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Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont filmis en commen^ant r,>ar la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernlAre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la derniire image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols —^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmAs A des taux de rMuction diffirents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul clichA, il est filmA A partir de I'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. errata to I pelure, an A n 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 PETER. THE CHIEF. CHARL] / § THE BACKWOODS OF CANADA: BEING LETTERS FROM THE WIFE OF AN EMIGRANT OFFICER, ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE DOMESTIC ECONOMY (jF BRITISH AMERICA. L M ■ s ■r -.■ fli '^13 NEW EDITION. LONDON: CHARLES KNIGHT & CO., 22, LUDGATE STUEEl 1846. T73 % ^ 2i^"/ A> CONTENTS. p««« ADVBKTiaiMBIfT LETTER I. Departure from Greenock in the Brig Laurel. — Fit- ting-up of the Vessel. — Boy Passenger. — Sea Pros- pect. — Want of Occupation and Amusement. — Cap- tain's Goldfinch. ..... II. Arrival off Newfoundland. — Singing of the Captain's Goldfinch previous to the discovery of Land.— Gulf of St. Lawrence. — Scenery of the River St. Lawrence. — Difficult navi^tion of the River. — French Fisher- man engaged as a Pilot. — Isle of Bic. — Green Island. — Regular Pilot engaged. — Scenery of Green Island. — Gros Isle. — Quarantine Regulations — Emigrants on Gros Isle. — Arrival off Quebec. — Prospect of the City and Environs. ..... in. 12 Departure from Quebec. — Towed by a Steam- vessel. — Fertility of the Country. — Different Objects seen in sailing up the River- — Arrival off Montreal. — The Rapids. . . . . .25 IV. Landing at Montreal. —Appearance of the Town. — Ra- vages of the Cholera. — Charitable Institutions in Montreal. — Catholic Cathedral. — Lower and Upper Town. — Company and Conversation at the Hotel. — U CONTENTS. Writer attacked with the Cholera. — Departure from Montreal in a Stage-coach. — Embark at Lachine on board a Steam-vessel. — Mode of traveiliuju; alternately in Steam- vessels and Stages. — Appearance of the Country. — Manufactures. — Ovens at a distance from the Cottages. — Draw-wells. — Arrival at Cornwall. — Accommodation at the Inn. — Departure from Corn- wall, and Arrival at Prescott. — Arrival at Brock- ville.— Ship-launch there. — Voyage through Lake Ontario. — Arrival at Cobourg. Pajje 30 LETTER V. Journey from Cobourg to Amherst. — DiflBculties to be encountered on first settling in the Backwoods. — Ap- pearance of the Country. — Kice Lake. — Indian Habits. — Voyage up the Otanabee. — Log-house, and its Inmates. — Passage-boat. — Journey on foot to Peterborough. , . , . . 47 VL Peterborough. — Manners and Langoaffe of the Ameri- cans. — Scotch Engineman. — Description of Peter- borough and its Environs. — Canadian Flowers. — Shanties. — Hardships suffered by First Settlers. — Process of establishing a Farm. 6.5 VIL Journey from Peterborough. — Canadian Woods. — Waggon and Team. — Arrival at a Log-house on the banks of a Lake. — Settlement and first Occupations 83 VIIL Inconveniences of first Settlement. — Difficulty of obtain- ing Provisions and other necessaries. — Snow-storm and Hurricane. — Indian Summer, and setting in of Winter. — Process of clearing the Laud. . , 95 CONTENTS. Ill LETTER IX. l*ai;r Loss of a Yoke of Oxen. — Construction of a Lop-ln^iisc. — Glaziers' and Carpenters' "work. — Desoriptiou of a new Log-house. — Wild Fruits of the Country. — Walks on the Ice. — Situation of the House. — I'ake and surrounding Scenery. . . . . lOo X. Variations in the Temperature of the Weather. — Eleo- trieul Phenomenon. — Canadian Winter. — Country deticient in Poetical Associations. — Sugar-nuikinp. — Fishing Season. — Mode of Fishing. — Duck-shooting. — Family of Indians. — Fapuu.sts and their Cradle- cases.— Indian Manufactures. — Frogs. . .11.") XL Emigrants suitable for Canada. — Qualities requisite to ensure success. — Investment of Capital. — Useful Ar- ticles to be brought out. — Qualifications and Occupa- tions of a Settler's Family. — Deficiency of Patience and Energy in some Females. — Management of the Dairy. — ChCv-'se. — Indian Corn, and its Cultivation. — Potatoes. — Kates of Wages. XII. 131 "A Logging Bee." — Burning ot the Log heaps. — Crops for the Season. — Farming Stock. — Comparative Va- lue of Wheat and Labour. — Choice of Land, and relative Advantages. — Clearing Land. — Hurricane in the Woods. — Variable Weather. — Insects. 143 XIIL Health enjoyed in the rigour of Winter.— Inconveni- ence suffered from the brightness of the Snow. — Sleighing. — Indian Orthography. — Visit to an Indian Encampment. — Story of an Indian. — An Indian Hunchback. — Canadian Ornithology. 1* . 1.52 y ]\ CONTKNTS. LETTEH XIV. I'aife Utility <»f liotanieal Knowledge. — The Fire-Weed. — Sursaparilltt Plants. — Magnificent Water-Eily. — J{ioe-Hed8. — Indian StrawWry. — Scarlet Colum- bine. — Ferns. — Grasses • • • .172 XV. Recapitulation of Various Topics. — Progress of Settle- ment. — Canada, the Land of Hope. — Visit to the Family of a Naval Officer. — Squirrels. — Visit to and Story of an Emigrant Clergyman. — His early Diffi- culties. — The Temper, Disposition, and Habits of Emigrants essential Ingredients in Failure or Success 190 XVI. Indian Hunters. — Sail in a Canoe. — Want of Libraries in the Hackwoods. — New Village. — Progress of Im- provt-raent. — Fire-flies. , , . .211 XVII. Ague.— Illness of the Family. — Probable Cause.— lloot-house. — Setting-in of Winter. — lusect termed a '♦Sawyer.' — Temporary Church . . . 222 XVIIL busy Spring — Increase of Society and Comfort.— IJe- colleciions of Home. — Aurora Horealis. . . 229 Notes ...... 23.'i ADVERTISEMENT. Tins volume was published in the * Library of Enter- taining Knowledge* in 1836. Neither its usefulness nor its interest arc diminished in 1846. Tlie authoress, in her original introduction, says : — " The writer of th6 following pages has endeavoured to afford every possible information to the wives and daughters of emigrants of the higher class who contemplate seeking a home amid our Canadian wilds. Truth has been conscientiously her object in the work, for it were cruel to write in flatter- ing terms calculated to deceive emigrants into the belief that the land to which they are transferring their families, their capital, and their hopes, is a land flowing with milk and honey, where comforts and affluence may be ob- tained with little exertion. She prefers honestly repre- senting facts in their real and true light, that the female part of the emigrant's family may be enabled to look them firmly in the face ; to find a remedy in female in- genuity and expediency for some difficulties ; and, by being properly prepared, encounter the rest with that high-spirited cheerfulness of which well-educated fe- males often give extraordinary proofs. She likewise wishes to teach them to discard everything exclusively pertaining to the artificial refinement of fashionable life ADVERTISKMENT. in England ; and to point out that, by devoting the inoncv consumed in these incumbrances to articles of real use, which cannot be readily obtained in Canada, they may enjoy the pleasure of superintending a plea- sant, well-ordered home. She is desirous of giving them the advantage of her three years' experience, that they may pro|K?rly apply every part of their time, and learn to consider that every pound or pound's worth be- longing to any member of an out-coming emigrant's family, ought to be sacredly considered as capital^ which must make proper returns either as tlie means of l)rini:- ing increase in the shape of income, or, what is still better, in healthful domestic comfort. " It will be seen, in the course of this work, that the writer is as earnest in recommending ladies w ho belong to the higher class of settlers to cultivate all tlie mental resources of a superior education, as she is to induce them to discard all irrational and artificial wants and mere useless pursuits. She would willingly direct their attention to the natural history and botany of this new country, in which they will find a never-failing source of anuisement and instruction, at once enlightening and elevating the mind, and serving to fill up the void left by the absence of those lighter feminine accomplishments, the practice of which are necessarily superseded by im- perative domestic duties. To the person who is capable of looking abroad into the beauties of Nature, and adoring the Creator through his glorious works, are opened stores of unmixed pleasure, which will not per- mit her to be dull or unhappy in the loneliest part of our VVesteni Wilderness. The writer of these pages speaks from experience, and would be pleased to find ADVERTISr.MKNT. that the simple sources from which she has hersolf drawn pleasure, have cheore*! the solitude of liituro female sojourners in the backwootls of Canada. *' As a peneral remark to all sorts and conditions of settlers, she would observe, that the strugrgle up the hill of Independence is often a severe one, uiid it outrht not to be made alone. It must be aided and encouraircd by the example and assistance of an active and cheerful partner. Children should be tau«rht to appreciate the devoted love that has induced their |>arents to overcome the natural reluctance felt by all persons to ipiit for ever the land of their forefathers, the scenes of their earliest and happiest days, and to become aliens and wanderers in a distant country, to form new ties and new friends, and begin, as it were, life's toilsome march anew, that their children may be placed in a i-ituation in which, by industry and activity, the substantial comforts of life may be permanently obtained, and a landed property handed down to them, and their children after them. '* Young men soon become reconciled to this country, which offers to them that chief attraction to youth, — great personal liberty. Their employments are of a cheerful and healthy nature ; and their amusements, such as hunting, shooting, fishing, and boating, are pecu- liarly fascinating. But in none of these can their sisters share. The hardships and difficulties of the settler's life, therefore, are felt peculiarly by the female part of the family. It is with a view of ameliorating these pri- vations that the following pages have been written, to show how some difficulties may be best borne and others avoided. For those who, without intending to share in the privations and dangers of an emigrant's life, have a u2 .':i . P ) I i. 8 ADVEETISEMEKT. rational curiosity to become acquainted ^ith scenes and manners so different from those of a long-civil izeuaded Monsieur Paul Breton to pilot us as far as Green Island, a distance of some hundred miles higher up the river, whore he assured us we should meet with a regu- lar pilot, if not before. I have some little difficulty in understanding Monsieur Paul, as he speaks a peculiar dialect; but he seems good-natured and obliging enough. He tells us the corn is yet green, hardly in ear, and the summer fruits not yet ripe, but he says, that at Quebec we shall find apples and fruit in plenty. As we advance higher up the river the country on both sides begins to assume a more genial aspect. Patches of verdure, with white cottages, are seen on the shores and scattered along the sides of the mountains ; while here and there a village church rears its simple spire, distinguished above the surrounding buildings by its glittering vane and bright roof of tin. The southern shores are more populous but less picturesque than those of the north ; but there is enough on either side to de- light the eye. This morning we anchored off the Isle of Bio, a pretty low island, covered with trees and looking very pleasant. I felt a longing desire to set my foot on Canadian ground, and must own I was a little disappointed when !i\ ■'I ; I ,^, 3 , I M ,u I 16 BACKWOODS OP CANADA. the captain advised me to remain on board, and not at- tempt to make one of the party that were preparing? to go on shore : my husband seconded the captain's wish, so I contented myself with leaninj^ over the shin's side and feasting my eyes on the rich masses of foliage as they waved to and fro with tlie slight breeze that agi- tated them. I had soon reason to be thankful that I had not followed my own wayward will, for the afternoon ])rovod foggy, and on the return of the boat I learned that the ground was swampy just where the party landed, and they sunk over their ankles in water. They re- ported the island to be covered knee-deep with a most luxuriant growth of red clover, tall trees, low shrubs, and an abundance of wild flowers. That I might not regret not accompanying him, my husband brought me a delightful bouquet, which he had selected for me. Anjong the flowers were fragrant red roses, resembling those we call Scotch burnet-leaved, with smooth shining leaves and few if any thorns ; the blue flower called Pulmonaria or Lungwort, which I gathered in the Highlands ; a sweet pea, with red blossoms and wreaths of lovely pale green foliage ; a white orchis, the smell of which was quite delicious. Besides these were several small white and yellow flowers, with which I was totally unacquainted. The steward furnished me with a china jar and fresh water, so that I shall have the pleasure of a nosegay during the rest of the voyage. The sailors had not forgotten a green bough or two to adorn the ship, and the bird-cage was soon as bowery as leaves could make it. Though the weather is now very fine, we make but slow progress ; the provoking wind seems determined to blow from every quarter but the right. We float up with the flood tide, and when the tide fails cast anchor, and wait with the best grace we can till it is time to weigh anchor again. I amuse myself with examining the villages and settlements through the captain's glass, or watching lor the appearance of the white porpoises tumbling among the waves. These creatures are of a milky whiteness, and have nothing of the disgusting look GREEN ISLAND. 