of something like a million and a 
 half acres of land was made to the half-breeds and their 
 children for their supjjort, a certain number of acres being 
 given to each. These half-breed grants have now, how- 
 ever, mostly i)assed out of the hands of the original 
 holders, who have moved away further to the North-west, 
 not liking the increasing numbers of the white men. 
 
 Having seen something of the larger towns of the 
 province, 1 started from IJrandon one morning late in 
 October, upon an exi)edition T'/d Rapid City, the Oak 
 River district. Shoal Lake, and Birtle, to Fort Kllice, and 
 thence southward to Elkhorn station, close to the western 
 boundary of Manitoba. Whilst upon this tour 1 covered 
 some hundred and fifty miles of very interesting country, 
 but lack of space compels me to do no more than briefly 
 notice two of the most picturesque scenes I saw. The first 
 was Shoal Lake, which is certainly a very pretty spot, and 
 would be accounted so in many a country more generally 
 picturesque than ALanitoba. The conditions, too, under 
 which I saw it, on a clear, frosty morning in October, \\ ith 
 a keen air and a bright blue sky overhead, increased its 
 attractiveness not a little. Unlike all other INLinitoban 
 lakes which I have seen, — even those close adjoining it, — 
 the waters of Shoal Lake are perfectly clear and entirely 
 free from weeds ; the well-defined beach is ^f a fine 
 sand and shingle, such as any fashionable English 
 watering-place might envy ; the shores are strewn with 
 many a great rounded granite boulder, and fringed with 
 numerous clumps of poplar. As I sat on one of these 
 great stones, admiring a scene as calm and tranquil as any 
 I had ever viewed, a tiny sand-piper every little while 
 would dart out from the beach with a shrill whistle ; a fish 
 
 •i.^ 
 
THE CITY OF WINNIPEG 
 
 173 
 
 ^1 
 
 would occasionally ripi)le the surface, or a musk-rat swim 
 leisurely across in front of me, or the ducks, far out on the 
 shining water, would rattle their wings with a splash and a 
 (juack ; while, close at hand, within easy gunshot, three 
 dapper little grebes kept constantly bobbing up and down, 
 the snow-white gulls sailed smoothly overhead, and the 
 frozen froth on the water's edge crackled loudly as it 
 thawed. The other scene to be spoken of was of a different 
 kind. Early one afternoon I came rather suddenly on the 
 left bank of the Assiniboinc, just opposite the place on the 
 right bank where l^'ort Ellice is perched. The view one 
 obtains from the side of the great gorge which, in the course 
 of ages, — and those ages geologically short ones too, — the 
 river has cut for itself out of the level country, is certainly 
 a striking one. The valley itself is just one mile and a 
 third in width, and 250 feet in dei)th, having steep sides, 
 densely covered with trees and brushwood. It must not, 
 however, be sup})osed that the river occupies the whole of 
 the bottom of this valley. The bottom is itself something 
 under a mile wide, formed of alluvium, perfectly flat and 
 covered with a dense growth of willow bushes, among which 
 the river meanders from one side to the other with such an 
 astonishingly tortuous course, often turning almost back 
 upon itself, that, whilst standing on the top of the bank, I 
 was really unable proi)erly to fit together the numerous twists 
 and bends seen among the willows below me and on either 
 hand. Lesser tributary creeks, also deep, and with steep 
 wooded slopes, run in on both sides of the main valley. 
 Arrived at the ferry I found the scow under repairs, having 
 been sunk a few days before, but managed, at last, to get 
 across in a small boat, the river being quite narrow. After 
 scrambling to the top of the steep river-bank I found myself 
 at the well-known trading station of the Hudson's Bay 
 Company, which has so often served as a resting-place for 
 weary travellers through the "(ireat Lone Land." The 
 fort, of which Professor Hind gives an illustration, is a 
 collection of unpretentious, low, wooden buildings, con- 
 sisting of a store (which also serves as a i)ost-office) an 
 hotel, and sundry dwellings, the whole being surrounded 
 by a construction which is doubtless meant to be called a 
 *' palisade," but which would hardly repel an attack of 
 
I n- 
 
 174 
 
 M \MT0I:A DKSCKir.Kh. 
 
 babies, much less tliat of an Indian war-party. Fortunately, 
 however, there is now no longer any need to act upon the 
 defensive. There were, as usual, a few '* tepees " of 
 friendly and peaceable Indians on an open piece of ground 
 close to the fort, and within a f(',v miles there is a con- 
 siderable scattering of settlers. 
 
 -•o*- 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 DISCONTENT AMONCl SET'JIJIRS. 
 
 
 'I 
 
 It would not be accounted honesty on my part were I to 
 pass over, without notice, the fact that in Manitoba there 
 exists, among settlers and others, a good deal of discontent 
 and ill-feeling against certain of the i)owers that be ; but I 
 shall endeavour merely to enumerate the chief causes of 
 that discontent, and shall abstain, as much as i)ossible, 
 from criticism thereon, in the belief that an outsider is very 
 likely to take erroneous views ui)on such matters. 
 
 Not a little hardship undoubtedly exists among men who 
 have attempted to become settlers in the North-west when 
 provided with insufficient capital. Indeed, it is certain 
 that among the settlers a considerable number have heavy 
 mortgages on their farms. It is but natural that persons 
 so situated should prefer to blame others rather than them- 
 selves. It is, also, quite certain that a T'erv laj-gc portion of 
 the outcry is due to political bias. 
 
 Not a few complaints are made in some quarters against 
 the actions of the Railway Syndicate, whose charges are 
 sometimes called exorbitant ; but I have already brought 
 forward facts that are utterly opposed to this ; and I may 
 here state my belief that, on the whole, the Company is a 
 straightforward concern, honestly endeavouring to open up 
 the great country which has been intrusted to its care. 
 But the chief charge usually made against the Syndicate is 
 that it has failed to supply sufficient branch lines. It is, 
 however, only natural that the Syndicate should wish to 
 concentrate all its energies upon its main line — indeed, the 
 
LH.-^CUM KM' AMONC; Si:ilI.l.K,- 
 
 /D 
 
 provisions of its charter, and the conditions which led to 
 the granting of that charter, leave but little alternative. 
 Looked at in the light of the re(iuirements of the whole of 
 the Dominion, it is in every way desirable that the main 
 line should be comi)leted first ; but, looked at in the 
 narrower light of the re(iuirements of Manitoba alone, it is 
 clearly desirable to have the branches constructed at once. 
 With the l^rovincial (lovernment I did not hear much 
 fault found. It seems not to possess much power, the 
 management of the lands, timber, and minerals, and the 
 granting of railway charters over a large portion of the 
 province being still in the hands of the Dominion Govern- 
 ment, against which most of the outcry has been raised. 
 A " North-west Farmers' Union," for the redress of 
 grievances (real or supposed), was formed in lirandon in 
 November last, but it does not seem to be an organisation 
 of any real importance. The secession of the i)rovince 
 from the Dominion was urged by some of its members. 
 
 I will next endeavour to enumerate (without necessarily 
 endorsing) some of the things most complained of. It is 
 held that the policy of Protection, instituted by the present 
 Ciovernment, tells very severely on a i)rovince like Manitoba, 
 which has no manufactures of her own to be benefited. 
 It is further urged that, while all the ot'.ier provinces have 
 control over their own lands, timber, and minerals, those 
 of Manitoba are managed by officials 1,500 miles away at 
 Ottawa, whose land-policy the agitators state to have been 
 a bungle from beginning to end. Complaints were heard 
 from some quarters on account of two orders which, for 
 some reason, the Government thought proper to make : 
 one withdrawing from settlement all the Government lands 
 south of the railway, and the other withdrawing from settle- 
 ment a belt one mile wide along each side of the line. 
 These have now, however, been withdrawn. The order 
 which provides that, when a homestead has once been 
 thrown up, it shall not be open for homcsteading again, 
 has also caused some complaints ; but Mr. A. H. Whitcher, 
 Dominion land agent at Winnipeg, kindly explained to me 
 that the reason for this is to prevent one man fraudulently 
 attempting to get possession of another man's homestead. 
 The recent appointment of homestead inspectors is a most 
 
■i 
 
 , ■ 1 
 
 176 
 
 MANIT0I5A DESCRIHKI). 
 
 I 
 
 i*j 
 
 satisfactory arrangement. These men visit the various 
 homesteaders on their homesteads at uncertain intervals, in 
 order to see that they fulfil the conditions by not remaining 
 off their land more than six months at a time. Another 
 matter which has caused complaint is, that the rights of 
 " scjuatters '' are said to have been ignored, in the face of 
 assurances that they should be respected. A scjuatter is a 
 settler who goes ahead of the surveyors, and locates on 
 land which is not really open for homesteading ; but, 
 obviously, he has as much right to be regarded as a home- 
 steader. The right of homesteading a second time, after 
 the entry for the first has been jjcrfected, is one which has 
 only lately been conceded. 
 
 Land speculation, of one sort or another, has undoubtedly 
 been, and is, the curse of Manitoba. If it has not been 
 fostered, it has, at least, l)een in no way discouraged by 
 the action of the Government and the Railway Syndicate. 
 Speculators may, or may not, benefit themselves, as the case 
 turns out ; but it is certain that, in a country like Manitoba, 
 they do not benefit the community ; and the thing has 
 been so overdone that but few can have benefited even them- 
 selves. So many speculators now hold land in Manitoba 
 that a large area is, by this means, kept out of cultivation, 
 and settlers are driven away from the railway and far a[)art 
 from one another. This should have been checked by 
 making residence and cultivation, in most cases at least, 
 the necessary companion of ownership ; but the damage 
 has now been largely done. As a result, there is much 
 talk of settlers who have left the province, crossed the 
 boundary, and entered the Territory of Dakota. This has 
 certainly taken place to some extent ; but I believe the 
 amount has been enormously exaggerated by political 
 partisanship. 
 
 But, after all, the fact does not need much pointing out, 
 that all the disadvantages that have been just alluded to 
 cannot be attributed to any shortcomings of the country. 
 They are matters which can easily be remedied by 
 Government. 
 
MANITOIIA UKSCKini;i). 
 
 »77 
 
 CHAITKR XIII. 
 
 SPORT AND NATURAL HISTORY IN MAMTOliA. 
 
 To those persons to whom the shooting of winged game 
 presents itself as the consup">^.iation of existence, Manitoba 
 holds out considerable inducements. The country will dis- 
 appoint any one going there with the idea of finding a large 
 variety of game. To find this it is now necessary to go far 
 beyond the bounds of civilisation, into the wild, thinly- 
 peopled and thickly-wooded regions further to the north. 
 Even there much disappointment is likely to be met with, 
 for the greed of gain has long ago sadly lessened the 
 numbers of the larger game-animals, such as the moose, elk, 
 deer, bear, and buffalo, — even the last being now practically 
 exterminated from the face of the i)rairies.* 
 
 The country, however, still affords an abundance of 
 winged game, and, consequently, of sport. But the idea of 
 sport existing throughout America is radically different from 
 that existing here ; and Englishmen going out must be 
 prejwred to give up many cherished notions as to private 
 property in game, and as to the proper ways of killing it. 
 Here, where land is in comparatively few hands, and game 
 a matter of expense to rear, it is but natural it should be 
 fondly cherished. But in America none of these conditions 
 exist. Land is in plenty, and game likewise, without ever 
 having been preserved ; and the average Canadian, for 
 instance, has not the least idea of going out to shoot it (or, 
 as he says, " for a hunt ") for any purpose or object what- 
 soever, except the pot. Hence one universally-recognised 
 
 *■ Quite a trade in old bufialo-bones is now beginning to grow up 
 both along the Canadian and Northern Pacific Railways. They are 
 gathered up and sent east to be used in making artificial manure. 
 Forty-eight tons of bones, valued at 312 dols., recently passed through 
 Winnipeg, from Regina to St. Paul. 
 
