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The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s 6 des taux de reduction diff6rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 6 partir de I'angle sup^rieur gauche, de gauche 6 droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. }y errata ed to int ne pelure, apon d 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA. m- PRi: TRAVELS m NORTH AMERICA. IN THE YEAKS 11.827 AND 1828. By CAPTAIN BASIL HALL, ROYAL NAVY. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. I. SECOND EDITION. EDINBURGH : PRINTED FOR CADELL AND CO., EDINBURGH; AND SIMPKIN AND MARSHALL, LONDON. MDCCCXXX. EDINUUROII : pRrv ; rn iiv ANimrw siioiiinLcr), TIIISTLK LANE. PREFACE. The chief object I had in view in visiting America was to see things with my own eyes, in order to ascertain, by personal inspection, how far the sentiments prevalent in England with respect to that country were correct or otherwise. To avoid all undue influence, I considered it best to defer reading the works of prec(i- ding travellers, until I should have formed my own opinions on the subject ; but 1 found so much pleasure during the journey, from the freshness of original and unbiassed observa- tion, that on my return I resolved to perse- vere in this self-denial somewhat longer, that my narrative also might be derived, as far as VI PllKIACE. p(jssil)l(», from tliost? local sources of iiiforina- tion which hud fallen within the reach of my own in([uiries. The hahits of an active professional life having" put it out of my j)ower to study in the closet many of the subjects discussed in these volumes, I have endeavoured, in tcMiching" them, to supply the want of readin<>-, hy avail- ing- myself of a prc'tty extensive acqiuiintance with the actual working's of nunu»rous other pcditical and moral experinu'nts, which chance has thrown in my way in different quarters of the globe. What might have been the effect of com- bining the ex])erience of others, with the result of my own researches, I cannot pretend to sa}'. On the present occasion, I have merely endeavoured to describe things as I saw them, and to add such reflections as were sug-g-ested on the spot, or have since arisen in my mind. As considerable misconception appears to prevail in England respecting the financial atVa |)aii lie Til are thii ill J IMlKFACi:. Vll )f inforinii- LNicli of my ssional life tudy in tlu' }i\ in those 1 tourhing- :>•, l>y aviiil- ijuuintance rous other lith chance it <|uarters L't of com- with the ot pretend 1, I have lings as I IS as were nee arisen ippears to financial uflfiiirs of the Unitt'd States, I have taken pains to coUect authentic accounts « * the Revemu^ and Expenditure of that country. Th(i details, as far as I have ol)tain(>(l tlu'in, are ""iven in a taouhir form at the end of the third Vohime. Durin*,'" the journey, I had opportunities of makin*'' some sketches with the Camera Lucida, an instrument invented hv the hite Dr Wolhiston. But I have thought it best, instead of encumhering this work with draw- ings of such sh?n(h*r pretensions, to publish, in a separate form, a selection of those which a})peared most characteristic. I beg leave, before })arting, to say one word to my kind friends on the other side of the Atlantic. I have studiously avoided mentioning circumstances, or even making allusions, calculated to give pain to any person ; and although I dare scarcely hope that my account will be very popular in America, I shall deeply lament having written on the Vill I'llLrACE. subjoct at ull, it' these papfes kIkiU be tliou'ji'ht to coutuiii a sing-le expressiun iiiconsisteiit with the ^Tiititude, which, in eominon with my tiiMiily, I must ever feel for the attention and hosj)itJility we reecMved from the Ameri- cans, or with the hearty ^o<»d-wi!l we bear to every individual whom w(^ met with in their widely <;xtended country. EuiNUUBGii, l5thJune, 18-29. je thou^rht K^onsistent iiiioii with ; uttcntion lie Ameri- ]\ we bear }t with in AI)\'KK'nSKMi:\T TO THE SK('OM) I.DITION. Tm: only nmtcrial alteration made in tins Edition, consists in a chan^'e of the North- Eastern honndary lin<' on the Ma|>. In the hnrrv of printiny*, this line was drawn so as to inclnde within the American frontier that j)ortion of territory which is at pres(»nt the sid)ject of discnssion hetween the two conntries, — this error was cansed by the accidental circnnistance of nsinj*- for the co])y a map published in the United States. It forms no part of the present ])nblication to consider the merits of this question ; but in the mean- time, until the point in dispute be settled by the arbiter to whom it is referred, the boundary has been restored to the position it has hitherto occupied. Any chaniifes made in the text; of the work ju'e merelv verbal. \'lth January, 18;30. i New M( Huds West Tn Scher Cai ViUag Falls c Ami The V lixpcd. I! \. CONTENTS OF VOLUME FIRST. CHAPTER I. New York, l._Fires. 19.-House of Refuge, 24.-High Schools, 26. Moving a House, 38. CHAPTER H. Hudson River, 46. -Penitentiary, or State Prison at Sing Sing, 61. CHAPTER HI. West Point, 80._Albany, lOO.-Trip to Massachusetts, 104.- A Traveller's Duties, lOT.-Shakers of Lebanon, 111. CHAPTER IV. Schenectady, I13.-Trenton FaUs, ISS—Newly cleared land, 128. Canandaigua, 142 — Rochester, 15J> CHAPTEit V. Village of Rochester, 160— Ridge Road, 167. -Erie Canal, 172. CHAPTER VI. FaUs of Niagara, 177.-ViUa in the Forest, 205.-EngUsh Travellers iu America, 208. CHAPTER VII. The WeUand and other Canals in Canada, 214. CHAPTER Vni. Expedition to the Grand River, 23(>.-Defence8 of Canada, 247. h Xll CONTEXTS. CHAPTER IX. Builingtoi» Bay, 2ii'2, — Rlississagiia Indians, 257. — York, 261.— Holland'* Landing, 265. — Passage of La Riviere Rouge, 268.— Preaching in the Forest, 275. CHAPTER X. Visit to the Emigrants sent out by Government in 1825, 280. CHAPTER XI. Details of the progress of new Settlements in Canada, 305. CHAPTER Xn. Last view of Niagara, 'i51. — Sacketf's Harbour, 355. — Batteaux on the .St Lawrence, 360. — Public Dinner at Brockville, 365.— Rapids of the St Lawrence, 370. CHAPTER XIIL Montreal, 380 Canadian Voyageurs, 381. — Quebec, 387 — Falls of Montmorency, 394. — Village of Lorette, 401. CHAPTER XIV. Advantage of the British North American Colonies to England, and of England to those Colonies, 403. r< 'I 1^1 •'^•\ k,261 — Holland'. — Preuchiiijr in the 5,280. 106. — Batteaux on tlic 5. — Rapids of the !, 3(s7 — Falls of England, and of TRAVELS IN THE UNITED STATES. CHAPTER I. On Tuesday morning the ITtli of April 1827, I embarked at Liverpool, with my wife and child, on board the good ship Florida, whereof Mr John Tinkham was master, and sailed for America, with a light fair wind, which carried us about one tliird of the way across the Atlantic. And at sun- set on the 15th of May, after a voyage of twenty eight days, we passed Sandy Hook Light-House, at the entri.ace of the harbour of New York. The proper day of sailing from England, ac- cording to the regulations of the weekly packets, was the 16th of the month; but owing to some difficulty about collecting the crew, we lost twenty-four precious hours, at the commencement of an easterly wind. Another ship, however, better prepared, warped out of the dock, proceed- ed to sea on that day, and by this apparently VOL. I, A f 2 TRAVELS IN THE trivial advantngo, contrived to got into Wiiat sea- men call a vein of wind, and arrived nine days hefore us : thus showing that in nautical, as well as in other matters, it is well to talcc time by the forelock ; a lesson we resolved to profit by in our futm'e iournev. It Avas (juitc dark before the ship was brought to an anchor, off the town of New York, so tliat Avc missed seeing the beauties of the approach, de- scribed to us in terms of great rapture by some of the passengers, to whom the scene was not new. In strictness, it was not altogether new to me ; for I had gone over the same ground some two or three-and-twenty years before, when a mid- shipman of the Leander, Flag-ship of the Hali- fax station. But my recollections were so vague and indistinct, and every thing appeared so much altered, that I could scarcely recognise at first many objects, which, after a little time, were re- vived, or seemed to be revived, in my memory, where they must have slept for nearly a quarter of a century. 1 had reason to fancy, however, that a still more important change had taken place in my feelings, with respect to the country I was revisiting. And it is perhaps right to state, thus early, what were my sentiments and opinions at these two distant periods. I I k UNITED STATES. 8 lore |\vere i In former tlays, I confess I was not very well disposed to the Americans ; a feeling shared with all my companions on hoard, and prohahly also with most of my superiors. But as the duties of a varied service, in after years, threw me far from the source at which these national antipathies had been imbibed, they appeared gi'adually to dissi- pate themselves, in proportion as my acquaintance with other countries was extended, and I hail learned to think better of mankind in general. Thus, in process of time, I came to view with regi'et the prevalence in others of tliose hos- tile sentiments I had myself relinquished. My next anxiety naturally was, to persuade others, that there really were no just grounds for the mutual hostility so manifestly existing between America and England. To speak more correctly, I could not help believing, that, in spite of the great differences in the geographical and political situation of the t^vo countries, there must still be so many circumstances in which they agreed, that if the merits of both were respectively explained, there would spring up more cordiality between them ; a state of things which I took it for granted must be advantageous to both countries. TlK'f>. speculative views, were further confirmed by the rej)ort of the Americans I met with from time to time, all of whom gave the most animating TRAVELS IN THE i and unqualified praise to their country and its in- stitutions ; accompanied, invariably, by vehement denunciations against the whole race of travel- lers, whose statements they represented as being, without exception, false and slanderous, and con- sequently, as doing their country no justice. So much, indeed, was I persuaded of the truth of these statements, that, from a desire to think well of the country, I avoided reading any of the Tra- vels in question, and rather chose to form my opinions mainly from the accounts of the Ameri- cans themselves. At length, on the occurrence of an interval of professional leisure, I resolved to investigate this interesting subject for myself; for I found very few people in England of my way of thinking. Ac- cordingly I set out for America, with the confident expectation, not only of finding ample materials for justifying these favourable impressions adopt- ed from the Americans, but of being able, by a fair statement of the facts of the case, to soften in some degree the asperity of that ill-will, of which it was impossible to deny the existence, and which was looked upon by many persons in both coun- tries as a serious international evil. Probably, therefore, there seldom was a travel- ler who visited a foreign land in a more kindly spirit. I was really desirous of seeing every thing, K \ 1 id its in- ehement travel- s being, nd con- 3e. So ruth of nk well he Tra- rm my Ameri- Tval of ate this Bry few Ac- nfideiit iterials adopt- by a 'ten in which which coun- ravel- indly liing, UNITED STATES. O relating to the people, country, and institutions, in the most favourable light ; and was resolved to use my best endeavours to represent to my country- men what was good, in colours which might in- cline them to think the Americans more worthy of regard and confidence, than they generally were esteemed in England. It was also part of my project, if possible, to convince the Ameri- cans themselves, that the English were willing to think well of them, and were sincerely anxious to be on good terms, if they could only see just grounds for a change of sentiment. Such were the hopes and wishes with which I landed in America. A thousand years would not wipe out the re- collection of our first breakfast at New York. At eight o'clock we hurried from the packet, and though certainly I most devoutly love the sea, which has been my home for more than half my life, I must honestly acknowledge having leap- ed on shore with a light heart, after four weeks of confinement. Few naval officers, I suspect, be they ever so fond of their business afloat, ever come to relish another ship, after commanding one of their own. The Florida, our good packet, during the night had been drawn alongside of the wharf, so that we had nothing more to do than step on shore, ? 6 TRAVELS IN THE stow ourselves into n liackney coach, and drive off. Tliis carriage was of tlie nicest description, open both in front, and at tlie sides, and was drawn l)y small, sleek, high-hred horses, driven by a mulat- to, whose broken lingo reminded me of the West Indies. As we passed along, many things recallcu die sea- ports of England to my thoughts, although abun- dant indications of another country lay on all hands. The signs over the shop doors were writ- ten in English ; but the language we heard spoken was different in tone from what we liad been accustomed to. Still it was English. Yet there was more or less of a foreign air in all we saw, especially about the dress and gait of the men. Negroes and negresses also were seen in abund- ance on the wharfs. The form of most of the wheeled carriages was novel ; and we encoun- tered several covered vehicles, on which was written in large characters, ICE. I was amused by observing over one of the stores, as the sliops are called, a great, staring, well-wigged figure painted on the sign, under which was written, Lord Eldon. A skinny row of white law books explained the mystery. The whole seemed at times, more like a dream than a sober reality. For there was so much about it that looked like England, that we half fancied ourselves back again; « i UNITKD STATES. and yet tlicre was qiiito cnoujjh to sliow in the next instant, that it was a very dilfi'ivnt tountry. This indistinct, droamy kind of fccliDjJ!', lasted for several days ; after whieh it gradually fa(h'd away before a different set of impressions, which will bo described in their turn. IJut I am quite forgettinf( the glorious breakfast ! We bad asked merely for some fresh shad, a fish re- ported to be excellent, as indeed it ]>roved. But a great steamin<;, juicy beefsteak, also made its ap- pearance, flanked by a dish of mutton cutlets. The Shad is a native of the American waters, 1 believe exclusively, and if so, it is almost worthy of a voy- age across the Atlantic to make its acquaintance. To these viands were added a sj)lendid arrange- ment of snow-white rolls, regiments of hot toast, with oceans of tea and coffee. 1 have not much title, they tell me, to the name of gourmand, or epicure ; nevertheless, I do frankly ])lead guilty to having made upon this occasion a most enor- mous breakfast ; as if resolved to make up at one unconscionable meal, the eight-and-twenty preceding unsatisfactory diurnal operations of this nature, v. iu,-h had intervened since our leaving the good c» if! -^'Liverpool. No ship, indeed, could be more bountifully supplied than our packet ; but, alas for the sea ! manage it as you will, the contrast between it and the shore, I am sorry to say, jm; Ilil i 8 TRAVELS IN THE very great. Notliing but Hhame, I suspect, prevent- ed me from exhausting the patience of the panting waiters, by further demands for toast, rolls, and fish ; and I rose at last with the hungry edge of appetite taken off, not entirely blunted. The lux- ury of silver forks and spoons, Indian china tea- cups, a damask table-cloth, in rooms free from any close, tarry, pitchy, remainder-biscuit smell, space to turn about in, soft seats to loll upon, and firm ground on which to stand, with the addition of the aforesaid magnificent meal, formed altogether, whether from contrast or from intrinsic excel- lence, as lively a picture of Mahomet's sensual paradise as could be imagined. In the course of the morning I walked to the Custom House with a very obliging person for whom I had brought letters ; and it is due to the public functionaries of that establishment to say, that I do not remember having been more civilly treated in the teasing matter of trunks and boxes, in any one of the numerous countries in which I have had to undergo the tormenting ordeal of being overhauled. My friend merely stated, that I came to America as a traveller, without any view to trade, and that the luggage specified in the list contained nothing but wearing apparel. A few magical words were then written by the collector to the examining officer, upon producing which \ UNITED STATES. I every thlnp was permitted to pass in the mofit ngreeablc stylo possible, so that not a fold of any part of our finery was disturbed, or even looked at. It affords me g-reat pleasure to have it in my power to Htate, that in our subsequent lonp and va- ried journey, wo always met witli tbe samo obli- ging disposition on the part of the public officers. I can say tho same thing of most of the other per- Kons to whom we bad occasion to apply for assist- ance — due allowance being made for those differ- ences of manners, and of habits, incident to the va- rious degrees of civilization with which we chose, of our own free will, to bring ourselves in contact. We soon found there were different modes of living at the great hotels in New York. An im- mense table d'hote was laid every tlay at three o'clock, for guests who did not lodge in the house, but merely took their meals there. I have seen from sixty to an hundred persons seated at one of those tables. There was also a smaller and less public dinner for the boarders in the house. If any of these persons, however, chose to incur tho additional expense of a private parlour, which was about two dollars, or nine shillings a day extra, they might have their meals separately. On the 17th of May, at eight o'clock, which is the breakfast hour at New York, we went down to the room where the other lodgers were already asscm- a2 10 TRAVELS IN THE bled to the nuniher of twelve or fourteen. Our main object was to ^ct acMjiiaiiited with Bome of the natives, and this, we imagined, woidd be tlie easiest thiiif? ill the world. Hut our familiar desijrns were all frustrated by the imperturbable silence and f^ra- vity of the company. At dinner, which was at three o'clock, we were again baffled by the same cold and civil but very unsociable formality. All attempts to set conversation in motion proved abor- tive; for each person seemed intent ex<'lusively on the professed business of the meetinj^, and having dispatched, in all haste, what sustenance was re- quired, and in solemn silence, rose and departed. It might have been thought we had assembled ra- ther for the purpose of inhuming the body of some departed friend, than of merrily keeping alive the existing generation. A young American naval officer, with whom I had formed a most agreeable and useful friendship, was good enough to accompany me after breakfast to the dock-yard, or, as it is more correctly call- ed, the navy-yard — for there are no docks in Ame- rica — at Brooklyn on Long Island. We had to cross two ferries in the course of the day, in dou- ble or twin-boats, worked by steam, with the pad- dle-wheel in the centre. The most curious thing I saw during this agreeable ramble, was a floating wharf, made of wood, the inner end of which was I Iff .) UNITED STATES. II attacliod to tlio vAfre of tlu» quay, l>y inoaiiH of Ktroii}^ hiii^os, wliilo tlio outer ciui, Niipportt'd «)ii u lar^e air veHsol, or float, rose and Hunk with tho tido. At liiph water tlio wharf Ktood on a level with the shore; but when it fell, the surface of the wharf had a considerable inclination, though not moro than could be easily overcome by tiie carriages and carts, which drove in and out of the ferry-boat at all times, with nearly equal facility. The officers of the navy-yard were most kind and attentive, and showed every iWni^ I wished to see, without the slip^htest reserve, and with such en- tire frankness, that I felt no scruple in examining the whole establishment. Amongst other things, I of course visited the great steam-frigate, the Fulton, intended, I believe, as a floating battery for the de- fence of New York. This singular vessel is of the double construction, with a paddle-wheel in the middle, placed beyond the reach of shot. The ma- chinery is aliso secured in like manner, by a screen of oak, independently of the ship's bends or sides, which are five feet in thickness, formed of succes- sive layers of thick planks, disposed alternately lengthwise and vertically. This wooden wall af- fords a defence, as I am told by engineers, not pervious even to a cannon-shot fired at point blank distance. I afterwards went over several line-of- battle ships and frigates, most of them constructed ill 1 # \2 TRAVELS IN THE of live oak, a timber which grows only in the south- ern states, and is admirably suited to such pur- poses, from its durability and strength. I called in the course of the morning on Mr De Witt Clinton, the governor of the State of New York. I was no less surprised than pleased with the affability of his manners, and the obliging in- terest he took in my journey ; for I had happened to hear him described only by persons opposed to him in politics, and I had not yet learnt to distrust such reports of men so distinguished in public life as the late Mr Clinton. He offered me introduc- tions to various parts of the country, and under- took to assist my researches ; a promise which he fulfilled to the very hour of his death, about a year afterwards. The high personal esteem I felt for Mr Clinton, and the respect in which, in common with so many of his countrymen, and all strangers who had the advantage of his acquaintance, I must ever hold his memory, induce me to make an exception to the rule I have laid down, not to mention by name, or by personal allusion, any of my private friends in America. It is very true, there is often consi- derable difficulty, aR vvell as inconvenience, in ad- hering to this restriction, and often much loss per- haps, on the score of authority. I have, however, seen, in the course of my life, so much pain caused UNITED STATES. IS by the intrusive nature of such remarks, whether of praise or of censure, that I think it best, in order to avoid all cause of offence, to say nothing, direct or indirect, which can implicate personally any one with whom I have made acquaintance in America. My observations, therefore, whether laudatory or otherwise, I have confined as much as possible to those broad features which characterise the country generally. It is diflficult to adliere to this prudent rule, with- out at the same time neglecting one of the duties of a traveller, at least if any description of man- ners is expected at his hands. For how is he to furnish his pictures of society without going into company, and by reporting what he sees there, act- ing more or less the ungenerous part of a spy ? The Americans, indeed, assured me again and again, that they had no sort of objection to this scrutiny, provided it were made with fairness and due al- lowances for them, and the results reported with- out flippancy, or sarcasm, or odious and wanton comparisons. As a proof of their sincerity, they not unfrequently urged me to speak fairly out in their presence, and to give my opinions fully upon all I saw, public and private. The question, " What do you think of us upon the whole ?" was accord- ingly put to me every day, and almost in every company. But I am sorry that truth compels fi'# t 14 TRAVELS IN THE me to add, that whenever the reply which tliis abrupt and rather startling question elicited, was not one of unqualified praise, a certain painful degree of dissatisfaction was produced. My rea- son for being sorry is, that it prevents me from writing with the freedom wliich might be used in treating of any other country, in none of which does there exist such an excessive, and universal sensitiveness as to the opinions entertained of them by the English. It may be remarked in passing, that they appear to care less for what is said of them by other foreigners ; but it was not until I had studied this curious feature in the American character long and attentively, and in all parts of their country, that I came to a satisfactory expla- nation of it. With respect to any notice of public affairs, or even to those broad characteristics of domestic manners, which lie fairly open to every man's ob- servation, there need be no scruples, because I have reason to believe that no sensible American will find fault with this. He may think me quite wrong, or much prejudiced; but I shall take good care to prevent its being said with truth, that I have betrayed any confidence. And, at all events, what- ever may be thought or felt in consequence of my strictures, of this I am sure, that every American I conversed with, will do me the justice to recol- 1 / S UNITED STATES. 15 Icct tliat I have not held one language in his coun- try, and anotlicr in my own ; for every word I now puhlisli to tlie world, I have repeatedly and openly spoken in company in all parts of the Uni- ted States. Or, if there he any difference hetween the language I there used in conversation, and that in which I now write, I am sure it will not be found to consist in overstatement, but rather the con- trary. It often occasioned me much regret to Avitness the disappointment I was causing, by this absence of reserve on every subject whereupon I was in- terrogated. It will also be in the recollection of many of my friends in America, that when I ex- pressed my doubts and fears as to the expediency of speaking out in this way, they always strenu- ously urged me to continue the same frankness throughout the journey; assuring me, that their countrymen, however national, and however fond of their institutions, would much prefer hearing them openly attacked to their faces, than insidi- ously commended, till a more convenient season should arrive for reprobating what they held dear. Accordingly, I took them at their word, and per- severed throutrhout the journey, and never once qualified or di juisedmy sentiments. And here I must do the Americans the justice to say, that they invariably took my remarks in good part, ^ 16 TRAVELS IN THE though my opinions, I could see, were often not very flattering. I should fain hope, therefore, that a similar spirit of candour will now meet with equal indulgence, when more deliberately expressed, in strict accordance with their own repeated injunc- tions, that I should state matters exactly as they appeared to me. I have no motive, and can have no motive, to mis- represent things in America; still less to wound the feelings of any person in a country where I was received with such uniform kindness and hos- pitality, and towards which, as a nation, I undoubt- edly felt the greatest good-will on first landing. If I no longer feel altogether as I did towards that country, the change is accompanied by far more sorrow than any other feeling ; and the re- luctance with which I now take up my pen to trace the gradual destruction of my best hopes on the subject, is most sincere, and such as nothing short of a conviction of its being a duty to my own country could overcome. In what this duty con- sists will be seen in the sequel; and though at this moment I scarcely hope to receive much, if any sympathy, in America, the time must one day come, when, if I be right, that sympathy will be cordially granted me. I have thought it best, thus early, to enter a protest, as it may be called, against the charge of <>■ 1 4f:^' UNITED STATEf?. 17 for a re of 4. % my writing with any thing approaching to malice prepense against America. I tell simply what I conscientiously believe to he the truth ; of course, not the whole truth ; but assuredly nothing but the truth, and without the slightest shade of ill-will to any mortal, in that country, or indeed without any thing but good-Avill to the nation generally, except what may spring from diflFerences of opinion on public grounds. Be all this, however, as it may, we were great- ly flattered by tL j kindness of our reception at New York ; and I only regretted that my abstemious habits did so little justice, in return, to the goodly suppers of oyster-soup, ham, salads., lobsters, ices, and jellies, to say nothing of the champagne, rich old Madeira, fruits, and sweetineats, and various other good things, which were handed round at all the parties with little intermission, in a style truly hospitable and liberal. It is often useful in travelling, to record at the instant those trivial but peculiar circumstances, which first strike the eye of a stranger, since, in a short time, they become so familiar as entirely to escape attention. On this principle, I amused my- self one morr'ng by noting down a few of the signs over the shop doors. The following may, perhaps, interest some people. *i'\ 1 18 THAVELS IN THE Flour and Feed Store — Cheap Store — Clothing Store — Cake Store and Bakery — Wine and Tea Store, all explain tlicmselves. Leather and Finding Store, puzzled me at first. I learned, upon inquiry, that findiiij^ means the tape and other finishings of shoes and boots. Uncurrent Notes Bought, required investiga- tion likewise. It seems that of late years many town and country bunlcs hud failed, or fallen into such bad repute, that their notes were not held as good payment by the generality of people ; while other persons, knowing exactly how the case stood, were enabled to turn their knowledge to account, and thus to make a profit by buying up the de- preciated paper. Liberty Street — Amos Street — Thirty- First Street — Avenue A, are all more or less characteristic. The following is a literal copy of the sign before the inn door at Brooklyn, all the places named being on Long Island. CoE S. Bowling's Stage & Livery Stable. Horses and Carriages to be let. FlatBush and Bath — Hempstead — Jerusalem — Hempstead Harbour — Cow Neck — West- bury — Mosquetoe Cove — Jericho — Oyster Bay — Huntington — Eastwoods — Dixhill— Babylon and Islip, Stage House. I \ UNITED STATES. 19 1 X— At two o'clock in the morninp^ of tlic 20tli of May, I was awakened ])y loud cries of Fire ! lire ! and started out of bed, half dreaming that we were still at sea, and the packet in ilames. In a few minutes the deej) runibling sound of the engines AVJ18 heard, mingled in a most alarming way with the cheers of the firemen, the loud rapping of the watchmen at the doors and window-shutters of the sleeping citizens, and various other symptoms of momentous danger, and the necessity of hot haste. So much had been said to me of the activity and skill of the New York firemen, that I was anxious tp see them in actual operation ; and accordingly, having dressed myself quickly, I ran down stairs. Before I reached the outer-door, howe^'er, the noise had wellnigh ceased ; the engines were trundling slowly back again, and the people grumbling, not without reason, at having been dragged out of bed to no purpose. Of this number I certainly v/as one, but more from what I had lost seeing than from any other cause. I was scarcely well asleep again, before a se- cond and far more furious alarm, brought all the world to the windows. Tlie church bells were clanging violently on all hands, and the ear could readily catch, every now and then, a fresh sound chiming in with the uproar with much musical dis- cord, and all speaking in tones of such vehemence f 1 so TRAVELS IN THE I ]i 11 ''< as satisfied me that now there would be no disap- pointment. On opening the street door, I saw in the east a tall column of black smoke, curling and writhing across the cold morning sky, like a great snake attempting to catch the moon, which, in her last quarter, was moving quietly along, as if careless of the increasing tumult which was fast spreading over the city. On the top of the City Hall, one of the finest of the numerous public buildings which adorn New York, a fire-warden or watchman is con- stantly stationed, whose duty when the alarm is g^ven, is to hoist a lantern at the extremity of a long arm attached to the steeple, and to direct it towards the fire, as a sort of beacon, to instruct the engines what course to steer. There was some- thing singularly striking in this contrivance, which looked as if a great giant, with a blood-red finger, had been posted in the midst of the city, to warn the citizens of their danger. I succeeded by quick running in getting abreast of a fire engine; but although it was a very pon- derous aifair, it was dragged along so smartly by its crew of some six-and-twenty men, aided by a whole legion of boys, all bawling as loud as they could, that I found it difficult to keep up with ihem. On reaching the focus of attraction, the crowd of l» i I UNITED STATES. 81 i of curious persons like myself began to thicken, while the engines came dashing in amongst us from every avenue, in the most gallant and business-like style. Four houses, built entirely of wood, were on fire from top to bottom, and sending up a f^ *me that would have defied a thousand engines. But nothing could exceed the dauntless spirit with which the attempt was made. In the midst of a prodigious noise and confusion, the engines were placed along the streets in a line, at the distance of about two hundred feet from one another, and reaching to the bank of the East River, as that inland sea is called, which lies between Long Island and the main. The suction hose of the last engine in the line, or that next the stream, being plunged into the river, the water was drawn up, and then forced along a leathern hose or pipe to the next engine, and so on, till at the tenth link in this curious chain, it came within range of the fire. As more engines arrived, they were mar- shalled by the superintendent into a new string ; and in about five minutes after the first stream of water had been brought to bear on the fiames, an- other was sucked along in like manner, and found its way, leap by leap, to the seat of the mischief. I moved about amongst the blazing houses till driven back by the police, who laboured hard to clear the ground for the firemen alone. On re- l! 22 TRAVELS IN THE tiring reluctantly from tliiw intorcstinp Bccnc, I eau^^ht u p^limpsc of a third jet of water playing away upon the b.'iclc part of the fire ; and on going round to that quarter, UNirrn states. 23 be as at ;os an tig i 1 1 linos, tliiK Kj»out may ix' laisod, lowered, or turn- ed to tlio rit^lit or l«'ft. Uy means also of a pro- per adjustment of tlio legH, two of wliich may be brou^lit eloso to tbo wall of tbo burriiiiff Iiouhp, and tlie lliird punlied either baekwKrdN or forwards, H solid stream of water can be directed, in its un- broken state, full npon the tinil)erH of a bbiziiijr rool', or it may be spouted into a room on lire, not only wiliiout (hmf^er to the firemen, but willi much gi'eater precision and effect than by tlie or- dinary methods, which «;(!nerally have tiie effect of scattcriiifr the water in a sliower over the llames, to no purpose. The committee listened very attentively to my lecture, and inspected the drawinjrs made to illus- trate what was said. But I had the mortification, five months afterwards, to see three fine houses burned to the ground, two of wliicli migbt have been saved, as an old fireman assured mo on the spot, had this contrivance been introduced. As I naturally ascribed this indifference to the proposed plan, to some want of distinctness in these descriptions, I lost no time in writing home for a model of the wliole apparatus, whicli I re- ceived just before leaving America, and left with a friend, to be presented to the Fire Department of New York. I hope they may find it useful in that >city, wliich seems to be more plagued with j 24 THAVELS IN THE fires than any town in tJie world ; and I shall he happy if they will do mo the kindness to permit copies or drawings of it to bo made for any other parts of tho Union, in which this account may happen to excite interest. Under the guidance of one of the most benevo- lent and public-spirited men in America, we visit- ed one day the House of Refuge for juvenile de- linquents, — an excellent institution in every re- spect. Its object is to furnish an asylum for such young offenders as may cither be released from prison, or would, in the regular course of law, be sent there. For a time, therefore, tho morab of these boys are exempted from tho corruption of evil communication, and they have a fair chance given them for future virtue. They are taught habits of regular industry, are instructed in some useful profession, and above all are carefully train- ed to know and to feel the value of piety, and con- sequently of virtue on its own account. After a certain period of probation and discip- line, bodily and mental, these youths are bound out as apprentices to tradespeople, who, it is curious and most important to know, are generally well pleased to have them. This, at all events, is very complimentary to the establishment. If, however, the masters or the parents of the youths have reason to believe their reformation not yet complete, they I 1 UNITED STATES, 25 Irious well very ;ver, eason they i nro at liberty to soikI tlio lads back sixain; and in onh'r to {rive dij« effect to tliisarranjj^euient, the committee of inana^emetit arc in constant corres- pondence with the parties under whose care the boys are plaited. The immediate superintendence of the establisb- mcnt was, at the time we visited it, in the IuuuIk of a clergyman of tbe Metliodist persuasion. I was at a loss which to be most pleased witli, the patience and clear-headed sagacnty of tbis amiable person, or the mixed gentleness and decision of his de- portment, which appeared to attract tbe confidence of the boys, without diminisliing, on their part, that respectful and prompt obedience absolutely essential to the good order of such a community. It must require a compact union of good feeling and good sense, and, I may add, of good temper, and right principles, to make up the character of a per- fect jailor schoolmaster. We also visited a similar, though not so nume- rous, an establishment for girls. It seemed to be managed with equal care ; and I may say of both, that I have rarely seen in any country institutions containing less admixture of speculative quackery, or better calculated to remedy acknowledged evils, by getting at their source and checkingtheir growth. A bounty on virtue, in short, is offered to these young people, by showing them, while their tastes, VOL. I. B w 26 TRAVELS IN THE and habits are yet ductile, the practical advantages of good conduct. Neitlier do I consider it the least of the merits of this system, as applicable to America in particu- lar, that a certain amount of dependence on others, and a consequent distrust of themselves, is urged as a duty upon the earliest reflections of these young people. Because, however necessary these lessons may be thought to their well-being in after life, they certainly would have little chance of being taught such doctrines anyAvhere in the United States, beyond the walls of the House of Refuge. On our return to the city, we visited the High School, the principle of which is professedly taken from the institution of the same name in Edin- burgh. Tlie monitorial plan has been retained, with two considerable differences. To each of the classes or divisions which consists I think of ten boys, there are two monitors not one as in Edinburgh. One of these is employed in the strict monitorial office of teaching and superin- tending the boys of his division ; the other is en- gaged, in a separate apartment, not teaching but being taught Thus while one set of the monitors are engaged in communicating to their several di- visions the lessons taught them by the master the day before, the other, or second set of monitors, formed into a separate class, are receiving a dose UNITED STATES. 27 of instruction, wliicli it will become their duty to impart to their divisions the next day. Tlie ohjcct of this system, as far as I under- stand it, is to carry on matters faster than by the common method, which, it is said by iW. advo- cates of this double plan, has a tendency to keep back the monitors, who are made drudges to bring on the dunces, at a dead loss to themselves. I am not sufficiently familiar with such matters to say how this may be ; but I suspect tluit, like most complications in machinery, moral as well as me- chanical, the loss by unsteadiness and want of uni- formity of purpose, will more than counteract the additional gain of power. We then visited the High School for girls. There was here no general class, the whole being divided into sets of ten, including a monitor. Nothing could be more quiet, neat, or orderly, than this es- tablishment. After the usual routine of exhibit- ing, the mistress asked me to select some piece for one of the classes to read. I chose Campbell's Ho- henlinden. On being asked my opinion as to how they exhibited, I merely said the girls read with a good deal of expression and feeling. But I sup- pose there was something in my tone which did not quite satisfy the good schoolmistress ; for she urged me to criticise any tiling I disapproved of. " Pray," said I, " is it intended that the girls ¥ i '1: 28 TRAVELS IN THE ghould pronounce the words according^ to the re- ceived usage in England, or according to some American variation in tone or emphasis ?'' . "Oh yes, certainly," cried she ; " we take Walker as our standard; and I trust — indeed I am sure, you don't hear any thing to object to on the score of pronunciation in my girls ; we take particular care of that. Pray mention it, sir, if you think other- wise." Thus appealed to, I could not resist saying, that in England the word combat was pronounced as if the o in the first syllable were written u, cum- bat; and that instead of saying sAivalry, the ch with us was sounded hard, as in the word chin ; and that I believed the dictionary alluded to would bear me out in this. *' Oh yes, sir, perhaps he may give these words in that way ; but we don't altogether follow Wal- ker. And, for my part," said the mistress, bri- dling a little, " I shall certainly continue to use, and to teach my pupils to say combat and sAival- ry." I attempted, idly enough perhaps, to show that a standard if it were good for any thing, was good for all things ; and, in order to soften this dictum, mentioned that we poor Scotch folks yielded up our opinions implicitly on all such points to the English. But the worthy lady's answer was, " You in UNITED STATES. 29 Scotland may do as you like, but we Americans have a perfect right to pronoanco our words as we please." I shrugged my shoulders, and said no more, of course ; but was much amused afterwards by ob- serving, that when one of the girls of the class in question, a little sprightly, wicked-looking, red- haired lassie, came in turn to read the poem, she gave to both the words their true interdicted pro- nunciation. She herself did not dare to look up, while guilty of this piece of insubordination ; but I could see each of tlie other girls peeping archty out of the corners of their eyes in the direction of the mistress, anticipating, probably, a double dose of good counsel afterwards for their pains. By far the most interesting school, however, which we saw in the course of this busy day, was one for the education of Negro and Mulatto child- ren. Poor little wretches ! their whole souls — if, as Uncle Toby says, they have souls — were thrown into their lessons; and it was delightful to see them under the guidance of a man, whose particular hobby was to teach blacks ; and who had devoted many years of his life exclusively to this subject. I was led to think he had a better taste in teaching than some other persons we had seen in the course of the morning ; for when one of the little quaminos, in answer to some question, made 30 TRAVELS IN THE use of a common English vulgarism, and said, *' The hook is laying there," the master called out, *' M^iat ! do you mean that the book is laying eggs'" We naturally begged to know whether or not he had discovered any material difference in the intellectual powers of the blacks and whites at these schools. His answer was, that up to a cer- tain age, that is to say, as long as they were little children, there was no difference perceptible. As they played about together, and studied togoihrr, the blacks were not made to feel any of those dis- tinctions by which in after life tlieir spirits were sure to be crushed down. I was told, that even in the state of New York, where negro slavery has been abolislied by law, a black man meets with no real and effective sympathy on the part of the whi^e lords of tlie creation. Consequently, let a negTo be ever so industrious or well-informed, still he seems stamped for degradation, and tlius has little or no fair chance amongst the whites, who will nei- ther trust him, nor allow of his trusting them. Thus mutual confidence, which is the most im- portant link of civil society, is broken ; and when that is the case, there remains, I fear, no other method of attaching to its interests a class so cir- cumstanced, between whom and the whites all fel- low-feeling is inevitably prevented from growing up. *y UNITED STATES. 31 On the 21st of May, I accompanied two gentle- men, about tliree o'clock, to a curious place called the Plate House, in the very centre of the business part of the busy town of New York. We entered a long, narrow, and rather dark room, or gallery, fitted up like a coffeehouse, with a row of boxes on each side madc^ just large enough to hold four persons, and divided into that number by fixed arms limiting the seats. Along the pass- age, or aA'enue, between the rows of boxes, which was not above four feet wide, were stationed sun- dry little boys, and two waiters, with their jackets oft* — anu good need too, as will be seen. At the time we entered, all the compartments were filled except one, of which we took possession. There was an amazing clatter of knives and forks ; but not a we/d audible to us was spoken by any of the guests. Tliis silence, however, on the part of the company, was amply made up for by the rapid vociferations of tlie attendants, especially of tlio boys, who v/ere gliding up and down, and across tlie passage, inclining their heads for an instant first to one box, tlien to another, and receiving the whispered wishes of the company, wliich tliey straightway bawled out in a loud voice^ to give notice of what fare was wanted. It quite bafilcd my comprehension to imagine liowtlie people at the upper end of the room, by whom a communica- 32 TRAVELS IN THE 11 ! 1 All I m tion was kept up in some magical way with the kitchen, could contrive to distinguish between one order and another. It was still more marvellous that within a few seconds after our wishes had been communicated to one of the aforesaid urchins, imps, gnomes, or Avhatever name they deserve, the things we asked for were placed piping hot before us. It was really quite an Arabian Night's Enter- tainment, not a sober dinner at a chop-house. The sole object of the company e>adently was to get through a certain quantum of victuals with as much dispatch as possible ; and as all the world knows that talking interferes with eating, every art was used in this said most excellent Plate House, to utter as few words as might be, and only those absolutely essential to the ceremony. In giving the order to the sprites flitting about us, we had merely to name the dish wanted, which they conjured to the table, either in a single por- tion or plateful, or in any other quantity, accord- ing to the number of the party. If a farther sup- ply were wanted, a half or a whole plateful was whispered for, and straightway it was laid before We had been told by old stagers of the ex- us. ;:•■ cellence of the coi'ned beef, and said to the boy we should all three take that dish. Off the gnome glanced from us like a shot, to attend to the beck of another set of guests, on the opposite side of the h n UNITED STATES. 33 .V, room ; but, in flying across the passage, turned his face towards the upper end of the apartment and called out, " Three heef, 8 !" the last word of his sentence referring to the number of our box. In a trice we saw thser- vation, that I heard all this with pleasure, as it held out an ap'ceahle prospect for the future journey. But this hope was presently much dashed hy a re- ference, in support of these ])retensions, to the very galleries T had heen looking at ; to which, of course, I returned immediately after the lecture was over, very anxious to give the argument the full value of the illustration. But, alas ! the second trial left matters worse than the first. On the 26th of Mav, we made an excursion into the state of New Jersey, in company with some obliging friends, to see the falls of the Passaic, and the manufactories at the village of Patterson. These falls, which are dammed up for six days in the week to turn machinery, and let loose on Sun- day, are considered one of the most fashionable sights in the neighbourhood ; and I must owii, that their popularity does credit to the taste of the cockneys of New York, the London of America. I trust, however, I shall be forgiven for skipping the picturesque upon this occasion. 38 TRAVELS IN TIIK I was «o forliituito an to see durinjr my stay at New York, tlio ctirioiiH process of moving a house bodily aloiifr the p^round, an operation, as far as I know, ])eculiar to tliat jdaec. The merit of tliis en- rious athiptation of well known inechani<'al opera- tions, helontrs to Mr SinuMm Hrown, who has very kindly explained the wholo ]»roeess to me, and hy Ills permission I shall enro<^. ,, of the ])n'|)arationH on tlie 2.>tli of May with fjreat interest; ))iit nnfortunatcly, jnst as the men \v(»r(? |»roc(M'(Hn}r to the acrtiial hnsiness oi'iuo- vinliii(> ; ])ut wImmi the jmrtlos to ])(» wroiiy nature, and altojj^cthcr nnarcuKtoincd to re- straint, tli(^ difliculty is considerably augmented. This problem, lio\vev«T, lias been, I think, pretty nearly s, f will be seen, and tlieir bearing on one anotber more readily understood. The whole secret of the astonishing success of this plan, lies in preventing the prisoners from Iiolding any kind of communication with each other, however slight or transient. As a matter of indispensable necessity towards the accomplish- ment of this object, it is obvious that the convicts must be kept separate at night. To effect this com- pletely, without any great cost in the way of house- room and of superintendence, is a difficulty which has been completely overcome in the state of New York. According to the system alluded to, each prisoner has a separate sleeping place, seven feet in length, seven high, and three and a half wide, built of solid blocks of stone, and secured by an iron door, the upper part of which contains orifices smaller than a man's hand. Throrgh this grate a sufficient supply of air is admitted, and as much fight and heat as are necessary. The ventilation is mciJe complete by a sort of chimney or air-pipe, three inches in diameter, which extends from the upper part of each of the apartments to the roof of the building. These cells, or sleeping births^ are placed in rows of one hundred in each, one above another, and in appearance by no means unlike wine bins in a cellar, only deeper, wider, and twice as high. Each tier has in front of it a narrow gal- ■i UNITED STATES. 55 lery just wide enough for one man to pass, and connected at the ends with a staircase. The prison at Sing Sing when completed, whicb it probably is by this time (1829), will contain eight hundred cells, four hundred of which are on the side facing the rivfji, and a like number on the side next the land. The block or mass of building, formed of these two sets of cells placed back to back, may be compared to a long, high, and straight wall twenty feet thick, perforated on both sides with four parallel and horizontal ranges of square holes. This again is encased on all sides by an external building, the walls of which are at ten feet distance from those of the inner work, or honeycomb of cells. These outer walls are pierced with rows of small windows, one being opposite to each door, and so adjusted as to afford abundant light and fresh air, but no means of seeing out. Stoves and lamps are placed along the area or open space be- tween the external wall and the inner building, to afford heat in winter, and light to the galleries after sunset. As soon as the prisoners are locked up for the night, each in his separate cell, a watchman takes his station on the ground floor abreast of the lower tier, or if he thinks fit he may walk along the gal- leries past tlie line of doors. His feet being shod with mocasins, his tread is not heard, while he Mm- 1 1 'f !;i I 56 TRAVELS IN THE self can liear the faintest attempt at communica- tion made by one prisoner to another ; for the space in front of the cells seems to be a sort of whisper- ing- or sounding gallery, of which fact I satisfied myself by actual experiment, though I do not very well know the cause. In this way the convicts are compelled to pass the night in solitude and silence ; and I do not remember in my life to have met be- fore with any thing so peculiarly solemn as the death-like silence which reigned, even at noon-day, in one of these prisons, though I knew that many hundreds of people were close to me. At night the degree of silence was really oppressive; and like many other parts of this curious establishment must be witnessed in person to be duly understood. The convicts are awakened at sunrise by a bell ; but before they are let out, the clergyman of the establishment reads a prayer from a station so cho- sen, that without effort he can readily make liim- self heard by all the prisoners on that side of the building, that is to say, by 400, or one half of the number confined. The turnkeys now open the doors, and a word of command being given, each of the prisoners steps out of his cell into the gal- lery. They are then formed into close line, and made to march with what is called the lock step, with their eyes turned towards their kee|)er, along the passages to the work-shops. On leaving the UNITED STATES. 