17 my ; a ICIOUS. cllow The I'ater, ig the -cage le but led to ining ^lass, )ises lof a look of the black ones. Sometimes a seal pops its droll head up close beside our vessel, looking very much like Sin- bud's little old man of the sea. It is fortunate for me that my love of natural history enables me to draw amusement from objects that are deemed by many unworthy of attention. To me they present an inexhaustible fund of interest. The simplest weed that grows in my path, or the flv that flutters about me, are subjects for reflection, aJmiration, and delight. We are now within sight of Green Island. It is the largest, and I believe ono of the most populous, we have passed. Every minute now seems to increase the beauty of the passage. Far as the eye can reach you see the shore thronged with villages and farms in one continuous line. On the southern side all are gay and glittering with the tin roofs on the most imj)ortant buildings ; the rest are shingles, whitewashed. This I do not like so well as the plain shingled roofs ; the whiteness of the roofs of the cottages and homesteads have a glaring effect, and we look in vain for that relief to the eye that is produced by the thatched or slated roofs. The shin- gles in their natural state soon acquire the appearance of slates, and can hardly be distinguished from them. What would you say to a rose-coloured house, with a roof of the same gaudy hue, the front of the gay edifice being garnished with grass-green shutters, doors, and veran- dah ? No doubt the interior is furnished with corre- sponding taste. There is generally one or more of these smart buildings in a Canadian village, standing forth with ostentatious splendour above its more modest brethren. August 11. — Just below Green Island we took on board a real pilot, whom, by the way, I do not like half so well as Monsieur Paul. He is a little bit pragma- tical, and seems evidently proud of his superior know- ledge of the river. The good-natured fisherman relin- quished his post with a very good grace, and seems already excellent friends with his more able rival. For my part I was very sorry when the new pilot came on ^1 « I t \l 11 i t4 jJ:: 18 BACKWOODS OF CANADA. board : the first thing he did was to hand us over a Iiuniphlct, containing regulations from the Hoard of lealth at Quebec respecting the cholera, which is raging, he tells us, like a fearful plague both at that place and Montreal. These regulations positively f«)rbid the captain and the pilot to allow any person, whether of the crew or \ms" sengers, to quit the vessel until they shall have ])ass(!d examination at the quarantine ground, under the risk of incurring a severe penalty. This was very annoymg ; as the captuin, that very morning, had pro[>osed taking us on shore at a lovely spot called Crane Island, to spend the afternoon, while we waited for the return of the tide, at the house of a Scotch gentleman, the owner of the prettiest settlement I had yet seen, the buildings and grounds being laid out with great taste. The situation of this island is of itself very beautiful. Around it are the waters of the St. Laurence, b<^aring on its mighty current the commerce of several nations ; in the foreground are the populous and lively settlements of the southern shores, while behind and far far above it rise the lofty range of mountains to the north, now studded with rural villages, pleasant farms, and culti- vated fields. The island itself showed us smooth lawns and meadows of emerald verdure, with orchards and corn-fields sloping down to the water's edge. After a confinement of nearly five weeks on board, you may easily suppose with what satisfaction we contemplated the prospect of spending a few hours on this inviting spot. We expect to reach the quarantine ground (Gros Isle) this evening, where the pilot says we shall be de- tained three days. Though we are all in good health, yet, having sailed from an infected port, we shall be detained on the quarantine ground, but not allowed to land. August 12. — We reached Gros Isle yesterday even- ing. It is a beautiful rocky island, covered with groves uf beech, birch, ash, and fir-trees. There are several %\ JBJL iiu i i Jii ' i EMIGRANT VE8SKLS. ID over a oard of irajrinp, uce and and the or jws- ))assol of disease, the yellow flap: ; she is a 1)assenger-i«hij). and has the small -|)ox an it 22 BACKWOODS OF CANADA. breeze would carry us up in a lew hours ; as it is we cat! only make a little way by tacking from side to side when we lose the tide. I rather enjoy this way of pro- ceeding, as it gives one a close view of both sides the river, which narrows considerably as we approach nearer towards Quebec. To-morrow, if no accident happens, we shall be anchored in front of a place rendered inter- esting,^ both by its historical associations and its own native beauty of situation. Till to-morrow, then, adieu. I was reckoning much on seeing the falls of Mont- morenci, which are within sight of the river; but the sun set, and the stars rose brilliantly before we ap- proached within sound of the cataract ; and though I strained my eyes till they were weary of gazing on the dim shadowy scene around me, I could distinguish no- thing beyond the dark masses of rock that form the channel through which the waters of the Montmorenci rush into the St. Laurence. At ten last night, August the 15th, the lights of the city of Quebec were seen gleaming through the distance like a coronet of stars above the waters. At half- past ten we dropped anchor opposite the fort, and I fell asleep dreaming of the various scenes through which I had passed. Again I was destined to be disappointed in my expectations of going on shore. The visiting surgeon advised my husband and me by no means to land, as the mortality that still raged in the town made it very hazardous. He gave a melancholy description of the place. *' Desolation and woe and great mourning — Rachel weeping for her children because they are not," are words that may well be applied to this city of the pestilence. Nothing can be more imposing than the situation of Quebec, built on the sides and summit of a magnificent rock, on the highest point of which (Cape Diamond) stands the fortress overlooking the river, and command- ing a most superb view of the surrounding scenes. I did, indeed, regret the loss of this noble prospect, the equal of which I suppose I shall never see. It would have been something to have thought on and recalled in laftl iW( JLliJiJIl'lU HH r l Mttai 1 QUEBEC. 23 it is we e to side r of pro- sides the h nearer happens, ed inter- its own n, adieu, f Mont- but the we ap- lough I ^ on the uish no- orm the tmorenci ights of jgh the TS. At t, and I which pointed visiting ans to n made tion of fning — [e not," of the Ition of lificent Imond) Imand- les. I jt, tlie [would ed in after years, when buried in the solitude of the Canadian woods. The opposite heights, being the Point Levi side, are highly j)icturesque, though less imposing than the rock on which the town stands. The bank is rocky, preci- ])itous, and clothed with trees that sweep down to the water's edge, excepting where they are cleared away to give place to white cottages, gardens, and hanging : orchards. But, in my opinion, much less is done with this romantic situation than might be effected if good taste were exercised in the buildings, and on the disposal of the ground. How lovely would such a spot be ren- dored in England or Scotland I Nature here has done ali, and man but little, excepting sticking up some ugly wooden cottages, as mean as they are tasteless. It is, however, very possible there may be pretty villas and houses higher up, that are concealed from the eye by the intervening groves. The river is considered to be just a mile across from Point Levi to the landing-stairs below the custom-house in Quebec ; and it was a source of amusement to me to watch the horse ferry-boats that ply between the two shores. The captain told me that there were not less than twelve of these comical-looking machines. They each have their regular hours, so that you see a constant succession going or returning. They carry a strange assortment of passengers : well and ill-dressed ; old and young ; rich and poor ; cows, sheep, horses, pigs, dogs, fowls, market-baskets, vegetables, fruit, hay, corn, any- thing and everything you will see by turns. The boat is flat, railed round, with a wicket at each end to admit the live and dead stock that go or are taken on board ; the centre of the boat (if such it can be called) is occupied by four lean ill-favoured hacks, who walk round and round, as if in a threshing-machine, and work the paddles at each side. There is a sort of pen for the cattle. I am told there is a monument erecting in honour of Wolfe, in the governor's garden, looking towards the St. 24 BACKWOODS OF CANADA. J'S Laurence, and to be seen from Point Levi : the inscrip- tion has not yet been decided upon.* The ca[)tain has just returned from the town. He very kindly brought on board a i)asket of ripe apples for me, besides fresh meat, vegetables, bread, butter, and milk. The deck is all bustle with custom-house officers, and men unloading a part of the ship's freight, whicli consists chiefly of rum, brandy, sugar, and coals, for ballast. We are to leave Quebec by five o'clock this evening. The British America, a superb steam-vessel of three decks, takes us in tow as far as Montreal. I must now say farewell. * Since the period in which the author visited Quebec, Wolfe's monument has been completed. Lord Dalhousic, with equal good feeling and good taste, has united th- lan es of the rival heroes Wolfe and Montcalm in the dedication of the pillar — a liberality of feeling that cannot but prove grati- fying to the Canadian French, while it robs the 13ritish war- rior of none of his glory. The monument was designed by Major Young of the 97th Regiment. To the top of the surbase is fourteen feet from the ground : on this rests a sarcophagus, seven feet three inches high, from which rises an obelisk forty-two feet eight inches in height, and the apex is two feet one inch. The dimensions of the obelisk at the base are six feet by four feet eight inches. A prize medal was adjudged to J. C. Fisher, LL.D., for the following inscription on the sarcophagus : — Mortem Virtus communem Famam Historia Monumentum Posteritas Dedit.* On the surbase is an inscription from the pen of Dr. Mills, stating he fact of the erection of the monument at tlie ex- pense of Lord Dalhousie, Governor of Lower Canada, to commemorate the death of Wolfe and Montcalm, Sept.13 and 14, 1759. Wolfe fell on the field ; and Montcalm, who was wounded by the single gun in the possession of the English, died on the next day after the battle, * His courage gave him death, history fame, and posterity a monument. DEPARTURE FROM QUEBKC. 25 Letter III. Departure from Quebec. — Towed by a Steam-vessel. — Fer- tility of the Countr}'. — Different Objects seen in sailing up the River. — Arrival off Montreal. — The Rapids. Brig Laurel, St. Laurence, below Montreal, August 17, 1832. It was after sunset, and a glorious evening, when we left Quebec, which we did in company with a fine steam- vessel, whose decks and gallery were crowded with passengers of all descriptions. A brave sight she was to look upon ; ploughing the bright waters which foamed and sung beneath her paddles ; while our brig, with her white sails, followed like a butterfly in her wake. The heavens were glowing with the richest tints of rose and saffron, which were reflected below on the bosom of the river ; and then came forth the stars, in the soft blue ether, more brilliant than ever I saw them at home, and this, I suppose, I may attribute to the superior purity of the atmosphere. My husband said this evening re- sembled the sunsets of Italy. Our voyage has proved a very pleasant one ; the weather moderately warm, and the air quite clear. We have within the last few days emerged from a cold, damp atmosphere, such as we often experience in Britain in the spring, to a delightful summer, moderated by light breezes from the river. The further we advance up the coimtry the more fertile it appears. The harvest is ripening under a more genial climate than that below Quebec. We see fields of Indian com in full flower : it is a stately-looking crop, with its beautiful feathery top tinted with a rich purple 26 ' tA ill S 4i ) t" 'III BACKWOOi^S OF CANADA. ■f :.tr*" *•'» •'"; Si-it; . J was anxious to obtain « n • ' Further back a rliffi. . '" * tion appea.^'^lht t 1'^^ f buiWm^ and oultiva handsome places nnW • ^"^ ^ame-housp^ n^« 7?" APPROACH TO MONTREAL. 27 ivaving m I beautiful y sheath ; t, and has sis, mice, ! banks of ?. I be- both pro- d in such I situated I St. liau- Willlam re several er public md, how- Jems verv lough pultiva- really If trees |aring. Irently jnery. The country between Quebec and Montreal has all the aj)pearance of having been under a long state of culti- vation, especially on the right bank of the river. Still there is a great portion of forest standing which it will take years of labour to remove. We |)assed some little grassy islands on which there were many herds of cattle feeding. 