 N 
 

 I7S 
 
 MANITOBA DKSCKllJl,!). 
 
 1 
 
 
 V 
 
 
 Li.-i 
 
 If" 
 
 1« T . 
 
 I'^nglish law of sport is abolished ; and the Manitoban 
 sportsman is unable to sec any reason why he should shoot 
 prairie chickens by any other means than gettin<; as near as 
 possible and literally "potting"' them as they sit. 'I'o make 
 his game-birds rise, as a matter of course, would appear to 
 him a i)roceeding as insane as it would be for him to 
 attempt to shoot them when once they were ujjon the wing. 
 The shot regularly used to kill wild-ducks and prairie 
 chickens (birds about the size of grouse) is preposterously 
 large for such a purpose. Outrageous as it may seem, shot 
 smaller than No. i or No. 2 is very seldom used, and is, 
 indeed, actually difficult to purchase. It is jjerfectly useless 
 to expostulate on the absurdity of using such shot : it is the 
 custom of the country, and therefore no other would kill I 
 The guns in use among settlers are by no means of the 
 most recent pattern : some of them are really most curious 
 pieces of ordnance. Nearly every settler, however, owns a 
 gun of some sort, and it is the custom to carry them a good 
 deal. Emigrants desiring to take out with them a good 
 gun cannot do better than communicate with Messrs. 
 Bland &: Sons, of the Strand, W.C., and Whitall Street, 
 Birmingham, who are first-class makers. During the 
 season, ducks and " chickens," as they are called, form a 
 very considerable article of diet, on account of the cheap- 
 ness and ease with which they are procured. 
 
 The sportsman in the North- West is not hampered by 
 any such vexatious restrictions as his brother in England. 
 He has not even to take out a licence of any kind ; and, as 
 a matter of fact, game is public property, although, I 
 believe, it is not legally so : any way, one man shooting 
 over another's land is seldom interfered with. A man 
 may take his gun and proceed almost whithersoever he 
 chooses, shooting game as he goes. He may cross the 
 great wastes of sand where the prairie chicken abounds ; 
 he may penetrate the dense swamps where the spruce 
 partridge lives; or he may wander on and on tor miles, 
 bagging the ducks which blacken a thousand lakes, and 
 nobody questions his perfect right to do so. Such liberty as 
 this, so widely different from anything usually obtainable in 
 England, except by persons in comfortable circumstances, 
 is a great temptation, which has caused many an English 
 
SI'Okl AM) NAIl KAI. HISroRN IN M A N I I ()|;A. 
 
 '7'; 
 
 a good 
 
 settler to neglect his farm, and to follow the abundant 
 game, till the Canadians, who care little or nothing for 
 sj)ort, have said in ridicule, "These people are no good to 
 farm : they only come for the sport.'' 
 
 1 do not wish it to he thought, however, that there are no 
 game-laws in force in the i)rovince of Manitoba, for there 
 are ; and it is only reasonable that there should be. (lame 
 of every sort, no matter how abundant, ([uickly disappears 
 when i)ersecuted in the breeding-season, and a "close- 
 time "' is, therefore, desirable in every country. I have 
 before me a copy of the Clame Act passed by the Pro- 
 vincial Legislature in the beginning of the year 1883. It 
 provides that none of the following animals maybe shot at, 
 trapped, hunted, taken, or killed, during the following close 
 seasons: 
 
 (a) Deer, elk, moose, reindeer (cariboo), iheir fawns, or harc.>, from 
 January i to October i. 
 
 (b) Grouse, prairie chicken or partridge, from January I to Sep- 
 tember I. 
 
 (c) Woodcock, plover, or snipe, from March 15 to August I. 
 
 (d) Any kind of wild-iUick, widgeon, teal, or wild goose (except 
 the species known as " wavey "), from May I to September i. 
 
 (e) Otter, fisher, beaver, musk rat, or sable, from May i to 
 October I. 
 
 (f) Mink or marten, from April 15 to November i. 
 
 Several other provisions make it illegal to have any of the above in 
 possession during the close-time ; to use any punt-guns or batteries ; 
 or to take any of the animals mentioned above, except those in sections 
 e and f, by traps, nets, snares, gins, " or other contrivances."' It is 
 further provided that no person shall shoot, kill, injure, take, buy, sell, 
 or have in possession, at any time, any bird except eagles, falcons, 
 ha^\ ks, jays, crows, or ravens, or their eggs, nests or young, though 
 the Minister of Agriculture may grant permission for them to be killed 
 for scientific purposes. The line for breaking the Act is fixed at not 
 less than 10 dols. or more than 50 dols., the whole of which is paid 
 to the prosecutor. It is intended to api)oint game guardians in every 
 district to see that the Act is carried out. 
 
 A settler will find but few opportunities of pursuing the 
 larger game mentioned above. Elk and moose are now- 
 very scarce in Manitoba, and those that still survive are 
 exceedingly wary.* Deer are considerably more numerous, 
 
 * My friend, Mr. Seton, has lately (October, 1S84), however, suc- 
 ceeded in killing a fine moose in the woods on the sand-hill!- south of 
 Carberry, after a hunt extending over many days. 
 
 N 2 
 
i8o 
 
 MAMioiJA i)i;scRn!i;i). 
 
 -!; . 
 
 ■ J 
 
 A' 1 
 
 life .. 
 
 but also very wary, and I never saw one, tliough I not 
 unfreiiucntly saw their tracks when crossing swanii)S, sand- 
 hills, and other wild places. To hunt these animals with 
 any degree of success re<iuires much skill and an intimate 
 knowledge of their habits, liears' tracks, too, were occa- 
 sionally seen ; and, on the whole, these animals are far 
 more likels than any of the others just mentioned to give 
 the sjjortsman, ardent for an encounter with big game, a 
 chance of distinguishing himself. They are, I believe, far 
 from rare in some parts of the province ; but, being of a 
 shy and retiring nature, there is positively no danger to be 
 ajjprehended from them, unless first attacked and wounded, 
 when, like all their kind, they turn to bay and become 
 really dangerous. As a rule, the black bear keeps to some 
 snug and undisturbed retreat in the woods, and is seldom 
 met with unless gone in search of, though I heard of one 
 curious exception to this. During the time I was in 
 Brandon a great black bear was actually killed by some 
 young iMiglish settlers out on the open prairie, miles away 
 from any trees, and only about three miles from the 
 town. 
 
 The picturesciue ** hunting scenes" inserted in the 
 pamphlets sent out by various agencies in London, though 
 not altogether imaginative, nevertheless, do not represent 
 scenes of by any means every-day occurrence. Large game 
 may abound in some places, but those places are far removed 
 from the abodes of man; and the statement that "large 
 game abounds in great profusion in many places west and 
 north-west of Winnipeg," though perfectly correct, t's 
 equally true of London. 
 
 IJut there is in the country, as already mentioned, a 
 very considerable abundance of winged game. Of this the 
 prairie c\)\c\iQn{Pedio:cetisp/iasiancnus)\s the most important 
 bird. It is not the prairie hen or pinnated grouse {Tetrao 
 cupido)^ so common in the United States, and which, of 
 late years, has been so largely imported as dead game into 
 this country, but it is the very acme of perfection as a 
 game-bird. It is common, a good breeder (often laying 
 15 or 16 eggs at a time), is widely distributed, its flavour 
 is more than excellent, its weight is greater than that of a 
 red grouse, and, although a strong flyer, it is generally 
 
 { 
 
SI'OKT AND NAIIK.M. HISIOKV IN MAMUdA. 
 
 i;si 
 
 l>ossil)le to ^ct within shot l)c'forc a covey rises, even at the 
 end of the season, when they begin to get wiltl. 
 
 Mr. Seton has been (arctully gathering information as to 
 the natural history of these birds, and I am indcl)ted to 
 him for miu h of what follows. 'I'heir danc ing and strut- 
 ting in large parties on any slight elevation, when pairing 
 in the spring, is a most laughable jierformance. W'lien 
 young, the birds are largely insectivorous, and I liave often 
 turned out of the croj) I" a single bird several scores of the 
 little grasshoppers so common on the ])rairies. .Succulent, 
 green garden vi.-getables are also eaten with great relish, 
 .md the hijtsof the prairie rose often serve them as a meal. 
 In ])laces where no grit is obtainable for the birds to 
 swallow, as on the ]>ig Plain, the hard seeds of this shrul), 
 roasted and dried by the prairie fires, serve instead to grind 
 the food in their gizzards. The prairie chi( ke)i is, in many 
 ways, esj)ecially well fitted to survive the inclement winter 
 of the region it inhabits. Hardy it is, of course, in the 
 extreme. J)uring the autumn a row of short stiff bristles 
 grows along both sides of each toe : these as act as snow- 
 shoes, and enable the bird the easier to walk on the fine 
 I)()wdery surface of the snow. During the winter the 
 chickens retire to the bluffs, where they roost freely in the 
 trees, and, curiously enough, when the cc-ld is at its 
 greatest, dive dcnvn into the soft snow, and remain, warmly 
 hidden for the night, beneath its surfLice, though, when in 
 this situation, many fall a i)rey to the foxes and wolves. 
 Whilst I was in \\'innii)eg, chickens were selling at So cents 
 l^er pair. They are not, however, so numerous but that 
 there will be considerable likelihood of their extermination 
 after the country becomes more thickly settled, if con- 
 siderably greater attention be not paid to the close season 
 than it at present receives. For several miles around the 
 town of lirandon, where a good deal of shooting goes on, 
 I saw no chickens. 
 
 Among the islands and estuaries, as well as on the 
 level, treeless, grassy region which abuts ui)on the Polar 
 Sea in both the Old and the New Worlds (called "tundra" 
 in the former case and often " barrens "' in the latter) 
 countless thousands of wild fowl have their summer home 
 and rear their young in peace. In spring time, soon after 
 
\h 
 
 182 
 
 MANlTOllA DESCKir.Kl), 
 
 the snows have melted, a vast army of Arctic migrants 
 crowds northwards, stop])ing a while to feed here and there 
 in the countries over which it passes. Just before \vinter 
 sets in, this great army returns, having its numhers aug- 
 mented by the yearling birds, and not unfrequently pro- 
 ceeding along some route quite different from that it took 
 in the spring, but often following the course of some great 
 river. This huge army of migrating wild fowl passes over 
 Manitoba twice annually : and, as the majority of those 
 flocks which I observed last autumn seemed to be taking a 
 south-westerly course, it seems ]:»robable that, commencing 
 at the (ireat Bear Lake in the iar north-west, they follow 
 the remarkable chain of lakes, extending in a straight line 
 south-east to Lake Winnipeg, after which they strike across 
 the narrow watershed between the valley of the Red River 
 and that of the Mississippi, and continue their way to the 
 southward along the latter. On the nth and 12th of 
 October, when near Rapid City, I saw thousands of ducks 
 on the lakes close to which the trail ])assed. But the 
 number I saw on this occasion was as nothing compared 
 with the nuuiber to be seen a little earlier in some other 
 places. I often heard the expression that "the ducks 
 made the water black " during the autumn migration. 
 