57 building, the different divisions or gangs under the several turnkeys, make a short halt in the outer- vard to wash theii* hands and faces, and also to de- posit their tubs and water-cans, which are taken up by another set of prisoners, whose duty it is to attend to the cleansing department of the house- hold. Another party of the prisoners attend to tlie cooking ; another to watching clothes ; in short, the whole work is done by the convicts. The main body of the prisoners are then marched to their fixed tasks ; some to hew stone, or to saw marble, some to forge iron, some to weave cloth ; while others are employed as tailors, shoemakers, coop- ers, and in various other trades. Each shop is un- der the charge of a turnkey, of course not a con- vict, but a man of character, and known to be trust- worthy, who, besides other qualifications, is requi- red to be master of the business there taught; for his duty is not only to enforce the closest attention to the rules of the prison, and in particular that of the most rigorous silence, but he has to instruct the men under his charge in some trade. The pri- soners when in tliese work-shops, are placed in rows with their faces all turned in one direction, so that they cannot communicate by looks or signs. Each turnkey has not less than twenty, nor more than thirty men under his charge ; and it is found that one man, stimulated by a good salary, or by c2 H « : I i .' 58 TRAVELS IN THE [I other adequate motives to do liis duty, and who is duly supported, can perfectly well enforce these regulations upon that number of persons. Tlie general superintendent of the prison has a most ingenious method of watching not only the prisoners, but also the turnkeys. A narrow dark passage runs along the back part of all the work- shops, from whence the convicts, sitting at their tasks, as well as their turnkeys, can be distinctly seen through narrow slits in the wall, half an inch wide, and covered with glass, while the superin- tendent himself can neither be seen nor heard by the i^risoners, or by their keepers. The conscious- ness that a vigilant eye may at any given moment be fixed upon them, is described as being singu- lai'ly efficacious in keeping the attention of all parties awake, to an extent which no visible and permanent scrutiny, I am told, has the power of commanding. At a fixed hour, eight I believe, a bell is rung, upon which all work is discontinued ; the prisoners again form themselves into a close line under their turnkey, and when the order is given to march, they return back to their cells. Each one now stops before his door, with his hands by his side, motionless and silent like a statue, till direct- ed by a signal to stoop down for his breakfast, which has been previously placed for him on the UNITED STATES. 59 ms floor of the gallery. They next turn about, and march in, after which the iron doors of their cells are locked upon them, while they take their com- fortless meal in solitude. At Auburn, where this system was first put in operation, it was the prac- tice, at the time of my visit, to allow the prisoners to eat theii" meals in company. But experience having shown that even this degree of sociability, trifling as it was, did some harm, and that much good was gained by compelling them to mess alone, the plan above described has, I believe, been in- troduced in all the other similar establishments in America, of which I am glad to say there are now a great many. After twenty minutes have elapsed, the prisoners are marched to their work ; which goes on in the same uninterrupted style till noon, when they are paraded once more to their cells, where they take their lock-up, unsociable dinner, and then pace back again to their dull silent round of hard la- bour. On the approach of night, the prisoners are made to wash their hands and faces, as they did in the morning on leaving their cells, and then, as before, at the sound of ^he yard-bell, to form them- selves into lines, each one standing in order accord- ing to the number of his nighi's quarters. As they pass througli the yard they take up their cans and tubs, and proceed finally for this day to their cell 1 l.n 60 TRAVELS IN THE I'M ! ■f! iM doors, where their supper of musli and molasses, a preparation of Indian corn meal, awaits tliem as before. At a fixed hour tliey are directed l)y a bell to undress ana go to bed ; but just berbre this, and as nearly at sunset ah may be, prayers arc said by the resident clergyman. It is very important to know from the best qualified local authorities, that the efficacy of this practice, considered as a branch of the prison discipline, and independently of its other valuable considerations, has been found very great. Captain Lynds, the superintendent at Sing Sing, and the gentleman who is, I believe, universally admitted to have the greatest share of the merit which belongs to the first practical application of this system, is decidedly of opinion that it is not and never can be complete, unless there be a cler- gyman permanently attached to the establishment, whose exclusive duty it shall be to attend to the prisoners. Indeed he told me himself, that he had originally taken the opposite line, from a belief that this division of authority with a spiritual su- perintendent, if I may use such a term, would in- terfere with the ordinary discipline; but that he now considered this alliance of primary consequence. This question is one of great moment, and the name of Captain Lynds stands so deservedly high, that I cannot afford to relinquish the support which ? UNITED STATES. 61 liis authority lends to my own deliberate opinion upon this subject. In April 1827, at the earnest recommendation oi'this gentleman, a chaplain was sent to Sing- Sing. The person who was induced to assume the re- sponsibilities of this station was Mr Gerrish Bar- rett, and that he feels these obligations in the pro- per spirit, will I think be freely admitted by every one who reads the following extract from a letter written by him, which I have transcribed from page 109 of the Second Report of the Prison Dis- cipline Society of Boston, an institution which has rendered eminent services to this la.ise in Ame- rica. " A little after seven o'clock every evening," says Mr Barrett, " I commence reading the scrip- tures to the convicts, afterwards make some re- marks, and then offer a prayer on each side of the prison. I have found by experience, that to stand as near the centre of the prison as possible, on the pavement below, is far better for the purpose of being easily heard, than to stand upon the gallery. I am persuaded, that of all the methods which have been used for fastening divine truth upon the minds of convicts, this daily reading of the scriptures and prayer is most likely to succeed. The truth strikes upon the ear, when the men are sobered by the labours of the day, when no mortal eye sees them, w fi2 TRAVELS IN THE and wlien the twilight and the silence, and the loneliness combine in causing it to make a deep impression. They can then reflect on what they have heard till they fall asleep. *' After divine service on the Sabbath, a consi- derable portion of the time is spent in talking to the men in their cells. In this business I feel more and more interested. I have found no one yet, who showed any disrespect or unwillingness to hear what was said." — (Page 67.) It will not be supposed, nor is it pretended by the friends of this plan, that its effects are in every case beneficial, and that all, or any great number of the convicts, are to bo reformed. It is surely enough if it can be shown, that of all the plans of penitentiary discipline which have been tried, this one affords the best chance for success ; and it is my opinion, after having visited many prisons in different parts of the United States, that the Au- burn system, as it is called, does in fact combine more advantages, with fewer defects, than any other which has yet been proposed in that country. I ought perhaps to have mentioned before, that the conricts who are sentenced to confinement in the state prisons of America, are chiefly such as in England would be either executed or banished. Now, in most of the states, particularly in the North and in the East, there is a great objection ' NITED STATES. 63 !' *i to capital punistiir.cnts ; and as tliey have no place to whicli offenders can he transported, they are compelled, in order to preserve the peace of society, to shut up in the heart of the country a great num- ber of persons who in England would be got rid of altogether. This difference in the circumstances of the two countries is not, I think, sufficiently attended to, and like many other things, helps to disturb those analogies by which the same reason- ings are often injudiciously applied to both. Two plans have been proposed in America, for alleviating the evils incident to this necessity of maintaining a permanent class of ruffians, gradual- ly increasing in numbers, in the very heart of the community. One of these is to shut them up in absolute solitary confinement day and night, either with or without labour, but altogether without companionship ; and thus virtually to banish them not only from the country, but, for the time, from the world. This, combined with a course of refor- matory moral discipline, which is not considered incompatible, has some zealous supporters in Penn- sylvania. The other is the plan I have been just describing, which is generally called the Auburn system, from the first experiments having been made at a village of that name, in the western part of the State of New York. A pretty warm con- troversy has been carried on in America upon this m ^,.f ! i.i VA TRAVELS IN THE KnT>ject J but as I shall probably liavo a bettor op- portunity of explaininjif the nature and extent of the opposite systeni, or that of absolute soHtude, in treating of tiie penitentiary at Philadelphia, I shall at present merely state in a very few words what seem to be the prominent advantages of the Auburn plan. It is right to mention in passing, that many per- sons in England are under a misconception as to tlie state of the controversy in America. In the Seventh Report of the London Prison Discipline Society, at page 110, it is stated, that " Solitary confinement, unmitigated by employment either of body or mind, is the most prominent feature in the discipline now recommended in the United States." Without going into any details, I think it due to the subject, as well as to the good sense and right feelings of that country, to assert positively, that the contrary is the fact ; and that of all the per- sons I conversed with on this matter — and I spared no pains to bring myself in contact with those who took an interest in the question — I met with only one man Avho was a hearty advocate for absolute solitary confinement, and even he was half dispo- sed to admit the necessity of adding labour. There is not a single new prison from end to end of Ame- rica, excepting one in Philadelphia, where such a III UNITED STATFS. C5 plan is thoup^ht of; and won tlioro, a])S(»liito Kolitiulp lias not yet lKN>n,aiMl Isiis|M»ct noverwill lM>a(lo|)t<>(l — Kinijjly lu'caiiso tlu* piihru; fcolin^ \h diroctly tlio reverse of what is stated in the above quotation ; and beeause all experience tends to show its inef- ficacy. It must be recollected, that the persons subject- ed to this discipline, are amonjfst the most hard- ened, the least educated, and the most unprinci- pled men in the country ; many of whom have been systematically tauji^ht vice, and who, from the con- stant indulgence of every bad ])ropensity, have acquired the most pernicious liabits. To reform such matured ruffians, is not a task which holds out much hope in the eyes of men who have studied such subjects out of their closets. All that can be looked for, indeed, or that ought to be looked for, as far as the convicts are concerned, is that, by pos- sibility, some of them may be made less wicked. In this view, it is a statesman's business to give them the best chance for reformation, at the same time that he eflFectually keeps in view the other objects of a penitentiary. These are the safe cus- tody of the culprit, combined with that amount of punishment which, while it makes the deepest im})rcssion on his mind, may, by a salutary terror, help to deter otiiers from commitlin!nc like offences against society. If economy to the state can be 66 TIIAVELS IN .MIF added, an in the chho of the Auburn syHtem, where the labour of the eonvictH defrays nearly all the expcnHi'H of tlie CHtabliHhment, so much the better. In the oflicial report made to the lep^'iKlaturo of the state of New York, dated 5th January, 1828, the inspectors say, " Such has been the improve- ment in the earnings of the convicts, and such the diminution of pardons, we arc of opinion, that no farther appropriation will hereafter be necessary to support the current expenses of the prison at Auburn." The directors of the prison at Wethers- field in the state of Connecticut, say in their offi- cial report to the legislature, dated 10th April, 1828, " that the earnings of the prisoners for the six months ending Slst March, 1828, have been 1017 dollars over and above the expenses of their management, and of their support." " In the new prison at Sing Sing," says the Bos- ton Society's Third Report, page 14, " Captain Lynds declares, that he will ask no greater privi- lege from the state when the prison is done, than the earnings of the convicts, above every expense for food, medical attendance, moral instruction, keeping, &c. &c. ; and that te will enter into bonds for one hundred thousand dollars to release the state from all further charges for tlie current expenses, in consideration of receiving the proceeds of the labour of the convicts." UNITED STATF.H. 67 Jt is not very ajjreoablc, but it may porliaps l)o UKefiil, to coinpai'u tills point of priHoii expoiiHCS witli nliat takes plan* in Kn^land. Tin* loilowinff tttblo is extracted from pap;e 50 of tiie Third Re- port of the Boston Prison Discipline StK'iety. " Anoth<'r {j^reat point of difference in the two countries, is in repird to the productiveness of the labour of convicts. yiinihrr /t mount IK KNOLAND. of coiivicU. of earning. Maidstone ('oiiiity Prison, Kent, - -' y(i."i £111!) I^ancastt-r ("iistie ("oiinty Jiiil. - - 4.14 (JOI Preston County I loiisf of Correction, - Jfhi fiKi Manchester New Hitiiey House of CoiToction, 7()2 85it)9 Kirktiale County House of Correction, - (Js2() H30 I^eirester County House of Correction, - W) 13S Millmnix Peniteiitiiirv, near London, - 841 W'Zb Shrewsbury County Jailand House of Correction, ISt 227 StuHTord County Jail and House of Correction, 2(>H 858 Bury County .tail and House of Correction, 121< 1&4 Dorchester Ctiunty Jail and House of (.'orrection, 188 675 Gloucester County Jail and Penitentiary, 199 120 Twelve amonj,' the most productive Prisons \ .%f)0 £8867 in England, cunUuiung IN THE UNITED STATES. State Prison in Maine, State Prison in New Hampshire, State Prison in Massjichnsetts. State Prison at Wethersrield, Conn. State Prison at Auburn, N- Y. - j Equal in dol- lars to 4T,727 Nvmher Amount oj'cvtiricln. ofcarniu^ 1827, 71 Dollars Kifil. 1825, 70 f)949 1827, 285 22,732 1828, 97 7230 1827, 476 .S.S,304 Five among the most prwluctive Prisons in the United States, - - _ . 999 Dollars 81,979 " According to tliis statement, in England, 3699 convicts earn in a year, about 41,727 dollars. And in tlie United States, 999 convicts f';nn 81,979 dollars, or about £17,425. Or in other words, a little more t^ m one-fourth part the number of con- 11 I ' I ') 68 TRAVELS IN THE i victs in tlie United States, earn move than double the amount of nearly four times the number of convicts in England." The above great difference in the returns from the labour of the convicts, depends chiefly on the diiference in the discipline ; but partly no doubt on the diet. At all the five American prisons above mentioned, the animal food allow^ed to each man per day, is not less than one pound, which is not more than sufficient considering the nature of their constant and hard labour. In England, the quan- tity of animal food is very small — a pound, or half a pound a- week. — (Third Report, page 56.) A convict brought to one of these prisons, what- ever may have been his previous life, is speedily instructed in many useful things, of which, in all probability, he was totally ignorant before, and might never otherwise have come to learn. In the first place, he is taught habits of industry ; from whence, in spite of himself, he is made sensible hov/ much he may do by steady labour. He is taught habits of temperance, of which virtue he probably knew nothing at all before ; and what may tend to impress its value on his mind, he discovers what it is to sleep soundly, to rise without a headach, and to look to labour as a source of health, of strength, and even of enjoyment, as a relief from the te- dium of solitude. He also learn? what certain- f I UNITED STATES. 69 te- lain- ly lie never could have known before, liabits of obedience, and of submission to sometliing stronger tlian his own perverse will. It may be said that this obedience is compulsory and irksome, and that such rigorous discipline can be enfo ccd at the ])oint of the lash alone. Still the habit is engen- dered ; and a man who by any means, no matter what, is compelled to obey for any length of time the consistent laws of a well-regulated prison, will leave it, I should think, better disposed to obey the general laws of society than he ever was formerly. He is, moreover, made acquainted with order, clean- liness, and punctuality, all new and agreeable to him. The corruption of his manners, from the long- continued evils of vicious intercourse with equally bad, or worse spirits than himself, is entirely put a stop to ; and the canker, if it have not fairly reach- ed the core, may yet be arrested — perhaps eradi- cated. In aid of this too, it must be recollected, that the only A'oice, except that of stern authority, which he is ever allowed to hear, is that of the frieixdly chaplain. Thus his sole remaining inter- course with society takes place through a person whose duty and whose pleasure it is to lead his thoughts into virtuous channels, and when once there to keep them fast. " Mr Barrett, the chap- lain of Sing Sing," says the Report of tlie Boston Society, " expresses a deep and increasing interest m i m i 70 TRAVELS IN THE in liis employment, and that liis time flies swiftly, and he is willint^ to remain where he is." — (2d Report, p. 67.) Tliat any person should he willing to remain amongst such a set of men, is creditable not only to himself individually, hut to tlie system by which his exertions are made so useful, as to act the part of an agreeable stimulus to duty. The pleasure which this amiable man speaks of, arises, undoubt- edly, from those incipient buddings of sympathy, if I may so express myself, which spring up in his path ; by which he learns, that no field, however barren it may seem to careless eyes, can be unfer- tile, when watered by those dews, which by his sacred commission he is commanded to shed alike over the just aiul the unjust. As a part of this system, therefore, I should haAo mentioned before, that a Bible is placed in every cell, and is the only book the convicts are allowed to see. The prisoner may read it, or he may leave it alone, as he pleases ; but when we consider that this is the only occupation of his solitude, and that, except on Sunday, the opportunities of leisure are few and brief, the chances are, that sooner or later he will be tempted to try. " 1 should like to see," said a hardened convict to the chaplain upon one occasion, " what sort of stuff the Bible is made of." Exactly in the sar . way, probably, a prisoner may, UNITED STATES. 71 ami ofton does, turn a deaf ear at first to the ser- \'ice read to him every moriiinjr and evening ; or, like liif^ betters, he may sometimes sleep through the sermon ; or he may sullenly reject those Sun- day visits which, by the rules of the prison, the clergyman alone is authorized to pay to every one who shall intimate his wish to that effect. But in the course of time, when he finds that these words are the only sounds he is permitted to hear, save those of arbitrary command, and that the oc- casional companionship of the chaplain forms the only link by which he is held to the rest of the world, he must come, if there be a spark of good in his composition — and in whom is there not some- thing that is good? — to feel the amusement at least, and eventually perhaps, the profit of these lessons. As many of the convicts, however, were found unable to read, it seemed rather a mockery to place books in their cells ; and this rt flection probably suggested the experiment of a Sunday school at Auburn, in the summer of 1826, at which 50 of the most ignorant of the convicts, whose age did not exceed 25, were placed. The p^i^^lege was embraced with the greatest avidity and apparent thankfulness, and the scliool has since been extend- ed to a hundred and twenty-five members. " The prisoners were divided into classes of five or six, and 11 1 r!. i-5 ' 4^ ii 72 TRAVELS IN THE instuK'ted," says Mr Powcm's, the keeper, " bystii- abIo, become more and more corrupt. It appears to me, therc'foro, after examinins^ the subjectt attentively on the Hpot, un- der a ^eat variety of aspects, that the inininumi degree of cheerfulnesH that will ansT^er the piirpose is allowed to the prisoners in the penitentiaries alluded to, by their being permitted to labour in company. They cannot interchange thoughts, or hold any sociable intercourse whatsoever ; but Rtill they do see the human face divine ; they feel that they are not altogether abandoned and ahuv out from the world ; and although this association b? purposely made one of toil and of disgrace, still it is not so dreadful as the unvaried comj)anionship of their own guilty thoughts. This consideration, by the way, many people are apt to disregard. Be- cause, forwo li, they themselves are virtuous, and stand in need ; f no more cakes and ale, they fancy they .night be che' red, instead of being tortured, by the exclusive and fearful pro<;flSs of dissecting their own thoughts. For all the useful purposes of reflection, twelve hours out of the twenty-four are surely abund- antly sufTicient : and if this interval be passed in rigorous solitude, after :i long and speechless day of hard labour, there will remain, I am siu"e, enough of s<.»iTow in the captive's cup tc excite no wish VOL. I. D * - / i 74 TRAVELS IN THE on his part to repeat the drauglit, nor any desire on tliat of others to share in such a banquet. It often occurred to me, during my visits to vhese miserable abodes of guilt and punishment, tliat one of the most powerful motives to virtuous action might with great ease be introduced into all of them, as a branch not only of the mere pri- son €lis(!ipline, but as a source of eventual advantage to the prisoners themselves, and consequently to their country. The mofive I allude to is hope, — blessed liope ! At present the lash, that prompt, severe, efficacious, but, I much fear, indispensable weapon, is the grand instrument by which the well-explained rules of these Penitentiaries are eiiforccd. I use the word indispensable, because I conceive it hardly possible to do away with this rigorous method of compelling the obedience of hardened, and, morally speaking, unfeeling vil- lains, without substituting punishments incompa- rably more severe, and at the same time less effec- tual. Along with it, however, a more generous motive than fear may very well come into play. Why, if disobedience be punished, should not obe- dience be rewarded? And how easy it would be to give the convicts a direct and immediate intirest in conforming to the rules of the place. Sap- pose a prisoner were sentenced to several yeais' confinement ; then, if he behave well for a week UNITED STATES. 75 eais together, let one day bo struck ofFliis term of'con- finement; if lie continue to deport liimsclf cor- rectly for a month more, let the term of liis de- tention be shortened a fortnij^lit ; and if he shall go on steadily for sly months, tlion let half a year be struck off his whole period ; and so on, accord ing to any ratio that may be found suitable. It must surely be the wish of society in general, to let a prisoner out iis soon as possible, consistent- ly with a certain salutary effect on himself, and on others. Now, it has always seemed to me, that by this process of giving the convict a constant, personal interest in behaving well during his con- finement, not only might the seeds of virtue be sown, but the gi'ound put in good order for their future growth. Consequently, I conceive, we sliould thus, in most cases, antedate the allowable moment of the prisoner's release, and still pro- duce all the effect desired, or, to speak more cor- rectly, all the good that is possible. I observe by the official returns, that in conse- quence of the free use of the pardoning power on the part of government, very few prisoners ever do serve out their whole term of sentence, even as things are now regulated. This is loudly and tuiivorsally complained of, from its unsettling the whole machinery of penal enactments, and depri- ving punishment of more than half its terrors, by m .1 B A f! fr,* ' i '1' T6 TRAVELS IX THE reinovinf]f all its certainty. But if the plan I have suggested were adopted, the evils of uncertainty, which are great, would fall entirely to the prisoner's share, not to that of the publics from being made contingent on his own conduct. There would then be only one way for him to shorten the duration of his captivity, namely, his own steady adliercnce to the rules of the prison. Of course the pardon- ing power would require to be tied up more strict- ly than it is, and imperatively limited, by law, to those cases alone where further evidence should arise to disprove the supposed guilt, and show the sentence to have been unjust. I shall be much rejoiced to see this experiment tried in America, which has so admirably led the way in this matter. I am sure it will not only benefit society at large, but probably the convicts themselves. It would also, I am sure, help to lighten the burdens of that valuable class of men, the keepers, whose zeal in this cause often exci- ted my admiration ; and who, I am convinced, would be glad to be aided in their discipline by some principle like this, which should induce the prisoners to co-operate heartily with them, in- stead of eternally wishing to defy and thwart them. In the meantime, it is interesting to see what t\ - "i^• X UNITED STATES. 77 has broil done in that conntrV) and I am happy to have hiph aiitliority to quote upon the occasion. " Sufficient time lias not elapsed fully to devc- lope the influence of confinement in this prison," such are the words of Judge Powers, the excellent superintendent at Auhurn, " in reforming the ha- bits and dispositions of men, but enough has ap- peared to promise the most favourable results. There have been fewer reconvictions, compared to the number of con\'icts, in this, than in any other known prison. From 167 of the convicts last re- ceived, there were but three or four reconvictions." " In the year 1826 there were admitted into the prison at Auburn 133 prisoners, of whom there were received, On first sentence, . . 129 Second do. ... 4> or the reconvictions were to the first convictions as 1 to 32 ; while at the prison of the city and county of Philadelphia, which is managed on the ordinary plan of alloAidng the prisoners to asso- ciate, the numbers stood thus, in the same year, 1826 :— On the first sentence, . . 231 On the second do. . . 42 Third do. . . 17 Fourth do. . . 5 Fifth do. . , 1 78 TRAVELS IN THE I or tho rftrommilments vvcro as one to three and a hrlf."* " i.. t it not be understood, liowevcr," says Jud^e Powers, " that we expect that all, or nearly all, who are or may be c(»nfined in thi-^ prison, will be reformed. Such an event can by no means be cal- (Milated up Rtrayin^ about in the exercising^ jjround, and in less than five minutes aftcrv/ards little Miss was ^ob- blinfy it up. Our countryman tho waiter, who was determined not to be outdone by the ebony damsel of the ivory teeth, slipped off upon see- ing her success, and presently reappeared in the kitchen, holding up in triumph a great beef-steak, half as large as my waistcoat. The Military Academy at West Point is the only institution of the kind in the United States, which is maintained entirely at the expense of the general government. The object in view, I am told, is not so lauch to breed up young men for actual military service, as to disseminate by their means, throughout the different parts of the country, a sound knowledge of the accurate sciences, as well as a taste for literary and scientific pursuits ; and also to spread more widely 'correct ideas of mili- tary discipline and military knowledge. There can be no doubt that, in the event of my war in Ame- rica, there will always be a full supply of men will- ing to become officers, and brave enough, as far as that goes, to make good ones. But without some further education than what is generally attended to in that country, — say the friends of the West Point establishment, — the adequate amount of theoreti- cal knowledge of the art of war will certainly not be forthcoming. This desideratum the government f Inl 11 (i 4 ^ ' -m W 1 '' " — ^ li 81 TRAVELS IN THE liopc to supply, by distributing throughout the Union a number of young men, educated at the public expense, and well-grounded in the practice and in the principles of military science, as far at least as these can be taught at school, together with those collateral branches of knowledge which are generally ..onsidered useful in forming the cha- racter of an officer. The institution, as far as I could judge, appear- ed to be very well conducted, and undoubtedly it does much credit to the ingenuity and public spirit of the statesmen who devised it. But whether it will effect the purpose intended, is another ques- tion. I suspect it neither will nor can produce much good in the way proposed, and fear, indeed, that it will not have the effect of diffusing so gene- rally as its friends suppose, any useful knowledge of those severer studies which are followed at West Point. I thought otherwise on first seeing the in- stitution in question ; but, after having viewed the country from end to end, the confidence formerly entertained of its utility was much weakened. My early impressions certainly were that the West Point Academy would do much good, by spreading knowledge and taste of a higher order than, I was assured, was any where else to be found in the country. I then sincerely rejoiced at its success, so far, and do so still, though with slender ) ' ' \- ! ! UNITED STATES. 85 hopes of its doing the country any essential service. When we consider tlic tide of population and of free action which are flowing over the United States, and look to its prosperity in many respects, it is highly desirable on their own account, as well as that of other nations, that correct knowledge should accompany their progress. A certain amount, and a particular description of knowledge, the nation will get, unquestionably ; and that of military mat- tors amongst the rest. Now, certainly, it is much better for all parties, that they should obtain it in a liberal and gentlemanlike style, and in a way which renders it susceptible of being generally diffused, than that they should come by it by remoter and confined means — by foreign service, for instance. My reasons for so thinking are, that I conceive the chances of America and England remaining on good terms bear some ratio to the degree of ac- quaintance they have with one another's power. In proportion as information of any kind, but parti- cularly that which relates to science, is extended in America, so will their military knowledge be im- proved. The knowledge of one science, we know, always begets a love for others ; and if these young and properly educated men, should carry with them to the back-woods, or other remote parts of the States, much well-grounded and useful informa- tion, they might be expected to exert themselve8,not ii' '>li ! i i 86 TRAVELS IN TIIF- only to advance farther in tliis "march ot'intclhvt," but to impart what they knew to otliers, and thus to open new veins in the inexhaustible mines of knowledge. ■ SuppoHinf^ all this to take place, accordinp^ to tin; most sanjTuine views of its projectors, we must re- collect that Enjrlish books will continue for a long^ time to form the principal channel through which the information alluded to must flow, and more or less of a kindly feeling ought, one would think, to be carried along with the stream ; and thus .the Americans might come in time to know and esteem other countries more than tliey appear to do at present. As their own taste for science and letters improved, it might be hoped they would learn to value it in others, and, consequently, be more cor- dially disposed to us ; less apt to take or to give offence ; and eventually arrive at a better frame of mind, nationally speaking, than they now are in, with respect to England. Precisely fr«r the same reason that I should pre- fer dealing with a man of intelligence and good sense as my rival in war or in any other pa: suit, rather than with a blockhead — so I should say England ought to wish America to be wise and well informed, under any possible view of political relationship. For my own part, I see no limits to this, and should rejoice with all my lieart if Ame- I i UNITED STATES. 87 of f rica woro as far advanced in litoratiiro, in science, in military and naval knowledfje, in taKte, in the fine arts, in niannlactures, in connnerce — in short, in every thin^, as any part of Europe. No power can stop them ; at least, if they do not stop them- selves ; — for if the elements of real improvement be in existence there, wc miirht as well try to check the revolution of the earth upon its axis, as to re- tanl that nation, if it shall once acipiire the due momentum in such a career. What is likely to take place, all things considered, I do not say ; but I venture to predict, that every fresh ap[)roxi- mation to European knowh'dge, and, consequent- ly, to power and to virtue, in America, will only strenjjthen our mutual good- will, and can never injure either party. A more unworthy or short- sighted jealousy, therefore, cannot be imagined, than that which looks to the advances wliich may be made by that country in knowledge, with any feelings but those of honest sympathy. The number of students at West Point is limit- ed to 250 ; the average age of admission being 17, and by law they cannot enter under 11. The period of study is four years before tliey can ac- quire their diploma, or certificate. The nomina- tions lie with the President of the United States, who selects a proportion of candidates from each state ; and the applications are said to be numerous ! ' ; Ml m 88 TRAVELS IN THE niid ur^ont, ulllion^:li a very rip^id |)r()l)ati(»nnry ex- amination takcH p1ac(^ in the firNt iiiKtanro. If t)io candidate cannot pasH thiH ordeal, lie is n^jcctcd ; but if he fret over it Huccessfully, lio is then taken upon trial tor six montliH ; and if ho RtandH this also with ])roper credit, he is aariiit(Ml and circulated over the whole eoiintry. It lo(»kN Noinewliat like bearing inaliee ; and it muHt certainly cramp a jfenerous mind to find itKclf pla- ced unositive that the puniKliment is not yet over ; and the fair measure, or balance alluded to is de- stroyed. The sufferer sees no cbaiK'c of future pjood behaviour re-establishinp^ his character ; since he is made to feel, by these undyinp reminiscences of error and H(> imprt'HHioMH, it is truc^ proved erroneous ; but others bore the rubbing of subsequent experience, with an exaetness which often surprises me when I look over my early notes. One of the greatest diHiculties of travel- ling, indeed, is to distinguish fairly between those circumstances which are permanently characteris- tic, and those which are contingent upon transient causes. Perhaps, therefore, as this art is not to bo taught by any mistress but experience, every jour- ney ought to be made twice over. But in the mean- time, as it may be a long while before I engage in this double duty in the case of America, I must take my chance of recording things as they appear- ed at the first trial, and leave them to shift for themselves. Many things occurred during this trip into Mas- sachusetts to revive those ideas, in which probably most people have indulged their fancy at some time of tlieir lives, as to what might possibly have been the state of travelling, and other things, in Europe a century ago. At other moments there came across onr view little circumstances which irresistibly linked our thoughts to the present date and place ; and anon otliers started up, which were so exact- ly English in appearance, that we almost forgot £2 ii 'I *i ' -il I . I 1 1 1 106 TRAVELS IN THE I how far we were off, till suddenly recalled to the spot hy some touch of foreign idiom, or manners, or scenery. On reaching the village of West Stockhridge, where we understood our friend resided, we learnt that he lived at Old Stockhridge, and that we had still five miles farther to go, " unless, perhaps," said a person standing at the tavern door, " the gentleman you speak of may he at New Stock- bridge." Here was a jumble ! But at last we ob- tained a guide, who undertook to carry us in a one-horse waggon, as it is called, but which we should call a light cart, with seats placed in it rest- ing on wooden springs. Away we drove at a round pace, through a wooded and rather hilly country, interspersed with patches of cultivated land in the valleys, and innumerable houses of all sorts and sizes, from wooden cottages to handsome villas and great staring taverns. At length, some time after sunset, when the twilight had nearly gone, we pass- ed through a large village consisting entirely, as it seemed in this uncertain light, of gentlemen's houses, almost hid in the foliage or lost in the shadows of the trees planted in thick groups round them. The street, or rather avenue, through which we passed, and which could not be less than thirty paces across, was lined with double rows of tall trees, somewhat in the fashion of an Italian cor so. v.. I"^ V, as UNITED STATES. 107 or the beautiful prado of Spanish cities, and I al- most fancied that even in those picturesque coun- tries I had never seen a prettier place. Troops of people were sitting before their doors, or in their gardens; all the windows were thrown open; and we could see quite through the houses. My ima- gination was carried away to the region of the tro- pics, where alone I had seen such a picture before. After an agreeable jaunt of five days in Massa- chusetts, we returned to Albany. If a traveller were to attempt to describe every thing he saw, or even a small part of what he generally finds time to record, he would never have an end of writing. The difficulty of selecting characteristic objects to describe on the journey, is only equalled by that of selecting topics from his journal for publica- tion. In one case, he is overwhelmed with novelty and ignorance ; in the other, he may come to be embarrassed with a superabundance of materials, and be greatly perplexed in selecting the sketches most fit to be engraved. He ought, it is true, to give only those outlines, which, however incom- pletely, shall represent, as far as they go, with as much correctness as possible, the impressions real- ly mude upon his own mind by what was seen and heard. To transfer such recorded feelings to others long afterwards, is always a difficult task ; for passages will sometimes occur in a journal which I h . r M''l ir 11 ,1* it I ; s i 103 TRAVELS IN THE the writer can scarcely believe were set down by his own hand, so completely have the ideas which gave them birth fled away, before new sentiments and new opinions. His study perhaps ought to be, to conduct those who do him the favour to go along with him, as nearly as he can, through the same course of varied observation and fluctuating reflection which he actually followed himself, how- ever devious that path may have been. He will have a sort of righi, in that case to have it under- stood by his readers, that however little any par- ticular circumstance may seem to them at first to bear on the subject in hand, nothing should be supposed irrelevant merely on that account ; but, more or less, be considered as intended to act in its way like a tributary stream, or feeder, to the general current of information, which his means may have enabled him to bring, from distant sour- ces, to the great ocean of public knowledge. For my own part, I am nowise anxious to bring others to my way of thinking; but I certainly am most anxious to explain distinctly what my opi- nions and feelings really are ; and also to show that they were formed, not by fostering prejudices, or by predetermining to see things in certain lights, but by the gradual progress of a pretty extensive observation, varied and checked in a thousand ways, and under circumstances probably as favour- i . ! 'I ikm.l ^1 I \' UNITED STATES. 109 able as a traveller could expect to meet with, and perhaps better than most natives could hope to find, even if their own country were the object of research. At this early stage of the journey, I find from my notes that the most striking circumstance in the American character, which had come under our notice, was the constant habit of praising them- selves, their institutions, and their country, either in downright terms, or by some would-be indirect allusions, which were still more tormenting. I make use of this sharp-edged word, because it really was exceedingly teasing, when we were quite willing and ready to praise all that was good, and also to see every thing, whether good or bad, in the fiiirest light, to be called upon so frequently to admit the justice of such exaggerations. It is con- sidered, I believe, all over the world, as bad man- ners for a man to praise himself or his family. Now, to praise one's country appears, to say the least of it, in the next degree of bad taste. It was curious to see with what vigilant adroit- ness the Americans availed themselves of every little circumstance to give effect to this self-lauda- tory practice. I happened one day to mention to a lady, that I had been amused by observing how much more the drivers of the stages managed their horses by word of mouth, than by touch of the k V I -i i; 111 I rtf ft M , i i! ' .1' I 110 TRAVELS IN THE wliip. Upon which she replied, " Oh yes, sir, the circumstance you relate is very interesting, as it sliows both intelligence in the men, and sagacity in the animals." This was pretty well; but I merely smiled and said nothing, being somewhat tickled by this amiable interchange of human wis- dom and brute sagacity. The lady's suspicions however instantly took fire on seeing the expres- sion of my countenance, and she answered my smile by saying, " Nay, sir, do you not think the people in America, upon the whole, particularly intelligent ?" Thus it ever was, in great things as well as in small, on grave or ludicrous occasions ; they were eternally on the defensive, and gave us to under- stand that they suspected us of a design to find fault, at times when nothing on earth was farther from our thoughts. Whenever any thing favour- able happened, by chance or otherwise, to be stated with respect to England, there was straightway a fidget, till the said circumstance was counterba- lanced by something equally good, or much better, in America. To such an extent was this jealous fever carried, that I hardly recollect above half-a- dozen occasions during the whole journey, when England was mentioned, that the slightest interest of an agreeable kind was manifested on the part of the audience; or that a brisk cross fire was not C^l UNITED STATES. Ill instantly opened on all hands, to depreciate what had been said ; or which was still more frequent, to build up something finer, or taller, or larger, in America to overmatch it. It always occurred to me, that they paid themselves and their institu- tions the very poorest description of compliment by this course of proceeding ; and it would be quite easy to show why. During our stay in the State of Massachusetts, we visited the very curious establishment of Sha- kers, at a place called Lebanon. But after draw- ing up an account of these people for publication, I have decided, upon second thoughts, to say no- thing about them, except that they appear to be a very orderly, industrious, and harmless set of persons. The circumstance about their establish- ment most open to remark, is the conduct of their religious duties ; — and though I have witnessed some strange forms of worship in former travels, I cannot say that I ever beheld any thing, even in Hindoostan, to match these Shakers. But there is always something so objectionable in treating any religious observance with levity, however ridicu- lous it may appear to persons of a different per- suasion, that I think it right to sacrifice altogether what amusement a description of the proceedings at Lebanon might afford. If I had any idea, in- deed, that these absurdities — or what certainly s ur ffi 1 i' Hi 112 TRAVELS IN THE seemed such to our eyes, were likely to spread in tlie world, this delicacy would be misplaced. And I make this reservation because in the further pro- secution of the journey, I did encounter some re- ligious anomalies apparently not less absurd, and far more likely to bo mischievous, by their extent and authority, than the innocent caperings of these honest Shakers. 1 •read in 1. And ler pro- )me re- rd, and extent >f these UNITED STATES. 113 '' .1 CHAPTER IV. On the 14th of June 1827, we left Albany to proceed to the western country, a»id then really felt that we had fairly commenced our journey. The first grand stage we proposed to make was Niagara ; but on the way to that celebrated spot, we expected to see the gi'and Erie canal, the new- ly settled districts lying on its banks, and many other interesting objects besides. As there is no posting in any part of the Uni- ted States, travellers must either consent to go in the public stage, or take their own horses and car- riage, or they may hire what is called an extra, which is the nearest approach to posting in that country. On the road between Albany and Nia- gara, where there is much travelling, an extra exclusive, as it is called, may be hired to go at whatever rate, up to a certain limit, the traveller pleases. I made an arrangement with the pro- prietor of one of the regular lines of coaches, I i\ !■ I t i 1 Vi 4ii r.i !, M Hi TRAVELS IN THE wlio agreed to give me a stage entirely for myself and family all the way from Albany to the Falls of Nicigara, for 115 dollars, or ahont £24, 10s., a distance of 324 miles. It was stipulated that wo might go the whole distance in three days ; or, if more agreeable, we might take three weeks. Wlien we chose to make any deviation from the direct stage line, anotlier carriage was to be hired, of v/hich I was to defray the expense ; but I was left at liberty to resume my extra on regaining the high road. In no other part of America are there any such facilities for travelling as we found on the road in question. The first day's journey took us to Schenectady, distant only 16 miles in a direct line from Albany ; but twice as far by the route we followed, in order to see the junction of the Erie canal, ^vith the branch which connects it with lake Champlain. Near the village called Juncta, we h.ad an op- portunity of examining a string of nine locks, by which the canal is raised to the level of the coun- try lying to the westward of Albany. I have sel- dom known a more busy scene. Crowds of boats laden with flour, grain, and other agricultural pro- duce, were met by others as deeply laden with goods from all parts of the world, ready to be dis- tributed over the populous regions ci the west. On the way we looked in at one of the United h UNITED STATES. 115 States arsonals, at a place called Watervliet, where wc saw about fifty tliousand stand of arms in good order. If need were, there can be no doubt that this bristling mass of dormant strength would soon be called into action for the purposes of national defence. We now crossed the river Hudson, " On the opposite side of which," says the road-book called the Northe:"n Traveller, "stands Troy, a very han■• 'J I ■. ' 1^ a fl 1 'I 118 TRAVELS IN THE they did not tliink it decent to put broken victuals down to strani^ers." Hero was etiquette with a vengeance ! " They fancied, I suppoHc," added the driver, laughing, " that the credit of their house would bo hurt by serving you so." " And I suppose," cried I, a little nettled, " that your friends fancied the credit of their house would be hurt by making a moderate charge in the bill ?" We got to Schenectady about sunset, and were greatly interested by the bustle of stage coaches arriving and departing, and by the numerous ca- nal boats dashing up to the wharf in the very centre of the town; and immediately setting off again, all crowded with passengers ; the whole wearing an air of business and dispatch highly characteristic. Next day, after visiting Union College, we left Schenectady in the canal packet, and were towed along at the rate of three miles and a half per hour upon the average, until 10 o'clock at night, when we reached a village with a long Indian name, Caughnawaga, the pronunciation of which I shall not attempt to teach, any more than that of the place we had left, Schenectady, of which, by the by, we made sad work ourselves. The day, most fortunately for us, was cloudy, the air extremely pleasant, and the dust being well washed off the trees by two heavy thunder-showers of the day before, every thing looked rich and ) i;! ill Jf UNITED STATES. 119 U pi'OPn. Tlie canal for the distanco of 26 miles, which wc travelled ii|mui it, winds along the ])a8e of a low and prettily wooded bank on the south side of the Mohawk river. Our perpendicu- lar height above the stream may have been 30 or 40 feet, by which elevation wo commanded a range of ])ro8pect, both up and down, of great ex- tent and variety. The Mohawk is studded with many islands, and long projecting, flat, wooded points, lying in the tortuous reaches or bendings of the stream. The vigour of the spring tints liad not yel yielded to the withering effects of the fierce summer. Be the cause what it may, I cannot con- ceive a more beautiful combination of verdure ; and as the windings of the canal brought us in sight of fresh vistas, new cultivation, new villages, new bridges, new aqueducts, rose at every moment, min- gled up with scattered dwellings, mills, churches, all spsm new. The scene looked really one of en- chantment. We sat during most of the day on deck, vnth our little girl running about at the end of a sliawl, by which she was tethered, for better security against tumbling overboard. Travellers, I think, arc generally more apt to look back with interest to such a period, than to admit at the time that they were pleased. But we were fully under the avowed consciousness of be- f , • k 1 120 TRAVELS IN THE {%l \ ing very happy, with a boundless field of novel in- terest stretching far before us. Nothing on earth, however, it should seem, is without some drawback, and our day dreams ac- cordingly were miich disturbed by the necessity of stepping hastily down off the deck, as often as we had to pass under one of the innumerable little bridges, built across the canal. Their height was barely sufficient for the boat to shoot through, and at first, when called to by the steersmen, " Bridge ! — Passengers ! — mind the low bridge !" it was ra- ther amusing to hop down and then to hop up again ; but by and by, this skipping about became very tiresome, and marred the tranquillity of the day very much. There are two cabins in these canal barges ; one of which is for the ladies, with eight beds, and real- ly not very uncomfortable-looking. In the gentle- men's cabin there was no appearance of beds, only a line of lockers along each side. After supper, however, about 8 o'clock, I was surprised to see these lockers folded out into a range of beds. But what struck me as being extremely ingenious, was a second or higher tier of sleeping births, formed by r Ti umber of broad shelves, as it were ; little frames with laced sacking bottoms, hinged to the Rides of the cabin midway between the roof or upper deck and the lower beds. ^r UNITED STATES. 121 These airy resting places, or nests, were held in their horizontal position at night by two sup- porting cords fastened to the roof of the cabin, and, in the day time, were allowed to hang down against the vessel's side like the leaf of a table. On co- ming to the locks in the canal, the passengers generally leaped out, and got a run of half a mile, or a mile a-head. By the time we reached Caughnawaga, we were so completely tired, that we resolved, over night, not to start early, though it was desirable to avoid the heat, and also gain time. Accordingly, it was past 8 o'clock, which was very late, before we got fairly off in our extra stage ; as we had found one day of the canal quite enough. The landlady attend- ed the breakfast table herself, and when nothing required her to be mo^dng about, she sat down at the side of the room. At a place called the Little Falls, where we stopped to dine, a pretty young woman, apparently the daughter of the master of the house, also served us at dinner. MTien her immediate attendance was not required, she sat down in the window with her work, exactly as if she had been one of the party. There was nothing, however, in the least degree forward or impudent in this ; on tlie contrary, it was done quietly and respectfully, though with perfect ease, and with- out the least consciousness of its being contrary to VOL. I. F ';ti if i't I- 'i ; 1 122 TRAVELS IN THE European manners. In the great towns of Ame- rica, indeed, such freedoms are not used. It is there possible to hire servants — bad ones it is true — but still such as never dream of mixing in com- pany. At Schenectady, which is not far from the to^vn of Albany, the attendants at the public table were of a very mixed description. The chief waiter was an elderly, sallow man, with wild, flowing hair, reaching to his shoulders. His first assistant was a sharp-faced, well-tanned, old woman in specta- cles ; ;iext came a black boy ; then a black girl ; and lastly, two young women, between black and white. These variegated waiters served forty peo- ple; but it was very rarely indeed, during our subsequent travels, that we were half so well at- tended. Every perso i in the house sits down at these public tables ; though the higher places, or those near the landlord, who presides, are always given up to strangers, or to persons of the most conse- quence present ; for, of course, there must be some distinctions, let them say what they will about uni- versal equality. At Schenectady \»hen we went to tea, as the six o'clock meal is termed, we found the party seated. The landlord called to us to come to the top of the table ; but I suppose we had not distinctly understood him, and therefore took our places at the other end. As all the faces were iliil \ ' i UNITED STATES. 