1 was puzzling njy- self to know how they got there, when the captain told me it was usual for farmers to convey their stock to these island pastures in flat-bottomed boats, or to swim them, if the place was fordable, and leave them to graze as long as the food continued good. If cows are put on an island, within a reasonable distance of the farm, some person goes daily in a canoe to milk them. While he was telling me this, a log-canoe with a boy and a stout lass with tin pails, paddled across from the bank of the river, and j)ro- ceeded to call together their herd. We noticed some very pleasant rural villages to the right as we advanced, but our pilot was stupid, and could not, or would not, tell their names. It was Sunday morning, and we could just hear the quick tinkling of the church bells, and distinguish long lines of caleches, light waggons, with equestrians and pedestrians hastening along the avenue of trees that led to the churchyard ; besides these, were boats and canoes crossing the river, bound to the same peaceful haven. In a part of the St. Laurence, where the channel is rendered difficult bv shoals a'ld sand-banks, there occur little lighthouses, looking somewhat like miniature water- mills, on wooden posts, raised above the flat banks on which they are built. These droll little huts were in- habited, and we noticed a merry party, in their holiday clothes, enjoying a gossip with a party in a canoe below them. They looked clean and smart, and cheerful enough, but I did not envy them their situation, which I should think far from healthy. Some miles below Montreal the appearance of the country became richer, more civilized, and populous; while the distant line of blue mountains, at the verge of the horizon, added an interest to the landscape. The 28 BACKWOODS OF CANADA. •^^ t^^ I 'A rich tint of ripened harvegt formed a beautiful contrast with the azure sky and waters of the St. Laurence. The scenery of the river near Montreal is of a very different character to that below Quebec ; the latter possesses a wild and rugged aspect, and its productions are evidently those of a colder and less happy climate. What the former loses in grandeur and picturesque effect, it gains in fertility of soil and warmth of temperature. In the lower division of the province you feel that the industry of the inhabitants is forcing a churlish soil for bread ; while in the upper, the land seems willing to yield her increase to a moderate exertion. Remember, these are merely the cursory remarks of a passing ti*aveller, and founded on no personal experience. There was a feeling of anxiety and dread upon our minds that we would hardly acknowledge to each other as we drew near to the city of the pestilence, as if ashamed of confessing a weakness that was felt ; but no one spoke on the subject. With what unmixed delight and admiration at any other time should we have gazed on the scene that opened upon us. The river here expands into a fine extensive basin, diversified with islands, on the largest of which Montreal is situated. • The lofty hill from which the town takes its name rises like a crown above it, and forms a singular am; magnificent feature in the landscape, reminding me of some of the detached hills in the vicinity of Inver- ness. Opposite to the Quebec suburbs, just in front of the rapids, is situated the island of St. Helens, a spot of in- finite loveliness. The centre of it is occupied by a grove of lofty trees, while the banks, sloping down to the water, seem of the most verdant turf. The scene was heightened by the appearance of the troops which g:?./- rison the island. The shores of the river, studded with richly culti- vated farms ; the village of La Prairie, with the little island of St. Ann's in the distance ; the glittering steeples and roofs of the city, with its gardens and villas, — looked 1 si hi w] ri oti vj^sm mm RAPIDS BELOW MONTREAL. 29 lovely by the softened glow of a Canadian suninior sunset. The church bells ring:ing for evening ])raycr, with the hum of voices from the shore, mingled not inharmoniously with the rush of the rapids. Tliese raj)ids are caused by a descent in the bed of the river. In some ])laces this declination is gradual, in others sudden and abrupt. Where the current is broken })y :uasses of limestone or granite rock, as at the Cas- cades, the Cedars, and the Long Sault, it creates whirl- j)Ools an' m ■It Mi \i H %\ h I 30 BACKWOODS OF CANADA. Letter IV. Landing at Montreal. — Appearance of the Town. — Ravages of the Cholera. — Charitable Institutions in Montreal. — Catholic Cathedral. — Lower and Upper Town. — Company and Conversation at the Hotel. — Writer attacked with the Cholera. — Departure from Montreal in a Stage-coach. — Embark at Lachine on board a Steam-vessel. — Mode of travelling alternately in Steam-vessels and Stages. — Ap- pearance of the Country. — Manufactures. — Ovens at a distance from the Cottages. — Draw-wells. — Arrival at Cornwall. — Accommodation at the Inn. — Departure from Cornwall, and Arrival at Prescott. — Arrival at Brock- ville. — Ship-launch there. — Voyage through Lake Onta- rio. — Arrival at Cobourg. Nelson Hotel, Montreal, August 21. Onck more on terra firma, dearest mother: what a strange sensation it is to tread the land once again, free from the motion of the heaving waters, to which I was now, in truth, glad to bid farewell. By daybreak every creature on board was up and busily preparing for going on shore. The caj)tain himself obligingly escorted us, and walked as far with us as the hotel, where we are at present lodged. We found some difficulty in getting on shore, owing to the badness of the landing. The river was full of lloatiiig timbers, between which it required some skill to guide the boat. A wharf k now being built — not be- fore it was needed.* We were struck by the dirty, narrow, ill-paved or un- paved streets of the suburbs, and overpov/ered by the * Some excellent wharfs have since been completed. III 1 APrEARAXCE OF MONTREAL. 31 —Ravages [outreal. — -Company d with the e-coach. — —Mode of iges. — Ap- vens at a \.rrival at ture from at Brock- ike Orita- iist 21. what a lin, free I was d busily himself as the owing fiiJI of skill lot be- )r un- py the noisome vapour arising from a deep open fosse thui ran along the street behind the wharf. This ditch seemed the receptacle for every abomination, and sufficient in itself to infect a whole town with malignant fevers.* I wjis greatly disappointed in my first acquaintancre with the interior of Montreal ; a place of which travellers had said so much. I could compare it only to the fruits of the Dead Sea, which are said to be fair and tempting to look upon, but yield only ashes and bitterness when tasted by the thirsty traveller.! I noticed one peculiar feature in the buildings along the sul)url) facing the river — that they were mostly fur- iiished with broad wooden balconies from the lower to the upper story ; in some instances they surrounded the houses on three sides, and seemed to form a sort of outer chamber. Some of these balconies were ascended by flights of broad stairs from the outside. * This has since been arched over. A market has been erected above it. f The following description of Montreal is given by M'Gregorin his British America, vol. ii. p. 504: — "Jk'twixt the royal mountain and the river, on a ridge of gentle eleva- vation, stands the town. Including the suburbs, it is more extensive than Quebec. Both cities differ very greatly in appearance ; the low banks of the St. Laurence at Montreal want the tremendous precipices frowning over them, and all that grand sublimity which characterizes Quebec. "There are no wharfs at Montreal, and the ships and steamers lie quietly in pretty deep water, close to the clayey and generally filthy bank of the city. The whole of the lower town is covered with gloomy-looking houses, having dark iron shutters ; and although it may be a little cleaner than Quebec, it is still very dirty ; and the streets are not only narrow and ill-paved, but the footpaths are interrupted by slanting cellar-doors and other projections. " It is impossible (says Mr. Talbot, in his Five Years' Residence) to walk the streets of Montreal on a Sunday or holiday, when the shops are closed, without receiving the most gloomy impressions ; the whole city seems une vast prison ;" — alluding to the window-shutters and outer doors of iron, that have been adopted to counteract the effects of fire. c2 32 BACKWOODS OF CANADA. " t >:>; J: !" L:-; ss^ lu! :• I I I romcniber when a child dreaminpf of houses so con- structed, and fancying them very delightful ; and so I tliink they might be rendered, if shaded hy climbing shrubs, and adorned with flowers, to represent a hang- ing-garden or sweet-scented bowery walk. JJut nothing of this kind gladdened our eyes as we toiled along the hot streets. Every house of public resort was crowded from the top to the bottom with emigrants of all ages, English, Irish, and Scotch. The sounds of riotous mer- riment that burst from them seemed but ill-assorted with the haggard, careworn faces of many of the thoughtless revellers. The contrast was only too apparent and too painful a subject to those that looked u})on this show of outward gaiety and inward misery. The cholera had made awful ravages, and its devas- tating effects were to be seen in the darkened dwellings and the mourning habiliments of all classes. An ex- pression of dejection and anxiety appeared in the faces of the few persons we encountered in our walk to the hotel, which plainly indicated the state of their minds. In some situations whole streets had b»rn nearly depo- pulated ; those that were able fled panic-stricken to the country villages, while others remained to die in the bosom of their families. To no class, I am told, has the disease proved so fatal as to the poorer sort of emigrants. Many»of these, de- bilitated by the privations and fatigue of a long voyage, on reaching Quebec or Montreal indulged in every sort of excess, especially the dangerous one of intoxication ; and, as if purposely paving the way to certain destruction, they fell immediate victims to the complaint. In one house eleven persons died, in another seven- teen ; a little child of seven years old was the only crea- ture left to tell the woful tale. This poor desolate orphan was taken by the nuns to their benevolent institu- tion, where every attention was paid that humanity could suggest. The number both of Catholic and Protestant benevo- lent societies is very great, and these are maintained with CHOLERA. 33 so con- nd so I jlimbing" IV haiig- riothinjj cnig the rowded 11 ages, us mer- ed witli iglitlcss ainful a 3Utward dcvas- vd lings An ex- faces of hotel, ^depo- to the in the ;o fatal 36, de- action, seven- crea- |rphan istitu- Icould Inevo- with a liberality of* principle that does honour to both parties, who seem indeed actuated bv a fervent sinrit of Chris- tian charity. I know of no place, not even excej)ting London itself, where the exercise of benevolent feelings is more called for than in these two cities, Quebec and Montreal. Here meet together the unfortunate, the imj)rovident, the helpless orphan, the sick, the aged, the poor virtuous man, driven by the stern hand of necessity from his country and his home, perhaps to be overtaken by sick- ness or want in a land of strangers. It is melancholy to reflect that a great number of the poorest class of emigrants that perished in the reign of the cholera have left no trace by which their sorrowing anxious friends in the old country may learn their fate. The disease is so sudden and so violent that it leaves no time for arranging worldly matters ; the sentinel comes not as it did to llezekiah, " Set thine house in order, for thou shalt die, and not live." The weather is sultry hot, accompanied by frequent thunder-showers, which have not the ettect one would expect, that of cooling the heated atmosphere. I ex- perience a degree of languor and oppression that is very distressing, and worse than actual pain. Instead of leaving this place by the first conveyance for the upper province, as we fully purposed doing, we find ourselves obliged to remain two days longer, owing to the dilatoriness of the custom-house officers in over- looking our packages. The fact is that everything and everybody are out of sorts. The heat has been too oppressive to allow of my walk- ing much abroad. I have seen but little of the town be- yond the streets adjacent to the hotel : with the excep- tion of the Catholic Cathedral, I have seen few of the public buildings. With the former I was much pleased : it is a fine building, though still m an unfinished state, the towers not having been carried to the height ori- ginally intended. The eastern window, behind the altar, is seventy feet in height by thirty-three in width. The effect of this magnificent window from the entrance, the 34 BACKwoow or cAK^n*. fn«n k ^^"tish traveller Ti. P "P^^^^^o" on the lnot...j ^ '^^^^^ With erardens anW i ' ^ ^"^ houses top to bottom ,he"^i,,ai^dcS "'^r'' " P^^tete »' groves and Canadian scenerv fA "'' "Z'^'-^'' '''nitetion of the cuy the river, andaPlh"""'^'" «"Pe'-b v ew I SCENERY or MONTREAL. :55 and its rity with ifs streets and public buildiupfs, lie at your I'l'ot : with such ohjiKts before you the eye may well be charmed with the scenery of Aiontreal. We receive the jrreatest attention from th(» master of the hotel, who is an Italian. The servants of the hr)usc are very civil, and the company that we meet at the or- dinary very respectable, chiefly emiu:rants like our.-el\e<, with some lively French men and women. The table is well supj>lie '^""'d not have fie")ties in his fi"t ouLTfn teTtT" ^"^?"""''- "<> d^- " e are prepared to meet w^th f """."* '" 'he woods dure rnnsirlo™!.!- . ^ec with manv ohafani^, .„ . " !;''d''?"^;yi:rmoti7 1 wJ t'l". ?y '-' 'e«er I bysimnsethe '-ollowingday Lh!''.'?"''' '<'«^<' Montreal o 7 , but m this we were doomed ILLNESS OF THE AUTHORESS. 37 to be disappointed, and to experience the truth of thosci words: "Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thou knowest not what an hour may bring forth." Early that very morning, just an hour before sunrise, I was seized with the symptoms of the fatal malady that had made so many homes desolate. I was too ill to commence my journey, and, with a heavy heart, heard the lumbering wheels rattle over the stones from the door of the hotel. I hourly grew worse, till the sister of the landlady, an excellent young woman, who had previously shown mo irreat attention, persuaded me to send for a physician ; and my husband, distracted at seeing me in such agony, ran off to seek for the best medical aid. After some little delay a physician was found. I was then in extreme torture ; but was relieved by bleeding, and by the vio- lent fits of sickness that ensued. I will not dwell mi- nutely on my sufferings, suffice to say, they were in- tense ; but God, in his mercy, though he chastened and afflicted me, yet gave me not over unto death. From the females of the house I received the greatest kindness. Instead of fleeing affrighted from the chamber of sick- ness, the two Irish girls almost quarrelled which should be my attendant ; while Jane Taylor, the good young woman I before mentioned, never left me from the time I grew so alarmingly ill till a change for the better had come over me, but, at the peril of her own life, supported me in her arms, and held me on her bosom, when I was struggling with mortal agony, alternately speaking peace to me, and striving to soothe the anguish of my poor afflicted partner. The remedies applied were bleeding, a portion of opium, blue pill, and some sort of salts — not the common Epsom. The remedies proved effectual, though I suffered nmch from sickness and headache for many hours. The debility and low fever that took place of the cholera, obliged me to keep my bed some days. During the two first my doctor visited me four times a day ; he was very kind, and, on hearing that 1 was the wife of a British oflBcer emigrating to the Upper Pro- C 3 III . J pr. ' ill ft III 'I '■■ffc i V'' 38 BACKWOODS OF CANADA. ^'ice, he seemed more th»„ co/ery, evincW a svm„«7f. Z''^'" '"'^rested in mv re several days, I wfs atlast Jo„"'""'^. pnfine^nt of convalescent state to beg?n* P™".