vj <^ /2 V c^. '^^ ^'^^ ^ ,>^ 5> >^ y IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 IIQ 12.8 I.I 1^ 1^ iiiiii 120 1.8 Photographic Sciences Corporation // .^ :a 1.25 14 III J4 ^ 6" ► ^ VSS i\ 4v \\ ^9> V^ «^ o\ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 CIHM/ICMH Micrcfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. D D n D Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur I I Covers damaged/ Couverture endommag6e □ Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurde et/ou pelliculde □ Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque I I Coloured maps/ Cartes g^ographiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) I I Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Relid avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La re liure serr6e peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge intirieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajout6es lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6t6 film^es. L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6td possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la mdthode normale de filmage sont indiqu^s ci-dessous. □ Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur □ Pages damaged/ Pages endommag^es n Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaurdes et/ou pelliculies \/ D Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages ddcolor^es, tachetdes ou piqudes □ Pages detached/ Pages d6tach6es Showthrough/ Transparence I I Quality of print varies/ Quality in^gale de I'impression Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du matdriel supplementaire ^% The to t The pos oft film Ori( beg the sior othi firsi sior or il The shtti TIN whi Mai diff( enti begi righ reqi met Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont 6t6 fiimdes d nouveau de fapon d obtenir la meilleure image possible. D Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppldmentaires; This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est filmd au taux de reduction indiqu6 ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X y 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X lire ddtails jes du modifier ]er une filmage 6es The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: Librarv of the Public Archives of Canada The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shfall contain the symbol — ^ (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. L'exemplaire filmd fut reproduit grdce d la ginirositd de: La bibliothdque des Archives publiques du Canada Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nettet6 de rexemplaire filmd, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprimde sont film6s en commenqant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont film6s en commenpant par la premidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — '»> signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". re f errata d to It le pelure, pon d n Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: 1 2 3 Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmds i des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichd, il est filmd d partir de Tangle sup^rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 C. ^^r r r^^ /.r P^< ^r/?4 ,^ f^. \ K ;^^.^^ ^^^^-i^ /^^^r ^^- ^'/j^^^ r>c.jrt>^<^^Cr\ % i d. <^tn ^ etee^ I ■ ■$ < ^-cA f 9 / » /t./Lfi' /tl:~ c Yi^. ^^^^'z- ^^^^^^^ y^^^*-'i^^4<\ ///,,^/f/^_ cT SKETCHES OF A SOLDIER'S LIFE I.O.N DON PUINTIiJ) UY Sl'OTTItiVVOOUK AND CO. NJiW-iSTIiEliT bt^UAHE / : > ; A « r V KB i . 'i^^niao MPi «i I ;* ■<:!<>• \L> AJVi) l,OKfvt-?ri'f^!)/.3t V o rSH' ^'-. ^'f ■j{:^t-lLr-^ '^/'^, ii..L, H.'>-HK:i ^Y. .i^y-. . ... v. U /{..-i CANADA AND TiiK CVx\m\ OK . .^Kia'ciiK.^ OF A SOU) liars iavk FROM TIIL: JOUllNALS AND COURESPONDENCH OF THE LATE MAJOR RANKEiX, R.E. EDITED BY HIS EROTUER, W. RAY^'E RAXKEX LOJ\DOx\ LONGMAN, GREEN, LONGMAN, AND ROBERTS COXrK.XTS ~*o*- ruAP. I. II. in. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. In ruoDicTioN Moi.m: III ntin(; - A Canadian l-'uii; Ti'i Key Wesi- and the Havana Havana — De Ramos, Palm-Sunday — A Dinner wrn the English Consul — Return to Montreal QuEUEC - Gavazzi Riots — Rumours ok War . Bound for the Crimea Ahrivai. ai' Sehastoi>oi. The Assault ok the Redan Inside Seiiastopol Winter in the Crimea . The New Year .... The Last Death in the Crimea Appendix ... PA (IE I HI !)!) 117 i;{;} Kil ins 20;} 228 250 27;i 291 ;}()7 M self brot F and fron: inte] whic publ read A appe publ I pres< CANADA AND THE CRIMEA CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. 5 MY object is to make this book, as far as possible, autobiograpbical. I sliaU therefore content my- self by giving a very sliglit introductory sketch of my brother's life before he entered the army. From that time, until his death in 1856, his letters and journals record its principal events. I have selected from these what I consider the most striking and interesting passages ; purposely omitting everytldug which it appeared a violation of confidence to make public, or which would be unattractive to the general reader. A portion of the contents of this book has already appeared in a small volume/- edited by myself and published four years ago.* I have added considerably to this portion of my present subject, and availed myself of information I * Six Months at Sobastopol, B CANADA AND THE CRIMEA have received, to render my brother's narrative of events in the Crimea as correct as possible. Should this labour of love prove successful, its success must be attributed to him ; should it fail, it will be owing to want of skill on my part, in the arrange- ment of materials, in themselves interesting and attractive.* George Ranken was born in London, on the 4th of January, 1 828. He was educated by the Rev. Dr. Smith, at Rottingdean, near Brighton, and the Rev. William Moore, at Ryde, Isle of Wight. In 1843 he received from the Right Hon. Henry Goulburn a nomination for a cadetship at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. In that year he left the Isle of Wight, to commence at Woolwich his future course of studies. In 1844 he became a cadet, anu in October 1847 was commissioned as second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers, having passed a most excellent examination, in which he held the fourth place among forty competitors. This was a successful debut into military life for one who had had but little previous training for the Aca- demy, and no intention, until 1843, of entering a scientific corps. * The publication of tins book has, from various causes, been delayed ; but no time seems more fitted for its appearance tlian the present, when so much interest is concentrated upon Canada, and when the prospect of a winter campaig-n in the West recalls the heroism and devotion displayed six or seven years ago by our noble army in the East. ten to I INTRODUCTION tive of events iccessful, its it fail, it will the arrange- resting and 1 the 4th of 7. Dr. Smith, ev. William Ion. Henry b the Eoyal ) commence [n 1844 he mmissioned ers, having ch he held life for one r the Aca- entering a causes, been •earance tlian ipon Canada, West recalls s ago by our In December 1849 my l)rother became a first lien- tenant, and in April 1850 received orders to i)roceed to Canada. He arrived at ^Montreal early in ^lay, remained there uliout a month, and was afterwards .stationed at Quebec, until ]March 1852, wlien he returned to Mon- treal. In Februarv and March 1853, he made a tour throuL;h the United States and portions t)f South America, where he commenced a journal, which he continued till within a few days of his death. In 3 lay 1853 he went a second time to Quebec, remaining there luitil September in the following j^ear; and then returning to England. From November 1854 until August 1855 he was stationed, first in Ediid)m"gh, and afterwards at Fort George, Inverness; and in August received orders to repair to the Crimea. Tliese dates render more intelligible the narrative which follows. His first impressions of America I consider suffi- ciently graphic to be given at some length. Extract from a Letter. * Eevere House Hotel, Boston. I'nitod States, April 2i>nd, 1850. ' Thank God ! I am safely landed. I arrived at Boston about twelve o'clock on Saturday. We had a very pleasant termination to our voyage, though the day after I wrote we got into a field of ice, which delayed us four or five hours. The captain tried to get through B 2 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA it, but found lie could not, and was forced to hack out with considerable damage to his paddle-wheels, almost all the floats of which were broken or injured. The field was of vast extent, no blue water being- visible beyond from the masthead. ' The cut-water of the steamer ran right into a large block, which we carried away with us for a short dis- tance, until the officer on watch perceived that, although there was a dead calm, we were only moving along at three knots per hour, and took measures to dislodge our travelling companion. We approached Halifax harbour on Thursday night, and reached our wharf at about twelve o'clock. The night was lovely ; water ([uite calm, and moon and stars shining. The light, however, was scarcely sufficient to give us a clear view of the town. The harbour is the most dangerous one imaginable to enter in foggy weather, as there is a large reef of rocks at its mouth. Ships have sometimes to lay-to sevei'al days near the entrance, as misty weather frequent!}' prevails. ' I landed, however, with a party, and walked through the town to the princijDal hotel, w^here we found the accommodation wretched, and were disappointed of the pleasure of drinking sherry coblers as tliere was no ice. * Nova Scotia is a wild, rugged country, covered w^ith primeval forest, and dotted with small lakes. Halifax is supplied with fresh water from a lake several hundred feet above the city ; this elevated reservoir is most useful in case of fires, as no pumping is required. Halifax itself is a large town, Avith two harbours and some fine liou cap I havi SiC, I I INTRODUCTION to back out eels, almost ured. The L'iijg visible into a laro-e I short dis- it, although ig along at islodge our ax harbour at about {uite calm, wever, was the town, igiiiable to of rocks at vei-al days y prevails, d through found the lointed of there was ered with Halifax I hundred ost useful Halifax :iome fine It }eabl( an a^rree isliiufr and shooting'. ilitary station, as there is nousG!^. capital _, I think the Americans have been mucli maligned, or have nuich improved since tlie works of INIrs. Trolloj^e, &c., have been written. 'I was very much pleased at the extreme civility with which tlie commonest people answer any question you may ask, tliough the equality which is supposed to exist out here amuses me vastly. ' I intended going round by Xew York, and therefore wished most of mv luu-ufaoje to be forwarded to jNIon- treal direct. I was introduced to the agent and car- rier, who touched their hats, and shook hands ; and the next morning one of them breakfasted at the same table with me. * On the morning of Saturday, April 20th, we came in sight of the shores of America, and entered the beautiful harbour of Boston. We had a lovely morning for the termination of our troubles. The sun shone brill iantl}^, sparkling on the water, which was scarcely rippled by a light breeze, just sufficient to fill the white sails of the beautiful and eleofant craft which was cruising about around us and in the offing. ' Sails are made here of Russian canvas, which is finer and whiter than ours, but not so suitable for rough weather. * The steamers are ugly enough to look at, having large cabins on deck. They go ahead, however, most gallantly, doing sometimes nearly twenty miles an hour ; but are more liable, generally speaking, to ex- CANADA AND THE CRIMEA plo(l(-' tlian ours are. \Mi('n tliey race (which they do a great deal on the Mississippi), tliey put weiglits on the safety valve. *Thc approaclies to the harbour are strongly fortified, and I had occasion to admire an extremely pretty, re- gular, little pentagonal fort, built according to Vaidjau's system, on a small island. * The lower parts and narrow streets of l^>oston have much the appearance of a French city, and are dirty and disagreeiible. ' The best houses have most of them white doors with the resident's name on a ])rass plate, and a glass bell-handle on each side for servants and visitors, as in England. They are kei)t beautifiuly clean and bright, and have a pleasing and clieerful effect. *Coloiu'ed panes of glass are introduced in the windows in the most irregular manner, witli the view, I .should imagine, of throwing a rich liglit on some particular object or article of furniture. ' The hotel I am staving- at is a new and very fine one, beautifully fitted up in the French st3de ; but though very bright and pleasing in appearance, without that air of comfort which pervades an English re- sidence. A thing which I foimd almost unbearable is the high temperature at which tliey keep the liotel by means of steam pipes. The thermometer stands be- tween 65" and 70°, and the difference between the temperature in and out of doors is most trying. ' The great luxury out here is the Wenliam Lake ice. Everything is iced. Ice on the butter, ice in the INTRODUCTION ieh they do wei-^'lit.s on ^]y fortified, prett}', re- A'auljuii's ostoii have 1 arc dirty hito doors lid a ghiss iters, as in ind l)right, le Aviiidows , I .'Iiould particular I very fine ;tyle; but e, without igiisli re- earable is 3 Iiotel by taiids be- iveen the am Lake ce in the beer, wine, and water ; ice creams always for dinner, and all kinds of ice drinks, the principal of which are lemonade, mint jnlep, sherry cobler, and san^L,^aree. The names of some of the drinks which you get at the bar of every hotel or oyster saloon are most amusing. A man told me he could make up 400 different kinds. The principal are different kinds of punch, brandy cocktail, brandy and gin smash, brandy skin, thunder and lightning, gin sling, sherry cobler, S:c. Honvj of them are made with pepper, and have correspond- ingly hot names. '8([uash, an immense yellow vegetable something like a pumpkin in appearance, and eaten mashed, is used for tarts, and as a vegetable. It tastes much like a sweet turnip. ' Sweet potato, a vegetable between a potato and parsnip, is likewise eaten. It is yellow and dry. 'They roast their hams out here a great deal, and eat them with champjjgne sauce. ' Halibut is the principal fish in the States. It is of enormous size, and like cod, but not considered so good. ' The society at the ordinary is most mixed. Tliere is very little conversation carried on during dinner ; the Americans have no time for it. They generally dispatch three courses in about twenty-five minutes, rarely take wine, and rise abruptly, and the instant they have finished w^alk off to their counting-houses, &c. * The whole mode of life in an American hotel is perfectly different to what it is in England. You take all your meals in public, or pay extravagantly for the 8' CANADA AND THE CRIMKA I privilege of privacy. You get a very good dinner, l)ut it is not Ji comfortable one to Knglislnnen. The whole affair is so hurried that you have sciircely time to swallow your food, and none for conversation. ' The gentlemen and ladies each have tlieir own dining-room and parlour (as ladies travel all over the States alone, and with the greatest comfort, meeting wherever they go with the greatest attention and politeness). Gentlemen, however, who may be travel- ling with ladies, dine with the ladies; and ^NFrs. Fin- layson's company procured for me that privilege on •Sunday, when I had an opportunity of Ijeholding the Boston belles. Most of the women are pale and in- teresting-looking. They are generally small, and have rather slight figures. Some of them look like French women ; and this resemblance is increased by their dressing in the Parisian fashion, and wearing very bright colours. ' They dress very showily, and sometimes in shocking taste. I saw a girl in a green dress, red shawl, and yellow bonnet. ' As for the men, they have all a marked look of intelligence, keen, restless eyes, generally sharp features, often adorned with a scraggy beard, sallow complexion, and long hair. They dress singularly, often wearing blue trousers. The most fashionable colour is, how- ever, greenish-yellow. ' Speculation and money seem the great objects of life out here. Credit is great. Every little bank issues more dollar and half-dollar notes than its capital. to prel An real heij tre Th( peai INTRODUCTION fl inner, but TJio whole y time to tl J oir own 1 over the J nieeting it ion and 1)0 travel- ^Afrs. Pln- vileg-e on Ifling the and in- aud have e French hy their ing very shoekinir ^wl, and look of features, plexion, wearinir s, how- * On Sunday I accompanied Mr. and Airs. Finhiysou to church, and heard an excellent serniou on bigotry, preached b}' a very intelligent-looking man. The American litui'gy differs slightly from ours. They read the Lord's Praver thus: "Our Father ^vho art in heaven," &c. ; the same as ours to "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." They pray ft)r tlu^ President and Congress, do not re- peat the Lord's Prayer so frequently as we do, omit the short prayers at the end of the Litany, and the Nica>an Creed at the end of the Communion. There are several rather pretty churches in Boston, but the most elegant-looking spire is made oi ivood. 'The Italian Opera, I fancied, had a very ecclesiastical appearance ; and, to my astonishment, I learnt that on Sundays it is used as a Baptist chapel ! ! and that this practi^^e of double usefulness is not uncommon. How shockino- this seems to an Englishman ! ' Everything here is done on a go-a-head principle ; the roads are shocking, but good enough to go-a-head over. * Telegraph wires cross the principal streets, and tall unpainted crooked poles run along opposite some of the best houses with the wires attached to them most roughly ; but they answer the purj^oses of communica- tion, and are most extensively employed in the States, running between places where there are no railways. # * New Yorh. — The American railways are exactly described by Dickens, in his " American Notes." The 10 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA triivc'lliii<; is very clit'Up; I paid only five (loilar.s for the jouiuey from Boston to New York, 224 miles. The arnmij:oineiits for luu'<'ii<'e are excellent. *Tliey give you a brass ticket with a uumher on it, and attach a similar one to your luggage, which is con- veyed to your hotel without any extra charge. *The country between Boston and New York is very hi otru(l( wild and uncultivated. Lar; all directions, only covered occasionally hy a tliin coat- ing of turf. This rocky ground is portioned off by rough stone walls into small divisions, as if it were valuable property. ' We passed through many clean, bright-looking towns, built of wooden houses painted white, with green out- side blinds. * Every little insignificant village boasts its three or four places of worship, built principally of wood and all small. * The train barely stops at the small stations. It lets off its steam as it approaches, and comes very nearly to a halt; during which interval of slack speed, people who wish to start or stop are supposed to get in and out. ' The carriages hold more than fifty people. Every carriage has its stove, and a kind of lane between the seats, where restlessly disposed individuals may pro- menade. * Trains pass over turnpike roads without the smallest ceremony, but a warning is posted up to " look out for the engine while the bell rings." 4 n<>i| of *i .-5 ■ carl we ' tlul INTRODUCTION 11 lollars lor Je.s. Tjie 't'l- on it, 'Ji is con- ^<- is very •tnidu in nil cout- I off by it were p; towns, t^ea oiit- tJiree or 3od and It lets early to people in and Every *en tlie y pro- (lallest )ut for 'The country tliron^di tlie wiiolo journey is nioiiofo- nous. r missed tlii* siniliuj^' fields, tlie shci-p, tlic cattle of old Eu'-liind. Till! houses, too, stand on the roughest l^Tound, and few of them have uny (,'ardens. 'When we uot to New York the enu !i red re drawn be crowd e liud all the fire escaped (! flames ufficient and in- stream y, and Is with aiitiful stances south, 'ingles, from onues. g and 1 perfectly straiglit; they are crossed by more than 130 hroad roail,««, *TiineoidyiH re<[uire(l to fdl up this gigantic jtlan for a vast cify. As yet the avenui.'s and cross streets arc lined '^ith hctDscH merely in the ik ighl)i»urliood of the city; eisewliere the li(»li?ies are scattered. *Irisiinien arc; the tools with which ,Ionathan cirrics on his vast works. Their huts are the oidy wretched- looking aitodes 1 have seen. ' Everywhere there is chiauliness and comfort :d)out the houses, and an air of prosperity, very different IVnm the misery and strtiggling poverty of the nupthcr- country. ' "W'stenhiy T visited the (inn-nwood Cemetery in Hrookiyn, iivv or six miles from New ^'ork, a lovely ])lace, occupying nearly 2'>() acres of ground, and richly wooded. 'Some of the monuments are in good ttistc, and have touching and aj)propriate inscriptions. One of them had simpl}" a group of forget-monot flcnvers with the single word "Mother" underneath. 'This certainlv affected me, and carried niv thoULfhts homo, which I shall he deligiited to see whenever my wanderings cease. After all, there is no place like Old EnLfland. ' Th(! morning I left Xew York was inauspicious and gloomy, so that I saw the TFudson to disadvantage. AVe had light enough, however, to see the Palisade, a famous line of rocks on the left bank, perpendicular, and 300 feet high. They extend for some distance, and I 14 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA ,1 aro crowned with trees, presentiuf^ a very romantic appearance. The scenery at West Point (fifty-two miles from New York) deliglited me. In summer, and f.t sunset, it must be ex([uisite. The shores of the river are very bohl, and composed of richly wooded hills ; and the river just here makes a fine sweep, which has a very beautiful effect. 'The ^Military College is conducted on somewhat similar principles to the Academy at Woolwich, though in some respects on a stricter plan. The cadets are admitted from the age of seventeen, and generally get their commissions before twenty-three. They are all kej^t at the college four years, during which they have only two months vacation. At the end of four years, if able to pass the examination (which not more tlian one third are) they graduate, and receive commissions, haviufT choice according to merit. The Enu'ineers is the highest service out here. They have a fi.st-rate education, and are instructed in several branches not essentially necessary to a military man. They have no study during the summer months, (when West Point is crowded with company) but live in tents, and are con- stantly at drill, going through all the duties of a private soldier. Their uniform is quiet and useful — grey, with black stripe down the trowsers, and round brass buttons on the coats, which have short tails, like our cavalry. There is a grand-nephew of Napoleon studying here, the grandson of Jerome, whose wife, JNIadame Buona- parte, lives at l^altimore. He has a family-likeness to the great EmjDeror, and is a clever fellow, and w'll INTRODUCTION 15 ly romantic t (fifty-two iimmer, and of the river d hills ; and t'hich has a I somewhat ich, though cadets are ^nerally get hey are all 1 they have )ur years, if re than one )mmissions, iigineers is a fi. st-rate ■anches not ey have no ^\st Point is d are con- )f a private -grey, with ^ss buttons ir cavalry, ying here, le Buona- likeness to and w'll i prol)al)ly push his fortunes in France, when his educa- tion is completed. * There is a cemetery for the cadets, very beautifidly situated on a high point near the river. It appears, from the inscriptions, that it is customary when a cadet dies, for his class to erect his monument. On another part of the shore, amid a grove of trees, stands one to the memory of Kosciusko, who I believe was of great assistance to the American arm v.' 16 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA clui CHAPTEE II. g simi MOOSE HUNTING A CANADIAN FIRE. •N ' Quoboc, April 1852. ^"{"OW for the moose hunting. I wished very much to have gone out lust winter, as several officers of the garrison did, and returned successful ; hut my hopes were blighted by my commanding officer refusing me leave. ' This year, when I got leave, I found some difficulty in getting a companion. At last a Lieutenant O'Brien, of the 54th Eegiment, offered himself, was accepted, and the start arranged. ' ]\Ioose are found on both shores of the St. Law- rence, but are more numerous on the south than on the north. They are seldom met with much to the south of Quebec. They return year after year to the same neighbourhood. Though shot down without mercy both by the settlers and the Indians, the hunters say that their numbers appear rather to increase than diminish. They are probably wanderers which roam free and unmolested through the immense pine forests of North America. ' The moose is identical with the elk. He is a large. the}J I MOOSE HUxNTING 17 Lpril 1852. veiy much ral officers 1 ; ])iit my ir refusing 3 difficulty t O'Brien, accepted, St. Law- tlian on eh to the ear to the without e hunters ease than ich roam ne forests s a Large, chunsy-looking animal, with very long, powerfid k^gs, a large head, with a remarkable nose or mouffle, hirge ears, a hump on the neck, a mane, and a long tuft of hair under the chin ; his eye rather small, and without the eloquence of the gazelle's ; his tail remarkable, and similar in shape to a hare's. He has a cloven foot, like the deer tribe, and sinks at each stride nearly to the fviU depth of the snow. His colour is generally a greyish brown ; the hair of his fur long, his antlers corresponding to his size, but only procurable in sum- mer, or at the very commencement of winter. His skin is converted into mocassins, snow shoes, &c. His hair is dyed and worked on bark, or cloth. In the summer time moose are shot from the water. ]MaRy are lost in this sport, as, if not killed by the first bullet, they run away into the bush and die there. * In the summer time they frequent the banks of rivers, whither they repair to cool their limbs, escape the mosquitoes, and feed off the roots and stems of a small water lily, of which they are passionately fond. * They will drive their heads and shoulders three or four feet under water to secure this " bonne bouche." ' The hunters who were to accompany us into the bush lived at a settlement called East P>ampton, on the River Etchman, about forty-two miles from Quebec. They were Irishmen ; four brothers, fine-spirited, honest fellows, perfectly at home in the woods, and accustomed for years to the chase of the moose. They were su- perior, in several points of view, to the Indians who were in the habit of accompanying parties on these 11 \\: IS CANADA AND THE CRIMEA liuntini*- expeditions, as they worked liarder and mon; clieerfiilly, and were much more desirable as com- panions. Their farms beintj^ covered witli snow, and a dead letter, as it were, for so many montljs in the year, they take to hunting every winter as an occupa- tion, realising a very snug little sum by the sale of moose skins, mouffles, &c., and from the liberality of the gentlemen who may chance to re([uire their services as hunters. ' On the two days preceding our start Quebec was visited by one of the heaviest snow storms that had been witnessed even in that favoured city ; but on the day we left all nature was at rest. The sun shone brightly, and not a breath disturbed the surface of the stately river as we crossed it in our canoe. ' Accidents occasionally occur to canoes in crossing the St. Lawrence in the winter, from their getting jammed between the stationary ice on the borders of the river and that which is being carried down with immense force by the stream. A canoe, or boat, getting between these opposing masses, is literally tossed up in the air like a shuttlecock, and its living contents scattered. We were entertained with an agreeable description of an accident of this kind while crossing. ' We got a couple of sleighs at the landing-place (Point Levi), and proceeded on our journey, over roads rendered execrable by the recent fall of snow. ' After travelling about eleven hours, we found our- selves, at ten o'clock at night, in a small house, thirty- six 1 and M ing 1 wear ^tum sett'u next of t miles .