 A good many mallard and blue-bills breed in the lakes,, 
 and these, of course, afford shooting long before their 
 brethren arrive from the north. One day I saw Mr. 
 Seton kill three by a single shot through some rushes, when 
 he only knew that he was aiming at one. Not less than a 
 dozen species of duck may be obtained on migration ; and 
 the Indians derive a considerable revenue from shooting 
 them for sale in the towns.* 
 
 According to accounts, many of the lakes and rivers 
 swarm with fish ; but, being no fisherman, I can say nothing 
 from personal experience, except that an hour's fishing in 
 the Assiniboine yielded absolutely nothing. Frozen white 
 fish, taken by the Indians in Lake Manitoba, are sold 
 during winter in some of the towns at an excessively cheajy 
 rate. 
 
 * JNIy observations upon the birds of Manitoba will l>e found in an 
 article in the Ziwloi^isl for April, 1S85 (vol. ix., p. 121). 
 
SPOKT AND NATURAL HISTORY IN MANITUDA. 
 
 183 
 
 rivers 
 
 More than one species of hare exists in Manitoba ; but 
 tiiese animals, as a rule, do not frequent the open prairie. 
 The prairie hare {LcJ^ns ca/n/^csfris) is a large animal, but T 
 only saw one specimen — at Beaver Creek, near Fort P^llice. 
 Another species which I have shot is the J.cpus aincncanits, 
 which is very abundant some years in the bluffs, but in 
 other years scarcely one can be seen. 
 
 Throughout the province, wherever the prairie is inter- 
 spersed with numerous ponds, the musk rat is an exceed- 
 ingly abundant animal, and I have sometimes seen as many 
 as seven or eight of their "houses" in a single lakelet. 
 The musk rat is allied to the beaver and to our own water- 
 vole or "rat," but is much larger than the latter. Plis 
 house is a construction of no mean size, as it often attains 
 a height of 4 ft. or 5 ft., and, being built of reeds and flags, 
 looks for all the world like a great haycock floating on the 
 surface of the water. The owner and architect does not 
 seem to be at all shy, and may often be seen swimming 
 leisurely round his dwelling. His soft, thick fur is largely 
 exported, and used for lining mantles, ^c, hundreds 
 of thousands of the animals being sometimes killed in a 
 single year. His flesh also, at certain times of the year, 
 furnishes the Indians with food. To secure the beast, the\ 
 take a long, spiked iron rod, and run it down through the 
 roof of his house, thus impaling the tenant,- a most bur- 
 glarious proceeding surely ! 
 
 In winter-time, the hungry wolves and foxes frequently 
 come round the houses, but are always very careful to 
 keep out of shot. The prairie wolf is a shy, miserable 
 brute, from which not the slightest personal danger need 
 be feared, unless, perhaps, when hunger has brought him 
 to the last stage of desperation. Possibly it may, at times, 
 be different with the larger timber wolf, but this animal is 
 scarce. 
 
 I met an Indian one day, whilst upon a trail near Fori 
 Ellice, mounted on a white native pony, and wearing a 
 bright scarlet blanket. We gravely saluted one another, 
 and passed on. The ; roper way to salute an Indian whom 
 you meet casually anywhere in Manitoba is to say, " Bon 
 Jour, neche.'^ This is the salutation they themselves give, 
 and they are often called " neches " in consequence. The 
 

 M- . 
 
 '■'■y ■ 
 
 ,1 • 
 
 'y- 
 
 ''l-Vf. 
 
 
 
 
 ' • r ! 
 
 
 ■^ ^•;f 
 
 
 i s 1 - 
 
 
 ,;?!■;. 
 
 
 » 1 
 
 
 ■-■^■v' 
 
 ^^.: ^ 
 
 
 1S4 
 
 MANITODA Di;scKini:D. 
 
 words mean literally, "Good day, friend." The Indians 
 are fond of being thus noticed. But he had no sooner got 
 to the windward of me than the stench became inde- 
 scribable : the fellow had been eating skunk, ])ure and 
 unadulterated ! Not a few travellers have recorded that 
 they also have eaten of this dainty dish, but in nearly every 
 case we are informed that some days — or at least sufficient 
 time — had been allowed to elapse after death for the body 
 to get rid of the superfluous effluvium with which the animal 
 is so abundantly })rovided. Archbishop Tache, in his book 
 of travels in the North-west, records, not only that he has 
 actually partaken of a meal of skunk, but that he intends, 
 and is even eager, lO do so again ! Now, of all things 
 which an archbisho[) might eat, I should have thought that 
 the flesh of skunks would have been the last selected. 
 I'ruly it has been said by wise men that " there is no ac- 
 counting for tastes "' ! Probably, however, the archbishoj) 
 would differ from some in })referring not to take his skunk- 
 meat of its full flavour, as this Indian had evidently done. 
 Skunks are very common on the prairie, and one is con- 
 stantly coming across their scent, though the animal himself 
 may be a mile away up wind. In the distance, the smell 
 is not disagreeable, but close at hand it becomes disgusting. 
 Skunks are not unfre(|uently killed in the act of robbing 
 hen-houses. I shot one once from a boat, as he was returning 
 from his morning bath on the edge of a lake. A handsomer 
 beast is not often seen : about the size of a cat, he is 
 covered with very long and glossy black hair, with a narrow 
 stripe of pure white, extending from the tip of the nose to 
 the tip of the tail. If only the fur could be easier disin- 
 fected, it would come much more into use. 
 
 To those who have experienced the annoyance caused 
 by mosquitoes, it may appear almost like a piece of grim 
 irony to treat of them under the heading "sport"; for it 
 is certain that, if any sport at all ever results from their 
 contact with man, it is on their side, and not on ours. It 
 cannot be denied that, during the months of June, July, 
 and August, mosquitoes are so numerous and so exasper- 
 atingly troublesome (especially on still evenings), as to 
 amount almost to a curse to both man and beast. During 
 these months, most settlers keej) a fine gauze netting 
 
IS THE Hudson's hav rouik FKASinLE? 
 
 1S5 
 
 stretched over their windows, and at night a "smudge,"' or 
 fire of danij) sticks and straw, is Ht, so that the cattle may 
 find some refuge from their persecutors in its smoke. In 
 time, doubtless, when the stagnant swami)s and ponds 
 become fewer, the moscjuitoes also will decrease in num- 
 ber ; and, as it is, old stagers seem to mind them little ; 
 but, for my i)art, the injunction, " Love your enemies," finds 
 no favour, if the list of my enemies be held to include 
 moscjuitoes. No wonder the Indians regard them as 
 agents of the Evil Spirit !* 
 
 1 ' 
 
 CHAPTER XI\'. 
 
 IS THE Hudson's hav route feashhj;? 
 
 The prosperity of any country depends in no slight degree 
 upon the excellence, or otherwise, of its internal water 
 communication, and upon the facilities which the nature 
 of its coasts afford for the interchange of its commodities 
 with tliose of other countries. In both these respects 
 Canada is peculiarly favoured. It is doubtful whether any 
 other country on the face of the earth excels it in the 
 possession of so large a number of si)lendid inland sheets 
 of fresh water, from the size of the " Great Lakes " down to 
 that of the numerous ponds and lakelets which so abound 
 in all parts of the Dominion, while the way in which many 
 of these are connected together by their own long, 
 
 * Another insect which, in many parts of the country, abounds 
 (luring the same season as the moscjuito, l)Ut forms a great contrast to 
 it by reason of its harmlessness and beauty, is the little firelly. Well 
 do I remember a long, late drive which I had over the prairie in 
 Southern Manitoba one very dark night in July last. On every side 
 were hundreds upon hundreds of these insects, lllling the air with in- 
 numerable tiny luminous streaks, each of which lasted for an instant 
 and then faded away. So numerous were they that I am quite sure 
 the darkness was perceptibly lessened by the tfiousands of their tiny 
 sparks. 
 
If ' 
 
 iS() 
 
 MAM \o\\\ i)i:srRim:i>. 
 
 ■v/'V 
 
 
 *■ 
 
 ■ ;■ 
 
 strc\ui;linL; ;inns. as well as hv streams a. id oIIut wakM 
 fumses, is a most strikini; iValmo. With !;ivat atid 
 navii;al)lc riviMs, also, Canada is particularly well provided. 
 Canadians wouKl have hut small <ausc of « (Miiplaint, were 
 the St. 1 .awrenei' the only L;real river ol" their country; hut, 
 beside this, there is the IVace River, the waters of which 
 How tull 2,000 miles before they reach the ocean ; and, 
 if we regard the Nelson Kiver as a continuation of the 
 Saskatchewan (a distinction to which it has sonu* claim), 
 we have another river over 1..500 miles in length. lUit, in 
 addition to such natural facilities for internal water 
 conununication as these, Canada is possessed of several 
 excellent seaports, by no means the least important of 
 which lies in the very centre of the vast Dominion, u])oii 
 one oi the largest inland seas that the world contains. 
 No one is ai present able to say how great an influence 
 this fact will not exeri'ise upon the future development of 
 the North west ; f"or it may yet be tounil that the turnini; 
 to account of this great natural advantage will have as 
 desirable an elTect upon the *' Creat Lone Land" as the 
 construction of the Canadian Lacific Railwav has alrcadv 
 had. 
 
 Hudson's l>ay (or, as it would more appropriately be 
 called, Hudson's Sea) is, of course, what is referred to in 
 the foregoing ])aragraph. The ([uestion of the navigability 
 oi' Hudson's Hay and Strait has, for many years past, 
 excited an amount of interest in the minds of the people 
 of Canada, which it is difficult for any one to com])rehend 
 who has not been in that country ; and, although iXIanitoba 
 does not extend to Hudson's Bay as yet, the future pros- 
 perity of the former dei)ends so much upon the feasibility 
 of navigating the latter, that no apology is needed for 
 discussing the matter here. 
 