°""^ed in a suiiieientJy weak that I „.as seareely^ble t^ sCo J' """!='' ^"" «» ■I he sun had not vet ril„ t ^"I'Port myself, tafee ns to Laehine-^l fi^,^?" ">«. «*«/c that was (o drove up to the door and „ ?".? '""''« «'' our route place in which our hCs ori^'^'^^u'^'"''' ft'-cwell t" «' those of pleasure leT W.TTl '"«' ""-«" "any a„d a reat deal of kindnei frot Vh '"''^'^'•' "^^P^^nced though perfect strane-Pr« I. 7 ""'*'' around us anrf puality tor which'^l^f^^ t ofTen "b '"""' ,"' "■« "- omitted, m my former iJtJr, n " °*^" celebrated I an acouaintance w"h a hth. '"^ ^°" '""^«e formed th's place, who ^iffordJ^fiiTrT^'" merchaTin ation, and introduced Ts t!T "" v' °^ "^'"■'" in'o m" ad accomplished young wonl n"^-' * ^^^-^ elegant tufbed state, and there was the • ^P'i*' '" "'«!'• per" bnn^mg to our mindrM^retVl''".^- "^ «'• A»ne's, Wells,ngatSaintAnnTsout^^'?-^''T '"'«' «ong 1 he bank of the St r „ Partwg hymn " Jay, U higher here than at m""?' f^ "^'ch o„r road brushwood on the summit "''''•'' ""'^ ''""led whfa narrow gullcys. The ""la' neo"""""'-^ '"•'"«"> with ^aruly or light loam. I noHce^fu "* .^ ^o-'I^ see, was first tune twining amon" u "^ "''; "''d vine for thp raspberry bushes, too a„d^a Sv.f ''''''"^^- There were flower we call A^ronVp-oldi' '"?" °' t^"" fa" yelW white love-everlastina- fh! "''' " ««*«'3« '^hafi It: tombs of their friends, and wlllh'lh^'''''^ *" in th^ the Americans call it ii/eXerlttg X''!! i^'^^ 6 ) *«is»o a tall purple- ■'' /■ -f, .vi » * LAcnnnc. 33 in my re- 3ry grate- ement of ifficientJy ^h stiJl so • at was to lir route, veil to a any, and erienced us, and, the hos- ated. I i formed 'hant in in form- elegant hort ac- it their ng the |t to see t chain r per- nne's, song: |r road with with , was ir the were jllow the are the \elle ; rple- sf)ikcd valerian, that I observed growing in the fields among the corn, as plentiful as the bugloss is in our light sandy fields in England. At Lachine we quitted the stage and went on board a steamer, a fine vessel elegantly fitted up with every accommodation. I enjoyed the passage up the river ex- ceedingly, and should have been delighted with the journey by land had not my recent illness weakened me so nuich that I found the rough roads very unpleasant. As to the vehicle, a Canadian stage, it deserves a much ligher character than travellers have had the candour to give it, and is so well adapted for the roads over which it passes that I doubt if it could be changed for a more suitable one. This vehicle is calculated to hold nine persons, three back, front, and middle ; the middle seat, which swings on broad straps of leather, is by far the easiest, only you are liable to be disturbed when any of the passengers choose to get out. Certainly the travelling is arranged with as little trouble to the traveller as possible. Having paid your fare to Prescott you have no thought or care. W hen you quit the steam-boat you find a stage ready to receive you and your luggage, which is limited to a certain pro- I)ortion. When the portage is passed (the land carriage), you find a steam- vessel ready, where you have every accommodation. The charges are not immoderate, con- sidering the comforts you enjoy. In addition to their own freight, the steamers gene- rally tow up several other vessels. We had three Durham boats at one time, beside some other small craft attached to us, which certainly afforded some variety, if not amusement. With the exception of Quebec and Montreal, I must give the preference to the Upper Province. If not on so grand a scale, the scenery is more calculated to please, from the appearance of industry and fertility it displays. I am delighted, in travelling along the road, with the neatness, cleanliness, and comfort of the cot- tages and farms. The log- house and shanty rarely occur, having been supplanted by pretty frame-houses, ^ f if 'I m '' m. • ■ 40 BACKWOODS or CANADA. ami "'•^•'ards, binding down LT,h'' ""^^^ ^^tations pPl'es, plums, and thp aT • "" " "''^ harvest of '"tie scarlet apples so ofterrr„T''' """'^ ''-«" 'M among our sweetmeats at home ^ ^ "' " "■«' P'-«^«"e J^oii see none of* thn • r"'«wies. No ragged dirtT ."'' T/"^ <"• «« attendant "' m^d or dust; but minv'.,?!'"^ children, dabblfn^ OraiUed locks, while the vounZr' -l """^ht eyes and the green turf or on tho fh Pf.^""'* ""ere seated on ■^ There "\ '"'*• ''"'"'"^ and sh,;,,^ spinning-wheeb'thlt are S P''='"':«sq"e in the great "•ng the wool, and f irf '" ""* '^"""fy for InTn our Canadian iasseVthe ' fnt^^ '° "^ ^'"d^ed aSg or cal<:ulated to show off Z ^ ""i^ '"°''<' becomin/ fine hgure than spinniL at h! T'""?' advantages of "a does not sit, but Ulfcs to 1h r ""^ *''«•''• The spins „r one hand while with he oThlr^"' ^"ing the ^^-^ wth I often noticed, as we n.I i i, T ""« "heel, hanks of yarn of diftlLf „ 1 ^^ *''« cottage farms ^en or orchard fen4eoX?tr ''^"^'"/o" The of colours, green, blue, pum^ ' u'"''^ ^'''"•« «" manner jA civd landlady, at whosef, ' ^"'"'"' ''«'' and white horses, told m ■ theL hanks 7;" '"^ ^'''PP^'' "> ehangt then dved by the good wL IT ""r ""^t ^P"" a.fd cLh"°r.; Sheshow^^'^ som''p''''?'"{-*V«'"?«'^nt dirl 'h'"*"''' T^^y '"""^ed "erv well t!*"' '"'"'^-sp"n I,r„i^"'"' *«"'<"'' bein- tjfe n '^ ^' "'^^ " dullish ^fee.'"'-'-" ^^ -de-^rdl^n^;!;: htVe^y"a-^hi^^^^^^^^^^ weH^nd comfitabl/Iored'"^ """ "'''"''' *» -« ihom a -^^t.^'nlllle-:^'^- y;^^^^^^^ so thriving / jeaisag-0, nothing but SPl JiNl>'G-WH EELS. — OVENS, 41 Indian hunting-grounds. The industry cf men, and many of them poor men, that had not a rood of land of their own in their own country, has etlected this change." 1 was much gratified by the reflection to which this good woman's information gave rise. *' We also are going to purchase wild land, and why may not we see our farm, in process of time," thought I, " equal these fertile spots ? Surely this is a blessed country to which we have emigrated," said I, pursuing the pleasing idea. *' where every cottage abounds with the comforts and necessaries of life." I perhaps overlooked at that time the labour, the diffi- culties, the privations to which these settlers had been exposed when they first came to this country. I saw it only at a distance of many years, under a high state of cultivation, perhaps in the hands of their children or their children's children, while the toilworn parent's head was low in the dust. Among other objects my attention was attracted by the appearance of open burying grounds by the roadside. Pretty green mounds, surrounded by groups of walnut and other handsome timber trees, contained the graves of a family, or may be, some favoured friends slej)t quietly below the turf beside them. If the ground was not consecrated, it was hallowed by the tears and prayers of parents and children. These household graves became the more interesting to me on learning that when a farm is disposed of to a stranger, 'he right of burying their dead is generally stij)ulated for by the former possessor. You must bear with me if I occasionally weary you with dwelling on trifles. To me nothing that bears the stamp of novelty is devoid of interest. Even the clay- built ovens stuck upon four legs at a little distance from the houses were not unnoticed in passing. When there is not the convenience of one of these ovens outside the dwellings, the bread is baked in large iron pots — '* hake- hettles^' they are termed. I have already seen a loaf as big as a peck measure baking on the hearth m one of •■Pi' mi W m Urn I m 42 BACKWOODS OP CA2.ADA. i'hieh differed Tn'.r^'-:^ ''°l'«« ^ad a d«w.weJI n. •. from thosp r h J "" contrivance fop r,;!: I "<^'"" '*> " 'ever to rt.C. J"?^ P"'"- ^"PPorted il\ ^^^ P'''" ''s -o,?;:?''! o^«Xnr£ 9/p^on'':^ peatenrtr'-''-^'^-^-''^"^^ cades of wh eh the"!!n If "^ ""^ «'• w"e?"'f r' "P" H^-n t fair °^"-fi"«rtT*'' - Upper Cana5a?:'Scht"no7^„ "'■""'^'^^"'' vCk these3l*r°"*^ntou,^erves^?i;l7 "°.°"^ so we i--* — €vH-\„ ■N.<. ■,*.. •■^V.'"""^ ■v't.'. y ik the con- the bread ed in brick 3 out what upon four lives till I loaves out road -side, 3ll near it, the water he plan is >st, acts as be raised method is hain, and person at ntion this 3 country, r means.* icent ap- the cas- |from the jtempt to to yon, [lis work uainted 'ast our r here so we iight of Corn- travel ^nce a that may Lon- fface. CANADIAN STAGE, 43 night. Our example was followed by a widow lady and her little family. We had some difficulty in obtaining a lodging, the inns being full of travellers ; here, for the first time, we experienced something of that odious manner ascribed, though doubtless too generally, to the American. Our host seemed perfectly indifferent as to the comfort of his guests, leaving them to wait on themselves or go without what they wanted. The absence of females in these establishments is a great drawback where ladies are tra- velling. The women keep entirely out of sight, or treat you with that oftensive coldness and indifference that you derive little satisfaction from their attendance. After some difficulty in obtaining sight of the landlady of the inn at Cornwall, and asking her to show me a chamber where we might pass the night, with a most ungracious air she pointed to a door, which opened into a mere closet, in which was a bed divested of curtains, on ) chair, and an apology for a wash-stand. Seeing me in some .ismay at the sight of this uninviting domicile, she laconically observed there was that or none, unless I chose to sleep in a four-bedded room, which had three tenants in it, — and those gentlemen. This alternative I somewhat indignantly declined, and in no very good humour retired to my cabin, where vile familiars to the dormitory kept us from closing our weary eye- lids till the break of day. We took an early and hasty breakfast, and again com- menced our journey. Here our party consisted of my- self, my husband, a lady and gentleman with three small children, besides an infant of a month old, all of whom, from the eldest to the youngest, were suffering from hooping-cough ; two great Cumberland miners, and a French pilot and his companion,— this was a huge am- phibious-looking monster, who bounced in and squeezed himself into a corner-seat, giving a knowing nod and comical grin to the driver, who was in the secret, and in utter defiance of all remonstrance at this unlooked-for intrusion, cracked his whip with a flourish, that appeared 44 BACKWOODS OF CANADA. ..'"n Mm i»' 1 1' 1:1 i $'■ mm !l H' Wi lii to be reckoned pretty considerably smart by two Ameri- can travellers that stood on either side the door at the inn, with their hats not in their hands nor yet on their heads, but slung by a black ribbon to one of their waist- coat buttons, so as to fall nearly under one arm. This practice I have seen adopted since, and think if Johnny Gilpin had but taken this wise precaution he might have saved both hat and wig. I was dreadfully fatigued with this day's travelling, being literally bruised black and blue. We suffered much inconvenience from the excessive heat of the day, and could well have dispensed with the company of two out of the four of our bulky companions. We reached Prescott about five the same afternoon, where we met with good treatment at the inn ; the female servants were all English, and seemed to vie with each other in attention to us. We saw little in the town of Prescott to interest or please. After an excellent breakfast we embarked on board the Great Britain, the finest steamer we had yet seen, and here we were joined by our new friends, to our great satisfaction. At Brockville we arrived just in time to enjoy what was to me quite a novel sight — a ship-launch. A gay and exciting scene it was. The sun shone brilliantly on a concourse of people that thronged the shore in their holiday attire ; the church bells rang merily out, ming- ling with the music from the deck of the gaily painted vessel that, with flags and streamers, and a well-dressed company on board, was preparing for the launch. To give additional effect, a salute was fired from a temporary fort erected for the occasion on a little rocky island in front of the town. The schooner took the water in fine style, as if eager to embrace the element which was henceforth to be subject to her. It was a moment of intense interest. The newly launched was greeted with three cheers from the company on board the Great Britain, with a salute from the little fort, and a merry peal from th at all events ,.<■. — -l' «'ar to be Jitil I could see a smile hover 'ntT"'?'''^"""''"'-'- necessarily b^J"/" f*^^ backwoods, vonr h Matters are "ot^ * ^^' ' '''•'« ere^D* anrf *f ^ "''='' home; a„7tl"e° r. th T/th?" '''""' -" -■' 7 het" as'"; ance with fK« a i ^ ^"^s a verv fcur »,« i , ^ ^^ at . * Derived from i„f , ' " """""-^ »^* "ave strength toTaif "''^ '=«'-'»^ on all.fo„rs before they ■*'o ominonflv untie viJIup;;. ['nsivone fenees in bare as they Jr, invariably and money, lerved ; it 'is r to be Jittk' at ions. ' my fellow - ans for the house must gentleman, le country. ■y of a saw- many ob- years, that these im- ADVICE i'BOM A SEITLER. 40 fore they done with so much expedition. I am sure I liave lieard and read of houses being built in a day." The old jyen- tlenian laughed. " Yes, yes,' he replied, ** travellers find no - inferior! 3i'e^,J^\^,^^ Tfcf^ ''' '"'^^^ portion nf 7»^ ^ ^""^^ of nark-Ji£ . considerable in- i" ."on ot the countrv LV^^^^^ ^Ppearance m *i,- ^o be, that the plains L^i ^^^.P^evaiiing. oninL ^'' "Would amw^^ il ^^^^ out m irrB7ir.S "Pmion seems ""•i thl iabo l/tet"?'' can ■be?;tX:d''^"'r ""^h '«ss than wL^r^l^ t ^°"'"' i' netr f' Ihere are several L„ '^^'"'"^ covered wi/h i''.^ considerable fkrl i^?*'*-!' on these plai^ ' "'''°''.- ^ \cH],hy and reeabieT"*"?" ' ^ «hou,Tth?2-^«'"g o* the land anW .k . ' "'0"' the eleva*;-. ,' """st tl>e country'beW ,h ^''^'"'' P™'pect7hev ' '''^"''' ■the ground itself ier 'ttes" 1^ one 01 our partjr at CIVILIZATIOX OF THE INDIANS. 