■1 .«-^ MOOSE HUNTING 19 r and more le as com- snow, and a iths in the an occiipa- the sale of iiberality of leir services Quebec was s that had hut on the sun slione 'face of the in crossinix eir wttin<2- borders of down with or boat, is literal! j^ 1 its living [ with an this kind iding'-place over roads ound our- ise, tliirty- j six miles from our starting point, very mucli shaken and very tired. 'Our road lav throuijh several neat, clean, and flourish- ing French Canadhm villages; the country about them wearing the appearance of cultivati(m, and cleared of stumps (an indication of the length of time it had i)eeu settled). We reached the shanty of our frishmen on the next day. We were in a new country ; in the place (if the comfort and cleanliness we had left but a few miles behind us, were Irish dirt, Irish architecture, and Irish p(jvertv. Our hunters' dwellin<»: was a rude, mi- finished cottage, with three small windows, and a door in front, kept shut during the winter; a deticient pane supplied by some paper stuck to tlu; sash 1y a fork, which, being called in recpiisition at dinner-time, as ])art of the family plate, the fresh air of heaven was permitted to enter, and chill the apartment unob- structed. ' <,)ne end of the principal apartment (and there were but two, besides a kind of attic) was occupied, on our arrivril, by five or six sheep with their interesting pro- geny, who were too delicate to be exposed, at that cold season, to the chilly atmosphere of a barn. ' The place was dirty ; but the inhabitants formed to- gether a group which pleased me. ' Two of our hunters, fine, intelligent young fellows, lived there with their mother — a mother of fourteen children. The elder of the two was married, and his family had evidently a prospect of being transformed, ;it no distant period, from the singular to the plural c 2 so CANADA AND THE CRIMEA : f number. The wife was a young, and rather plain girl, but her features were stamped with honest good feeling and cheerfulness, so indispensable in the companion of a poor man. Their only child, however, was spoiled. 'Our hunters made their preparations, during the afternoon, for our start on the day following. At night I slept on the floor ; O'Brien in a bed in the same room. We breakfasted at daybreak, and made trac^ on our snow-shoes about an hour afterwards. Snow-shoeing is hard work when the snow is loose, as it was when we started, and as it continued during the whole of the time we were in the bush. When the surface of the snow has been partially thawed by rain, or the heat of the sun, and frozen again, a crust is formed, which is scarcely broken by a snow-shoe, and over which you can walk with ease and comfort. ' Each of our four hunters drew a small Indian sleigh (or " tarboggin ") after him, laden with provisions, buffalo robes, &c. We took with us hard biscuit, flour, split-peas, rice, onions, tea, sugar, anu brandy, with a few pounds of pork. We speculated on soon obtaining moose meat. * The snow-shoeing was very heavy ; and we were glad enough, after a fatiguing tramp of nine or ten hours, to arrive at a spot suitable for the formation of a camp. It was on the borders of the river Etchman. The camp was formed thus : — a hole, about ten feet by seven, was dug out with snow-shoes; two trees, selected as supporters for the ridge-po^e of our roof, were felled to within about seven f:ct of the ground; the of I the the -I MOOSE HUNTING 21 ' i)l.-iin girl, ood feelinfif mpjinion of ? spoiled, diirinof the At night same room. Clip on our '^-shoeing is is when we lole of the face of the ;he heat of d, which is icli you can iian sleigh provisions, cuit, flour, dy, with a obtaining we were tie or ten mation of tchman. t ten feet wo trees, our roof, ground ; ^ the rid^e-pole rested on these, and the roof was formed of boughs, covered with green fir branches, the ends of the boughs resting on the ridge-pole, and sticking into the snow. ' A fire, extending right across the hole, was lighted at one end of it, and at first smoked horribly, almost blinding us. Of course, with such rude implements as snow-shoes, we coidd only partially clear the ground of snow ; all discrepancies, however, were hidden by fir branches, over which we spread our buffalo robes. We slept, of course, with our clothes on. I wore a habi- tan's " bonnet rouge," a thick red woollen night-cap, and over this I drew the head of my blanket-coat. * Thus, with a hard carpet-bag for a pillow, and a blanket rolled round me, I lay down to repose, with the clear sky as a canopy above my head, and the bright moon shining full in front of me, with my head within a few inches of the snow-wall of our cabane, and my feet close to a blazing fire, and sometimes almost burnt by it. I slept badly the first night ; the cold was intense, and perhaps the strangeness of my position drove away the drowsy god. Next morning, after a hurried meal, we started again, shortly after seven o'clock, intending to form our hunting camp two or three miles further on. We crossed some moose tracks during our journey. Our hunters left their packs and diverged: we followed, hoping for sport ; but, after walking some miles, we crossed the snow-shoe track of some Indians, who had evidently anticipated us. In the woods, if a man dis- covers, what is called, a moose-yard, or, in other words. i ■ .1 22 CANADA AND THE CIJIMEA finds traces of moose, he has a riglit to hunt the moose tliiis discovered, Jis long as tlie print of his snow-slioes is visihle. This is a , 'More than 1200 houses have been eonsumed by tire in this city, during Thursday and Friday last. My house escaped by a miracle, bnt my sleighs were both ])urnt, and I have lost several tilings in moving my furniture, tte., to the wharf. 'The fire broke out about nine crdock on Thursday morning, in one of the suburbs of the town. The water-pipes are being changed for larger ones, and during the cliange it was found necessary almost to empty the reservoir which supplies Montreal with water. Consecpiently, scarcely any means were avail- able for stopping the flames. ]Most of the houses in the suburbs, and nearly all the outbuildings attached to large houses in the hea."^- of the city, are of wood, with wooden roofs. Tlie weather had been very hot for several days previous to the tire, and the thermometer during Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, stood at 96° in 1 til I" ill' 9 U () ■ k 1 III 1 nl 1 iii\ 'jak K. i a_ A CANAr)IAN I NIK S7 fcrs were st of till! tlicy were iitinltic to the lialiit i^ of the iv, with a is iH'V(!r U('l)ec on 1(1 l)y fin,' ast. Mv fcvG both )viiiLr mv Tliursday vn. The nes, and linost to L'al with re avail- louses in attached of wood, y hot for mometer at 06° in til ^liadf. It may he imii^^iiicd how dreadfully over- pi >\Vfrin;; this must have heeu, i-ombiiicd with the iiif*^iise hejif of a ra|;in^' lire, and liow readily the dry wooden roofs eau;,dit tht* flames. * The tir( sjjrcad with tearful rji[)idity, and soon iii» . need one of the lust stn-ets, eomposi'd priiu'ipally of liandsomc private residences. Here lived several of my friends, and my commandinj^ officer, Colonel Dixon, R.K., who w;is ahsent at (Quebec on duty. ' WIk'U I arrived at the scene of action, \ took a oetiend survey of the fire, .md reported to tlu^ fomman- d.int of the (iarrison what 1 thou^dit ought to be done to arrest its progress. Owing, however, to the universal confusion, and the wiint of water, nothing 1 suggested Wrus (lone. Finding that my professional services were useless, J applied myself to rescue property belonging to my friends; and, after cutting down and securing a large number of paintings in one house, I rushed to my coloners, and, assisted by soldiers of the Artillery and 2()th Kegiment, sncceeded in saving greater part of his furniture before the flames reached them. *■ By this time my eyes were almost closed with dust, and I was nearly exhausted with heat and fatigue; so 1 left the tire for a few nunutes, to procure some ))randy and soda-water. On my return I found the Hames had considerably increased, and I was sent for by the officer commanding the troops, introduced to the chief engineer of the city, and directed to blow up any houses he might indicate. It is perfectly useless to blow up wooden houses, as they offer scarcely any 8S CANADA AND THE CRIMEA 'i ! resistance to the gnnpowder, and the scattered frag- ments, instead of deadening, only serve to increase the fury of the flames. I, however, made an effort to arrest the fire ])y blowing up a large brick house with ninety pounds of gunpowder. I was assisted by tlie artillery in placing the charge, wliich, on account ()f the near proximity to the flames, and a quantity of straw which was lying scattered about, was a service of some danger. ' The bugles sounded the alarm, and the majority of the spectators withdrew ; however, notwithstanding all the bugles, and the loud shouts of the b3'standers, one man (whom, I conjecture, must have been half-drunk), persevered in maintaining his position on a log of wood close to the doomed house. Nothing woidd in- duce him to move; and I was at last compelled, at my o^vn risk, to run foj'ward, and carry him off in my arms, amidst the cheers of the mob. ' The explosion brought the house completely to the ground, but, owing to the number of wooden buildings on all sides, was not sufficient to arrest the fire. I rode four different horses during the day, and was galloping about for several hours, with my clothes torn, in all directions. ' The soldiers, both of the Artillery and 20th Regiment, exerted themselves in the most praiseworthy manner, and afforded a most striking contrast to the apathy and brutality of the mob. The Roman Catholic arch- bishop's palace was involved in the general destruction, amid the despairing prayers of the pri'^sts ; one of whom, A CANADIAN FIRE 29 ered frajr- crease the effort to louse with :■(! hy tlie iccoimt of lantity of service of majority of iiding all iders, one f-drunk), a log of voidd in- id, at my my arms, 'ly to the buildinjxs . I rode galloping ii, in all egiment, manner, J apathy lie areh- ("ruction, f whom, it is said, threw himself across the road, with a crucifix in liis liand, and prayed God to permit the fire to proceed no further. At last about haif-past-five, or six o'clock, the flames appeared completel}' subdued. I returned home and changed my clothes, and was issuing from my house, at about half-past-seven, when I met the wife and daughter of my colonel, whom I accompanied to the Artillery stores, to assist them in recovering some of their property which had been placed there during the nun-ning. We had just loaded a cart with some of their effects, when we observed a dense column of smoke issuing up behind Dalhousie Stjuare (near which I reside), and where were situated our mess and offices. Mrs. Dixon (who is an old huly), was exceedingly nervous, and much alarmed when she perceived this second fire breaking out. I used all my effoits to soothe her, and accompanied her and her daughter to their hotel. Just before w^e arrived, several horses running wnldly, without bridles, came down the street. I knew in a moment, that the stables belomjinir to the officers of the 20th Regiment were on fire, and was very anxious to get to my own house. The old lady, however, was so frightened, that I did not like to leave her, and remained mitil the cab with her things arrived, and then returned to get a fresh load. Leaving the cab at the store with her servant, I ran to my ■ 'I ii M wind, however, was carrying the fire steadily away from them. ' Al.MUit eight or nine men came and volunteered their services to remove my j^roperty; and a friend kept guard over my things as tliey were moved to the rear of my house. To him, indeed, I feel myself, in a great degree, indebtf^l for their preservation. ' I found my groom with my carringe and horses, not knowing what to do, and unable to manage tlie horses by himself. I took them from him ; and he, assisted by a 20th private, drew my carriage after me to an hotel in the neighbourhood. ' The fire was, at this time, to the highest degree grand and terrific. An enormous hotel, the largest in the city, was burning. The flames consumed the vast building, and no less than nine or ten stone houses, iu less than two hours. The fire was communicated from these build • ings to my side of the street ; and it was only from the fact, that my house is situated at the back of the barracks occupied by tlie 20th Regiment, and, consequently, that every exertion was made by the troops to prevent the fire spreading in that direction, that it was preserved. While eno-aged in removing mv tliinLi's, I heard an ex- plosion; and, leaving m}^ servants to look after my property, I hastened to the fire, to ascertained whether my services might not be required to blow up houses, ttc. There were only three engineer officers present at the fire, four being absent on leave or duty. I repaired to the head of the fire, and remained there, being ijraduallv driven backwards by the flames, for several 'I 1 in th 2 great I and fouiul and ii I tion, I 'y are i . i A CANADIAN FIRE 31 way from sred their end kept t the rear 11 a great orses, not :he horses , assisted J an hotel ree grand n the city, huilding, ^ than two se build • from the barracks ntlv, that 3vent the )reserved. rd an ex- after my whether p houses, ^resent at repaired •e, beinu' ►r several >iours. I was the only officer present at this spot, all the otliors being near tlie barracks, engaired in their ])r('servation. The corporation of the city begged me to blow up ;uiy house whose destruction 1 thought would retard tlie fire ; and they brought up a tpiantity (if gunpowder, with some wet blankets (])y iny desire), iu a canoe. I blew up two houses evidently doomed for destruction; but, there being no water at hand, and tlie wooden buildings souk; distance in advance of the burning houses being in Hames, the attempt w;is futile. ' I found, vfhen I approached my house at two o'clock in the morning, tliat it was still in existence thouuh in great danger. I obtained a fevered sleep of an liour and a half, and then rose and went to the wharf. I found my servants there, looking very paleimd fagged, and all around furniture and baggage of every descrip- tion, and groups of poor men and women. ' More than 1(),()()0 persons have been burnt out, and are now livin^x in the tields, or under tents and sheds supplied to t'lem by Government. ' What makes this terrible calamity the more appalling is, that there can hardly be any doid)t that it was mainly owiufj to incendiaries. Even the night after the fire, people were arrested in the act of setting fire to build in<)fs. 'The head-quarter Engineer Office, the District Office, and the General Office, have been burnt. Almost all our plans {some most valuable), papers, and records destroyed. The flames spread with such rapidity, that 32 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA it was scarcely possible to save anything from these buildings. ' I shall never forget this fire, or the fatigue, anxiety, and exertion, I underwent. I may well thank God for the safety of my own life and of most of my property.' aiv\ it i = I i ! I ' i )m these 33 anxiety, : God for opevty.' CHAPTER III. TRAVELLING IN THE UNITED STATES. I 'Montreal, Feb. lOtli, 185,3. LEFT Montreal to commence what Madame de Stael calls " one of the saddest plousures in life " to- day. My journey had a gloomy commencement, as I was late for the train, and obliued to wait four hours and a half in an unfurnished and melancholy waiting- room till another started. I employed the time in reading a couple of articles in the " Westminster Re- view," and was commencing another on the eternal sub- ject of " American Slavery," and " Uncle Tom's Cabin," when the " bus " from Montreal bro\ight over its party of passengers going by the train, whicli I was certainly not this time too late for. Among the travellers I recognised Lect and Dewar in company with some American ladies, whom they -were escorting to the terminus. Lect introduced me to his fair friends. 'The party (with whom I travelled for the greater part of this day and the next) consisted of an old lady and gentleman and three girls. They were nativevS of Boston, and thither bound. The old lady I found afterwards in conversation to be a well-read, observant. m CANADA AND THE CRIMEA ! ;'ii t : acute, and energetic woman, — a type of a large class in the States. She talked to nie of her own country, and of Canada ; of the energy and rapid development of the one, and of the torpor and apparently self-satisfied stag- nation of the other ; but was much pleased with both Montreal and (Quebec: she was ac(|uainted with some of the leading men in the States, and had heard and admired some of its most eloquent orators. She spoke of Mr. Ingersoll, the new American minister, and here betrayed that feeling of reverence for wealth which is so distinctive a trait in the Yankee character. She thought Mr. Ingersoll woidd not be able to main- tain his position with such eclat as his predecessor Mr. Lawrence, as he was not nearly so rich a man. T endeavoured to convince her to the contrary, by assur- ing her that, though money had its due influence in England, yet wealth and position were by no means synonymous terms. ' We reached Rouses Point at a (|uarter-past six, at half-past seven were entertained with a meagre and unsatisfactory supper, and retired to rest (at least J did) very soon after, having visions before me of a journey of eighteen hours on the morrow. ^ Friday, Feb. llth. — Rose at a little after 5 a.m., after passing a restless night, principally owing to a propensity for walking up and down the passage out- side my room, developed by an individual in thick boots. Ate some tough beefsteak and swallowed a cup of weak tea, and then resumed my journey. My new friends travelled with me as far as Windsor ; and by the » ^J^' AGREEABLE TRAVELLING COMPANIONS .35 ! class in itry, and it of the ied stuy;- ith both ith some 3ard and he spoke iter, and r wealth iharacter. to main- essor Mr. man. 1 by assur- iience in 10 means ist six, at agre and Lt least I me of a er 5 A.M., ^in*)- to a Bsage oiit- in thick A'ed a cup My new ,nd by the time we arrived there, I found mvself talkins? to tlie vomitr ladies with the freedom of a friend, instead of the reserve of one day's accpiaintance. They cliatttjd away very f;.imiliarly and cheerfidly, and shook liands (piite affectionately when we parted, ho[)ing I would come and see them if ever at Boston. They were in- telligent girls, and had apparently read most of the current publications of tlie day. I was amused at the jividity with wiiioh one of them devoured a newspaper, — not so generally appreciated by th(» fair sex at home, — and at tlie eager manner with which they studied, in the pages of a magazine, a picture of a new, and in my opinion hideous, fashion in dress. They did not pos- sess that refinement which is so characteristic of an English lady, and their manners would certainly not have been considered perfection at home ; but, spite of tills they were " cute," kind-hearted, and sociable, and, at all events, pleasant travelling companions for a soli- tary l)achelor, who is delighted at the opportunity of occasionally escaping the melancholy and solitary com- panionship of his own thoughts. * The Vermont central railroad, by which I travelled from Montreal to New York, traverses here and there some pretty bits of scenery, and skirts for some dis- tance the waters of the Connecticut river. The green mountains are the most striking natural object on the route. The traveller is generally doomed to monotony iu journeying through the States. Flat tracks of par- tially cleared wild land form the staple of the scenery. The thriving appearance of all the towns and villages, D 2 ae CANADA AND THE CRIMEA however, on the route, and the observations you hoar made by travellers concerning their sudden rise; and rapid growth, lead you, without any violent stretcli of the imagination, to depict to yourself the altered aspect of wild and barren nature, in a few years, beneath the genial influences of energy and industry. The desolate swamps, disfigured by blackening stumps, will then teem with a golden harvest, or be transformed into grassy meads, and all nature around will " burst forth into singing and gladness." Railway travelling for many hours together is very tedious and fatiguing. I certainly had a dose of it to-day. After a bud night's rest, I travelled from six in the morning till twelve at night, arriving sleepy and weary at the Metropolitan Hotel, New York, about the latter hour. Here, in- stead of turning into a comfortable bed, I was obliged to be content with a shake-down in a tiny cot in Ji small bath-room, every room in the hotel being en- gaged, and several sitting-rooms having already been converted into public bed-rooms. My bed was so placed (and almost necessarily so from the size of the apartment), that were I to have had troubled dreams and roll over its side, I should inevitably have found myself in a dry but cold bath. I altered things as well as I could ; and consoling myself with the reflection that at sea the rooms were still smaller than the one I was in, gently sunk into the arms of " Murphy.^'' ^ Feb. \2th. — I availed myself of my position this morning to have a most luxurious cold and shower bath, indulging in both at the same time. After -f. sidei BROADWAY NEW YORK 87 u hoar so and .^tcli of aspoct ith the lesolate II then lmI into St forth ing for ling. I , night's ,velve at opii of" rnvr and Ix'atitiful traits iind <{iialili(!s which make and characterise one of his fair conntryvvonien. Those wiio hav<; strolled down Regent Stieet and down liroadwiiy will at once see the contrast, and the advantage of it in favour of Old England. " CV7//7U "ium (Diuiiurn muitint qui trans mare currunf.'