 Fortune has not so favoured me that I am able to 
 bring the light of personal experience to bear upon the 
 subject ; indeed, the number of those who know any- 
 thing of it from jicrsonal experience, is exceedingly small. 
 There exists, nevertheless, a surprisingly large amount of 
 inforniation which has been bequeathed to us by those 
 early and enterprising i)ioneers, who entered the Bay ii\ 
 the 17 th and i8th centuries for purposes of trade or ex- 
 
 
IS 'rm, IIIKSON > i:\\ ROUli; II,A^Ii:i,l', 
 
 |ilt)r;ili()n. l'"()r niiu h ol our v:\\\\ iiifortnalion on tlic 
 siil)jc<t we ;irc in(k'l)tr<l (o thai (inioiis cra/c for the 
 discovery ol a passa^'e through tlie Polar Sea lo thr 
 
 coiintnes ol the east, which, for iiiorc than a centnry, 
 attracted so niiK h attention in tlie various countries ot 
 Western h!uro|)e it is, indeed, a fact that Henry Iludson 
 was in search of the nui< h-t.dkedol' " North west I'assaf^e," 
 hen, in 1610, lie discovered the threat I'.ay whicli no 
 
 w 
 
 hears ins name, 
 
 Til 
 
 )f th 
 
 le eviuence 01 these early explore 
 
 \v 
 rs 
 
 has, of late years, been su|)|)leinented i)y thrtl of the 
 captains of tlie vessels (jf the Hudson's I'.ay (.'oin|>any, 
 of various American whalers, and other i)ersons. It is a 
 few of the more iirominent facts to he gleaned from such 
 sources as these, that I now desire to place before my 
 leaders, in order that they may be able to form their own 
 
 opmions as to the ultimate jjiobability ot the establisli- 
 ment of what may a))propriately be called " The New 
 North-west Passage." In (loini:; this I wish to acknowledge 
 the great assistance 1 have vlerived from a ])ami)hlel 
 entitled ''Our Northern Waters," by my friend Mr. (Charles 
 N. IJell, of Winnipeg, as well as from several official 
 publications, and from evidence given before committees 
 of the Dominion Parliament by Dr. Kobert P.ell, of the 
 (Icological Survey of Canada,* and by Professor II. Y. 
 Mind. The ])resent c.ha])ter, therefore, may be briefly 
 summarised as an examination of existing evidence as 
 lo the feasibility of establishing a coinmen ial route between 
 ('anadaand luiropc 77<r Hudson's Pay. 
 
 Hudson's J3ay, together with its southern extension 
 known as James's I Jay, is a great inland sea, lying between 
 the 51st and 63rd parallels of north latitude and the 78th 
 and 96th degrees of west longitude. Its greatest length from 
 north to south is 1,000 miles, and its greatest breadth 
 about 600. It has an area of about half-a-million sf|uare 
 miles, and drains a region measuring over 2,000 miles 
 from cast to west, 1,500 miles from north to south, and 
 <'overing upwards of three million square miles. On the 
 
 * Dr. IJcll, who must not be confounded with Mr. C. \. licll, lia-- 
 l)cen engaged for si\ years past in exploring Hudson's I5ay and the 
 country surrouniling it, conse(]uently his statements carry much 
 weight. 
 

 V'". ■ ♦• ' 
 
 ill': ! 
 
 I 
 
 >;•• 
 
 
 
 ,1^; . 
 
 iilll:.^ 
 
 
 ii 
 
 188 
 
 MANITOBA DESCKinED. 
 
 north-east it is connected with Davis's vStrait and the o\)cn 
 Atlantic by several channels, the chief of these, in every 
 way, being Hudson's Strait, which has a length of about 
 500 miles, an average breadth of about 100; is bounded 
 on the north by xMeta Incognita ; on the south by Labrador, 
 and has its main entrance in N. latitude 61"^, or about the 
 latitude of the Shetland Islands. The southern jjortion of 
 the Bay lies in the latitude of Devonshire and Cornwall : 
 no part, either of it or of the Strait, lies within 150 miles 
 of the Arctic Circle. The Bay is singularly free from 
 shoals, and its waters are said to have a very even, average 
 de[)th of about seventy fathoms. One of its harbours is 
 described by all travellers as an extremely good one, while 
 there are several others of lesser importance. It is now 
 very many years since forts or trading posts were first built 
 on the shores of the Bay by the French, and afterwards by 
 the Hudson's I Jay Com[)any. The earliest of these — Fort 
 York, or York Factory — is the most imi)ortant station at 
 the present day. It lies on the west side of the Bay, near 
 the mouth of the Hayes River, and was built in 1676. 
 Fort Severn, on the Severn River, some way further east, 
 was built in 1686; while old P'ort Churchill, near the 
 mouth of the Churchill River, further to the west, was first 
 built in 1688; but in 1733 a large stone fort, with sides 
 300 feet in length, mounting forty guns of large size for 
 those times, and occupying a very commanding j)osition 
 on the west side of the harbour formed by the mouth of 
 the river, was commenced. It occupied several years in 
 building, but in 1782 was surrendered, without a shot 
 being fired, to the French Admiral La Perouse, who had 
 entered the Bay with three men-of-war. The fort was by 
 him destroyed, and is said now to be " probably the largest 
 ruin in North America." Fort Albany on the west side, 
 Fort Rupert on the east side, and Fort Moose at the 
 south end of James's Bay, all lie near the mouths of rivers 
 of the same names, and were built in 1664, 1C68, and 1730 
 respectively. The mouths of all these rivers are navigable 
 to a certain distance inland, but the harbours at the 
 mouths of the Nelson and the Churchill will probably carry 
 on the great bulk of the commerce of the future ; and it is 
 to a discussion of the facilities which these rivers afford for 
 
 iJ'i.'. 
 
IS THE Hudson's hav rolte ieashu.e? 
 
 189 
 
 communication between Winnipeg and the IJay, that I 
 will next direct attention, taking the former first. 
 
 Lake Winnipeg constitutes the centre of a great sub- 
 drainage basin, which is supplementary to that of Hudson's 
 Hay. The waters of a huge district, extending to the 
 Rocky Mountains on the west, to the sources of the Miss- 
 issippi on the south, and for some distance to the east, 
 are all poured into the lake. The great main channel, by 
 which nearly the whole of these waters are discharged into 
 the Bay, is the Nelson River. From the point at which it 
 leaves the lake it is 360 miles in length, and descends 
 710 ft. in that distance. Unfortunately it affords no facili- 
 ties for navigation. Dr. Bell is very cx})licit on this point : 
 he says that, except for a chute of 1 5 ft., there is a navi- 
 gable stretch of 180 miles in the central j)ortion of the 
 river. For a distance of forty-five miles down from its 
 source, and a like distance up from its mouth, the river is 
 also navigable, but the remainder is not. Of the harbour 
 at its mouth, Dr. Bell says : " Most of its estuary becomes 
 dry at low tide, but a channel runs through it at the centre, 
 as far as the head of tide- water." This channel has " an 
 average depth of about two fathoms at low water." The 
 tides at the mouth of the Nelson River amount to 15 ft. 
 York Factory is not on the Nelson, but on the Hayes 
 River, which flows into the Bay close to the Nelson, and 
 is navigable by shallow-draught vessels for 140 miles inland. 
 The fort was established on the Hayes River because, 
 being smaller than the Nelson, the Indians found it easier 
 to navigate in their canoes. York Factory has been termed 
 " the Archangel of the West " ; but it would appear as if 
 this name would be more appropriate if ai)plied to Fort 
 Churchill ; for although, according to Dr. Bell, " the 
 Churchill River would afford no facilities " for navigation, 
 being " rapid down to the head of tide within eight miles 
 of the sea," the harbour at i<"s mouth is a very excellent 
 one. Of the Churchill, the same authority has said that, 
 " unlike all the other rivers, it has a deep, rocky, and 
 comparatively narrow mouth, which can be entered with 
 ease and safety by the largest ships at all stages of the 
 tide " ; while Sir J. H. Lefroy has stated that " it will un- 
 doubtedly be the future shipping port for the agricultural 
 
i^' 
 
 f ■ 
 
 it:, , 
 
 190 
 
 MAM rOI'.A DI.SCRIlU.li. 
 
 V ,^- ' 
 
 1 „1 •'•■ 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 ! 'j ■' 
 
 
 1 ■ I'i ♦' 
 
 , 1 .1 
 
 
 products of the va:jt Xortli-wcst Territory, and tlic route !>) 
 which immigrants will enter the country." Another au- 
 thority, possibly too enthusiastic, has spoken of it as '* one 
 of the finest harbours of the world," and as taking "a front 
 rank among ocean ports." Archbishop 'J ache says it is 
 " capacious, safe, and convenient." ]>ut it is not sufficient 
 to show that the harbours themselves are good, unless it 
 be also shown that they may be safely entered during a 
 sufficiently long period of the year. On this point, Mr. 
 Ik'U says, in his interesting ])amphlet : *' 'I'he records of the 
 Hudson's Hay Company, as presented to the (iovernmeni 
 in 1880, show that the Hayes River at York ivictory, for 
 an average of fifty-three years, was open on the 15th of 
 May. Only once in the fifty-three years did it remain 
 closed till the end of May or beginning of June. Once 
 in 1878 the river closed as early as the 3rd of November, 
 but the average closing for fifty-three years was about the 
 20th of November." Of the much larger Nelson River it 
 is stated that it " closes much later than does the Hayes, 
 if, indeed, it can be said to close at all." IJr. Bell says : 
 *' I think the average of the rivers is about six months.'" 
 In considering this part of the subject, it should be re- 
 membered that the average time during which the harbour 
 of Montreal remains open has been officially stated to be 
 from May ist to November 25th, while the i)eriod of navi- 
 gation on the Great Lakes has about an equal average 
 duration. 
 
 From the foregoing statements it will be clearly seen 
 that the only possible means of communication between 
 Winnipeg and the Bay will be by means of a railway. 1 
 understand that two companies were formed some time 
 back for the purpose of constructing such a railway. Both 
 received from Government the offer of a liberal land- 
 grant; but, in neither case, was this sufticiently large to 
 induce either to commence work, and during last year the 
 two companies amalgamated. Preliminary surveys have 
 already been made, and the route is reported as "not 
 presenting any very great engineering difficulties " ; but, 
 until more is known as to the navigability of the Bay and 
 Straits, it is not to be expected that a commencement will 
 be made with the actual work of construction. To this 
 
 -I. 
 
foi- 
 
 ls THK Hudson's isay routk ikasiiile? 
 
 191 
 
 point, then, I will next direct attention, after liaving first 
 .said something; of the great advantages which would follow 
 from the establishment of such a route, setting aside, for 
 the moment, the question of its feasibility. 
 
 The importance of the jjroposed new route to the whole 
 of the Canadian North-west, both for purposes of export 
 and imj)ort, and for immigration, as well as its advantage 
 over the existing route to England by way of Montreal, 
 will at once begin to become apparent when it is i)ointed 
 out that, although Winnipeg occupies an almost exactly 
 central po^.tlon in the North American Continent, it is, 
 nevertheless, situated within 600 miles of the salt sea- 
 water of Hudson's Bay ; so that, if found feasible, the 
 proposed route would effect a very great saving in the 
 necessary amount of land-carriage (which, as everybody 
 knows, is much more expensive than water-carriage), while 
 the length of the ocean voyage will be increased very little. 
 This would be an especial advantage in the case of bulky 
 goods, which are particularly unsuitcd for land-carriage ; 
 and the more northerly route would have an equal advan- 
 tage in the case of meat and dairy produce, since these 
 could be the easier 1 ?pt cool. The distance between 
 Winnipeg and Liverpool by the Canadian Pacific Railway, 
 when complete, will be 4,654 miles, of which 1,434 will be 
 covered by rail, and 3,220 by ocean-steamer. By the 
 combined Canadian Pacific Railway and Lake routes, the 
 distance between Winnipeg and Montreal is ninety miles 
 less, or 4,544 miles to Liverpool. By the Hudson's Bay 
 route, if feasible, the distance between Winnipeg and Liver- 
 pool will be reduced to about 4,000 miles, which will be a 
 saving of 800 miles in the land carriage, though only of about 
 650 miles altogether. On account of its more northerly 
 latitude, the distance between Fort York and Liverpool, 
 which is given as 3,415 statute miles, is only 200 miles 
 further than from Montreal to Liverpool, while the distance 
 is actually about 150 miles less than from New York to 
 Liverpool. This fact alone confers an immense advantage 
 on the proposed route ; but we must remember, in addition 
 to this, that a great stretch of country to the north-west of 
 AVinnipeg will be brought, practically, as near to England 
 as Winnipeg now is. For instance, if we follow Dr. Bell 
 

 I'll.'" 
 