51 hills. Ilore tavern; the knows, but y become a ers ? A Ca- > where now !S. on ov Jand— nd I ^re and irubs. Tile « told, con- iarge tracks r the finest flowers and garden in hs. Man) 1 are rarelv '00, though ore pictur- lerabJe in- •e to this ion seems airy farms IS there is prn -crops, p abund- jdyantage directly, Icessariiy wood. •ssessing ik, must dryness land of Lake, |visible. ill and abrupt breakfast the following morning, told mo that those plains were formerly famous hunting-grounds of the Indians, who, to prevent the growth of the timbers, burned them year alter year : this, in process of time, destroyed the young trees, so as to i)revent them again from accumulating to the extent they formerly did. sutKcient only was left to form coverts ; for the deer resort hither in great herds, for the sake of a peculiar tall sort of grass with which these plains abound, called doer-grass, on which they become exceedingly fat at cer- tain seasons of the year. Evening closed in before we reached the tavern on the shores of the Rice Lake, where we were to pass the night ; so that I lost something of the beautiful scenery which this fine expanse of water presents as you descend the plains towards its shores. The glimpses I caught of it were by the faint but frequent flashes of lightning that illumined the horizon to the north, which just revealed enough to make me regret I could see no more that night. The Rice Lake is prettily diversified with small wooded islets : the north bank rises gently from the water's edge. Within sight of Sully, the tavern from which the steam-boat starts that goes up the Otanabee, you see several well -cultivated settlements ; and beyond the Lidian village, the missionaries have a school for the education and instruction of the Indian children. Many of them can both read and write fluently, and arc greatly improved in their moral and religious conduct. They are well and comfortably clothed, and have houses to live in. But they are still too much attached to their wandering habits to become good and industrious settlers. During certain seasons they leave the village, and en- camp themselves in the woods along the borders of those lakes and rivers that present the most advantageous hunt- ing and fishing-grounds. The Rice Lake and Mud Lake Indians belong, I am told, to the Chippewas ; but the traits of cunning and v\arlike ferocity that formerly marked this singular people seem to have disappeared beneath the milder intluencc oi Christianity, mm J #1'! ■ ■ ''' 1 '■■! J:!! Ill llll! mm r-i :i:f h ''11 fi • ' mm ml mm 111 life- 'mm Uilf''S 52 B-'CK,v.>„I.. or CAN AW. v^ertain it is th^f fi !v-on is the «m'';,te':f:'"^"""" "'^ "^^ Christian re ntk nT^-'"''* o*' Pi'i dice Zm'"*'' '" '^'■'•''''' ^ov ti»ed by some families • l,„» ? f^'t'ience is still nra/ spirits has aeain (JZ-' ' "'^ '»'« the love „f L' "Po.. their a Ti "i^r r ,"'«">. bringinVdis'e :^;i' -Joy thra^t tS :?ti1" r •'""- '^^ s!l b"t lam t7d thT ht: fl^'^^-'s^n the Riee Uko inhabitants bein^ sS . . "?' considered healihv i ' pecialiy wheieTh» •"'i '° 'ake-ibvers and n^' ""* *ove.a^„dtgrt!;;te!,^^r''"''-^^^ Jhetat^Th? "-^* "'^"'^ Sr^^^^ Jiesiaes numerous small „* '"-'ous mfluence. two considerable rheTlLAT'l^'''^ «"ed c,e,z, nnd an outJpf fr.^ *k • ' "^ Otanabee anH *i r,, ^^'*' rivers nrn '^ ^^^^^ waters in thp P- t /^^^ ^^^^nt, 'vhieh will gte' von th/^ ''•"'" P"Wiihed "t ci '""'' :i V 1 ( 51 ) Christian re- ilizaiion and break cIovmi t3, and unite I have been known, and iy abstained 5 still prac- ^ of ardent ig discredit ■ wondered n that call icated, and dulging to i suffer his "ty, which have been 'ed on the in indul- crinie of of educa- ice Lake, thy, the igue, es- rhese originate nation in surfiace tend to that art cree/is, 1 rent, These which I send bourg, of the irpose %S£^,^V^<'y?«' ,l.:!;^lllllli■li,^:'■l.ii':' ^^lZm:^Si i Mi:-!, lit ^ I «, > J I I yj fm km mm ' ■■im 64 "•'CK^.OODS or c^.v^i,,i. - m contemplation, ^i &/;, ;^,f--;"li7 supposeS^ In? "'^^^''"ageous to the TptHl ""''"*" the r shore" b olT? '^"^' "•''ich ;^.evcm ITT ""'' """'^"'''no! ■ I'f advantage through the It i-' ""'"<='' "Ppeared to MM i'lad to shroud n^ face ;„'''""" '■"■"' '"'»• wh eh I " " ;"t«tvvo .months at Us e„t ' '^''''' ^^^^^^ divid. I cultivation T».-^?'^' ^^ ^vvamp/to hi ^'^^ ^>^ ^^ it to ho?, • . .'' beautiful river /^x . ^'"^ "n'^er ( 65 ) of these [)p{)sed to eij' shores th('v are imestone, s or flat- these are e-named 1(1 Jakes, le whole the Bay cessari ly 1 of the ted that 3ver de- un usual , and a P little 1 I was >i there than n-boat y-ap- m the lee of sur- ilong with 'anoe :)ug'li ided )ya ider tder iks, (the mc Silver Pine. i»2 56 BACKWOODS or CANADA. : W forth in all the brilliant beauty of a September day. So completely were we sheltered from the wind by the thick wall of pines on either side, that I no longer felt the least inconvenience from the cold that had chilled me on crossing the lake in the morning To the mere passing traveller, who cares little for the minute beauties of scenery, there is certainly a monotony in the long and unbroken line of woods, which insensibly inspires a feeling of gloom almost touching on sadness. Still there are objects to charm and delight the close ob- server of nature. His eye will be attracted by fantastic bowers, which are formed by the scarlet creeper (or Canadian ivy) and the wild vine, flinging their closely- entwined wreaths of richly tinted foliage from bough to bough of the forest trees, mingling their hues with tho splendid rose-tipped branches of the soft maple, the au- tumnal tints of which are unrivalled in beauty by any of our forest trees at home. The purple clusters of the grape, by no means so con- temptible in size as I had been led to imagine, looked temptingly to my longing eyes, as they appeared just ripening among these forest bowers. I am told the juice forms a delicious and highly-flavoured jelly, boiled with a sufficient quantity of sugar ; the seeds are too large to make any other preparation of them practicable. I shall endeavour, at some time or other, to try the im- provement that can be effected by cultivation. One is apt to imagine where Nature has so abundantly bestowed fruits, that is the most favourable climate for their attain- ing perfection with the assistance of culture and soil. The waters of the Otanabee are so clear and free from impurity that you distinctly see every stone, pebble, or shell at the bottom. Here and there an opening in the forest reveals some tributary stream, working its way beneath the gigantic trees that meet above it. The silence of the scene is unbroken but by the sudden rush of the wild duck, disturbed f: ^ its retreat among the shrubby willows, that in some - .ts fringe the left bank, or the shrill cry of the kingfir .ei , as it darts across the water. The steam-boat put i i for a supply of fire-wood — I WATERS OF THE OTANABEE. w at a clearing about half-way from Peterborough, and I gladly availed myself of the opportunity of indulging my inclination for gathering some of the splendid cardinal flowers that grew among the stones by the river's brink. Here, too, I plucked as sweet a rose as ever graced an English garden. I also found, among the grass of the meadow land, spearmint, and, nearer to the bank, pep- permint. There was a bush resembling our hawthorn, which, on examination i d to be the cockspur haw- thorn, with fruit as large u^ cherries, p 'y*"". and of a pleasant tartness not much unlike to taiwurnids. The thorns of this tree were of formidable length and strength. I should think it might be introduced with great advan- tage to form live fences ; the fruit, too, would prove by no means contemptible as a preserve. As I felt a great curiosity to see the interior of a log- house, I entered the open door-way of the tavern, as the people termed it, under the pretext of buying a draught of milk. The interior of this rude dwelling presented no very inviting aspect. The walls were of rough un- hewn logs, filled between the chinks with moss and irre- gular wedges of wood to keep out the wind and rain. The unplastered roo^ displayed the rafters, covered with moss and lichens, green, yellow, and grey ; above which might be seen the shingles, dyed to a fine mahogany- red by the smoke which refused to ascend the wide clay and stone chimney, to curl gracefully about the roof, and seek its exit in the various crannies and aper- tures with which the roof and sides of the building abounded. The floor was of earth, which had become pretty hard and smooth through use. This hut reminded me of the one described by the four Russian sailors that were left to winter on the island of Spitzbergen. Its furniture was of corresponding rudeness ; a few stools, rough and unplaned ; a deal table, which, from being manufactured from unseasoned wood, was divided by three wide open seams, and was only held together by its ill-shaped legs ; two or three blocks of grey granite placed beside the hearth served for seats for the children, with the addition "liM '■'(' •■■■I ' '3 d f n Mkw ^i m ■ Jli- i: If " wm 58 BACKWOODS OF CANADA. of two Ijcds raised n li.ii„ i , ' of split cedars On those ,„'? *'"^ *^™""'' ^^ a frame «o poor „,on, suffU fun ^ -y""""-'. '^^'exteS liike-levor. Their v.l fe, ?•■• '''" ""stin-r effects nf .-ted with the^; Sz^t^ r^>^<^^^<:!^ ■1 telt much conocrned (br tU . ' " "' 5>e they had not l-een manfv,S'r';r^"''' "'"> 'oTj able The wiv^l td"£ t^t " ^ ^«' ""-• ■lot a house or even shantv n? , • "■ *^"''' ""d had bands having fallen ill, ^c:^ „"','"[ 7" "''• ">« l"'-'- mueh of the little ,„o„ey tW [ i" u ° «">'"''%' ! and thorn had been expende I ^-i, h7 i"'' i"'""^''* out with -"-orable place, whieuley cfcif,"? '°^g'"S i" thb tavern. I eannot say liy, ^y 'he name of a *?your of their hostefs , W, /'""'"'^ Prepossessed i s.des the various emiSnl "^ ' '"'"'""' """'an. ' that lodged within ZZCu' ^T"' ""^ '^^hildrc, or another description A fil , "^'■'"'"^« had ten.', s corner; some piL roam«l ""'■" °^"'P''^d » pen n i with some half/do'zenTwIs ^The""" "''''« ■" ^"'M'^u" >vere three snow-white pi±on? \T^ '''"'■''"■■™ object "g: "P crumbs, and lookhS "s 'f H " ""'■<' '"^'=t'y pick- "~.r^t4th11!o"'^^^^^^^^^^^^ '" '"''"'' ^d to the raplU:, ttl n^^ *e';iver at this season, . hole way to Peterborough and ! ""'^^^ '" g" «P (he It IS sometmics termed -3°!,..' ^ ^^°"' "'' row-boat a. rnachine-^^meets the pas'se'n = rs IZ'f^'- ^^^''^oZnoA CI I'r'". «'&ht of i singC n np?""""" l^"''' °'' 'he iJank; this ,s termed the - vTnf l'""'" °" the right fancied resemblance of th„ i""" bonnet," from C cap worn by the Vn„l "P""*' houghs to a sn« f bonnet of .Se-'otland.'"'""^' ""' ™"^h "-"ike fhe^bJut L'nfortunatelv fhn o* miles below the usual plaelT.'^f "^"""d ^on,e four •II near four o'clock «C the sen"'''",^' ""^ "« waked appearance, we found to our d"' ^''°" " ""ade its (e'ght m number, and a« Irisht'nT'^'"'' "'^ ™"«^» ^risfimen) were ui-der the i CO ) Spruoe. 60 BACKWOODS OF CANADA. < ' 1 li'S" ?>!■:•!;■ m exciting influence of a cag of whisky, which they had drunk dry on the voyage. They were moreover exas- perated by the delay on the part of the steamer, which gave them four miles additional heavy rowing. Beside a number of passengers, there was an enormous load of fur- niture, trunks, boxes, chests, sacks of wheat, barrels ol flour, salt, and pork, with many miscellaneous packages and articles, small and great, which were piled to a height that I thought very unsafe both to goods and passengers. With a marvellous ill grace the men took up their oars when their load was completed, but declared they would go on shore and make a Are and cook their din- ners, they not having eaten any food, though they had taken large potations of the whisky. This measure was opposed by some of the gentlemen, and a fierce and angry scene ensued, which ended in the mutineers fling- ing down their oars, and positively refusing to row another stroke till they had satisfied their hunger. Perhaps I had a fellow-feeling for them, as I began to be exceedingly hungry, almost ravenous, myself, having fasted since six that morning ; indeed, so faint was I, that I was fain to get my husband to procure me a morsel of the coarse uninviting bread that was produced by the rowers, and which they ate with huge slices of raw pickled pork, seasoning this unseemly meal witli curses '* not loud, but deep," and bitter taunts against those who prevented them from cooking their food like Christians. While I was eagerly eating the bit of bread, an old farmer, who had eyed me for some time with a mixture of curiosity and compassion, said, " Poor thing: well, you do seem hungry indeed, and I dare say are just out from the otUd country, and so little used to such hard fare. Here are some cakes that my woman (i,e. wife) put in my pocket when I left home ; I care nothing for them, but they are better than that bad bread ; take *em, and welcome." With these words he tossed some very respectable home-made seed-cakes into my lap, and ti'uly IBISU BOATMEX. 61 never was anything more welcome than this seasonable refreshment. A sullen and ploomy spirit seemed to prevail among our boatmen, which by no means diminished as the even- ing drew on, and *' the rapids were near." The sun had set, and the moon and stars rose brilliantly over the still waters, which gave back the reflection of this glorious multitude of heavenly bodies. A sight so passing fair might have stilled the most turbulent s))irits into peace ; at least, so I thought, as, wrapped in my cloak, I leant back against the supporting arm of my husband, and looked Irom the waters to the sky, and from the sky to the waters, with delight and admiration. My ])leasant reverie was, however, soon ended, when I suuuenly felt the boat touch the rocky bank, and heard the boatmen protesting they would go no farther that night. We were nearly three miles below Peterborough, and how I was to walk this distance, weakened as I was by recent illness and fatigue of our long travelling, I knew not. To spend the night in an open boat, exposed to the heavy dews arising from the river, would be almost death. While we were deliberating on what to do, the rest of the passengers had made uj) their minds, and taken the way through the woods by a road they were well ac- quainted with. They were soon out of sight, all but one gentleman, who was bargaining with one of the rowers to take him and his dog across the river at the head of the rapids in a skiff. Imagine our situation, at ten o'clock at night, without knowing a single step of our road, put on shore to find the way to the distant town as we best could, or pass the night in the dark forest. Almost in despair, we entreated the gentleman to be our guide as far as he went. But so many obstacles beset our path in the form of newly-chopped trees and blocks of stone, scattered along the shore, that it was with the utmost difficulty we could keep him in sight. At last we came up with him at the place appointed to meet the skiff, and, w ith a pertinacity that at another j)3 ()2 DACKWOODS or CANADA. .'5; 11 •;!!' 