123 equally new to us, and the dresses pretty much alike, we knew nothing of the distinctive ranks of the company. But next morning I recognised in a gentleman I had sat next at tea, the iden- tical person who had twice served me over night with a glass of iced-water at the har. By the way, of ice ; this great luxury, we found every where in profusion, even in the cottages; and an ice-pit near the house appears to be a mat- ter of course. The mischief is, that one is tempt- ed in consequence to drink too much water, and this, to a stranger entering a limestone country, is not a harmless indulgence by any means. On the 18th of June we reached Utica, a town recently built, and standing near the canal. From tliicnce we made an excursion to Trenton Falls, which are well worth seeing ; but as I am not so sure of their being equally acceptable in descrip- tion, I shall pass them by ; though I should by no means recommend travellers to follow such an example. All the world over, I suspect the great mass of people care mighty little about scenery, and visit such places merely for the sake of saying they have been there. I own, however, that I was at first rather taken in with respect to this matter in Ame- rica ; and really fancied, from the flaming descrip- tions we had given us of the wonders and beauties I U ■ 'k li ] I ^ 1 1 ,.' 124 TRAVELS IN THE \.[ .;! If of the country, that the persons describing it were more than usually sensible to its charms ; but we now began to suspect, most grievously, that our friends, of whom we were striving with all our might to think well in every point, were, like most folks elsewhere, nearly as insensible to the beau- ties of nature, as we had reason to fear, from their public exhibitions, they were to the graces of art. On board the steam-boats on the superb Hud- son, and in the canal-boat on the pretty Mohawk, the scenery was either unheeded, or when noticed at all, was looked at by our companions with in- difference. There was, I grant, now and then, a great deal of talk about such things ; and we had seen in their road-books and other writings much about the extraordinary wonders, and the natural beauties of their country; but as yet, generally Hpeaking, we had met a perfect insensibility to either, on the part of the inhabitants. Neither is tliis to be explained by supposing them to have be- come too well acquainted with the objects in ques- tion ; for I think it happens generally, that when there is a real, and not an imaginary, perception of the beauties of nature, the pleasure arising from their contemplation goes on increasing; and ha- bit, so far from rendering such scenes too familiar to be interesting, only contributes to unfold new points for admiration. Since, however, it is impos- < l^ UNITED STATES. 125 feible to maintain artificial rapture for more than a few minutes, it is easier to say nothing at all ; and thus we have an explanation of the anomaly allu- ded to. A large party of tourists whom we encountered at Trenton Falis> in returning from a w^alk, which in any other country would, I am sure, have fur- nished conversation for hours afterwards, and thn gossip arising out of which would have been thonghit by far the best part of the fun, said not one word about the day's excursion, but sat down to dinner as sad and silent as if we had lost one of our com- panions over the cliff — a fatal accident, by the way, which did occur to another party only a few days afterwards. The sole occupation that elicited any thing like animation, during the whole ramblc; was reading in the album — which, like all albums, was filled with the flattest trash that human dulness, in- spired by compulsion, can produce. The said album was placed in a sort of shed, near the prettiest part of the falls, in what is denominated a bar, anglice, a tap, or grog-shop. These odious places, truth bids me say, stared us in the face every where ; and that no one should mi^^take, the letters B, A, R, were written up most conspicuously. On board steam- boats, there were generally two, one upon deck, and one below. In the Museum, at Albany, we happened to take the wrong turn, and by going to '1 !'1 !l 'I ill d-* VII t' I I I! y ? mp , t 126 TRAVELS IN THE the right hand instead of the left, found ourselves at the said eternal bar. At the theatres it is the same ; at the Cauterskill Falls we saw two ; one on each side of the cataract, to the utter ruin of the unhappy sublime and beautiful. In all coun- tries such things are, undoubtedly, to be found, and too often, I grant, in similar places ; and I should most certainly not have made these remarks, but for their unusual profusion, in America, and the important part which ardent spirits appear to act in almost every scene. On the 19th of June we reached the village of Syracuse, through the very centre of which the Erie Canal passes. During the drive we had op- portunities of seeing the land in various stages of its progress, from the dense, black, tangled, native fo- rest — up to the highest stages of cultivation, with wheat and barley waving over it : or from that me- lancholy and very hopeless-looking state of things, when the trees are laid prostrate upon the earth, one upon top of another, and a miserable log-hut is the only symptom of man's residence,— to such gay and thriving places as Syracuse ; with fine broad streets, large and commodious houses, gay shops, and stage-coaches, waggons, and gigs flying past, all in a bustle. In the centre of the village, we could see from our windows the canal thickly co- vered with freight boats and packets, glancing si- » I ^NITED STATES. 127 lently past, and shooting like arrows through the bridges, some of which were of stone, and some of painted wood. The canal at this place has been made of double its ordinary widtli, and being bent into an agreeable degree of curvature, to suit the turn of the streets, the formality is removed, aa well as the ditch-like appearance which generally belongs to canals. The water, also, is made to rise almost level with the towing path, which improves the effect. I was amused by seeing, amongst the throng of loaded boats, a gaily-painted vessel lying in state, with the words Cleopatra's Barge paint- ed in large characters on her broadside. In the course of 50 miles' travelling, we came repeatedly in sight of almost every successive period of agricultural advancement through which Ame- rica has run, or is actually running. At one place we found ourselves amongst the Oneyda tribe of Indians, living on a strip of land called a reserva- tion, from being appropriated exclusively to these poor remains of the former absolute masters of the territory — the native burghers of the forest ! They were dressed in blankets, witli leggings of skin laced not very tightly, and reaching to the hide mocasins on their feet. Their painted faces, and lank, black, oily hair, made them look as like sa- vages as any lion-hunting travellers could have desired. iW 'hi frfl n i A A •^i i»\i 'r ''I . '■ •'ii ill I ?« 128 TRAVELS IN THE, I ' In merely passing along the road, it was of course difficult to form any conjecture as to how much of the country was cleared ; especially as now settlers naturally cling to canals, roads, and lakes, and it was such settlers only that we saw. Sometimes onr track lay through a thick forest for a mile or two ; though, generally speaking, the country for some distance on both sides of the road was thickly strew- ed with houses. Every now and then we came to villages, consisting of several hundred houses ; and in the middle I observed there were always se- veral churches surmounted by spires, painted with some showy colour, and giving a certain degree of liveliness or finish to scenes in other respects rude enough. In general, however, it must be own- ed, there prevailed a most uncomfortable appear- ance of bleakness or rawness, and a total absence of picturesque beauty in these villages ; whose dreary aspect was much heightened by the black sort of gigantic wall formed of the abrupt edge of the fo- rest, choked up with underwood, now for the first time exposed to the light of the sun. The cleared spaces, however, as they are called, looketl to our eyes not less desolate, being stud- ded over with innumerable great black stumps; or, which was more deplorable still, with tall scorched, branchless stems of trees, which had un- dergone the barbarous operation known by the r'f UNITED STATES. 129 illed, stud- ips; tall un- the name of girdlinpf. An American settler can hard- ly conceive the liorror with vvliicli a foreigner be- holds such numbers of magnificent trees standing round him with their throats cut, the very Banquos of the murdered forest ! The process of girdling is this : a circular cut or ring, two or three inches deep, is made with an axe quite round the tree at about five feet from tiie ground. This, of course, puts an end to vegetable life ; and the destruction of the tree being accelerated by the action of fire, these wretched trunks in a year or two present the most miserable objects of decrepitude that can be conceived. The purpose, however, of the farmer is gained, and that is all he can be expected to look to. His corn crop is no longer overshadowed by the leaves of these unhappy trees, which, in process of time, are cut down and split into railings, or saw- ed into billets of firewood, — and their misery is at an end. Even in the cultivated fields, the tops of the stumps were seen poking their black snouts above the young grain, like a shoal of seals. Not a sin- gle hedge or wall was to be seen in those places, all the enclosures being made of split logs, built one upon the top of another in a zig-zag fashion, like what the ladies call a Vandyke border. These are named snake fences, and are certainly the most ungraceful-looking things I ever saw. f2 t ' I '■1 i t m ^ii ywv >^n UNITED STATES. 131 taiice an Institution, called Hamilton College, in- tended, I was told, for the higher branches of science. We also visited Syracuse, a village with extensive salt-works close to it ; and had numer- ous opportunities of examining the Erie canal, and the great liigli-road to Buffalo ; — so that what with towns and cities, Indians, forests, cleared and cul- tivated lands, girdled trees, log-houses, painted churches, villas, canals, and manufactories, and hundreds of thousands of human beings, starting into life, all within the ken of one day's rapid jour- ney, there was plenty of stuff for the imagination to work upon. It has been the fashion of travellers in America, I am told — for I have read no travels in that coun- try — to ridicule the practice of giving to unknown and inconsiderable villages, the names of places long hallowed by classical recollections, I was disposed, however, at one time to think, that there was no- thing absurd in the matter. I did not deny that, on first looking at the map, and more particularly on hearing stage-drivers and stage-passengers, talk- ing of Troy, Ithaca, and Rome, and still more when I heard them speaking of the tovs^ns of Cicero, Ho- mer, or Manlius, an involuntary smile found its way to the lips, followed often by a good hearty laugh. The oddity and ii.congruity of the thing were much heightened by the admixture of such [ ■«': it i I If, \t 132 TliAVELS IN THE modem appellations as Truxton, Sullivan, and TompkinH, jumbled up with the Indian itumcH of Ononda^ci, Oneida, and Chittenin^o. A little longer perNonal acquaintance with the Ruhject, however, led mo to a different conclusion. All those uncourteous, and at first irrepressible, feelings of ridicule, were, I hoped, quite eradicated; and I tried to fancy that there was something very interesting, almost amiable, in any circumstances, no matter how trivial, which contributed to show, even indirectly, that these descendants of ours were still willing to keep up the old and generous recol- lections of their youth ; and although they had bro- ken the cords of national union, that they were still disposed to bind themselves to us, by the ties of classical sentiment at least. For these reasons, then, I was inclined to approve, in theory, of the taste which had appropriated the ancient names al- luded to. I had also a sort of hope, that the mere use of the words would insensibly blend with their present occupations, and so keep alive some traces of the old spirit, described to me as fast melting away. By the same train of friendly reasoning, I was led to imagine it possible, that the adoption of such names as Auburn, — "loveliest village of the plain," — Port Byron, and the innumerable Londons, Dub- lins, Edinburghs, and so on, were indicative of a M UNITED STATES. 138 tmg of a latent or linfz^crinp; kindliness towards the old coun- try. The notion, that it wan dc^radin^ to the vc- nerahle Roman namcH to fix them upon these mush- room towns in the wilderness, I com])atcd, I flatter- ed myself, somewhat adroitly, on the principle that, so far from the memory of Ithaca or Syracuse, or any such place, being degraded by the appropria- tion, the honour rather lay with the ancients, who, it is the fashion to take for granted, enjoyed a less amount of freedom and intelligence than their mo- dern namesakes. ** Let us," I said one day, to a friend kvho was impugning these doctrines, " let us take Syracuse for example, which in the year 1820 consisted of one house, one mill, and one tavern : now, in 1827, it holds fifteen hundred inhabitants, has two large churches, innumerable wealthy shops filled with goods, brought there by water-carriage from every comer of the globe ; two large and splendid ho- tels ; many dozens of grocery stores or whisky- shops ; several busy printing presses, from one of which issues a weekly newspaper ; a daily post from the east, the south, and the west ; has a broad ca- nal running through its bosom ; — in short, it is a great and free city. Where is this to be matched," I exclaimed, " in ancient Italy or Greece ?" It grieves me much, however, to have the ungra- cious task forced upon me of entirely demolishing i;t t; J m ll ! i 134 TRAVELS IN THE my own plausible handiwork. But truth renders it necessary to declare, that af^er a longer acquaint- ance with all these matters, I discovered that I was all in the wrong, and that there was not a word of sense in what I had uttered with so much studied candour. What is the most provoking proof that this fine doctrine of profitable associations was practically absurd, is the ft t that even I myself, though comparatively so litlie acquainted with the classical-sounding places in question, have, alas ! seen and heard enough of them to have nearly all my classical recollections swept away by the contact. Now, therefore, whenever I meet with the name of a Roman city, or an author, or a general, in- stead of having my thoughts carried back, as here- tofore, to the regions of antiquity, I am transport- ed forthwith, in imagination, to the post-road on my way to Lake Erie, and my joints and bones turn sore at the bare recollection of joltings, and other nameless vulgar annoyances by day and by night, which, I much fear, will outlive all the little classi- cal knowledge of my juvenile days. On the 20th of June, we left Syrar use after a pleasant excursion to the salt-works at Salina in that neighbourhood ; and reached Auburn at nine o'clock at night, having passed through the vil- lages of Elbridge and Brutus. Owing to the nu- merous and teasing stops, we did not average more il UNITED STATES. 135 ter a la in Inine vil- nu- lore than live miles an hour, though we often went over the ground at a greater rate. The country during tliis day's journey, though not quite so recently settled as some we had seen before, presented nearly the same mixture of wide oceans of impervious looking forests, dotted over, here and there, with patches of cleared land under every stage of the agricultural process. Some of the fields were sown with wheat, above which could be seen numerous ugly stumps of old trees ; others allowed to lie in grass, guarded, as it were, by a set of gigantic black monsters, the gird- led, scorched, and withered remnants of the an- cient woods. Many farms were still covered with a most inextricable and confused mass of prostrate trunks, branches of trees, piles of split logs, and of squared timbers, planks, shingles, great stacks of fuel ; and often, in the midst of all this, could be detected, a half smothered log-hut without win- dows or furniture, but well stocked with people. At other places we came upon ploughs, always drawn by oxen, making their sturdy way amongst the stumps, like a ship navigating through coral reefs, a difficult and tiresome operation. Often, too, without much warning, we came in sight of busy villages, ornamented with tall white spires, topping above towers in which the taste of the vil- lagers had placed green Venetian blinds ; and at the I » « Ki ^ i i il 136 TRAVELS IN THE the poor forest. ' triumph over " Driver f" I „„]]„. Camillus, sir." "nat^'lf """^•"'""■"<«"??" That.sthesemi„ary_tI,ep„,yLn^c" "f-' ">at is the wool-facto " *e next crack of tholrt '■'"'""•"' •-»' "''""■ged. He looks out „f 7^^" T" •'-^' '' «yes, and discovers tha Z "'""''"'^-"■''^ «« of the wood at the o he'- el! T" I" *'"' ''*?""■ <■%. with the world just b'' ""''"^ ^"- ^hape of a smoky 1„X , ^7"^ '" """"' '" ""^ edwithdirty-faeed child "" ''^ *'^«'™' «"- '»««n.fejaie::i2 ::;:^^^^^^^ ■nan seated at his d„„/ 1 * ''"'' "'""d*- ■•-''« Oemocrati:?;:^:f-^^-ahle,lee count of Mr Canninr,' ^®^^' »" ac Tories of the^Zr.:;""^^ "^"^^ *"« ^'™ - AS;::retL:t^;-^""^^^^ Peni.e„tia^ - »- -- *o the weSd r;ref :: I \ a n a a a: • ir e< w tl] se th J UNITED STATES. 15T )cks, glit- mph over occasion, , »» imself in ice : — at !— all is rubs his 5 depths ized so- , in the ve, fill- hardy oods- e glee n ac- Ultra itiary Kstem |pur- F7 on the 21st of June, to Cayuga lake, one of those nu- merous inland seas with which tlie northern part of the great State of New York abounds. This shef i of water is no less than forty miles long ; but, to my shame I confess, I never heard its name till a week before I saw it. It is remarkable for a long bridge built across it, certainly the longest I ever saw. It took me fifteen minutes and twenty se- conds, smart walking, to go from end to end, and measured 1850 paces. The toll-keej>er at the east- ern end informed me, that it was a mile and eight rods in length. The lake thereabout* is not deep, and the bridge, which is built of wood, stands on loose stone piers. I amused myself by making a sketch of it with the Camera Lucida, till the sun went down, ani then, as tiie mn was comfortable, and the people obliging, we resolved to stay for the night. We If ft Cayuga at eight in the morniii r, after a Trilous thunder shower had drenched everything, and set all the roads afloat. But floundering amongst the mud was far preferable to gasping in the clouds of dust by which we had been pester- ed for several hot days before. The cold, indeed, was now so great, that we were fain to let down the leather curtains of the stage, and wrap our- selves in all the cloaks we could muster. Such is the changeable nature of an American ',:;limate. h :k* ' ! ' , 3. ■■% '. 4 138 TilAVELS IN THE ^^e dined at Geneva p i «f Seneca Jake so n , P^^"*'^ «* ^he end Svriterland. ^ ""* .""y "f Geneva in people swallowed «,„• ■ ^'"'"^ "' "'''''''' the he has seen an AmerZ \, ^ ""derstand, till «f-»a,./;:2*-;'«.w,„ie.,, "■«• »f the fi„t quarter ofLJ '""''■ ^' *« "'"-ays left alone buf ? "" '''"■<' "'""^t the co„s» of tTe " """''' ^««"-"'- In tolerably well, tho'Zh'"""'' '" '^'^''"'' '^^ ''"''it^ aS: 7.:r-*^--'tin,^rI■ cond set of eaters h^ *''"'?->-oom. The se- hut I observedTs „^, ""'^''^'' "^ *'"^ «■»«.• of the table, and^ -^ "'f^""' ^^'"«'' "' *''« end -y odd,. :r *;? """- "">»"• This see„,ed and, as he was a well-dressed and re- i t \ 8 ti w SL Bi ofi - II UNITED STATES. 139 at the end le extinct, e situation •pellation ; t position, jreneva in observed vhich the it we saw e impos- itand, till 7 quickly At the e almost ■5 about er. In le habits ith the ements y, con- is. In lad oc- he se- time ; e end lemed id re- n spectable-looking man, my curiosity was roused to know who or what he could be. I therefore walked round in front of him, pretending to look for some- thing, when lo ! it was a negro ! By an act of the legislature of the state of New York, every remaining slave became free on the 4th of July, 1 827. All trading in slaves had been long before abolished in this and many of the other states : but it will readily be understood how the fact of negro slaveiy still existing in the greater part of the Union, must have the effect of perpetu- ating the degradation of that unfortunate race over the whole country, and of rendering any assimila- tion, or cordial intercourse between the blacks and whites, quite impossible, even in those states where slavery does not exist. The numbers of the free and the slave popula- tion of the United States are given in Watterston's tables, page 7, as follows :— Whites and all other free persons, estimated to the Ist of Jan. 1828, .... 9,510,307 Slaves at the same date, .... 1,838,155 Total population, 11,346,462 which shows that the slaves form very nearly one- sixth part of the whole.* " Tabular Statistical Views, by George Watterston and Nicholas Biddle Van Zandt. Published under the patronage of the Congress of the United States. Washington, Jan. 1829. i I ' j I I , \ ' I i I f I I 140 TRAVELS IN THE colour „„v:d:2L':,:r'''' '"'''' "^ •>»vc been ei,i.e„. of rolll"'"""' " " *''«y lu" of two hundred aud fifty dolLffo '"" preceding any such election » 1^^ ^°" great step. The rul. Z-T' ''°'''*'"'y « » / "t. wen to mention also. « p... , e^tizen, who shall have been an inh v! ^^ '"'^' state one year nr« ^- ^'ihabitant of the Wperf„:::.:Sn„7!'--. and .hall in the town or JZ I l""' " """"'"' «« ^^ an officer.;:::!:";:: ; rr '^-*». ^-^ Some time a^ro » ^ ' P""?'""" legislatures' Y^rrT "''™"^- '" "'<' of interest. Thel ,7.' " ''"'""' ^ ^"^ deal commenced by p" t'^ 7?*"^ ^ a>™y., -,.ith„ut:nSL:::rr;*^Y- office of chaplain in turn I ^ """ *'"' however, it happened thZ W 7" """ '"""^'°"' '■cctlyrespectabfell't: ";':P'-'--Per- -g to osiciate. A veheX: b :rr "r"" f took place „p„„ ,hi, J;^l'^' la™ ■"form- days' discussion, and b.f ' '''^""' '^''c'-al UNITED STATES. 141 e of New '!> men of " If they rs, and be of the va- ' one year ainly is a le whites, ery male nt of the md shall i to vote sides, for » d in the ood deal always clergy- )rm the casion, aper- wish- 'orm- everal aken, and The ripe 'Iv for such a glaring innovation. What should we think in England, were we to see a black woolly head start up in the pulpit of St George's, Hanover Square? There is nothing like bringing these questions home. Since leaving the city of New York, we had seen no bells in any of the public houses ; and per- sons who have been used to such luxuries all their lives, can hardly understand, tiU they try, the amount of annoyance which these and many other minor wants are capable of producing. For in- stance, it might seem a very petty discomfort, to be obliged to use a two-pronged fork, instead of c o with three prongs ; and so, perhaps, it might prove, provided a stranger could reconcile it to himself to eat with his knife. But as this ugly, not to say dangerous practice, is followed in Eng- land only by the lowest vulgar, it comes very awk- wardly to a traveller's notice at first, however re- commended by universal custom in America. Be- tween reluctance to do what he has been taught to consider ill-bred, and the desire to please by con- formity, and the impossibility of fishing up peas, for example, or rice, with the forks exclusively used in that country, many good things are apt to slip away from him. But I was speaking of the want of bells. It is in vain that you thump the floor ; or rap the plate m M M ui : t )l i ii I: i !' U2 TRAVELS IN THE with your knife, as in Italy. In that rich climate the doors stand wide open. In America, they are generally shut ; or if you open them, and put your head into tlie passage, you may call and bawl for ever without effect. It seems the servants them- selves, or the helps, or hirelings, or whatever name they think it least degrading to go by, do not like being summoned by a ringing of bells. Ac- cordingly, there was often no method left, but to do the things required for ourselves. One day I was rather late for breakfast, and as there was no water in my jug, or pitcher, as they call it, I set off, post haste, half-shaved, half-dressed, and more than half- vexed, in quest of water ; like a seaman on short allowance, hunting for rivulets on some unknown coast. I went up stairs and down stairs, and in the course of my researches into half-a-dozen different apartments, might have stumbled on some lady's chamber, as the song says, which, consider- ing the plight I was in, would have been awkward enough. Our next halt was at the end of an extreme- ly pretty lake, not quite so large as the two last we had visited, but still an extensive piece of wa- ter. Tliis lake, and the village which stands at the northern extremity, are called Canandaigua. I may remark, that the term village conveys a dif- ferent idea to us from what it does to an Ameri- c t ( ill climate , they are put your I bawl for its them- 5ver name r, do not lis. Ac- ft, but to >ne day I e was no it, I set md more t seaman on some stairs, a-dozen n some ►nsider- "^kward Itreme- ''o last >f wa- |at the la. I |a dif- leri- IJNITED STATES. 148 can. The word town would seem more appro- priate, as these villages are not composed of cot- tages clustered together ; but of fine houses, divi- ded by wide streets, and embellished by groves of trees and flower gardens. At certain corners of all these villages, or towns, blacksmiths, coopers, and other artisans, are of course to be found ; but generally speaking, the houses at Canandaigua, for instance, have more the appearance of separate country houses, than of mere component parts of a village. In the centre there is always left an open space or market-place, with showy hotels on one side ; the court-house on the other ; and per- haps a church and a meeting-house, to complete the square. Canandaigua lies nearly in the centre of Ontario county, a large tract of which was purchased many years ago, I believe in 1790, by some English gen- tlemen, who paid about five cents an acre for it, or about two-pence halfpenny. Great part of it has since been f old at prices varying from one and two dollars, to ten, and even twenty dollars. A district of country, intended for the market, is first surveyed, and laid out into square por- tions, a mile each way. At the corner of each of these square miles a stake is driven in, with a pro- per number or letter carved upon it ; and the trees between this post and the next, which is always fix- \\' I 11 ;i 'II « y .i~ 1 III 144 XnAVELS IN THE ed due north or south, or due east or west of it, arc marked by means of what are calhid lihizes. This operation consists in shaving off a slice about twice as large as a man's hand, with an axe, at al)out seven or eight feet from the ground. In this way, when a set of lines, running in the direction of the meridian, are intersected by another set stretching east and west, the unoccupied country is covered with a net-work of divisions a mile square, each containing 640 acres. A settler who has a fancy to take up his quarters in a district so marked out, dives into the forest, and roves about till he lights upon a spot to hir mind. He next sets about finding what are the marks upon the stakes nearest to him, and by reference to these, the land-agent, who has maps before him, can at once lay his hand upon the very spot. A second reference, to the surveyor's report, also in the land-office, determines the nature of the soil, the quality of the timber growing upon it, its dis- tance from a navigable river, or from a road, and what is the nearest town; in short, all the cir- cumstances upon which depend its value in the market. A bargain is now made between the agent and the new comer. A tenth part, or some other proportion of the purchase-money, according to circumstances, is required to be paid down at once, and the rest, it is stipulated, shall follow by, UNITED STATES. llj it of it, aro izes. This bout twice , at a))uut I tfiis way, tioii of the Htretching is covered iare, each 8 quarters orest, and hir mind. he marks reference fore him, spot. A , also in the soil, its dis- •ad, and ;he cir- in the e agent other Jig to [wn at low by it instalments. If tli settler, fortunately, have ready money euoufjh to ]);iy for the whole at the nioinent, he pets his tith'-iieeds immediately ; if not, he must wait till the instalments are paid up. It i^ important to observe, that no such instrument is binding, unless it be previously registerefl in a pub- lic office, ex|)ressly foruKMl for this purpose, and nearly resembling, as far as I know, the system of registration in Scotland. All mortgages, or other liens upon real property, may be thus at once as- certained. The settler then proceeds to his lot, which may be the whole or any portion of the square mile that he and the land-agent can agree about. There he chops down the trees, bvirns some of them, makes his house of others, and splits the remainder into poles for his fences ; and by bringing his land into cultivation, he is enabled to pay up his pur- chase money from time to time. If, instead of being industrious, he be idle or dissipated, or get tired of his bargain, he walks off without cere- mony, and without scruple ; because he leaves the property better than he found it. It does not much signify in this respect whether he have done much or little to it ; since every turn of work upon it for the first few years, can have no other effect than raising its value, by getting rid of the woods. From all I could learn, there appears to be a VOL. I. G i! ; ( a • I f I ill UG TRAVELS IN THE Bin|;ru1ar degree of pleasurable excitement attend- ing this process of clearing waste lands; for it is ap- parently not HO much the end, as the means, which afford this gratification. A settler, (^specially from the New England states, often begins the world in that country with no other fortune than a stout heart arul a good axe. With these he has no fears, and sets merrily forward in Iuh attack upon tho wilderness. In the course of the first year ho raises a little Indian corn, and other things, which keep him alive and enable him to supply various wants. Next season he makes a fresh start with improved means, and a few less discomforts, but always with a confident spirit. By and by, he marries, raises a family, buys more cows, pigs, and horses, and so on, little by little, carving out his fortune by dint of hard labour. In time his sons grow up, and help him to take in fresh and richer land ; when he can afford to do that, he sells what he had formerly cleared ; and thus goes on chop- ping and clearing, and bringing up a troop of broad- shouldered sons, strapping fellows, whom he sends out, or rather who send themselves out, from time to time, to the westward, to subvert other forests, and run the same round their hard-working father has run before them. This passion for turning up new soils, and clear- ing the wilderness, heretofore untouched by tho ll' UNITED STATES. 147 snt attend- for it is np- uiiK, which iially from o world in fin a stout IS no fears, upon tho it year he igs, which \y various start with iforts, but id by, he pigs, and g out his Iiis sons d richer s what on chop- of })road- 10 sends •om time forests, g father d clear- by tho elh hand of man, is said to increase with years. Un- der such constuiit cliangcs of place, there can be very little in(!ividual regard felt or professed for parti(rular (ipots. I might almost say, that as far ag I could see or learn, there is nothing in any part M, of America similar to what we call local attach- ,^ ments. There is a strong love of country, it is true ; but this is quite a different affair, as it seems to be entirely unconnected with any permanent fond- ness for one spot more than another. A large and handsome farm-house, near Canan- daigua, was pointed out to me one day, the owner of which had come to that part of the country be- tween twenty and thirty years before, at which pe- riod it was pretty nearly an unbroken forest. He commenced with very slender means ; but perse- vered in clearing away the woods, and ploughing up the ground, till he came at last to accumulate a considerable fortune. He then built a large brick house, married, brought up sons and daughters, and having retained his health and spirits entire to the age of sixty, had the prospect of a quiet, hearty, green old age before him. Nothing, however, was farther from his thoughts, or more repugnant to his habits, than quiet. He missed the ardent excitement of his past life, and sighed to be once again in the heart of the thicket. Instead of finding agreeable companionship in the ..i! f I 148 TRAVELS IN THE U; population which was crowding round about him, he considered each fresh settler as an intruder on his freedom of action ; a sort of spy on his proceed- ings. At length, after struggling for a while with the privations and inconveniences of civilisation, he declared he could stand it no longer. So he made over his farm to his children, and carrying with him only his axe and his wife, a few dollars, a team of oxen, and a waggon and horses, set off for the territory of Michigan, the Lord knows how far off in the North- West. There he is now chop- ping down wood, and labouring in a sort of wild happiness from moriiing till night, to bring new lands into cultivation ; which, in the course of time. If he live, he will dispo^se of to newer settlers, and again decamp to the westward. After breakfast on the 23d of June, we set out from Canandaigua to examine a burning spring at a place called Bristol. On reaching the spot, we discovered a spring to be sure, but could see no flames. A boy, however, was dispatched for a lantern and candle, and the light held over a great many places. Still no fire was visible, though the offensive smell of carburetted hydrogen could not be mistaken. I was beginning to feel that awk- ward sort of distrust which accompanies the sus- picion of being quizzedj and sent on what is called u fool's errand j when behold ! the air caught fire, '# i' about him, ntruder on is proceed- ivhile with ivilisation, T. So he I carrying w dollars, 5es, set off novvs how low chop- rt of wild •ring new se of time, tiers, and e set out )ring at spot, we see no d for a a great •ugh the ►uld not it awk- le sus- s called ht fire, UNITED STATES. 149 and in a few minutes, we had a row of natural gas lights blazing in a style worthy of Pali-Mall, for many yards along the banks of a pretty little val- ley ; in the middle of which a clear stream of water was leaping merrily down to the plains be- low, over a series of steps, or slabs, formed by the horizontal strata of limestone covering all that part of the country. On Sunday we attended the afternoon service in the Episcopalian church. In America, the clergy- men are chosen by their congregations, and may be dismissed at pleasure ; a practice which has some good, and some bad effects. But it is not of church discipline I mean to speak just now. The gentle- man who ] 'reached on the day in question, was in the unpleasant predicament just alluded to. Af- ter three years* service his parishioners, it seems, became tired of him, and though no cause was as- signed, as far as I could learn, the congregation intimated to him that they had no further occasion for his services. On this day, accoidingly, he was to preach his farewell sermon. Much interest was naturally excited to know in wh?t temper he woul 1 make his adieu. It was the opinion of many per- sons whom I heard speaking of the circumstance, that he had been rather hardly dealt with, since he had zealously and faithfully performed all the duties of his station. No one seemed to know in ^ ' :' fM\ li:' I- . r! in if y.' ; 'SI? , i ^i I m if--' r 150 TRAVELS IN THE anxious. I happened to h» I- • ' ^'^ ''"T which bore me and i ^ '""• *•■« t'-ie - ve.y u„eo:r„ ir^rrr^-^- The text, which was pithy and „., gave us some alarm, andL "^ ''"^' rattling of a severe sto ''''"'"'"' '" '"»' 'he .'ieiousVeaeherhoteri""':'"''^- '^^J-"- "-.andgratifiJdhistteL;^^^^^^^^^^^ Ju^t enough in the text til' '^^ r*"'" ""''o was -verity ofMs sent neT the di'' "' "'' '^" '"« ^0 -Mng hut the Jul t ct^rr''"'"''*- »»t even mentioning the word T " ^^ ^^ •liou^Iy avoided sholi„! tZ hf^""""' '"' ^"- "--g injured ,- thus leaving Intlr "Tf""" "' «-- to be drawn in secra b "f "' "'^" the truth, whatever that mlh^.'" '""' ^"'^ that his c„„greg,tl ! 7^ "' ^' ^*'"* ■"« having taste^ndlcret """ """^«' "^ hfe no «peeL charge Z^^"""^^""'^'"*"- "h"" i- iidrge was made, oue-hf t« i,« ^n^ mto the pulpit again. '^ '^''^'^ is UNITED STATES. 151 ake ; for he ' own coun- ^ no charge tie uneasy ; were very st his well- th the tide fty man — ►wing any er angry, ► hear the • Theju- his ene- here was felt the fbreath- ty. By he stu- cious of 1 infer- > knew ick me of his ay add when voted His salary had been 500 dollars, or about 100 guineas a-year, and upon this fortune lie had of course married. He was now left, however, with- out one dollar of income, and without a church. In any other country such a contingency in a man's affairs would be disastrous indeed ; but in Ame- rica, where the field is comparatively unoccupied, a man of his stamp is quite sure, I was told, to get employment again, almost immediately, in some line or other. It was not till long afterwards that I had the means of studying the history of the Protestant Episcopalian Church in America, though well wor- thy of attention. In the meantime, we had abun- dant ocular demonstration of the respect paid to the subject of religion ; for scarcely a single village, however small, was without a church. It was hint- ed to me, indeed, slily, that these churches were built as money speculations, and were not erect- ed by the villagers themselves. But this, suppo- sing it to be true, confirms, I think, instead of weakening, the position ; for it is obvious that the speculators in church-seats must reckon upon a congregation ; and if there was not a steady re- ligious sentiment prevalent amongst the popula- tion, these adventurers would be sure to lose their money. — Take it either way, it is clear that good must be the result. 1 \ II , r 152 THAVKLs m THE ■^il (' --■ it w.,,,M J;; :j\'"''" '''"■''■''•--■• "-i-H- <"•«".• own, „,),„ ,. " """^ "' » '-oinurym,,,, "-'-.-, a,„l i. J : , ;: ;;;■ ""'-'i -- -™„ I c s e ti M UNITED STATES. J 53 cstion, ro- of tlu> llJl- stubHt.IuMl many rca- thiH stufj^e ir Kitbjuct certainly lys at Ca- ll finding- intryinaii •itizcn of clij keeps 'or other •etty vil- er coun- in some )o the dense :^""' Pi-o^matc f-torv of people. ,il j ''^ ^'!*''- ''>"' "•-»- »-<•-. a„d''.h;.;:—rr'r''^ can=^ do not deny t}nV • " ^^^ ^^^ri- ^"V'>eysa,,,eIirL:::;i;-''-->serac. apply to their countrv p ^''"""« '"''«» it will ^' I would contend L ,Mr ''' ""'^ "" "«'"• -en in that country, [".t!" """'«"' ■^' «■«'. and necessarily truT thlt » """""" """"'^""y '--.rings withit,:nLe;f " •"""^'' "''•»'""- greatness. ' =" '"""^ "t national Much of the wealth, and power and J„ • of nations have their oripn arrLn ^^"""^ permanent supDort ;„ • " """'" "'«■• "PPo.t,,n circumstances of wluch little ^1 i h ^1 \' ' t < UNITED STATES. 155 )ro8perit3r. ing to cir- e increase my means fig power; -J» spring, rent from very dis- illions of Iderness. »e, in the action of oximate J manu- niay be Ameri- )stract. it will right. that, rsally 3ula- tional iness their ittle or no account is taken in America ; or, if noticed at all, only to be scoffed at. My present purpose, however, is not to enter deeply into these specu- lations, but to describe what I actually saw. There may come a time for ihcsi discussions likewise ; but in the meanwhile, I am merely anxious to pre- vent its being supposed that I agree to the un- philosophical position alluded to, however ortho- dox it may be held in America, or elsewhere. The following table shows the annual increase of population in Rochester since 1815, the first year in which a census was taken : — Population. December 1815, 3.il SeptemlxT 1818, 1049 August ISisJO, 1502 September 1822, 2700 Population. February 1825, 4274 August 1825, 5273 December 1826, 7669 And It had reached consider- ably more than 8000, when we were there in the middle of 1827. It may not be uninteresting, perhaps, to give another table, showing the number of persons en- gaged in some of the principal occupations in the year 1826 :— 7 ClergjTnen 25 Physicians 28 Lawyers 74 Merchants 89 Clerks 84 Grocers 83 Butchers 48 TaUoi-s 24 Wlleel-^v^ights 21 Saddlers 8 Tallow-chandlers 423 Labourers 4 Political and one Religious Newspaper. 1 Christian Monthly Magazine. 184 Shoemakers 20 Hatters 73 Coopers 23 Clothiers 20 Millers 21 Mill-wiights 804 Cai-pentera 29 Tanners SS Tinners (Qy. Tinsmiths) 14 Bakers 17 Coach-makers 67 Blacksmiths 14 Gun-smiths 10 Chair-makers 95 Masons 25 Cabinet-makers 6 Comb-makers 26 Painters 16 Innkeepers 16 Goldsmiths 31 Printei's 1 m i :ii li n ''i • '! I' I il TRAVELS IN THF "'« Ixt of Ja„„„„, ,Ha^„ ">•' "! R»'^l'oacr, f„r E"rop„,ea,v„„ar,:„;r7:;"7'f^^'''' »"i'« e„,„e in ,(,„;, j" ■'" '' "''"" ''l'i'"'-t«- interest, ,,„ " J' r'"'" '^ "'""'- --'"d „„.t -ny o;:;:::"' "''''"'""■•- ----'cd for on I"''»tion, who Ih.v,. ' P"" "^ «''« PO- «»fflit to receive T, 1 '' "ndoubtedly » i^ctnc. it seems to me tinf rl.„ • branch, and not an „ • ^^^^^^^ '^ a ' ":' ""* ^« ""important branch, of man "< 'S-a science thevall profess thon,. 1 to study. Theme,;, ,' ^^'^"^'^^^^^ anxious ^ i'lt men, probably without their bemg ^■-^-•■^c;: ' 'J?'" ' tVMlW.rt*!! .IHJI iWBai, ii; ork callod 'icbtcr, for I" mention ; obHerv<»m polished, all parts of their dress are often left pretty much to take (!are of tliemselves. Nothing seems to fit, or to be made with any precision. It is very true, they are quite at liberty to adopt that form of dr(!ss, as well as that form of govern- m,ent, which pl(;as(»s them best ; but, on the other hand, I hope it will be granted that both the one and the other, contradistinguished as they are so much from what is seen elsewhere, are perfectly fair points of remark for a foreigner. The chief source of the commercial and agricul- tural ])rosperity of Rochester is the Erie canal, as that village is made the emporium of the rich agri- cultural districts bordering on the Genesee river ; and its capitalists both send out and import a vast quantity of wlieat, flour, beef and pork, pot and pearl ashes, whisky, and so on. In return for these articles, Rochester supplies the adjacent country with all kinds of manufactured goods, which are carried up by the canal from New York. In proportion as the soil is brought into cul- tivation, or subdued, to use the local phrase, the consumers will become more numerous, and their means more extensive. Thus the demands of the V 158 TRAVELS IN THE \i * surrounding country must go on augmenting ra- pidly, and along \v^ith tlicm, both tho imports and exports of every kind will increase in proportion. There were in 1826 no less than 160 canal boats, drawn by 882 horses, owned by persons actually residing in the village, besides numberless others belonging to non-residents. Out of more than 8000 souls in this gigantic young village, there w^as not to be found in 1827 a single grown-up person born there, the oldest native not being then seventeen years of age. The popula- tion is composed principally of emigrants from New England, that is, from the States of Massa- chusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Some settlers are to be found from other parts of tho Union ; and these, together with a considerable number from Ger- many, England, Ireland, and Scotland, and a few natives of Canada, Norway, and Switzerland, make up a very singular society. Much of all this prosperity may be traced to the cheapness of conveyance on the Erie Canal. The charge of transport for a barrel of flour, which weighs 196 pounds, from Rochester to the Hud- son River, a distance of 268 miles, in the spring and autumn, or, as it is termed, the Fall, is one dollar, or about 48. 3d. In summer it is only tl\ree- quarters of a dollar, or about Ss. 2d. Passengers m » ri V I y UNITED STATES. 159 sntiiipf ra- porta antl oportion. lal boats, actually is others ic young a single itive not popula- its from Massa- ne, New ire to be 1 these, n Ger- ia few i, make are carried in freiglit boats for 1^ cent, or about three farthings a-milo, exclusive of board, and travel about 60 miles in 24 hours. In the canal packets the fare, including all expenses, is gene- rally four cents, or about twopence per mile. The boats run day and night, and accomplish about 80 miles in 24 hours. The cost for travelling by land in the stages, exclusive of board, is three cents and a half per mile, or about a penny and three farthings. !^^ :i ♦ to the The Iwhich Hud- jpring one siree- igers 'M< 160 TJRAVEL8 IN THE CHAPTER V. On tlic 26th of June 1827, we strolled through the village of Rochester, under the guidance of a most obliging and intelligent friend, a native of tluH part of the country. Every thing in this bustling place appeared to be in motion. The very streets seem- ed to be starting up of their own accord, ready- made, and looking as fresh and new, as if they had been turned out of the workmen's hands but an hour before — or that a great boxful of new houses had been sent by steam from New York, and tum- bled out on the half-cleared land. The canal banks were at some places still unturfed ; the lime seem- ed hardly dry in the masonry of the aqueduct, in the bridges, and in the numberless great saw-mills and manufactories. In many of these buildings the people were at work below stairs, while at top the carpenters were busy nailing on the planks of the roof. i roupli tlio of a most this part ing place its sccm- , ready- hey had hut an houses id tum- I hanks seem- uct, in mills lldings ile at >lanks f UNITED STATES. 161 Some dwoUinps were half painted, while tho foundations of others, within five yards' distance, were only hefriiining. I cannot say how many chun-hes^ court-houses, jails, and hotels I counted, all in motion, creeping upwards. Several streets were nearly finished, hut had not as yet received their names; and many others were in the re- verso predicament, being named, but not com- menced, — their local habitation being merely sig- nified by lines of stakes. Here and there we saw great warehouses, without window sashes, but half filled with goods, and furnished with hoisting cranes, ready to fish up the huge pyramids of flour barrels, hales, and boxes lying in the streets. In the centre of the town the spire of a Presbyterian church rose to a great height, and on each side of the supporting tower was to be seen the dial-plate of a clock, of which the machinery, in the hurry- skurry, had been left at New York. I need not say that these half-finished, whole-finished, and embryo streets were crowded with people, carts, stages, cattle, pigs, far beyond the reach of num- bers ; — and as all these were lifting up their voices together, in keeping with the c latter of hammers, the ringing of axes, and the creaking of machinery, there was a fine concert. But it struck us that the interest of the town, for it seems idle to call it a village, was subordi- (i;i; llll .•'lull ^.f 'ill I '^ I f\ 162 TRAVELS IN THE l( iH> natc to that of the suburbs. A few years ago the wliole of that part of the country was covered with a dark silent forest, and even as it was, we could not proceed a mile in any direction except that of the higli-road, without coming full-butt against the woods of time immemorial. When land is cleared for the purposes of cultivation, the stumps are left standing for many years, from its being easier, as well as more profitable in other respects, to plough round them, than to waste time and labour in root- ing them out, or burning them, or blowing them up witli gunpowder. But when a forest is level- led with a view to building a town in its place, a different system must of course be adopted. The trees must then be removed sooner or later, ac- cording to the means of the proprietor, or the ne- cessities of the case. Thus one man possessed of capital will clear his lot of the wood, and erect houses, or even streets, across it ; while on his neighbour's land the trees may be still growing. And it actually occurred to us, several times, with- in the immediate limits of the inhabited town itself, in streets, too, where shops were opened, and ail sorts of business actually going on, that we had to drive first on one side, and then on the other, to avoid the stumps of an oak, or a hemlock, or a pine- tree, staring us full in the face. On driving a little beyond the streets towards f :' «.^^l UNITED STATES. 163 irs ago the vered with ', we could ept tliat of against the I is cleared ips are left J easier, as , to plough ur in root- v'ing them st is level- ts place, a ted. The later, ae- or the ne- ssessed of and erect le on his growing. les, with- wn itself, , and all we had other, to r a pine- towards the woods, we came to a space, about an acre in size, roughly enclosed, on the summit of a gentle swell in the ground. " Wliat can this place be for ?" " Oh," said my companion, " that is the grave yard." " Grave yard — what is that ?" said I ; for I was quite adrift. " Why, surely," said he, " you know what a grave yard is ? It is a burying ground. All the inhabitants of the place are buried there, whatever be their persuasion. We don't use churchyards in America." After we had gone about a mile from town the forest thickened, we lost sight of every trace of a human dwelling, or of human interference with nature in any shape. We stood considering what we should do next, when the loud crash of a fall- ing tree met our ears. Our friendly guide was showing off the curiosities of the place, and was *|"ite glad, he said, to have this opportunity of ex- hibiting the very first step in the process of town- making. After a zig-zag scramble amongst trees, which had been allowed to grow up and decay century after century, we came to a spot where three or four men were employed in clearing out a street, as they declared, though any thing more unlike a street could not well be conceived. Ne- li if! I- / I 164 TRAVELS IN THE fl vertheless, the ground in question certainly form- ed part of the plan of the town. It had been chalk- ed out by the surveyors' stakes, and some specula- tors havinj^ taken up the lots for immediate build- ing, of course found it necessary to open a street through the woods, to afford a line of communi- cation with the rest of the village. As fast as the trees were cut down, they were stripped of their branches and drawn off by oxen, sawed into planks, or otherwise fashioned to the purposes of building, without one moment's delay. There was little or no exaggeration, therefore, in supposing with our friend, that the same fir which might be wa^dng about in full life and vigour in the morning, should be cut down, dragged into daylight, squared, fra- med, and before night, be hoisted up to make a beam or rafter to some tavern, or factory, or store, at the corner of a street, which twenty-four hours before had existed only on paper, and yet which might be completed, from end to end, within a week after- wards. On our way back again to the carriage, which had been left standing in the avenue, or nick cut for the road in the forest, we fell in with a gentle- man on horseback, rifle in hand, and bearing, in testimonv of his successful sport, a large bunch of wild pigeons and sleek-skinned black squirrels, tied to )hs saddle-bow. He had been gunning, he told ,* *.- UNITED STATES. 165 nly form- en chalk- ! specula- ite build- n a street :ommuni- ast as the 1 of their to planks, buikling, s little or with our e waAang ig, should ired, fra- ce a beam re, at the irs before :h might lek after- 3, which lick cut gentle- iring, in lunch of jls, tied I he told ua, for a couple of hours ; in the course of which time, he had first lost his horse, and in looking for it, hid missed his marks, and so of course lost him- self. " And now," continued the sportsman, " that I am fairly out of tlie thicket, I am almost as much at a loss as I wa.s before. For," continued he, jest- ingly to our comj)anion, " you have been getting up such a heap of new work here, a man does not know the land from day to day. You have placed such a lot of taverns and houses on the skirts of the forest ; so many lime-kilns, grocery stores, and what not, side by side, or jumbled altogether, amongst the trees, that, for the life of me, I don't know scarcely where I have got to, more than I did a while ago when straying amongst the trees after my horse." After our new acquaintance had rode on, I ask- ed who he was. My friend desired me to guess. I thought it might be the baker? the butcher? the attorney? the bookseller? " No ! no ! none of these." The mason ? said I, or some suv^h indis- pensable p(;rsonage ? " No — you ;ire still wrong." Had I guessed all night, I never should have thought of naming the dancing master ! but so it was. After laughing a little, I don't know well why, I acknowledged myself well pleased to have witnessed so undeniable a symptom of refinement peeping out amongf the rugged manners of the 'it iGi. TRAVELS IN THE ' I forest. I spoke this not disrespectfully — quite tlic contrary. At first sigiit, indeed, it would seem, that where people aie so intensely husy, their lia- bits must almost necessarily, accordinjx to all ana- log'y, partake in some degree of the unpolislied na- ture of oiieir occupations, and, consequently, they must he more or less insensible to the value of such refinements. I was therefore glad to see so good a proof, as far as it went, of my being in error. There is a pang, however, it must be honestly con- fessed, which sometimes accompanies ilio wrench- ing out of an established opinion, which goes, at the moment, to the very soul of a disputant ; but if the operation be adroitly performed, it is follow- ed by more than a correspondent relief. A good riddance is made of what was not only useless, but worse than useless — positively injurious — by preventing the due operation of sounder a'td bet- ter thoughts in the neigh))ourhood. In travelling — to be a little less enigmatical — it is not always easy to find operators of adequate skill ; and we are apt to be as much injured by in- terested and dishonest quacks, as relieved of our prejudices by men of talents, knowledge, fairness, and good sense — a rare combination ! so that, un- less the observer's mental constitution be good, he ml' be very liable to choose those remedies which only tend to palliuie the disorder. For my part, ;^r,^;«.