 ■ 
 
 ■ .1 ■ ■ 
 
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 193 
 
 MANITOP.A Dr..SCRII!F.I). 
 
 in regarding Lac La Biche as the centre of tlie great agri- 
 cultural region, we shall find that the journey from there to 
 Liverpool, if ])erformed 7'/<7 Hudson's Day, instead of by 
 the St. Lawrence, would effect a saving in land carriage of 
 a distance efjual to the distance between Winnijjeg and 
 Montreal. In short, if the Hudson's Hay route prove 
 practicable, ]\Lanitoba and a large i)ortion of tiie North-west 
 Territories will be brought almost as near to England as 
 Ontario and Quebec pre at the present day. Moreover, if 
 the Hudson's Bay route were ever established, it is pro- 
 bable that a good deal of the grain from Minnesota and 
 Dakota would go by it to Europe. After the foregoing 
 statements, few, I think, will be inclined to deny that tlie 
 opening of a great commercial route through Hudson's 
 Bay, if found feasible, would be fraught with advantages to 
 the whole of the north-western portion of the American 
 Continent, which it would be almost impossible to estimate 
 too highly. 
 
 I will next discuss the evidence as to the possibility of 
 navigating the Bay and Strait. As far as the former is 
 concerned, evidence is so clear that discussion is almost 
 useless. Although James's Bay (the water of which is 
 sufficiently fresh in places for drinking-purposes) may, at 
 times, become frozen over, all the evidence goes to show 
 that Hudson's Bay does not freeze over. A fringe of ice 
 forms round the coast, and extends for a mile or two out 
 to sea, but not more. An experienced whaling captain 
 writes, " Hudson's Bay is open all winter, and what little 
 ice makes on the shore breaks up with every gale of wind." 
 Dr. Bell has stated that " the Bay is open all the year 
 
 round, like the ocean in corresponding latitudes 
 
 On parts of the eastern coast, I am told that the sea washes 
 against the rocks all the winter, just the same as on the 
 coast of Nova Scotia or Newfoundland." The Doctor has 
 bathed in the waters of the Bay during summer with perfect 
 comfort, which could not have been done in the waters of 
 the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 
 
 The whole matter, therefore, seems to resolve itself into 
 a question of the navigation of Hudson's Strait. On this 
 point, although the amount of available evidence is far 
 from being sufficient to set the matter at rest, we are 
 
IS THE Hudson's pay routi: n:.\sii;Li:? 
 
 193 
 
 at a<^r\- 
 there to 
 i of by 
 riage of 
 eg and 
 i prove 
 rth-west 
 land as 
 .'over, if 
 is pro- 
 Ota and 
 )regoing 
 hat the 
 Hudson's 
 tages to 
 merican 
 }stimate 
 
 )ility of 
 rmer is 
 ahnost 
 rhich is 
 may, at 
 :o show 
 i of ice 
 ;\vo out 
 cajitain 
 at little 
 fwind." 
 he year 
 
 L washes 
 on the 
 ctor has 
 1 perfect 
 aters of 
 
 self into 
 
 On this 
 
 e is far 
 
 we are 
 
 singularly fortunate in having so valuable a stock of in- 
 formation as that contained in the works of the early 
 explorers and traders, such as Fox (1635), D^'l^bs (1744), 
 Ellis (1748), Robson (1752), Umfreville (1790), Hcarne 
 (1795), La Pcrouse (179'S), Chappell (1816), and others; 
 while the captains of the vessels of the Hudson's l>ay 
 Company and of various American whalers have been able 
 more recently to give much corroborative evidence. 
 Inquiry has shown that, since the discovery of the Bay 
 in 1 6 10, vessels have entered it on at least 750 different 
 voyages, and it is known that this does not cover all. The 
 list includes British trooi)-shii)s, emigrant-ships, vessels 
 of the French and English navies (the latter generally 
 when convoying the Com})any's ships), some of them carry- 
 ing 74 guns, as well as whalers and vessels bound on 
 voyages of trade and discovery. For more than a century 
 jiast the Company has regularly supplied its posts on the 
 Hay by ships from London, which have always taken back 
 the valuable fur produce of the i)revious year ; whilst a 
 small vessel has been employed in the Bay itself. Formerly 
 several of the Company's shi])s visited the Bay each year, 
 Ijut at present only two do so, as there arc now railway 
 facilities for getting home the furs which used formerly to 
 go by water. As regards the earliest date at which ships 
 may reasonably expect to find a clear i)assagc through the 
 Strait, evidence is very conflicting. It is said that the 
 Company's vessels are not accustomed to leave the 
 Orkneys before the end of June, and Cai)tains Bishoj) and 
 McPherson, both of whom have made many voyages for 
 the Company, have both informed Air. Bell that they con- 
 sider the I St of August as the earliest date at which a 
 sailing ship should attempt to pass ; but in this they differ 
 from several other individuals whose opinions carry con- 
 siderable weight, notably from five whaling captains whose 
 statements Mr. Bell quotes, and all of whom put the date 
 nearer July i. One of these writes: — "The entrance to 
 the Bay can be made from the ist to the 15th of July." 
 Captain Wm. Kennedy, one of the searchers after Franklin, 
 now residing near Winnipeg, writes: — "A residence of 
 eight years on the shores of Ungava Bay and its vicinity, 
 enables me to state that for four months, viz., July, 
 
p ■<■ \ ( 
 
 If , : 
 
 194 
 
 MANITOHA DF.SCRIBED. 
 
 
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 H 
 
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 August, September, and October, there is no difficulty in 
 the navigation." It cannot be denied that tlie passage 
 through the Strait from east to west is difficult for sailing- 
 ships. Fifteen days (which may be taken as its average 
 duration) is a long wliile to occupy in sailing 500 miles, 
 being an average of only about 33 miles per day. Much 
 evidence is available, all going to prove that the prevailing 
 wind in the Strait during sunmier is nearly always north 
 or north-west, and vessels entering the Strait are often 
 compelled to put up with much tedious delay for want of 
 a southerly or south-easterly breeze. On the other hand, 
 the passage in the autumn through the Straits from west 
 to east is generally sj^oken of as easy, the prevailing wind, 
 which formerly had been foul, being then fliir, and the 
 ice, which formerly obstructed the passage, having then 
 very largely disappeared. The ships of the company 
 usually pass out during October ; but apparently reliable 
 evidence is not wanting leading one strongly to the belief 
 that, even in an ordinary year, the voyage might be success- 
 fully undertaken as late as November the 15th, — an opinion 
 strongly held by Dr. Bell. Four voyages out of the Bay 
 by whaling-ships, mentioned in " Our Northern Waters," 
 occupied an average of only six days, and H.M.S. 
 Rosamond^ in 1814, passed out through the Strait in three 
 days when she had been twenty-five days going in. Indeed 
 the navigation of the Strait from west to east seems 
 usually to be so easy, that the question of the feasibility 
 of establishing the Hudson's Bay route resolves itself very 
 much into a question of the inward navigation of the 
 Strait. As a rule a good deal of ice is met with when 
 entering during July, especially upon the south side, where 
 it is driven by the wind. In some years it might be found 
 to be impossible for sailing-ships to enter at all (though 
 the experience of the Hudson's Bay Company seems to 
 preclude this) ; but, on the other hand, Captain Bishop 
 states that " out of twenty-three voyages that he has made, 
 only on six did he find perfectly open water and clear 
 sailing on his way into the Bay." In all the evidence as 
 yet available, there is, I believe, nothing to show that in 
 most seasons the Strait is not open (even for sailing 
 vessels) all the winter through, although this will very 
 
 
IS TMi: Hudson's hay kouti: ikasihi.e? 
 
 195 
 
 ulty in 
 passage 
 sailing- 
 average 
 miles, 
 Much 
 availing 
 3 north 
 e often 
 Aant of 
 r hand, 
 m west 
 ig wind, 
 md the 
 ig then 
 Dmpany 
 reliable 
 e belief 
 success- 
 opinion 
 he Bay 
 Vaters," 
 H.M.S. 
 n three 
 Indeed 
 : seems 
 asibility 
 elf very 
 of the 
 h when 
 , where 
 e found 
 (though 
 ;ems to 
 Bishop 
 s made, 
 id clear 
 ence as 
 that in 
 sailing 
 ill very 
 
 probably prove eventually not to be the rase. That it is 
 
 not always so is clearly shown by the experience of the 
 
 Hudson's Bay Company's shii)s which, for some cause or 
 
 other, have occasionally had to winter in the Hay. Dobbs, 
 
 writing in 1774, mentions the case of a vessel which, 
 
 when passing out of the Strait late in the autumn, entered 
 
 an inlet, for some purpose, and was there detained by the 
 
 ice which, however, moved off in l)c( ember and allowed 
 
 her to pass through the Strait at Christmas-time. Nor is 
 
 evidence wanting to show that the time of year usually 
 
 chosen for entering the Strait, is f^ir from being the best 
 
 that might be selected. It is the opinion of Dr. Bell, 
 
 Professor Hind, and others who have studied the subject, 
 
 that late in June or early in July is the very worst possible 
 
 period for passing through the Strait, inasmuch as the 
 
 large mass of ice which 'J^c wind brings down Fox's 
 
 Channel, is then passing out through the Strait and being 
 
 dispersed. It is contended, with some show of reason, 
 
 that if the attempt to enter the Bay were made in May 
 
 or early in June, before the ice had become loosened and 
 
 had begun to move, the passage through the Straits would 
 
 be much more easily accomplished ; but on this point 
 
 more evidence is wanted. 
 
 Dr. John Rae, the celebrated Arctic explorer, in a 
 lecture which he recently delivered before the Manitoba 
 Historical Society, said that, although he had a very high 
 idea as to the value of the route if practicable, much of 
 what had been said about it did not agree with his 
 own personal experience. He had passed through the 
 Strait on three occasions, and on two of them had been 
 very much hindered by ice. He feared there would be an 
 average detention of four or five days on each voyage, 
 though this might not apply to steamers. As it is only 
 fair that both sides of the question should be stated, I 
 will here quote some remarks which Dr. Rae has since 
 written upon the subject. He says : " On my first voyage 
 to Hudson's Bay we were stopped by ice for weeks on the 
 outward trip, the floes being so closely packed that some 
 ladies in one of the ships frequently walked a mile or two 
 to the other vessel, took dinner, and returned without 
 difficulty. The mouth of the Strait was completely blocked 
 
 o 2 
 
rn; 
 
 196 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIBED. 
 
 f 
 
 
 IS; ' 
 
 1 r 
 
 I,: •■: 
 
 
 .!*.■, 
 
 it 
 
 on our attempting to get home, and we had to run into 
 the Bay again. On one of my other two voyages home 
 we met so much ice that a consultation was held by 
 Captain Head and some of the Hudson's Bay Company's 
 factors on board. Two of these latter pleaded strongly the 
 necessity of running back into the Bay, but there was a 
 majority against them and we squeezed through." 
 