^ I think I shall always be of the same opinion on this point. ' I visitedon luy way hack to the ]VI(;tropolitan" Hisley's Moving Panorama of the Thames," and " Bryan's Pic- ture (lallery." f came in about the middle of the former exhibition, but was much pleased with what I saw. The painting is calculated to impress the ^'ankees with the greatness of England, and the beauties and in- teresting associations of "Old Father Thames." Its varied scenes carried me home again ; and I recognised with pleasure, not unmixed with regret, many a familiar spot connected with pleasing recollections. *" Bryan's Picture Gallery" is a small collection of paintings, collected at great trouble and expense from various parts of Europe ; several of them by Rubens, Teniers, Correggio, Kaffaelle, Giorgiune, Hogarth, &c., thougli none that could be called a favourable specimen of the styles of these great masters. A small female head, by Greuze, pleased me the best, and I was complimented by the man in charge for my taste, and told that that was considered one of the jrems of the collection. Two large paintings from Marshal Soult's gallery, the " Descent from the Cross," and the 1 « A( ■ play( m o'cl(» m will 1 is ex 1 (line 1 bein^ 1 toget 1 atteii m girl ( m for 1 1 table 1 ladief !|i A A VISIT TO WALLACKS THKATUE 41 ids vory X'HUtifuI rise one strolled at once ivoiir of '(lit qui ys bo of ^Risley's !ii»\s Pic- e former t I saw. c(^ea with and iii- es." ItH icognised I familial eetion of nse from Rubens, irMi, &c., ^specimen II female i I was Tiy taste, gems of Marshal ' and the I .1^ " Adoriitioti (if the Slicplierds," evince the eneri^y dis- played in pnicnriiig pictures. I dined at tlif tive o'clock ordinary at tlic Mitropojifan ; tlio tliiiing-rooin will easily contain upwards of 200 jjersons. Tlic dinner is excellent both in )i>j m II- Mi 4G CANADA AND THE CRIMEA n i !, l" ! '. ( for age.s, and about which probably its present and future proprietors will lie for ages to come. On returning homewards, I called at the St. Nicholas, and requested to be shown a celebrated apartment in that hotel, called the Bridal Chamber. Bridal chambers are common enough in steamers in America, but I had never before heard of a particular room in an hotel exclusively devoted to the delights of the honeymoon. The room at the St. Nicholas is small ; its walls are covered with fluted white satin, and the sofas and chairs are of the same material. The bed, with a refinement of ostentatious indelicacy, occupies the centre of the apartment ; its curtains are of rich white satin, and it is illuminated by four crystal lustres (each for four burners), one at every corner I ! ! A rich veil of lace, worth several hundred dollars, reposing on a quilt of white satin, greets the eye when looking downwards from the glories of the curtains. The modest sum of \50 i\o\\ni'i^ j)er noctem is charged to the occupants of this luxurious apartment. I think the pair who occu- pied it, when tliey emerged, would be as great curiosities as the room itself. ' In the evening I went to the opera, where a crowded audience were assembled to hear iNIadame Sontag in " Lucia di Lammermoor." I had never heard her before, and was a little disappointed at the piano manner with which slie executed several airs. She has created a perfect furor in America, — to do whicli it is only necessary to achieve an European reputation. Mr. Bancroft, the Ameri''an historian, sat in front of :l i concern first esi breakin ing up t in his h adding, ' Sucl endeavn his paro t martyr ; .| city of 1 J CRIME AND DISHONOUTl 47 me at the opera. He is a lively old gentleman, with extraordinary hair and spectacles. Phrenologists would not, I think, pronounce him a genius at first sight : he is, I believe, a native of Boston, where he resides. ' Feb. '[5th. — To-day I strolled about Broadway; and, at about eleven o'clock, paid a visit to the " Tombs," the Newf^ate of New York. The builiiing is situated near Broadway, and has somewliat the appearance of an ICo-vptian temple ; there wci\ of course, scarcely any windows to relieve the eye. The prisoners, in j)airs, are confined in small apartments; visitors walk along a narrow platform, and look at them through the grat- ings of their dungeons, as thev would at wild beasts. I hurried away from the spectacle of degraded humanity, and amused myself by walking up and down Broadway, and looking at unconvicted citizens. *I met a gentleman whom I knew at Montreal at the Metropolitan. He pointed out to me Mr. Meagher, the Irish editor of the " Nation," who was concerned in the Smith O'Brien riots ; and who, after first escaping with his life, had at last managed, by breaking his parole, to escape from confinement. Walk- ing up to the oflficer on guard, with a pair of loaded pistols in his hands, he said, "I surrender myself,"! suppose; adding, " I'll shoot you if you attempt to take me." ' Such is the flimsy subterfuge by which Mr. JNTeagher endeavours to escape the imputation of having broken his parole ; he is treated in the States as a hero and a martyr; an address has been presented to him by the city of New York, signed by the mayor ; and he lectures (1111 11 I I ill 'i ! I \i m m r i !i 48 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA on "Australia,'' and " Grattan and the Volunteers of '82,'" to crov/ded audiences. l[e is young, and rather good- looking. The Americans sympathise heartily with every hlackguard from Ireland or elsewhere, who makes him- self conspicuous by his pretended efforts for liberty, against the cause of order and constituted authority. ' A large monument stands in one of their cemeteries in Broadway, raised to the memory of Thomas Emmet, brother of ilie celebrated Robert, who, however, in this case, though a rebel, was certainly a fine fellow. ' I was invited this evening to dine with Mr. Lane, a New York merchant, livinur in Tenth Street. The con- versation at dinner turned on the alleged claim of a missionary clergyman, known in the States as the Rev. Eleazar Williams, to be considered the Dauphin of France. It is said that he was privately conveyed to America, and the body of some other person shown to the Duchess d'Angouleme a., that of her brother. He served in the American army during the w^ar, and, though only in a subordinate jDOsition, received the thanks of Congress. The Prince de Joinville, it is further stated, when in America, paid him a visit, and asked him to sign a paper renoiuicing all claim to the throne of France, on consideration of the receipt of an annual income. This jNIr. Williams refused to do ; and stopped the prince's remonstrances by quietly saying, " If I am the Dauphin, as you represent, I am your superior." The whole affair is wrapped in mystery; but sufficient is known or conjectured to produce great excitement in the States. I ' :\rr. I for son front iei J^ A NEW YORK DINNER-PARTY 49 ' ^Ir. Williams preaches at New York ; lie has resided for some time as a missionary on the Unitod States frontier. His story has been told l)y some very re- spectable citizens of New York in one of the maL,'azines, hut I do not tlnnk very much credit can be attached to it. The improbability of the Prince de Joinville's at- tempting- to bribe a man not to assert a claim, whose existence ho must have been ignorant of, is a strong argument against the truth of the story. ' The dinner was excellent : young green peas and prairie hens were great delicacies to a man from the wilds of Canada. ]\Irs. Law is an intelligent, well- educated woman. She was very kind and courteous, and expressed her regret at my not having been with her in the morning, when she had been paying some reception visits; and I might have had an opportunity of seeing the abodes of some of the merchant princes of New York. Dr. INIetcalfe, one of the guests, had been edu- cated at West Poin+j and had served in ^Mexico with the American army ; he described the service on the frontier as harassing and monotonous, — exertion and exposure uncombined with amusement or agreeable excitement, — something of what the Caffre war is to our soldiers. ' The inauguration of General Pierce as Presidcjnt was expected, I heard here, to be very (piiet, on account of his domestic bereavements. Senators, ]Mrs. Law told me, were not the men now-a-days that they were for- merly. She described President Fillmore as a perfect gentleman in manner, and most agreeable in conversa- tion. The children (very pretty ones) joined us at des- E !H' 50 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA ,}■ |]!f !i. j r\ ',f ! i I f " ( sert, find we all adjourned to the drawinr(-rooin toge- thei rdinir to the American custom. Dr. and Mn accon Metcalfe were eng'a«>-ed to some other parties, and left soon after dinner. I followed, thanking my hospitable hostess for lier kindness, and receiving an invitation to call at her house aijain on mv return from the South. 'Feb. \C)th. — Wet and disagreeal^le. Remained in- doors all da}^ Kead the papers and wrote a letter to England. The papers, though generally a little bitter against " Old England,*' have, I found, often articles written in a conciliatory spirit, and rebuking the ob- noxious swagLCer and brng<>-adocio so characteristic of a certain class in the States. ' While at New York T saw the funeral procession of one of the New York A^'olunteers, w^ho had died from the effects of the climate of ]\rexico, pass down IJroad- way. It was well attended, and I had an opportunity of seeing a few American soldiers. They looked a rough lot, marched in a loose straggling manner, and had anything but a parade appearance. The liberty they enjoy of cultivating scraggy beards at pleasure is more than sufficient to destroy uniformity of appenrance. I left New York at about 5 o'clock for Philadelphia, distant eighty-eight miles. The line traverses a flat and unin- teresting country. I crossed two ferries, one at New York, and the other over the Delaware river, from Camden to Philadelphia, and reached the latter city at about half-past ten o'clock. I was poked np as usual in a small room in the sixth storey, and went to bed tired and uncomfortable.' I mgs. 51 ClIAPTEK IV. I '■ riiiLABKLririA — gihakd collegk-state house. ]^EP,. IS/A.—Girard Collogv, the lion of Philudclpliia, - is a inag'iiiticent building', or rathtT oToup of liuild- ings. It consists of a central temple of (Ireciau archi- tecture, sliL>'htly resend)ling tlie Madeleine at Paris, and four isolated buildinI(' t»r sclt-instructioii, l»iit a lar^c iuiiuIkt do not cvi'ii reach tliis point from want of capacity. 'Tiiey sometimes display jj^reat inventive genius, and skill in dravvini; and tiie imitative arts. ' 1 was shewn several lithographs which would not have disgraced the windows of a London print shop, which were executed ])y the unaided efforts of some pupils of the institution. * Attached to the asylum is a museum fdlcd with stuffed hirds, and animals, models of various objects, specimens of grain, v.Vc. ; and is of important use in imparting definite ideas. Arithmetic is taught hy means of a nundx'r of black, and red wooden beads strung on wires fixed to frames, and moved like the markers used at billiards. ^ Some of the children, the manager told me, were not ])orn deaf, but lost the power of speech at an early age. They, however, (.entirely lose the knowledge of the sound of language, but are generally more apt pupils than the rest. * The deaf and dumb alphabet is indicated by one hand only. Instances never seem to have occurred here of pupils recovering their speech or hearing. 'The l)lind have an exquisitely fine sense of sound and of touch, but tlie poor deaf and dumb appear to possess no superiority either in their senses, or faculties. Life must, indeed, be a blank to some of them. When, however, their natural faculties enable them to master the difRcidties of reading, and writing, they are perhaps BLIND AyYLl'M 65 ill it more cnviaLk! position tliiin those who arc unahk' to sec the ^HorioiiH huu when In' sliines with ail liis splendour on the fairest scenes of nature. A deaf aii . i . ' iH, 'li, 60 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA when safely located in fresh cars at the other side, I became for the first time aware that the train I was in was hearing the American Ca'sar (Anglice, President elect) and all his fortunes. General Pierce and his suite occupied a car by themselves, to the dissatisfaction of the rest of the passengers, and especially of an old jxentleman who had come from Georf'ia to witness his inaua'uration after voting for him. He seemed to con- sider such exclusiveness most foolish, and quite un- precedented, and asserted that General Pierce should not confound his private and public characters together, and allow domestic aiflictions to influence his conduct as the President of the United States. I found my old friend very sociable and well informed. He was evi- dently partial to England, and said that America would never allow any foreign power to subjugate her, and destroy the last stronghold of liberty in Europe. He had seen, and known Jerome Ponaparte, whose son, by his first marriage, he told me, was living at Baltimore, and was very like the Bonaparte family in features. He had also lived on rather intimate terms with Napoleon's eldest brother, Joseph, at Jersey ; and spoke of him as an intelligent and superior man. He thought the pre- sent Emperor an insignificant personage (I), but did not approve of the severe strictures of the English press against his character and actions, after he had been chosen by such a vast majority to be the ruler of a great nation. General Pierce continued his journey, without stopping, to Washington, where his arrival was announced this morning in the papers. He seems to have been com- :ii I i CHINESE JUGGLERS 61 pletely himted down ^)y office-seekers and rom|»elle(], ill order to avoid them, to depart suddeidy and unex- pectedly from place to place. 'It Avas dusk when we reached Baltimore, so I could form but little idea of the city. The cars took us through some dirty back streets (the Baltimore "\Vapi)ing), and we skirted the edge of the basin or harbour, defended by Fort McHenry. 'After a beefsteak and a cup of coffee, I went to the theatre, utterly unconscious of a fact which I aftiTwards ascertained — viz. that Thackerav lectured elsewhere this very evening. Instead of being delighted and gra- tified, as I make no doubt I should have been, by his enlightened and elegant criticism, and his grapliic illus- trations, I was bored by the rather inferior performances of a Chinese troupe, in a densely crowded theatre. The exhibition was not wholly without interest : I had cer- tainly never seen Chinese eat chow-chow with chop- sticks, or heard them talk that mysterious language, the symbols of which adorn our tea-chests. I had also never previously beheld any living specimens of their fur sex; and I must say the ladies, though they do wear trowsers instead of petticoats, have a decided advantage over the gentlemen. The tricks perf )rmed were gene- rally but little above mediocrity : two, however, struck me — a boy throwing a head somersault without using his hands, and a man darting knives at another, and fixing them into a board,within a hair's breadth of his head and face. This last was trulv national, and, thouu of Isis (leyTJuled t'oiiditioii flaslies ncross my mind, I feel a spe- cies of restraint in the presence of one of these poor fel- lows. I am afraid to catch his eye, and to re:id in his looks, and expression the sense of bondage and iid'e- riority ; of wron;^, contnmely, iind injustice ; and, more touching than all, to see that look of desponding, de- spairing submission, which shews that soul as well as hody is bowed down and crushed. When can i\ slaves enjoy that common right of all men — self-respect? Is lie allowed to express — even to form — an opinion of liis own ? Are not thought, will, and feeling alike shackled by the iron hand of despotism ? It is this moi'al degra- dation which, to my mind, is infiniteh' more painful and hunnliating than compulsory l)odily labour. Com- pulsory bodily labour is not slavery, or else slavery exists iu every country ; for in what country is compulsor}' bodily labour not indispensa])le to the existence of a large portion of the community ? ' The Slave question is a difficult and delicate one. Emancipation — sudden and complete emancipation — would ruin both slaves and slave-ouTiers. Whom do y(ju emancipate ? Whom do you raise to the rank of free men? Are they men who even know what freedom means ? Do we give children edge-tools to play with ? What would be the effect of suddenly raising several millions of human beings, ignorant, without the sense of moral responsibility, without a chief to guide them, surrounded by a liostilo crowd, with every disadvantage of prejudice and posi- tion added to those of want of capacity or capital, — ^1 i f V V. 64 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA what would he tlie effect of suddenly mising this mass as it were from the dead, in opposition to the encrny, the ability, the hatred of white men ? It mjiy he said — Let him, when free, emi<^rate, — let him leave the land of his past disL,q'ace and ])ondage, — let him hasten to those countries where his wrongs have so long afforded a theme over which the sympathising tears of thousands have been shed. Will not his heart glow with the un- experienced sensations of freedom ? Will he not be proud of a bond — a bond of union and brotherhood — with that race which was formerly to him only an object of dread or aversion ? * Bwt what is the practical view ? Where is the negro to get funds to enable him to leave the scene of his cap- tivity ? What is he to do in these days without know- ledge, or experience ? Some of the negroes — the mulat- tos and quadroons, — those with a dash of white blood in their veins, — might succeed, after a heroic struggle with the force of circumstances : but what is to become of the great mass — the mass for whom this outcry is raised ? ' How are they to be benefited ? The evident prepara- tion for freedom is education. Let freedom be the re- ward of certain attainments. Let us liberate that class who are most deserving of freedom, and most likely to use it well — the mulattos, quadroons, &c. This will be a great step in the right direction. We prepare a class in the State which will sympathise with the re- maining victims when they are liberated, and we allow an interval to elapse to accustom men to the spectacle ■? THE SLA.VE QUESTION 65 of a community of free l^laeks, whose intelli^^Tiice will secure them some degree of respect and consideration. It may be urged that this spectacle of freedom would produce insurrection — would lead the negro race to rise as a man against their oppressors, and forcibly throw aside their bonds. But do men without a chief or a head, separated into distinct communities, having but little intercourse with each other, — do they resort to fore(3, violence, or bloodshed, when a fair and reasonable expectation is before them of the peaceful attainment of their object ? The black man — the pure negro — is submissive by nature, by education, by habit. We have removed the great element (jf revolt and mischief, by removing the most intelligent and spirited. Who are those who are left behind. ? They are numerically im- posing, no doubt; but so are the Chinese — so are the hosts that move at the nod of the despots of India ; — hut are they not, even more than these, a body without intelligence or unity of purpose, or a knowledge of their own advantages or disadvantages ? ' Eeasonable reforms and concessions are the essence of good government of all kind, — they are the antidotes against the poisons of revolution and anarchy. * Feb. 23rd. — Wet, gloomy, and disagreeable. Left Baltimore at 9 a.m., and reached Washington at 1 1 A.M. I travelled to Washington with the same chatty old gentleman who had expressed his indignation at the President's exclusiveness a few days before ; he told me that he was bom near Baltimore, and that all his early associations were connected with that city and its F M^ 68 CANADA AND THE CRDrKA III \ -i' ! ,,! - 1 M ) il J 1 '{ I, ■! ,: .'III. nc'ijjfhbourliood; lie ])oiii|-c(I out to ino tho lioiHf lie used to live in, and the stream in wliicli lie fislied wlicii a younj^-ster. li'dtimore at tliat time was not one-tliinl of itH present size; but a pretty plaee, surroundei] liy fields and ^^irdens. My friend likewise informed inc tliat the eountry in the vieinity, botli of Washint^ton and Baltimore, was very poor, the soil being light ami nearly worthless without manure. ' It was raining hard when we reached Washington. I went to (ladsby's hotel, a great house sonu^ years ago, but (piite commonplace now. J secured a good bed- room, inciuired the English Minister's direction, which I was told was at the corner of K and 2IJrd Streets, and drove in a hack-carriage to the Capitol. ' The " Capitol " at Washington is a magnificent white freestone edifice, built in an elevated and conspicuous position ; it greets the eye from every point of approach to the city, and looks down on the straggling town beloAV, with the dignified complacency of a lion regard- ing the sports of a party of puppies. The eastern point is the most magnificent, and is adorned by ;i splendid portico of twenty-two lofty Corinthian columns: two pedestals are left for statues or groups of sculpture, one on each side of the great stone staircase leading to the east portico. One of them is occupied by a well- executed group by an Italian artist, representing a half-naked figure in a crouching attitude, looking half-imploringly and half-admiringly at an armed warrior, who is apparently invoking the assistance of Heaven for some enterprise. The Capitol occupies an fli:iii C^rarOL — WiiSlILNHTON g: acre and ii h'^lt of ^touhh'I, and a largo hiiildiiii,' is Ix-iiiij constructed oii each winy, whacli »'ill aild matcriaily t(» tlie effect. 'Tlie < apitol at WaKlunui-on is iindouldedly the liands(>i(i-4 ])id)lic biuldiiij^ in America: it is woi-tliy of the nati«>ii, and of tlie nianwlii>sc city it adonis. It is so admirably situated, and of sucli vast size, as to impress any one, even the most travelled monkey, who had never seen it Itefore. Two rather seedy, but very large starred-and-striped banners were Hoating on the breeze from its roof, and destroying the <>:eneral effect of the edifice they were intended to adorn. 'The east front is nuicb superior to the west. The building is surrounded by an inclosure, and approached on the west liy a broad avenue, lined witb trees; two fountains adorn the carefully kept grass-plot in front of it: the whole building is surmounted by a dome, which I did not particularly admire. The interior is devoted to the Senate, and House of Ivepresentative ('hand)ers, and to public oftices. In the centre, and lighted by the dome, is a large circular hall, adorned with paint- ings and alto relievos: the pictures, executcnl by Trunibull, represent various scenes ami triumphs in American history, such as "The Presentation of the Declaration of Independence," "Tlie Ivesignation of Cjrnwallis." They appeared to me to be well executed; the fio-ures were as larsije as life. The intermediate spaces and niches over the entrance-doors of the hall are ornamented by alto relievos, representing the rescue of Smith by the interposition of Pocahontaij, Penu r 2 ■.'i: M; 6S CANADA AND THE CRIMKA 111 1 J I i i ! , trontini,' witli tlic Tiidians, S:c. The liall is of strikinuf di- mensions, and f,'rand and iinposint^ in its ^-cniTal effect; visitors, and in fact everyone, Jire admitted into tlio p^allcric^s to lieiir the debates in ])otli llonses. The galleries in th(! Senate J[onse are very small, and will accommodate comparatively few persons; an especial gallery is reserved for lad'es in the House of Represen- tatives, though I should not imagine that they often availed themselves of it. *I visited both Chambers, and heard a portion of two debates. In the Lower House they were diseussintj a bill for reciprocity of trade with Canada; and the mem])er {o\w of the Whig party) whom I heard speak, advocated the policy of receiving English goods, and especially iron, free of duty ; on account of the heavy demand made by the custom house in the State, a larger siun was paid, a few years ago, for conveying goods from New York and landing them at New Orleans, than for sending them to Peru. The House of Repre- sentatives contains several hundred members ; they sit on benches arranged in semicircles, and approached from avenues radiating from the Speaker's chair as from a common centre. The Democrats occupy the quadrant on the Speaker's right ; the Whigs, who constitute the minority, that on his left ; a few Democrats, who cannot find seats on their own side, are obliged to occupy those vacant on the other. The hall or chamber is a noble apartment — ninety -six feet long, and sixty high. It is surmounted by a dome, supported by twenty-four columns of dark marble from the neighbourhood of the ^ C( THE SKXATE AND lIOUtJE OF llErilE.'JllNTATIVES 69 ito the . The nd will 'speciiil piesen- y often I of two issing a lul the I speak, (Is, and D heavy ^tate, a iiveying )rleans, Repre- they sit iroached ■ as from iiadrant tute the ) cannot ly those a noble 1. It is nty-four id of the Potonuic, and of the same colour as the {'ohinuis in llic Temple church at London, with ('oriiitlii;in ciipitals of Italian iiiarhle. Tlu! Speaker sits just uudtTthc Luh't's' jrallerv. He sits on a raised and eonnnaiidiu'' scat, hut is not rendered so iiuposin^- a,s our Sju-aker hy tlie robes of authority. In front and below him areliiu-sof reporters. The jj^reat size of the hall, and its lofty ceilinj^, comhiued with a perpetual busy hum of conversation, render it dil^eult to hear the s])eeehes distinctly. I was every way better pleased with the Senate. There, dij^nity, order, and decoruiu seem the ])resi(liuL( ^enii ; the members of the Senate are also older m(>n, noiu; hein"*' eli'dble for election till after the an'e of thirtv-tive: and as their powers are the same, or even "greater, than those (»f the other House, and as they are less nmnerous, they are generally men of greater weight and ability. The members of both Houses are regularly paid during the time Con^rress is sittincf, and their deliberations generallv extend from 11 a.m. till 4 p.m. dailv. On the electicm of anew President, both Houses adjourn till Decendjer, and then commences what is called tlu; long session. They have thus a much easier time of it than some of our hard-worked and underpaid public men and politicians. Another peculiarity of the American system is, that men, on accepting office, are by the laws of the constitution obliged to relinquish their seats in Congress. This I think a defect, and a great one ; for it is obvious that on the election of a new President of different politics to the one preceding, all the officials, who of course are supposed to be selected for ability, F 3 70 CANADA AND THE CI?IMEA 1 ' H ; i I 1 I serving imdcr his ])redecessor, are obliged to resign, and have to strn had br( ([iiite 11 and bod of heiiv^ fu'si, ai Anieric; winter. were bo which ai wc shou slow rat( nienced anecdote his conj'c the state pears th; of this 1 ?al)le by soon aff( resemble frozen, a hollows A from sid( denlythe balanced be in the violent t congratu' proceed i in little : ■ s t f ' AN AMERICAN STAGE-COACII » I liad breakfasted at six, and it was now two, but was ([uite unsuccessful. Away we started, after tlie roof and boot of our "vehicle" had ])c'en tilled with a mass of heavy lugi>"age ; and then bcji^^an my miseries and my fii'st, and I trust last, experience of the felicities of American sta^^e-travellinn' over ccnmtry roads in the winter. We left Meechum's Iviver at about 2 r.