>^v f». UNITED STATES. 1G7 r|iiite the Id seem, tlieir lia- ) all aiia- islied na- itly, they c of such 3 so good error. ?8tlycon- wrench- goes, at aiit ; but is follovv- , A good useless, ious — by a^.fl bot- tlcal — it ulequate mI by in- l of our airness, [hat, un- ood, he s which ay part. I acknowledge fairly, that after some experience in the embarrassing science of travelling, 1 have often been so much out of humour vith the people amongst whom I was wandering, that I have most perversely derived pleasure* from meeting things to find fault with ; and very often, lam ashamed to say, when asking for information, have detected that my wish was rather to ])rove my original and prejudiced conceptions right, than to discover tlvat I had pre- viously chine the peo))le injustice. The melancholy truth is, that when once we express any opinions, especially if we use strong terms for that purpose, a sort of parental fondness springs up for the off- spring of our lips, and we are ready to defend them for no better reason than because we gave them birth. Travellers, therefore, and others, should be cautious how they bring such a fine family of opinions into the world, which they can neither maintain respectably, nor get rid of without a cer- tain degree of inconsistency, generally painful, and sometimes ridiculous. On the 27th of June we left Rochester, and tra- velled about 30 miles on what is called the Ridge Road, which runs along the summit of a gently sloping bank of sand and gravel, su])poscd to have formed, in some remote era of the globe, the beach of Lake Ontario, to the southern margin of which it is very nearly parallel, though a hundred feet .:|| m !' •;! wm m< 168 TRAVELS IN THE ¥ lug'her in level, and at present distant from it eiglit or ten miles. This ridge Ibrmj* tlie southern ter- minrttion to a flat, or very moderately inclined belt of country, once probably the bottom of the lake, above the general level of which flat district this old beach rises to the height of 15 or 20 feet. The slope of the south side of the ridge is much steeper than that of the north which faces the lake. In this respect it resembles very much the natural embankments which I have seen in njaiiy different sea-coasts and shores of lakes, where the combined action of the wind and water had formed eleva- tions along the beach, with a back-water, as it is called, l\"ing behind them. This takes place on the shores of Malabar, on the western side of liie penin- sula of India; and I saw sometliing like it on the western shores of Lake Ontario ; the result of causes tiow in actual operation. There are two points io he attended to in all such enquiries ; one is, to establish, on reasonable grounds, that the phenomenon we see before us has been farmed in the way we suppose ; and the other is, to account for I'hat has happened since. I have scared V iLui shadparent. The order and degree of all the circumslances are placed so palpably TOL. T. H m I: m m wii :'' W '■^ 170 TRAVELS IN THE boforo him, that he can almost fancy himself stand- ings on the iKinks of the lake in its ancient state, ready to witness the disruption of that immense harrier of Avliicu all traces are now gone, hut which, at one period, must have confined the wa- ter at a level sufficiently high to submerge a great ]jart of the surrounding continent. The sun had set before we readied the village of Ridgeway, close to Oak Orchard Creek, and tlie twilight overtook me before I had rigged up the Camera Lucida, to make a sketch of a very wild- looking, cleared space of ground. While I was poring over the paper, and straining my eyes to make the most of the ebbing light, I heard a knot of the villagers discussing a question of law, or ra- ther of police. The point at issue was the propriety of arresting a per'^on who had bailed another man. Tlie principal, thai is to say the debtor, had been within the creditor's reach; but as he — the debtor — was known to be insolvent, he was allowed to es- cape : after which the bondsman was laid hoM of, and from him, a man of substance, the money was recovered. There was more law in the discussion than I could follow ; — and I suppose it was my ig- norance which made me wonder that two opinions could be held on such a point. At a pause in the argument, one of the jxirty got up and saitlj " I think as there is a strange lady i UNITED STATES. 171 and gcntlonian here sittinj:^ amoiij2;Kt us, we slioiild be entertaining^ them mnch better by giving them a song, t)ian by discnsKing a long story abont the practice of the law. — What say you, Mr Bottom ?" The person lie addressed, caught eagerly at the opportunity of enacting any part that was in re- quest, and without the customary airs and graces of singers, immediately struck up, " as 'twere any nightingale," what might be called a psalm-tune in a minor key, and gave us an amusing song of his own composition. I regret that I have not room for the whole production, as it is full of local allu- sions which might somewhat help on my own story. The last stanza ran as follows : — " Tom Bottura of Oak Orchard has pointed out the way, To dress yourselves in splendour, the richest and the gay ; You may dress in silks and sjitins without the least of fear, For he'll keep a-making silk yet these hu idreds of years." The author, it thus appeared, was not only a manufacturer of verses, hut a manufacturer of silk, and something also of an agriculturist ; for, with the characteristic activity of his country, he had him- self introduced the mulberry tree and the silk- worm ; and having instructed his family in the art of rearing them, speedily set the whole village a- winding and weaving. Our merry friend's poetry, therefore, carried with it, besides its .other recom- mendations, the novelty of historical truth to grace its inspiration. M ki ., 1 I I ir-2 TIIAVF.LS IN THF ii < \ if I ■, \ -l ': \l It so rarel}' happens thsit one meets with such universal p^enitisea — except in a phiy — that I can- not ; while >nd hand h glean- ies of the ; and im- srvations of opi- force to in every can hope fidelity irawings anu the rs ; each ng to his It is curious to sec with how much deeper, at all events more engrossing interest, we attend to our own private, domestic concerns, than to the grandest spectacles which the world presents. Af- ter reaching the Falls, we had still enough of day- light to take a hasty \^cw of them before going to bed ; and whether it was owing to the jolting of the roughest of rough roads, or to the fatigue of over-excited admiration, I do not know, but I soon dropped into a profound sleep, in spite of all the roaring close at hand. About 2 o'clock in the morning, while I was dreaming of one particular part of the Fall, called the Horse Shoe, which had struck me as being more peculiarly solemn than all the rest put together, I was awi.kened by a fee- ble cry from my little girl, who seemed to me, by some strange confusion, from which I could not disentangle her, to be struggling with the torrent. I started up in horror, but found that notliing more serious had occurred than the oversetting of the lamp. The darkness, added to the unusual rumbling noise of the waterfall alarmed the child to such a degree, that I could by no means soothe her, and I set off in quest of a light. In groping along the pass- ives, I came accidentally to an open window in the back part of the house, where my ear was arrested by the loud splashing noise of the rapids above the Falls, dashing past, immediately under w n ul , ■]. 188 TRAVELS IN THE i' ' the verandah. The deep sound of the more dis- tant cascade was also heard, far louder, and quite different in kind from that of the rapids. For the first time I became conscious of the full magnifi- cence of the scene. The night was very dark, though the stars were out, twinkling and flashing over the cataract ; and there rose a damp, earthy smell from the ground, as if the dew had been settling heavily upon it ; or perhaps it might be the spray from the Falls. There was not the slightest breath of wind to shake the drops from the leaves, and I stood for some time endeavouring to recollect what I had met with be- fore, which resembled this. The hollow sound of the surf at Madras was at length brought to my thoughts, as the nearest thing to it. Quite forgetting my errand, I allowed myself to be carried away to the other side of the globe, in a mysterious sort of half sleeping, half waking, but very delightful reverie — when, all at once, a fresh cry from the impatient young traveller made me sensible how much the sound of her little voice, properly pitched, was an overmatch even for the thunders of Niagara. The Falls are divided into two parts by Goat Island, on which we passed the greater part of the next day, sketching Avith the Camera, and strain- ing our eyes till the sight became almost painful. UNITED STATES. 189 i We walked round the island several times in the course of the day, and though it affords a great A-^ariety of admirable views of the F.alls, and also of the rapids, hoth on the American and on the English sides of the river, we always found our- selves drawn back irresistibly to the Great Horse Shoe, where the largest portion of the stream passes over a concave edge, and where, from its depth, I suppose, it acquires a deep green colour, seen at no other part of the cascade; almost all the rest being nearly snow-white. In hunting for similes to describe what we saw and heard, we were quite agreed that the sound of the Falls most nearly resembles that of a grist mill, of large dimensions. There is precisely the same incessant, rumbling, deep, monotonous sound, accompanied by the tremour which is observable in a building where many pairs of millstones are at work. This tremulous effect extendi to the dis- tance of several liundrcd yards from the river ; but is most conspicuous on Goat Island, which stand* in the centre between the two Falls. The noise of the rapids is also loud, but much sharper ; and varies a good deal with the situation of the listener. We were walking one day along a path in the woods on the island, at some dis- tance from the great cataract, and there, it struck me, the sound of the rapids resembled not a little m I , ';■ 190 TRAVELS IN THE the noise caused by a heavy shower of rain on the leaves of a forest, in a calm. The scenery in the neighbourhood of Niagara has, in itself, little or no interest, and has been rendered still less attractive by the erection of hotels, paper manufactories, saw-mills, and nume- rous other raw, staring, wooden edifices. Perhaps it is quite as well that it should be so ; because any scenery which should be in keeping with the grand object which gives its char 'cter to this won- derful spot, would, in all probability, diminish the effect produced by its standing entirely on its own merits. On this principle, I remember being made sensible, wlien looking at the temples of Paestum, how much the effect was heightened by their be- ing placed on a plain, far from trees, mountains, or houses. It has been said, that there is always something about a bridge which interests, more or less. If it be not picturesque in itself, it may be curious in its structure ; or high ; or long ; or may possess some- thing or other to attract notice. At all events, the bridge which connects the main American shore ^vith Goat Island is one of the most singular pieces of engineering in the world, and shows, not only much skill and ingenuity, but boldness of thought in its projector, the owner of the island. It is be- tween six and seven hundred feet in length, and ^«*L-> . ■Nrvai-^. tlie UNITED STATES. 191 is thrown across one of the worst parts of the ra- pids, not more than fifty yards above the crest of the American Fall. It is made of wood, and con- sists of seven straight portions, resting on wooden piers so contrived as to have perfect stability, al- though the foundation on which tbey rest is ex- tremely unequal. The bed of the river at that pliice is covered with rounded and angular stones, \'arvin2 from the size of a wheel-barrow to that of a stage-coach, and either lying side by side, or piled in heaps ; so that while the tops of some of them reach within a foot or two of the surface, others He at the depth of twelve or fifteen feet. Along this rugged and steep bottom, the river dashes in a torrent covered \vith breakers and foam, at the rate of six or seven miles an hour, making a noise not unlike that of the sea on a shallow ledge of rocks. Without the assistance of drawings, how- ever, I fear it would scarcely be possible to render intelligible any account of this extraordinary work, which has added much to the interest of Niagara, by giving visitors the command of many points of view altogether inaccessible before. I had the satisfaction of walking over the whole of Goat Island one day with the proprietor, who seemed unaffectedly desirous of rendering it an agreeable place of resort to strangers. He had been recommended, he told me, by many people, to trim iU %\ 11 1 ' 192 TRAVELS IN and dress it ; to clear away most of tlie woods ; and by all means to extirpate every one of the crooked trees. I expressed my indignation at such a barbarous set of proposals, and tried hard to ex- plain how repugnant they were to all our notions of taste in Europe. His ideas, I was glad to see, appeared to coincide with mine; so that this con- versation may have contributed, in some degree, to the salvation of the most interesting spot in all America. On his asking me what I thought he should do, I took the liberty of advising him to let na- ture alone as to the trees ; to make a gravel walk all round the island, broad enough for three per- sons to walk abreast ; to open little paths in the direction of the best situations for seeing the Falls, and having put down half a dozen commodious seats at the said points, to leave all the rest to the choice of the worthy tourists themselves. I had almost forgotten to mention that some one had seri- ously urged him to place a great tavern immediate- ly over the Horse Shoe Fall ; but, for the present at least, his own good taste revolted at such a com- bination of the sublime and the ridiculous. I have little doubt, however, that this descent, which we know from high authority and example costs but one step, will be made in the course of time. On the evening of the same day we drove to- f 4 UPPEE CANADA. 193 >e woods; le of the >n at such ird to ex- r notions id to see, this con- iegree, to tot in all le should o let na- ivel walk hree per- is in the the Falls, imodious !st to the I. I had had seri- mediate- j present h a com- . I have i^hich we :osts but ne. Irove to- wards Lake Onttu"io for six or seven miles on the right bank of the Niagara, and then crossed over to tl»e Canada shore at Queensto\vn, and found ourselves once more in his Majesty's dominions, after havi«g passed six weeks in the United States. This interval, though short, hjwl been so busy, that it appcaretl very long. The eifect I speak of may have been increased, perhaps, by the circumstance of the people amongst whom we had mixed all thinking, speaking, acting, and feeling so very dif- ferently from those of our own country ; with just sofiicient resemblance in external appearance to force those comi)ai'isons upon our notice, which, in a country totally dissimilar in language and manacfs, such as France or Spain, it would never have oecurred to us to draw. It was curious, in- deed, to observe how great a change in many of the most essential particulars of national charac- ter, and customs, and appearance, a short half-mile — a mere imaginary geographical division — could make. The air we breathed seemed different, the sky, the land, the whole scenery, appeared to be altered; and I must say, that of all the changes I have ever made in a life of ceaseless locomotion, I have seldom been conscious of any transition from one country to another more striking than this. VOL. I. I M 194 TRAVELS IN Close to the spot where we landed in Canada, there stands a monument to the gallant General Brock, who was killed during the battle of Queens- town, in the act of repelling an invasion of the fron- tier by the Americans during the late war. At the base of the column we found two men standing, and I said to one of them, " I am sure you are an English soldier ?" — " I am a Scotch one, sir," said he, " which, I hope, is no worse." I was the less disposed to gainsay this, from detecting in my friend's dialect the " patois" of my native town, Edinburgh. Tlie view from the top of the monument extended far over Lake Ontario, and showed us the windings of the Niagara, through the low and wooded country which hangs like a rich green fringe along the southern skirts of that gi'eat sheet of water. By the time we reached Forsyth's Inn, close to the Falls on the English side, we had barely light enough left to see the cataract from the balcony of our bedroom — distant from it, in a straight line, not a couple of hundred yards. I cannot bring my- self to attempt any description of the pleasure which we experienced, while thus sitting at ease, and con- scious of viewing, in sober reality, and at leisure, an object with which we had been familiar, in fancy at least, all our lives. In description, the reader is seldom trusted by his autl are rosKi UPPER CANADA, 195 ■•rf sir. author with any thing but the most striking, or what are called characteristic, features. But when lie reaches the very spot, lie has the satisfaction of being allowed a sort of personal intimacy with a thousand minor details, which no writer or sketcher would have courage to bring into his picture ; and which, indeed, if told in detail, might often be de- plorably tedious, yet, when so placed as to be all seen at one and the same glance, contribute to fill the mind in a most agreeable manner. We passed the gi'eater part of the 2d of July in roving about the banks, and studying the Falls in as many different aspects as we could command. In the course of our investigations and rambles, we met a gentleman who had resided for the last thirty- six years in this neighbourhood — happy mortal ! He told us that the Great Horse Shoe Fall had, with- in his memory, gone back forty or fifty yards — that is to say, the edge, or arch of the rock over which the water poured, had broken down from time to time to that extent. This account was corrobo- rated by that of another gentleman, who had been resident on the spot for forty years. As these statements came from persons of good authority, I was led to examine the geological cir- cumstances more minutely ; for I could not con- ceive it possible, that the mere wearing of the wa- ter could perform such rapid changes upon hard 'i' - 'it ! (96 TRAVELS IN ii ) lime-8ton«. The cxplanAtion is vorj' simplo, how- ever, when the nature of the different strata is at- tended to. In the first place, they are laid exactly horizontal, the top stratum bein^ a compact cal- careous rock. In the next place, I observed, that in proportion as the examination is carried down- wards, the strata are found to be less and less in- durated, till, at the distance of a hundred feet from the topmost stratum, the rock turns to a sort of loose shale, which crumbles to pieces under the touch ; and is rapidly worn awjiy by the action of the violent blasts of wind, rising out of the pool into which this enormous cascade is projected. In process of time, as the lower strata are fairly eaten or worn away, the upper part of the rock must be left without a foundation. But owing to the tough nature of the upper strata, they conti- nue to project a long way over before they break down. There must come periods, however, every now and then, when the overhanging rock, with such an immense load of water on its shoulders, wiW give way, and the crest, or edge, of the Fall will recede a certain distance. At the time of our visit, the top of the rock, or that over which the river was directed, overhung the base, according to the rough estimate I made, between 35 and 40 feet, thus forming a hollow space, or cave, between the falling water and the face of the rock. ^ )1o, ilOTT- nta iR at- i exactly pa 208 TRAVELS IN i I I '' to be accelerated in its velocity, till my heated fancy became strained, alarmed, and so mucb overcrowded with new and old images, — all ex- aggerated, — that in spite of the conviction th'-t the whole was nonsense, I felt obliged to draw back from the edge of the rock ; and it required a little reflection, and some resolution, to advance again to the brink. During the delightful period that the Falls form- ed our head-quarters, we made various excursions to several interesting objects in the neighbourhood. Of these, the most amusing were, a trip to Buffalo, a flourishing American town at the eastern end of Lake Erie, where the great New York canal com- mences, — and a visit to the Welland canal, which joins Lake Erie with Lake Ontario. It is amusing to look back, after a journey is over, at those objects which at the time excited the most vivid iuteresj;, but which have faded from the recollection so completely, that any description of them from memory would be feeble and unsatis- factory, while a literal transcript of the notes writ- ten on the spot would be no less inaccurate from their extravagance and high colouring. The mere proximity of some things, gives them an impor- tMice which we are apt to mistake for a perma- nent and inti'in^ic value; whereas their reeil con- sequence may not extend beyond their own small i I * IPPEIl CANADA. 20!) circumference. Even on the spot, it is frequently no easy job for the stranger to decide which of a va- riety of objects he shall devote most of his attention to. And his perplexity is frequently increased by the local authorities, who, with the best dispositions to oblige him, liavo generally some pet lion of their own, to which they are anxious to call his exclusive attention. Much precious time is thus frequently wasted on matters of the merest insignificance, while others of paramount importance arc left im- examined, and very often unknown, till it be too late. In Italy, or any other old country, every picture, statue, or ruin, worthy of notice, is recorded, and brought to the traveller's notice in spite of him ; and, under the directions of his cicerone, he soon learns what he is to admire, and what he is to abuse. In America, however, there are none of these de- lightful aids to the taste and judgment. There, every thing is new, and nothing arranged, nor even any approach to classification attempted ; and, con- sequently, the vrretched explorer's body and soul are literally worn out by the ceaseless importunities of the inhabitants. With the kindest possible dis- positions towards their guest, the Americans are never satisfied that he has seen any thing unless he has seen every thing ; and if he leaves a single * factory ' unexamined, though he has seen fifty ill I •' 210 TRAVELS IN similar, or if he pass by any one institution in a city — a college, an hospital, or a jail — it is at once set forth that he has seen nothing at all. " lie has been in too great a hurry," say they ; " he has not doK_ justice to our country — he has preconceived notions in his head — he has not studied all our au- thorities — he has arrived at a most unfortunate season," and so forth. In short, it is soon settled that the unhappy man knows nothini; at all of his own professed business ; which, supj)osing him to be competent in other respects, seems not very fair. In travelling, or in reading, or in any other oc- cupation, it is surely obvious that the only method of arriving at correct and useful, or even mereljr agreeable results, is to act upon some system of generalisation and method in our researches ; to seek out, not for all, but a few of those books, men, and things, which shall give us, as far as may be required, comprehensive views of the whole subject we are investigating. The information to be drawn from these sources ought not only to be accurate, but characteristic ; and in order to be use- ful, the facts must not be too minute, or too nume- rous ; otherwise, they become trivial, serve only to distract the attention, and, finally, teach more error than truth. Tlie art, or craft, of travelling, like other arts, to arts, UPPKR CANADA. 211 ran ho acquired ])y practice alone. And, accord- ing;]}', in all the various countries I have A-isited heCore j^oiiifj; to America, I never heard it doubted, that a ])er8on of moderate experience, and havinj;; no ohject hut truth in view, who, with good oppor- tunities within his reach, should devote his atten- tion for upwards of a year, exclusively to one coun- try, might gain a pretty competent knowledge of it, though he did not see every single institution, and every single person in it. In America, however, this point is nded quite otherwise ; and unless a man will consent to shut up his own eyes, and see all things through those of the natives, or consent to remain long enough to become a thorough-bred American in feeling as well as in knowledge, and gain new optics accord- ingly — though how long that would require I can- not say — he has no chance of having it admitted, in that country at least, that he knows any thing of the subject he has undertaken to handle. The truth of this any foreigner who has visited Ame- rica must have been made to feel in every corner of the country, and during every hour^of his stay. In the outset of my journey, this unreasonable and distrustful propensity on the part of the peo- ple, perplexed and grieved me very much ; and it was not till I had gone half through the United States, and become — in my own ophiion at least — )) I 212 TRAVELS IN tolerably master of the subject, that I got }io1d of any thing like a satiafaotory explanation of these Mingular anomalies in the national character. The Canadians, however, I was delighted to find, were not by any means 8o exacting, or, in fact, more so than the inhabitants of European coun- tries. They arc as kind to their guests, however, as the Americans, and without insisting upon ha- ving every thing viewed couleur de rose, are con- tent to believe that strangers {)ajssing through their country will take a fair view of things; and that although foreigners must often err on little points, they may possibly have it in their power, fully as much as themselves, to draw correct general in- ferences with respect to local customs and man- ners. Nor does it ever seem to enter into the thoughts of the Canadians, as it always does into those of their neighbours, that there is any thing peculiar, or mysterious, or difficult to be under- stood about their character. With the Americans, on the otlier hand, there is always a solemn sort of enigmatical assumption of the intricacy ^nd transcendent grandeur of tlieir whole system, not to be comprehended by weak European minds. Nevertheless, with this univer- sal authority against me on that side of the water, I suspect, it will bo found, after all, that there is less variety in the American character individual- t UPPER CANADA. 213 ly, and loss complication in tlicir political systems, than in those of almost any other country. One or two very obvious principles appear, by their own showing, to regulate the whole matter, and these, alter a time, are easily understood. 11 f • i .ft 314. TRAVELS IN CHAPTER VII. The Welland Canal is intended to perform the same step over the intervening land, as that made by the Falls and Rapids of Niagara, from the level of Lake Erie to that of Lake Ontario — only in a more gentle and manageable way. Niagara is wonderful and beautiful to look at, and so far has its advantages. But this great canal will be much more useful in advancing the ordinary business of life. The feelings excited by seeing these two noble works, the one of nature, the other of art, side by side, at the distance of only six or eight miles, are very different, I grant; but both, in their respec- tive ways, are well calculated to fill the spectator with agreeable reflections. There are many persons, indeed, as I have be- fr re hinted, upon whom the Falls of Niagara are in a great measure wasted, and who, from not feel- ing the grandeur of the scene themselves, are apt, not very fairly, to slight the expression of admira- UPPER CANADA. 215 tion in others ; and this, I fear, must continue as long as the Falls exist. Such a work, however, as the Well and Canal, has a different fate in general estimation. Wlien the idea was first conceived, it was ridiculed by all persons, except a very few ; and even after the ground was surveyed and the scheme found practicable, the whole project was considered so entirely hopeless, that it met with no active opposition from those who disapproved of it, nor any great support from those who wished it well. The bold and workmanlike idea of making a ship canal from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, first originated with Mr William Hamilton Merritt, a resident at the village of St Catherine's, in Upper Canada, through which spot the canal now passes. And I was glad to observe that all parties con- curred in saying that to his perseverance and know- ledge of the subject, as well as to his great per- sonal exertions, this useful work stands' mainly in- debted for its success. It is, indeed, curious to re- mark how often the most stupendous undertakings owe their existence to the vigorous intelligence of a single person, who, as in this case, may not, in- dividually, have power to carry one thousandth part of his favourite project into effect. But by bring- ing the strength of his own mind to bea^ steadily on the capacities of others, a man of this stamp may i il '■fi' 216 TRAVELS IN turn their superioi means to liis purpose ; and thus assisted, be enabled to accomplisli measures of the greatest wisdom and public utility, which mere un- directed wealth miglit never have conceived, still lees have executed. The level of Lake Erie above Lake Ontario is 330 feet, which is surmounted by a series of thirty- seven locks, cut on the ridge of the mountain, fa- cing Lake Ontario. The whole canal is forty- one miles and a half long, and is of a size to ad- mit the largest class of sailing vessels navigating tii3 lakes. These are schooners from flO to 120 tons burden, and they will pass readily enougli through the locks, which are made 100 feet long» and 22 feet wide. The depth of the water is at no place less than eight feet ; and by a judicious set of ar 'angements, this may readily be augment- ed to ten feet, if vessels of a gi'eater draught of water be built for the lakes. A great part of the channel of triis canal, was ready made by nature. The Welland and Grand Rivers, indeed, which form a considerable portion of the whole work, are more like canals than runnii.j streams, their flow being imperceptible. Ten or twelve miles of the canal, also, arc cut through a marsh, by Tvliicli ope- ration an extensive tract of rich soil has been laid bare and will be brouglit at once into cultivation, UPPER CANADA. 217 tnd thus 's of the acre un- ^ed, still itario is f thirty- tain, fa- g forty- ;e to ad- v'igating to 120 enougli et long, «r is at idicious igment- uglit of of the nature, which )rk, are ir flow of the cli ope- en laid vation, in a part of the country, too, where such land is most valuable. I mentioned, when speaking of the grand Erie Canal, on the American side, that a deep cut was made through the solid rock at Lockport. A si- milar rise in the ground — a prolongation of the same range — has made it necessary to form a deep cutting also for the Welland Canal to pass through. Tlie difficulty, however, was here much less, from the top of the ridge consisting of clay instead of rock. The chain of locks by which the canal de- scends that side of the hill wliich faces Lake Onta- rio, was formed under greater advantages tha.i the series at Lockport. They lie, during great part of the way, along the course of a ravine or natural cleft, so admirably suited to the purposes required, that in many instances little more has been found necessary than merely cutting a towing path on the banks, after damming up the water into a se- ries of large ponds, or reservoirs, which serve not only the primary purpose of feeding the locks, but also furnish water in such profuse quantity, that numerous mills and manufactories \vill be supplied, even in the driest season, by the mere waste waters of the canal. Another practical advanttige of some moment has been secured by the peculiar conformation of this valley. It happens to be divided into a series VOL. I. K if '! k M ■Mi 213 TRAVELS IN of steps, SO far removed from one another, that there has heen no necessity for placing any two of the locks together, so that the one shall open into the other. In consequence of this fortunate ar- rangement, a vessel going up has not longer to wait for another coming down, than the mere time necessarily occupied in passing a single lock. If two or more locks be in conjunction on a canal, it is clear that whenever vessels going in opposite ways meet, one of them must pass through the whole series before the other can enter the first lock. At Lockport, on the Erie Canal, this difficulty has been judiciously overcome, at a great expense, however, by the establishment of a double set of locks, one for carrying boats up, the other for bringing them down. There is one other point on the American Canal whera a number of locks again unavoidably come together in a single series. But this produces so much detention, that I have no doubt the same sagacity and spirit of enterprise, which have already done so much in that quarter, will soon remedy the evil, by forming another set side by side with the first. The Welland Canal is 58 feet wide at the sur- face, 26 at bottom, and carries 8 feet water at its shallowest places. At no great expense, if it shall be wanted, this depth may at any time be increa- her, that ny two of 5pen into mate ar- onger to lere time ock. If a canal, opposite ugh the the first ifficulty expense, e set of her for oint on s again But ive no rprise, larter, ler set B sur- at its shall pcrea- UPPER CANADA. 219 sed to 10 feet througliout. All the locks are con- structed of wood, which, in a country abounding in timber, is certainly the clieapest and most na- tural material to use. Their cost has been estima- ted at one ninth part of the expense of stone locks; and if it shall be thought advisable eventually to reconstruct them of more durable materials, the canal will then afford a ready means of transport- ing the hewn stones to the very spot, at an expense utterly insignificant compared to whai it would have been in the first instance. It alwavs struck me that the locks on the Erie or New York Canal, might have been advantage- ously made, in like manner, of timber; because, in- dep mdently of the saving of money, the mere in- terest of which saving would have kept wooden locks permanently in repair, there would have been another great advantage in the facility with which the dimensions of the locks might have been en- larged. Should it be thought useful, as it proba- bly will very soon be, to make the whole line of the Erie Canal large enough for schooners, in imi- tation of the Welland Canal, the circumstance of all the locks being built of stone will be a serious embarrassment. Tlie Welland canal was undoubtedly suggested by the great work just alluded to, and, in turn, it is not improbable that. the Americans will take the above W m m V ic vi 220 TRAVELS IN hint from their opposite neighbours in Canada. This is generous and legitimate rivalry ; and although, at first sight, it may seem that the Welland Canal, by offering superior advantages, will draw away from New York a portion of tht rich produce of the state of Ohio, of Upper Canada, and of the other boundless fertile regions which form the shores of the higher lakes, yet there seems little doubt that the actual production of materials requiring transport vnW increase still faster than the means of carrying them to the sea, and that ere long addi- tional canals, besides these two, will be found ne- (5essary. At all events, the upper countries alluded to will derive considerable advantages from having a free choice of markets, as they may now proceed either to New York by the Erie Canal, or by the Welland Canal, down the river St Lawrence, ac- cording as the market of New York or that of Mont- real shall happen to be the most favourable, or the means of transport cheapest. The Welland Canal has some farther advantage over its rival, I understand, from its southern end, or that which opens into Lake Erie, lying further to the westward along the northern shore of the lake, than the opening of the American canal. In consequence of this circumstance, the ice, it is said, blocks up the entrance to the Erie Canal at Buf- falo, several weeks longer than the mouth of the UPPER CANADA. 221 ^i WcUand Canal, and thus a considerable advance is grained by its being open earlier in spring, and later in autumn, than the other. Lake Erio is not above ten or twelve fathoms deep, and is frozen over every season. But Lake Ontario, it is interesting to observe, is bo deep that ice never forms upon it. It thus acts the part of a great heater to temper the severity of the winters in those regions ; and we find that the climate on both sides of this magnificent body of water, which is 170 miles in length, by 35 in breadth, is actually much milder in winter, and cooler in summer, than either at New York or Quebec. It will be seen by looking at the map of North America, that there are three great outlets by which the produce of the interior may find its way to the ocean ; — the Mississippi, which joins the sea near New Orleans on the Gulf of Mexico ; the St Lawrence, which passes Montreal and Quebec ; and lastly, the Hudson, which runs out at New York. These three channels are made to centre in the gr .at northern lakes, partly by nature and partly by the assistance of man. The Hudson is joined to Lake Erie by the grand canal so often mention- ed, and also to Lake Ontario by a branch from it which runs from Syracuse to Oswego ; and thus the port of New York may receive the produce of i m t 1*1 I '1 I I ^r 222 TRAVELS' IN the countries wliicli lie on the borders of all the lakes, by a course of uninterrupted water carriage. A canal is nearly completed (1829), which is to join Lake Erie with the Ohio river, and as that stream runs into the Mississippi, a water com- munication between the lakes and the Gulf of Mexico will soon be opened, through the heart of the state of Ohio. The most obvious and natural, and it soon will be the most advantageous communication with the sea, is that by the river St Lawrence. One grand step towards the accomplishment of this object, which is of the highest importance, not only to the Canadas, but to the parent state, has already been made by the construction of the Welland Canal, as it links together all the upper lakes, by means of a ship canal, with Lake Ontario. Were the na- vigation of the river St Lawrence unimpeded, du- ring its course from Lake Ontario to the sea, there would be nothing further to desire on that point, and Upper Canada would then virtually be, what it ought to be, but what it certainly is not at pre- sent, in any sense of the word, — a maritime pro- vince of Great Britain. The advantages to the co- lony, and also to the mother country, which would flow from the increased facility of commercial and other intercourse between them, which these chan- nels would open, are more considerable than many I "VMtaBtSf3MMnA^K:30«wl^:HBMHM 'V\'=&.l^i UPPER CANADA. 223 ►fall the carriage, lich is to I as tliat er com- Gulf of heart o{ )on will with the e grand object, y to the iy been Canal, means the na- ed, du- t, there ' point, I, what at pre- le pro- ihe co- would al and chan- many people are aware of. It may be worth while, there- fore, to consider the means which it is proposed to adopt, in order to facilitate the direct inter- coarse between Great Britain and Upper Canada. The countries belonging to his Majesty bordering on the lakes, or drained by the rivers which discharge tliMnselves into the St La^v^ence, are capable, it is said, of producing for export as much grain and flour as the whole United States. Now, British merchandise is admitted into tho Canadas, over the whole of the fertile region alluded to, at a duty of about 2^ per cent., while the return produce of those countries pays in England only about 5 s. per quarter for wheat ; whereas, in the United States, the duties on British merchandise run as high as 80 per cent., and in many cases much higher, and the duty upon the import of American wheat into England is very high : so that a vast direct mart for the manufactured goods of England lies open to us in Canada. I say nothing of the immense waste weir, as it has been called, across the fron- tier, and over which, morally or immorally, the surplus importation of goods into Canada will find its way into the United States, in spite of all the tariffs, and all the custom-house officers in the world ; — the smugglers will defy the mutual wishes of both governments to prevent illicit intercourse. Were American grain allowed to be shipped in ',\\ Ji ft! ill 224 TRAVELS IW the St Lawrence at rates not greatly higlicr tlan that from our own proTinccs, an additional stimu- lus would obviously he given to our commercial intercourse with the northern and western fron* tiers of the United States. But how far this could be made suitable to the present system of com laws in England, seems more than doubtful. The physical impediments to the free intercourse between Lake Ontario and the sea consist of num- berless troublesome rapids which can be ascend«d only at the cost of much time, labour, and money. A canal, however, cut round these rapids, would effect this important object, and connect Lake Ontario with the ocean. If this were completed, the trans- port of one ton of merchandise, which now costs L.7, 10s., might be conveyed from the sea to Lake !Erie for L.2, 5s., according to data collected from the average experience of other canals in that country. The communication between the sea and Lake Erie, is at present almost exclusively enjoyed by the Americans, who send their goods either direct by the grand canal, or turn out of it at Syracuse, and having entered Lake Ontario at Oswego, pro- ceed to the Welland Canal, and thus easily reach Lake Erie. The English, however, have no such means, as yet, of reaching Upper Canada. By the above 11 UPPER CANADA, 225 route, it costs tlie Americans 180 miles of canal, and 576 feet of lockage, to cHtabliHli a communica- tion between the ocean and Lake Ontario ; while if the improvements above alluded to were com- pleted round the rapids of the St Lawrence, 60 miles of canal, and li)4 feet of loekage, would ac- complish the same purpose. At present, the expense of transporting a ton of goods from New York to Lake Ontario by the route above mentioned, is L.2, 138. ; and that of convey- ing the same quantity by the St Lawrence in its present imperfect state, is L.4, 10s. — which gives a preponderance against the Canadian route of L.l, ITs. Whereas, if the proposed canal were constructed, so as to overcome the difficulty of navigating the St Lawrence, a ton of merchandise might be sent to Lake Ontario for 15s., which, compared with the present cost by the American canal, L.2, 13s., would leave a preponderance of L.l, 18s. in favour of the English. It in important to observe, tliat as these distinctions are caused entirely by the differencesi in levels and in dis- tances specified above, the advantage, if once taken possession of by the Canadian government, could never, by the nature of things, be interfered with. Possibly, also, if the navigation of the St Law- rence were improved, a considerable portion of the American produce which now finds its way to New k2 M m 226 TRAVELS IN York, would (Iraln off by the less expensive chan- nel of the St Lawrence, supposing the markets ib be equally good. The pecuniary part of these statements has been confined to the intercourse with Lake Ontario; but it might easily be sliowu, that if Lake Erie, and the enormous extent of fertile shores which every where fringe the great lakes connected with it, be the objects, the proportionate cheapness of the communication would be still greater by the route of the St Lawrence, than by that of the Erie Canal. It has been objected to this argument, that the ports of Quebec and Montreal are frozen up during several months of the year, whereas that of New York is always open. But to this there are two answers. The winter in those countries is the season when agricultural produce is collect- ed on the banks of the rivers, ready to be sent to market on the opening of the nfivigation ; and very little business would be done even were the St Lawrence then free from ice. In the second place, the Erie Canal, the great feeder of New York from the interior, and almost all the streams which contribute to the same purpose, are closed very nearly as long as the St Lawrence. To which it may be added, that the supplies of European goods intended for the interior, are generally im- M t. I -iifci Ikm I m ifci i^Um:.-' !l UPPER CANADA. 227 I ported in the spring and autumn, when both routes are open. The ])hyHlca1 difficultieH whirh stand in the way of theKe improvomentH will easily he turned to use- ful account by the plastic hands of genius and per- severance. But the moral, or rather the political, inipediments to the right adjustment of this ques- tion, are formed of so much tougher materials, that I scarcely hop<^ to escape being deemed pre- sumptuous for to:iching upon them at all. One of the most obvious difficulties, I suspect, in the way of improving the intercourse between Upper Canada and the sea, consists in the absence of a hearty political union between the upper and lower provinces. The effect of this want of con- cert is, that their joint resources are not, and can- not, I fear, be directed to this and many other ob- jects whicli, if the colonics were thoroughly joined, would eminently advance the interests of the united body. How such a political alliance is to be brought about, I have not information enough to enable me to judge ; but there is one scheme for paving the way towards so desirable a consummation, which, I confess, has always appeared to me ex- tremely feasible, and I trust it will not be allowed to go to sleep. I allude to the annexation of Mont- real to Upper Canada. Until that point be ar- il r j ii; IRi 228 TP.AVELS JVf ranged- the resources of the upper province, one of the richest portions of his Majesty's dominions, must inevitably be cr&niped, and its effective in- terest in us diminished. Without a seaport which she can call her own, and without those advan- tages, commercial and financial, which nothing else can supply, her energies of every kind must be deadened ; and, abt e ail, those relations which bind her and the mother country together cannot fail to be loosened — or, to speak more correctly, they have not yet been properly established, and I fear never can be, while she is thus blocked out from the sea. Upper Canada, by political birthright, as well as her steady loyalty to Great Britain, is certainly en- titled to be placed on equal terms with her neigu- bours. But until the only seaport she can possi- bly obtain, be included within her boundary, and her legislature be thus vested with efficiei.t con- trol over the commercial resources of the colony, that province must be virtually separated from us, and from the rest of the world. She will be even estranged from her sister colonies m that continent, and also from those of the West Indies, with all of which she is unquestionably entitled to hold as open relations, as are enjoyed by any of the rest of his Majesty's possessions. But these relations it is almost a mockery to suppose she can keep up with- UPPER CANADA. 229 ce, one of jminions, ictive iu- ►rt which e advan- nothiDg nd must ns which r cannot orrectly, d, and I ked out 3 well as inly en- • neigii- n. possi- ry, and it con- colony, •om us, )e even tinent, dth all lold as rest of IS it is > with- out a free access to the ocean, not as a matter of favour, but as an inherent territorial right, inde- pendent of the good-will of any other country or province. This claim is much strengthened, in the opinion of its advocates, by the fact that, although she has no seaport, two-thirds of tho exports from the river St Lawrence are the produce of Upper Canada, and as this ratio will probably go on in- creasing in her favour, it becomes daily more and more important for England to consider the ques- tion attentively. The Lower Canadians are, I believe, and not un- naturally, averse to the relinquishment of Mont- real ; but they might well be contented with the magnificent port of Quebec ; especially as there can be little doubt that any augmentation of wealth in their sister colony must be fully shared by them, and their profits from that source would, probably, very soon overbalance any loss incident to this nominal sacrifice. The first effect of bringing the boundary of Upper Canada further down, would inevitably be the adop- tion of an extensive set of improvements in the navigation of the St Lawrence ; for the capital and enterprise of the great city of Montreal would then coalesce with those of the western parts of the province, the inhabitants of which have already done 60 much, higher up, at the Welland Canal, y / ( 230 TRAVELS IN i'' If ! !5 and Burlington Bay. Thus measures, which are now starved by the want of vigorous concert, would start into efficiency at once. Lower Canada would immediately feel the advantage of such improved intercourse, while the resources of the upper pro- vince — almost boundless — would for the first time be called into full operation. The city of Montreal, which, under any possible view, must be the great point of transit, would then reap the advantages of both. Thus all the parties concerned would be benefited, and those cordial bonds of profitable union be drawn round the two colonies, which it is so obviously the interest of the mother country to tighten. This I take to be orthodox colonial policy on our part, whether a formal political union of the pro- vinces be contemplated or not. For it seems to be the course which is most foi che good of those countries ; and if this be so, it ought to be the first object of the statesmen at home to bring it about ; for the real interest of the parent state will certain- ly follow, sooner or later, every such exercise of good faith, uncontaminated by national selfishness. While treating of the communications between Lower and Upper Canada, I ought to mention, that other means besides those above alluded to arc already in active progress for obviating the diffi- culties of the ascent from the level of the sea to — >l UPPER CANADA. 231 Ij that of Lake Ontario. A canal is nearly completed from Kingston, the great naval and military sta- tion at the east end of Lake Ontario, to the Ottawa River, which joins the St Lawrence a few miles above Montreal. Tliis important military work, undertaken at the expense of the British govern- ment, is intended especially for the transport of troops and military stores at all times, but will be more particularly useful during any future contest with the United States. In order to prevent the possibility cf our communications between Lower and Upper C'anada being interfered with in time of war, it has been considered right to carry t^iis ca- nal across a part of the country removed to a con- siderable discance back from the frontier ; and so situated, in other reouects, that no probable incur- sion of the enemy could destroy it, or even inter- rupt the passage of boats. The Rideau Canal, as this extensive work is called, is formed almost entirely of a string of lakes joining one another ; so that in its whole length, which is 133 miles, there are not above 20 of regular canal work. The rest is accomplished by lakes, by locks, and by a series of dams thrown across the valleys, which, by confining the water, produce artificial reservoirs, many miles in length, on which steam-boats can navigate without iiijury to the banks. in f ■» i' fell 238 TRAVELS IN ' ( This military canal will require a considerable sum of money ; but probably there never was any expense better bestowed. For the cost of trans- porting ordnance and other stores by the direct route of the St Lawrence, up the rapids, is so enor- mous, that the saving of a few years on this item alone will repay the whole outlay. The essential advantage, however, and one whicls, in my opinion, we cannot relinquish without risk of national dis- honour, is the perfect security it affords of being able to send troops and stores backwards and for- wards, in the event of hostilities, with that rapidity which constitutes the chief desideratum in defen- sive warfare. It must be remembered that we are pledged in a thousand ways to assist the Canadians in defending their country ; and, as long as they perform their part of the international contract, we are bound to shrink from no means of render- ing them secure. But without the completion of the Rideau Canal, our fellow-countrymen the Ca- nadians can feel none of that security which our superior means enable us to give them. Any he- sitation, therefore, on our part, at this stage of the business; will load us with the responsibility of fu- ture disasters. Our present duty is most clear — and though its execution be somewhat costly, its imperative character i . not altered on that account. There can be no doubt as to what we ought to do, UPPER CANADA. 