 For at least half a century past, according to Mr. Bell, 
 the. Bay has been regularly visited by American whalers as 
 well as by whaling vessels from Dundee and other Scotch 
 ports. One of the reports of the Commissioner of Fisheries 
 for the United States shows that an average of rather more 
 than four whaling vessels a year visited the Bay between 
 1 86 1 and 1871, and that the average annual catch amounted 
 in value to 1 24,000 dollars. Although Dr. Rae has ex- 
 l)ressed the opinion that the whaling-season in the Bay- 
 does not exceed two months, Mr. Bell is able to give some 
 figures tending to prove that it is nearer four months. 
 
 Dr. Bell has obtained from the officials of the Hudson's 
 Bay Company in London a statement of the dates of 
 arrival at and dei)arture from tlie various posts on the 
 Bay of the Company's ships for many years past. The 
 rigures may be found in the " Report of the Geological 
 Survey of Canada" for 1879-80. The list shows that, 
 between the years 1879 and 1880, York Factory was visited 
 no less than 133 times. The names of the same vessels 
 often appear many times in successive years. On one 
 occasion (1850) four ships visited the fort ; on four 
 occasions three, and on many occasions two. The earliest 
 arrival took place on August 2nd, 1850. The average 
 date of arrival appears to be about the end of August ; but 
 six arrivals are recorded between September 20th and 30th, 
 and one (the latest) on October 7th, 1836. The earliest 
 date of sailing again for home is August 25th, 1829; but 
 ten other sailings in August are recorded. The latest date 
 for sailing was October 7th, 181 1 ; but eight other sailings 
 in that month are recorded. On four occasions we are 
 informed that vessels wintered in the Bay. The lists also 
 show that, with one exception (1779), Moose Factory has 
 been visited by a ship in every year since 1735, or for 147 
 years. One vessel came each year, and two vessels had to 
 
 ' '^i ' ' li 
 
IS THE Hudson's day route teasuile? 
 
 197 
 
 ;oth, 
 
 winter there. The earliest date of arrival recorded is July 
 2ist, 1745, there being only two other arrivals in July 
 (1742 and 1749), while the latest arrival took place on 
 September 25th, 181 1. The earliest date of sailing re- 
 corded is August 4th, 1742, while the latest is October loth, 
 181 1 ; though there have been five other sailings in that 
 month. Of the earliest seventeen sailings (up to 1752), all 
 but two seem to have been in August ; but since that year 
 there have been only four sailings in August. 
 
 The foregoing figures show a regularity of navigation 
 which is really surprising ; and the immunity from the loss 
 of its ships which the Company has enjoyed is none the 
 less so. It is, I believe, a fact that the Company has 
 never lost more than two of its own vessels. These were 
 the Prince of Wales and the Fri?ice ArtJmr, which went 
 ashore together, on Mansfield Island, in 1864. No lives 
 ^ -'■ o„,i tVip grj-eater portioii of the cargo was even- 
 
 ' ''^'^ "'-'^MVlcnt occurred 
 
 ing 
 
 the 
 
 ; of 
 
 t is 
 
 : to 
 
 hips 
 
 >■//)', 
 
 aiost 
 
 Of 
 
 forty-nine whaUng vo^.^j,_ lind, 
 
 only four resulted in the loss of the snip. v^...-ously 
 
 enough, although the wintering of the Company's vessels 
 
 in the Bay is by no means usual, both this year and last a 
 
 ship has been obliged to do so. 
 
 Judging from the evidence which has now been brought 
 forward, it is not, I think, too much to expect that, although 
 in some years accidents may occur such as that which took 
 place in the St. Lawrence in 1870, when a loss of one 
 million dollars is said to have been sustained by the 
 freezing-in of the outward-bound shipping, still, in the 
 course of a few years, we shall see large ocean-steamers 
 pushing their way into the Bay, discharging their cargoes 
 on the wharves of the towns which have grown up around 
 
p 
 
 
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 196 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIBED. 
 
 on our attempting to get liome, and we had to run into 
 the ]>ay again. On one of my other two voyages home 
 we met so much ice that a consultation was held by 
 Captain Head and some of the Hudson's Bay Company's 
 factors on board. 'J'wo of these latter pleaded strongly the 
 necessity of running back into the Bay, but there was a 
 majority against them and we squeezed through." 
 
 lor at least half a century past, according to Mr. Bell, 
 the. Bay has been regularly visited by American whalers as 
 well as by whaling vessels from Dundee and other Scotch 
 ])orts. One of the reports of the Commissioner of Fisheries 
 for the United States shows that an averaoje of rather more 
 than four whaling vessels a year visited the Bay between 
 1 86 1 and 187 1, and that the average annual catch amounted 
 in value to 124,000 dollars. Although Dr. Rae has ex- 
 
 r1 fV 
 
 Ti^ rAt~\inir\n 
 
 f n n f* fli o xi'n o 1 1 m 
 
 rr c anc-r^fx 
 
 i-r* i\^ « 
 
 Ttr,, 
 
 E It R A T U M. 
 
 On p. 196, lino 25, read " 1789," instead of 
 
 dc 
 fig 
 
 B8 
 
 an 
 Bl 
 
 Su 
 
 be "■ '" *""' '""' ■'^' ^'^^^^ ■■ ^'8^'." instead of " 187Si." 
 
 no 
 
 often appear nuuiy umes m successive years. On one 
 occasion (1850) four ships visited the fort ; on four 
 occasions three, and on many occasions two. The earliest 
 arrival took place on August 2nd, 1850. The average 
 date of arrival ai)pears to be about the end of August ; but 
 six arrivals are recorded between September 20th and 30th, 
 and one (the latest) on October 7th, 1836. The earliest 
 date of sailing again for home is August 25th, 1829; but 
 ten other sailings in August are recorded. The latest date 
 for sailing was October 7th, 181 1 ; but eight other sailings 
 in that month are recorded. On four occasions we are 
 informed that vessels wintered in the Bay. The lists also 
 show that, with one exception (1779), Moose Factory has 
 been visited by a ship in every year since 1735, or for 147 
 years. One vessel oanie each year, and two vessels had to 
 
IS THE Hudson's hay route feasidlk? 
 
 197 
 
 winter there. The earliest date of arrival recorded is July 
 2ist, 1745, there being only two other arrivals in July 
 (1742 and 1749), while the latest arrival took place on 
 September 25th, 181 1. The earliest date of sailing re- 
 corded is August 4th, 1742, while the latest is October loth, 
 181 1 ; though there have been five other sailings in that 
 month. Of the earliest seventeen sailings (up to 1752), all 
 but two seern to have been in August ; but since that year 
 there have been only four sailings in August. 
 
 The foregoing figures show a regularity of navigation 
 which is really surprising ; and the immunity from the loss 
 of its ships which the Company has enjoyed is none the 
 less so. It is, I believe, a fact that the Company has 
 never lost more than two of its own vessels. These were 
 the Prince of Wales and the Prince Arthur^ which went 
 ashore together, on Mansfield Island, in 1864. No lives 
 were lost, and the greater portion of the cargo was even- 
 tually saved. As it is recorded that the accident occurred 
 at ten o'clock " one lovely moonlight night, the sea being 
 quite calm " ; that the vessels had studding-sails set at the 
 time ; and that, a short time previously, " the captains of 
 the respective ships had been interchanging visits," it is 
 very probable that no difficulties of navigation were to 
 blame. It is quite possible that several chartered ships 
 of the Company have been lost (as, for instance, the Kittys 
 about 1850, and the Grahame, in 1852) ; but the most 
 surprising thing is that more have not been wrecked. Of 
 forty-nine whaling voyages referred to by Professor Hind, 
 only four resulted in the loss of the ship. Curiously 
 enough, although the wintering of the Company's vessels 
 in the Bay is by no means usual, both this year and last a 
 ship has been obliged to do so. 
 
 Judging from the evidence which has now been brought 
 forward, it is not, I think, too much to expect that, although 
 in some years accidents may occur such as that which took 
 place in the St. Lawrence in 1870, when a loss of one 
 million dollars is said to have been sustained by the 
 freezing-in of the outward-bo^ uid shipping, still, in the 
 course of a few years, we shall see large ocean-steamers 
 pushing their way into the Bay, discharging their cargoes 
 on the wharves of the towns which have grown up around 
 

 i I 
 
 
 ■ .1 
 
 t;^ 
 
 1^ 
 
 ' ;'i 
 
 
 ''mi 
 
 198 
 
 MANIT0I3A DESCRIBED. 
 
 the sites of York Factory and Fort Churchill, loading again 
 for the English markets with the various commodities 
 which the North-west will undoubtedly produce before 
 long, and send by rail to the very shores of the Bay. All 
 this one may, with confidence, expect to take place with 
 nearly as much regularity as the same thing now takes 
 j)lace in the St. Lawrence during a great portion of each 
 year ; although, comparatively, it is but a few years since it 
 was declared impossible to navigate that river with steam- 
 ships, and several were actually lost in proving that a large 
 fleet of splendid ocean-steamers might sail, every summer, 
 between Liverpool and Montreal, with a punctuality almost 
 equal to that of the express trains between London and 
 Brighton. 
 
 But, although the existing evidence may be sufficiently 
 strong to warrant us in this belief, yet it cannot be denied 
 that, without still more conclusive evidence, the actual 
 commencement of the construction of the railroad by 
 which all this is to be made possible, would be rash in the 
 extreme. The Dominion Government, clearly recognising 
 this fact, conscious that the future greatness of Canada 
 will be worked out in the North-west, and that it will be 
 greatly influenced by clear proof or disproof of the feasi- 
 bility of the new route, came, last February (1884), to the 
 very wise decision of granting 100,000 dols., in order to 
 purchase, equip, and despatch a steamer for the purpose of 
 making further investigations.* The project is one which, 
 although it has been under discussion some six or 
 
 * On February 21 last, Mr. Staveley II ill, having put a question to 
 Mr. Campbell- Bannerman in the House of Commons, as to whether 
 one or more vessels of the Royal Navy could not be placed in Hudson's 
 Strait for the purpose of making observations, was told that, although 
 the members of the Government ** fully appreciated the importance of 
 the subject, they were not prepared to offer any assistance," being in 
 possession of information showing that the Strait is not free "for 
 secure navigation for more than an average of seven or eight weeks in 
 the year." Those who remember that about the same time the old 
 Arctic exploring vessel A/cr^ was presented to the Government of the 
 United States, will be inclined to think this decision rather shabby. 
 It is quite true that the A/eri was put to a very good use — the search 
 for Lieut. Greely ; but when she might have been of so great a 
 service to one of our own colonies the gift appears a rather untimely 
 one. 
 
IS THE HUDSON'S BAY ROUTE FEASIBLE? 
 