1 ■i ■ , iS; 11 li.: . ^;>ii m .iltt,.I !■ ' ' , If 1 Hill ^ Jif'. hi ■■ It. I !•! I' i Kiii' '1.. time and in other circumstances \vc never should haw u(l()|)ti<(l, wo all but insisted on bcin^^ admitted into thi boat. An anartook ined a lenced boy, ?ards. had a sad in a DirricuLTiEs or the wat. 63 gtran^'C hind ; and he swept away the tears that patliered in Ids eyes as he tohl the simple, Initsatl tale of'liis early bereavcuienl ; but added, cheerfully, ho had met with a kind mujiter, who had taken some of hi j l)r()thers and sisters into Irs service as well as himself. Just as we were emerging lron> the gloom of the wood we found our j)ro;rress impeded hy i\ crcfik, as the boy called it, over which he told us we must pass by a log- bridge before we could get to the town. Now, the log- bridire was composed of one log, or ratlicr a fallen tree, thrown across the stream, rendered very slippery by the heavy dew that Iiad risen from the swamp. As the 1 )g admitted of only one person at a time, 1 could receive no assistance from my companions ; and, though our I'ttic guide, witli a natural politeness arising Irom the benevo- lence of his disposition, did me all the service in big power l»y holding tiie lantern close to the surli ^^ to tiirow all the liglit he could on the subject, I had he 'II luck to fall in up to my knees in the water, my head turning ijuitj giddy just as I caine to the last stej) or two ; thus was I wet as well as weary. To add to our misfortune we saw the lights (lisaj)pear, one by one, in the village, till a solitary candle, glimmering from the upper chambers of one or two houses, were our only beacons. We had yd a lodging to seek, and it was near midnight before we reached the door of the principal inn ; there, at least, thought 1, our troubles for to-night will end ; but great was our niortificatio'* »•:! being told there was not a spare bed to bo had in the house, every one being occupied by emigrants going up to one of the back townships. I^ould go no farther, and wc petitioned for a p.lace by tne kitchen fire, where wc might rest, at least, if not sleep, and I nnght dry vcy wet garments. On seeing my condition the landlady took compassion on me, led rae to a blazing fire, wliich her damsels quickly roused up ; one brought a warm bath for my feet, w hile another provided a v.arm potation, which, I really believe, strange and unusual to my lips as it was, did me good : in short, we received every kindness and attention that ii$lm ff:y!lll 64 BACKWOODS or CAXADA. Fare«el],ffly dearest Mother. i J 4 '•elinquished "ting them- TOWA* OF PETERBOROUGH. 65 Letter VI. Peterborough. — Manners and Language of the Americans. — Scotch Engineman. — Description of Peterborough and its Environs. — Canadian Flowers. — Shanties. — Hardships suffered by first Settlers. — Process of establishing a Farm. Peterborough, Sept. 11, 1832. It is now settled that we abide here till after the govern- ment sale has taken place. We are then to remain with S and his family till we have got a few acres chop- ped, and a log-house put up on our own land. Having determined to go at once into the bush, on account of our military grant, which we have been so fortunate as to draw in the neighbourhood of S , we have fully made up our minds to enter at once, and cheerfully, on the privations and inconveniences attending such a situ- ation ; as there is no choice betw*^en relinquishing that great advantage and doing our settlement duties. We shall not be worse off than others who have gone before us to the unsettled townships, many of whom, naval and military officers, with their femilies, have had to struggle with considerable difficulties, but who are now beginning to feel the advantages arising from their exertions. In addition to the land he is entitled to as an officer in the British service, my husband is in treaty for the purchase of an eligible lot by small lakes. This will give us a water frontage, and a further inducement to bring us within a little distance of S ; so that we shall not be quite so lonely as if we had gone on to our government lot at once. We have experienced some attention and hospitality mm Ill' m ■«« . ^'# i 6(5 BACKWOODS OF CANADA. fjo^rroSi:'; ts?-^- ^-wou^h. .v. . fe™.!^ and goo/ oduc i r^'^^roLT"^ °*' re^peS L" nothing better than whaf »„ i, ^f"" ^ ^"""e 'X 'n fact ?o«^ns at home ^"g^.t"^^ """ '" 'ho'eountry '"Canada holds a veryS ' ' '^' T' ""« storekeeper of the English village The J'l '™'" ">« ^''^Pl^eeper chants and bankers of the „lL •"''^l'^'^ "'•« the mer- Almost alJ money matti,^ ^ T '" '"'^'''^ «hey reside 'hat must distingu Lh ^h^ Jtf''"'""°" ""d ~rs ?eemg that the labour n^ Zf "^Pl '" "''^ country mdustrious, may soon "4oZ ' hfs t ^ ^"'^^"'"nd worldly possess bns Tho ;„ * ^"Jual in point nf It IS the mind that fonnsThe a3^ T" "'' "dueation' classes m this country "V„^ d'stmction between the ^ We had heard s7much ff 2 H?" '' ^°^'' •'" Yankees in this cou,Z that r "''?''""<''•« "f the surprised by the few sZ'i^en^ of nf • '^^^''' ^^''^^ably I have seen. They wire for ^L ^'"''^ -Americans that behaved people, ^he onlv n .""'? '^''t. Po'ito, well- then, wer^ a 'certain nasa^tlLT-"""""^^' ^ obser;ed „ Y odd phrases ; but fl eie we^-! '", '^^^''S, and some dass who "guess • and ' "JX^";^'^- "\?^ ^y the lower we do. One of their most rema&e''J'"'"."'<'^« '^an ^"atever work requires to Ttt If^t fj^^;' MANNEBS OF THE AMERICANS. 67 There is >fficers and and store- espectable is, in fact, 10 country ;orekeeper liopkeeper } the mer- 3y reside, hem, and sequence, igistrates, ncial par- ties them itry, you is no un- I military inter, or rs' chop- by such manners country, ent and oint of be ever cation, en the of the [eeably IS that well- ^ed in some llower than '.red. " Fix tiic room,** is, set it in order. ** Fix the table," — " Fix the fire," says *5 -"^ mistress to her servants, and the things are fixed accor-'^ingly. I Mas amused one day by hearing a woman tell her husband the chimney wanted fixing. I thought it soemod secure enough, and was a little surprised when the man got a rope and a few cedar boughs, with which he dislodged an accumulation of soot that caused the fire to smoke. The chimney being Ji.red, all went right again. This odd term is not confined to the lower orders alone, and, from hearing it so often, it becomes a stand- ard word even among the later emigrants from our own country. With the exception of some few remarkable expres- sions, and an attempt at introducing line words in their e very-day conversation, the lower order of Yankees have a decided advantage over our English peasantry in the use of grammatical language ; they speak better English than you will hear from persons of the same class in any part of England, Ireland, or Scotland ; a fact that we should be unwilling, I suppose, to allow at home. If I were asked what appeared to me the most striking feature in the manners of the Americans that I had met with, I should say it was coldness approaching to apathy. I do not at all imagine them to be deficient in feeling or real sensibility, but they do not suffer their emotion to be seen. They are less profuse in their expressions of welcome and kindness than we are, though probably quite as sincere. No one doubts their hospitality ; but, after all, one likes to see the hearty shako of the hand, and hear the cordial word that makes one feel oneself welcome. Persons who come to this country are very apt to con- found the old settlers from Britain with the native Ame- ricans ; and when they meet with people of rude, offensive manners, using certain Yankee words in their conversation, and making a display of independence not exactly suitable to their own aristocratical notions, they immediately suppose they must be genuine Yankees, while they are, in fact, only imitators ; and you weU ' ' - Ml " iifn :l»('' ^■tl' ';' fili^i (li: 'ill' ; Pfllfi es BACKWOODS OF CANADA. fetir'*''^*"''*'' -'-ion, «Wa,swo.e than of equality, especialinie Tnfi • ""^"r"" «"'' ^ffeetatioa S?oteh ; the ELglish Jess so 'w"" ^^' "^ ^"^^ ^ tamed by the be&viour of a v I "'^'"^ "^ther enter- neer of the steamer on rnvVr^.^'^'^^hman, the en! «fcrence to the Z:n:^eZ^"^^^t"'''''^'''^^ l"™ «S ";„7,T« '"--'y. and fl "^t' i° „ he engme. His man. avoided the least approach tT„ I' ^® scrupulously ^I'ect ; nay. he even «^Tso t f "'^ '^ ""tv^ard re^ bench close beside ,„e "Id nh, '". ''.^* ''^^''^ O" the many advantages this country ff"!'' "''" " among the '■0 dW not reckon it he it^of 11;'' '» T'^^'"^ ^'"oW™ obliged to take off his Ct „h !" ""^ *■« "as no (meaning persons of our del^^" he spoke to people other title than theirnamf t ?^ ''''•^fcss them by ^y take his seat beside any gentlema.^n' ^'^ '=""''' ^oS laughing at this^L.llJ ; "but' I do'^hf '''" '" "•««■"!" from rate the advantage of snrh „ • m""" ^°" ^^atly ove" oblige the iadyof ge,t£nP, ''''^''' ^"^ you cannot •"on of your qualiSon^r r"''"'^''' "'^^"c opt yoa unless it pllases them i do t ^.""^1^!"^ be/de I rose up and left the indeLnden; ^'"^ ^'''^ "-ords a little confounded at the^n^ g«n«leman evidently recovered his self-possessin^^"'"'^ •. however, he soon axe he held in hisTnd ^r^id^'^./r'' '-''"^"^ti^ guess bemg born a poor' man " ' ^' '^ "o ''"'^e, I iXone in the worM " «« T- i birth is not of Co';, jffl "^ ^^and ; « a man's atttrjinrb^^or^^^^^^^^^^ affi?:tif;rtrirr 'S.\ r'" f -'-*-» aga-n .peatin, ,,3 satisCrat ^l^X^f;^ A SCOTCH ENGINEER. 69 this country to take off his hat, or speak with respect to gentlemen, as they styled themselves. " No one, my friend, could have obliged you to be well mannered at home any more than in Canada. Surely you could have kept your hat on your head if you had been so disposed ; no gentleman would have knocked it off, I am sure. As to the boasted advantage of rude manners in Canada, I should think something of it if it benefited you the least, or put one extra dollar in vour pocket ; but I have my doubts if it has that profit- able efiect." *' There is a comfort, I guess, in considering oneself equal to a gentleman.'* " Particularly if you could induce the gentleman to think the same." This was a point that seemed rather to disconcert our candidate for equality, who com- menced whistling and kicking his heels with redoubled energy. " Now," said his tormentor, " you have explained your notions of Canadian independence ; be so good as to explain the machinery of your engine, with which you seem very well acquainted." The man eyed my husband for a minute, half sulking, half pleased at the implied compliment on his skill, and, walking oft' to the engine, discussed the management of it with considerable fluency, and from that time treated us with perfect respect. He was evidently struck with my husband's reply to his question, put in a most dis- courteous tone, " Pray, what makes a gentleman ? I '11 thank you to answer me that." " Good manners and good education," was the reply. "A rich man or a high-born man, if he is rude, ill-mannered, and ignorant, is no more a gentleman than yourself." This put the matter on a different footing, and the engineer had the good sense to perceive that rude fami- liarity did not constitute a gentleman. But it is now time I shou'd give you some account of Peterborough, which, in point of situation, is superior to any place I have yet seen in the Upper Province. It occupies a central point between the townships of Mo- (0 mi lllllii Mm im iff' I'. ' ■ E, -'I'L' I BACKWOODS or CANADA. ll castle district. ^^ ^^ ^"^ capital of the N.m * fmall lak;,Xrtlfo riv e/.^f ^^ '''?'"' J"^' a'-vo ,1,, « CIS. The orifr:maKlZl '^"'^ ''^'«»'' 'ow uooi 1 ."■'l out ir. half-aCo Tot^ X"'^,™' f"""' "^ ""^ '"-n y a divcrsitv >"? over a eo„sider:b?e';™et o l^.o;:l' ""> '<"vn sjS . i he plains descenH nil [ " °"""- nvcr, whieh rushes thf con f,l'' If"^''^ *°»'«'-* 'i.o tween ,ts banks. Fancy a C^'"'^'™'^'^ impetuosity be ra"P? fho east and we'^ ' H?' ""T."^ ""'%, and^sem ';fmct v;;ia^es. ■' ^'"''""^ 0* the town into .14 tho'Mo:;;;^J-\„r^^^^^^^^ loftier elevation t„a. pt;z^:!^^y^^j^ trn;t:^t borough East, and is ..Ltn" '^ >■'"' '' ««"^d Pete viduals of lar™ eai. tl f. "1' °' '"o or three in,Vi purehasod. ^ '"''""'' '™"' »hom the town lots are I'eterl.orough thus divider) ^„ ground jnore than suffic enffbr IhT/n' ^T' ''««'" "^ <^'t.v. 1 he number of inhnl,;* . 'orniation of a lar-e ^even hundred and upwa rd^'^J iT l""^ ■'•'^koned "at grease as rapidly in t ,e nev't ?„, " ^ntinues to in- '"te'y, .t will so6n be a ver^popXjr'^ 'I '* '"^ '''"'<= ll'cre IS great water-power K '""'"• . «. . ^ ' ''°"' «s "-egards the river ^ince this accoimf- /^p t> ( r CANADIAN BOTANY. 71 11 J the fine broad creek which winds its way through [le town, and falls into the small lake below. There re several saw and grist mills, a distillery, fulling-mill, kvo principal inns, besides smaller ones, a number of tool stores, a government school-house, which also ((Tvcs for a church, till one more suitable should be built. Vhe plains are sold off in park lots, and some pretty pttle dwellings are being built, but I much fear the latural beauties of this lovely spot will be soon spoiled. I am never weary with strolling about, climbing the lills in every direction, to catch some new prospect, or rather some new flowers, which, though getting late in the summer, are still abundant. Among the i)lants with whose names I am acquainted ire a variety of shrubby asters, of every tint of blue, |)iirp!e, and pearly white ; a lilac monardn^ most delight- I'lilly aromatic, even to the dry stalks and seed-vessels ; the white gnaphalium^ or everlasting flower ; roses of several kinds, a few late buds of which I found in a ralK'y near the church. I also noticed among the ?hnibs a very pretty little plant, resembling our box ; it trails along the ground, sending up branches and shoots ; the leaves turn of a deep copper red ;* yet, in spite of [tills contradiction, it is an evergreen. I also noticed some beautiful lichens, with coral caps surmounting the Igrey hollow footstalks, whicji grow in irregular tufts [among the dry mosses, or more frequently I found them joovering the roots of the trees or half-decayed timbers. (Among a variety of fungi I gathered a hollow cup of the most splendid scarlet within, and a pale fawn colour without ; another very beautiful fungi consisted of small branches like clusters of white coral, but of so delicate a (texture that the slightest touch caused them to break. The ground in many places was covered with a thick Icarpet of strawberries of many varieties, which aflbrd a 'constant dessert during the season to those who choose to pick them, a privilege of which I am sure I should gladly avail myself were I near them in the summer, * Probably a Gaultheria. — Ed. m B m: ■' '!i|'';ir 1 ;|l.' I'' ill'ir: ■■' !