^r., and were bound for ►Staunton, twenty-ei^ht iniles distant, which any reasonable human being would have sup|)osed we should have readied in four or five hours, even at a slowM'ate of travel. One of my friends opposite com- menced an animated conversation, t(^ld several pleasing anecdotes of upsets, and breakdowns, and then gave us his conjecture, founded on hearsay and experience, as to the state of the road wo were about to traverse. It ap- pears that the road is tolerable in summer (th>>ugh even of this I am sceptical), but is rendered nearly impas- sal)le by the winter rains. A practical illustration was soon afforded us of its condition. The road somewhat resembled a ph)ughed field ; its deep ruts were partially frozen, and the wheels slipped off their crests into the hollows with mighty jolts: the stage vibrated and swung from side to side on its heavy leathern springs. Sud- denly there was atrcmeiidous jolt — thecoach seemed just balanced on two wheels, and the next moment likely to be in the mud. A short plunge, a struggle, a series of violent throes and convulsions, and we are saved, and congratulate ourselves on having a good driver ; we proceed at a snail's pace; we have got over three miles in little more than an hour, and my companions are ■T 78 CANADA AXn THE CIUMEA I! a \ is - I ;-| iji. ■I conf|^ratul;itinL( oik; another on the ra])idity with wliir-li we ai'c travclliiiL,': tlie joltiiii^-, ])iiiii]>iiii;, and sqiieeziii.; continue. One old sta;jft'r tries to fall nslee]), and his head about like a CI ad wans aDour liKe a i iiinese nmire. i ininu hills, 'i'he eULiineer told me that they were construetiiiL' a tunnel which would 1)0 al)out a mile and a lialf lont,% throu^rh a hill of what he calh'd iron stone — harder than the hanh'st c^rauite. Their proi^ress was necessarily slow on account of tlf difficulty of working the rock. To sink shafts for the nect'ssary supply of air was next to impos- sible; thus, conse(|uently, they were much inconvenienced by the want of this real " staff of life,'" and were oblij^-ed to "raise the wind," or keep things goini:;- by means of an air-pump. ' We passed several little villages of clean, comforta1>]c- looking Irish huts and shanties built on the hill-side. Cows an-- system < our leaf cunistai to])pl('d 'ilad chests, ] undoubi were in j praise wc returnee with ha Tlie bo( hroken i for it ; ;i we resi] with eve deep nn A imEAK DOWN imd his to t'un- ) 1)(' an itendcil licli we iri>iui;ui nu'tiii^ lit" lontj:, \vr than •ily sl(AV To sink ) impos- niienced ol)liu'('il leans of brta1>le- lill-side. do not •t of the pay the s iret a most of ly well They an ex. eat him. peculiar m hi eliararteristic of poor Irisli <,nr]s, even wlien exposed to the jn'reatest tenifttations — tlieir eiiastity : tiiry liave ohtaiiied a high cliaractcr in tlie States for iliis virtue, and very few (^f tlie i,nrls in the larL^'e hotels, where tiiey must be a great d(>al exposed, liave been bodueed. At a place wliere we stopped to change hoi'ses, I managed to get a eou[)le of l>iscuits and a piece of cheese to appease the demon ; and at about lialf-jjast seven had a miser- able supper at a dirty i)ui. It was dark, and our position, floiuuleriuii' along, wedged together, over an execrable road, and expecting every moment to l)e u[»set, by no means an envialile one. About a nule from our last halting-place, we found ourselves upon a sujier-exci llent system of ruts, and the shackle which supported orie of our h'ather springs, yielding t(» weight and force ' brii-htlv on their snowv cover- iug; and they speak strongly, and w^ith incontroverti])le evidence of tiie comparatively slow^ progress of the people who use them. Virginia is, how^'ver, awakening from lier sleep. Ivailways are being constructed across her ill all dircictions ; the spirit of ente^rprise is shedding its uwakenintr iiiHuence over the dormant energies of her [)opnlation, and she will soon be what her size, climate, and natural advantages seem to foretel, oue of G 2 \^M i^' • Ml ,1 ! i 1- T' f 84 CANADA AND TTIE CRIMEA I [■' ,- i t 1 i i the greatest and most flourishing States of the Union. The white population of Virginia consi(iera})ly exceeds her black ; and her soil being principally cultivated for grain, or producing pasture for sheep and cattle, there are but few regular plantations, where slaves drudge, and toil like farm-horses. I saw an advertisement in the inn at Staunton offering a reward for a runaway negro boy; but I should think that in this State, thougli there are more facilities to escape, the inducements to do so are less than those farther South. An intelligent mulatto driver, who pleased and interested me, said be had requested his mistress to allow him to go to Siberia. Hearing I was an Englishman, he asked if they were not against slavery in England, and if Canada were not a free State? I told him that Canada was a British colony. and all British colonies were free. He said he should much like to go there. I asked him if he were married ; he answered, " Yes." Have you got any children ? *' No, there is only me and my wife." His mistress, a widow lady, made a profit out of him by letting him out to drive and do jobs. The man was not only intel- ligent, but courteous and gentle in manner. He had evidently a great deal of white blood (the element of freedom) in his veins. He was a fine-looking fellow, upwards of six feet high. I really felt interested in him, and f(;ll into a painful reverie on the evils of a system which degrades what God has made noble. The day will come when the mulattos, illegitimate offspring though they be, will prove themselves their fathers' sons. In my opinion, the event must take 1^ A MULATTO COACHMAN 85 place in the natural order of things. Here was a man, sensible of his degraded position, keenly desirous of freedom, hearing with delight of those lands where slavery is unknown, intelligent enough to perceive the injustice of the system which oppressed him, and to feel that, if he rebelled, he would not sin, but assert a right, which the God who made all has given to all, — here was a man, a type of a numerous and rapidly-in- creasing class it the South, in whose mind was laid a train, which it required only circumstances and oppor- tunity to fire, — a man who would fight, as the Greeks of old fought, under the watchwords of liberty, and right. 'The coach which was to convey me to Lexington at length got uuder weigh ; I mourned on the box to enjoy the sunshine, and to see the country. Our first sixteen miles was over a terrible road, and we took about four and a half hours to traverse it. The rest of our journey was over planks, which appeared by contrast like a sudden transportation to Elysium, after the cares, troubles, and contentions of life. I walked over four miles of the worst part of the road. My driver was a good, honest fellow ; had driven the stage along that road for twenty-eight years, and had just earned enough to bring up, and educate his children. He made some sensible and intelligent remarks on the advantages of education, and seemed fully to comprehend the value of the gift bestowed by his exertions on his family. In America, education, if combined with energy, application, and good sense, is wealth to its possessor. Hundreds of 1 i i I i 1 i ' 1 1 ^1 80 CANADA AND THE CKIMnA (' l- roads are open to every man for free and g'enerous coin- petitioii — tlie true source of much of the greatness and pros])erity of a nation. * Ah my time was very limited, and travelling in tlic part of the country I had arrived at l)oth slow, and un- certain, I hired a waggon to drive me to the Natural Bridge, — distant, by the best road, about seventeen miles from Lexington. The morning was warm, bright, and cheerful. A hazy appearance in the distance, however, seemed to indicate rain. ^ly carriage was announced. I walked out, and ])eheld a waggon painted with three coats of natural brown from the nuiddy rcxids, with the sorriest Rozinante I had ever seen. A stalwart ninicer, with husfe black moustaches and beard, — who looked hi"- enough and stronix enou^di to carry horse, wan'tron, and all, — supported the trembling steed by the head, and replied to my inquiries as to when the animal had last dined with an indignant assurance that he was well fed, and could go well. I submitted to my fate, though I was not without feelings of compunction at inflicting seventeen miles on a bony anatomy, refpdring not a day's, but a week's rest. *I drove steadily, and quietly at first, and endeavoured to excite my steed to action l)y words of encourage- ment ; but tliis was jirobably so new to him, that he did not know what to make of it, and little or no alter- ation in his sober and solemn gait took place. The last resource was, I regret to say, applied ; and it generally elicited a melancholy shake of the ears, and the ghost of a canter. The country through which I passed I': THE NATI'RAL BRIDGE 6 7 wns t)iP snmo in character (tliouL^h perhaps ratlicr of a j^raiuler description) as that througli wliich 1 had journeyed on the [)revious (hiy. A series of liills \vit}) curved outlines greeted the eye on all sides. There was an ahsencf.' of that l)oldness "which characterises the Avihl iiiountain scenery of Scotland, where the dark rocky masses stand out against the? ])lue sky in sharp, clear lines. They hear the same analogy to the wild hills of Caledonia that the soft, rounded outline of a woman's form does to the hold, angular tigure of a man. ' I encountered difficulties of every kind on the road, was nearly upset two or three times, and o])liged to refresh my I)ob})in with a drink of meal and water to insure his getting through his lahoiu's at all. 'The Natural l^ridge is situated in a deep vnlle}-, among some fine hills. It spans an insignificant little hruuk about fifty feet wide. The bridge is a vast lime- stone arch 215 feet high, 80 feet broad, and H5 feet long. Tlie arch has the appearance of having been gradually excavated by the continual action of water; and this supposition is in some degree confirmed by the great height of the banks of the streandet, which are composed of the same rock, and rise nearly perpendicu- larly from the water in the vicinity of the bridge. Can it be possible that the little ])rook, which now ripples peacefully at your feet, could once have been a mighty river, and have burst with irresistible violence the oppos- ing barrier ? The rock in other places has crumbled and fallen, and may have been preserved from the same fate here merely by superior hardness. There is some- I I ;!: il'l V : I jlf'12 86 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA >ii:|i ii 1.1,1 1 ' fi : >} i:e /'till |; 5 '; (i 'f , thing wild, grand, and impressive in that gigantic, lonely arch standing unchanged in solitary grandeur after the lapse of ages — a memorial left by nature of some bygone scene in the history of her revulsions. ' My predictions regarding rain were mournfully ful- filled. It first drizzled, and then poured. The rain continued all night unintermittently ; and I listened to its heavy pattering on the roof of the crazy old inn witli gloomy forebodings of the difficulties and struggles of the morrow. ' I superintended the washing of my poor Rozinante's legs ; and directed he should have a good bed prepared for him, and as much oats as he could eat. 'The stable in which my unfortunate steed was doomed to pass the night was a construction which would have been called rude even among the ancient Britons. Free admission both for air and rain was afforded by nume- rous yawning gaps and cavities. The wind, in whatso- ever direction it might be blowing, had the privilege of whistling through it ; and the horses (hardy beasts ! ) stood there without a scrap of clothing, and lay down on the hard boards at night to repose. I wish I could have transported an English groom to this savage spot. His astonishment might have helped me through a dreary afternoon. * This afternoon, however, did not pass without an in- cident in which I myself figured as the astonished party. I was the only visitor at the inn ; no one in his senses thinking of going to the Natural Bridge in the winter time. Several gentlemen of the neighbourhood, how- A DISAGREEABLE ADVENTURE 89 ever, — probal^ly accordiug to their usual Sabbath cus- tom, — had repaired thitlier on horseback to dine together. One of these, the biggest and sturdiest of tlie party, went down to dinner drunk and quarrelsome. ] f e sat exactly opposite me, and stared rudely and stupidly at me for some time. He at length asked me, in a rough manner, where I came from. I told him, and he ate two or three mouthfuls of his dinner, pausing between each to continue his steady stare. At last he suddenly stopped and said, abruptly, " Come here." I thought at first he might be speaking to a waiter behind me, and looked round ; but he instantly repeated the command, pointing to a chair next to him, and saying, " Come here; I want to talk to you." I answered, as coolly as I could, " No, thank you ; I prefer sitting here and eat- ing my dinner, and I advise you to go on with yours. If you want to talk to me, I can hear what you have to say just as well where I am." This produced a vacant, stupid look, and a short silence. One of the hotel people came up and apologised to me for the conduct of ray friend (?), saying he was not aware of his being so drunk, and begging of me to take no notice of what he said. I saw alarm depicted on every countenance. 'My toper grasped his knife, poised it carelessly, direct- ing the point towards me, as if with intent to throw it at me. I was exactly opposite, and though I did not much dread a drunken man's shot with a blunt knife, I was anxious to avoid a scene in a low, out-of-the-way place, where there were few who would sympathise much with me, though they might assist me if I were 1 1 ll ! , i I - ■ .t M 1 I'i J 90 CANADA AND THE COIMEA m I (ill! ii r [ •I !i' assaulted. T kiu.'W di-unkcn incu liiivc n ifrcat deal of sense, and are capable (»t" liein;^' aiiiu.sed by a litt It- talk; so 1 said to the brute oj)i)(>site uie, "Why do you want to (juarrtd with lue? Did you ever see iin- before? Then what reason iiave you for wishing,' tu (juarrel ? " 'Tiie knife remained poised in the hand ; I finished my dinner and left the tal)le, my brandy-and-water friend being held back by tlie others from making a rush at me. He was very noisy and troublesome for some time, but at last went home. 1 heard he was a doctor, and a perfect gentleman ! when he was sober. * 8andjo woke me, and I rose sleepy and unrefreshed. The rain had almost ceased ; soon it discontinued alto- gether. I sw^allowed a cup of tea, ate a mouthful of bread, cast a doubtful look at poor Do]>bin, paid my bill for a day's discomfort, and started. ' A benevolent individual at the inn recommended me to g(j home by a road different from the one I came by. I followed liis advice, and got into an old and almost impassable cross country road, and never thought I should get out of it. About four hours and a half were consumed in accomplishing the first fourteen miles of my journey to Staunton. I reached Lexington at about II A.M., and wished, after breakfast, to have proceeded at once, but was kept waiting for about an hour for a carriage, wdiich I had ordered at half-past 9 A.M. The day was Court day, a great and busy day at Lexington. Sales by auction were going on, and the place in a state of bustle, confusion and excitement. These Court days TRAVELLING UNDKR DIFFICTLTIES •J I coiiu' r(»iui(l nt tlio ('ommcncrMiu.it of nu'li moutli, .'iiul (lcl)ts arc jt.iid jiiid l)iirguiiis niadr <»ii flu; (tccasioii. 'Tlic ;ii rival of iiiv carri.'ii'e, drawn bv iincvenlv iiiiitclKHl hor.ses, rclievrd at last my almost oxliaiisteil patience. 'Twenty miles of our journey lay over plank-road, the rest ovei' jtoojs, aud ruts, nnd mud, which rt-ally diil lint deserve to be dignified bv the title of ro;id at all. .My poor horses ( I coidd L(et no cluin^'t? on the road) ^^t re nearly done u]>, and I was pretty tire(l myself wliiii T reached Staunton, at }ialf-i)ast 7 P.M. M had supper (which was also dinner and tea, as I had eaten nothinj;" since breakfast), and tui-ued in for finu' or five liours' rest. 1 went to Ijed a little after nine, and was again awaked, at half-past 12 4'.M., to start by the Winchester coach, which left at one in the morning. '■ MiU'cJi. l,s(f. — In the lumbering old coacli was onlv (lue passenger besides myself. Went off into a kind of doze ; night fine, and moon shining when we started ; clouded over, and commenced raining soon after. After some unwholesome and indigestil)le scraps at a dirty iini, at one o'clock, which passed for a dimier, coach at length became full. A negress and her baby sat oppo- site to me, and ol)liged me to keep my face turned to the open window. Do these people ever wash ? Two dirty agriculturists, in damp clothes, forced themselves ill ; and a vulgar woman with a frightful cough, and a wet bundle and bonnet-l)ox. In stage-travelling in the States, more than in railways, you see the discomforts of democracy. I wi h a few theorists wMjuld condescend to jostle awhile with the " o< ttoXAoj," they would then •\ u I I ■: I i. I: :!. 93 CANADA AM) THE CRIMEA ^i: I i ,' >, • a see the cap of liberty grimy with filth. There cm he no equality unless all men use Hoap and water, and certainly but WiiXa f rater] ml affect ion Itetween a j^cutlc- man with imniacuhite linen and the great *' unwashed." The road passed through a rich agricultural country, wdiere I was told some of the finest wheat in Americii was raised. The farms are very large, and but little manure used ; guano is occasionally employed. Tlio soil is not so rich as in Winconsin, where it is, if pos- sible, too prolific, and of inexhaustible fertility. The climate here is, hijwever, much henlthier, and the Airiiis nearer the great markets. * Left Winchester at 8 p.m., in the railway cars, for Harper's Ferry ; distance, thirty-two miles ; took three hours to go there ; line out of order, and engines feeble, as usual. Put into a miserable room, as cold as ice, with no fireplace nor chairs, and with dirty, cracked walls. Could have slept on a deal board. Coiled the clothes round me, and when the candle was out, discom- fort was banished. ^ March 2nd. — Dressed, and left my dismal apart- ment between seven and eight ; breakfasted on some greasy viands, and walked out. The day was lovely, and the air delightful. ' A gentleman, who, on the previous evening, had ■professed himself to be an Ultra Democrat, and had received a few languid attempts at jocularity on my 'part with roars of laughter, requested me, on my arrival at Horper's Ferry, to introduce myself to a relation of his, who rejoiced in the name of Snooks, and pursued ili^'t' HAnrKlUS FERRY 93 tlio avocation of a boot-makor. Snooks's disposition, lie told nu', ^vas most aiiiiable ; and his (lflii;ht at tlic o))j)ortiinity of sliowiiig mo tiic lions, wliicii, without sonic friendly guide, I should he utterly unahle to (lis(;()ver, would be unbounded. I thanked him a hun- dred times, and listened to the praises of the immortal Snooks with the resignation of exhaustion. I believe I Nvas too tired to laugh. My friend got out, and with bini vanished the shade of Snooks. 'The scenery of Harper's Ferry is very ])eautifid. Nature has done lier part towards rendering the spot both attractive and interesting; dkoi lias done his towards thwarting her benevolent designs. He crosses the two romantic "shining rivers"' on railway bridges like sheds, superlatively hideous ; and lie accompanies the gentle murmur of the Potomac for some miles with the sweet music of a steam-engine. The railwav skirts one bank of this beautiful river. Mr. Jefferson wrote a graphic and animated description of Harper's Ferry, which appears in his work on Virginia. It is the point of junction of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers ; and it is supposed that these streams, as if each con- scious of its individual inability, here combined their waters, and forced a passage through the Blue Kidge, which runs almost transversely to their course : this opinion lias been entertained by Volney, and other eminent travellers. The Shenandoah is a much smaller river than the Potomac. In the Potomac, above the point of junction, are several rocky islets, round which the water impatiently chafes. The river narrows as it fl ' ( Mi J,:. .,\ 94 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA m ;| '4 ' ft '^^ n\ ^ ill ■^ , Hi approaches the point, where it formerly encountered its great obstacle. The current is riipid, but tlie river, when it eifected the change in the aspect of nature, must liave been a stream of much greater power and magnitude tlian it is at present. Volney imagines it to be the contents of some vast lake (wliose 2)()siti(iii and boundaries may still be traced by the coal dej)osits which have l)een left), which at first found a small outlet through some rocky fissure, in time inci-eased it, and finally, with the whole weight of its waters, rent the rocks, and fornfed a mighty river. ' The village of Harper's Ferry is an ugly collection of dingy houses and barns on a bare hill side, close to the point of junction of the two rivers. A canal runs ahni^- one bank of the Potomac, near the village, and c(jni- municates with the city of Washington, which can be reached in a day and a half by the boats. * I walked up to "Jefferson's rock," a very strikiiii^' mass of stone, on a hill overlooking the whole scene, and tried to sketch it. From its sununit there is ;i beautiful view of the two rivers and surroiuidin*'- country. The whole landscape was bathed in sun- shine, and lay spread out like a may) at m}^ feet. Near Jefferson's rock is a pretty, (piiet little cemetery, over- looking the Potomac Eiver. Its site, like most of the cemeteries in the States, is well chosen. The resting- places of the dead are indeed everywhere in well- selected and appropriate situations. It is some con- solation to the mourner to think that the ashes of ihc departed loved one sleep in a spot where the bright sun AERIYAL AT WASHINGTON 95 casts his benms on a scene, calm, lioly, and beautiful : ;ai(l that, instead of the foul atmosphere of a city charnel-house, the air which steals over the tomb is hulfu with the sweet })erfume of delicate and lovely flowers, which the liaiid of affection has planted. 