 199 
 
 for 
 
 seven years, was not realised until the departure of the 
 steam-whaler Neptune^ from Halifax, Nova Scotia, under 
 Lieutenant Gordon, on the 22nd of July last. The plan 
 of the expedition was to leave seven observing parties at 
 various spots on the shores of the Bay and Strait, — three 
 on each side of the latter, and one at Fort Churchill, on 
 the former, — and then to return. The Neptune arrived 
 home again in October, and the preliminary report of her 
 commander shows that the programme was satisfactorily 
 carried out, except that two attempts to land a i)arty on 
 Resolution Island, at the mouth of the Strait, failed, the 
 steamer striking on some sunken rocks, and only getting 
 oft' after serious injury to her keel : so that this part of the 
 project was given up. In one place the water is spoken of 
 as being " alive with cod." Heavy ice was met with when 
 half-way through the Strait, in August; and the passage 
 is said to have been unusually obstructed this year. I .-u- 
 tenant Gordon states that, from his own opinion and from 
 other evidence, he has come to the conclusion that navi- 
 gation of the Strait is possible for one hundred days per 
 annum, and probably longer ; but that the vessels used 
 would need some extra strengthening. The ship will again 
 leave, tor the purpose of bringing home the parties, early 
 next spring ; and on her return we shall have acquired a 
 most valuable series of observations which, though it may 
 not settle the question, will at least go far towards doing so. 
 The facts already brought forv;ard will lose none of their 
 force when it is remembered that, although what has been 
 rJ.ready done has been accomplished in spite of a total 
 absence of reliable charts, lights, and buoys, the cata- 
 strophes have been exceedingly few. Nor must it be 
 forgotten that the vessels in which the earlier voyages 
 were so successfully made, were of a description which no 
 one would dream of employing now. They were small, 
 and must have been rudely constructed. For instance, the 
 Discovery^ which was making her fifth voyage into those 
 waters when she entered the Bay, under Capt. 13ylot, in 1615, 
 was a vessel of only fifty-five tons ; while the Charles^ in 
 which Captain Fox discovered the channel v/hich is named 
 after him, in 1631, was of only thirty tons. Even now, 
 however, the " good wine has been kept until the last " ; 
 

 200 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIBED. 
 
 It. 
 
 K,.: ' 
 
 If 
 
 if-..- 
 
 for there is one fiict which, though more encouraging than 
 most of the foregoing, has not yet been mentioned. It is 
 this : C/p to last year ^ all the voyages ever made into the Bay 
 had beefi accomplished in sailing-ships. It is quite possible 
 that, on one or two occasions, steamers may have entered 
 the Bay, especially as the Hudson's Bay Company has 
 run steamers to Ungava Bay, on the south side of the 
 Strait ; but, as yet, I have not been able to learn that any 
 have done so, with the exception of the Neptune, just 
 alluded to. The significance of this fact can hardly be 
 rated too high. The advantages possessed by a steamer 
 over a sailing-ship, when navigating ice, are so immense 
 and so clearly obvious as scarcely to need pointing out. 
 Many sentences illustrative of this are to be found 
 in the works already referred to. Some of the Company's 
 captains have admitted that a steamer could probably 
 enter the Bay something like a month earlier, and leave a 
 full month later, than is at present done. Captain 
 Kennedy writes : " I believe that steamers might get 
 through as early as June, and as late as November." l)r. 
 Bell, who, through lack of wind, was nineteen days in 
 passing out through the Strait on board the Company's 
 ship. Ocean Nyinph^ in the early part of October, 1880, 
 states that a steamer could have made the passage in thirty- 
 six, or, at most, forty-eight hours. Many travellers, both 
 early and recent, express the belief that, on the north side 
 of the Strait, there will nearly always be found, between 
 the shore and the ice which has been driven away from it 
 by the wind, a channel which sailing-ships could utilise 
 with a favourable wind. Steamers could, of course, pass 
 at all times, if this is the case. Dr. Bell, speaking of the 
 Straits, says: " We do not know aivthing to the contrary 
 of their being navigable for steamers the whole year 
 round." This, however, is another point on which more 
 conclusive evidence is wanting. 
 
 The whole question of the feasibility of the Hudson's 
 Bay route gains much interest from a comparison with what 
 has been, and is being, done on the other side of the world 
 towards opening-up a trade with the northern parts of 
 Europe and Asia through the bays and rivers opening, like 
 Hudson's Bay, on to the Polar Sea. Since the famous 
 
 
 
IS THE Hudson's i;av route feasible? 
 
 201 
 
 voyage of the Fega, in 1879, attempts have l)een made to 
 open water communication with the districts drained by the 
 rivers Obi and Yenesei, through the Kara Sea ; and, al- 
 though much buccess has not as yet attended those efforts, 
 it should be remembered that the most southerly entrance 
 to the Kara Sea is some 350 miles further north than any 
 part of Hudson's Strait, The case of Archangel, which, 
 like Forts York and Churchill, lies upon a large inland sea, 
 might, at first sight, seem very similar, but examination 
 shows considerable difference in favour of the latter. Not 
 only does Archangel lie over 500 miles to the north of 
 York Factory, but vessels, in leaving it for any other Eu- 
 ropean port, have to sail nearly 500 miles north of any part 
 of Hudson's Bay or Strait. Yet here, although the harbour 
 is only open from June to October, we have a city of over 
 20,000 inhabitants, which number would grow rapidly 
 larger were it not for the total want of railway communi- 
 cation with every other place. Ten years ago (in 1874), 
 its exports were valued at ;j^ 1,23 4, 3 90, and it was visited 
 by 472 vessels, of which 62 were steamers and 220 coast- 
 ing ships. 
 
 Hitherto I have only discussed this question from one 
 point of view — that of navigation ; and I think the results 
 warrant the belief that, if the Hudson's Bay route is never 
 established, it will not be on account of any mere diffi- 
 culties of navigation. The doubt as to whether a railroad 
 to the shores of the Bay could ever be made a sound com- 
 mercial concern is often enlarged upon by pessimists, and 
 I will next examine this point. That the mechanical diffi- 
 culties of construction are not great has been already 
 stated ; but the question of its paying when constructed is 
 another matter. Although it seems probable that the 
 navigation will be open for more than four months in the 
 year, it is not yet safe to count confidently on a longer 
 period. The question, therefore, may be asked : Would 
 the traffic, during those four months, be sufficient to make 
 the line pay, when it might have to lie idle the rest of the 
 year? Facts are not wanting to show that the country to 
 be traversed is, to some extent at least, capable of develop- 
 ment. At present it is practically uninhabited, and there 
 would, consequently, be no local traffic at first; but the 
 
R 
 
 1, 
 
 W ' 
 
 I' 
 
 ;:; 
 
 ' <' 
 
 
 1 
 
 ' 
 
 .'"i 
 
 )> 
 
 / 
 
 i'il^i 
 
 \t 
 
 
 , (. .,.. 
 
 I'i' , " 
 
 202 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIBED. 
 
 existence of the line would, in time, probably create some. 
 Dr. Bell says that valuable timber is found in some parts,, 
 and logs of spruce and pine would, almost certainly, be 
 available for export. To say nothing of the fur-trade, which 
 has become so inseparably connected with the name of the 
 Bay, the salmon and other fisheries are said to be excel- 
 lent, while game of various kinds is in fair abundance. The 
 region in question is also stated to be rich in minerals, but 
 the extent of those riches is not yet known. A good au- 
 thority has written : *' Minerals may, however, become ia 
 the future the greatest of the resources of Hudson's Bay." 
 Gold, silver, and copper are a few among the many. Fur- 
 thermore, Dr. Bell has given it as his opinion that a con- 
 siderable area south of James's Bay will eventually become 
 available for agriculture ; and, although this belief may be 
 rather too sanguine, it is significant as showing the country 
 to be better than some might imagine it. 
 
 In connexion with this branch of the subject, there is. 
 still to be mentioned one other great obstacle to the utility 
 of the route. As has been already said, the rivers probably 
 close in November; and, if the rivers are closed so that 
 vessels are unable to approach wharves later than this date, 
 the possibilities of the Strait being navigable all winter is 
 of but little value. The autumn is a busy time in the 
 North-west, and I think it is pretty certain that only a 
 small portion of the year's grain crop could be got out 
 before the closing of the harbours ; consequently it would 
 require storing till the following spring. Dr. Bell's opinion, 
 is, that "it would be better to store it and take it out the 
 next year by the short route, than to bring it by one in- 
 volving a long land-carriage." The same objection, how- 
 ever, applies with even greater force to Archangel as a 
 port, ai d yet it is certain that that place has succeeded ia 
 securing an extensive trade. 
 
 There will, doubtless, be some inclined to say that, upon 
 the evidence produced, I have founded hopes more san- 
 guine than facts warrant ; but I maintain that the proper 
 course is to hope for the best until the worst is clearly 
 shown to predominate. Those who, at the present day, 
 are inclined to believe in the hopelessness of establishing. 
 a commercial route to Europe z'id Hudson's Bay, would do- 
 
 
au- 
 
 THE JOURNEY HOME. 
 
 20^. 
 
 well to remember that no small portion of the history of 
 America is but a history of the accomplishment of things 
 which, but a few years before, had been generally regarded 
 as "impossible"; and those who are able to look but a few 
 short years into the future will, I think, be able to perceive 
 that the establishment of the so-called " Hudson's Bay- 
 Route " is one of these possible " impossibilities." 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE JOURNEY HOME. 
 
 upon 
 san- 
 Droper 
 learly 
 day, 
 ishing 
 Id do.. 
 
 r 
 
 i 
 
 m 
 
 After a few days in Winnijjeg, during which time I re- 
 ceived the greatest kindness from the various Government 
 officials and others upon whom I called, I left the city 
 early one morning by the train bound eastward for Port 
 Arthur. Of the twenty-four hours spent " on board " this 
 train I have none but pleasant recollections to record. 
 Although it is true I had been told that the country passed 
 through was rocky and well wooded, I had not at all 
 grasped the real facts of the case, and was, therefore, not a 
 little surprised at seeing scenery which, by comparison with 
 that of Western Manitoba, may certainly be described as 
 grand. 
 
 For the first twenty-five miles or so there were numerous 
 poplar-bluffs, with signs of cultivation between. Then 
 commenced a dense, unbroken forest of spruce, tamarack,, 
 and poplar, extending mile after mile along each side of 
 the track. As a rule, the trees are small and of little value, 
 but doubtless finer trees grow further away from the line. 
 In many places, that blackening and devouring demon of 
 destruction, the Fire — started, doubtless, by a spark from 
 the engine, or perhaps sometimes intentionally, — had rushed 
 through the dense forest-growth, killing and prostrating 
 thousands of slender young trees, and laying bare the 
 ground beneath. 
 
 At a station bearing the immortal name of Darwin, the 
 
204 
 
 MAMTOHA DF.SCKIIiEF). 
 