|l l\ Oil |i fi!;i " I 11' .!!!;►* "^i: 'ill ''Jl::;'! r* •h'-i m ■tl» m % ii ,J:,, ill ;^!!y'l ii . ■ i' : r. M Hi >;; I !H ifji m HiMii 72 BACKWOODS OF CANADA. Beside the plants I have myself observed in blossom, I am told the spring and summer produce many others ;- the orange lily ; the phlox, or purple lichnidea ; the nio. cassin flower, or ladies' slipper ; lilies of the valley in abundance ; and, towards the banks of the creek and the Otanabee, the splendid cardinal flower (lobelia cardinalis) waves its scarlet spikes of blossoms. I am half inclined to be angry when I admire the beauty of the Canadian flowers, to be constantly reminded that they are scentless, and therefore scarcely worthy of attention ; as if the eye could not be charmed by beauty of form and harniony of colours, independent of the sense of smelling being gratifled. To redeem this country from the censure cast on it by a very clever gentleman I once met in London, who said, ** the flowers were without perfume, and the birds with- out song," I have already discovered several highly arc matic plants and flowers. The milk-weed must not be omitted among these ; a beautiful shrubby plant with purple flowers, which are alike remarkable for beauty of ; colour and richness of scent. I shall very soon begin to collect a hortus siccus for Eliza, with a description of the plants, growth, and qua-j^ lities. Any striking particulars respecting them I shall make notes of; and tell her she may depend on my sending my specimens, with seeds of such as I can col- lect, at some fltting opportunity. I consider this country opens a wide and fruitful fielJ to the inquiries of the botanist. I now deeply regret I did not benefit by the frequent offers Eliza made me of prosecuting a study which I once thought dry, but now regard as highly interesting, and the fertile source of mental enjoyment, especially to those who, living in the bush, must necessarily be shut out from the pleasures of a large circle of friends, and the varieties that a town or village offer. On Sunday I went to church ; the first opportunity I had had of attending public worship since I was in the Highlands of Scotland ; and surely I had reason to bow my knees in thankfulness to that merciful God who had SQUATTER8 GROUND. 73 roujrht us through the perils of the great deep and the orrors of the pestilence. Never did our beautiful Liturgy seem so touching and impressive as it did that day, — offered up in our lowly log-built church in the wilderness. This simple edifice is situated at the foot of a gentle slope on the plains, surrounded by groups of oak and feathery pines, which, though inferior in point of size to the huice jnnes and oaks of the forest, are far more agree- able to the eye, branching out in a variety of fantastic forms. The turf here is of an emerald greenness : in short, it is a sweet spot, retired from the noise and bustle ^)[' the town, a fitting place in which to worship God in spirit and in truth. There are many beautiful walks towards the Smith- town hills, and along the banks that overlook the river. The summit of this ridge is sterile, and is thickly set with loose bl -cks of red and grey granite, interspersed with large masses of limestone scattered in every direc- tion ; they are mostly smooth and rounded, as it by the action of water. As they are detached, and merely oc- cupy the surface of the ground, it seemed strange to me how ey came at that elevation. A geologist would doubtless be able to solve the mystery in a few minutes. The oaks that grow on this high bank are rather larger and more flourishing than those in the valleys and more fertile portions of the soil. Behind the town, in the direction of the Cavan and Emily roads, is a wide space which I call the " squatters* ground," it being entirely covered with shanties, in which the poor emigrants, commuted pensioners, and the like, have located themselves and families. Some remain here under the ostensible reason of providing a shelter for their wives and children till they have pre- pared a home for their reception on their respective grants ; but not unfrequently it happens that they are too indolent, or really unable to work on their lots, often situated many miles in the backwoods, and in distant and unsettled townships, presenting great obstacles to the poor emigrant, which it requires more energy and !• "1: 1:71' fi 3' ii'. , I 111'-: ■'!»;.;: ■I'''- Mm. '■ ■ ri <4 DAfKWOOIiS OP CANADA. coiirairo to (MifouutLT tiian is jiossrssod \)y a va^^t nunilir- of tlii'in. OtliiTs, of idle and ])roHijrat(^ lial)its, spcti! the inoiiey tlicy ivceivcd, aiui sell the land, tor \vlii(ii they gave away their pensions, after which they reiiuun miserable S(juaiieis on the siuinty-irround. The shanty is a sort oi' j)riinitive hut in Canadian ar- chitecture, and is nothinj^* more than a shed huilt oI'Iol's, the chinks between the round edges of the timbers being tilled with nnid, moss, and bits of wood ; the rool is frequently composed of lo^s split and hollowed witn the axe, and placed sid! ir faces beinL' lis a ehannol The caves of of a chimp- lally answers i'ar more su roimh which shii'tyhasa vhich admits \o chin ir cut 1 IS rds i; 5nii);;e |e ]ost or I have istencd with «• T " ""' "oo*- hi^'ipry of the hard Wns'^enT "[ P"' '"^'^^^^^ to th. settlers in the nei Jhb„ fl„ "■''"''''/^ ''y some „f the C teined but tw;"ft,!^a„:e'r ^r''"'^'' -" neither roads cut nor boate St L ^'"'" .there wcro the distant and settled mrt. {?''^^'""">"okiiting with hotter supply oTLltha^'wtt^M^^'"^^ had no by a small hand-mill, and for *epl?V ■'"' '^""^ S™"-'! every necessary, not even pv^ .• t"'"^ "^^stitute of friend <' are confined princinalU?'"!^'^ ."^ '"««"'>■« the so,l in the unsettled"^ mrTof^.u'" ">« fi"-'! breakeS of case If you diligently Cstion il ^°T7' "' ""^ our the lower class that are iSh ?„ T^ °' "«' '"milies of who had little or no rJeat * , ""^ .""« '""ns, and first twelve months, ~ ev eolT^i *""■ '•«""& the 'and, vou will hear many IVes'o'ft;:,:^"'' '''' "' f -^ i I )mo of thoso <'oniniori re- Hut. I have !»n ^'appy to |<1 vvcrtrnor f proportion ^r evon two rly Iniilt u[, loorcMJ, and houses. [ assure you wives an( I'ustorned to l>ocn con- tlie first or ) rest to tho )i' the first 'ough con- ihere were ating with ; conso- of provi- that has had no y ground stitute of could not net with emigra- itelligent iakers of was our milies of ns, and ring the ofi* the to r, y. w ^ h '* ill ■/ 111' ",j 'I! ,:i T II It'' r flit' '-1 I, ft.'' " "J ■ pi l';!ii 111,!' ■ Ill :!;,!K 'iC jilit i ,,('»• ' lit" ■ tji'j )M' ' ''■'■ Ml! •!|;,, ',11 li'iil ' ' '1% :i'i'! 1^ Ww •j'i'i. / f I ■'i '!(i,;lj 111 i! ., ,{d 78 BACKWOODS OF CANADA. Writers on emigration do not take the trouble of searching out these things, nor does it answer their pur- pose to state disagreeable facts. Few have written ex- clusively on the " Bush." Travellers generally make a hasty journey through the long settled and prosperous portions of the country ; they see a tract of fertile, M'ell-cultivated land, the result of many years of labour ; they see comfortable dwellings abounding with all the substantial necessaries of life ; the farmer's wife makes her own soap, candles, and sugar ; the family are clothed in cloth of their own spinning, and hose of their own knitting. The bread, beer, butter, cheese, meat, poultry, &c., are all the produce of the farm. He con- cludes, therefore, that Canada is a land of Canaan, and writes a book setting forth these advantages, with the addition of obtaining land for a mere song ; and advises ail perTons who would be independent and secure from want to emigrate. He forgets that these advantages are the result of long years of unremittixig and patient labour ; that these things are the crowriy not the Jirst-^rvits of the settler's toil ; and that during the interval many and great privations must be submitted to by almost every class of emigrants. Many persons, on first coming out, especially if they go back into any of the unsettled townships, are dispirited by the unpromising appearance of things about them. They find none of the advantages and comforts of which they had heard and read, and they are unprepared for the present difficulties ; some give way to despondency, and others quit the place in disgust. A little reflection would have shown them that every rood of land must be cleared of the thick forest of timber that encumbers it before an ear of wheat can be grown ; that, after the trees have been chopped, cut into lengths, drawn together, or logged^ as we call it, and burned, the field must be fenced, the seed sown, har- vested, and thrashed before any returns can be obtained ; that this requires time and much labour, and, if hired SUPPLIES IN THE FOREST. 79 labour, considerable outlay of ready money ; and in the meantime a family must eat. If at a distance from a store, every article must be brought through bad roads cither by hand or with a team, the hire of which is gene- rally costly in proportion to the distance and difficulty to be encountered in the conveyance. Now, these things ure better known beforehand, and then people are aware what they have to encounter. Even a labouring man, though he have land of his own, is often, I may say generally, obliged to hire out to work for the first year or two, to earn sufficient for the maintenance of his family ; and even many of them suffer much privation before they reap the benefit of their independence. Were it not for the hope and the certain prospect of bettering their condition ultimately, they would sink under what they have to endure ; but this thought buoys them up. They do not fear an old age of want and pauperism ; the present evils must yield to industry and perseverance ; they think also for their children ; and the trials of the present time are lost in pleasing anticipations for the future. *' Surely," said I, " cows and pigs and poultry might be kept ; and you know, where there is plenty of milk, butter, cheese, and eggs, with pork and fowls, persons cannot be very badly off for food." *' Very true," replied my friend ; " but I must tell you it is easier to talk of these things at first than to keep them, unless on cleared or partially cleared farms ; but we are speaking of a first settlement in the backwoods. Cows, pigs, and fowls must eat, and if you have nothing to give them unless you purchase it, and perhaps have to bring it from some distance, you had better not be troubled with them, as the trouble is certain and the profit doubtful. A cow, it is true, will get her living during the open months of the year in the bu^h, but sometimes siie will ramble away for days together, and then you lose the use of her, and possibly much time in seeking her ; then in the winter she requires some ad- ditional food to the browse * that she gets during the * The cattle are supported ic a great measure during the K 2 ;ij;f I ■ 1 ^'i 41 rrt! ',1' »•. Oil , ,|ii ,1! 'i!l;^ J. % ', m \ii'-i III 1'! ' ■N.;;i;.iiif:i ^ ::i « 1 m 'mm .•ll!!' m * 'lilili 'lilMl 'i ,..;iif Ml!!! ■m! ■ ■ ■^ , ■::.•'! it '■'III '^l!i lii h i, I' 'f. .Jr:; I till -Vi^ ■■ 15';''!!! 80 BACKWOODS OF CANADA. chopping season, or ten to one but she dies before spring- ; and as cows generally lose their milk during the cold weather, if not very well kept, it is best to part with them in the fall and buy again in the spring, unless you have plenty of food for them, which is not often the case the first winter. As to pigs, they are great plagues on a newly cleared farm if you cannot fat them off-hand ; and that you cannot do without you buy food for them, which does not answer to do at first. If they run loose they are a terrible annoyance both to your own crops and your neighbours, if you happen to be within half a mile of one ; for though you may fence out cattle you cannot pigs : even poultry require something more than they pick up about the dwelling to be of any ser- vice to you, and are often taken off by hawks, eagles, foxes, and pole-cats, till you have proper securities for them." *' Then, how are we to spin our own wool and make our own soap and candles ? "* said I. " When you are able to kill your own sheep, and hogs, and oxen, unless you buy wool and tallow" — then, seeing me begin to look somewhat disappointed, he said, " Be not cast down, you will have all these things in time, and more than these, never fear, if you have patience, and use the means of obtaining them. In the meanwhile prepare your mind for many privations to which at present you are a stranger ; and if you would desire to see your hus- band happy and prosjierous, be content to use economy, and, above all, be cheerful. In a few years the farm will supply you with all the necessaries of life, and by and by you may even enjoy many of the luxuries. Then it is that the settler begins to taste the real and solid advan- tages of his emigration ; then he feels the blessings of a country where there are no taxes, tithes, nor poor-rates ; then he truly feels the benefit of independence. It is fall and winter by eating the tender shoots of the maple, beech, and bass, which they seek in the newly chopped fal- low ; but they should likewise be allowed straw or other food, or they will die in the very hard weather. * See notes A and 13 at the end of the volume. til EEFLECTIOJS'S. 81 ics before ilk during est to part ng-, unless not often are great fiat them I buy food If they your own je within out cattle ing more ' any ser- 5, eagles, u'ities for md make I you are In, unless begin to not cast nd more use the prepare ent you our hus- onomy, irni will and bv en it is ad van - ?s of a •-rates ; It is inaple, »ed M- otlier looking" forward to this happy fulfihnent of liis desires tiiat makes the rough paths smooth, and lightens the bu.cien of present ills, lie looks round upon a numerous family without those anxious fears that beset a lather in moderate circumstances at home ; for he knows that he does not leave them destitute of an honest means of supix>rt.