'At Harper's Ferrv is a lar<^(' armourv, where muskets and rifles are manufactured for the United States Army. [ walked through the workshops, and was much pleased witli the order, regularity, and method. The barrels of the muskets are brijj^ht, of the rifles browned. A mus- ket is manufactm-ed for from between nine and ten (lellars, and a rifle for aliout eleven or twelve. The annnury is under the superintendence of the ordnance. An arsenal is shortly to be built. ^ Mni'cli oi'd. — Started about 5 o'clock A. ^r. for Washinj^ton. Our enj^ine broke down about half-way there, and we were delayed for an hoiu' while it was uiuleru^oing repair. This brought us to Washington at a more ('hristian-like hour. I went to Gadsby's Hotel, where I had stayed on my former visit, but fonnd, as I had anticipated, every nook and corner occupied. I left my luggage there, and c(»mmenced a systematic hunt for a night's lodgiug. I tried several of the hotels, but at all received the same response. AEy hopes now lay in the ])rolia.bility of there being a room to spare at seme respectable tradesman's. I tried one or two, and at last, undeterred by visions of poisoning, had the courage to enter and make inquiry at a chemist's. Its owner could not accommodate me, but told me of a house where it was possible I might succeed in getting M i H' I I f 't ^ii; iii I . n 96 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA li X. I !. ;: I te.i i' i M' 1., H :l ■ :i a shake-down. It was a private residence belonging to a widow lady, who had consented to put herself to temporary inconvenience for the benefit of travellers. * Her house was conveniently situated near the Capi- tol, the dame herself portly and comfortable-looking, and I congratulated myself on my good luck ; my joy, however, was a little damped when my fair hostess gave the reins to her fancy, and indulged in speculation as to the number of additional wanderers she could ac- commodate. I had my luggage moved to the house, and then went to the Capitol to hear the debates of Congress. ' The Senate and House sat all night, and on the fol- lowing morning the members looked very jaded and knocked up ; however, they had a holiday till the month of December in store for them, and would soon recover from the cares and strifes of political life. I was much pleased with the urbanity, intelligence, and firmness of the Speaker of the Lower House ; his duties were arduous and troublesome, a perfect shout being raised, immediately after a division, of " Mr. Speaker ! " from all sides of the house, and a great deal of confusion and conversation going on during the transaction of busi- ness. The visitors' galleries in both Houses are small, and do not at all answer the expectations cr meet the wishes of the sovereign people, who '^ertainly ought to have a little accommodation to hear with their own ears, and see with their own eyes, how their servants are carrying on their affairs. * I went, during the afternoon, to a large Bazaar held iM» i> mm. I THE EYE OF THE INAUGURATION 97 jit the Patent Office ; there were a great many people there, and things of interest exhibited. Among these the daouerreotypes, and some pUms engraved most beauti- fully, especially attracted me. The Americans excel in thedaguerreotypingart ; this climate is more favourable to it, I believe, than that of Europe. The Patent Office, in which the fair was held, is a fine white build- ing, with handsome porticoes and column^. ' The bustle and gaiety of Washington to-day were quite animating; crowds were arriving by every train, and every steamboat discharged its living cargo of eager and expectant visitors. The accommodation of the city was completely exhausted, and hundreds passed the whole night of the 3rd of March in the great hall of the Capitol, or in roaming about tlie streets like troubled spirits. Even at the huge hotels, which one would think alone cajiable of accommodating a city or two, scarce a place could be obtained for dinner at the ordinary. A small crowd, waiting for vacant seats and sniffing the fragrant air, was stationed near the entrance to the diniug-room at Brown's Hotel, where I went to dine. I remained like them in anxious expectation, till a black waiter, opening the door a few inches, and par- tially revealing the paradise beyond, whispered, " Dat dere was seat for one," and then, without hesitation, I plunged into the apai'tment, and requested, in a decided tone, to be conducted to the vacant chair. I drank tea at my lodgings, and was formally presented by my buxom hostess to my fellow-lodgers. They were 11^ ^'1 r;: HI ! ... i ) u 98 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA t '■ i r I I I Iff > '!, I ' I , i I staid, middle-aged, quiet-looking people ; civil, 1)ut reserved. *The tea (with a due regard to economy) was served from a huge teapot by the lady of the house, and a very small negro boy handed it round to the company. We all dispersed after it ; I to the Senate House, mv friends where their inclinations led them. When I returned, at half-past twelve, I found madame sittini; up, looking very tired, and complaining of a head- ache. 8he said she did not know what she could do for me, as she had told some of the other gentlemen that if they brought home some friends they would he accommodated. I replied that it was not likely tliat they would think of bringing in strangers at that late hour, and as nobody appeared, she had accommodated another gentleman (my humble self) who was very tired ; that he was going away the next day, when a bed would be much at their service ; and I further added, as a still more powerful argument, that, thongli I certainly objected to sleeping double, I should be delighted if she would afford me the opportunity of paying for one beside myseJf : I also strongly insinuated that a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush. By degrees, my landlady began to admit the force of my reasoning, but requested double payment in advance. I placed three bright little gold dollars in her soft palm. lighted my candle, bolted my door (to secure myself from the invasion of disappointed applicants), and, with a chuckle at my diplomacy, and at the mercenary spirit | of stout females, was soon fast asleep. 99 CHAPTER VI. INAUGURATION DAY AT WASHINGTON — MEETING WITH THACKERAY — CHARLESTON. ' March 4tli. / ."' -r ^ '^PHIS eventful (lay broke gloomily: the sky was over- J- cast, the air raw and cold, and tlie whole aspect of tlie city as dreary a contrast as could well be conceived to the appearance of the previous day. ' Crowds began to muster at an early hour. Small parties of military, and deputations from various socie- ties and pid)lic bodies, might be seen, headed by their 1 lands, marching to their place of rendezvous, opposite the City Hall. Four guns of the Flying Artillery, preceded by some questionable trumpeters, seemed to excite great attention. I made no attempt to get into the Senate House, as I felt my doing so to be utterly hopeless. I walked again to the platform, and took my stand among a thin crowd, who were sliivering under their umbrellas, in a snow-storm. The crowd soon increased in size, and density, but the space in front of the Capitol is so large, that there was no crush. I stood about two hours in th(^ position I had chosen, exposed to the merciless snow, when distant music was H 2 ill [ MJ* i I I ii r '-/ •'(!' i 100 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA ;,i,*ii, r ■ if „ if ■ 11 < : ■ "J ':' ( heard, and the shouts of a cheering multitude borne to our ears by the breeze. A bustle was observable at the back of the platform; a small dark crowd emerged from the doorways, and arranged themselves in order under the portico. An eager buzz of expectati, red brick l)uildin<2f in the Norman style, which contains a picture gallery, and is devoted to scientific instruction. * I packed up my traps and drove down to the steaniei-, which I found crammed with some of the Richmond Rifles, who had taken a part in tlie procession, and were now returning home, and with a number of pleasure- hunters like myself. * The atmosphere of the cabin and sleeping-rooms was stifling. I walked miserrd)ly about, without knowing- where to repose my wearied liml)S. At length I sank exhausted on some flour sacks, where I was exposed to a fierce draught, which I bore sulkily for some time, and at last beat a retreat, and threw myself on a seat in the hot cabin. We were shifted at about 1 a.m. from the steamer to the railway cars, and arrived at Richmond just after sunrise on Saturday morning. ' A great part of the journey was through a swampy wood : all the land around seemed completely flat and but little cleared. Between Weldon, and Wilmington, North Carolina, indeed there are scarcely any signs of habitation ; some of the railway stations are nearly twenty miles apart, and the houses in their vicinity poor, and scattered. The railway between these two last places is an excellent one, and the fast trains travel at the rate of forty miles an hour. In South Carolinca, I was told by an engineer who had been employed in government surveys, that vast unhealthy swamps existed among the woods on table-lands elevated above the general level of the country. MEETS WITH THACKERAY 105 ' He instanc'C'd a well-known marsh, called the "Dismal Swamp," and drew a small illustrative sketeh. Ife said tliiit tlie woods in the neighbourhood of these dreary wastes, are more healthy than the eleared country. The Dismal Swamp mii,d»t easily be drained. *I reached Wilmincrton between nine and ten o'clock. ^ Sunday f Mdvch i)t It. — The day broke lovely, sun- shiny, and warm. It was like ])eing suddenly trans- ported to England at the end of May, ' The boat f(tr Charleston hjft at 10 a.m. We were to reach ('harleston at four or five o'clock on INfonday morning. The steamer did not go very steadily, though there was })ut little swell. What her conduct would have been had wind been blowing, I am ({uite at a loss to conjecture; but was very glad not to be in her under such circumstances. She stopped several times (luring the night, in the open sea, without any assignable reason, except perhaps to prevent her boiler bursting, and let off her steam with a prodigious noise. * To my great surprise I learned that Mr. Thackeray, whom I liad long wished to hear and see, was on board this (jueer little steamer. I recognised him in his spectacles, and German travelling-cap, from his likeness to his portraits. He is a tall man, with grey hair; his face is full ; forehead broad, and finely developed. A keen enjoyment of fun, and sense of the ludicrous, might be distinctively traced in his lineaments. I introduced myself to the great man's secretary (an artist, named Crowe, whom I found afterwards a very nice, gentle- manly fellow), and through him had the pleasure of ili I I ■ill 106 CANADA AND THE CIIIMKA m' ! nifikiiK' ATr. 'riiackcniv's ncciuaintauce. Ho was verv sotl.'ililc, niid talked in an unresiTvt'd, kind manner. •• ]Ic had Ix'en travt'llin*,' all ni^dit, and turned in for ;i few hours l»ef(»re tea to jjfet a nap. M)n a elear, calm evenin*^, with a deep l)lue sky, spangled with stars over our heads, Thackeray and I s;if talkin<' for more than two h(»urs. He told me he liked America, — thou«,dit her a very hue country, and enii- sidered her future as likely to be more glorious thuii England's. He said it did an Englishnum a great deal of good to travel in the States, as it removed a little of his pride and self-sufficiency. ' The Americans liad received him most kindly and liospitably. 'One or two articles had indeed ])een written in a different spirit when he first arrived, but this feeling had soon died away. *• He was much pleased with the great men of the country to whom he had been introduced. He spoke of the new President as a man of great intelligence, energy, and observation. ' jNlr. Everett he characterised as an elegant scholar ; and said the members of the whig administration, generally, were very good fellows, and perfect gentle- men. * General Scott he liked much, and called him a fine- hearted, noble old fellow. *He told me that lecturing in America had been a little harvest to him, and that he thought he should repeat his visit next year. as very lie i". iu for a ue sky, 1(1 I silt le likcl 1(1 CUll- us tliaii a j^'rcat en in a CTRIIEU IJF.I.L lo: * lie was injured a i^roat dral from the dioap rcpritits (.f Ills works ill the Statt-s, and said lie Imped an inter- national copyrii,dit l)ill would soon he passed, to remove the evil under wliicli authors, Kntrlisli anil Ainerican, l)otli surter. The ])resent system is, he tliinks, more jMinieious to Ameriean autiiors ami literutiin' even tiiaii it is to Knj^lish. A puhlisher will not ^'ive a j^reut writer, either on seientitic subjects or iu general liteni- ttirc, a high ]»ri('e foi- a work when he knows he eiin puiilisli one more elever and amusing, and of greater Karning and research, for n(»thing hut the price of till' i)aper, and the expense of arranging tlu; types. ' I asked Thackeray if he had read Currer Hell's la.st novel, " Villette," and he r«'i)lied that lie had not, hut wished particularly to do ho, as he knew the author. ' I tound subset [ueiitly, fn)m his secretary, that Thack- eray had been the first to discover and appreciate the merits of "Jane Kyre," and had written a congratulatory letter to the author, who was at that time niiknown to him. He Corresponded for some time with her, not knowing- all the time whether he was writing to a gentleman or a lady. Her letters were composed and written in a most masculine style, and were good botli in manner, and matter. Her last novel (which I had the satisfac- tion of being able to lend to Thackeray) is very melan- cholv, and sad. ' Thackeray liked " Shirley" better than " Jane Eyre," and I quite concurred with him. In the midst of our chat the steamer suddenly stopped, and commenced a see-saw motion from side to side. She then proceeded I I ■ 'I' \ \ 103 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA I ■ to let off her steam, making a most deafening and rather alarming noise. We could get no explanation of the reason of this pause, and were obliged to retire in the hope that aP was right. * The night continued calm and fine, and when I left my cabin at about six o'clock on Monday morning, I could see the glorious old sun, red-faced and happy, rising in the East, ai^d casting his beams upon the har- bour and town of Charleston, South Carolina. ' Charleston is built on the junction of the Ashley, and Cooper rivers. Its harbour is a line one, and well sheltered by islands, and a projecting tongue of land. The soil it is built upon is very light and sandy. It was formerly bounded by a marsh on one side, but this has been drained, and a quay built upon it, trees and grass planted, and a pleasant promenade made, miicli frequented on account of the sea breezes. Overlooking this promenade are some of the prettiest private houses in the place. They all have little gardens in front, which are adorned, so bountiful is nature in these sunny regions, even in March, with roses, geraniums, and lilies of the valley in full bloom. ' There are no very prominent, or conspicuous public buildings in Charleston, but its churches, exchange, court-house, &c., are all sufficiently handsome, and sub- stantial. The roofs of most of the houses are made nearly flat, to allow their occupants an opportunity for enjoying the summer evenings in the open air. * I was delighted with the trees in the streets, and with the fresh appearance of the grass. ifiill y CHAnLESTON 109 ' Charleston is an important commercial city. Its chief trade is in cotton. The plantations are some dis- tance from the town, and are visited by water — a steamer, for the convenience of planters, plyinj^ up and flown the Ashley river. During- the hot summer months, the air of the plantations is poisonous and pestilential. Xo white man can exist on them. They leave them uuder the management of black, or mulatto agents, and are only able to pay them a visit about once a week, or fortnight, and then only between the hours of sunset and sunrise. ' The atmosphere, which is destructive to the white, is perfectly harmless to the negro race, who enjoy it, and thrive under the hot summer sun. This is certainly a strong argument in favour of the existing system of slavery. ' I saw numbers of blacks in all directions ; most of therp very black and very hideous, but rarely were ray eyes refreshed by the sight of a mulatto, or even a man or woman with a dash of white blood in their veins. ' The mulatto women are represented as being good- looking, and having finely-formed and softly-moulded figures. They rarely appear in public except on great occasions, such as the 4th of July. They dress nicely, and are generally virtuous ; and in manner and deport- ment would give a very good and useful lesson (as I was told by the mayor of Charleston) even to white I I ' The great number of darkies is very striking at first. 110 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA !:( 'i ■ You see, even in the main streets, two or even three of these to every white man, and in the back streets you see no one else. I wandered to the military college at about five in the afternoon, and saw instead of a parade some slovenly marching, and a group of artillery militia in blue coats, small shakos, and red epaulettes, muster- ing for drill, with their black band. Blacks are often employed as musicians. The pure negro has an excellent ear for music, but can never be brought to understand it as a science, or even to read it from a music book. The mulatto, on the contrary, masters these difficulties, and thus shows the enlightening influence of white blood. * The women at the table d' bote were some of them rather pretty, — generally speaking brunettes, — and very rarely with fair skins and blue eyes. They are nicer looking, and more feminine and lovable than their Northern sisters. The men likewise, in the South, are more like Englishmen in appearance, manners, and tone of voice. South Carolina was originally colonised by English gentlemen, and their blood reappears in their descendants in spite of the influence of republican institutions. * Tuesday^ March Sth. — After breakfast I walked through the long market, where negresses, with white or coloured kerchiefs tastefully arranged, sit like pre- siding goddesses at their cabbage-stalls, and where negroes, greasy and well-to-do, superintend various experiments in the comparative anatoniy of sheep and oxen ; and found myself soon on board a small steamer AN HOTEL ROBBERY 111 bound for Sullivan's Island. This island is a favourite .summer resort. Its shores are washed by the waves of the Atlantic. It is covered, for some extent, with groves of myrtle, and I noticed several picturesque pal- metto-trees rearing themselves above the hot, loose sand of which the island is formed. A large hotel, deserted at this time of the year, stands on a point of land close to tlie water, and the summer retreats, with their veran- dalis, are mostly built focing and skirting the sea. 'I reached Charleston again at half-past 3 r.M., and went up to my room to get ready for a ride ; but f )und something: there, or rather the absence of some- thing, which detained me at liome. While I was away, some thief had surreptitiously o])taine(l admission to my bed-room, broken open my portmanteau, and abstracted therefrom the sum of 100 dollars in gold, which was neatly folded up in a small parcel. ]\Iy carpet-bug (in which were 200 dollars) looking very empty, escaped his observation. Nothing except the money appeared to have been taken. Vigorous measures were evidently necessary. I could entertain very little hope of com- pensation from the hotel proprietor, as warnings are pasted up in every room, cautioning travellers not to leave money or articles of value in their rooms, and statinnf that there was an iron safe in the bar where they might be deposited. I locked my door, and com- menced my long descent to the lower regions of the hotel, where the respectable occupants of the bar were to be found. On my way, I encountered Thackeray and his secretary, to whom I explained my loss, and who > ■ I V 112 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA i ; immediately acc(»mpanied me to the scene of devasta- tion. There lay the portmanteau most significantly telling its own tale. The robbery had been, performed by a dexterous and practised thief, as the lock was uninjured, and the portmanteau had been simply and neatly torn open. * The door of the room and its lock did not seem to have been touched, and indeed the latter was fast when I returned. We all went together to the bar, and I made my formal statement of what had occurred. The accoiuit was received with grave nonchalance, and indifference ; indeed, I was congratulated by one gentle- man on my escape from total bankruptcy. A stout man, with a peaked beard, seemed, however, a little melted; conjured up an expression of grave concern, and begged me to show him my portmanteau. I did so, and listened to the remarks and suggestions of my corpulent friend for ten minutes, when he left, after giving me very little consolation — (excej^t sympathy) for my misfortune — to order a smith up to repair damages. This useful individual soon made his appear- ance, and entertained me, in answer to my queries, with some agreeable descriptions of smashing open doors, and deeds of gangs of row^dies, who were wont, in former days, to follow their vocations at the Charles- ton hotel. * One advantage I gained from my loss — I was put into a much better room lower down, and treated with great civility. ' I went in the evening to hear Thackeray's lecture : iiiil .Vf 1 "TRUSS IN DE lord" 113 evast.a- [icantly •formed »ck was ply and seem to ^vas fast the bar, iccurred. lice, and ■i orentle- A stout a little concern, 1. I did is of my -ft, after mpatliy) o repair i appear- queries, ng open re wont, Charles- was put treated lecture : his subject was Jonathan Swift, and he treated it with skill, pathos, and elofpience. It appeared more than to satisfy the expectation of the audience, and struck nie as a finished and masterly performance. *I met Thackeray on the steps, just {^oing out of the hall, and he introduced me to the Mayor of Charles- ton, and tw^o or three other gentlemen, who, 1 found, had taken him in tow for an evening's amusement, and were about to entertain him with the spectacle of a '• quality ball," to show him that niggers could some- times be happy, and endeavour to soften his Anglican and abolitionist prejudices. . ' We adjourned from the Hibernian Hall, in the first instance, to the Main Guard-House, wdiere we smoked cigars, to the music of the worst drums to which it has ever been my evil destiny to listen. They reminded me, in tone, of the sweet sounds which are evoked from the toys of our infancy, and in power to three or four hun- dred penny drums all going together. ' The Ma}' or told us several amusing anecdotes about the nicrgfers. One was of an old fellow who was cele- Ijrated for his preaching and religious fervour, and always took for his text the words " Truss in de Lord." On this he was in the habit of discoursing most elo- quently ; and he enjoined, in an impressive manner, the whole congregation, in whatsoever position of danger, distress, or difficulty they might be placed, always to " Truss in de Lord." One day the old gentleman was seen in a canoe, half full of water, in the centre of a rapid stream, calling most vigorously and lustily for 1 r Mti ( i ,, .. lU CANADA AND THE CRIMEA help. His cries reached the ears of two of his coii- gre-ers and mere lookers-on, and, in fact, no room for them. We took lip our stand near the head of the room ; the music struck up, and ])roceedings commenced. The band played a noisy air, and the dancers' movements were regulated by a nigger with stentorian lungs, who shouted out, in the most commanding voice, "Hands 'cross,"' " Turn your partners," ^^c, all which direc- tions were complied with, with much grace and in admiral )le time, Thackeray declared it was the best dancing he had ever seen. Here, and there a little attl'ctation and conceit were exhibited by some peculiarly ebony lady ; but great order, politeness, and decorimi prevailed. ' One or two of the women were olive, and wore ring- lets. They might have passed anywhere for Spanish Creoles, but were all slaves. The contrast of the black arms, and necks with the white dresses was singular, and picturesque. The dresses were occasionally pretty, though there was evidently a great absence of stays. The women's feet and ancles, hands and arms, and occasionally figures, were good. The men were dressed in their ordinary walking clothes, with an occasional I 2 C: iM* 116 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA '> ! lover in correct evening costume, and had all of tliem clean sliirts on. One bouncing Itlack Leanty attracted Thackeray's attention, and I saw on his table next doy an admirable little sketch of a gronp of dancers, with her comely figure in a conspicuous position, executing " a pas," and a capital likeness of a most die-away and affected " thing" (as the ladies would have called her), going through a killing, and bewitching movement at the side. We stayed about half an hour at the l)all (merely as spectators, of course), partook of some refreshment, consisting of plum cake, and very nice sassafras beer, and toddled home to bed, bidding our friends adieu. 