233 were a war to break out to-morrow. But a mo- ment's reflection will show, that tlie obligation is equally binding upon us in advance, as it will be in that contingency. Were a ship canal cut along the banks of the St Lawrence, in the manner first described, round the rapids which impede the navigation of that river, and no other work constructed, such as that of the iiideau Canal, farther from the frontier, the ob- jects contemplated by the government would be very partially, if at all, answered. In peace, no doubt, there would be a great saving in the trans- port of stores from the lower to the upper province. But, in the event of a war with our neighbours in the south, it is quite obvious that this communica- tion would stand a great chance of being cut off by sudden incursions, against which it would be nexi to impossible to guard so long a line of canal, ly- ing on the very bank of the river. To establish this point, it is only necessary to mention, that there are between forty and fifty places where the chan- nel for the boats on the Canada shore is within point blank cannon shot of the American frontier. Another means of communication, therefore, far- ther back, is absolutely indispensable. The difficulty, however, of defending Canada, in the event of a war, it cannot be denied, and ought not to be concealed, will be much increased . I' iir' 'V n ! 234 TRAVELS IN Tim by every thing which tends to improve the means of travelling along a frontier lying actually under the guns of the supposed hostile nation. As far, therefore, as mere defence goes, it would be better, if it were possible, to render the left bank of the St Lawrence an impervious wilderness, and to aug- ment the difficulties of the rapids, instead of clear- ing them away. The more, in short, the river St Lawrence is made a high road, the greater will be the difficulty of defending the two Canadas during a war Avith the United States. The Rideau Canal, it will oe observed, purposely takes such a round-about course, that there is little chance of its being used for commercial purposes in peace, though in war it would become the great channel of intercourse. The capitalists of Upper Canada and of Montreal, if that city shall be an- nexed to it, will therefore, I have little doubt, be still desirous of constructing a ship canal, by which they may sail directly up and down the St Law- rence. They will hardly take into account the chances of a war with the United States ; or, if they do, it will only quicken their loyalty, and bind them closer to us, by giving them something more valuable to defend, and rendering our alli- ance and hearty co-operation more essential to them. How far his Majesty's government can be ex- UPPER CANADA. 235 pected to countenance a project, which military men are agreed in supposing will materially in- crease the difficulty of defending the provinces, I cannot pretend to say. For my own part, however, after much reflec- tion on the relative condition of the United States, the Canadas, and England, and upon all these arguments, I can see no reason why these two canals, one for commercial, the other for military purposes, should not go on and prosper together. I am confident that, in any possible contingency, the Canadians, whose hearts are now truly with us, and may easily be kept so, will be found equal, with a little of our assistance, to maintain their noble co: itry untouched by any invader. But whatever becomes of the St Lawi'ence Ca- nal — which is a minor consideration — the military communication between the upper and lower pro- vinces by the Rideau Canal must — if we regard our national honour — on no account be abandon- ed, cost what it may. And I have only to add, that if it had been executed before the late contest with America, it is matter of demonstration that mil- lions of public money would have been saved. Still farther, it may be suggested, if we do not take warning by past risks, we may, in a future war, chance to lose something else, which, if once let slip, no millions can replace. I r «;■ I 236 TRAVELS IN CHAPTER VIII. On the 12tli of Jaly, 1827, I made an excur- sion on horseback from the neighbourhood of Nia- gara, to the mouth of the Grand River, which rune into Lake Erie at its north-eastern corner, and is interesting from being the point selected for a har- bour at the south end of the Welland canal. I ac- companied two gentlemen who, fortunately for me, were well acquainted with the country ; and there would probably have been nothing wanting to com- plete our enjoyment, had we not omitted to carry with us the finest specimen of a cold roast turkey I ever saw, expressly formed, one would have thought, for such a pic-nic party as ours. What on earth prevented us from dismembering this chief of birds, and stuffing one leg into one pocket, and one into the other, I don't know. Had I been consult- ed, I should have had no scruple in taking upon me iEsop's share of the luggage, and slinging the whole animal over my shoulders. People may I UPPER CANADA. 237 smile at my immiiijnr a roast turkey in the same page with Nlap^ara ; but I can tell them that in the woods of Canada such things are not to be trifled with, even within sight, as we were, of the clouds of spray which rest for ever above the cataract. We drove in a carriage for the first ten or twelve miles, and then mounting our horses, dash- ed through the woods in a southerly direction to- wards Lake Erie. Here and there we came to farms cut out of the wilderness, as stones are hewn out of quarries, insignificant indentures apparently in- to the boundless forest, but the inevitable forerun- ners of extensive, and real improvements in a coun- try favoured by so many sources of wealth — a good climate, a good government, and a fertile soil. These patches were sometimes pleasing and some- times the reverse ; and, like most things, in a great measure dependent upon the frame of the observer's mind at the moment. At one time we rejoiced to see r smiling cultivated farm, cottages, and people, taking the place of the old, unseen, useless tenants of the woods and wilds, the Indian and the buifalo. At another moment we were made melancholy by observing the merciless, wanton sort of way in which whole districts have been stripped of the most beautiful oaks, weeping elms, and pines, fit ;i( ■I 238 TRAVELS IN masts for some ^eat admiral, to malce room for potato-fields, pig-sties, and log-lmts. It was a relief, at all events, lo get into the open air again, and we cantered merrily along the sandy beach of Lake Erie, the colour of whose waters was green, not blue like those of Lake Ontario, which, in this respect, exactly resembles the great ocean. The waves curled and broke, however, on the shore very like those of the sea ; though I miss- ed the rich aromatic perfume so grateful to a sail- or's senses, which rises from the salt surf weeds, and sometimes from those shrubs and grasses pe- culiar to the coast. We rode eighteen miles along the shore, some- times actually touching the water, and at other places, striking inland a little. Upon one of these occasions we came to an extensive district of coun- try, which had been inundated apparently for se- veral years. The consequence was, that all vege- table things, trees, underwood, and grass, were kill- ed outright, the whole scene being left in the most deplorable state of desolation. Many tri.es appear- ed to have had their tops blown off in the pro- gress of decay, and upon the summits of the stumps some politic eagles had built nests, which looked not unlike great wigs placed on the top of May poles. In many of these we could see the heads of certain young eagles peeping over the edge, and ^^t-sar-- room for the open lie sandy B waters Ontario, he great 'ever, on 1 1 miss- :o a sail- f weeds, ijses pe- lt other [)f these f eoun- for se- 1 vege- ire kill- le most ippear- e pro- tumps looked f May iads of t, and UPPER CANADA. 239 liigh a.ho\r ^^11, the ugly, bald-puteU, old birds, soar- ing away in grand stylo. The reminiscences of the cold turkey, now be- gan to interfere grievously with the interest of the scenery ; and, like sailors cast adrift in a boat, we ir ade distant allusions to the subject witli anxious forebodings of future abstinence. " I wish much," I said, " that we could sec any thing like an inn a- head there amongst those trees." My companions who were older travellers in Canada, smiled at my simplicity, and bade me be of good cheer, since we could not possibly get a morsel of fo<»d till we reached the Grand River, still many leagues from us. But, fortunately, they were out in their reck- oning; for, just as we turned the corner of a pro- jecting point of land, and felt the cool south-west sea breeze, as it might be called, in our faces, we beheld the glorious vision of a sign-post, infinitely more pleasing to our eyes than any Raphael or Rembrandt could possibly have been. The door was open, but the cottage was empty^ and as no signs of food or fire were to be discover- ed, our hearts sunk within us. But hope soon met our eyes in the shape of a comely young woman, who spoke delightful things of bacon and eggs, displayed a loaf of broad, and half promi- sed us one of the old hons wliich we saw chuck- ling about the doors, unconscious of her fate. It II \ : f m 240 TRAVELS IN i / il \ras no easy matter to strike a lip^ht ; and I don't know liow we Nlioiild have got on, had it not heen for the aHHistance of an Irish lad who j<»ined hs at this moment, and thruHting Wif none into the ashes, dechired there was a spark. This was speedily ex- alted into a froodly blaze, and while the lady pro- ceeded to put her sentence of death into execu- tion a|]fainst the jM>ultry, she g^Ml-natiiredly allow- ed us to get the tea-kettle under weigh, and made no objections to our rummaging the closet foi* cups and saucers. She laughed repeatedly at our awk- wardness ; and quizjsed me in particular unmerci- fully for making the fire at a part of the hearth be- yond the reach of the iron crane upon which the tea-kettle was to hang. I raised myself, however, several degrees in her estimation, by bringing a little nautical science to bear upon this matter. With a couple of sticks, planted on the side of the chimney, I got up a sort of outrigger or prop, which being applied to the suspending chain, bul- ged it out, and thus guided the tea-kettle to its proper birth over the flames. Our nags, in the meantime, in imitation of their riders, had been feasting upon a great arm-full of new hay, brought by the kind farmer himself, who, upon detecting us from afar, had hurried home to assist us. So that when we remounted and again attacked the road, every thing appear- V !■ UPPER CANADA. 241 tnd I don't it not been uned HH at ' the rnIioh, )eedily ex- lady pro- ito execu- dly allow- and made it fw cups our awk- unmerci- 1 earth bo- ^hich the however, ringing- a i matter, de of the or prop, lain, bul- ile to its I of their n-full of himself, hurried nounted appear- ed to liave acquired a froHJior reliwli. All fatigue waR gone, bodily and nicntul. The lake, the banks, the grouping of tiic trees, were all more; beautiful than before ; and so far from the ride seeming long, we dropped into the quiet little naval es^blish- mcnt at the mouth of the Grand Rivor:^-our ul- timate object — lorig before it appeared that we had come nearly to the journey's end. The flag-staff was struck, the works gone to de- cay, the store-houses nearly empty. Every thing we saw, in short, bes|M)ke the stillness and neglect of j)eace, as contradistinguished from the rattling activity of iron war. A Kmall military party were stationed here, un- der the command of an officer, whose unhappinesg at this moment interested our feelings not a little. All things, it is said, are judged of by compari- son ; but surely it required some elasticity in the imagination to understand how such a wretched abode as the Grand River station could be deemed a desirable residence. Yet so it seemed to this worthy officer, and his poor family, wiio were in great distress at the necessity of leaving it. In the meantime, he showed us to his log-house, not a dozen feet high, half buried in the sand, with- in twenty paces of a stagnant marsh, and blessed with not more than ten yards of prospect in any direction, besides being placed in a sort of eddy VOL. I. L ,l'l .1 242 TRAVELS IN ;!; i or cove, which tempted whole armies of indus- trious mosquitoes to carry on their operations against himself, his wife, and his six children. To compensate for this superaBtindance of company of one description, he told us, what indeed was sufficiently apparent, that his society in all other respects was very limited ; but as this removed th»j necessity of incurring inconvenient expenses, and as he had begun to draw sundry little comforts about him, and the whole party possessed cheer- ful dispositions, the loneliness of the situation was scarcely felt. Some months previous to our visit, a party of soldiers had been ordered from Quebec to this re- mote station, and our friend, who considered him- self fortunate in getting the appointment, set off ac- cordingly with his family, in high spirits. The pro- verbial miseries of a protracted voyage across Lako Ontario, in a badly found sloop, and the ten times more harassing j ourney through the forest, were sub- mitted to with patience. Not far from the Grand River, the party were benighted, and such was the jolting of the carriage over the Corduroy roads, that to save the little life of one of their children, only three weeks old, it was lifted out of the car- riage and carried in one of the men's arms in the dark, througii the woods, though at every third step the honest soldier-nurse plunged up to his ^^^._^.,\~: ■^- . ^ UPPER CANADA. 243 of Indus- operations dren. To ' company ndeed was I all other moved tho enses, and I comforts ed cheer- ation was i party of o this re- 3red him- set off ac- The pro- OSS Lako ten times ^veresub- le Grand iich was 3y roads, shildren, the car- is in the ry third p to his knees in the mud ; while the poor urchin was un- consciously augmenting the miseries of the night by crying with cold and hunger. At length the dreary journey was at an end, and all its miseries were soon forgotten in the joy of getting fairly established in a home of some kind, suited to their means, and rendered doubly advantageous from being, as they thought, permanent. The arrival of the baggage waggons brought fresh cares in the shape of a miserable account of broken crockery— an irreparable misfortune in the back woods ! But, as I said before, they were far too happy to feel themselves fixed at last, to worry one another with unavailing complaints, but turned about cheerfully to make the most of their situation for the next few years. On the very morning we arrived, how- ever, counter orders reached the station ; the re- giment, it seems, was ordered from Canada to England, and another officer was of course appoint- ed to supersede our afflicted host. It is all very well to asset, that officers who marry on their pay, must take their chance of the turns of the service, and that the case I ha e just described is that of five hundred others. 80 it is. But yet, when we come in contact with the actual misery of such scenes, the evil, so far from being lessened, is aggravated by the reflections which remind us of their frequency. ill! ■ ) ? 1 I i 1^ n 244 TRAVELS IN To descend to the minor ills of life, I must say that, in an evil hour, we decided upon lea- ving the station, and crossing the river to a little inn, where we thought we should be more at ease than if we accepted the kind offer made to us by the officer in charge of the establishment, to sleep at his house. At ease, did I say ! ? Not in Lima — the " City of the Kings," — which, till now, I had thought was the head-quarters of those nameless creeping things which form the mi- sery of bad lodgings — did I ever encounter such myi'iads of those murderers of sleep. For half the night I lay tossing, and growling, and ejaculating, in terms not fit to be printed. I tried to remedy matters by putting on a great-coat ; then drew on gloves, stockings, drawers — all to no purpose ! Got up, spread a sheet on the mud floor — still in vain ! At last, about midnight, it occurred to me, that as the case was evidently hopeless, it would be best to lie still, grinning and bearing the tor- ture as well as might be. So I lay revolving all the sweet and bitter thoughts I could muster, and at times almost managed to philosophize myself into the confession that even these annoyances were trifles in comparison with the varied, and boundless sort of interest, which was rising higher and higher at every step as the journey advai'ced. The dawning of the next day was hailed with I ^■Wi»i«r*-^'^^':rW»T**fI' I life, I must cl upon lea- er to a little be more at fer made to ;ablishment, say ! ? Not -which, till quarters of brm the mi- mnter such For half the BJaculating, I to remedy then drew lo purpose ! or — still in rred to me, 3, it would ig the tor- volving all auster, and lize myself innoyances aried, and sing higher advai'ced. lailcd with UPPER CANADA. 245 f \ great joy by all hands, and shortly after four o'clock the whole party were up and stirring about the cot- tage. Our hostess, the widow of a sailor formerly on the establishment, with the neatness of habits belonging to a man-of-war, had laid out for us a capital breakfast of fish, caught during the night in a seine, or drag-net, by three or four of the sol- diers of the little garrison opposite. Our table was placed in the open air, and facing the rising sun ; with Lake Erie, now quite still, lying at our feet, and — I am ashamed to use such a simile — not verj'^ unlike an immense pon-i. The high grounds of Pennsylvania lay sleeping in the distance beyond it, and looming high in the misty air of the cool morn- ing, a circumstance which, to experienced eyes, foretold a sultry day. The Grand River drifted slowly past, black and sluggish, as if it had been a stream of dark-coloured oil rather than of water ; this tinge being imparted to it, the inhabitants in- formed us, byCranboroughand Wainfleet Marshes, of which extensive swamps it is the principal drain. We set off about seven o'clock to ride through one of these treacherous, half-drowned districts — I forget which of them — and were notliing daunt- ed, as we ought in reason to have been, by the sto- ries of the danger, and the intolerable badness of the roads. For the first mile or two, we tripped i 246 TRAVELS IN r, I. A u along pretty well, with only an occasional slough, which reminded me of the villainous pantanas, or great mud-holes, of Buenos Ayres, large enough to swallow a mail coach. As we proceeried, things got worse and worse, till at last it seemed as if we were in a very fair way to imitate the fate of the Master of Ravenswood, by stabling our steeds in the bottomless pit of some Kelpie's Flow. At this critical stage of our progress, when, I suspect, we only wanted a good excuse for turn- ing back, but were deterred from saying so, by the mere fact of its being hazardous to advance, we observed a portly-looking horseman approach- ing us from the Marsh. In reply to our interro- gatories, as to the state of the roads farther on, he shook his head, and assured us they were much worse than any we had yet seen. " The truth is," added he — chuckling at his own proweus — " I had myself some considerable dis- tance to ride through a place where it was so deep, that the water came far above my knees." On hearing this assertion, our eyes naturally glanced, incredulously, to his nether garments, which were perfectly sleek, clean, and dry. *' Oh," cried he, guessing our thoughts, and smacking his thigh with his hand, " I was obliged to take off these articles," — naming them — " and r UPPER CANADA. 247 t al slough, ntanas, or ^e enough ed, things rned as if he fate of )ur steeds ow. 5 when, I for turn- ig so, by- advance, ipproach- interro- er on, he re much i his own ible dis- so deep, aturally n'ments, ts, and obliged I-" and K k by hanging them over my shoulders, I did very well, as you perceive." We did perceive it well enough ; but the image of our fat friend struggling through the bog, with tvo thirds of his legs immersed in mud, and his inexpressibles hoisted over his shoulders, like the flag of a ship in distress, union downwards, was quite signal enough for us ; and, after laughing heartily, first at him, and then with him, we tack- ed ship in his company. - . t We now retraced our floundering steps ; and ha- ving reached firm footing once more, cantered along the beach of the lake for twenty-four miles, struck again into the depths of the forest, in a direction which carried us to the eastward of the above men- tioned marshes, and eventually, after a long day's ride — long at least for a sailor — brought us to the banks of the Chippewa, or Welland River. By following the course of this languid stream for five niles, we reached the important eminence known ly the name of the Short Hills, which rises nearly ii the centre of the peninsula of Niagara. From this elevated spot, which is distant about tvelve miles from the American frontier, a full view iscommanded both of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie j aswell as of all the intermediate country, botli Ame- rican and Canadian, adjacent to the Falls. It is pro- posed to erect upon these heights an extensive and rt{:' \^' I I . r:i f ! 248 TRAVELS IN powerful fortress, in place of the half dozen petty batteries or forts heretofore maintained along the Niagara line. To this secure military station, not only the regular troops in the country might be dra\\T:i in time of war, but the provincial militia would naturally flock to it as a rallying point, cer- tain of protection, and confident also that their services would be turned to good account, under competent direction, and veteran companionship, in the event of any threatened invasion. In times past, from want of some impregnable position of this kind, the resources of the upper province were scattered and wasted, instead of being condensed round a common centre of action. While at the same time, the insignificant nature of the old de- fences, above alluded to, erected on the very edge of the frontier, only tempted the enemy to attack them ; and this led in its turn, naturally enough, to hostile inroads and other retaliations, which ' ended in nothing but misery and irritation to bott parties, without advancing any military or na- tional object one jot. It may be said, indeed, that on a frontier so e>- tensive as that of Niagara, the enemy, in the eveit of a war, would be able to enter Canada, to pass tie projected fortress at the Short Hills, and to by waste the country round about and beyond it, w:th impunity. But I am told by military men tiat UPPER CANADA. 249 such an object could not be accomplished without a large force, deliberately prepared for the purpose, under circumstances that could not fail to be known, and easily counteracted. The garrison of the fort in question, would have ready means of harassing them, and of intercepting their march with a much inferior force of regulars, provided, as may be safely reckoned upon, the provincial mi- litia were mustered in any considerable numbers, under the guns of such a work as it is proposed to erect. I write upon this subject with some confidence, because I had means of satisfying myself that a more loyal or determined people never existed than the Canadian settlers, or men more thoroughly resolved to guard the blessings they enjoy. All they require, as I conceive, is to be treated by the mother country in a manner which shall imply, on our part, a thorough conviction of their hearty good- will towards us. As one step towards tliis end, and perhaps the most important step of all, I conceive that this fortification, and one or two others, ought to be erected fortliAvith ; to show the Canadians, as well as their neighbours, that we are in earnest in our determination to maintain tlie integrity of the colonies ; and likewise, that we place full con- fidence in their national good faith as loyal Eng- 2l ill It .1.'-' li ) . '! I \\ vm ? ii: iJ) 230 TRAVELS IN lislimen, — to all intents and puq)08es, as if Canada were no further from us than Cornwall. It is often said, and perhaps truly, that it is con- trary to the genius of the American government, to acquire t^^Titoiy by open warfare. But still, the proximity o -le -madas — the fertile nature of their soil — the oxceb v ce of their climate — the comparatively unoccupied nature of the land- are all motives, and very legitimate ones, it must be allowed, to stimulate the inhabitants of the United States to such a conquest, independently of the obvious and perfectly fair object of inju- ring her enemy, supposing us to be, unhappily, again at war. Nevertheless, as long as the present form of go- vernment exists in America, there cannot possibly be an efficient standing army in that country in peace — the only security for vigorous exertions in war ; and even supposing their militia could be in- duced to cross the frontier to invade the British provinces, which experience shows cannot be easily accomplished, still, if the Canadians be but hearty in their own cause, they will always, even single- handed, be more than a match for their invading antagonists. Nor is this said slighticgly of the op- posite party, by any means; for a similar observa- tion, I conceive, would hold good, if the invasion UPPER CANADA. 251 were to take the opposite course, and the United States wpre to be attacked by the Canadians. If, then, a due degree of hearty and mutual con- fidence be established between tlie Canadas and England — for to be worth a straw it must be mu- tual — and, here and there, we put forward con- spicuously, such indisputable symptoms of our sincerity as the proposed military work at the Short Hills near Niagara, similar to the splendid citadel already executed at Quebec, these colonies will be as secure from foreign conquest, and, by judicious management on their part and on ours, be made, permanently, as substantially British, as the Isle of Wight. >;f ; i; h' ;•(' 'i si [■ 'i 252 TRAVELS IN CHAPTER IX. On the 16tli of July, 1827, after a couple of days of rest, which were quite necessary for me after two such long rides, Mrs Hall and I set off on a short excursion, as we thought, towards Bur- lington Bay, at the western extremity of Lake Ontario. As all accounts agreed in stating the roads to he very bad, and as our intention was to be absent only a couple of days, we accepted the offer of some kind friends in the neighbourhood of the Falls to take charge of our child ; — and it was well we did so, as the result will show. The interest of the trip increased so much as we proceeded onwards, the weather was so beau- tiful, and we found ourselves in scenes so entirely new, that instead of a mere jaunt of eight and forty hours, we fairly made out the whole distance, through the woods, from Niagara to Kingston, which lie at opposite ends of Lake Ontario. The whole distance, including two excursions to the UPPER CANADA. 253 interior, was 463 miles. One journey by land, of this extent, however, in that country, was quite enough, und we gladly availed ourselves of the steam-boat to return to the Falls, after eleven days and a half of as rough travelling— I will answer for it — as any lady and gentleman were ever ex- posed to — from choice. During the first day's march, on the 16th of July, we encountered nothing remarkable, imlcss some fine scenery be so considered. It may, per- haps, sound very heterodox, but I know few things more fatiguing, for a continuance, than fine sce- nery ; and I suspect most people, after passing three or four weeks in Switzerland, if they dared own it, would say they were right glad to escape into Italy, or even into France. At all events, we had not much fatigue of this kind to complain of in any part of America ; for, take it all in all, a more unpicturesque country is hardly to be found any where. On the next day, the 17th of July, we visited an object well worthy of attention, — a natural dam, or breakwater, which lies, as I have men- tioned, across the mouth of Burlington Bay, at the extreme western end of Lake Ontario. This very singular embankment is six miles long, nearly straight, and rises about 12 or 15 feet above the level of the lake. It varies from 40 to •4\ I ... t If I r 1)1 254 TRAVELS IN .1 100 yards in witltli, is formed ent'^oly of sand, and covered with oaks. This ^rand pier, or spit, or key, is called Tiie Beaeli, and is altogether the most extraordinary thinj; of the kind I ever saw. With- in it lies a large harbour, five or six miles across, and carrying 15 fathoms water in the middle. This barrier lias, I conceive, been thrown up by the waves of Lake Ontario during the hard east- erly gales, at which times, I am told, the water is raised many feet liigher at the western end of the lake, and proportionably lowered at the eastern extremity. I know by experience, that when it blows hard, a short, high sea gets up in a mo- ment, on these lakes, very unpleasant for sliips. Heretofore Burlington Bay has been locked up by this great natural boom; but a canal has lately been (Mit through it nearly at the centre, the sides of wliich are formed of a number of cribs or ivood- en frames, loaded with stones and sunk to the bot- tom, by whicli the wearing away of the sand by the flux and reflux of the water, which is at times very rapid, is prevented, and the passage kept open. The entrance is still further secured from injury by two piers, formed in like manner of loaded cribs ; one of these piers is 900 feet long, the other 800. The utility of this spirited work has already begun to be felt and acknowledged in the sur- rounding country ; and the whole scene furnishes up UPPF.Il CANADA. 255 not a hm\ spcciiiuMi of tlic Koalo in which natural ohjcrtH arc found in thn new world. In tlie course of the next day, wc made an ac- quaiiitancn witli the cliiof of an Indian trihc. But our friend, if }ie will permit uh to call him so, was any thinpj but what the iniap^i tuition paints to itself of such a character. In Ids speech, dress, manners, and conduct, as well as in his opinions, and also in his tastes aiul hahits, he is quite an Englishman. lie is the owner of a landed pro- perty which he lives upon and cultivates: but how far he keeps up any relations with the tribe to which he belongs by birth, I do not exactly know. I should conceive, however, that a person so cir- cumstanced, who has travelled in England and other countries, and who certainly has capacity enough to profit by what he has observed, might be the means of doing much good to a race of whom it is impossible to think without a melancholy, because almost a hopeless interest. For want of a better conveyance, we were ob- liged to travel in a vehicle dignified by the name of a waggon, but which in fact was neither more nor less than i good, honest, rattling, open cart ; for though we enjoyed the honour and glory of four wheels, the elabiicity of the supporting wooden bars of a convenient enough seat in the middle, was a sorry substitute for springs. A\ iMI iiii '. .-il f 256 TRAVELS IN 1? f' Just at sunset, when we were half-way between two stages, one of the axletrees gave way, and down we came on our broadside. A dwelling was near at hand, but upon trying the doors, they were found all locked, and no symptoms of life were to be seen or heard except dogs, pigs, and cows. The driver was at a loss, till I advised him to set off with his horse in quest of another cart or waggon; — and there we were loft, in the middle of a Canadian forest, at nightfall, surrounded by swamps sonorous Avith innumerable bull-frogs, and by an atmosphere clogged with noxious vapours, and clouded with mosquitoes. We had been quizzing the four-wheeled travel- ling waggon a little while before, and complaining of the roughness of the wooden springs ; but we were right glad, after an hour's delay, to find ourselves once again in motion, though in a stUl less magnificent conveyance — literally a common two-wheeled farm cart, with notliing but a bunch of straw to break the violence of the jolts, which sent the rattling sound of our equipage, in dreary echoes, far into the unexplored recesses of those dismal swamps. Next morning at six o'clock, we left our night's quarters, which we did not reach till ten the even- ing before, and breakfasted at a neat clean sort of country inn. The morning was cool and clear; m UPPER CANADA. 257 and though the sun shone out, it was not disagree- able, being merely bright enough to give lustre and cheerfulness to the landscape. When people are in good spirits, every thing appears to smile. On our way to York, the capital of Upper Ca- nada, on the northern shore of Lake Ontario, we made a turn off the road, to visit a village recently erected on the banks of the river Credit, and in- habited by the tribe of Mississaguas. Till within the last three or four years, these Indians were known in that part of Canada as the most profligate, drunken, and it was supposed, irreclaimable of savages. Such, indeed, was their state of wretchedness, that the total and speedy extinction of the whole tribe seemed inevitable. All this was attributed to other causes than po- verty ; for the annual distribution of goods to the tribe, cither as a bouiity from the crown, or as a consideration for lands which they had ceded, wau most ample ; whilst their neighbourhood to popu- lous settlements insured them a ready market for their game or fish, if they hatl been indus- triously disposed. They owned also a fine tract of land, reserved for their exclusive use. But it seems they were lost in a state of continual intox- ication, brought on by drinking ihe vilest kind of spirits, obtained by bartei ng the clothes and other *' |:i|i ♦ ;{ mi ii I J J. I . „l 858 TRAVELS IN !: ii m;. i : 1 1 I Mr articles annually served out to them by govern- ment. Such a state of things, of course, attracted much attention, and many plans were suggested for ame- liorating their condition ; hut none succeeded in reclaiming these miserable objects, till, about three or four years ago. Sir Peregrine Maitland, then go- vernor of Upper Canada, conceived the idea of do- mesticating these Indians on the banks of the river Credit. The ground, accordingly, was soon clear- ed, commodious houses were built, and implements of husbandry, clothes, and other things, given to the new settlers. These wretched people were induced to take this step, chiefly by the influence of a missionary of the name of Jones, whose mo- ther was a Mississagua, and his father a white man. Jones, it appears, had fallen in with some persons of the Methodist persuasion, who, with the zeal and sagacity by which they are so much dis- tinguished, had imparted to him not only strong religious feelings, but had taught him to see how usefully he might be employed in reclaiming his Indian brethren from thv<3 degradation into which they had fallen. It happened, fortunately, that just at the moment, owing to some circumstances which I forget, he had acquired a considerable degree of influence amongst the tribe in question ; and his own virtuous eiforts being opportunely UPPER CANADA. 259 seconded by the government, the result, so far as we coukl judge, was wonderfuh From living more like hogs than men, these Mississaguas had acquired, when we saw them, many domestic habits. They had all neat houses, made use of beds, tables, and chairs, and were per- fectly clean in their persons, instead of being plas- tered over with paint and grease. They were, also, tolerably well di'essed, and were described as being industrious, orderly, and, above all, so- ber. Most of the children, and a few of the older Indians, could read English ; facts wliicb we ascer- tained by visiting their school ; and I have seldom seen any thing more curious. The whole tribe pro- fess Cliristianity, attend divine service regularly, and, what is still more to the purpose, their conduct is said to be in character with their profession. In- stead of hunting and fishing for a precarious liveli- hood, they now cultivate the ground; and in place of galloping off to the whisky shop with their earnings, lay them up to purchase comforts, and to educate and clothe their cliildren. Such at least were the accounts given co us. We examined the village minutely, and had some conversation with the schoolmaster, a brother of Mr Jones, the person to whose exertions so much of the success of this experiment is due. The nuk**oer of Indians at the Credit village is only 1 ! if ■'■■" "i^'v''. ;' ■ 260 TRAVELS m 215 ; but the great point gained, is the fact of re- formation hsing possible. The same feelings and disposition to improve are extending rapidly, I am told, amongst the other tribes connected with the Mississaguas, and chiefly amongst the Chippew^as of Lake Simcoe, and those of the Rice Lake. I had frequent opportunities afterwards, during the journey, of conversing with persons well ac- quainted with the Indians of North America, and I was sorry to observe, that faint hopes were en- tertained as to any permanent improvement being possible in the condition of these poor people. Wheii I described what I had seen at this village, the persons I spoke to could not deny, they said, that by the care of government, and especially of disinterested and zealous people, willing to take personal trouble m teaching them tlie arts of civil life, they may be brought, appjtreiitiy, to a con- siderable state of civilisation ; but that, sooner or later, they are always found to relapse, when the hand that guides them is withdrawn. I. confess I am unwilling to adopt so discou- raging a notion ; and I still think, after all I have seen and heard, that, by some means or other, the Indians might be reclaimed. This, however, can be accomplished, as I conceive, only by allow- ing theiU to mingle with the whites, to possess individual property; as well as political rights, m'' UPPER CANADA. 261 and thence they might come in time, to understand the practical vahie of religious and moral duties ; ohligations which are iianifestly useless to such people, or to any people, when preached merely in the ahstract. On taking leave of the Mississaguas, instead of returning to the direct road, we chose to follow the course of the Credit till it fell into Lake Ontario ; after which we put our heads to the eastward, and continued along the shore nearly to York. This road being formed of the trunks of trees laid cross- wise, without any coating of earth or stones, was more ahominably jolty than any thing a European imagination can conceive. Over these horrible wooden causeways, technically called Corduroy roads, it would be misery to travel in any descrip- tion of carriage ; but in a waggon or cart with no- thing but wooden springs, it is most trying to every joint in one's body. A bear-skin, it is true, h ge- nerally laid on the seat ; but this slips down, or slips up — in short — somehow or other, the poor voyager's bones pay for all, notwithstanding the tender mercies of the bear ! The recollection of such annoyances, however, were they twenty times greater, would vanish be- neath the renewed touch of agreeable society. On reaching York, the seat of Government of Upper Canada, some of our own countrymen whom we m !:'■ |-|| ■ ■ m II' S62 thavels in had never seen before, received us as If we had "been their dearest friends, and made uw so heartily wel- come, that we had a p;ood opportunity of tasting one of the truest pleasures of travelling-. There is, no doiiht, a bright charm in the re- newal of old friendships ; but at the same time, on a long journey, in a distant foreign land, there is a fine sparkling sort of freshness in the active hos- j>itality of such new ac(jUHintances, of whom all that we know is from what Ave see, and as tliat is fall of kindness to us, and of anxiety to supply our wants, there is a fairy-tale kind of animation cast over incidents, which, if enacted in tlie tranquil life of home, would probably possess little or no roman- tic character. Our dinmor was laid under the fly of a tent, on the rich green-SAvard of a dressed piece of giound, sloping gently t nvards the lake. We sat on the eastern side of the house, so that by five o'clock the shadow fell r.pon us. The deep sea-blue sur- face of old Ontario was now quite smooth ; for the mornint: bre»-, e had fallen, except where a few straggliiig catsp^ws, as we call them, here and thee, breathed on the face of the calm mirror, and straightway disap;:eared. The harbour, or, more properly speaking, the bay, of York, formerly call- ed T' »ronto, — a name which it was a sin to change, - -^s formed by a long spit, or low projecting point t, on und, the lock sur- the few and and ore call- age* )omt \ r UPPER CANADA. 263 of wooded land, with a light-house at the end of it, round wliich one or two schooners were slipping witli the last faint puffs of the sca-hreeze, just enougli to fill their u])pcr sails, hut without rippling the water. The air had hecome deliciously cool, and more grateful than I can descrihe, after the sultry day to Avhich we had heen exposed. The wine was plunged into a large vessel filled with ice, close to the tahle ; hut the water was cooled in a goglet, or unhaked earthen pitcher, brought from Bengal ; the sight of which, with drops like dew oozing from, its sides, carried my thoughts far hack to times when, with friends now all gone, or scat- tered never to meet more, I first learned the luxu- ries of a hot climate. On the 19th of July, instead of proceeding, as we had intended, straight along the great road to the eastward, we made a sharp turn to the left, and travelled for some thirty miles directly north towards Lake Simcoe, one of those numerous sheets of water with which Upper Canada is covered ; and destined, no doubt, in after times, to afford, the means of much valuable intercourse from place to place, when their banks are peopled and cultivated. Our present object, however, was to witness the annual (^'stribution of presents, as they are called, made b3 governmeiit to the Indians ; the regular payment, in short, of the annuities, in considera- ■IM tion of which, the Indians have agreed to relinquish their title to lands in certain parts of the coun- try. We remained for the night at the village of New-Market, the nearest point to HollaTid's Land- ing, the spot where the Indians were encamped. Here we found ourselves most kindly taken care of hy some friends, who, although they had never been out of Canada, had learnt to value and to ap- propriate the comforts of countries further advan- ced in those refinements which, although they de- pend upon mere taste, certainly add essentially to the happiness of life — despise them, or affect to de- spise them, who may. Our host was living in a most agi'ccahle house, surrounded by a large flower garden, intersected in ai> directions by well-shaded gravel and turf walks. In one of the rooms stood a piano-forte, and plenty of comfortable and handsome furniture, chiefly of the bird's eye maple. From this apart- ment a single step placed us in a verandah, as wide as the room itself, bounded in front and at both ends by trellis work, so thickly twined with hop vines, that the sun, and that still moi-e trouble- some intruder, the blazing glare of a red hot sky, had no chance for admission, while the breeze from the garden easily made its way, perfumed and tem- pered like the sultry winds of Hindustan after pass- UPPER CANADA. 265 t)use, ted turf "orte, ture, part- wide both hop He- sky, from tem- ipass- ing through those ingenious artificial mattiiigs, called Tatties, formed of sweet scented grass, and suspended, drip])ing wet, before the doors and win- dows, during the lieat of the day, in the hotter parts of India. I may here take (xicasion to remark, when treat- ing of these customs and otlier refinements, that in every part of Canada we found the inhabitants speaking English, and acting and looking like Eng- lishmen, without any discernible difference. The dress of the people, also, was not sucli as to excite notice by its difference from that worn in London ; and, generally speaking, there was nothing suffi- ciently prominent either in their manners or appear- ance to distinguish them from persons similarly cir- cumstanced in the mother country. In the United States, on the contrary, as I have before hinted, the language, the thoughts, and even the tone of voice, as well as the general appearance, are too obviously foreign and peculijir to the country, to escape notice. I do not pretend to say which of the two is the best, — that is a matter of mere taste, about which it were idle to dispute, — I merely state the fact, as it certainly affords the grounds of some remarkable distinctions between these adjacent countries, generally, but erroneously, thought to bear considerable resemblance. The scene at Holland's Landing was amusing VOL. I. y[ m 260 TRAVELS IN enougli, for thcro were coUectod about throe liuii- dretl Indians, with their M|uawH and papooNt's, as the women and chihlren are calh'd. Some of the party were encamped under the l)ru8hwood, in birch-hark wigwams, or liuts; but the p^reater num- l)('r, having- ])a(hileddown T al Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4!<03 V %^-.V ^.^ ii>^ ^ ;\ '^f' %^0 Ma i b ^>. ^j' t^im £68 TRAVELS IN ( of one of these abysses, were so new and remai'k- able in the history of our travels, that we tried to make a good joke of them, and felt rather amused than otherwise on discovering, by actual experi- ment, what ground might, upon a pinch, as it is called, be travelled over. Illustrations, it is well known, generally mystify the subject, instead of clearing it up ; so I shall not compare this evening's drive to trotting np or down a pair of stairs, for, in that case, there would be some kind of regularity in the developement of the bumps; but with us there was no warning— no pause ; and when we least expected a jolt, down we went smack ! dash ! crash ! forging, like a ship in a head-sea, right into a hole half a yard deep. At other times, when an ominous break in the road seemed to indicate the coming mischief, and we clung, gi'inning like grim death, to the railing at the sides of the waggon, expecting a concussion which, in the next instant, was to dislocate half the joints in our bodies, down we sank into a b«d of mud, as softly as if the bottom and sides had been padded with cotton for our express accommo- dation. A littlfi before sunset, when still six or eight miles fipom t>ur sleeping place, we emfcrged from the forest, and found ourselves most unexpectedly in one of the prettiest little valleys of America. :i UPPER CANADA. 369 A dark-coloured, sleepy-looking stream of water, called La Hiviere Rou^, the drainiugs, probably, of some marsh, was flowing very slowly past, in tortuous bends, through a meadow which was con- fined by steep banks of red earth, bristled at top with underwood, out of which, a little removed from the brink, rose groups or clusters of straight- stemmed pines, as far up and down the glen as its windings would admit of our seeing. The western part of the valley was dropping fast into shade as the gun went down, while the op> posite side was still lighted up, except at two or three places where the shadowBj having crossed the stream, were beginning to creep up the bank. Accordingly, as far as masses of light and shade, and variety of tints and forms went, the condi- tions of the picturesque were liberally supplied* But a painter, who, like a farmer, is seldom quite satisfied with the gifts of nature as they come to his hand, might possibly have wished to super- add a bridge as a feature to the landscape ;-^and so certainly did we, though from a cause uncon- nected with the fine arts. The water, we found to our dismay, was too deep to ford ; and as there appeared to be no ferry-boat, we were placed in a most awkward dilemma. On reaching the spot where a bridge once stood, but stood no longer, we observed a little boy, r n '1 ^ if : %. i 270 TRAVELS IN paddling in a canoe not twice his own length, very busily engaged in transporting a most unwill- ing horse across the river. We had some inte- rest in this matter, and watched the young cap- tain's proceedings attentively. He first carried over the rider, with the saddle and bridle, in his nut-shell vessel; then returned to make a rope fast to the horse's head, after which he paddled himself back again to the opposite shore, where he tugged away manfully at the line, while his companion, another little urchin about ten years of age, brought up the rear, hallooing and driving the terrified steed into the flood. I must say, I did not much admire this sort of navigation, which looked more like playing at ships than real service ; but as there was no better to be had, we plucked up what courage we could muster, and trusted ourselves, one at a time, in our gallant young commodore's rickety bark, and all reached the other side in safety. The next job was to ferry the baggage over ; and this effected, the horse was towed across, secundum artem, by the nose ; an operation of some delicacy both to ac- tors and spectators. Lastly, came the transporta- tion of the waggon ; and here all my seamanship served only to show the hazard incurred of losing the whole conveyance. If the rope, which was what we call at sea inch and a half line, or ratlin UPPER CANADA. 271 stuff, but old and much worn, had given way, as 1 fully expected it would, when the waggon was half channel over, and nothinj^ in sight but four or five inciies of the railing above the water, we must have hivouac'd where we were, on th»j left bank of the Rouge, or Roosh, as it is called, which, however picturesque, was not exactly the place we should have selected for our night's quarters. Fortunately we succeeded in dragging the car- riage across, and when the fore wheels fairly touch- ed the bank, I thought, of course, that all our diffi- culties were over. But the united strength of all the party, males and females, young and old, com- bined, could not budge it more than a foot out of the water. I don't know what we should have done, had we not spied, near the landing place, a fathom or two of chain, one end of which our active little commanding officer soon tied to the carriage, and the horse being hitched, as tlie Americans term it, to the other, we drew it triu nphantly to land, with a cheer which made the forest ring again. The rest of that evening's journey was, of course, made in the dark, and we reached our sleeping place fatigued to the last gasp. Next morning, the 2 2d of July, we started be- times, in hopes of reaching Cobourg to dinner — alas ! a vain expectation — for, though the distance was only forty-thjee miles, it cost us thirteen iiours m I ,■ 'S: r i ■ 11 \ 272 TRAVELS IN of as rough travelling as ever Avas perfomiod by wliecled carriage. We had resolved to take advantage of every minute of daylight, and therefore arranged mat- ters for travelling sixteen miles before breakfast. These sort of resolutions look beautiful at the time they are m^de over night, but their accomplish- ment presses heavily on the vigour of the traveller next morning. At least so it proved with us ; for after jogging and jolting along for nine miles, in the cool, hungry air of the morning, we became, to tell the truth, very rai'-enous, and being anxious to disengage our minds from any thoughts of breakfast, we set about admiring the scenery, and speculating at a great rate on the wonders and beauties of nature. At times also, by way of va- riety, we amused ourselves by considering th« lonely position we occupied — adi'ift in the depths of an American forest — far from friends and home, and so forth ; when suddenly, to our great asto- nishment, a voice was heard from the woods, call- ing out, " Captain Hall ! Captain Hall !" Here was a fairy tale, indeed ! but the voice was certainly that of a mortal, and one of the most friendly and opportune that ever saluted the ear. " O !" continued the voice, " you must not pass V.' UPPER CANADA. 273 in kst my cottage ; you must come in and take brestkfast. Driver, turn about — Iiere's the gate." The cottage wliich we now approatOied was a small, neat, pleasant-looking dwellliig, with shrubs and flowers before it, })lanted with much taste. Over the door was plaited a gothic sort of arch, or canopy of green boughs, interspersed with roses, quite recently put up, as if to grace the arrival of some stranger. And so it proved ; for we learnt from the young ladles, that their father, our kind host, who had been absent for some i».(^nths, and returned only the day before, had been welcomed home by his friendly neighbours with such simple honours as the scene afforded — bonfires, musketry, and dancing; while his own family, not to be out*- done, wattled up hastily the tasteful little awning I spoke of, and robbed their garden of all its roses to embellish it. I now began to remember that I had met my friend, some weeks before, near the Falls, and he readily accounted for knowing who we were, by saying, that except when the snow is on the ground* travellers by land in UppfW Canada are very rare ; and as he knew we must be pacing about this time, he had for some daya been on tlie look-out for us. A ddicious breakfast was soon smoking on the table ; but before we began, our excellent host drew m2 ! i: oi I Ml 274 TRAVELS IN on Ills spectacles, opened tlie family Bible, and read a chapter; — after which, he prayed extem- pore, in the best Presbyterian style of solemnity and reverence. When the hungry edge of appetite was taken off, we had time to look about us, and I was struck with the appearance of a piano-forte, which oc- cupied one end of the little apartment, and with a book-case filled with finely bound works ; these things, together with some pictures, and other minor ornaments, more than usual in such a place, seemed to tell of former prosperity in busier scenes. But we asked no questions — took the good that was given us — interchanged many kind wishes for 'he future — and parted — probably never to meet, or to hear of one another, again. The whole looked like a dream, vv^hen we found ourselves once more on the road, in one of the most beautiful sunny mornings I ever beheld. We had not proceeded many miles before we came to an open space of level ground, covered sparingly with young trees, but with little or no forest, properly so called, visible in any r^irec- tion, — though from what caprice of nature this change in the scenery had occurred, I know not. In the scanty shade of some birches, on our right hand, we observed a party in a waggon, all dress- ed in their Sunday's finery, and near them four or UPPKR CANADA. 