 \f:.y 
 
 \i • 
 
 
 K - 
 
 first rocks were scon — merely some low, rounded, f,'lacier- 
 scraped hummocks, of a reddisii colour, rising but little 
 above the surface of the ground. As the train moved east 
 from tiiis place, the amount of rock visii)le became greater 
 every mile, but in general ai)pearance it was always the 
 same. There was no loose </t'/^n's of stones and boulders ; 
 no rugged, weather-worn crags or i)eaks ; nothing but low 
 mounds everywhere swelling up above the surface of the 
 ground among the pines, sometimes even to the height of 
 20 ft., but everywhere smoothed, scarped, and rounded by 
 the action of the mighty glaciers which swe[)t over them in 
 long-i)ast ages. 
 
 Still further, and the aspect of the country changed again, 
 becoming even rockier than before. 'J'he isolated hum- 
 mocks disapjieared, and the whole surface of the ground 
 came to be formed of unchanging Laurentian rocks, rising 
 in i^laces, sinking in others, but always smoothed and 
 rounded in outline, as though a heavy ocean-swell had 
 suddenly been turned to stone. In no case did the rocks 
 attain any great height — not even in the region around the 
 Lake of the Woods, which was the most broken and diver- 
 sified district we passed through. Even the pines, though 
 they covered the country, seemed to have a difiiculty in 
 growing, and many, as though in desperation, had grasped 
 the rocks so firmly with their knotted roots as to suggest to 
 the beholder the idea of a huge octopus seizing its prey. 
 Innumerable little lakes, of all imaginable shapes and sizes, 
 were dotted about in all directions : their extraordinary 
 number was really most astonishing. Prof. Hind estimates 
 the proportion of water to land in the district as one to 
 two ; yet there are very few large lakes or rivers, the water 
 being distributed in " countless thousands " of tiny lakelets 
 and rushing streams. 
 
 About mid-day we arrived at, and crossed, the northern 
 arm of the Lake of the Woods. Surely no spot on earth 
 was evermore appropriately named than this ! Surrounded 
 on every side by a dense and almost unbroken forest of 
 pine, which extends in every direction for full one hundred 
 miles ; with the islands which lie scattered over its surface 
 also densely wooded, and with pines innumerable mirrored 
 on the smooth surfaces of the many long, straggling arms 
 
 
rilK JOURNKY IIOML. 
 
 205 
 
 which the lake throws out f.ir int(j tlic i)rinKCval forest, as 
 if more effectually to strengthen its connexion with its 
 highly-descriptive name, " The Lake of the Woods" rould 
 hardly have received any more a])i)roi)riate title. Some of 
 the scenery of the region surrounding it is fine and wild. 
 Iwerywhere extends the solid, red, prim;eval rock : except 
 where the fire has devastated the forest the suiface is 
 always more or less densely covered with wood ; myriads 
 of lakes and lakelets arc strewn around in all directions, 
 some long, some narrow, some winding in shape, all 
 teeming with fish, and fdled with a cold, dear, black- 
 looking water, which forces upon the mind the idea of its 
 profound depth. The track passes along the edge of 
 many such lakes, while it crosses the narrow arms of others 
 by means of causeways, roughly formed by throwing in 
 pieces of blasted rock. It is said that when some of these 
 causeways were being constructed, the amount of material 
 swallowed up showed many, even of the narrowest arms, 
 to have a surprising de[)th. It can hardly be said, how- 
 ever, that the scenery is very beautiful. It lacks that 
 variety and ruggedness, those i)eaks and precipices which 
 form the beauty of mountainous districts ; but, at the 
 same time, the rounded rocks, the dark forests, the still 
 lakes, and rushing streams all combine to give to the 
 scenery of this region a certain grandeur of its own, in 
 spite of its presenting a somewhat stern, silent, and for- 
 bidding asi)ect. In years to come the attractions of the 
 region around the Lake of the Woods will draw towards it 
 many tourists and holiday-keepers, and I think it would 
 be a most excellent thing if the Dominion (lovernment 
 were to reserve a sufficiently large area of it from sale or 
 settlement as a public park for the benefit of the people of 
 Canada. The United States, more than ten years ago, 
 set aside an area of 3,575 square miles, containing the 
 unequalled wonders lying around the Yellowstone Lake, 
 as a National Park, and (juite recently the Government of 
 New South Wales has followed suit in establishing a 
 public pleasure-ground, 56 square miles in extent, at 
 Illawarra. 
 
 Rat Portage and Kcewatin arc two rising towns, lying 
 close together on the shore of the lake, in the debatable 
 
206 
 
 MANITOHA DKSCKIBKD. 
 
 If 
 
 pjround l)Ctwccn Ontario and Manitoba. Lumbering 
 appears to l)c tlie sole occupation of the inhabitants of 
 tlicsc two i)laccs : there scorns to be absolutely nothing 
 else going on. Logs fill every stream and pond around 
 the towns ; saw-mills abound ; sawn lumber is piled 
 everywhere ; and numbers of houses arc daily being built 
 for the accommodation of more lumber-men. It is claimed 
 (I know not with how much truth) that Rat Portage 
 possesses the finest water-i)ower in the world, and that the 
 place will some day come to be one of the great milling 
 centres of North America. 
 
 I was a good deal amused at the stations we passed. 
 Almost without excei)tion they were small buildings, set 
 close beside the line among the stumps of the felled trees, 
 and usually without the slightest sign of cultivation or 
 civilisation around, not even to the extent of a visible 
 road leading up through the forest. Sometimes a few 
 shanties were to be seen ; but what anybody's object could be 
 in getting out at such places, I was (juite unable to imagine ; 
 yet at most of the stations there were mysterious parties 
 who seemed to have business of some kind on hand. 
 Between Winnipeg and Port Arthur, a distance of 435 miles, 
 with the exception of Selkirk, Keewatin, and Rat Portage, 
 I did not see any place which, by the greatest stretch of 
 courtesy, could have been called a village ; yet on this 
 journey the train stopped, I suppose, at something like 
 fifty stations. 
 
 A stranger might well ask, " Why, within a few miles of 
 the city of Winnipeg, should the country change so sud- 
 denly from open prairie to dense forest ? " The answer, 
 however, is not difficult to give : the fires which rage upon 
 the prairies usually travel eastwards before a westerly or 
 north-westerly wind ; but they are completely stopped in 
 their onward progress when they reach that impassable 
 barrier formed by Lakes Winnipeg, Winnipegosis, and 
 Manitoba, as well as by the Red River ; and it is to these 
 friendly, protecting pieces of water, together with the many 
 lakes in the forest itself, that we are indebted for the vast 
 forests to the east. Excepting only the transition from sea 
 to land, I have never, in any part of the world, seen a 
 ^change of physical characteristics so sudden or so striking 
 
Tlin JOUKNKY IIOMK. 
 
 207 
 
 ^s that from fertile prairies to rocks and forests, in tlie neigh- 
 bourhood of the city of Winnipeg. In numberless jjlaces, 
 however, fires, started by the railway, by Indians, or by the 
 ■carelessness of white men, have caused much destruction ; 
 and, although the amount of forest now devastated is as 
 nothing compared with that still unburnt, every precaution 
 should be taken to prevent the firing of the forests in the 
 future. Our cousins across the Atlantic are the jjossessors 
 of domains so vast and so naturally rich that they are slow 
 to learn the lessons they are now being taught as to the 
 needless destruction of those riches. They have exter- 
 minated the buffalo ; they have im[)overished much of their 
 ijoil by perpetual wheat-crojiijing ; and they are the losers 
 to a still greater extent through not having taken greater 
 pains to preserve those magnificent forests which were once 
 so extensive in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ontario, 
 and elsewhere. When once a fire gets hold upon the forest, 
 with a high wind behind its back, there is absolutely no 
 stopping it. It rushes onwards, ever widening, ever de- 
 stroying. Such fires have been known to continue burning 
 for weeks, and even months, trees of all sorts, old and 
 young, being, of course, totally destroyed by thousands ; 
 till now the cry begins to be heard that the supply of good 
 timber is becoming exhausted. And well it may 1 I 
 imagine that the forests of America suffer more every year 
 from the ravages of fire than they do from the attacks of 
 the lumbermen in ten. It matters litde in what direction 
 one travels, the same thing may be seen almost everywhere — 
 splendid forests of pine, blackened, and half or quite de- 
 stroyed by fire, often to be succeeded, in after- years, by a 
 growth of less valuable trees. I know of no scene much 
 more depressing, or more hideously repulsive, than that of 
 a forest which has been devastated by the fire-demon. 
 One sees, in fact, a battle-field, on which a fierce though un- 
 equal conflict has been waged between the works of animate 
 Nature and a relentless fiend who gives no quarter, feels 
 no mercy, and against whose resistless and insatiable fury 
 it is useless to contend. Some of the victims, stark and 
 black, still remain standing, with their knotted arms twisted 
 as though in agony ; while others have fallen headlong to 
 the ground, where their seared and rotting carcases long 
 
208 
 
 MANITOBA DESCRIBED. 
 
 
 1'^^ 
 
 |!T' 
 
 i 
 
 
 * 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 !. 
 
 
 
 f ■ 
 
 remain to disfigure the green covering with which, after a 
 year or two, Nature attempts to hide the traces of her 
 defeat. 
 
 To the past prevalence of these forest fires must be attri- 
 buted the small size o* the trees in the forest between 
 Winnipeg and Lake Superior, as well as the dense growth 
 of the latter, which has recently been mentioned. After a 
 forest has been destroyed, a dense growth of young trees 
 springs up. As these trees grow, the stronger kill the 
 weaker, t'U, in an old forest, the trees are all of good size, 
 are not clustered thickly together, and there is very little 
 undergrowth. 
 
 Night fell when but half our journey was completed ;. 
 but a fcllow-trav^eller, who knew the route v ell, told me 
 that for the whole stretch of 400 miles there was no break 
 in the forest. When morning broke, we were passinc;: along 
 the banks of the Kaministiquia, — an impetuous river, rush- 
 ing along between banks thickly covered with pines, — and 
 were rapidly ncaring Fort William, an old post of the 
 Hudson's Bay Company, that has formed the nucleus of 
 Port Arthur, which place we reached after a journey of just 
 twenty-four hours. The train, running up the middle of the 
 principal street of the town, with desperate clanging of the 
 engine-bell, as usual, came at last to a standstill near 
 the large wharfs which form the principal mainstay of the 
 place. Here, — that is, in the street, — we and our luggage 
 were bundled out to await the starting of a steamer down 
 the lake. 
 
 After an ocean voyage during which absolutely nothing 
 was experienced to break the dreary monotony except three 
 days and nights of rather heavy rolling, we reached Liver- 
 pool, and I, shortly afterwards, my home, — where it is now 
 necessary for me to bid adieu to my indulgent readers, 
 expressing only the hope that what has been herein written 
 will afibrd guidance to some, at least, of those in search of 
 reliable information concerning Manitoba — a country which,, 
 I am confident, has before it no inconsiderable future. 
 
 WVMAN AND SONS, TKINTER:;, GK12AT (JLEEN STIJEliT, LONDON, W.C. 
 
^1- 
 
 ich, after a 
 :es of her 
 
 ist l)c attri- 
 t between 
 ise growth 
 . After a 
 )ung trees 
 r kill the 
 good size, 
 very httle 
 
 Dmpleted ;. 
 , told me 
 ; no break 
 s'ma along 
 iver, rush- 
 nes, — and 
 St of the 
 lucleus of 
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