117 CHAPTER VII. CHARLESTON — SLAVE MARKET — SAVANNAH — KEY WEST. ' Tluirsdav, March 10th. ' "ITTENT at 11 a.m. to sec the sale by auction of niuety- * » six prime negroes, which t(3ok jjhiee near the Exchange. The gang was to be sold in families ; all good field-hands, or some other excellent qualification, and to be disposed of, at so nuieh a head, without reserve. The negroes, with their wives and little ones, were standing; huddled too-other in a crowd behind the platform, on which each family was exposed for sale in turn, according to a printed programme. Many of tliem seemed indifferent, and a stout negress or two looked, occasionally, even defiant ; but there were several mothers with their babies at their breasts (and even black innocence, and helplessness are pretty and inter- esting) sobbing bitterly. The auctioneer explained the conditions of sale to the company, and stated that all the niggers were to be considered sound, unless anything was said to the contrary. There was no degrading exhibition to ascertain physical efficiency, but all the negroes were in decent clothing. The slaves were (/ ■■; 118 CANADA AND TKi: CTilMEA rf arranired in families, accorcliiii^ to their nearest relati(jii- ship, and sold in lots at so much a head. The compctitiuii was tolerably brisk, and several lots — old men, babies, and all, sold very well. The seeiie, of course, was iii(»sl painful, humiliatin<5% and dei,n-adin<^-. I Ijeeame (iiiite affected myself, and was oblij^ed to hurry away, for tear of showing what I felt. * March Will. — Left Charleston on a lovely morniiiL;' for Savannah. AVe entered the Savannah Kiver at half- past thn.'e in the afternof>n. The sun came out, and lighted up a jierturbed stream, the C(jloiir of copper, and low, marshy banks. The Savannali river resembles the Mississippi in general character ; it winds through swampy islets, only visible at low water, on which m summer the alligatoi's deliuht to bask. ' Savannali is twenty-fcnir miles from the mouth of the river, and in the centre of the rice country. We passed several rice plantations ; they are perfectly flat, and heUnv the high-water level of the river. They are protected from its waters by embankments. In the spring, when the crops are sown, the sluice-gates are opened, and the plantations flooded, and kept covered with water till the yoxmg rice shoots above their surface, when they are drained, and the rice left to the action of the sun. ^ Savannah itself is built on a sandy bluff, elevated about forty feet above high- water mark. It is laid out in fine, broad, regular streets, and avenues lined with trees, and green sliady squares, which give it a most pleasing and rural appearance. The variety and beauty SPRING IN SAVANNAH Iff moniiii'; of its trees are very strikinj^^; there are Hevi'ral descrip- tions of live-(tak, a tree wliic-h lives ft»r lunidrcds of years, like our j^iant of tlie forest; tlioii;;h in other rt'Sjieets it l)iit little resembles it. Its branehes arc adorned, all the year round, with festoons of dark slatr- c'oloured moss, which han|4" from them in droopinjjj dusters, sometimes ten or twelve feet Ion;;-, contrastiui;- strang'ely with the bri<;ht green buds of oj)eninn- spring, which the supporting boughs are putting forth. I saw the olive-tree in blossom, the laurel sixteen or eighteen feet high, "the sad cypress," the null berry, the pine, the cedar, the Pride of India tree (covered in summer with large lilac blossoms of a languidly rich perfume), and several other varieties I was too i^iKjrant to recounise. The effect produced by this great and luxuriant variety of foliage can readily be imagined. ' Mardi \'2th, — At both Charleston, and Savannah I felt the debilitatorv influence of a southern clime, and a feeling of languor and depression. This wore off, however, after a short time. I began even to like the hot weather. It was such a sudden change from the dreary monotony of a winter landscape, to the bright and gorgeous hues of summer. Here all the trees of the forest are budding, and blossoming. The young fruits of the earth sprouting green, and fresh above its surface : the delicate, and beautiful flowers of summer blooming fearless of the withering frost, the bright and glorious sun warming, and gladdening the whole with his genial presence. ' The sun is a great inspirer of poetry ; how does the I. ISO CANADA AND THE CRIMEA younj^ poet, or lover delight to muse under the calm influence of liis declinin«j^ y 41 m A BLACK CONGREGATION 125 a man in yellow ''n-ecches voluntarily taking upon him- self the duties of pastoi-, and, after a brief expression of regret at the shej^herd's absence, commencing the service by reciting a hymn of six verses. This he re- peated again two lines at a time, joined by the congre- gation in a loud, harsh, nuisical chorus. After the liynni, my friend (who had taken his stand at the desk exactly opposite me) commenced an extempore prayer, which was good, though a little abounding in tautology, and was earnest and sincere in delivery. A sermon (on certainly "an appropriate text for the occasion), " The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few," gave me an opportunity of forming a better estimate of my volunteer's powers of composition. I[e preached very sensibly. A hymn similar in length and execution to the one preceding it, and another prayer, delivered from the centre of the church, at the request of the gentleman officiating, by a member of the congregation, completed the service. I saw a good deal of friendly Lauds-shaking, like the " how-dye-do" at an English village church on Sunday ; u; d, as it was hardly twelve, went to another church, white this time, and heard another sermon. After the completion of this second service I called again on the consid's ; and, hearing that he was out, but expected home in a few minutes, took a seat in a comfortably-furnished room, ornamented with portraits of "H. M. G. 31." and " H. K. H." and par- liamentary companions, navy lists, &c., on the table, all remindins: one of Old England, to await his return. A gentleman (whom I at first took for the consul) occu- '-;; i 1 i I: i i 126 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA i ,! ! > I pied a chair when I entered, and exchanged a few commonplaces with me. Our consul soon came in, shook hands with me very cordially, and asked me to dinner. He was a grey-haired old gentleman, who had filled the office of consul for thirty years, and a thorough Englishman in appearance and maimer. His wife was a nice person, and I soon felt myself at home diniiiL? with the pair; I had a snug little dinner, and a good glass of wine after it, and talked to mine host about Canada, the K. jM. A. at Woolwich, and the army. He told me he had a son at Rughy, who wished to go into tlie army ; and a daughter whom he occasionally yisited at a school at New York. He drove me out in a tilbury — a good old English tilbury ! — to see a great raihvay termi- nus which is in course of construction, and will be the ter- minus of the railway to NewOrleans and the inlandtowiis, and cities of the south. In a few years the facilities of communication in this part of the country will have much increased. Xovj, a person may travel by railway, and steamer across the country to within five or six miles of New Orleans. * One or two gent', men came in during tL^ evenin''. and a slow scientific discussion on the merits of tlie Ericson hot air vessel was C(/mmenced. I waited for a pause, rose, and said " Good night," promising to come to breakfast at eight o'clock the next morning. ^ March I4th. — Wet morning. Borrowed an um- brella from the man at the bar, and sallied out to the consul's. Met Mr. JNIurray at breakfast. He is a Charleston man, and had been educated with the elegant CHARLESTON RACES 12: mayor of tlint city. He told me that tlie moiitli of February wjis the most favonra1)le one for seeing Charleston in its ,L,dory, as ])eople flocked there then from all parts of the States to the races. These races he descrihed as l)ein!4' ^'i^ l'*'st in America; the horses are ridden by niL;L;er hoys, who take an immense deal of pride in their master's horses, and would scorn the offer of a bribe to lose a race. The racing is, therefore, jiist what it ought to be, a fair and generous competition between a nmnber of noble aiiimals. Murray further said that English gentlemen, officers from Canada, were invited to all the balls, and to participate in all the amusements of the places He, I Avas happy to learn, had experienced much kindness from the T'Jth Kegijuent when he visited (Quebec, and, I think, he had formed, and, I hope, diffused, a favourable opinion of the hos- pitality of the l^ritish army. John J^ull, whatever may be said against him, is a sociable animal, and feels as much pleasure in securing a wanderer, and ])lacing his legs under his mahogany, as an experienced fisherman in successfully landing a fine salmon or trout. .Aly friend ^lolvneux (the consul), who had these true John Bullian feelings, wanted me to dine with him again ; and when I pleaded previous engagements, invited me, on my return from "the Havana,"" to stay at his house till the boat started for New York. [ only gave a (qualified assent. ]Molyneux drove me to my lu^tel, and shook hands with me. He would take nothing for my passport, but said it was a general rule that no charge should be made to gentlemen wearing her ^Majesty's ."1 Mi 1 7: '1 i 123 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA I t i' livery. I found that Thackeray and Crowe had arrived, and walked over to tlie American Hotel to see them. They were very badly accommodated; the liotel was dirty and imcomfortable, and the beds well inhabited with a busy and thrivini>- population. They could get no rooms at the Pidaski-house. ' A very scraj^'gy-lookin^ man, whom I afterwards dis- covered was a member of a deputjition from " the Young jNIen's Association," was engaged in conversation witli Thackeray when I entered. I afterwards heard that he felt favourably disposed towards me, and would have shown me the lions, and probably feasted me, had I stayed at Savannah. * Crowe was pleased with the trees and squares, and the general appearance of the place. They expected a deputation, so I left them and went back to my hotel, where I packed a dress suit in my carpet-bag, to change for dinner when I got into the coimtry. My Georgian friend called about twelve o'clock, and we started together at half-past twelve in a light buggy. ]My attention was attracted, while going through a wood, by a number of large, dark birds perched on the trees; my companion told me they were turkey bustards, the scavengers of the Southern cities, and that it was illegal to shoot one. I subsec^uently saw a number of these gaunt, unpleasant-looking birds hard at work, picking up scraps near the market-place at Charleston. The proprietor of the house I was about to dine at, was tlie son of a Scotchnum (a Mr. INI'Alpine), who had com- menced life with nothing but his wits and a stu:pence, A DAT IN THE COUNTRY 129 rrivod, tlieiii. el was laViitcd lid get rds dis- Yoiuii^ m wit] I tluit lie Id have , had I res, and 3ected a y hotel, clianj^'e eori^'ian started ood, by trees ; ds, the illeo-al ■ tlie.se kicking The was the d coin- j:pence, and by energy and l)rickmaking had accinnulated a large fortune, and built a good house. The property (according to law in this part of the country) was left to be evenly divided among all the children, the eldest son managing it for himself and the rest, and getting nothing but one share in the spoil for his trouble ; a most ridiculous custom, and the ruin of many line estates. Passing through a straight avenue of trees, we came to a little street of negro huts ; ipiaint, square, peculiar nut-shells, with padlocks on the doors, and a tire, or the remains of one, burning on a vessel in front of each, and designed to keep off the insects. The proprietor's house, which was handsome, stood, unfor- tunately, on very low ground, and was near the muddy marshy river; the brothers, who were practising ritle shooting, received me very cordially. The eldest I was particularly pleased with ; a kind-liearted, fine, good fellow. He was much more like an Englishman than an American. He shewed me his place, his brickmaking, his saw-mills, horses, rice, &c., and pointed out several localities which had been the scenes of skirmishes and encounters during the American war. (Jne tree near liis house still retained traces of a cannon ball, which had been, he conjectured, fired by the Britishers to ascertain their range before opening a cannonade from their batteries. Sickness and fever had killed more men than the sword on this occasion. ' Women (negresses of course) were employed at brickmaking a« well as the men; they seemed very strong, and able to work very hard. The system my ,!! I t ! ! !l l! • I ' i ' ( : ; i t ■ I \\ Ji l;; i f 130 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA ! ; i n V * ■ % friend employed w.as that of tasks, — a very judicious one. A certain fair amount of work is to lie gut througli, and then liurrali ! for li])erty. I have always preferred this phm to the monotonous lazy drud^-ery of so many ho\irs' work. Tlie nii;'«4'ers were wlieeHui;- barrows of bricks, so heavy and piled up, that I, thougli tolerably strong", could scarcely even lift the arms of the barrow. ' In a return of births and deaths, published at Charleston, seven blacks are reported as having- died ovei* a hundred years old, and between the ages of twenty and thirty but few negroes had died ; where a corre- sponding return shewed great mortality among the whites. This speaks something for the care with whicli the skives are treated, and the comforts they must enjoy in their old age. We had a plain, liomely, country farmer's dinner, and smoked some cigars afterwards. None of my new acquaintances wer(!: particularly re- fined either in manner or conversation. They were kind hospitable people, however, and the elder brother <|uite realized in my mind, Pope's " noblest work of Crod." To bed at eleven. ^ Mdrcli \5th. — Walked out before breaktjxst to the Exchange to get a view of the city and surroundinL;' country. Savannah looks something like a vast garden: the trees have a beautiful effect. ' There were a great many passengers, and a vast number of trunks and portmanteaus for the Havana })oat. We were all to start in a little steamer at nine, and lay off the bar till the Isabel from Charleston came 3t' AN rNTLKASAM VOYAGE l.Tl in si<;lit. The day became lovely. I sat on deck reading "The Caxt(»ns,"' and looking- at the passing vessels sailing or steaming in or out of the harbour. We passed a small steamer with funnels near the bows, and decks piled with bales of cotton, till she looked a large shapeless mass : vessels laden thus will carry an inmiense freight. We had a wretched dinner on board our "wee*" boat, and lay off Pulaski P'ort, — a large s(|uare work, recently completed at gre.at expense, near the mouth of the river. I inspected the fort ; it is casemated, and has great bomb-proof accommodation. It will be very heavily armed when the guns are moimted on the pivots designed for them. ' It has only one outwork, a weak ravelin, with a narnnv ditch not more than twelve feet broad ; the ditch of the main work is about thirty feet in breadth. Tlie escarp is exposed, and the faces of the work are long, and miglit probably be enfiladed by a steamer at a distance ; the guns will be mounted eti fxtrhctfe. The sides of the scpuire are broken into small bastions ; the firo from the casenuites would render the passage of the ditch dangerous. ' There were a good many passengers on board the [s((b('l. A group of ladies, looking pale and interesting, were sittini; imder a kind of roof in the centre of the passengers' deck. Our party was shipped in small boats, wliich, owing to a swell, was rather a troublesome job. ' March \(')fh. — Came on deck feeling rather sick; all the ladies had disappeared fr(jm the scene, and were ^tretclied on btids and sofas in various attitudes of K 2 i ' I i; f . l", /l t '!' 'H 132 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA wretchedness. There were sixty-five passengers f)n board, and nearly every berth taken. I was (loul)led up with a sea-captain, with stentorian Kings and excel- lent constitution. I occupied the upper berth, and generally found my companion, with his clothes on, asleep when 1 turned in. He never snored, and got up at daybreak — two very desirable qualities. Every one looked miserable. I felt a vertigo in my head, but persevered in reading. The wind was cold and raw, and blew in a most deterinined manner. P\)r a larjie steamer the Isabel is a very l)ad sea-boat, rolling and pitching tremendously. I managed to keep the demon of sea-sickness at bay, and eventually completely tri- umphed over him. The gale delayed the steamer, and we made very little headway. * March \7tk. — The same monotony as yesterday, but in sight of the Florida coast greater part of the day. : ; 133 CHAPTER VIII. ( r KEY WEST AND THE HAVANA. March 18th. ' 4 LOVELY clay. We had passed from the regions of -^ winds and storms into a calm sea, and a delicious, halmy air. It is about 10 a.m. We are approaching Key West, near the extremity of the Florida Keef. Several little deserted coral islands are in the distance, and we see occasionally the white sails and elegant out- line of a cutter, relieved by the blue sky beyond. Most of the passengers are on deck — pale, pretty faces, scarcely recovered from the effects of that terrible storm ; but the sea now looks so placid and beautiful, and the air is so soothing, that they must soon recover ; besides, we are approaching land, and land is a nuigic word. We are to have a long rest at Key West (rhyme unintentional). We shall land and roam about it, shall get off that abominable little deck, and be able to walk hundreds of yards without turning. Ha I there are the stars, and stripes floating on the American barracks ! Two or three companies of artillery are stationed there, — a dull quarter I should think ; there is, however, ! 1^ il 1 134 CANADA AND THE CKIMKA I f plenty of fi.sliiiij^' iuifl boatiiif,', T suppose. Tlicre is tlie towii,a,n(l a fort tluy are build ini;'. Kroinall those (|ueer seuffol(liii;^s they look out for wrecks, and can see it vessel on the reefs a.t a <;reat distance. The |i(;oj>le here fjjain their livelihood by \vreekinL>-, L»eneraliy speaking;, besides which they catch and sell turtle. 'There was no use in coutinuinj,' our voyage, a> we should have found the harbour of the JIavana closed a, as fruits. I did not see any orange-trees. Some of the houses are prettily built, with tastefully-arranged little gardens in front, indicating a respectable class of inhabitants. 1 was told that there were some very rich people living there. '1 alone strolled along the shore on the side oppo- site to that along which I had wandered with ]Marcy in the morning, the heat keeping all the other pas- sengers in the ship quiet ; and observed, among other things, some boats coming in laden with sponges, another source of wealth. These sponges are coarse, and cannot compare at all with those from Turkey. I felt inclined for a bathe, but refrained on account of the sharks, which occasionally deprive you of a supporter, if they don't swallow you whole. I heard of a woman who was sitting on a wharf with one foot dangling in the v^ater, when a shark coolly nipped it off. I was told, however, by an intelligent serjeant with whom I had a chat at the barracks, that during the three years he had been at Key West he had only heard of one soldier who had been bitten, though the men were constantly in the habit of bathing. The ])arracks, near the military hospital, are built with verandahs on every side, and looked cool and comfortable. I re- gained my steamer at about two o'clock, at which hour we sat down to dinner, there being a full muster of passengers. After dinner I mounted to the top of one 11 \ ■ I'i- I? ; li I ! i 1 'I I ; 133 CANADA AND THE CRDIEA of the look-out towers, and enjoyed the view of the little town and surrounding islets very much. ''March Ivth. — At ahout six o'clock, on a lovely morninf^, a group of expectant passengers might ho ohserved crowded tojjether on the hows of the •M ; ri' 140 CANADA AND THE CBIMEA ill in a similar position with myself. I determined to be as philosophic as possible, had my portmanteau trans- ferred to my state room, breakfasted with the captain, and afterwards proceeded to dress myself in as cool and respectable a costume as I could select from my rather limited wardrobe. I wrote a letter to our consul, en- ck jed in it J 's letter of introduction, and remained in a state of suspense, between hope, doubt, and anger, making sketches of houses, &c., from the deck of the steamer. The day was most lovely, and the harbour with its varied shipping, bounded by green hills or picturesque terraces and frowning ramparts, in itself a picture. Vessel after vessel with her white sails set, glided beautifully into the still expanse of water, and came gracefully to her moorings. The stars and stripes of the United States floated in most cases with swagger- ing splendour from their mizens. Near our steamer was a brig which the captain told me had been captured as a slaver by the English cruisers, and was now the sub- ject of litigation, her owners having positively denied that she was ever intended for the west coast of Africa : he added that the Cubans winked at the departure of slave brigs from the harbour of the Havana at night. Our commodore was apprised of this circumstance ])y an English sailor, who happened to be on board one of the brigs, and he immediately sent a frigate after them, which brought them to, boarded them, and on discover- ing the nefarious purpose for which they were intended, took all these vessels quietly in tow in a line, and brought them into the harbour of the Havana that TICKET OF LEAVE 141 evening. This decided step naturally rather diminished the popularity of the English amongst the Cu])ans. During the Lopez troubles, the Spaniards regarded old England as one of their firmest and most powerful aUies, and almost conceived that the only object she li;id in retaining a squadron in the vicinity of their coasts, was for the purpose of protecting them agr„inst the republican spirit of annexation which had so dis- agreeably developed itself in the neighbouring continent. Their eyes by this decided step were somewhat roughly opened to the true state of the case, and like a criminal who after pleasant nocturnal visions, awakes to a true consciousness of his real position, their guilty souls became suddenly and impleasantly aware that tliere were such things as truth, and the fulfilment of solemn engagements, and that there was a power which would protect and enforce both. 'My captain took compassion on me, and allowed me about half-past eleven o'clock to go ashore with a friend of his, who was to take me to the consul's, where I was to endeavour to obtain a permit ; in case of failure, I was on my parole to return to the steamer, as the captain was liable to be fined if he had suffered me to land without the usual forms having been complied with. I rejoiced at the hopes of emancipation, and cheerfully stepped into the little boat, with a white awning and graceful sail, which was to convey me to tlie much desired terra firma. INIr. Wolcott (my guide) and myself after walking along a hot sandy road for a few paces, stepped into a volante, and began to thread • ;'.. ! ! i(? iM I'l 142 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA the narrow and intricate mazes of the city of Havana. Our veliicle was singular and unique, and demands a description. Imagine a body sometliing like that of a Hansom cab, — only lighter, suspended on heavy leathern springs, attached to an axletree some distance behind it, on which revolve two enormous wdieels, six feet in diameter, drawn by a comical little horse, out' mass of harness, his tail ciirefully plaited and stored away, like a loop on one flank, and a heavy old-fashioned saddle on his back, bestridden by a large negro in enormous boots, and you will have ;i picture before you of the ordinary vehicle used in Havana, and in fact ttie only one, I may safely say, wdnch the Spaniards or natives ever employ. A kind of blind rolled up in cool weather at the top of the hood, and drawn down over tlie face during the heat of the day, protects from the rays of the sun. A volante is by no means an uncomfortable vehicle : it is a lara'e loun2:innvevance. where you may loll at ease, and enjoy the otluin etna dujiiltate of existence. ' We found on in([uiry at the consul's house that lie w\as out, but supposed to be at his son's office ; thither we accordingly repaired, and were fortunate enoui;li this time in nailing our man. ]\Ir. Crawf()rd I found a o'entlemanlv middle-a^'ed man : he had never received or heard anything of the letter I had sent ashore for him in the morning ; but on my stating my case to him, wrote a letter immediately to the secretary lO the captain general, praying him, in excellent Spanish, to give per- mission to Lieutenant George Ranken, of the * Guerpu Havniia. mauds a I that r.f ri heavy distance heels, six oi'se, one id st(uv(l fjxsliioHi'd Qe<;T() in efore yi»u 1 fact tne tiiards or ip ill cool over tlie the rays nfortahle ivevaiice, um CLlin e that lie thither enouu'h ' found a received shore for e to him, e captain give per- ' Cuerpo FKEEDOir del In2,'enieri,' to land on the soil of Cuha. 143 Armed with this important document, I aijain started forth with the oblii^-iiif,^ Wolcott, and found myself within a few minutes sitting in the pahice of the captain general with a S})anisli agent of Wcdcott's, "waiting in ])ainful suspense for the decision of the secretary. That fuiic- tionarv was husilv eni>-aLred, and niv letter could not for some time be taken up to him. Instantly upon receiving it, however, he gave orders that a free permit should he given me : and, elated with success, I hiUitened to the amiable Wolcott, and placed the scrawl of pardon in liis honest palm. I found my way to my hotel, where I found one of my American friends, and took a walk with him through the streets, visiting the Catlie- dral and the Tacon Theatre. ' The appearance of the city is very peculiar and j)icturesque ; the houses are solidly built, but seldom more than one storey high ; they have no windows, the apertures into which in northern climes, these taxed articles of luxury are fitted, are here filled with formi- dable, burglar-defying iron bars, and thick, dark, cool-lookinj; Venetian blinds, which cast a refreshinij: shade over the whole interior of the apartments. The rooms are fitted up in the most simple and unostenta- tious manner; a side-board, table, and a few chairs being generally the only furniture. ' Senoritas might be seen at ease, reclining on rocking chairs, lollin"' out the dav or thinking of their evening drive on the Paseo. Under an archway at the side of the house, or in a quadrangular courtyard attached to H I I'l iir 144 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA it, might be seen the ftimily voUmte. Negresses were smoking cigarettes or pipes, and sturdy, naked, bhick little urchins running about and basking in the sun ; not afraid of their complexions, certainly. *My friend and I found our way to the cathedral, — a cathedral consecrated by the dust of the great discoverer of America. The ashes of Columbus are deposited be- neath a mean marble slab, near the altar of the UKxst tawdry and unsubstantial Koman Catholic church I have ever seen. 