275 five othor groups, just alip^hted, engaged in detach- ing their horses, arranging their clothes, and other- wise adjusting their looks, as it* preparatory to some ceremony. At first we fiincicd this was a junk- eting party, but were soon undeceived by hear- ing the distant, long-drawn sound of a psalm tune floating amongst the trees — and we now discover- ed that the population of the surrounding country had assembled for a camp, or field preaching. We immediately dismounted, and struck into the grove from whence these sounds issued, the way being pointed out by dismantled travelling wag- gons, ^gs, and saddle horses, tied to the trees. Pre- sently we came to parties of women and children, scattered about here and there on the grass ; and at last we reached the Forest Temple itself. Tlie spot had been selected from its affording a natural amphitheatre, where a casual opening of about twenty yards in diameter had been left, as if on purpose, amongst the birch and beech trees, which, though young, were tall and leafy, and, by their branches nearly meeting over head, had formed a screen, close enough to exclude all glare and heat. The neighbouring ground, however, was thickly spangled with patches of sunlight in every direc- tion, as far as the eye could penetrate. Similar toucnes of gold on many of the stems, and on the still leaves^for it uas a dead calm, and the air ' 276 TRAVELS IN haxy and glowing with heat— gave, when viewed through tho shade, a rich, quiet tone to tiic whole scene, very Ruitable, I thouglit, to tiie ocoaMion. Tho pulpit consisted ol'u ru(U; phitl'nrni, Kupptnt- ed, at tlie height of about t«i feet, by the ^rnnkfi oC three or four trees, which happened to be stand- ing in so convenient a position, tlmt not a single branch appeared to liavc hvea lopped off. The preacher, a tall, sallow, anxiouR-looking man, of tlio Metliodist persuasion, as we were informed, was dressed in a loose surtout eoat of a purple colour, witli a yellow silk liandkercfaicff tied round his head. In tliis respect, therefore, it may bo thought, he was not a very clerical-locking figure ; but ihere was no want of solemnity in essentials, either in appearance or in manner, or, wliat was of more consequence, in the matter of his discmirsc. Three other persons were seated on the platform near the preacher, who alone was standing. The congrega- tion, to the number of two hundred, were ranged in lines of about twenty in each, on seats, formed of stones, or logs of wood ; the women on one kaod, and the men on the other ; while the outskirts, as I before mentioned, were occupied by w.oraen, and such children as were too young to be edified by the service, or too noisy and untractable to be ad- mitted into the circle. I idbserved also several strag- gling parties of visitors, like ourselves, who appear- UPPER CANADA. 277 cd not to Im'Ioii^ to tlie rr^rular roiifn*P{?ntion, and did not intrude within the circuiulVrenco of this silvan euthodral. Wc were too late to hear the psalm close at hand ; but perhaps the effect waH better, coming we hardly knew from whence. The sermon, however, which we did hear, was simple in its expression, unaffect- ed in ddivery, and though not remarkable in any respect, fell on the ears of a most attentive audi- ence. In those wild regions, where no towns, and not many villages, are yet to be found, places of regu- lar worship are necessarily few and fur between, and these itinerant preachers, in spite of some oc- casional extravagances, must, u\yim the whole, do good. It seems somewhat indiscreet, therefore, to say the least of it, to hold such meetings, as a mat- ter of course, in derision. At all events, so it struck us this morning — and we left the simple church in tfaie wilderness with feelings of tlie truest reelect for all the parties concerned. It is in vain — and in truth it would be useless —to deny, that the associations of place, and the pomp of circumstsmce, do help these feelings in a considerable de^ee— " But even th« fit'mtest relics of a shrine Of any worship wake some tbouf hts diTlne;" and I am sure that a person who could have wit- Mi •■. 'ii 278 TRAVELS IN ncsRcd Mich a scene uh iImh, iind not have had Home thoughts of a more Holumii character awakened, muHt have been inMcnsibh; indeed. I speak less, however, with respect to people who have liad ample opportunities of attending church all their lives, than of that large class of persons in the country through which we were travelling, many of whom, but for such occa- sions as this, would otherwise be left altogether without public worship. For wo can easily be- lieve, that in the midst of the woods, where the population are employed all the Aveek long at hard labour, and the neighbourhood is but scantily set- tled, there can be very little or none of that exam- ple, or that public opinion, which are found so effi- cacious elsewhere, to encourage good morals, and to check bad habits. Under such circumstances, there will, almost of necessity, be little attention paid to those duties which ought to be paramount to all others, but which often require, unfortunately, most encouragement and assistance where the means of lending such aids are smallest. Every thing, there- fore, which stimulates people to come together ex- pressly for such a purpose— no matter how absurd the manner may sometimes be in which the service is conducted — must prove beneficial ; since it can- not fail to send the hearers back to their homes not less fitted for the ordinary business of life, and cer- (. UPPER CANADA. 279 tainly in a hotter frame of niiiul to conRidor at- tentively the nature of thoKo !-i^her obligations, without which even the cloHeHt observance of all our moral dutioH will go for little. ii to of re- rd ice lot sr- Ii: 280 TRAVELS IN CHAPTER X. It was late before we reached the town of Co- bourg, where, fortunately, we fell into the hands of people of sense and consideration, who allowed us to drop quietly into bed, without overloading us with attentions This was the more necessary, as we had been hard at work, with little intermis- sion, for six days, and had now a fresh excursion arranged for the next day to a newly-sjttled part of the country, north of Cobourg, at some distance up the Otanabee River, which, as every one of course knows, runs into the Rice Lake. Our ob- ject was to visit the settlement formed by the Irish emigrants, sent to Canada by Government in the year 1825, only two years before. We wished to ascertain, if we could, what was their present con- dition, and whether this experiment, — for it pro- fessedly was one, — ^had succeeded or not. Accordingly, we rose at three o'clock in the morning of the 23d of -Tuly, 1827, and reached our size. n: UPPER CANADA. 291 le lr destination, the newly wected village of Peterbo- rtrngh, tliirty miles north of Cobourg, at half past seven in the evening, more dead than alive with fatigue. Thirty miles looks a short distance on paper, or on a Macadamised road ; but in making a cross cut in Canada at midsummer, it is a very different affair indeed. The first twelve miles were by land; and when we had got halfway, the waggoa broke down ; but, fortunately, it was in our power to repair the mischief, by knotting a couple of silk handkerchiefs together, which, by the by, upon such occasions, make a very good rope. At a cottage on the south bank of the Rice Lake, we feasted on some freshly-caught, very capital fish, called mas- canongie ; after which we embarked in a little, ticklish, incommodious punt, such as I have seen used on the Thames, by worthy citizens bobbing for eels. Our passage across, however, was by no means so smooth as that of the silver stream allu- ded to ; and I, for one, felt no particular comfort when an awkward bubble of a sea set us a-rolling from side to side, at a place, too, where our progress was retarded by the oars getting entangled in the long grassy leaves of a spontaneous rice crop, spread like net-work over one half of the lake, to which, from that circumstance, it gives the name. We at last entered the Otanabee without a cap- size, which was more than I expected, and there -f s ;!• If^ 232 TRAVELS IN we commenced a long and severe day's work of tugging at the oars against the downward current. This river winds about in a most complicated man- ner ; but it is every where singularly beautiful, from the richness of the verdure, and the form as well as magnitude of the trees, which not only cover the banks, but actually grow for many yards into the water, so as to make it somewhat difficult at most places to reach the firm shore. In the middle of the day we landed at a cleared spot, to rest the wearied boatmen, as well as to stretch our own limbs, sadly cramped and twisted in such a di- minutive vessel. We took this opportunity of dining on a monstrous chicken-pie, which our considerate friends had told us would serve for ballast ; but, alas ! there was no enjoyment, for, like Polonius, we did not so much eat, as were eaten — by mos- quitoes, — which attacked us so vigorously, that we were fain to get once more afioat, into the breeze, out of their reach. There were 2024 settlers sent out by Govern- ment in 1825, at the total cost of L.21 5s. 4d. per head; each family being supplied with pro- visions for fifteen months, and a hundred acres of land, besides a cow, and other minor aids. They were selected generally as being the most destitute, and incapable of providing for them- selves or their families, in their own country. ^ern- 4d. pro- lacres aids. most Ihcm- Intry. UPrEll CANADA. 283 The object of the experiment was to show how far it was possible to make those useless or worse than useless and miserable beings, good sub- jects of his Majesty. It was an object, also, to ascertain at what cost their happiness and respec- tability could be secured in Canada, compared with the expense of maintaining them in a wretch- ed state of discontent and turbulence at home. Thus to show the public generally, but more par- ticularly those landed proprietors whose estates were overpeopled, and also gentlemen whose pa- rishes were overloaded with paupers, in what man- ner, and for what outlay of money, they might re- lieve their own burdens, and benefit the unhappy persons who were the involuntary cause of the evil. * The details of the whole of this very curious ex- periment, both as to the management and the ex- penses, have been placed so fully before the pub- lic in the Parliamentary Reports, and in the evi- dence before the Emigration Committee, that I need not go into those branches of the subject. Any one who is interested will find ample informa- tion on the subject of the two emigrations of 1823, and 1825, in the Third Report of the Emigration Committee, ordered to be printed by the House of Commons on the 29th of Juno, 1827. I refer par- i ( ? m ] n. n I 284 TRAVELS IN ticularly to the evidence of Mr Peter Robinson, page 344. My purpose was to find out what the settlers themselves had to say upon the matter ; for I con • fess I was somewhat incredulous of the flaming accounts given in England with respect to it, I think I had as ample means of investigating this question as could have been desired, and my conclusion was, that the experiment had been eminently successful, as far as the hairpiness and the respectability of the parties themselves were concerned, and as far as it was a principal object, as it must have been, that the emigrants should turn out loyal and grateful subjects of their King. I went, during my stay, as much as possible amongst the settlers — frequently alone, sometimes with the agent, and several times with the clergy- man. I had also many opportunities of conver- sing with gentlemen entirely unconnected with Government, who had lived in the neighbourhood, during the whole pi'ogress of the emigration esta- blishment or colony at Peterborough. They, of course, had it in their power to describe, more distinctly than the setticrs themselves could do, the leading circumstances of this interesting ex- periment. The accounts derived from this source, uniformly agreed in describing the condition of the emigrants as most saasfactory, and the project UPPER CANADA. 2Si as successful in all its parts ; or if there had been any thin|^ injudicious, it consisted in giving people accustomed to very scanty fare, too ample an al- lowance of food. This over-indulgence not only hurt the health of the people, but tended in some degree to slacken the individual exertions of the settlers to maintain themselves. The emigrants were scattered over such an ex- tensive district of country, that I found it impossi- ble to visit them all ; but I endeavoured, by ridin-;' from place to place, and calling upon the people without warning, to acquire a general conception of what was really going on. It was curious to observe that most of these set- tlers, however destitute they may notoriously have been in Ireland, always contrived to evade any ac- knowledgment of this fact, when direct questions were put to them, and seemed rather to wish I should believe they had been very well off at home. But with a degree of inconsistency, creditable enough, by the way, they were invariably thrown off their guard when asked, in plain terms, whe- ther or not they were sensible of the kindness shown them. Upon these occasions they spoke in the strongest terms of gratitude of Avhat had been done for them by Government ; and often, quite forgetting their former disavowals, described with characteristic animation the transition from i\ 286 TRAVELS IN r their past situation to their present happy condi- tion. What I thought very odd, no complaints ever met my ear, of any omissions on the part of Government. On the contrary, they told me that every want had been attended to. *' Even to the value of that gimlet," said one of the settlers to me, " we are obligated to the King — God bless him ! and we sha ■! bring up our chil- dren to know what has been done for us and for them — and to be loyal subjects of his Majesty, whatever happens, like as we ourselves; — and good reason, too, for we have been taken from misery and want, and put into independence and happi- ness." I found it much the best way, with these odd fellows, to get my information by going, as it were, carelessly to work — beating about the bush — and thus by gradually leading them round to speak freely of their own concerns, to give them an in- terest in being sincere and communicative. When such precautions were not used, the time spent in conversing with them, was generally thrown away, except as far as amusement went. The agent happened one day to meet an old man in the village, and knowing him to be a shrewd person, and well informed upoii all that had pass- ed, he thought his conversation might serve my purposes. He therefore said to the emifrant that '.-J of UPPER CANADA. 287 a gentleman had arrived wlio wislied to put some questions to him. Tlie old boy immediately took alarm, " lest," as he said, " the gentleman had come to interfere with his property, or to bother liim in some way, he did not know what." *' What shall I say to the gentleman, sir ?" was his first question. " Wliy, Cornelius," said the agent, " tell the truth." " O yes, sir, I know that very well — of course we must always tell the truth — but if I only knew what the gentleman wanted, I would know which way to answer." " I don't know what you mean, Cornelius," said the agent. " O, sir ! you know quite well what I mean. — Should I overstate matters, sir, or should I un- derstate them ? — Shall I make things appear bet- ter or worse than they are ?" Not being able, however, to worm out of the agent what was wished, and yet feeling anxious to get to the bottom of the matter, he could not resist the temptation of coming to me, though sorely distrusting the object of my scrutiny. For a long time he eluded all my interrogatories with great address. — He could not say whether or not he were better off now than he had been at home, though he admitted that here he was mas- i ^1 '•■ i 288 TRAVELS IN ter of a large free property, and in Ireland he had only a farm, the rent of which, by his own confes- sion, he had never been able to pay. " Would you like, then," I asked, " to be put down in Ireland again, Mr Cornelius, just as you were ?" " I would, sir." *' Then why don't you go ? Who hinders you ?" " Because, sir," said he, " because of the boys." « Wliat of the boys ?" I asked. ** O, it's because my two sons like this country very well; they have chopped twenty acres of land, and we have got crops of wheat and oats, and Indian corn, and potatoes, and some turnips — all coming up and almost ready to cut; besides five or six more acres chopped and logged, and soon to be in cultivation ; and the boys like their independence. In short, sir, it is a fine country for a poor man, if he be industrious ; and, were it not for the ague, a good country, and a rich one ; though, to be sure, it is rather out of the way, and the roads are bad, and the winter very cold ; yet there is always plenty to eat, and sure employ- ment and good pay for them that like to work." Tims he rambled on, antithetically praising and dispraising the country; fearful at one time of saying too much, and yet feeling that, in his cir- cumstances, too much could luirdly be said in its ?" UPPER CANADA. 289 favour, and evidently not a little apprehensive of the impression his eloquence was to make upon the traveller — a nondescript sort of character he had not seen in the woods before. I wished to know if he felt grateful to Gov< rn- ment for having sent him and his family out to Canada free of expense, and given him so much land and proAdsions gratis ? He was completely taken aback by the directness of the appeal, and exclaimed in a sort of shout, — " O ! yes, to be sure I am ! we owe every thing in the world to the Government — that is, to the King, his Majesty, long life to him !" But in the next instant, fearing, I suppose, that I was to take advantage of this unqualified admis- sion, lie drew up and said with studied gravity,— " For all that, I might have done very well in Ireland." " Why the plague, then," I asked» " did you re- move to America ?" " Och, sir," cried he, laughing and harping on the old string, " it was all entirely owing to the boys. They were not content I should be left with- out them, and I was not content they should go ^vithout me. Their mother — God bless her — I bu- ried long ago, and I never consented to put ano- ther woman over them. In short, sir, we were VOL. I. N H > ! j' I 'i 200 TRAVELS I» resolved to go together, and here we are, very Imppy and contented, and hero we'll all remain." On the 2ith of July, I took a long ride, pretty much at random, amongst the settlers; and in the course of my travels, lighted on several older es- t.il)lishments, which I wjis glad of, as it enabled me to form a comparison with the recent settlements, about which I was more immediately concerned. One of these amused me a good deal. It belonged to an old Scotsman from Banff, with a jolly red nose, in shape and colour like the sweet potato of that country ; a prosing old body, who brighten- ed up, however, amazingly when I told him where I came from; and I luad much ado to escape a sound dose of whisky which he wished to forc« upon me for countryman-sake. It was two o'clock before we reached the Clear- ing, as it is called, of one of the most active of all the emigrants of 1825. He was not at home, but his wife did the honours of her shanty, or log-hut, with much of that affability and genuine good- breeding which belong to the Irish. She introdu- ced her three eldest sons to me — lads of twenty, eighteen, and sixteen years of age ; besides a great fr)' of young ones, boys and girls, in all eleven. From November 1825, to this period, July 1827, they had cleared, I think, twenty-six acres of land, most of which were under rich cultivation. UPPF.n CANADA. 291 »» I force Clear- of all ic, hut ►g-hut, good- itrodu- |wenty, great jleven. 1827, if land, I may take occasion to mention at this place, that each of the families sent out hy Government, in 1825, when located, as the term is, on their land, were supplied with various necessary articles to assist them, which cost, independently of the expenses of passage out and all other incidenUil outlays, ahout L.12 per head, or L.60 for a family of one man and woman, Jind three children. Mr Peter Rohinson, in his Evidence hefore the Committee of the House of Commons, 3d Report, p. 349, gives the followinj^ list : " Each head of a family is to be located upon 100 acres of land, to have a small log-house built for him, and to be fur- nished with 15 months' provisions; 1 cow, 1 Ame- rican axe, 1 auger, 1 handsaw, 1 pickaxe, 1 spade, 2 gimlets, 100 nails, 1 hammer, 1 iron wedge, 3 hoes, 1 kettle, 1 fryingpan, 1 iron pot, 5 bushels of seed potatoes, 8 quarts of Indian corn ; and if they are very poor, they will require also blankets, in the proportion of one to each grown person, and one among three children." The size of the shanties, or log-huts, put up at the expense of Government, may be conceived, when I mention, that two men, accustomed to the use of the axe, can manage to cut down the trees, prepare the logs, put them up, roof the house, and complete the whole establishment, in two days. I should say the dimensions of this particular .MM il 292 IIIAVKLS IM dwelling were twenty feet loug by twelve wide, and seven feet liij^h. The roof was formed of Ioj^h split into four len^j^thR, then hollowed out, »nd laid with the concave and the convex sides alternate- ly upwards and downwards, so as to overlap one another, like long tiles, sloping from the ridge to the eves, so that each alternate log formed a gut- ter, or channel, to carry off the rain. The open^ ings between the logs forming the walls were closed by mud and moss mixed together ; and sometimes these shanties had a window, sometimes not. Unless I could put down the exiict words used by this good lady and her family, I should convey no just idea of the extent of their gratitude for the advantages they had received. It was not pos- sible, she said, to express how entirely satisfied they were with their present lot, or how complete- ly Government had provided for all their wants, and enabled them to start fair in this new world. I tried by various questions to get her to make complaints, and to say they stood in need of some- thing; but I could not elicit a single dissatisfied expression. " Some of the family — most of them, indeed," she said, " had been ill with the ague ; but there was a doctor not far off, antl this present season was more healthy, and they were now better. They had also plenty to eat, and had more clothing than UPPEn CANADA. 293 thoy had cvor boen aceuKtomed to; and, in short, wore all doinp woll." Tlio chil(in>ii crowded round to listen to thii dia1<»^uo, and aomotimcs to put in a word. They were neat r.r.d clean, and though their dress was scanty, they were not slmbhily clabout for employment as la- bourers, at some public works, such as the Erie or the Welland canals, or wherever high wages may be offered. By one or other of these means, or all combined, the family manage ere long — in a country where labour is almost exclusively the ca- Ill UPPER CANADA. 299 pe- liis la- e or may or in a ca- pital — to acquire a little ready money. With this they huy oxen, cows, pigs, clothes, implements of husbandry, and other things, useful for their own farms. The progress towards independence, it may be observed, is very rapid when industry is applied to the untouched soil of that country, and the parents are enabled gradually to withdraw their girls and boys from a description of service, which, in all transatlantic regions, is considered more or less disreputable, however lucrative it may be ; — a feel- ing arising, in some degree, from the great facility of acquiring landed property. Besides which, the children, even at a young age, can be rendered use- ful about the farm in many ways, as soon as the first heavy labour of clearing is over. From these circumstances, it happens that the power of getting servants even at Cobourg, York, and other considerable towns in Canada, varies very much from year to year. Wlien first a fresh batch of settlers arrives, there is no difiiculty, nor for some time afterwards ; but exactly in propor- tion as the emigrants succeed in establishing them- selves, and thus acquire independence, so the dif- ficulty of obtaining servants increases. The in- convenience to which even the wealthiest residents are put in all those countries, from their attend- ants being called home, and from there being abso- I k •: * ! £ 1 300 TRAVELS IN lutely no distinct order of persons bred in that line of life, is greater than can well he conceived in England. With us, at home, fortunately, a class does exist, whose sole object and pleasure it is to employ themselves in this particular line of useful industry, who consider themselves to the full as independent as any other members of the community, and who take good care to make this privilege be acknowledged by bargains equally binding on their masters as on themselves. In Canada, however, and throughout America gene- rally, there is a deep-rooted, but surely very idle, prejudice against this description of labour; caused, probably, by some associations connected with the existence of negro slavery over so great a portion of the United States. Be this as it may , the fact is one which goes farther to make a residence on the western side of the Atlantic inconvenient, than people can easily comprehend who have never been subjected to the absolute want of servants ; or, what is often worse, to the necessity of submit- ting in patience to the ungracious, capricious, slug- gish, disrespectful, and, at the very best, ill quali- fied nature of American attendance, which pre- vails from end to end of that country. What has been said of the ease with which a la- bouring man can get bread for himself and his family, will apply generally over the Canadas, ' f J^ UPPEIl CANADA. 301 and particularly the Upper Province, and I be- lieve also in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. I do not therefore qualify the remark, when I say, tliat British America appears to me not a bad country for a destitute man, or one who possesses health and strength, and nothing more, but who has been accustomed to bodily labour from his youth upwards ; and whose wife, sons, and daugh- ters, in like manner, are ready to turn their hands to hard or disagreeable work without scruple. They must also, if necessary, cheerfully conde- scend, for a time, to act as servants to others, or to their oAvn party, according a? may be most con- ducive to the pecuniary interest of the family, with- out dreaming of refinements. It ^vill certainly be advantageous that they should already have known what domestic comforts are, that their future efforts may have a definite aim ; but it will be all the bet- ter if not one of them knows, by past experience, what luxury means. Such at least are my ideas on the subject, which of course go for little ; but I am happy to have it in my power to give, from good authority, in corroboration of my own opinions, some more use- ful and complete statements of what a labouring man must do, and what results he may expect in Upper Canada. The following letter is wi'itten by a practical ^'1 w li fi] 302 TRAVELS IN farmer, a gentleman who has resided for some time in tliat country amongst new settlers, and who knows from actual experience, as well as by actual observation, how these matters stand. I shall not risk injuring his statement by abridg- ment, but give the whole letter, which was writ- ten in consequence of some questions I had put to him. "Otanabee, 16th April, 1828. " On my return home after so long an absence, I find my own affairs so much behind hand, that I shall be unable to give the questions put by Cap- tain Hall that consideration I wish, and which they deserve. " If a labouring man, we shall suppose with a wife and five children, arrives in Canada with L.IO in his pocket, if he possess industrious habits and can live with great frugality, he may go at once on wild land. He will probably get to the Pro- vince in time to earn by his labours during the harvest sufficient to buy a cow, and probably some provisions. He should, however, be on his own land as soon as possible, and the old settlers are never backward to make what is called a Bee, — or mustering of the neighbourhood for a common purpose, — and thus he gets his house up. This he may make comfortable, and have also time to un- derbrush from three to five acres before the win- i li ill UPPER CANADA. 303 tcr sets In. If the hiiovv is not very deep, he may cliop — that is, cut down trees — during all tl»e win- ter ; but if the weatlier prevents him from working with the axe after the middle of January, he must take up the flail for some of his neighbours, for which service he will receive grain in payment. But the axe must be resumed as soon as the impediment of snow is removed. In chopping, great care must be taken to save all the timber that will make rails, and leaving the logs of the proper length for that purpose. He will find no difliculty in keeping his cow, or even three or four head of cattle, as the tender branches of the trees he chops down in spring, with the addition of plenty of salt, will keep them in good order. " If any of his family can assist him, he will be able to clear the whole land chopped in winter, and to crop it with potatoes, Indian corn, and turnips. If he have no such aid, he will be able to clear off about two acres, by exchanging work with some other settler, to help him with his oxen to log and draw off^ his rail cuts to their places. When his crops are in, and his fences up, he must again go out to work for provisions for his family, and con- tinue doing so through the harvest, in order to get a yoke of steers. He will be able, indeed, to work out longer this year than he will ever be able to do again, as his family can cut his corn and husk I • M f *.]■■] ^ ii. Mi S04 TRAVELS IN it. If he gets liis potatoes and otlier crops uff in time, he may sow fall, or antumn wheat ; Imt if not, he will liave a hotter crop hy sowinpf in the spring. If any of his winter cliopping remains, })y all means h -) should sow fall wheat in that. From this time he may subsist with comfort hy occasion- ally working out, — taking care to make any sacri- fice to continue clearing his <»wn land. Flax he may grow at once, and sheep he may keep after three years. *' I tliink such a family may get from most sea- port towns at home, to the district of Newcastle in Upper Canada, for about L.IO ; and supposing them to possess the L.IO I l>efore mentioned, the emi- grant, hy following something like the plan laid down, will find himself in prosperous circum- stances in the foui ih or fifth year. Let it be un- derstood, however, that I am supposing the party to be sober and industrious. A great number of the settlers round me had barely enough to defray the expenses of their passage, and have now a large clearing, and a good stock of cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry, besides many other articles of farm produce. " If any thing can be gleaned from this worth mentioning to Captain Hall, that may benefit the community, it will affoi*d me much pleasure. " I remain your most obedient servant." UI»rER CANADA. S05 CHAPTER XI. This may do very well for liared, it will almost always be found, that when jx'oph* write about what con- cerns themselves deeply, especially it' they have a great superabundance of topic, the expression takcH the copious character of their matter, and when given with good faith, carries with it a vigour, as well as a giacj;, far l)eyond the reach of art. I shall therefore give one or two of these letters .mtouched, as I think they afford a more satisfac- tory glimpse into the actual doings of the forest, than could be derived from tlie most elaborate de- scriptions of a traveller. And it is only necessary to mention furtlier, that the writers are persons accuistoiiied, during all their previous lives, to good society, and to the other advantages of an older country. " DouRO IV Upper Canada. 2l8t April, 1828. "My dear Sir, " As you were commissioned by Captain Hall to procure from me answers to some queries, I shall just give you a sbort sketch of the proceedings of my own family from the commencement. I shall declare the truth — but not the whole truth — as it would require volumes to contain all I could re- ; •if^ll iii M 308 TRAVELS IN late ; and as you are partly aware of the difficul- ties we liad to encounter, you will perceive there is no exaggeration. ** After various dangers on the voyage out, we reached Quehec in safety. Our party was very large, consisting of 21 persons ; and wishing to use as much economy as possible, we engaged some births in the steerage of the steam-boat for Montreal, ha- ving a temporary division made to prevent our party from being annoyed by the common passengers. Two dollars a-head was the charge. Three children were charged for as one passenger. From La Chine near Montreal, we proceeded in Batteaux up the river St Lawrence. This was very pleasant for a day or two, but when continued for eight or nine, it became tiresome. Sometimes we slept in hay-lofts, preferring the sweet fresh hay and cool air, to the small close rooms in taverns, which abounded w5*h bugs. Sometimes we lay on the grass near the river side, and though frequently wet through with dew, yet our party enjoyed good health. We arrived at Kingston, at the east end of Lake Ontario, on the night of the ninth day, and as all the houses were shut up, were obliged to remain in the boats till morning, when we en- gaged f schooner, and took our passage for York, the capital of Upper Canada. Lay two days wait- ing for a fair wind — weather oppressively hot. liniii UPPER CANADA. 309 " At York we remained for six weeks, the great- er part of whicli time my family was accommoda- ted in the garrison by permission of tl^e gover- nor. During our stay at York, we unpacked our boxes, and found our things much injured by the wet they received in the schooner. At the end of a month we received a carte blanche from the Governor in Council to pitch our tents in any township in which there was vacant land. I hired a waggon, and, accompanied by my brother-in-law and his son, and laying in a store of provisions sufficient for a week, we pro- ceeded to Cobourg ; delivered a few letters of in- troduction to some of the principal people there, and in company with a friend went to the Rice Lake, where he introduced us to the surveyor of the back township, who lives at the east end of the lake. This was the first time I had ever been in the house of a back-wood settler. The lady of the house was ill with the Lake fever, the little infant sick with ague, so that all the housekeeping devolved upon the man of the house, who milked the cows, cooked their meals, and attended the in- valids, besides attending to all the business of the farms. This, I must confess, staggered me a lit- tle, particularly as I myself felt ill at the time ; but I saw no appearance of dejection in him, and why should I allow fears to arise ? The next morn- f!i ■ 1 1 'ii i il 310 TRAVELS IN 1 i ing a female was procured to attend tiie sick, and we proceeded 24 miles up the Otanabee River, to a place then called Scott's Plains, nov/ Peterborough, where there was, and still is, a most wretched farm-house, and tumbling down grist and saw- mill. My brother-in-law and three men, inclu- ding the surveyor, crossed the river to spy the promised land, and walked to Douro, about three miles higher up the river. I was ill and not able to accompany them. When they returned, they made a very favourable report, and literally brought a bunch of wild grapes. " We all then came back again, with the full de- termination to bring our families to Douro. I became very ill before I reached Cobourg, where I was confined to bed at a miserable tavern. I was visited by a gentleman, who, in the most friendly and hospitable manner, insisted on my being removed to his house, where I remained dangerously ill for about three weeks. My bro- ther-in-law, in the meantime, had retmned to York for our two families, leaving his son to take care of me. In about ten days they reached Co- bourg in a schooner, after having encountered a •torm, and having been nearly shipwrecked. The ladies and myself remained in lodgings at Cobourg, and my brother-in-law and liis sons, along with some labourers, went to Douro, to begin opera- UPPER CANADA. 311 tions where none but Indians, or Indian traders, had ever been before, and the party merely guess- ing where they were, as that township had not yet been surveyed. They cut a road from the landing- place opposite to Scott's Mills, three miles through thick woods, to the place they were to begin to build the house, for the strong current in the river prevented them from proceeding farther by water. With some difficulty they procured a yoke of oxen to hire in Smyth Town, and were obliged to swim them across the river. " After some time provisions began to run short, and two men were sent out to forage. After tra- Telling for many miles they returned with one small pig, which lasted for only two days. No flour was to be had at the Mill, as the neighbour- hood afforded no wheat. At this time 18 men were employed by my brother-in-law to saw the logs of our houses, and he was quite at a loss where to send for food. Fortunately I arrived that very evening with a supply of pork, pease, flourj and whisky ; for if I had not come, all the men would have gone away, and it would have been nearly impossible to collect them again, as they lived many miles from each other and from Douro. This collection ot neighbours is called a Bee, and is the common custom to assist each other in any great piece of labour, such as build- : I ' I ''t :; ) :ii 313 TRAVELS IN M" ing a house, lofT^injr, &c. The person who * calls the bee' is expected to feed them well, and to re- turn their work (hiy for day. On my way up the river from Rice Lake, I was obliged to sleep in the woods with a blanket rolled round me, and a large fire at my feet. Some Indians who were coming down the river, came to us, and sold us some venison for a little whisky ; we made them cook it for us, and also remain with us all night to keep on a good fire, as it was cold weather in November, and there was some snow on the ground. " I spent a day or two at Douro to see my house put up, as it was quite a new scene to me, and is extremely interesting to see a small opening made in the forest, and with the trees cut down the walls of a house erected in a few hours ; and when every thing has been prepared, a house may be finished and ready to be inhabited in two days. But this was not so with us ; for, from the difficulty of pro- curing hands and materials so far back, we had many delays ; in consequence of the severe frost setting in, and the illness of the only mason in the country, the stone work of our chimneys was only half done. " I returned to Cobourg, to bring out our fami- lies to the woods ; but I found my wife very ill, auid also one of our children, which delayed ms for UPPER CANADA. 313 some months ; but my sister and lier family went out, and took up their abode in what is called a shanty, which is merely a shed or hut made of logs, and roofed with slabs hollowed out of logs to turn the wet, and was quite open at one side, and in front was a great log fire. They were obliged to live in this shanty the whole winter, as the frost prevented the mason from building the chimneys of their house : that winter we had much deeper snow than we have seen since \:8 have been in Canada, being then 3^ feet deep; and I have seen the little children, from two years old and upwards, sitting round the fire, heavy snow falling all the time; yet both my bro- ther-in-law and sister say, they never knew their children so healthy or so lively as they then were. " On the 1st of March, 1823, they got into their house, having put up a stove : the thermometer often 30 below zero during this winter. " Upon the 10th of February, 1823, my family being once more in good travelling order, we de- parted from Cobourg, to the surprise of some of our friends, who thought that our courage would have failed, when the great plunge was actually to be taken. The first night we slept at a little tavern, and adopting the custom of woods-folk at once, we rolled ourselves in our blankets, and lay down on the floor before a large fire. The next VOL. I. o n i.l |i i k iti .^i ! r I i !■ 314 TRAVELS IN evening we reached Scott's Mills ; had our lug- gage and children carried across the river ; we were met on the other side with a sleigh and oxen, to convey us to our new ahode. Having arranged our hedding and the younger cl /Idren on the sleigh, we proceeded ; the snow nearly knee-deep, and for the last two miles in darkness ; so that we were right glad to see the cheerful light of a good fire shining through our log-hut windows. Here my sister and most of her family met us to wel- come us to the woods. Our house appeared large and wild, as, from the difficulty of procuring hoards at thc-saw mill, there was not a single par- tition in ours put up; even on the floors, the hoards were scarcely sufficient to prevent the children's feet from going through. When we set ahout to prepare our heds, we found the floor co- vered ahove an inch thick with ice, of which we removed as much as we could with axes and spades, and then put a layer of chips and shavings, upon which we spread our mattresses and hlankets; then having hung up some hlankets at the doors, and also for partitions, we lay down to rest, being pretty well fatigued ; and upon looking upwards from our heds, we saw the sky through the roof; and have often, during the time we lay in that manner, amused ourselves watching the stars pass- ing, and others appearing. I, ill ' UPPER CANADA. 315 ',1 *' The next morning, I sent all hands to Scott's Mills for the remainder of our luggage, and my wife and I set out to go to see my sister. How- ever, having occaniun to return for something, I observed smoke issuing from many parts of the roof. As quickly as I could, I went up the lad- der, and found the upper part of the chimney and a great part of the roof on fire. No one was in the house, except a maid-servant and three little children ; fortunately the scaffolding had not been removed ; I climbed up, and was just taking a pail of water from the girl, when the scaffolding gave way, and down I came. I with much difficulty scrambled up again, and tore away the shingles which were on fire, and after some time and trouble, succeeded in extinguishing the fire. This fire was caused by a dangerous method they have here of building chimneys with cross sticks, plas- tered with clay ; but this had been built in severe frost, so that the clay did not adhere, and the sticks caught fire. "Our time was now occupied in endeavouring to make on. selves comfortable, and we amused our- selves by looking forward to seeing some appear- ance of vegetation. This, however, did not occur until the beginning of May. In April, we tried to make some sugar ; but as we had nobody to tell us how to set about it, we did not succeed at all. *' ' 11 :M| 316 TRAVELS IV The place we boiled the sap was within one hun- dred yards of the house ; but so close were the trees, that I could not see the house ; and it even appeared so long a walk there, that I had my din- ner carried to me, thinking it too far to return for it myself. This is a mistake which frequently oc- curs to new settlers ; and I have often since laugh- ed, as that very spot is now cleared, and appears almost at the very door ; and, although we are only 84 yards from the river, we were two months here before we could see it from the house. As soon, however, as the snow went off, we commen- ced chopping, to admit air and sun, and got ten acres ready for spring crops. It has occurred to us more than once, in the two or three first years of our residence here, to be in danger of starva- tion, from the extreme difficulty of procuring any sort of provisions in this neighbourhood, and from the uncertainty of conveyances from Cobourg, our roads being few, and very bad, and for some time, both in spring and autumn, our navigation being interrupted by broken or bad ice, not good for sleighing. The first year, we bad no potatoes until Argust, and were glad to gather any wild plants which we were told could be safely used as greens, to make a little variety. Salt pork, pease soup, and bread, being but bad food for children, some- times for weeks together, we have used tea made UPPEH CANADA. 317 of tlie younpf shoots of tlie licmlock-pme, of burnt Indian corn for coffoo. W« lived ao far from otlier settlers, that wo seldom heard of any opportunity of sendiup; out for any thin^ we wanted. I liavo had three or four men working for me, and have not liad provisions sufficient for the next day. I have gone out with my ox team, and a man to forage, and, after travelling an entire day, returned with a couple of sheep, that liad not a pound of fat upon them, a little jwrk, and a few fowls, and when crossing the river, just near my own house, have been near losing the whole cargo by the strong current. " The most interesting time had now arrived, when we saw our first crops appear above ground. I had the honour of planting and sowing the first seeds in Douro. But our troubles were not at an end ; for in June, when all our crops were looking well, and when we looked forward to having a re- ward for our patience and industry, a great fire, which began in the woods, extended into our clear- ing, and burnt up a large portion of the young In- dian corn and potatoes, and it was with the great- est exertion that we were able to save a part of our precious crops. This fire lasted for two or three days, and all hands were busily employed carrying water. " In the second year of our sojourn, we lost a H>l m S18 TRAVELS IN I I ! dear little daughter, nearly two years old, one who WJUB most endearing to all who saw her, and who often beguiled an hour, after a day of hard la- bour. Two days passed before we could send and procure a doctor. A short time after this, my wife was confined, and I had to send fifteen miles for a nurse tender, who reached us with much difficulty, as she was obliged to walk through woods, where no road had ever been cut, and to be carried some- times across swamps, and lifted over large logs. My wife, however, recovered safely and speedily, although her confinement took place in the depth of winter ; and now we have three little children, who have never been three miles from this house. Nothing unpleasant has happened within the last year or two, with the exception of the loss of some cattle, by the falling of trees, and other acci- dents. Our provisions occasionally ran short for the first three years ; and at times we have literally used plain bran made into cakes, and used Indian corn boiled, when we could not procure flour. In the winter of 1824 we had four Scotsmen em- ployed ; and, in order to supply them with bread, we were obliged to grind our wheat in a small hand-mill, which, fortunately, we had brought with us for grinding coffee, pepper, &c. Every evening, after a hard day's work, these four young ■4. UPPER CANADA. 319 men ^ound as mucli wheat as was sufficient for supplying bread for each day. " We had been nearly a year and a half living here before my wife saw a female of any descrip- tion, except those of our own two families — and one day I took her down to the mill, wliere two wo- men were washing at the river side, when she im- mediately cried out, * Oh ! there are two women !* Three years passed away without any appearance of settlers coming near us. I thought, as my fa- mily were growing up, it was a pity to spend any more time in this hopeless retirement. So I had written to a friend in Cobourg to procure for me a snug little place in that neighbourhood, with about 50 acres of land. A few days after this, Mr P. Robinson came to my house, and mentioned to me his intention of bringing up the emigrants to these back townships. At once we gave up every idea of removing — the clouds dispersed — all our diffi- culties seemed over. " The plains at Scott's Mills were soon after co- vered with huts and shanties, and inhabited by 2000 souls. All became bustle and activity ; houses and stoves erected; a clergyman, priest, doctor, besides various kinds of tradesmen, were soon established j in fact, every thing we wanted appeared within our reach, and we had the prospect of some society. Now I would not exchange for any i f^ I I I iU 320 TRAVELS IN other part of the province. Oar farm (which is now near 70 acres) will (jive ua all the necessaries of life. Often my wife and I look back, I may Kay with pleasure, at our little grievances, and enjoy the retrospect. No settlers coming here now can have any idea of the difficulties of the first settlers, as they can now procure every thing they require if they have the means of ])urchasing it. We now have good mills both for flour and boards, thanks to our good governor. Sir Peregrine Maitland, and Mr Robinson ; a bridge over the river, roads in every direction, and a regular communication with the towns in front, so that any lady and gentle- man with a small annual income, and the prospect of a family, with proper management would do well here, by securing a landed property for their chil- dren. All unnecessary expenses must be avoided for some time, as labour and necessaries are high- priced, I mean clothing, provisions, Stc, particu- larly if a man cannot work himself, or if his fa- mily are not able to assist him. A settler in this country, though he may have an income, must do all he can to assist in getting on the work ; and he must come here with the full determination to become a farmer to all intents and purposes. The lady must be a good economist and housekeeper ; and if she is willing, contented, and reasonable, she UPPER CANADA. 321 will have it in hor power to save her liunhand many an hour of anxiety and pain. " Try to surmount all (iiHicuIties; and as there is always constant employment lor hoth lu'a. n, had he sent his hero to Canada, instead of the South Seas, with the superadded interest of its being true to the very letter, that 1 shall insert the whole, ver- batim as it came to my hands. Independently, too, of tlie lively and graphic fidelity of this nar- rative, it will be found to contain much practical advice, of which I can assure other settlers, they may avail themselves with confidence. UPPER CANADA. 325 " When I was reKiding near Swansea in Soutli Wales," A\Tites my worthy brother officer from the back-woods of Canada, " I happened one day to be dining at the house of an esteemed friend, when tlie con^ crsation commenced by some one, after dinner, speaking about the Canadas, the probable chance of mending our fortunes, providing for our families, and mode of proceeding. At the time, it appeared mere conversation. However, it made such a deep impression on us all, that from that day we never met without renewing the subject, reading every work wo could piocure, both on those Provinces, and the United States of America, and gaining what information kve could from every person who had ever been in Canada. My brother shortly afterwards remov.-d to Swansea, in order to ac- company my r'riend, v>,\m had also made up his mind to emigrate ; but a severe domestic loss pre- vented the former from going, and cha.iged his views : but I had come to the determination to go tc <-/anada ; for I found that with a limited income of L.lOO a~year, it was impossible to maintain, with proper respectability, that situation in life which my profession called for. My family con- sisted of a wife and three children, from seven to three years old. " Thus having made my mind up, in the winter of 1818, I began to make preparations, by dispo- il il II '•, 326 TRAVELS IN" sing of my household furniture, reserving for my- self beds, bedding, carpets, and such otlier things as were portable and likely to be useful. I also made arrangements for borrowing the sum of L.200. Arrived at Bristol, I procured a variety of tools, implements of husbandry, clothing, &c., to the amount of L.lOO, and laid in a good stock of pro^ . ions, and every thing likely to make the voyage . omfor table across the Atlantic. " We sailed on the 3d of May, 1819, and after a tedious voyage to Quebec, and some detention after- ^rards in getting up the country, we arrived at the village of Cobourg, vn the district of Newcastle, on the 19th of July. The whole of my expenses for voyage, provisions, and all other travelling charges, amounted to L.lOO, 8s., so that on my arrival, I had a very small sum left. However, my quarter's pay came round, I was in a cheap country, and, moreover, found a most warm and hospitable recep- tion in the house of my old and esteemed friend. As a new township on the Rice Lake was about being surveyed, and I had not means to purchase a cleared farm near my friend, I determined to wait till the survey was finished, and try the Bush — as the woods here are called. — This was in the month of December of the same year. I then ob- tained the grant of land my ^ank in the naval ser- vice entitled me to. In February, 1820, I con- UPPER CANADA. 