** in spite of all the trials he had encountered, I found this gentleman was so much attached to a settler's life, tliat he declared he would not go back to his own country to resiile for a permanence on any account ; nor is he the only one that I have heard express the same opinion, and it likewise seems a univer^-al one among the lower class of emigrants. They are encouraged by the ex- ample of others whom they see enjoying comforts that they could never have obtained had they laboured ever so liard at home : and they wisely reflect they nmst have had hardships to endure had they remained in their native land (many indeed had been driven out by want), without the most remote chance or" bettering themselves or becoming the jjossessors of land free from all restric- tions. '' What to us are the sufferings of one, two, three, or even four years, compared with u whole life of labour and poverty," was the remark of a po"] labourer, who was recounting to us the other day some (^i ihe hard- ships he had met with in this country, lie said he " knew they were only for a short time, u\a that I y in- dustry he should soon get over them." I have already seen two of our poor neighbours that left the parish a twelvemonth ago : they are settled in Canada Company lots, and are getting on well. They have some few acres cleared and cropped, but are obliged to ^^ hire out,'' to enable their families to live, wor^aig on their own land when they can. The men ire in good spirits, and say, '' they shall in a few years have many comforts about them that they never could have got -li home, had they worked late and early : but they com- plain that their wives are always pining for hon.c, and lamenting that ever they crossed the seas." This seems to be the general complaint with all classes : the w omen m ml 1 m mJB ^^h' mm 82 BACKWOODS OF CAKADA. ": :| are discontented ar^fi .. u whole heart into Ti^X ^^IT '"''' "'"> th.ir domestic comforts they had h« " ''7 ""'*' '^e little regret the Wends anH . i ,• °^^" "^^'^ '« eniov th,.v country, and they c^nlt '?"' ""^^ '«'' m the 2 backwoods. '^ '^""°' ""'"■•e the loneliness of tt finJ^^nroTotZTon''"""!;^'' -= ' ''-•I sha-l sources of injoy^e^C^ Iw ^1'""?^""'^ ^ '' J from being dull. Bes"de, h ?^ ">« »'" k'^P cheerful and contented for th:^!'^? "°'.' ■"^''' '° '^^ ner ? The change is not a^rZ!^ t "^ ^elovetl part- ^for his sake I %yl TolfSyZ T ''"»" ''''" -"'i -iment of my f^^^ ^o^^rcll^;;^^-'^'- '^a^ £n i^i:z rren^cTook '" vr ■ ^ r '-- «"■■« anrf I " ='"'<=Ju'led. There arp,h ''"''*^''"'<= "'' the and a shanty up ; but thT u """'"^ '""'"cs chonned dwelling, befngL;reIyano„;n''^'^.''l "<" « habi't^bt: the choppers as a fempomrvT.lf "* """ "'» P"t "P by budd a house. Late 'enZh w^' '" ^'^ ''"'" ''»ve to in a full crop, as the land Um„ T T' '"» '«'« to eet fnd U is no V too late to lot anTh^""'!'P«^' "ot cleared the seed.wheat in • but ■ f -n u ^"™ ""-^ 'allow, and ^et We paid five dolL an/a hi f """^^ ^"^ ^P"ng "rops was rather high for w J land L'tT' *'"' »'"' '"^ •• t£ .-In all probability it »!)) k leisure aa^i„ to X ud nv """^ *™« before I find guests with till Z h^ •""•'• . ^« *hall remSn ''-n, Which 1 4SoZiizcrci^^^^^^ JOURNEY FROM PBTERBOROUGH. 83 t Letter VII. Journey from Peterborough. — Canadian Woods. — Waggon and Team.— Arrival at a Log-house on the Banks of a Lake. — Settlement and first Occupatioas. October 25, 1832. I SHALL begin my letter with a description of our journey through the bush, and so go on, giving an account of our proceedings both within-doors and without. I know my little domestic details will not prove wholly uninteresting to you : for well I am assured that a mother's eye is never weary with reading lines traced by the hand of an absent and beloved child. After some difficulty we succeeded in hiring a waggon and span (i. e. pair abreast) of stout iiorses to convey us and our luggage through the woods to the banks of one of the lakes where S ■ — had appuinied to ferry us across. Therp was no palpable roau, only a blaze on the other side, encumbered by fallen trees, and interrupted by a great cedar swamp, into which one might sink up to one's knees, unless we took the precaution to step along the trunks of the mossy decaying timbers, or make our footing sure on some friendly block of granite or limestone. What is termed in bush-language a blaze is nothing more than notches or slices cut off the bark of trees, to mark out the line of road. The boundaries of the different lots are often marked by a blazed tree, also the concession-lines.* These bla^^s ^\e pf as much use as finger-posts of a dark night. * These concession-lines are certain divisions of the town- ships ; these are again divided into so many lots of 200 acres. The concession-liues used to bu umv|ied by a wide avenue ¥ ', 1 • 1 [ i ■ ' 5 ■ t ' ■ > > ■ l}\ . ' '"8 0- -yM V y ! 'J i it .' j,,j ^M I ' ' i ': M ^' mt 1 « , ■ mi ^'!iV ■•:S4 ■ 1*1 >l If;' :''»., h'!. ill* tip r^ . .1. ■!■ 1^ ' 1 ^ ii .'.| .ii :! i; ;!•(, r.v:;'ti; U BACKWOODS OF CANADA. The road wc were compelled to take lay ever the Peterborough plains, in the direction of the river, the scenery of which })leased me much, though it j)resents little appearance of fertility, with the exception of two or three extensive clearings. About tliree miles above Peterborough the road winds along the brow of a steep ridge, the bottom of which has every appearance of having been formerly the bed of a lateral branch of the present river, or perhaps some small lake, which has been diverted from its channel, and mei'ued in the Otanabee. On either side this ridge tliere is a steep descent : on the right, the Otanabee breaks upon you, rushing with i..ieat velocity over its rocky bed, ibrming rajjids in iruniature, resembling those of the St. Lawi-ence : its dark frowning woods of sombre pine give a grandeur to tivj scenery that is very impressive. On the left lies below you a sweet secluded dell of evergreens, cedar, hemlock, and ])ine, enlivened by a few deciduous trees. Through this dell there is a road track leading to a fine cleared farm, the green pastures of which were rendered more pleasing by the absence of the odious stumps tlnit disfigure the clearings in this part of the country. A pretty bright stream flows through the low meadow that lies at the loot of the hill, which you descend suddenly close by a smal , st-mill that is worked by the waters, just w here they njcet the rapids of the river. I called this place " Glen Morrison," partly from the remembrance of the lovely Ghn Morrison of the High- lands, and i>artly bec.uisc It was the name of the settler that owned the spot. Our progress was but slow on account of the rough- ness of the road, which is beset with innumerable ob- stacles in the shape of loose blocks of granite and lime- ^■ .'11^' 'III'" being chopped, so as to form a road of communication be- tween them ; but this plan was found too trouhU^^^ome ; and in a few years the young growth of timber so choked the opening, that it was of little use. The lately surveyed town* ships, 1 believe, are only divided by blazed lines. on be- i] and lhI t]ie town- I , ,':':*. ''I'M I!,,; ■ 1;.,.';;. i5i.M ■ ' M,.":, !t Jl I'll!,., 'U P ii i IF i; •-• m 3 'Wl^ hi o ^uT-'^^ iio .-^ i , '^i 1 C3 O i '^i,t r- ■'■■*, » "1- ^ < 86 BACKWOODS or CANADA. 1.' 1 r ' ■ «' f I *-di I. ■^^lii nil'!!': •,' :«) •■ft ' "■■■■ 1 ijiitji , ' ,■■"!! t ' s "^'!'ii ' .Mm •'■liil; i^ Btonc, with which the lands on the banks of the river and lakes abound ; to say nothing of fallen trees, big roots, mud-holes, and corduroy bridges, over which you go jolt, jolt, jolt, till every bone in your body feels as if it were going to be dislocated. An experienced bush- traveller avoids many hard thumps by rising up or clinging to the sides of his rough vehicle. As the day was particularly fine, I often quitted the waggon and walked on with my husband for a mile or so. We soon lost sight entirely of the river, and struck into the deep solitude of the forest, where not a sound disturbed the almost awful stillness that reigned around Scarcely a leaf or bough was in motion, except at us. intervals we caught the sound of the breeze stirring the lofty heads of the pine-trees, and wakening a hoarse and mournful cadence. This, with the tapping of the red- headed and grey woodpeckers on the trunks of the de- caying trees, or the shrill whistling cry of the little striped squirrel, called by the natives ** chitmunk," was every sound that broke the stillness of the wild. Nor was 1 less surprised at the absence of animal life. With the exception of the aforesaid chitmunk, no living thing crossed our path during our long day's journey in the woods. In these vast solitudes one would naturally be led to imagine that the absence of man would have allowed Nature's wild denizens to have abounded free and un- molested ; but the contrary seems to be the case. Al- most all wild animals are more abundant in the cleared districts than in the bush. Man's industry supplies their wants at an easier rate than seeking a scanty subsistence in the forest. You hear continually of depredations committed by wolves, bears, racoons, lynxes, and foxes, in the long- settled parts of the province. In the backwoods the appearance of wild beasts is a matter of much rarer oc- currence. I was disappointed in the forest-trees, having pictured to niyseii hoary giants almost primeval with the country TRAVELLING IN THE WOODS. 87 > river and big roots, ou pro jolt, if it were i-traveller ing to the iiitted the a mile or ind struck t a sound ed around except at rring the aarse and ' the red- f the de- the little ink," was Id. Nor With ng thing y in the )e led to allowed land un- Al- cl eared ies their iistence Ited by long- the rer oc- Ictured )untry I i i I i itself, as greatly exceeding in majesty of form the trees of my native isles, as the vast lakes and mighty rivers of Canada exceed the locks and streams of Britain. There is a want of picturesque beauty in the woods. The young growth of timber alone has any pretension to elegance of form, unless 1 except the hemlocks, which are extremely light and graceful, and of a lovely re- freshing tint of green. Even when winter has stripped the forest it is still beautiful and verdant. The young beeches too are pretty enough, but you miss that fantastic bowery shade that is so delightful in our parks and wood- lands at home. There is no appearance of venerable antiquity in the Canadian woods. There are no ancient spreading oaks that might be called the patriarchs of the forest. A pre- mature decay seems to be their doom. They are up- rooted by the storm, and sink in their first maturity, to give place to a new generation that is ready to fill their places. The pines are certainly the finest trees. In point of size there are none to surpass them. They tower above all the others, forming a dark line that may be dis- tinguished for many miles. The pines being so much loftier than the other trees, are sooner uprooted, as they receive the full and unbroken force of the wind in their tops ; thus it is that the ground is continually strewn with the decaying trunks of huge pines. They also seem more liable to inward decay, and blasting from lightning and fire. Dead pines are more frequently met with than any other tree. Much as I had seen and heard of the badness of the roads in Canada, I was not prepared for such a one as we travelled along this day : indeed, it hardly deserved the name of a road, being little more than an opening hewed out through the woods, the trees being felled and drawn aside, so as to admit a wheeled carriage pass- ing along. The swamps, and little forest streams that occasionally gush across the path, are rendered passable by logs placed side by side. From the ridgy and striped ap- •I' , 88 BACKWOODS OF CANADA. 'jliti. 3 ! s^.»/9f;; pcarancc of these bridges they arc aptly enough tcrmod corduroy. Over those abominiihle corduroys the vehicle jolts, jumping from log to log, with u shock that must be en- dured with as good a grace as possible. If you could boar these knocks, and j)itiloss thumpings and bumpings, without wry faces, your patience and ])hiloso{)hy wonld far exceed mine ; — sometimes I laughed because I would not cry. Imagine you see me perched up on a seat composed of carpet-bcit^s, trunks, and sundry j)ackages, in a vehicle little better than a great rough deal box set on wheels, the sides being merely j)egged in so that more than once I found myself in rather an awkward itredicament, owing to the said sides jumping out. In the vvvy midst of a deep mud-hole out went the front board, and with the shock went the teamster (driver), who looked rather confounded at finding himself lodged just in the middle of a slough as bad as the "Slough of Des])ond." For my part, as I could do no good, I kept my seat, and piitient.ly awaited the restoration to order. This was soon elieeted,and all went on well again till a jolt against a huge pine-tree gave su^h a jar to the ill-set vehicle, that one of the boards danced out that composed the bottom, and a sack of flour and bag of salted pork, which was on its way to a settler's, whose clearing we had to pass in the way, were ejected. A good teamster is sel- dom taken aback by such trifles as these. He is, or should be, provided with an axe. No wag- gon, team, or any other travelling equipage should be unprovided with an instrument of this kind ; as no one can answer for the obstacles that may impede his pro- gress in the bush. The disasters we met fortunately required but little skill in remedying. The sides need only a stout peg, and the loosened planks that form the l)ottom being quickly replaced, away you go again over root, stump, and stone, mud-hole, and corduroy ; now against the trunk of some standing tree, now mounting over some fallen one, with an impulse that would annihi- Jate any lighter equipage than a Canadian waggon, which SAGACITY OF CANADIAN HORSES. 89 ^iigh tormod 'olilclc jolts, must be en. 'U could bear I bnin])ln<:s, ?oj)hy would ausc I would conii)oso(l of In a v(dji('le t on wheels, ■e than once incnt, owing r midst of a tid with the jked rather the midille ond." For 17 seat, and This was jolt against set vehicle, nposed the K)rk, which we had to ister is sel- No wag- should be as no one lo his pro- tbrtunately sides need form the again over roy ; now mounting Id annihi- :on, which is admiiably fiftccl by its very roughness for such roads as we have in the b-jish. The sagacity of the horses of this country is truly ad« niirabl«\ Their patience in surmounting the difhcidties they 'lavc to encounter, their skill in avoiding the holes and stones, and in making their footing sure over vhc round and slippery timbers of the log-bri