'A small bas-relief, by a native of Cuba, of his head, and an inscriptioji, equally unwortliy of the man or the country which produced him, are all that assist, or rather destroy, the sensations of the traveller, when he stands over the remains of this great man. The altar, and pulpit near, are from Rome. ' The exterior of the cathedral, though possessing no architectural merits, is yet picturesque and interesting, from its venerable greyness. An old pile, over which the hand of time has passed — not to destroy, but to soften and im])rove, — is at all times a pleasing and interesting object. It is regarded with almost a re- ligious reverence, and it deserves to be so. ' To Americans, these time-worn grey walls must possess a peculiar charm, after the sharp regular lines which distinguish their rapidly produced cities and buildings, which start int(j life, and, I might almost say, topple over with the same rapidity as fairy card palaces, such as delighted our younger days. 145 CHAPTER IX. HAVANA — DE RAMOS, FALM-SUNDAY — A DINNER ^yITH THE ENGLISH CONSUL — RETUUN TO MONTREAL. ' ^r.ircli 20tll. ' rriHIS is the great day for pleasure and amusement -■- in Havana. The weather was lovely ; the air soft and delightful. I sallied out inunediately after breakfast, and made for the cathedral, whither, it was rumoured, the Captain-General, after entertaining most of the pu])lic functionaries at breakfast, was to proceed, attended by his guards. ' The cathedral was decorated with real legitimate palm leaves, plaited most tastefully and prettily, laid upon the altar, find in other conspicuous places. When I arrived, the service had evidently commenced vsome time. I stole along a side aisle, and reached a point whence I could clearly and easily discern the features of that redoubted hidalgo, the " Capitan- General.'' He wore a blue uniform, covered witli stars and orders. He had well-cut, commanding features, with a grave, gentlemanly, proud expression, and stood nearly six feet high. He appeared to pay great attention to tlie service. Almost all the Captains-General of Cuba have L ! 1 I ^^i\ 14H CANADA AND THE CRIMEA been officers of liiu^h rank in tlic Sjaiiisli army, and the present one is no exception to that rule ; Init wliere he can have distinniiislied himself to have worthily earned all his decorations, I am at a loss to conceive. The whole of the hody of the cathedral was occnpicnl hy senoritas of all aires and sizes, kneeling; on flieir niirs, and occasionally, in the intervals of fanning*, glancinjif wirh an indi»lent air of devotion, (»n their prayer-books. So many l)lack eyes I liave never seen collected before, nor so many picturesr|uely dressed women. The man- tilla is a very becominj^' head-dress, and tliere is a grace and elegance about it which has never l)een attained by the mijst perfect specimen of Parisian taste. In the art of using l)oth their eyes and their fans, the Spanish women are supposed to excel all (others. It is said that they have the power of expressing any tender feeling or sentiment by nieans of this elegajit little appendage. Tills is having the art of love ahjour fuifjers^ oids with a vengeance ! I did not neglect the favoural)le oppor- tunity afforded me ])y this collection of Spanish beauty to criticise and make reflections. I studied the mass of human heads and faces attentively ; and, though I saw numbers who were interesting and pleasing, I could not detect one face which, except by contrast, would have been called beautiful in England. This may, perhaps, be owing to the prevailing olive tint of the complexion, and consequent pallor of the cheek, depriving youtli of half its charm and freshness, or to the gradual effect of a tropical climate. I saw several alarmingly fat old ladies, worthy helpmates for Daniel Lambert. The THE CATHEDRAL ur service i^i the catlicdriil was not imposiii<;-. It was ([uitt' plain and luipretendini;" iittcr tiic ^onu'oonsiicss of I,:i Madelcint'. <•!• St. Kocli, :it I*ari> T\ If altar (it 1 M>m<4 (t Passi(»ii-W('('k ) were all in muuriiiiiL,'. I slmuld ii.Ufli have lik<'d, had it been possililc, to have rciiiaiiu'd t witness the leligions ceremonies of (Jood Friday and Easter Sunday. The fonncr of tliese days is most strictly observed. No vehiclo is permitted to traverse the streets, the shops are all closed, and 1< ni,' ])rocessioiis, in which a tii^'ure representing;- the dead body (^f our Saviour is borne, traverse the silent streets in solemn pomp. On Easter Sunday the ])eoi)le, as if suddenly relieved from a stern restraint, plunge, as the En^dish did on the Kestoration, into gaiety and pleasure. The theatres are open, balls take place, occasionally a bull-fiL;ht lends its inspiring* aid; and every one, with religious enthusiasm, devotes himself, or herself to personal enjoyment. par- ated I went into several churches; none of them ticnlarh d dl f y impressed me; all were, oi course, decor witli palm leaves. The fish-market was open for the wants of good Catholics. The fish displayed for sale are of bright tropical colours, — beautiful to look at, but, I ])elieve, bad eating. In fact, with the exception of fruits, Havana is not very satisfactorily supplied with provisions. Meat very poor ; chickens as tough as shoe- leather. ' I dined with some friends at three, and at five started out in an open carriage, drawn by two liorses, for our great evening drive. The Paseo was crowded ; L 2 I I 1 ' 148 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA ( ■ tlie voliuiti's almost toiicli«;(l each other. At ciicli cud of th(i lonatitoiiiiine. 'i'lierc were all kinds (tf dusty and tawdiy staLjt'-Hiiery and ])ropcrlics heape(l pro- niiscuonsly foi^ethcr, anionLf which a very dusty and mild hroun hear was ]»roniiiiejit. ()ur L;uide wmle nn the wall the nnnd)er of people the theatre would liold, and furnished us with other statistics, which our har- harous ignorance alune prevented our properly aj)pre- ciating. 'After this inspection of the theatre, and a deliLrhtful view of the city from an elevated window, we hailed a volante, and merely saviuLT " Pnseo " to our ni'^'-'cr horse- ni.'in, threw ourselves buck and assumed a pleasing and indifferent expression, us if we had been natives of the city, and u drive in a volante was our custom alwayr, of an afternoon. The weather seemed rather inclined to he showerv, so the "dear little creatures" did n(jt show themselves in such numbers as we hud hoped, and as we were fully prepared to admire. We, however, saw a good many. Low dresses, l)are arms, and mantillas, certainly look odd at first : and what is still more remark- able, the low dresses, l)are arms, and mantillas do n(»t endeavour, or very rarely so, to heighten their charms by contrast with the sombre black coats of the worse portion of the community. The ladies were almost invariably alone; the gentlemen gazed on them with respectful admiration from beneath the palm-trees. "The Paseo," or regular evening drive, is of mme extent. After traversing the main avenue, the volantes skirt the I ! ! |ihte: <| 150 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA edge of an inclosnre sacred to IjuU-fights, and follow a road almost at rifjlit ani'les to the miiin ••no, leadin<; througli trees and gardens adorned with the magnificent vegetation of the tropics. From several points very pretty peeps of the city, and surrounding country are obtainable, and a view to please horrormongers of the Bmall castle where Lopez and his fellow-countrymen were irarrotted, is caufdit from one of the avenues near the town. Statues adorn '^the Paseo"' at several points. That of Isabel in the principal road is of bronze, and represents the queen as an insignificant, pug-nosed, little dwarf, wlio looks in that vast space mor ? like the statue of an infant that had lost its way, than that of tlie ruler of Spain and the Cubas. * We enjoyed our drive exceedingly : I shall never forget the state of exuberant si3irits I was in from the excitement, and novelty of the position in which I found myself. Here I was, as it were, suddenly dropped in the midst of a strange land, among people speaking a strange language, and of an aspect perfectly different from any I had before encountered : then the richness, singularity, and beauty of the tropical vegetation, the eastern effect of the elegant palm-trees bathed in sun- shine, the associations of the old glories of Columbus and of Spain; these and a thousand other thoughts and images started up, and occupied, and exhilarated my mind. What a contrast do the formal, silly, pigmies of the present day in Cuba, present to their great ancestors I They retain, like the fallen ( rreeks, their pride, prejudices, and religion, but nothing or little else. U- :i SrANISH MAREIAGES 1:1 ' Their women ret.'iiii the eyes of their ancestors, and tlieir rich and beautiful black hair; but they are burnt up by a scorching tropical sini, and ij^et flit from eatinj; and laziness in their premature old a^•e. t saw one stout old woman at the catiiedral, enuai^ed at her devotions, whose arm would have made a leg for a man of six feet high. * Both sexes marry at a very early age. 'A young fellow who shared my room with me, and who had acquired a smattering of t_^>e English language by a residence in the States, told me, with e\ident satis- faction at the astonishment his disclosure produced, that liis father had married at fourteen and his mother at twelve, that after two years their union was blessed, and that his mother had died at the age of forty- two, after having presented her husband with twelve children. ' There is a great deal of formality in Spanish society, and tlie Spaniards do not appear inclined to amalgamate with foreigners. I was told at the English consul's, by his daughter, that even if you come to the Havana armed with the best letters of introduction to the best Spanish society, the probability is that you will merely be honoured by a visit from the party to whom your letter may be addressed; told impressively that his house, and all that he possesses, is at your service, and then have your existence most flatteringly ignored. I am inclined to think that this picture may be exagge- rated, and am pretty certain that the same state of things does not at all events exist in the country; the i I 'I 152 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA j ■ ; rich planters, like all other groat landed proprietors, are g'onerally I fancy hospitable, kind, and generous, and the arrival of a stranger is considced an agreeable event. After a very pleasant and lively drive, I re- turned to my hotel, drank tea, and dressed in evening costume to pay my respects to his excellency the English consul. I was shown up a flight of stone, uncarpetted steps, and found mine host deep in a rubber, sitting with three other gentlemen in a hall outside his drawing-room, and dressed in a delightfully cool, refreshing white uniform. He received me very kindly, and introduced me to his wife and daughter. His wife was a very pretty woman. Several other ladies, in evening dress, called to pay their morninr/ visits, and a good many Spaniards, who jiaid a formal visit of two or three minutes, and retired after a couple of compli- mentary speeches, and a casual remark on some topic, corresponding, I suppose, to the v:eather in England. Crawford's drawing-room was paved with black and white marble, forming a ter^selated pavement. There was little or no furniture ; and, in ftict, the principal ornaments were some verv rich and beautiful flowers, which being alone, as it were, in their glory, without damask and gold to vie with them, shone pure and con- spicuous. Everything looked cool and airy : furniture in this hot climate would be too oppressive. I was asked if I could play whist, and replying in the affirma- tive, was immediately booked for a series of rubbers. Tea interrupted our game. I sat next to a fine and pretty woman, a sister of Mrs. Crawford's, who had passed 1*1' DINNER AT THE ENGLISH CONSUL'S 153 several years in Germany : she must have been brouo;ht up, however, in Cuba, as she strongly objected to the European fashion of wearing bonnets. After tea, iced champagne and fruit were handed round. I thought tlie champagne an elegant and good idea. After one more rubber, I managed to escape from thi; whist-table, and have a chat with jNliss Crawford and aer brother ; listening also to the singing of some American ladies. The Spanish country-dance followed the music, and I was a pleased spectator of its gracefulness. At half- past eleven 1 took my leave: and then, as I descended the stairs, thought for the first time that I had to find my way to my hotel the best way I coidd, unless E bothered Crawford to procure a volante for me. I had a general notion of the geography of the city, and of the bearings of its streets, and I felt pretty certain that, if I could manage to strike +he harbour, I should soon find myself on ground made familiar by my morning's wanderings. * I accordingly struck off in a straight line. There was a beautiful, clear moon and a star-spangled sky to guide me, and I felt confident that I should soon manatje to reach home. While walking down a narrow, straight street, I perceived a figure^ wath a long pike in its hand, leaning against a w\all, with a lantern at its feet : it proved to be a watchman, guarding the slum- bering city. 'Before Tacon's time, Havana was a most unsafe city, and the scene of many robl)eries and midnight assaults. Under his firm and able rule, a proper guard was organ- \ ' \ (■ 1 ; ( . ' ii I I .1: I' I » - t 154 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA ised for the protection of the city, and it is now con- sidered as safe as any hirge city in America. I was rejoiced l)y the sight of the calm water of the harbour. After a few minutes' walk, got upon some well-known ground, and soon found my way home. My bedroom was at the top of the hotel, and I was told in the morn- ing that the house was too crowded to admit of my enjopng an apartment to myself, so that it was with mingled feelings of doubt and curiosity that I entered my apartment. Two large beds, with mos([uito-curtains well drawn down, and concealing all that iiiiglit be in or on tliem, greeted my eye on my entrance. Perhaps they were both occupied. I made a cursory inspecticju - on their efforts witli a stupefied air. To one of these I appealed, and endeavoured, in French, to make him comprehend that I particularly wished to see a sugar estate, and that I could only spare a few hours to see one in. He said somethin;^' about meeting me at Regla during the after- noon, or appointing some one else to do so, I do not now quite recollect which. I can only remember that his answers were unsatisfactory, and that I abandoned the scheme. I wandered on the shores of the harbour, and endeavoured to reach the citadel of La Cabanos, but found a marsh intervening, the distance farther than I had anticipated, and the sun gradually moimting liigher in the heavens, and increasing in ferocity. I looked out in vain for l)oats, and w\andered on, begin- ning to feel very hot and rather tired, when I crossed a railway line, and immediately began following it to- wards the shore, guided by the advice of an old cottager, who miiucidousJi/ understood a word or two of English, and who, pointing to the line, emphatically told me to "P'ollow him." I found the cars, drawn by jive or six Qnideii, had just arrived, and, following the passengers, was soon on board a steam-ferrv, which took me over the harbour in a few minutes, and for a small sum. It landea its passengers in a part of the city I was not altogether acquainted with, and my morning's walk was lengthened by my again losing my way, and wandering through a labyrinth of narrow streets ; I was quite ready for my light claret, breakfast, and cigar, after all this hot work. ]My wanderings had led me through the LAST ETENING IN CUBA i:.: " Almedta de Paula," a fine broad walk, planted with trees, and close to the harbour. 'The Habaneras very sensibly make the streets of the body of their town, where business is performed, nar- row, in order to be eool and shadv, and their evcniiiLj drives, which are not used till the sun's rays are beconi- iug- horizontal, broad and spacious. I made my j)ur- chases of eij^ars, fans, and preserves, to-day, and eallfd on the consul to recpiest him to advance me some money, as my Charleston misfortune had reduced my finances so considerably that I had no money to get back ^v^th, or scarcely any after paying my fare l)y the steamer. He told me he should be most happy to ad- vance whatever I wanted, and to call at his office again at two o'clock ; he was engaged in some law business with regard to a brig seized as a slaver, whose owners positively asserted she was merely meant for the sugar trade. Crawford was not at his office at two when I called; and in the evening, when I took ^Nlarey to in- troduce to him, I learned that the whole family had gone into the country. I should have been in a fix if .'\lar(?y had not kindly accepted my draft on Cox and Co. for £20, and paid me that sum. *My last evening in Cuba was delightful. The moon shone brightly on the city, and the music of the IkuuI had a soothing and almost melancholy effect. I felt sorry to be obliged to hurry from the i)lace; it liad a kind of fascination about it., and, as Willis sav'^, pos- sessed the rare merit of "just enough amusement aii'l ex- citement to prevent citaai, without producing fatigue."' ;, i I Tim, ;' , 158 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA It is ipiitc ii contrast in tliis respect to London, Paris, or iiijy of those ^-reat j^ay places during the bustle and ex- citement of tlieir seasons. ' Miii'cJi 22iul.. — Our steamer got under weigh at half-past six. I had Ijccn up at five, and had managed to <^ct my last cup of coffee at "The Imperial," where they ceitainly make it worthy of an empei'or, and to l)uy some cigarettes. The Spaniard, wlio had been doubled up with nie on shore, was my companion on th(^ voyage. He was very ill, and almost did for me the next mornino- : the motion of the vessel, bad as it is, is nothing to the spectacle of the misery of others on board. T, however, escaped illness on ])oth my vovasres. We had a very violent thunder-storm on the first night after leaving the Havana, and got to Charleston, after a quick run, on Friday morning. The vovau'e was without incident. We were out of sight, of land, and in the centre of the Gulf Stream all the time. W(^ saw several flving-fish scudding alon<>- and risini; very prettily from the water, but did not encoimter the sea-serpent, or any other redoubtable *' monster of the deep." I made the acquaintance on my passage of two Oxford men, who seemed very good fellows. They had l)een through jNIexico and the greater part of the Western States; they gave glowing descriptions of jNIexican scenery, but drew a melancholy picture of the degraded, miserable state of the ]Mexicans them- selves. Every kind of vice, scarcely credible, prevail among them. I got my cigars and preserves passed through the Customs House after paying a heavy RETURN TO MONTREAL 159 Paris, or and cx- veigh at iiianag't'd ,""' where ', and to ad been mion on I for nio )ad as it )f others l)oth my ;torm on (1 got to The sight of the time, id risin^jf iinter the er of the TO of two They had t of the Dtions oi icture of us theni- prevail passed a heavy 1^- duty of forty per cent. As it was Good Friday I went to cliureh. ' S;iw Thaekeray and ('n»\vo again, and ealh'd on tlie fornior and gave liini a descrij)tion - almost entirelv ; but after bein'>- back several davs, 1 foimd the I i ) I > ., 1(30 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA blue devils gradually beginning to exert their influence. I had a touch of ague and a sore throat, and found myself affected by the trying changes of weather, like every one else, till the horrible snow disappeared, and the sun and nature began to exert their revivifying influence. lil CHAPTER X. Ql'EBEC — GxiVAZZI RIOTS — KUMOrKS OF WAR. 'Juue llth, l^on. ' /QUEBEC, ^Montreal, and, in fact, the whole country Mt* have been enlivened in a manner whiL-h wo neither anticipated nor are able to appreciate. leather Cfavazzi has appeared like a firebrand among us, and, in fact, set the whole population by the ears. Protestants a<;-ainst Roman Catholics, and both ag'ainst the soldiery. There has been a riot at Quebec, happily unaccom- panied by loss of life. In ^lontreal, however, the military have fired upon the people, and killed, and wounded twenty-six of them. Here an attempt was made by an armed mob of wild Irishmen to murder Gavazzi while delivering his lecture. Gavazzi behaved in the most gallant manner ; did not throw away a single blow, but felled his assailants as they successively endeavoured to clamber into the pulpit, in a mnnner which would have excited the admiration of the vene- rable Ben Caunt. He contemplated the tumultuous assembl}'^ with a smile of contempt, and declared, if al- lowed a fair field and a wall to lean against, he would M ! .r I i i. \ 10-2 CANADA AND THE miMrA tiLjIlt tlif wlmlr |(it (it'thfiii. They succ'ocdt'd, lifter M tiiiio. ill liiirliiiLT liiiii tVdiii the pulpit, aiid he piu'iicd, Cor- tiiiiiitt'Iy for himself, on soiiu; cushiuns wiiich hinl Imcu removed from a ptw, or his skull would iiifdlihly liave l)eeu fractured. ' When pursued hy the molt into a vaidt lieneath tlir eliurcli, ho merely eoolly stepped one ]>ace to his ri^iit. and the moh rushinij past him, groped with murderous hands in vain in the (hukness. The French ('anant inhabitants have fallen victims to it. (lavazzi, indeed, has appeared like a sj)irit of evil in this country. By attacking the tenets of the Koman Catholic faith in an insulting, scornful, and (inchi'istliLn manner, he has excited to the utmost the religious animositv and hatred of the Irish, and the great mass of the inhabitants of the Lower ])rovinces: and has revived that bitter feeling of religious enmitv, which it has l)een the policy of Government t(j soften and repress, and which will be a source of weakness and disunion fnjm which, I fear, the colony will not very soon recover. Tlie whole business is a painful one, and in everv wav to be regretted.' liUMOUnS OF WAIl Ifj.T I tlllU', il, foj- il been ["allibly itli the rdcrous uadiaiis it Moii- coiuUu't eal, and p<,'aceful Illy just le order Some s have u'ed like le tenets scornful, utmost and till.' ovincc'S : enmity, o soften ,veaknes> will not painful [Notliin;;' of i^eiieral iuferest is nn'iitionetl either in my l)rotherV Icftris or j<»urnal until February ls.'>4, wlien news of an impending,' war with l\ii-;sia reached Cana(hi. -KniToi!.] ' Kepoits liave readied us lu-re of wars and ruinoiii.-; of wars, and I suppose Knuiaml will shortly be en^jan'cd in the terrible thoiij^h i,dorioiis struLri,de, into wideh, after h(j much ministeiial vacillation, she has at length entered. I should like to he ordered out to the scinie of action: l)ut as T have not been so loiio- on foreiun service as many others in Canada, I shall probably l»e kej)t out here another year, when Nicholas will have drawn in his horns, and the struj^anization are important. The ''(vHiarterly Heview," about a year a«;o, discussed the injustice and folly of the present system of promotion in the Ordnance Corps, and pointed out its evils and discouraj^'ements. In many regiments of the service I nught have ])een a captain, or next door to it; in the Engineers, I cannot iioi)e to be one in less than ten or twelve years indeed, if the present system continue; and I shall be fortunate if I am even then. My colonel at (»>uebec was t\vent3'-three rears a s ul)alt ern ' I am leading a fpiiet life for a soldier. I generally rise at seven, and read or write for a couple of hours M !, II I I 1 I i •' 1C4 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA [I ' l)efore breakfast. (At present that period is devoted to an essay on fortification.) In the winter, when tliere is little professional work to be done, two hours generally suffice for the office. Two liour'^' ^nore in the afternoon I devote to reading history, and the rest of tlie day is given up to exercise and anuisement. Balls nnd parties interfere a great deal with my arrangements. Late hours do not suit me at all : I feel want of sleep much more than fatigue. However, Lent and its forty days «jf rest are approaching, and the restless aiitoniaton motions will cease for a while. ''April 2&h. — To-day is appointed to be kept as a fast-day throughout Great ]^ritain. I have ju.