327 traded with two men to put me up a log-house, 28 feet by 20 ; and tliirtecn logs, or a8 many feet high; to roof it with shingles, and to hoard up the gable ends ; and to clear off one acre about the house, to prevent the trees from falling on it, for all which I paid them 100 dollars. This shell of a building liad merely a doorway cut out of the middle; and when my friend and the clergyman of Us nilton drove out in a single sleigh with me, to see h, and wo took our dinner at one end and our horse at the other, on a miserably cold day in the month of March, it looked wretched enough ; but as it was the first but one, so it was the last in the township. Whilst the snow and ice were good, I moved all my effects, got boards sufficient to finish my house, and a six months* stock of provisions out ; and on the 8th of May took my family into their pile of logs in a Canadian forest. " I will own, for a time our situation appalled me, and to my then unformed judgment in Bush mat- ters, it seemed a hopeless struggle ; but I was out with my family, and as I did not want for energy, I set to work in earnest. To two Americans I let a job to chop four acres and a half, at six dollars an acre ; and at the same time, a man whom I had occasionally employed at home, followed me out, and came to hire. During the course of the sum- mer, he felled and chopped up three acres more : > i III I 1 I 328 TRAVELS IN my cleared acre I planted with potatoes, a little corn, and turnips : my stock consisted of a cow and yoke of steers three years old, with the manage- ment of which I was totally unacquainted when I bought them ; but if a man will give his mind to any common thing of the kind, and not think it a hardship, it is surprising what he may do, as in this case after a few days I found no difficulty. " I was now anxious to get my house made habit- able as soon as possible, and a carpenter being em- ployed not far off, I endeavoured to engage him to put in the windows and door; but finding that he wished to take advantage of my situation, I deter- mined to do it myself, and thus was forced to learn the business of a carpenter. This I considered no hardship, as I had always been fond of the use of tools, and had, previous to my leaving England, taken several lessons in turning. During the summer, I got my house chinked, or filled the in- terstices between the logs with pieces of wood to make the inside flush or smooth, and to prevent the mud used as plaster on the outside from co- ming through. I then put in the windows and door, laid the floors, and partitioned off the lower part of the house into two good rooms, on wet days employing my man to dig a cellar under the house ; in short, before the winter, I had made UPPER CANADA. 329 the log-liouse comfortable witliin, and, witli tlio addition of some white-waph, smart witliout. " In Aug"iist, we cut some coarse grass in a bea- ver meadow close by, sprinkling salt through the little stack as we made it ; after this we logged up and cleared three acres of the land I had chop- ped, and by the latter end of September had it sown with wheat ; the logging, though heavy, I did with my hired man and steers, and before the winter, had it fenced with rails. Here, it may be remarked, I did not get much land cleared, but by doing little, and that partly with my own hands, I gained experience ; and T would strongly advise gentlemen settling in Canada with small i^eans, to commence clearing slowly, and with as little expense as possible. *' In the fall, or autumn, I put up a log-kitchen, and a shed for my cattle ; during the winter, I employ- ed my man in chopping three acres more, in which I now and then assisted him, and soon became very expert in the use of the axe, felling the trees to the most advantage to assist their burning, and to save trouble in logging. With my beaver-meadow hay, and the fir tops of the fallen trees, my cattle were kept fat all the winter. In the spring, three acres more were cleared, fenced, and cropped with corn, potatoes, and turnips ; and where log heaps had been burnt, the ashes were hoed off, and ,% 330 TRAVELS IN planted with melons and cucumbers ; a small patch was fenced off for a nursery, and apple seeds sown, trees which are now ten and twelve feet high. I also put out several of the wild plum-trees of the country, which now bear abundance of fine fruit. From this time, about five acres yearly have been added to my farm, taking great care, in clearing off my land, never to destroy a log that would make rails, by which means the fence always came off the field cleared ; and although they are small — from four to six acres — the fences are all six feet or nine rails high. Here I will remark, it is a great fault to split rails small, an error that most new settlers persist in. In the spring of 1822, my attention was turned to making a flower and kit- chen garden. Round the latter I made a straight fence with cedar posts, and thirteen rails high, which is at this day stocked with every kind of fruit tree to be had in the neighbourhood, which flourish beyond my expectation. My stock of animals has been gradually increasing, and to my other stock I have added horses and sheep, with poultry of all kinds. *' In the year 1825, 1 had repaid the money I bor- rowed, by leaving back a small part of my half pay every quarter, and had received a deed for 600 acres of my land, on which I had performed the settle- ment duty, which cost me L.30. My farm is now l;PPER CANADA. 831 increased to 36 acres. I have the deed for the re- maining 200 acres of my land ; also deeds for town and park lots in the rapidly-settling town of Pe- terborough ; and, as my family have increased to six, and are growing up, I am just now about build- ing a frame-house, 36 feet by 26 in the clear, two stories high, with a commodious kitchen behind, the timber and shingles for which I have bought by dis- posing of a mare, after using her for five years, and breeding a pair of horses from her. With my own exertions, — being able to do most of the carpenter's work inside, — and about L.lOO, I expect to get it finished. " Some of my first chopped land is now nearly clear of stumps. I am planting out an orchard of apple-trees, raised from the seed sown by my- self; have a good barn and stable, with various other offices ; — in short, feel that I have surmount- ed every difficulty. A town is growing up near me, roads are improving, bridges are built ; one of the best m .lis in the province is just finished at Peterborough, another within three miles of me. Boards, and all descriptions of lumber, are cheap — about five dollars 1000 feet, four saw-mills being in operation. Stores, a tannery, distillery, and many other useful businesses, are established, or on the eve of being so, at Peterborough ; on the road to which, through Otanabee, the Land Com- w i Hi 332 TRAVELS IN pany, the clorjjy, and Kome private individuals, liavo some of the best land in the province for sale, at from la. 6d. to lOs. per acre. The price of land generally, except on the roads, is ahout 58. per acre. " I was the first settler in the township, and almost before! a tree was cut down ; now there are nearly two thousand acres cleared, and 125 fami- lies, consisting^ of 500 souls. On parallel lines, at the distance of three quarters of a mile apart, roads, of from 33 to 66 feet wide, are cut and clear- ed out by the parties owninja^ the land all througfh the township, which will ultimately be of the great- est benefit, and are so now to those settlers near them. Thev have been much cavilled at, and found fault with, by land speculators, and persons having large grants ; but I never yet heard an actual set- tler complain of them. One great objection urged against them was, that a second growth of trees would spring up along these cleared avenues, or roads, and be worse than that removed ; but, from strict observation, I find this fallacious, as the se- cond growth is always a different wood, generally poplar, cherry, elder, &c., with sprouts from some of the old stumps, and so thick that they cannot come to any size ; while every year there is de- stroying, by slow but sure means, stumps that will take 20 or 80 years to get rid of. l! UPPER CANADA. 333 " I have now pivcii an indifferent sketcli of my settlement in the woods, from which, 1 think, it will be seen, tliat even a person not ])roup^ht np to labour, and under many disadvantajTeous eircum- stances — such as goinp^ far back in a settlement, want of roads, bridjjes, mills, and society, and ha- ving^ a sum of money to repay — still it will be seen that, with a good heart, and an industrious turn, a gentleman of small income may better his situa- tion. And I certainly will say, that any person with the same means, and who will turn his hand to any thing he can that is not dishonourable, will do well to follow the same course ; and I think that such will not injure their country by leaving it. For ex- ample, while in England, on half pay, nearly all my income went for food ; here it nearly all goes for clothing of British manufacture. My family is supported with respectability and comfort, having abundance of all the necessaries of life within my farm, and my pay enabling me to supply all other requisites. Here we can keep the door of hospi- tality open, without inconvenience, and find lei- sure to visit our friends, and enjoy ourselves in a pleasant way, keeping a pair of good horses, sleighs, &c. &c. "Persons with families, as they have the most urgent reasons to migrate, so they will always make the best settlers. Their children can assist mate- ■ '. n ii 334 TRAVELS IN rially in the mode of farming pursued on wild land, and may do so without its being looked upon as a degradation. It* they are well educated, there is little doubt of their advancement in the profes' sions ; and if not, they will be always sure of » provision by farming, as their parents may, with a moderate outlay, acquire property for them. As British goods of almost every description are now brought down to a moderate price, gentlemen co- ming out will do well not to stock themselves with more than they want for their own use, as they will find their money more useful than superfluous ar- ticles of any de8crij)tion ; and such, with an income of from L.50 to L.200 a-year, with prudence, may live in the most comfortable and respectable way here, being able, by means of a farm, to supply the table with abundance, and to enjoy themselves at their leisure in as good society as can be found in most country towns in England. Indeed, were it not for the differences of fences, occasional dissight of old stumps, or dead standing trees, and now and then ' I guess,' a person in this neighbourhood can hardly fancy themselves in a foreign country. " It is a great error, and to be lamented, that most gentlemen from the old country — as the Uni- ted Kingdom is called — bring too much of their na- tive prejudices with them here, by which means they often expend much money uselessly, and fre- UPPER CANADA. 885 qucntly pet into difliculticH ; and I have known 6ome wholly fail from such imprudence. It Ih from such that unfavourable accounts of this country originate. I think it should be a rule for perwong coming to a new country, always first to follow the customs of that country as closely as possible, reser- ving' their improvements till they get firmly esta- blished, and see good reason to apply them. It should generally be an object for gentlemen, if they settle in new townships, to endeavour to get near ani)ther, or others, of character already settled ; as by this means they will have a good chance to be set in the right way, and thereby saved from much imposition, besides the pleasure of having at hand a friend, and society suited to their taste. As land may be bought at very easy rates and price — seven, and even ten years allowed to pay it in — it will be preferable for a gentleman, or any person with small means, to purchase near settlements, or on main roads, as they will thereby avoid many diffi- culties I had to contend with. ** Having been in the neighbourhood of the last emigrants brought out by the Honourable Peter Robinson, who deserves the highest praise for his humanity, consideration, and care in settling them, and having read some of the Reports of the Com- mittee on Emigration, I beg leave to offer an idea that strikes me on the subject. From observation) ■'if ■' r i " 336 TRAVELS IN I think the Government did too much for those already out, and still the Committee propose to do too much fc^ any that may he sent out ; they are not left to find resources from their own industry and energy. While the rations last, many of the emigrants make little exertion, and dispose of food they have not heen used to, such as pork, for whisky, therehy injuring their constitutions and morals, and fixing for a time habits of idleness. Let the settlers be put on their land with a shanty up ; give a family of five persons, five barrel^ of flour and one of pork, with two axes and two hoes, and, with this assistance, let them work their way. During the time Mr Robinson's last settlers were getting rations, labourers' wages were higher than they had ever been known ex- cept during the war. This certainly would not have been the case if they had been less lavishly supplied. An able-bodied man that is industri- ous, will never want for work in Upper Canada ; and, if he will work, he will in a very short time get himself a cow, grain, potatoes, &c. &c. " Although this part of the province is very ra- pidly improving, still it would increase in popula- tion and riches in a tenfold degree, was the water communication opened with Lake Ontario by a canal on part of the River Trent. An immense extent of country from Peterborough, on the Ota- 1 UPPER CANADA. 337 ra- ila- iter fcnse >ta- nabce River, to the Bay of Quinte, — which is a part of Ontario, — comprising some of the richest land in the province, would then he settletl and cultivated, having a decided advantage over the front ; and the flour, grain, pork, lumber, potash, and staves, that would go down, must make this district greatly superior to any other in this pro- vince. It is not to he doubted that, independent of the tolls, the inhabitants, within a range likely to benefit by so desirable an outlet, would will- ingly consent to pay an assessment in proportion to the quantity of land they hold. This will rea- dily be seen, when it is known that in the article of wheat, there is 3d. or 6d. a-bushel less given for it north of the Rice Lake, and the same in pro- portion for other produce, with an equal loss to the settler on every kind of goods he purchases. *' That the Government are well aware of the great advantage, in a military point of view, in case of a war , of such a communication, I have no doubt ; and I cannot be so presumptuous as to point out why it would be so, in stating that large quanti- ties of produce, &c. will go down the Trent which now has to be taken by land to Lake Ontario ; I will merely state, that this last winter very nearly 5000 bushels of wheat have been taken in by the store-keepers at Peterborough alone. Only three or four years ago flour was transported back there, VOL. I. I» ly 338 TRAVELS IN I i ' . SO that no doubt can exist of the increased quan- tity a few years will produce. Through the good- ness and paternal consideration of his Excellency Sir Peregrine Maitland, an excellent mill has been erected at Peterborough, which is the greatest blessing to the settler and the country, and will be the means of the adjacent townships filling up rapidly. In the town itself, which less than three years ago had but one solitary house in it, now may be seen frame-houses in every direction, and this summer 20 additional ones will be erected. *' Respectable yeomen, or small farmers, having sufficient to settle themselves and support their fa- milies, if they go on wild land for two years, will, with industry, always do well. Certainly, having L.lOO clear when they have paid a seventh of the purchase money for 200 acres, they will, before that sum is expended, raise sufficient for their fu- ture maintenance ; but in all cases, much of what is required depends on what persons have been used to, and the sacrifices they will make for a short time, to acquire property and become inde- pendent. Mechanics of all descriptions will do well, and indeed any one used to labour, or who will be industrious. Some of the best settlers in this township were at home weavers. But trades- men, or shop-keepers of ruined fortune, if they do ill at home, will do worse here ; and let all persons UPPER CANADA. 339 who will not put their hand to every thing, who feel discouraged at trifles, and wlio expect any thing like a life of idleness, heware how they make the trial of settling in a new country. JNIy opi- nions are founded on observation and practical knowledge, and in giving them, though in a very homely and jumbled manner, still I have endea- voured to give the true statement, and, I trust, just recommendations ; and I shall feel gratified and happy, if Captain Hall can cull any thing from what I have written that may benefit the public or a single individual, or be the means of doing even a small good to this happy and thriving province. " I remain, sir, " Yours most truly." Before taking leave of this subject altogether, I feel it almost a duty to give the following letter upon some topics connected with the question of emigration, which, it may be observed, must for a long time continue one of great importance to the United Kingdom. I would not have occupied so great a portion of space with these letters, had I not, from personal acquaintance and other sources of information, the most entire confidence in the local knowledge, the good faith, and the patriotism of the writers. These remarks apply with particular force to the judicious «lv Ml 'I II II 340 TRAVELS iN friend to whom I am indebted for the following remarks ; and I am not without hopes that his sug- gestions may have their effect in those quarters h i which the power resides of giving them practical! efficacy. " CoBOURC, Upper Canada, May SOth, 1828. " My dear Sir, " In your last letter to me, of the 18th of Febru- ary, you advert to an observation I formerly made relative to the mixture of Scotch and English emi- grants with those from Ireland ; and as you do me the honour to request the grounds of my opinions, I take the opportunity of communicating them be- fore your intended return to Europe shaU take place. It must be obvious to those who have had an opportunity of observing the progress of newly peo- pled countries, that whenever a tract has been set- tled almost exclusively by one description of per- sons, that the settlement which they form has re- tained for many generations, in a very great mea- sure, the habits, whether good or bad, of the ori- ginal emigrants. This, I understand, is peculiar- ly the case, up to the present day, in the United States. It is exemplified in the industrious and thriving Dutch and Germans ; in the highly moral conduct, superadded to the persevering industry of the New Englanders, who left their home from UPPER CANADA. 341 higher motives than the mere personal support of their families; in the Quakers of Pennsylvania, and in many other instances which might be adduced. My attention wae drawn very particularly to this subject, by having occasion lately to pass through the township of Cavan, which was settled about nine years since for the most part by distressed Irish, from the State of New York. They were, to the credit of the British Government, kindly assisted in reaching this province, and provided with lands upon their arrival. They appear to be a happy, contented people, firmly attached to the Government from which they have experienced so much kindness, and abounding with the necessaries of life ; but from wanting, originally, the habits of more civilized society, they have little of that about them to which we usually attach the term comfort. " Their log-houses are low and inconvenient, rather too much approaching to the Irish cabin, and their farm buildings of the same character. This, of course, is liable to many exceptions, even amongst the Irish ; but I have reason to believe the greater part of these exceptions to be amongst the Scotch and English. Upon conversing with a gentleman upon the subject, he said, that he had made the same remark in respect to the township of Glengary, peopled principally in the early days of II i 342 TRAVELS IN I the province by Scottish Highlanders. He descri- bed them as a loyal and moral people ; but not be- ing possessed of the patient industry of the Lowland Scotch, their dwellings and flirms did not evince those appearances which characterise a thriving and fast improving population. This, being himself from tlio Highlands, he aitributed to their roving habits, leading them to prefer the adventurous life of the lumber trade to the more peaceful occupations of their farms. If such be the case in the above quoted instances, there is strong reason to expect it to be the same if large bodies of Roman Catho- lic Irish should be located together ; a people who, hitherto, and from causes beyond their own con- trol, have been almost proverbial for the absence of habits of regular industry, and for the neglect of the comforts and the decencies of life. The ex- periments liitherto made by the beneficence of Go- vernment, have shown satisfactorily, that they are capable of much improvement by colonisation. The apathy brought on by their former hopeless situa- tion, is, for the most part, exchanged for habitual industry, by the necessity of constant exertion, and the certainty of bettering their condition. And what is of no small importance, they feel and ex- press a grateful attachment to the good King who sanctioned, and to the Government which has effect- ed, so beneficial a change in their circumstances. m i UPPER CVNADA. SI 3 ii " But all this is not without its alloy. There is perhaps more idleness and dissipation at the recur- rence of every opportunity, than would take place amongst persons of aiiother description ; and, as I understand from gentlemen residing in the midst of them, a party spirit is creeping in, which is likely to increase with the improvement of their circumstances, and their opportunities of leisure. It might he rationally concluded, that these now existing and anticipated evils would he ohviated by a mixture of the Lowland Scotch and English settlers along with the Irish. The economical, in- dustrious, and moral turn of the natives of Scot- land, would lead the way to success ; and the cus- tom of the English of vesting their gains in the comforts and decencies of life, would teach the pro- per enjoyment of that success when attained. " These circumstances, with the aid of constant intercourse and consequent intermarriages, would effect a sensible and beneficial, though silent change in the parties requiring it, without the danger of contamination, as that would be counteracted by the necessity of exertion in all ; and those who, after all these chances to the contrary, should at last be irreclaimable, would sink into their proper station, that of labourers for their deservedly more fortunate neighbours. The success that has at- tended the plans hitherto adopted, may lead one n vn 344 TRAVELS IN confidently to hope, nay even to assert, that under certain modifications, such as observation and ex- perience shall from time to time dictate, thousands, and tens of thousands of our fellow subjects, whose existence is now a burden to themselves, and to their country, may be cof vt rtec 'nto a prosperous and loyal population, attt» -^d, i'*om feelings of gratitude, and from those still stronger, of interest, to a Government which shall have raised them from indigence to comparative wealth, attended by the dignified circumstance of being the founders of a great and happy people. '* Although, perhaps, singular in intruding these opinions upon your notice, I am not singular in entertaining them, as the accompanying enclosures will testify; and I may confidently say, that such are the sentiments of all the thinking men of this district, who have had an opportunity of witness- ing the progress of the Irish settlement. The highly judicious and benevolent step taken by the Provincial Government in the erection of a saw and grist mill, has been productive of the l^est con- sequences. Stores have been erected near the mills, which have placed the comforts of life with- in reach of the settlers, and of course these exer- tions will be in proportion to the stimulus thus afforded. It is a measure that cannot be too ear- nestly recommended in every future condensed set- ir- is ir- UPPER CANADA. 345 tlemcnt, and uliould always be considered as a pri- mary step. TFiereby the new comers are enabled to build commodiously and cheaply, and are cer- tain of an immediate market for the first produce that they can spare, with the additional motive to industry in the exhibition of the goods of the mer- chants, whose stores always accompany the erec- tion of a superior grist mill. " I cannot leave this interesting subject, in which the happiness and welfare of so many thousands are likely to be concerned, without offering for con- sideration a measure calculated materially to pro- mote the desired effect. It is essentially neces- sary, if the emigiation should proceed upon an extended scale, to break through that uniformity of circumstances and station, that must inevitably attend the location of a large body of paupers only. This end, it is probable, might be obtained with no further expense to the mother country, than a passage in the Government vessels, and a free grant of land proportionable to bona fide property of the emigrant. This encouragement may be held out in order to secure a limited number for each new township, withholding the confirmation of the grant, until the condition of a certain number of years* residence shall be fulfilled. The new settle- ment would then at its outset possess its distinctions of rank, its magistracy and upper class ; the gran- p2 I r -, 346 TRAVELS IN tees would find labourers amongst ihn eldest sons of the poorer emigrantK, and these again would be- come possessed of a little money, and with it the means of purcliusing many a little comfort, of which they would otherwise bo deprived. " Persons resident in Great Britain can have no idea of the inconvenience, frequently amounting to distress, experienced in Upper Canada, from the al- most entire absence of a circulating medium ; and perhaps it may appear singular to assert, that any jmeasure calculated to introduce capital, and pro- mote its circulation, would confer a benefit upon the province almost commensurate with that like- ly to accrue to Great Britain, from the conversion of the distressed part of her population, into the colonial customers of those who shall remain at nome. If ample encouragement were held out to fathers of families in the possession of income or capital, but without good prospects for their chil- dren, this, with addition of a domestic market for the produce occasioned by the annual influx of the poorer emigrants under Government auspi- ces, would bid fair to remedy the above mention- ed evil, and to render Upper Canada as prosperous and happy a country as any in the world. " I remain, my dear sir, ** Truly yours." UPPER CANADA. 847 After returiniijy to Cobourp from visitinjy the emi^ants, we proceeded Htrai^ht to Kiiifj^Hton, the principal English naval station on the lakcH. We had sundry minor adventures by the way, which I have not leisure to give in great detail. On coming through the woods, after leaving Rice Lake, one of our vehicles broke down twice. On the first occasion, we manjiged, by splicing the harness and fishing the shaft, to get again under weigh ; but at the second disaster, when the wag- gon was undergoing such repair as we could give it on the road, the horse, taking advantage of the pause, slipped off, and left one of the gentlemen and me to walk in the rain and mud for six miles — severe discipline for tired wayfarers. In the course of the next morning, when we were driving in the stage-coach up a very steep part of the road, between Cobourg and the Bay of Quinte, the irons drew off the ends of the main bar, and away ran the leaders. On level ground this would have been of no consequence ; but at this parti- cular spot it had nearly proved fatal to us all. The wheel-horses had not strength to keep the car- riage from gathering fresh stern-way ; so do^v^l we backed at a most alarming rate. A high bank of earth rose above the road on the right hand, up the sides of which the wheels on that side were just beginning to mount, whereby we must inevitably ii> ;l 348 TRATBL8 IN hare been upset, when, fortunately, we were stop- ped in our dencent, by means we could not have reckoned upon. An American weh driving up the hill behind us, in a Kinp^le horse waggon, and Hceing the appari- tion of* a great Htage-coach l)earing down upon him, lie tried, of course, to rein back his horse, and to get out of our way. Fortunately, however, for us, the animal was bamboozled by the uproar, and re- fused to budge an inch, so that we came full upon the waggon, and, the wheels getting locked, we were stopped in our career. Jonathan, with cha- racteristic skill and promptitude, leaped from his conveyance, flew to the opposite side of the road, and snatching from the snake fence the upper rail or bar, ran back again to the entangled vehicles, and by dashing the piece of wood, like a spear, right across from one hind wheel of the stage to the other, effectually arrested both, and, having thus prevented our farther descent, easily withdrew his own little waggon. In our passage in the steam-boat down the beau- tiful Bay of Quinte, an extensive set of winding, narrow inlets, all connected with Lake Ontario, we were struck at one place by the appearance of an extensive tract of country, where not a single tree appeared as yet to have been cut down. This we learnt, on enquiry, was land belonging to Indians, til UPPER CANADA. S49 and reserved cxclnHively for thcin. Nothing could place in a stronger light the difference between savage and civilized life, than the contrast between the two opposite shores of this singular bay, dis- tant nhoiit a couple of miles from each other. The one glowing with fertility, and busy with popula- tion — the other sleeping in a state of vegetable na- ture, or with only here and there a village of birch- bark wigM'anis, thinly inhabited by a dirty set of red-faced inhabitants, dressed in blankets, and smeared over with tallow and red ochre. On the 28th of July, we reached Kingston, where we found ourselves most comfortably lodged in the house of Commodore Barric, the commanding of- ficer on the lakes ; for though he was absent, his residence in the dock-yard had been prepared for us a week before, and we took possession of it ac- cordingly, as a matter of course, at the suggestion of the officer next in authority. Such are the friendly usages of the naval service. And al- though I had no personal acquaintance with the officer in question, it would have been considered unkind on my part, and almost disrespectful, not to have made his house my « vn, when thus placed at my disposal. Naval officers arc certainly much scattered over the face of the globe ; but, somehow or other, whe- ther from the extent of their intercourse with every I i 350 TRAVELS IN description of society, the similarity of their duties generally, or from something genial breathed in with the free atmosphere of the ocean, there seems to be a compactness of fellowship amongst them, ii heartiness of professional friendship, in short, which knits them together, especially in foreign lands, in a manner more decided, I think, than is to he recog- nised in most other walks of life. It matters little whether or not they have met before ; — tlieir cha- racter and services, respectively, arc always suffi- ciently knoAvn to answer the purposes of introduc- tion ; and as the range of their topics embraces the whole earth, or, at all events, the whole sea, and the coasts which line it, from Indus to the Pole, — they never run aground for want of interesting sub- jects of conversation. After this very long and fatiguing journey of 473 miles, from Niagara to Kingston, we felt our- selves entitled to a good rest, and did scarcely any thing else but eat, drink, and sleep, till the 30th of July. We then put ourselves on board the steam-boat Queenstown, and in thirty-six hours, after calling at York, and going the whole length of Lake Ontario, again reached Niagara, a distance by water of somewhat more than 200 miles. UPPER CANADA. 351 * CHAPTER XII. On the 1st of August, 1827, I drove once more to the Falls, intending merely to bid good-by to them, and come away. I therefore left the carriage at the top of the br.:ik, and said to the coachman that he need not take out his horses, but wait in the shade before the inn, till I came up again from the Table Rock. This was at noon, but it was not till three o'clock that I could disentangle myself from the scene. Indeed, to speak without exag- geration or affectation, I must own, that upon this visit — the last, in all human probability, I shall •^ver pay to these Falls, I was almost overwhelmed — if that be the proper word to use — with the gTandeur of this extraordinary spectacle. I felt, as it were, staggered and confused, and at times experienced a sensation bordering on alarm — I did not well know at what — a strong mysterious sort of impression that something dreadful might hap- pen. At one moment I looked upon myself as f''' lis i M }| i] i 352 TRAVELS IN utterly insignificant in the presence of such a gigantic, moving, thundering hody — and in the next, was puffed up with a sort of pride and arro- gant satisfaction, to think that I was admitted into such company, and that I was not altogether was- ting the opportunity : — at others I gave up the reins of my imagination altogether, and then tried to follow, but with no great success, some of the innumerable trains of wild and curious reflections which arose in consequence — though, after all, nothing can be conceived more vague than those wandering thoughts, except it be their present ghostlike recollection. During these three hours, which I am disposed to reckon as the most interesting of my whole life, my mind was often brought back from such fanciful vagaries with a sudden start — only, how- ever, to relapse again and again. More than once I really almost forgot where I was, and became more than half unconscious that I saw millions on millions of tons of water dashing down before me at every second, at the distance of cmly a few yards ; — and even ceased to recollect that the sound I heard came from the greatest cascade in the world. Still, however, in spite of these abstractions — which I made no attempt to restrain — I was all the while sensible that something very delightful was pass- ing. 01 UPPER CANADA. 353 The effect of this mighty cataract upon the mind, might perhaps be worthy of the attention of a me- taphysician. With me, at least, the influence of one overpowering but indefinitti sensation at times absorbed the active operation of the senses, and produced a kind of dizzy reverie, more or less akin to sleep, or rather to the intoxication descril^ed by opium eaters, during which a thousand visions arose connected with the general sentiment of sublimity. And it may help to give some idea of the extravagant length to which the over-indulged fancy can carry the dreamer on such occasions, to mention that once, for some seconds, I caught my- self thinking that I had fairly left this lower world for the upper sky, — that I was traversing the Heavens in company with Sir Isaac Newton, — and that the Sage was just going to tell me about the distance of the fixed stars ! The awakening, if so it may be called, from these roving commissions of the mind, to the stu- pendous reality, so far from being accompanied by the disappointment which usually attends the return voyage from these distant regions in the world of fancy, was gratifjang far beyond what I remember to have experienced upon any former occasion, du- ring a life of pretty constant and high enjoyment. This, and a hundred other extravagancies which I could add upon tb* subject, however absurd they P S5t TRAVELS IN 1 ■: must of" course seem in sober prose, may possibly give some notion of tbe effect produced by looking at the Falls of Niagara — an effect analogous, per- haps, to that produced on the mind of the poet by ordinary circumstances, but wliich less imagina- tive mortris are made conscious of, only on very extraordinary occasions. On the 2d of August, we left these exciting scenes, and recrossed Lake Ontario in a very crowded, overloaded steam-boat, and landed, for the second time, at Kingston, on the 3u da)^ of August, in the morning. It was fortunate that we reached our destination before dark, for in the early part of the night it blew such a furious gale from the south-west, as our boat could not possi- bly have weathered in the open lake. If I am to have a seaman's grave, I must say that I sliould prefer going down respectably in blue water to being drowned like a kitten in a pond. After visiting the Englisli dock-yard at King- ston, where there were two first-rate linc-of-battle ships on the stocks, and several frigates nearly ready for launching, I felt anxious to take a look at Sackett's Harbour, the American naval station, which lies also at the eastern end of Lake Ontario. Accordingly, on the morning of the 6th of August, I cro:-sed the northern branch of the River St Lawrence in a fojr -oared gig to Long Island, .iwPW. 'i UPPER CANADA. 355 which lies nearly in the middle of this immense stream. Here I got a waggon, and was rattled for about seven miles over a turnpike, as they calh'd it — Corduroy, however — to the southern side of the island, or that which faces the American shore. The ferry-boat had been taken over the water in quest of a doctor. I don't know a more hopeless predicament for a traveller, or one Avhere he feels his resources so completely exhausted, and some- times also his patience, than at a ferry where tliere is no boat. When I did get across at last, I had the mortification to learn that the stage had just started. The waves from Lake Ontario were rolling in- to Sackett's Harbour quite in oceanic style, and I had the discomfort of getting soimdly ducked in crossing to the navy-yard. I had plenty of day- light, however, for examining at leisure the large three-decked ship which is on the stocks there. It is said that she was built in thirty-one days from the time the first tree was cut down ; and I met an American gentleman on the spot, who told me he had been present at the time when this singu- lar operation was accomplished. An immense number of shipbuilders, it seems, all expert work- men, were sent from New York, and other sea- port towns. These were assisted by an unlimited number of labouring hands, teams of oxen, horses, 1 I ii u '% 856 TRAVELS IN carts, and so on. In a couple of woeks more, he toM mo, she might have beon launched, and all her g\ms, masts, and sails on board, ready for ac- tion. Th« treaty of Ghent put a stop to these pro- ceedings ; and as it was istipulai,f;d hy an article in that instrument that neither party should have a force on the lakes, these great ships, both at Sack- ett's and at Kingston, have come to serve no fur- ther end, in tlie meantime, than tlie innocent pur- pfjRO of amusing tlic perennial crowds of Cockney touriKty, who escape in autumn fiom the Malaria of the southern and middle states, and till up the lime by taking the well-beaten round of the Falls, the Lakes, and the Springs of Saratoga. Th<> great American ship above alluded to, is built of oak in all the ess<*ntial parts, and is filled t p in others with rod cedar. As far as I could judge, thi'^ vessel seems to be put tofother, notwith- standing the hurry, in a very business-like style. She is covered over with an immense house, or shed, which looks, at a d'sianco. like the forest- vlwelling of some inhabii^nnt of tlie earth, the giant "(utemporary — i.f ary su* h there were — of the Mammoth and Megaio^^anvn^. The town of Ssckotts has n st; nd-still lot'k about it, which leads ore to suspect t'.at, as its rise was certainly owing to the War, its fall is traceable to the judicious artlc'e of the treaty of Ghaut men- UPPER CANADA. 357 tioned above. Had there been no such stipula- tion, rival fleets would liave been maintained on the lakes to beard and plaj^ue one another, and keep both nations in perpetual hot-water, while no mortal would have been benefitted, except the worthy inhabitants of Sacketts. A bright moon, within one day of the full, enabled me io retrace great part of tlie way to Kingston that night, Next morning, the 7th of Augti^it, I started very early, but it was not till eight o'clock that I reached the ferry-house on Long Island, opposite to Kingston. The river St Lawrence is here about three miles wide, but as it flows past with a cur- rent scarcely perceptible, I calculated upon getting to tha Commissioner's house in the course of an hour, just in time, as I hoped, for breakfast, for which the keen morning air, and several hours' jc irney, had brought me into excellent condition. The ferryman, urged by my impatient entreaties, accompanied me to the beach, when lo ! there was no boat. A jackanapes of an idle fellow hod taken away the skifl^, without leave or license, although we could just see him at a distance, in the centre of the stream, spearing fish. But we waved our hats and hallooed to him in vain. " Is there no boat, or punt, or any thing to be had !" I exclaimed, in the vehemence of hunger. " No, sir, none, ' said the ferryman. 358 TRAVELS IN (( Why, what's that?" I jisked. " O," said ho, " that's a rotten shell of a skiff, so leaky she would fdl with water in ten minutes." " I don't know that," I cried ; " let me have a look at her. I know something of these matters, or I liave swam in a gondola to little purpose. Come ! where is your vessel ?" Away we marched — tossed tlie crazy bark into tlie St Lawrence, and stood hy to watch the effect. Sure enough, report had not helied her qualities, for in a few minutes she was half full. The good woman of the ferry-house had by this time become anxious to assist, as far as she could, pro])ably supposing from my eagerness that I was hurrying over to see a dying relation, or mayhap, escaping from justice; whereas I was merely tliink- ing of the good things waiting for me, and which I now began to dijspair of seeing this morning. On hearing me say to the boatman that if I had any sort of machine to bale with, I would an- swer for keeping the skiff clear of water, the dam- sel disappeared for a moment, and returned, bear- ing in her hand a large tin pudding dish. This was exactly the thing wanted. The ferryman smi- led, but made no objections, and away we started, though the water squirted through the seams. A poor old negro, whose woolly head was turned to grey, though scarcely able to move, begged to be UPPER CANADA. 359 A to be taken in, and offered to jrive me a spell when I became tired. By dint of hard labour, the old gen- tleman and I managed to keep the boat tolerably free, though our work was frequently interrupted by laughing at the odd nature of our predicament, K(juatted in the water, cheek by jowl, in the bot- tom of a punt, and baling away for dear life ! In process of time, we succeeded in boarding the pii'ate, who had run off with the ferryboat. He was standing up on the bow of his skiff, -with the fish spear in his hand, and looking almost as cool- ly at us, as if he had been guilty of no crime. But Ave soon taught him another story, and exe- cuted summary justice both upon him and his companion, by exchanging boats — tumbling the culprits very unceremoniously from one vessel to the other, with a hint to them as we parted, to make good use of the pudding dish. We had now leisure to look about us, and the first thing I did was to get my old companion's history. He had been all his life, he said, a slave, near Al- bany, in the state of New York, till the 4th of July, 182T, about a month before, when he became free by a law of that State ; and now, that he was en- tirely unfit for work, he had been turned to the right about, and had wandered thus far, without a farthing of money, in order to look for his two sons, who he believed were somewhere in Canada. ' li 360 TUAVELS IN I never saw a more dcKolatc or holpless object in my life, — and I was just thinking that it would have been no great loss to the world or to himself, if our invaluable pudding dish had failed us, and the skiff gone to the bottom — when my eye was arrested by a group of people on the beach near the dockyard at Kingston, consisting partly of men and partly of women, all of wiiom, and especially the females, seemed eagerly gazing on a dark-co- loured mass lying on the shore. There was some- thing in the huddled attitude of the party, and the form of the mass round which they were stand- iiig, that recalled, though I could not well say wherefore, some extremely painful feelings. In the next instant, I caught a glimpse of a little touch of red cloth at one end of the object which engaged so much attention, and it then flashed across my mind, that this must be the body of a young soldier, who had been drowned in our sight under the windows of the Commissioner's house, on the evening we arrived from Niagara. On the 8th of August, I embarked, with my fa- mily party, in a Batteau which had brought up Government stores from Montreal, and was aboiit to reiiirn empty. These Batteaux are strongly built open boats, about forty feet in length bj eight at their extreme width, and are rowed by four oars, besides one at the stern, which not only cal "I oal hal ijii UPPEn CANADA. 361 slcers, but helps to propol fliom ))y skulling. They carry a Lig-sail with about fiftoon feet of hoist, set upon a mast consisting of a rougli polo, with a spare oar lashctl to tho up])er cud to make it longer. The haulyards are passed over a niche cut in the blade of this oar, in lieu of a block. In our Batteau, the foot as well jus the h(!ad of the sail was stretch- ed along a yard or boom, the middle of which was lashed to the mast by a worn-out sash, which one of the Voyageurs said he had got from a ser- geant of the 68th regiment. This rude sail was trimmed or kept in its proper position, not in the usual way, by a sheet and tack, but by means of two of the long spars, used on the upward voyage, in poling the Batteau against the stream. In or- der, also, to enable the steersman to have a clear \'iew all round, the f(K)t of the sail was raised about five feet above the boat. These Batteaux, when loaded with five or six tons, or, say from forty to fifty barrels of flour, draw about twenty inches of water. They are flat-bot- tomed, nearly perpendicular in the sides, and form- ed alike at stem and stern, which turn up in sharp peaks about a foot higher than the rest of the boat. Upon the whole, they arc clumsy-looking but efficient boats. The dockyard officers werc^ good enough to fix up, for our accommodation, a most comfortable VOL. I. Q IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I ^ Im 12.5 >u lU |2.2 ^ |£o 12.0 II^S L25 III 1.4 1.6 m vl v: 'm el '/ /A Hiotographic Sciences Corporation S. 4 ^ ^^ :\ V \ 4^ \ ^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 4^0 i\ \ 362 TRAVELS IN \ liurricane-house, as it is called, in the boat, of a light frame- work covered with canvass. Under this we spread our travelling bed as a sofa, and thus passed down the whole series of Rapids on the St Lawrence, lying between Lake Ontario and La Chine on the island of Montreal. Nothing could be more prosperous than the first part of our passage, and we skimmed merrily along, with the stream in our favour, amongst the Thousand Islands, as they are called, with a brisk fair wind, also, to help the current. I'owai'ds sunset, the sky became suddenly over- cast by a thunder-cloud, upon which the Voyageurs, as these boatmen are called, held a council of war, in a corrupted, or perhaps antiquated, sort of French, of which I understood very few words ; the result was, the expediency of rowing into a nook, or cove, where a little brook escaped from the woods, and leaped into the St Lawrence. When I begged to know the meaning of this movement, they said, that as the night would be stormy, it wouW be prudent to remain where we then were, as there was no place, after the mill we had now come to, within 15 miles, where we could get any shelter for the Batteau. I — who, by the by, knew really nothing of the matter — was of a dif- ferent opinion, and told them so. They shook their heads, looked rather amused, but still went on UPPER CANADA. 363 making preparations for staying all night. As the Batteau had been put expressly under my orders, I thought this a good occasion to ascertain how far my authority was nominal or real, and therefore insisted peremptorily upon their putting off again, " unless," as I said, " Messieurs, you are the mas- ters, and not me." The appeal produced its effect. They turned about, saying, with a shrug of the shoulders, and a glance to the lowering sky, that it was all the same to a Voyageur where he was when it rained or blew, but that for ladies and children it was far better to avoid exposure on such a night, than to court it. " Nevertheless," added they, " as you wish it, we shall put off." We had not gone 150 yai'ds, however, before the thunder-cloud broke close to us, with such a peal as I have seldom heard ; and I was fain to make the amende honorable, by acknowledging my igno- rance, and confessing that I had done wrong in despising the recommendation of such experienced guides. I begged them to row back again as hard as they could, whicli they did with great cheerful- ness, and, with the characteristic politeness of all who speak their language, without the slightest show of triumph or reproach. But, before we got to the landing place, there came on a sliower of hailstones, as big as nuts, by which we were so . / f 364 TRAVELS IN finely pelted for our obstinacy, that wo thought ourselves fortunate to find shelter in an old cow- shed. I certainly never saw any thing like this hail before. When the storm had passed, and the moon was shining out again, we made our way up a rocky winding path, through a wood, along the sides of a valley, which brought us to an exten- sive saw-mill, the proprietor of which welcomed us most cheerfully, and begged us to walk in, saying, that he was always happy to see people from the Old Country. We were all stowed away in one little box of a room, in which we had just space enough to put up the travelling bed ; but most improvidently we omitted to spread the mosquito curtain, and in consequence of this neglect, for many weeks after- wards the young traveller's countenance told a mi- serable story. There are no moments, I believe, when people are so apt to reprobate their own folly in leaving their snug homes, as when attacked by such annoyances as these — miscalled the minor ills of life ! I was told in Louisiana of a man ™ho gave up a good appointment there, for no other reason than the numbers of mosquitoes which infested the Mississippi. He was a man of sense — and for my part, I have often, at such moments, been upon the very verge of forswearing all voyages and travels for the rest of my life. i * UPPER CANADA. 365 On the 9th of August, we reached Brockville, a prettily situated town on the left or Canadian side of the river. Here we thought of taking a day's rest — a resolution which was confirmed by meet- ing a gentleman we had seen at the Falls, who in- troduced us to a friend of his residing at Brock- ville ; and upon this slight acquaintance — such is the fashion of the country — he insisted upon our coming up to his house, bag and baggage. We were nothing loath, considering the species of en- tertainment we had enjoyed the night before. A public dinner was given on this very day to a gentleman who had just been raised to the bench, and I considered myself fortunate in liaving such an opportunity of meeting many of the principal persons not only of the immediate neighbourhood, but of the Province generally. I was the more anxious not to It slip this opportunity of seeing the higher classes of the Canadian society, from recol- lecting some insinuc tions in Parliament, that the inhabitants of Canada were not so loyally disposed as might be wished. The result of all my observations, however, sa- tisfied me completely, that whatever differences there might be in that country on party topics of a local nature, or even on those subjects which had reference to England, tliere appeared but one feel- ing in every breast, of substantial, hearty attach- I H 'H * 1 i 366 TRAVELS IN racnt to the mother country. The manifestations of this sentiment were too numerous and decided to be mistaken ; and as I have a fair opportunity of making this statement, I feel it right to all parties concerned to say, that the occasional ex- pressions of distrust to which I have alluded, are not only unjust, but most ungenerous, to as loyal subjects as any whom his Majesty reigns over. My health was given in the course of the even- ing by the Attorney General, and, according to the usage of the Old Country, I was obliged to make a speech in reply to the iine things said on the occasion. While I was cudgelling my brains to think of something to say, it suddenly occurred to me to go a little out of the beaten track, in order to try the effect of some of the notions which had been put into my head, by the last two or three months* intercourse with the new people and new things, amongst which I had been living. After the usual flourishes and excuses, therefore, I took occasion to remark, that " Although I had the honour to be a servant of his Majesty, I held myself, for all that, to be as independent as any man can or ought to be. " It appears to me, gentlemen," I went on to say, " that the words dependence and independ- ence, are sometimes not a little misunderstood. 1 6«i^fc«35iy||W UPPEn CANADA. 367 For my part, I consider that no thoroughly inde- pendent man is worth a fifr." Here my speecli was interrupted by an ambi- guous sort of laugli, and I could see a puzzled ex- pression playing on the countenances of many of my audience. " Who amongst this company," I iiskcd, " is strictly independent ? I presume there are mar- ried men here ? The laws give the husband tl»e authority — I grant that — but what man on earth can say he is independent of his wife ?" Here the laugh was less ambiguous. " The usage of society is to call one person su- perior, the other inferior ; but who can say that he is independent more or less on the good-will, or the good temper, of his partner, his children, or even his servants ? What parent, who now hears me, is not dependent on those very chiltlren over whom he pretends to exercise such absolute au- thority ? " After all, however, these things are just as they should be ; like every other part of the rela- tions of society, they are but links in that great and mysterious chain which holds us all together. The truth is, there cannot, and ought not to be, any such thing as entire independence. The whole scheme of human nature consists in mutual obli- gation, and mutual compromises, or, in other words, I , i 368 TRAVELS IN in mutual dependence and mutual sacrifice ; and the greatness and happiness of England and of )ier flourishing Colonies, would soon be at an end if this were not true. " I don't mean of course to say, that this obli- gation between man and man, or between colony and parent state, is always exactly equal in degree, though it may still be strictly mutual. For example, if I were to take it into my head, like Tom Thumb, to swear I would be a rebel, and decline his Majes- ty's further employment, I don't conceive the King would be quite so ill off, as I should be, were his Majesty, on the other hand, to signify that he had no further occasion for my services. But, if the whole Navy were to turn traitors, and withdraw themselves in a body, the mutual nature of these obligations would for a time, undoubtedly, be felt in the highest quarter; — though, in the end, I guess, we should be the losers. " I fear, gentlemen, you might say I meant to bo personal, if I were to make out any analogy be- tween the absurd-looking case I have just put, and that of England and the Canadas. But as there is a more apposite illustration near at hand, I shall say no more than beg you will study it, for your own edification. " What is true of individuals, is not less true of nations ; and though it be the customary form of UPPER CANADA. 369 speech to Ray, that the mother country is over the province, those are mere words — mere pieces of courtesy in language; — for the dependence is strict- ly and essentially mutual, and the relative obliga- tions are, to all intents and purposes, the same. Nothing, therefore, I think, can be more idle than what is sometimes said on this subject, by people on both sides of the Atlantic, and on both sides of the frontier I am now looking at out of the win- dow. I am convinced, in short, that a colony, in relation to the mother country, may perform all its duties to the parent state — all the duties that can ever be required of her by any rational, or truly parental statesman, and yet be as thoroughly inde- pendent as any country in the world. " It has been my good fortune to visit many countries, and to see governments of all known denominations, and all ages ; from thi. t of China, which has existed as it stands for some thousands of years, to that of Peru, of which I witnessed the very birth — and a queer-looking political baby it was ! It has also fallen in my way to see another description of infant, which, as you well know, was of age on the day it was born, but whether it has grown older or younger, stronger or weaker, by time, I leave you to judge. Amongst all these different countries, I have seen very few which unite so many advantages as Canada— S2 370 TRAVELS IN ->^ y where the soil — the climate, and what w vastly more valuable, the public government, and the tone of private manners, are bo well calculated to advance the happiness of mankind. You are not yet so unfortunate as to be independent of England, in the ordinary acceptation of the term — neither is she of you j but you are much better off — you are allied, heart and hand — a glorious privilege, I am sure, you must feel it to be — with a great and free country ; — you have an equally free constitution — you have hardly any taxes — and you have ample health and wealth, long, I trust) to endure — and last, though not least, you have got a very excellent Attorney-General, whose liealth I now beg leave to propose, with three times three !" We left Brockville on the 10th of August, and in about an hour and a half entered the first Ra- pid, called Les Gallopcs, pronounced by the Voya- geurs Galoup, or Galoo. There was a very per- ceptible descent in the surface of the river, at the commencement, by no means unlike that of the Thames under the old London Bridge when the arch was shot, as they used to say, at about half, or three quarters ebb. And, indeed, the whole stages of the Rapid are not ill represented, on a small scale, by the ticklish operation alluded to of shooting the bridge. For a minute or two be- UPPER CANADA. 371 t foro roacliin^^ tlie spot, wo could sco the fall, or step, quite distinctly — a smooth, broad bend in the surface like the swell in a calm at sea. No motion was ])erccptible in the bout till we glided over the edge of this water-bank, as it might be called, and descended several feet to a lower level. At these moments I generally felt slight- ly sea-sick. After slipping down this curve, or step, the Batteau entered a broken space of water occasioned by the fall, and was often swung near- ly round in spite of the utmost exertions of the crew, rowing hard on one side and backing their oars on the other. In this way we were tumbled about, very unpleasantly, from side to side, for several hundred yards, with a quick, abrupt, un- easy kind of motion ; while the little, curling, angry sort of waves kicked and cuffed us about, and splashed the water smartly against the sides of the boat, from which it was tlirown off in jets to a considerable distance on all hands. I took notice that the waves in these Rapids generally curled and broke up the stream, against the course of the river, not downwards, of which, I think, I saw a good explanation. Before it became dark we had passed the Long Sault, or Long Soo, as they pronounce it, and a great many other minor R^ipids, varying in steep- ness, but all of them exceedingly curious. I should i _i' 372 TRAVELS IN Ray that tlie velocity of the stream at these points never exceeds oi^ht miles an hour, if it ever reaches that, which I do not think it does. Generally speaking, it may go at ahoiit six miles an hour, prohahly. But even this rate, when the hottom is much inclined, and either covered with stones, or broken by steps for a mile or two at a time, makes a commotion sufficiently formidable ; especially at places where, in consequence of the banks ap- proachinpf each other, the whole river is compress- ed into a narrow channel. At such places the water boils, and breaks, and roars, not unlike the sea over a ledge of rocks — a scene pregnant with associations of the most unpleasant kind to a sea- man. Just in proportion as we became acquainted with these Rapids, I think we learnt to respect them. The guide-books, of course, make them out to be very terrible monsters ; — but then, all guide-books lie so horribly, one does not know what to trust to ; and their verbose phraseology rather stimulates incredulity, than furnishes information. The first two or three we passed over without any very unpleasant feelings. But after having leisure to look about us, and to consider the inevitable nature of the danger, should any thing happen to go wrong, we viewed them with far more awe ; and long before we had done with the St Law- UPPER CANADA. 873 rcnce, were forced to i-oiiIVkh that a Rapid wjw a very rcHpoctablo lion in its way. The fu'Ht time I croNsod the celrbrated surf at Madras, in the MaHHullah boat, 1 tliought it rather good fun ; but after making about forty or fifty experiinentR, I looked upon it with very different feelinps. Old Noldiers are Haid to experience some- thing of this kind in the case of cold iron, whe- ther in the shape of round sliot or sharp bayonets, wliich are said to rhv ^eatly in their respect the more intimate their acquaintance. The twilif^ht was just leavinp^ us when we dis- entangled ourselves from the last of a string of Rapids, or successive steps, over which the river had been finding its way for many leagues. This series, as I have mentioned before, the boatmen told us went by the name of the Long Sault ; but I afterwards heard that the dangerous Rapid known by that name lies on the northern or Eng- lish branch of the St Lawrence, whereas we came on the American side of the channel, of which the navigation is much less formidable. What wo did see was sufficiently so, it is true ; but it was mortifying to think, that besides missing the prin- cipal sight, we had summoned up our fortitude only to waste it on a minor adventure. We now entered Lake St Francis, an extensive sh»: of water, one of a numerous series which i! S71 TRAVELS IN lie along" the course of the River, but make no show on tlie map, though well entitled to be called Lakes. The St Lawrence, indeed, in its time, plays many parts. At one stage it is smooth and glassy, and finds its way without the least discernible current, being widened, as in this instance, into a sort of sea, with low land all round, which by no effort of the imagination can be made to seem a part of a river ; for it rests calm and still like a bowl filled up to the b^'im. Yet within a mile of such a place we find it tumbling and tearing along in the shape of Rapids, over a broken bed between high banki! ; — while at others, abreast of Brock- ville, for example, it glides past in a majestic cur- rent of three or four miles an hour, the very beau ideal of an American river realized. Each person will choose, according to his taste, what he likes best, and there is surely abundance of variety ; for, without any great stretch of fancy, we may include, as parts of the St Lawrence, all the upper Lakes, the Falls and Rapids of Niagara, as well as the huge fresh-water ocean of Ontario. I took notice, that as the sun went down, the clouds collected slowly, but ominously, in the south- west, and for some time gradually towered higher and higher one above the other ; while a dii !^y, wa- tery tinge was spread over all the rest of the sky. Notwithstan^'mg the lesson I had been taught, on »1 ^Mi. UPPER CANADA. 375 the subject of interference, I felt it rigut to hint to the principal boatman that I did not much like the look of the weather ; but, as he and his com- panions declared there was nothing threatening in these appearances, and as they had put my wea- ther wisdom to shame a couple of nights before, I reluctantly gave way, and allowed them to sail past Cornwall, our intended stopping place, and to proceed straight en thi-ough Lake St Francis. As the wind freshened when the night closed in, the Canadians, beginning to distrust their own pre- dictions, reduced their sail, and held frequent bro- ken consultations with one another. I was startled by these symptoms of distrust, and told them to mind what they were about. But, as we had pass- ed our port, and were fairly in the open lake, I saw it was useless to say more, especially as I knew nothing of this peculiar kind of navigation, and was ignorant of what these boats could do in bad weather, or what description of management they required. In the meantime, as it was evident, happen what would, that we were destined to pass the night in the Batteau, we made up the travelling bed for the child, and in three minutes she was fast asleep, notwithstanding the melancholy howling of the coming storm. This was fortunate ; for ere long, the rising wind, and the high sea, which soon got hi 376 TRAVELS IN up, made such a racket, that had the poor child been awake when the gale came on, she must have remained so during all the scenes which followed. The boatmen soon became alarmed, and not al- together without reason ; for the night was dark, and the lightning, which flashed quicker and quicker, made matter^s look still more dismal. The breeze freshened every minute, till at length, upon a few ominous drops of rain falling on our faces, I could discover well enough, by the al- tered tone of the Voyageurs, that they knew mis- chief was brewing. By and by, accordingly, a fu- rious squall came rattling up astern, and for a little while we continued spinning along, nearly before the wiiiid, with the mast bending like a bow, and the curtains of the hurricane-house fluttering about our ears, and cracking like a split main-top sail. The steersman, finding he had little command of his vessel, ordered the sail to be lowered, but before his directions could be obeyed, the ungovernable Batteau was brought smartly by the lee ; and as we rounded to, the yard or stretcher of the sail broke with a startling crash — the more al jming as the gale, now that we had come to the wind, pressed upon us with double violence — and the confusion was augmented by the canvass flappir'Sf and tug- ging to get away from the mast. Our liurricaiie- house, being far aft in the boat, acted like a sail, *< I c 8 1 t t ( UPPER CANADA, 377 and in spite of all the steersman could do, prevent- ed the boat's head from going off before the wind again, — a manoeuvre now rendered absolutely ne- cessary to our safety. Tlie truth was, we had been carried close to an island, upon which the Batteau was drifting sideways. I was at a loss what part it became me to take on this occasion, for there was a great ap- pearance of confusion, much loud bawling, and instead of one captain, there appeared to be five. Notwithstanding what had passed on the first evening, I certainly should have put in my word as the sixth commanding officer in this scene, and tried to bring the rest to order, had I perceived any thing done that ought to have been left alone, or any thing omitted that could help us out of the scrape. But as every thing seemed to be correct- ly performed, notwithstanding the total absence of the usual symptoms of discipline, I thought it wiser to let the confusion work itself clear ; or, at all events, to wait till something obviously wrong should be attempted. The female party in the cabin were but half re- assured by my declarations, that all was going on as well as could be expected, and our excellent attendant, quite forgetting her own danger, kept wondering and wondering — as well she might ! — how the infant could possibly sleep through it all. II r t 378 TRAVELS IN I don't pretend that I was very comfortable my- self, while things remained in this predicament; or that I was not much relieved when the Batteau's head gradually yielded to the efforts of several additional oars brought over the lee-quarter to as- sist tlie steersman. As soon as the wind was far enough aft to give the boat head-way, she shot quickly round the eastern end of the island — to which we passed so close, that we might have toss- ed a biscuit on shore — and in one instant we ex- changed the gale, which wsls now blowing pretty violently, and the rough sea in which we had been plunging and rolling, for a dead calm, and a smooth pool of water, in a nook, sheltered behind the point of land. The boatmen leaped gaily on the beach, and though it rained hard, soon managed to light a fire, not so much for the purpose of warming themselves, as to cook a fish, killed during the day by a thump of one of the oars, as it lay sleeping on the surface of the river. The rain, we supposed, would soon penetrate our canvass roof, and we made up our minds accord- ingly. But our tenfold dread was, that we should be devoured by mosquitoes, whose favourite spot on all the St Lawrence, we suspected must be this little cove. Mercifully, not a single one came near us all night ; and, what was still more unlocked for, though it rained frequently in heavy thunder- UPPER CANADA. 379 showers, no water came through — and I am not sure that we had passed a hetter night since enter- ing Canada, than we did in this boat — witli the worst possible promise. As the day dawned we left our comfortable night's quarters, and sailed along Lake St Francis, with a light westerly wind, the only remaining trace of the preceding night's tempest ; — for the sky was now clear from the zenith to the horizon, and the surface of the stream, if stream it can be termed, which scarcely moved at all, was unbro- ken by the slightest ripple, or even the faintest in- dication of a swell. Such is the hasty temper of these American river-lakes,— up in a moment, down again as soon 1 m 380 TRAVELS IN CHAPTER XIII. We reached Montreal on the 11th of August, 1827 ; and after visiting several places in the neigh- bourhood, proceeded on the 23d, by s>.eam, down the St Lawrence to Quebec. One of the trips which we made from Montreal was up the river Ottawa, a stream which has a classical place in every one's imagination from Moore's Canadian Boat song ; and I shall certain- ly not destroy, by any attempt at description, the images which that exquisite composition must have left on the mind. By one of those pieces of fortune which are com- bined of good luck and good management, we fell in with Captain Franklin just at the moment of his return from his journey, and before he had dis- charged the Voyageurs, fourteen in number, who had brought him in oi ^ of the Hudson's Bay com- pany's canoes from Fort William, on Lake Supe- rior, and down the Ottawa to its confluence with LOWER CANADA. S81 the St Lawrence near La Chine on the island of Montreal, a distance of fourteen hundred miles. He invited us to take a morning's excursion with him on the St La^vrence and on the Ottawa ; and of course we were enchanted to visit such places in such company. I had often before seen small canoes paddled by a couple of Indians, but it was a very different thing to feel oneself flying along in this grand barge, as it might be called, nearly forty feet long, by \i\y- wards of five in width. She was urged forward at the rate of nearly six miles an hour, by fourteen first-rate and well-practised Canadian Voyageurs. As the velocity of these canoes has been a fre- quent matter of dispute, Dr Richardson and I after- wards measured a base on the shore, and by seve- ral experiments, satisfied ourselves that the greatest speed was under six miles an hour. Strictly, 3 statute mile^j, and 87 hundredths. Each Voyageur wields a short, light paddle, with which he strikes the water about once in a second, keeping strict time with a song from one of the crew, in which all the others join in chorus. At every stroke of the fourteen paddles, which in fact resemble one blow, such is the correctness of their ear, the canoe is thrown or jerked forward so sharply, that it is by no means easy to sit upright i 382 TRAVELS IN on the cloaks and cushions spread nearly in its centre. Wliile, with the true spirit of a master, the great poet above alhided to has retained all that is essen- tially characteristic and pleasing in these hoiit songs, and rejected all that is not so, he }"ds con- trived, with the skill and taste so peculiarly his own, to borrow the loftiest inspiration from nume- rous surrounding circumstances, presenting no- thing remarkable to the dull senses of ordinary travellers. Yet these highly poetical images, drawn in this way, as it were carelessly, and from every hand, he has combined with such graphic — I had almost said geographical truth, — that the effect is great, even upon those who have never, with their own eyes, seen the " Utawa's tide," — nor " flown down the Rapids," — nor heard the " bell of St Anne's toll its evening chime;" while the same lines give to distant regions, previously consecrated in our imagination, a vividness of interest when view- ed on the spot, of which it is difficullir to say how much is due to the magic of the poetry, and how much to the beauty of the real scene. It is on these occasions that the poet's fancy, by linking together such scenery and such verse, best knows how to draw all the world in his train, as willing worshippers of his genius. LOWER CANADA. 383 " Faintly aa tolls the evening chime, Our ▼uices keep tune, and our oars keep time • • • Utawa's tide ! this trembling moon Shall see us float o'er thy surges soon. Saint of this green isle, hear our pra-'ers, O ! grant us cuul heavens and favouring airs ! Blowr, breezes, blow ! the strram nnis fast, The Ilapids are near, and the day < flit's past !" —Lines so beautiful, that no use, or abuse, haa ever been able to render them commonplace ! I am tempted further to transcribe part of the note which Mr Moore appended to the publication of this song at its first appearance, because, while I know by experience that his prose descriptions are strictly true to the feelings which those scenes ex- cite, they are scarcely less poetical in thought and expression than the song itself. " I remember," says this accomplished traveller, ** when we have entered at sunset upon one of those beautiful lakes into which the St Lawrence so grandly and unexpectedly opens, I have heard this simple air with a pleasure which the finest com- positions of the first masters have never given me ; and now, there is not a note of it which does not recall to my memory the dip of our oars in the St Lawrence, the flight of our boat down the Ra- pids, and all those new and fanciful impressions to which my heart was alive during the whole of this very interesting voyage." It was singularly gratifying to discover, in con- ^K 884 TRAVEi ncxion with tlio thoughts awakened by these re- flections, that to this hour the Canadian Voyageurs never omit their oflFerings to the shrine of St Anne before engaging in any enterprise ; and that du- ring its performance, they omit no opportunity of keeping up so propitious an intercourse. The flou- rishing village which surrounds the church on the *' Green Isle" in question, owes its existence and support entirely to these pious contributions. Cap- tain Franklin pointed out to us one of the Canadians of his own party, who had accompanied him during the whole of his adventurous journey, and who was so deeply impressed with the importance of this sacred duty, that when on the most northern coast of America, not less than two thousand miles from the spot, he requested an advance of wages, that an additional offering might be transmitted, by the hands of a friend, to the shrine of his tu- telar Saint. I suspect that our recent intercourse with Nia- gara, and the many wild and curious scenes in the interior of Upper Canada, together with our de- scent of the Rapids, must have spoiled us in some degree for the ordinary business of life, and made scenes and circumstances look very tame, which, if taken in the reverse order, might have proved biglily amusing. I find it difficult otherwise to account for the languid interest with which we set H LOWER CANADA. 385 about viewing the preat and busy town of Mont- real, or the indifference which I strup^fj^lcd in vain to throw off, as to tiie politics of Lower Canu(hi, although the topic wjis tlieu swallowing up every other consideration. An election was ^^oinjj^ on in the city, and now and then there was a row in the streets, not unworthy of Covent Garden, where the public- spirited voters sometimes love to vindi- cate the freedom of election, by trying to knock out the unpopular candidate's brains. The boys kept scamperinjT up and down the streets, bawlinjf out Pappinau ! Pujipinau ! while the walls were chalked and placarded at every corner with " Pap- pinau pour toujours !" and there were sundry processions through the town by mobs, which cheered one party and hissed the other, in the most approved style of party manners. Nevertheless, even although I liad access to the best informed company on both sides, and had the farther advantage of forming an acquaintance with some of the most zealous of the opposition party, I could never bring myself to take any very sin- cere interest in these local questions. Every body, indeed, appeared so perfectly contented, and all that I could see, hear, or read about the Province, showed the inhabitants to be in the enjoyment, practically speaking, of such numerous and sub- stantial blessings, political and domestic, tiiat I VOL. I. R SS6 TllAVELS IN found it impossible to fiympatliizo deeply in their epeculativo misery, when, in point of fact, they possessed, as it appeared to mc, every thing that rational men could desire, and more, perhaps, than any other coinitry in the world. Possibly, liad I studied the subject more atten- tively, I mi^ht have found my ideas changed ; and, although I am half ashamed of not having done so, I regret it the less, from observing that the subject has lately been taken up by the House of Com- mons, and has been investigated with a minuteness which it was utterly impossible I could have found time for, and under circumstances much more ad- vantageous than any within my reach, even when on the spot. So that a reference to the Parliament- ary Report, and to the Evidence before the com- mittee of the House of Commons, ordered to be printed on the 22d of July, 1828, will afford, as far as I am able to judge, much fuller information than any I could have brought away with me, had I been ever so industrious. It was my intention, however, notwithstanding the appearance of this Report and Evidence, to have inserted at this place a sketch of the discussions alluded to ; but I have thought it right to suppress it, in consequence of the recent changes in that quarter, and the disposition which really appears to exist on both sides, to start afresh, to turn over a LOWER CANADA. 387 new loaf, and to join cordially in advaiicin)r tlio prosperity of a country ho liipfliiy j^iflctl l»y nature and by fortune. The navigation of the St Lawrence, a« far an Montreal, \h p(«rfornied !)y shipH as well as by boatR, there being no Rapids or other olmtructiouH, except here and there Home shoals and winding passjiges, where the sand and mud brought down by the Ottawa, and other streams, have gradually been deposited in some of those openings or lakes already mentioned ; in which places the current is so gentle, that it lias no longer strength enough to carry along these washings of the upper coun- try. We reached Quebec on the 26th of August, in time to take a long walk round the works. I ne- ver remember being more sensible how fertile a source of mortification it is to a traveller to have no means of describing with accuracy some of those things with which he becomes so easily acquainted. It thus often happens, perversely enough, that du- ring the moments of the highest travelling gi'atifi- cation, a pang of disappointment comes across him and mars half his pleasure. We had been plagued for so long a time with flat countries, generally tame, and without fea- tures of any boldness, that our eyes rested with satisfaction upon the graceful ranges of mountains 'J i * i i 1 I I; !• 388 TRAVELS IN in the north, piled high upon one another, and re- ceding far hack into the interior. The main out- line of these ranges, though generally undulating, was not without touches of asperity here and there, which, hy their ahruptness, gave a tone of decision, or of spirit, to the scenery in the north- ern and eastern directions. This was still more remarkable as the sun went down, by which the successive ridges were deprived of light one after the other, and many of the valleys between them — entirely uiueen in the full glare of daylight — became conspicuous by the deep masses of shade which pointed out their situations. Tlie foreground, or, more properly speaking, the middle distance of the prospect in the north-eastern quarter, in the direction of the left bank of the river looking towards the sea, consisted of many leagues of land, cultivated almost like a garden, along a gentle slope, rising out of the St Lawrence, which here resembles, what in fact it may almost be called, an arm of the sea. The iirst or lower range of hills was marked at about one third, or one quarter of its height, by a broad and near- ly continuous line of white houses, interspersed with fruit trees, and rows of poplars, tall church steeples, and many other symptoms of proximity to a " towered city." The much-frequented road to the Falls of Montmorency passed through this LOWER CANADA. 389 populous suburb. But tlie Falls themselves were not distinguishable from Quebec, although the mouth of the ravine down which the river flows could be seen. More to the east lay the great Island of Orleans, dividing the river into two channels. The tide was ebbing when we first arrived, and then the St Lawrence had there all the appearance of a ri- ver. But when the flood made, shortly afterwards, the Avater changed its direction, and gushed up- wards with great velocity between the narrow gorge in the estuary, formed on the south by Point Levi, a wooded range of moderate height, and on the north by the rocky promontory on the extreme point of which Quebec is built, surmount- ed by the impregnable citadel of Cape Diamond, which again overlooks the well-known plains of Abraham. Just abreast of the town, at the commencement of this narrow place, a crowd of shipping were lying at anchor, with their sterns turned up the stream, and their flags blowing out to sea with the breeze from the west. Boats of all descriptions speckled die whole harbour and the bay, as far as we could see, and, according as they were near the high shore or far off^, they fell within, or escaped the shadows of the hills, which were now extending themselves, in long dark patches, over the surface 3D0 TRAVELS IN of tlie water from west to east. Some of these boats were under sail, but most of them were row- ing backwards and forwards, in very lively style, round a great lumbering steam ferry-boat, the deck of which presented a dense mass of heads, cross- ing and recrossing from the town to Point Levi. We saw all this from the verandah of the clia- teau, or government-house, which, perched on the very edge of a perpendicular precipice, several hundred feet high, completely overlooks the Lower Town, as it is called. I wish I could give a pic- ture of this extraordinary mass of confusion, which is quite as irregular in shape, height, position, and colour, as many of the extravagant parts of the Old Town of Edinburgh. The roofs are very steep, being so constructed that the snow may be shel- ved off in winter ; but are stuck full of storm-win- dows, galleries, platforms, cupolas, and every kind of projection — really a very singular spectacle. About one quarter of these strangely jumbled abodes are covered at top with sheet-tin, and some of them have their walls also plated in this man- ner. But the greater number are roofed after the ordinary fashion of American houses, with wooden shingles — and every house is painted, to protect it, I presume, from the violent heat of the sun in sum- mer. Be this as it may, the effect of the whole is very lively. LOWER CANADA. 89 1 Few things are more fatiguing than sight-seeing, or what is called seeing the lions, except, perhaps, going into company when quite worn out with the said duties. At least, I have often sighed with much bitterness of spirit when, after a long day of travelling, or any other kind of exercise^ I have commenced the more passive, but far more irk- some toil of conversing, when all my ideas were fled. I remember one evening, at Quebec, going to a party, where, if the honest, though perhaps uncivil truth, must be told, I was employed, for the first hour, in the most laborious, but often ineffectual attempts to keep myself awake, in spite of the good- humour, and the hospitality by which I was sur- rounded. The learned conversation of a highly in- formed clergyman was not more effectual, I am ashamed to say, in keeping me from nid-nid-nod- ding ! At length, a military friend, perhaps dis- covering the predicament I was in, tried to rouse me by asking some questions, I forget what, about Loo Choo, or Cape Horn — new topics. This caused me to open one eye pretty wide, and to answer in a manner, I fear, not very germain to the matter ; but the other optic hung low down still, and re- fused to budge, though I was pulling the lid up with all my might. At this unhappy juncture, for I was fully conscious of my own irremediable n Uj 392 TRAVELS IN drowsiness, the servant opened the door, and in flew a hat. In one moment all the room was in an uproar ; my two companions fled — Church and State aban- doned me — one lady made a run for the door, and was out of sight in a twinkling ; twenty voices were opened at once on the poor little wretch, who was at last whisked to the floor by the corner of an artilleryman's pocket handkerchief; after which, the whole party, for some minutes, were absorbed in the capture and examination of the intruder. For my part, I felt so grateful to the little fellow for rescuing me from the arms of the drowsy God, into which I had been fast falling, that I pleaded hard against his being imprisoned under a tumbler, " to see how he would look in daylight," and the door which led to the flower-garden being thrown open, the gentleman with the sooty wings was launched into the chilly air of a Canadian August night. This adventure having attracted us abroad, we were rewarded by the sight of a magnificent Aurora Borealis — not flitting about as usual, but steadily glowing in a great arch, extending from North-WP«"t to North-east, and serving, in the ab- sence of the moon, which had retired an hour be- fore, to illuminate all the country round. As we drove home, we could even see the meteor, or tmm LOWER CANADA. 3 9: J in whatever else it he, reflected, quite distinc'^* i" tlie broad bosom of the St Lawrence. There certainly is a sort of divinity which fixes itself in Capitals, all over the world, as contradis- tinguished, I mean, from Proviticial Towns. The offices of hospitality to strangers, it is said, are sometimes not so well attended to there, in conse- quence, perhaps, of the great numbers, as in places more remote. But this is generally the traveller's fault, not that of the Capital, where, undoubtedly, if he have proper introductions, and manage well in other respects, he will generally find more to re- pay him than if he had travelled ten times as long in other parts of the country. Besides which, there is always found in the chief city of every country much of that " ease, which marks security to please," and all the forms of daily life are gone through without effbrt, or any of that cumbersome kind of awkwardness which we often see elsewhere, but which is unknown at head-quarters. Accord- ingly, our stay at Quebec was very agreeable, and, had not that city been already described, and over described, I might venture to try my hand upon so interesting a topic. In the meantime, I shall pass on to a visit we paid to the country amongst the French peasantry, who form the mass of the population in Lower Canada. We left Quebec at half past nine in the morn- ii 2 391 TRAVELS IN » n ''' 1 , ^ ' \ ll ^n ¥ 1 ing- of the 28th of Auj^ust, and after an hour and a lialf's drive, came to the river Montmorency, over which there had heen a bridge, that about six weeks before had tumbled down, and what was absurd enough, there seemed every probability of its remaining down six weeks longer ; though an active carpenter with some twenty labourers, might easily have put it up again, and made it passable for carriages in two days. I never saw any coun- try where these sort of things appeared to move so slowly as in Canada. I don't know what the Falls of Montmorency may be in the rainy season, but certainly when we saw them — I speak it advisedly, as the newspapers say — nothing could be more contemptible. In winter, I am told, a cone or sugar loaf of enor- mous magnitude is formed on the rocks at the base of the Falls by the continued addition of ice and snow. In summer, however, there is little to repay the trouble of a visit. Though, to be sure, it is very possible, that Niagara had spoiled us for every other waterfall. But if the natural beauties disappointed us, the smiling works of man, and the still more smiling looks of the black-eyed French-looking women, and the nice clean lively children, with great broad straw hats, delighted us all the way from Quebec to St Anne's— a distance of twenty-five or thirty , u LOWER CANADA. 395 miles through a country very densely peopled, where the houses lie close to the road — each with its narrow strip of cultivation behind it, fenced off in parallel lines. Nothing we had yet seen in America could pretend to rival these white-washed cottages, capped with sharp-pointed tin-covered roofs, all very fantastic and old-fashioned. The lintels of the doors and the sills and sides of the windows, also, were painted black, with steps or tiers of flower-pots ranged along thera, behind railings matted with creepers in full blossom, so as to make us feel as if we were in Italy or in the south of France. I need hardly s{»y, that nothing like a tavern is to be seen in this primitive part of the country ; but we were most kindly lodged, on moderate terms, in a comfortable French farm-house ; — a neat stone mansion, very clean, and well ordered. The kitchen, or outer room, was warmed in win- ter, they told us, by an immense fire-place, in the partition wall between it and the principal apart- ment ; but besides this, nearly in the centre of the kitchen, or public apartment, there stood a large iron box, like the money chest of some wealthy merchant. I was at a loss to conceive what it could be, and, after making a circuit of the un- known object, begged to know what it was. " Ah, Monsieur," said the kind hostess, " you have not I I B! I A. li 396 TRAVELS IN wintered in Canada, or you would not ask what this is for," patting the box with her Imnd. She then cxphiined that this was the stove, from which the pipes, or flues, and other appendages, w<»re re- moved in summer, which gave it the appearai ee of a chest. " Were it not for this little fellow," she continued, playfully, " we should all die of cold here." Besides this lumbering hut essential piece of fur- niture, the kitchen contained substantial wooden sofas, painted sky blue, grouped with great chests of drawers, and about a dozen old-fashioned, rude- ly-carved arm-chairs, the seats of which consisted of thongs made of the tough bull hide ; more com- fortable from their elasticity, than elegant in their appearance. The inner apartments, reserved for show, or for the accommodation of chance tourists like our- selves, were more gaily tricked out with glossy furniture^cupboards, sparkling with china-ware and crystal, and walls gorgeous with mirrors, so uneven, however, in their surfaces, that I was fain to relieve my eyes by turning to the pictures of Vir- gins, martyrs, and crucifixions, suspended round the chamber, in company with a grand series of coloured prints, representing the life and adven- tures of that celebrated reprobate, l'enfant pro- digue — the Prodigal Son — a history which, by a W LOWER CANADA. 397 stranpfo perversion of its oripinal import, has, I fear, sent almost as many wild chaps on their land travels, as the voyages of Robinson Crusoe are said to have lured incorrigible runagates to sea. Be this as it may, there is surely more excitement to mis- chief, to say the least of it, in the picture which in the French edition bears the title of " L'Extrava- gance dans I'exces," than is counteracted by the lesson of degradation in the next, which represents our friend in the act of feeding pigs ; — especially when the balance is again turned in his favour, by the goodly feasting at the close, to the no small sur- prise, and not very unreasonable indignation, of the good honest soul of an elder brother, who has been plodding hard at the plough in the back ground, during the wicked galivantings of Signor Scamp ! After a well-dressed dinner served in the same agreeable style with every thing else, we took a fitroll for an hour or two amongst the houses in the neighbourhood. These good people — the Jeans Baptistes, as the French peasantry in Canada are familiarly called — chatted quite pleasantly with us, for no persons could be better bred, more cheerful, or apparently more happy, than they seemed to be in their comfortable little cottages. They spoke French exclusively, and told us that the whole in- habitants of the districts we had passed through, were tenants of the great landed proprietors, to 1; 'Ji M 398 TRAVELS IN wliom they paid rent, and they all declared they wished for no chanjs^es of any kind. Happy mortals ! As wc walked through the enclosures, we heard people singing in different quarters, and though we saw no dancing, there was every appearance of hilarity and contentment, untarnished by any thing like poverty or wretchedness. We took a long sleep next day, the 29th of Au- gust, though I suspect most tourists in our place would have been up, and brushing away the morn- ing dew by half past five or six o'clock. But we lay snoosing very snugly to our good landlady's infinite surprise, for she had been accustomed, she said, to see people always in a hurry. For my part, I have found by experience, that as it is not possible to see every thing that is worth seeing in a foreign coun- try, R^y more than it is possible to read every book which is worth studying in a library, there is ge- nerally more eventual profit in viewing a few things well, than in running over a great number slight- ly. This, however, is not always literally true ; for it will sometimes happen in travelling, that many things come in the way, of which a single glance is sufficient to convey much lasting pleasure and information ; bat, in the long run, the maxim will hold good, which recommends a careful notice of a few things only. At all events, be the philosophy of this as it > -tpiBBMNBl**! LOWER CANADA. 399 may, there is certainly more HatiRfaction in takin<^ one's murnin^ nap before setting out, than in risinjr with the stupid cocks who have nothing else to do but crow. Besides which considerations, there is always ample daylight to wear out our strength if we choose to push human nature to tlu» utmost limits. So that we leisurely travellers — who despise and abhor the idea of " getting over a stage before breakfast" — in the end, do just as much as your early stirring folks ; with this difte- rence, that we make the journey a pleasure — they a toil. The grand mistake, however, into which most people fall, is the obligation which they bring upon themselves of seeing a certain set of objects, and taking it for granted, that in the mere act of making out a visit to these things, the whole duty of man consists. Now it has long appeared to me, and I acted upon this principle in the present journey, that these said local wonders, of which every spot, alas ! has abundance, are merely accessaries to the general end of amusement or instruction — not prin- cipals to which every thing else is to give way. Our nominal object, for example, on the day in question, was to see the Falls of St Anne ; but be- cause that was the specific name which the jaunt bore, was our night's rest to be thrown away ? Were we to snatch hasty cold meals, or scald our I l1 I I f iO{) TUAVEL8 IN tlirotitH with boiliiip^ tea, instead of doinp^ such Im- kIiiohs at h'isuro, morcly because a waterfall was to he seen ? Wouhl it not wait ? Were we to wear and tear ourselves to ])ieces, to say nothinjr of the pantinpf ilrivers and horses, in order to 8cani|)(T to a place, and scamper hack again, by a given minute, for no earthly reason but because other toiirists ge- nerally accomplish the same distancj? in the same intervjil ? In short, is it wise, at any time, to grasp at a parcel of shadows, and miss so many of the sub- stantial pleasures of travelling ? Surely it is an improvement upon this cockneyfied method of mo- ving over the earth's surface, to jog pleasantly along, making ourselves happy with the ordinary allowance of sleep, and of company, and all quiet- ly ; then superadding, afterwards, as so much clear gain, what pleasures are to be picked up from the contemplation of the dragons and giants which for- tune directs to our path, without making travelling Knights Errant of ourselves, and tilting at every thing good or bad. But to travel in this leisurely style, you must keep yourselves to yourselves, and shun, as you would that of an cvi\ spirit, the assistance of guides, chaperons, or companions, and above all, that of well-informed friends. Had we been accompanied, for example, on our excursion to St Anne's by any of the very pleasant and obliging people of Quebec, tl t| 1 LOWER CANADA. 401 Hin'h Im- rfall WHH i to wear «ff of tho nil per to ininiito, rists pre- lie Nume to Srasp lie Hub- t is an of mo- iKantly (linary quiet- 1 clear in tlio h for- elling every must you ides, It of lied, any jec. to w]iom every foot of tlio ground is well known, what a fuss they would have been in, on findiiiances by conquest, against the will of the inhabitants, is totally out of the ques- tion. If the Colonists had substantial reason to be dissatisfied with the Mother Country, such a con- tingency might perhaps begin to be thought of; but as long as they are treated as they have been for some years past, they must continue to be fully as impregnable as any part of the Parent State. Besides which, the genius and practical structure of the American Government are such, as to ren- der that country entirely unfit to engage in offen- sive hostile enterprises. The militia of the Pro- vinces, even putting the assistance of regular troops out of the question, is in every respect as ki ^ijr^,s.ii^^ii: AMERICAN COLONIES. 409 '8j brings for- of a navy, -bred seamen, "Provincial line considerably shore alluded r stating, that il to England, the union in- !• superiors in ive abundant y and by, for 1 obtain pos- ij against the of the ques- reason to be such a con- thought of; Y have been e to be fully arent State, il structure 5 as to ren- ?e in ofFen- >f the Pro- of regular respect as good as that of their neighbours ; and when fight- ing on their own soil, they would be equally diffi- cult to subdue. With a small additional assistance, therefore, from us, and supposing the Colonists to be thoroughly loyal, which I believe they are, and am certain they have good reason to be, any chance of foreign conquest is altogether visionary. Every day that the present friendly Colonial policy is persevered in, they will find more and more rea- son to be stanch and true to themselves, and to us, besides discovering more reason to rejoice that they are not what is called Independent — a term which, if we analyze it closely, we shall common- ly find a great misnomer. If, however, we suppose the British Colonies added to the American Union, the whole face of maritime affairs in that Republic would at once be changed. I do not now ask whether such a change would, or would not, be for the better, as respects either of the parties concerned on that side of the water ; but there can be little doubt it would be a matter of serious consequence to England, to find the naval resources of the United States tre- bled, if not quadrupled, at a blow, — while our own would be diminished, if not exactly in the same ratio, certainly to an amount which, I am sure, if stated fairly, would induce many persons, wlio at present think lightly of the Colonies, to consider VOL. I. S ' '1 1 ^1 n m\ H 410 BRITISH KOHTH them as much more important possessions than they are now supposed to be. We must never forjret that the ' cheap defence of nations' is not to be balanced like a merchant's accounts — so many pounds debtor, and so many pounds creditor. We must look deeper into our transactions, and not think alone of what we ex- pend, but of what we keep. And who is bold enough to say, that if, for the sake of a compara- tively trivial saving of money, Ave relinquish these noble colonies, we shall not essentiallv weaken the foundations of the wooden wall which is proverbi- ally the safeguard of our island ? Besides all these considerations, I may just hint in passing, that the tenure by which we hold the West India Islands, which employ nearly three hundred thousand tons of British shipping, and fifteen thousand seamen, annually, would be greatly weakencvi by the ab- straction of these northern Provinces, from which their chief supplies are derived. Neither do I say any thing of the Newfoundland or Labrador fish- eries, those prolific nurseries of seamen ; because their advantages are now shared by the Americans and by the French. Yet it should not be forgotten, that, if the British Provinces Avere to become mem- bers of the American Union, it is more than doubt- ful whether these important maritime advantages would be any longer shared by foreign nations. AMERICAN COLONIES. 411 ssiona tlian eap defence mercliant's d so many er into our '^liat we ex- ^lio is bold a compara- quisli tliese vveaken the is proverbi- es all these [ig, that the lia Islands, nisand tons id seamen, by the ab- Tom which er do I say rador fish- » ; because Americans forgotten, ome mem- lan doabt- idvantages nations. I shall only furtlior o])servc, on this point, that tlie British Provinces are just emerging from a state of infancy, or rather of youth, — that their numbers are rapidly increasing, — and that their demands for English goods are more than keep- ing pace with the increase of ninnbers, in conse- quence of tlieir more enlarged tastes and greater desire for refinements, which have been fostered under a good government, and which may be ex- pected to expand still more rapidly under the wise changes recently introduced into the Colonial ad- ministration. These rapidly increasing wants, it must be recollected, give constant employment to whole fleets of British ships, afford a vent for Eng- lish manufactures of almost boundless extent, and tend to bind all parties more closely together. The benefit arising to England from having so ready an outlet for her sur])lus population as these Colonies afford, is so familiar to every one, that it need not be dwelt upon. Whatever be its amount, one thing is clear, — the advantage of emigration is more than equally shared by the Colonies. It would certainly be a source of mortification to us, to see all our emigrating fellow-subjects relinquish their allegiance, and become citizens of anc Jier country. At present, however, we have the satis- faction to think that the great body of the emi- grants who leave our shores, not only remain loyal I ' '• ) 412 BRITISH NOTITH and true to us in the Provinces, but become a source of wealth and political strength to those important outworks of the Empire — redoubts, as they may be called in the language of Fortification, by which the traverses of the besiegers are kept at a respectable distance from the citadel. Under judicious management, therefore, on the part of the Mother Country, these important Co- lonies, which are becoming more importjint every liour, may not only be made more useful, as nomi- nal dependencies, but, in a negative point of view, — as politically detached from the United States, — even still more valuable to us. In answering the second interrogatory, " Of what use is England to the Colonies ?" I shall con- fine myself to a few of the leading advantages. In the first place, we must always recollect, that however loyal the inhabitants of the Colonies may be, and I conscientiously believe they really are so at this moment, it would be childish, or ra- ther symptomatic of dotage in us, to expect they would be averse to severing the connexion, if their happiness and prosperity as nations were to be increased by such a separation. Individuals, no doubt, would be found there, and probably in great numbers, as there always are in revolutions, who, from a stern sense of loyal duty, would nail their colours to the mast, and sink or swim with the for- \it AMERICAN COLONIES. 413 ; become a th to tliose edotibtR, as )rtification, arc kept at 'ore, on the )ortant Co- rtant every J, as nomi- int of view, d States, — tory, « Of I shall con- antages. 3 recollect, le Colonies they really iish, or ra- xpect they on, if their rere to be aduals, no >ly in great tions, who, nail their ith the for- tunes of the cause under which they have been bred, and either succeed or bo ruined as British subjects. Nationally speaking, however, these mat- ters are never regulated by such feelings, but, like most other things in this world, by expediency ; and I think it may easily be shown, that if the English administration maintain the same enlight- ened, policy which they have observed during the last few years towards the Colonies, the real inte- rests, and with them the cordial good-will, of the inhabitants will be secured, as long as we choose to maintain the alliance ; for nothing, I fully be- lieve, but our own indiscretion, can ever urge them to court a union with any other power. The cards, to use a common expression, are completely in our hands, and we have only to play them well, to se- cure all the advantages which it is possible to hope for. The secret of the game, which is quite simple, may always be found. It consists exclusively in consulting, in good faith, the genuine interests of the Colonies ; for, be these what they may, they can by no possibility fail, in the long run, to be ours likewise. The same rules which bind man and man together, will, undoubtedly, app) 7 in every case to nations, though, in the instance of rival States, as they are called, this seems always diffi- cult of accomplishment in practice, while in thai of s2 411 ■M ii 414 BRITISH NO mil Colony niul Paront State, the application appears really very easy. The terms ' Parent State,' and ' Mother Coun- try,' are not, I think, very happily ehosen ; or, to speak more correctly, they have survived the pe- ri that, as an *^ery hastily ain a consi- art of those ant officers ther Coun- ore secure, e Colonies rmit them ist. There Id assume selves, as 1 to do so AMERICAN COLONIES. 421 cessary, expenditures for maintaining the military and naval defences, are amply overbalanced by the advantages derived from this connexion, whether they directly advance our commercial and political prosperity as a naval and manufacturing country, or whether they limit the maritime r,o'.ver of an- other nation whose interests are not ery friendly to our&; — or lastly, but not least, \ 'hether they contribute to the prosperity of the Colonies them- selves — chiMren, or rather true and loyal consorts, of the country in whose sunshine they flourish, and in union with which they enjoy a degree ot liappiness far greater, and more secure, than any nominal independence can ever place within their reach. END OF VOLUME FIRST. w* of the rov^nces, lally ne- EDINBt'RGU : PRINTED BY ANDREW SHORTREEO, THISTLE LANE. %Vim,T ! i Ipi27«^-c '■"iiTiiiiffiirnih.mni^j j^^mmwammsmiiitm ^.'\ O 11 I I ru. 3 ^ i(.ii-.i "'"Tnl •>! r^ ;ii MiMs,' (,.iu>"" I r