«t been to the cathedral, and listened to a powerful and eloquent sermon, preached by Dr. Adamson, in aid of the wives and children of the soldiers who have been sent to tlie vv-ar, to fio-ht the battles of their countrv, and of civili- sation. Dr. Adamson connnenced his discourse by a retrospective glance at the triumphs and progress of religion, education, and enlightenment, since the ter- mination of the last great war. ' He described the rapture and gratitude of the nations of Europe when the sword, which had spread desolation over tlie fairest countries of the earth for a quarter of a century, was at length returned to its scabbard. Man tJien became socially, morally, and politically, another being, and step l)y step peace achieved gentle and unostentatious but glorious triumphs. A rude hand, however, has shattered the beautiful fabric of victory she had reared. Peace is no raore! The sw(jrd •ntle rude ic of DR. A DAMSON S SERMON 165 again Hashes fc^rtli ; again tlie notes of wniling arc heard. Knghmd, united to a sister whose liand had long been withhehl from her, has drawn the swurd to protect the oppressed, and to cluistise tlie oppressor. After dwelling fur some time on the efforts being niado in this struggle by civilised Europe, the preacher intro- duced the important subject of his discourse. lb reminded his hearers that i^reat sacrifices were neee-- sary to accomplish great objects. ''•'The statesman devoted his time, his talents, his health, his days, his nights, to the service (d' his coun- try. Who can justly appreciate his labours, his anxieties, his noble abneiration of self, the ma-ineers 1)efore Sebastopol was nuieh reduced, I felt impelled to volunteer mv services for the Crimea, and to suui»(.'st that an officer, who might have been invalided, shouM be sent to Fort (jreorge to supply my place. ' I hardly expected so sudden an answer as I re- ceived. A few days after my letter to Colonel Matson, and while at Inverness, on my way to Dingwall in Ross-shiri', whither I was ordered on some special duty. I suddenly had a letter put into my hands from the Ordnance Office, informing me that the Inspector- General had approved of my being employed in the Crimea, and that I was to proceed at once to London, to embark as soon as my passage should have been provided for me. I felt mixed sensations of satisfac- tion and regret. I felt sorry, after getting perfectly I DEPAIITUUE FROM ENGLAND 169 settled, niifl having found several pleasant acquaintances, to be suddenly ordered off at a moment's notice, — and glad at the opportunity of witnessing some of the great and stirring scenes which were so completely absorliing the attention of Europe. I endeavoured to assume cheerfulness, though my heart was rather anxious and heavv, not knowing what the terrors of a l)attle-tield or actual hostilities might he. I rather mistrusted my own powers, and could only pray (rod that I migl:t have strength and courage to perform Uiv duty. I liad little tinu; allowed for preparation. I was obliged to procure the various articles of my kit with railway speed, and was kept continually ti'ivelling between Hertfordshire, anil London. ]My horse aiid servant were shipped off from Southampton in the " Hima- lava.*' I started, after takinff leave of mv relatives at Brighton and Dover, with Captain Nicholson, R.E., overland for the Crimea, via Paris and ^Marseilles. Nicholson's brother travelled with us, and w(^ had a very pleasant journey to Paris, and enji^yed ourselves a ii'reat deal the dav after oiu' arrival, in lionising and visitinfj the Parisian Industrial Exhibition. 'On Sunday, August 3rd, we left Paris: travelled all dav and all ni^'ht, and arrived at ^Marseilles on a hot Monday morning, at 8 or 9 a.m. We got our tickets for the steamer, and our lu'><>a!i-e arraiiLred, break- fasted, strolled about, and made purchases to complete our kit. Marseilles is a large, rich, dirty, connnercial place ; its streets smell abominably. We had no time, or were too tired, to make a minute inspection of ji-M I : 170 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA II it. At r.M. we started in the French mail steamer " Simois " for Constantinople. Tlie passengers were nut nnmerons ; but we liad 400 or .lOO French soldiers on deck, l)el(>n_i>ing- principally to a regiment of Chasscm-s de Vincennes. As far Jis ]Messina, in Sicily, we had lovely weather, — a clear blue sky, and an intense ultramarine sea, — rather lujt, but on the whole enjoy- able. 'The Chasseurs de Vincennes slept like sheep on deck; but sang, and made themselves merry with their hardships. Some of them are very fine, handsome fellows, with the soft blue eyes and dark eyelashes so popular among' sentimental young ladies ; and ] am <[inte sure, as their manners are really good, that, if well washed and dressed, they would cut respect- able figures in an English ball-room. ' At ]\lessina w^e landed to look at some chiu'ch'-'s. It is a very finely situated city, but its inhabitants appear a dirty, degraded race. Tlie place itself was the most filthy I had ever seen, and the stench in some of the streets insufferable. We took a short drive, which had the effect of partially broiling us, and were not sorrv to be again on board, and under weigh. *We touched at the Pirams, drove over a hot, dusty road to Athens, climbed up the Acropolis, did the ruins in twenty minutes or so, and returned to our steamer as fast as om' wretched little steed would draw us. The remainder of our voyage was without incident. The weather was hot, the cabins badly ventilated, k I CONSTANTIXOPLE 171 steainor ^'ere in»t ditn-s oil bassciirs we liad iiitriise 3 C'lijoy- lierp on itli tli.ir iiulsoine 'Veluslies ; and I od, til at, respect - 'hurches. labitants self was eneli in a sliort lin<^' us, d under ot, dustv he ruins steamer draw u>. incident, ■ntilated, ;ind the Chasseurs d<' Vincennes anvtliine- hut mUlr- jJcurs. ' Wf reaclied ConstantinopU' on 31<>nday aftcrnnun, landed part of our han'ii^ai^e, and witlk diflHculty clinihrd the steep liill to Messiris's J[oteh Constantinople from the water (Hd not disappoint nie. "NVIien exaniiiied I found it the dirtiest phice I was ever in, and that most of tlie oreat lions were exaijfi^erations, and looked hotter on paper ihan in reality. — AllonTs di-awin^s are very faithful. We found at .Alessiris's, Colonel (iordon, K.K., who had distinL;uished himself so much, and been wounded before JSebastopol, on his way home for the benelit of his health. He seemed to think we siiould have to winter in the Crimea. 'The delu<;e which poured on C(.)nstantinople on tlie (lay after our arrival, [ thiidv I shall never forget. We landed our heavy bao-gage in the midst of it. The streets resembled Seoteh mountain water-courses; and how our porters, with their heavy loads, c(»ntrived to struggle up the almost perpendicuhir hill through the midst of it, I know not. The thing, liowever, was at'Cumplished. The rain lasted all day, and we c(juld do httle or nothing. 'Next morning Nicholson and ^v,t, df went over in a caique (with Mure of the 42nd, aide-de-camp to (reneral ^Earkham) to Scutari, to report ourselves t(j Lord William Paulett (commanding there), and got passages on to the Crimea. We were told we were all to proceed next day at 2 p.m., in the " I^randon " screw transport (13D). We passed the afternoon iu seeing 172 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA the iiHis(|ii('S of 8t. S()j)lii;i jiiid Aclmu't, ami otlitT lioiis. With the former I was j^reatly struck, Init a little disappointed (iinaginatioii is so invariably stronger tlian reality). On the morning of our departure I ma(h' several pm'chases of saddle-l)ags, Turkish mat- ting, ^.e., in the streets and great 1)azaar, ])ee])e(l in a Turkish l)ath, and peramljuhited the streets on ii little horse for several hours. Scratehley, and myself, were almost late for our steamer. We found she was a very slow craft, and had to coal on the coast, whicli might detain her for several days. As we had l»eeii puri»osely sent overland to reach our destination a> soon as ))ossil)]e, the delay wa^ annovini!" and vexation.-. We had been put to great troubh.- and expense, shifted our baggage seven or eight times, and after all, fnuiul that we should have readied our destination bv comiD;: direct, in nearly or ([uite as short a tinie. 'We remained two days at Kosloo, or thereabout, on the coast of Turkey in Asia, to coal. A 3Ir. l^arclay, CE. has charge of the mines. The coast and sur- rounding hills are extremely rich in coal, wdiich bursts forth, or crops out on the cliffs in patches. The coal is very inferior in quality to that of Newcastle, and docs not go half so far. The ?oaling of steamers is performed by means of boats, the coast being an iron-bound one, and water very deep near in shore. The prevalence of strong northerly winds likewise compels vessels to anchor at a greater distance from the shore than they would other- wise do. The mines are worked by about 1 700 Croatian Turks, Albanians, SiC, some of them arjued to the teeth I I Ii: = KOSLOO in 111 other k, but u : strongi'i' jiirtiire 1 :ish iiiat- L']K'il iu ;i 'ts on ;i 1(1 inyself, 1 slie was fist, wliicli liad lieeii illation a- v^'xatit•u^. se, si lifted all, ftniiiil bv coniiu'j; cabout, on |r. l^arclay, and sur- icli bursts Tlu' onal ami d(tfs performed lid one, and |e of stroni;' nclior at a uld otber- 1)0 Croatian ) tlie teetli with pistols and daj/gcrs, a picturosqup, troubh'soino set td li-ovcrn. Mr. I^arclav has l)C'cn four or five V( ars almost constantly rosident on the spot, has ac(|uir('d tli»^ Turkish language respectably, and being intrepid and energetic in character, and fond of a wild active life, discharges his arduous duties con amorr, rulinu- his inotlev subi<^cts with a rod of iron. The mines are situate about four miles from the coaling points, the coal being brought up on the l)acks of mules. When a heavy surf is running no coaling can take place, and diips are often detained for several days on this aecoiint. Tlie scenery along the coast, and in the vieinitv of Kusloo, is very beautiful and striking, consisting of hill and dale, and towering nKumtains wooded to their very .-unimits ; a most pleasing contrast to the aiid coast iif Sicily and (rreece. We enjoyed a scamper aci'oss wjiat in England would have been considered gi'ouiid impracticable for cavalry, on little Turkish ponies, which galloped like the \vind, and descended preci) tires without ever making a false step. They are sImkI with 1 plate liaving a small hole in the centre, and how they preserve their fo(ttin<' as tliev do is a marvel to Knulish- men. We irot under weigh from Kosloo on a beautiful eveuinff, and stood boldlv across the Bkick Sea for our destination. A heavy peculiar rolling moti(»n was im- [larted to the steamer by one of the Black Sea er( ss >well8. 'A)(rj. \'2fh. — We reached the entrance of the narbour of Balaklava after sunset, too late therefore to •nter, and accordingly cast anchor among a fleet of i:j CANADA ANI» THH CHIMKA m slii|ts ;m(l stcMiiuTs of ;ill kinds nioorcd mitsidp. Tli^' coast is wild, uiid very lofty and |K'r|K'iuli(;uiar. IcoiiM ciisilv iinai^iue tlir tcrrilic conscfiiu'nors of a ^julc ot Nvind to ;i fleet iincliorcd in it. The huts of the saiiatn- riuin, rec<'iitly estahlished on the hei'^hts, were alnni visihle, with a few tents of the marine eiieaiiij)iiiciir. Next inoniiiij^% ^Nlcdiday, Aui^'iist l.'itli, we lande(l to n- port ourselves and ascertain how the hiud lay. I fouih! two brother otfieers, whom I knew, at i'alaklava, througli whose assistance I obtained a pony, and rode with Cajttain Nicholson to head-(|uarters, to rep(»rt myself ti' (Jeneral .loues. Our conductor throu_L>h the mazes ot the C!un[), was an officer of my own hatch, who had led the storming' party on the iSth .lune. He li;h': escaped by a miracle. He says every one he turned tn speak to seemed to l)e shot before he could return an answer. The whole plain near Halaklava, where tlii' j^Tcat cavalry charge took place, and the hills in it vicinity, are occupied by the English cavalry, hoiv artillery, and field batteries, a most efficient and im- posiuLj force of 5000 or (iOOO men. ' The vallev of Halaklavaissurround<'d l)vwild rii<'i'«^ii hills, now in our possession, but last 3'ear occupied in force by the Cossacks. ' I'alaklava, oriL>'iiiallv a prettv Tartar village, has beeu metamorphosed into a collection of dirty, dihipidatei! tenements. Every tree, I believe (literally, with tl. exception of one clump) has been cut down. (lardeii-. vineyards, and other more ephemeral adjuncts t" beauty, of course, went at once, and now, the peaceful BALAKLAVA 173 litflc vill:i:^«> is cli:ini;'c(l into n nni \v itl 1 circnlar roots. Til littl liari »onr IS ii terall' crammed with s}n"ps lyini,' side hy side with their stern toward the sh lore, and aihniralilv arranufed The neiL;h- honrlMiod of Halaklava, hefure our landini;-. was excecd- inirly pietures((ne and pretty. On leaving tlie villaLTc and proceedintf towards Sehashopol, \\e encountered )-ieh vineyards empurplinjjf the ij^romid with Muscatel ^^rape-. Sweet, secluded little tannhous( ■^ peepii ^' fhroui,di cool foliage, and nestling aniong>t orcliards and flower.-. The valley, through which our light cavalry eliarucd with such despairing bravery, was tlien covered wit!i vinevards and dotted with tree X ow not a shrr.h i- to 1 )e seen. The roots of the vines even 1 iave been grubbed up for fuel, leaving fields covered with small holes to mark wliere they have been. The valley ex- tends through bold rocky hills as far as the Tchernaya. Near Halaklava, and to the left (jf the road towards Sebastopol, tbe valley and hills are dotted with tlie tents of the English cavalry and field batteries, wiHi long lines of liorses, picketed in rows ])elnnd them. 'About a mile from Balaklava is the village of Ka- dekoi. With the exception, however, of the churclu IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) u ^ 1.0 I.I 1125 Hi 1^ - 1^ IIIIIM .. .,. IIIIM 1.8 1.25 1 1.4 ||.6 „ 6" ► V] <^ //, / 7 Photographic Scientes Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 C^ -h sketch of the Eniilish sieu'e works before him. He said we were all very much wanted, and must get our things sent up to the front, and report ourselves ready for duty as soon as possil)le. We continued our ride to the front to see a little of the work, which the continual booming of the guns (which never cease for a minute, day or night), told us was going on. ' The country, as you approach the beleagured city, is cut up into dreary and precipitous ravines. The ground l)ecomes rocky or parched, and dusty, and not a bladi' of grass, not a shrub or tree is to be seen, '^ Rut all is rocks at random tliro\\ni, Black waves, bare cra<>s, .and banks of stone ; As if wore here denied The summer sun, the spring's sweet dew, That clothe with many a varied hue Tlie bleakest mountain side." Above all this there is a magnificent blue sky and n . glorious sun. The climate of the Crimea, as far as I have seen of it, is delicious in the autumn, and I shtaikl imagine, exceedingly healthy. About Sebastopol the ground is rocky and difficult. Elsewhere, I should fancy very rich and fertile. We saw fresh encanip- II i I FIRST VIEW OF SEBASTOPOL 177 liole con- oodeii or or Enulish 3 wants of jnibly fiiir , whom I ch of the e were all ;ent up to ity as sooa rout to see oomiug" of J or uightj, ired city, is [The gruund lot a blade one sky and n- as far as I ud I shoukl astopol the ?, I should di eucauip- nients in valleys (»r on hills to the left and right of us as we proceeded onwards towards the fruiit. An hour, or less, brought us to the head-quarters of the British Army, and in view of that cidehratt.'d mansion, depicted on every plan, and conspieuously designed in every model of the sie^e, called '" J^tn'd Kaglan's House."' A plain, one-storied little cottage holds the English Com- mander-in-Chief, his staff, and his fortunes. 'We continued our ride to Cathcart's Hill, whence we looked, for the first time, on the famous city, the cause of so much bloodshed, and misery — the scene of so much heroism, and endurance. It presented a very singular appearance. The Mahikhoff, and ]\famelon, and the Kedan, looked like mere mounds of earth frtjm the point we occupied, distant about 4()()() yards, and it was impossible to do more than form a vague notion of the defences and appearance of the town, and of our own, and the French works. Of their magnitude^ how- ever, we were able to form an idea from the wide circuit of the flashes, extending for several miles on either side of us. We could hear the whistling of the shot and shell, and occasionally a 32-pound shot flew |)ast us, and buried itself in the earth within a few vards of where we were standing. The Allied Armv, from in- formation obtained through spies and deserters, had been expecting an attack and under arms for three uighis previous to our arrival. It w\as rumoured that the Russian army, under Liprandi, had been reinforced by Ijetween 80,000 and 100,000 men. With my tele- scope I could clearly see dense columns of Russian N V ■ 178 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA t ) i i ^ I 1 i, '' ;, i -■1 ■ ''- troops drawn up on the hills on the north side of the har})oiir. * It is impossible to convey to a person at a distance, a correct notion of the appearance of our camp. In fact, one is, at first, completely bewildered at its immense extent. From the top of every hill, and through every ravine, you see nothing but long regular rows of white tents with bare spaces around them. The roads are perpetually traversed in various directions by long files of cavalry in undress uniform, taking their horses to water, — by lines of mules laden with wood or stores, — by commissariat, ammunition, and forage waggons, — by soldiers of the various armies, French, Sardinian, and English, — by Croatians, Greeks, Alba- nians, and all descriptions of ruffianly, bronzed, pic- turesque looking fellows, in various showy dresses of faded splendour. The Turks, Sardinians, the English cavalry, and field-batteries, and a division or more of the French army, occupy the valley of the Tchernaya, and cover our position from Balaclava to the right of the siege lines beyond Inkerman. ' The engineers' camp is situated close to Cathcart's Hill, and near a road which leads to the Woronzoff's ravine. It consists of several rows of huts, in which repose our men vis-a-vis to several rows of tents dedicated to the officers. Nearly the whole English army wear white covers over their caps and helmets, and are easily distinguishable by this means from the French, who go through the greatest heat without any such precaution. ! . I FIRST NIGHT IN CAMP 179 ' I met in the camp a number of men I know very well. I (lined with De ]\Ioleyns, E.E., Capt. Wolsely, 90th Kegiment, Major Camp])ell, 49tli, Assistant-En- gineer and Capt. Browne, E.E., director of the right attack. We had soup, some stew, plenty of hitter ale, and brandy and water — in fact a very fair dinner. The booming of the guns of the attack and defence was our music ; while every now and then, a whistling sound, followed almost immediately T)y a heavy plump, told us that we were within range of the enemy's guns. * ]My first night in camp was passed, I acknowledge, in a state of great apprehension. The shot kept pitch- ing close to our tents, and around us all night. I had been told of an artilleryman having been killed in his bed by one, a short time before, fifty yards beyond us ; and as I lay awake in the dark, sheltered merely by the frail canvas of my tent, and heard the roar of shot after shot, and the explosion of shells, which seemed to burst only a few yards from us, my sensations were similar, I should imagine, to those of the criminal whose head is placed under the guillotine, and who is waiting for the fatal axe to drop. Notwithstanding, however, I man- aged to compose myself to sleep for a few hours. ' The Russians managed to throw shot into our camp (at least, so we conjectured) by burying the breech of one of their guns in the earth, and firing at an angle of 45°. I was told that they had discontinued the prac- tice for several months. Our camp is one of the most advanced in the army. The Rifles and 89th Regiment are close to us, and share the delights of our nocturnal N 2 I I I .- . 1 180 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA 11 ■ -i J ■ I' I. (listui'l)anco.s. Tliis long range practice lias only been going on for a few days. I must say I dislike it more tiian anything else; but I hope, with God's help, to be able to sleep as serenely in danger as in safety. ' The next day was passed in arranging my things. I found that most of the officers of my corps under canvas out here, had holes dug out for their tents. This gives more height, and enal)les a man to stand up in his tent without knocking his liejid aii^ainst the canvas. I considered myself fortunate in being able to purchase a hole in the earth, about ten feet in diameter, and two feet six inches deep, for ten shillings. Over this my tent was pitched ; my matting from Constantinople covered the irregularity of the floor, while a barrel tilled with earth supported the pide. I had several shelves put up, inserted partially into the earth ; horse rugs, matting, and India-rubber sheets placed over the bare earthen sides of the tent ; and soon found myself en- sconced in a very habitable little snuggery ; in fine weather almost as good as a, room in a house. Of course many luxuries, or what perhaps in civilised countries would be called necessaries, had to be dis- pensed with : no sheets for my bed, flannel instead of linen shirts, no chairs, and in the feeding line, no butter or milk, and ration bread and beef as a staple article of consumption, varied by the purchase of sheep, &c., all procured from Kadikoi or Balaclava, a distance of five or six miles. ' I naturally looked forward rather anxiously to my first night's duty in the trenches ; I was to go as a super- A BOMBARPMENT 181 iiiimerary to lenrn tlie ins and outs, and rjot a irenoral confused idea of our attackiiiL,^ lines, and tlie defences of the enemy, Anderson, K.E., a subaltern, rather junior to myself, was to be my conductor. I was surprised to find the whole of our attack a])pear so clear, especially the approaches on the liedan, carried along the crest of a hill. * The Redan itself is but a short distance off, and we seemed to be creeping close up to it. The noise of the cjuns and mortars, and the roaring and whistlinir of the messengers of death, as they winged their way througli the air, was bewildering enough. A bondjardment was i^oing on durinix mv first niu'lit in the trenches, and the casualties were rather numerous. Every projectile ap- peared to have a sound pecidiar to itself, and oars different to the enemy's. Our thirteen-inch shells were really pretty objects at night, ascending majestically, with a rolling motion, accompanied by a singing sound, to their highest point, and descending witli the same grace and precision into the enemy's works. Their fall was followed immediately by a bright flash, caused by the explosion of the shell on striking the earth. Our shells fired from guns, and our round shot, made a most terrific rushing noise. Grape flew past with a rushing whistle ; minie bidlets whizzed by with a gentle sing- ing sound, like a loud musquito buzz ; the fi-agments of shell, with an irregular half whistling, half roaring noise, very disagreeable in character. A shell bursts with a loud crash. Our fuzes are nuich better than the Russians'. The enemy's shells continually burst in 182 CANADA AND THE CimiEA i the air, ])efore striking the ground, tlieir fragments descending vertically and with great force. *The nigh^ duty in the trenches is extremely fixtiguing. The walking is execrable. It is necessary, in addition to avoiding stones and other obstacles, to step clear of men asleep, or half r^sleep, lying all along the trenches. The working parties ])reak off their work at a])oiit 2 A.M. ; and from 2 to 5 the exhausted Engineer may consecrate to repose, if he can manage to sle(^p in a wretched little hut but a few feet square, crowded with three or four others, with a sand-bag for a l)e(l, and fleas and mice for companions. Notwithstanding all these drawbacks, it must be remembered that this hut was a place of safety, to which ncj missile (except perhaps, by an extraordinary chance, a splinter of a shell) could penetrate. * The trenches of the Eno-lish right attack are about five miles in extent, full of zigzags, batteries, and parallels ; they are surrounded by other trenches and batteries which, from the broken and curious character of the ground, it is at first difficult to determine as friendly or hostile. ' Directions were given by my companion to the various working parties, superintended by sappers, as to the duties they were to perform during the night. Most of them were working within rifle range of the Redan, and were consequently exposed to great danger, should the enemy open a heavy fire. (On one occasion we lost five or six men in planting three or four gabions as a continuation of the parallel or approach.) When AN ANTICIPATED ATTACK 183 aguients itiguing. additioii clear of reiiclie.s. it about eer may M^p in ii ded with )ed, and ding all this hut perhaps, ill) could u'e about cies, and ches and character rmine as lC various IS to the t. Most e Redan, ;r, should in we lost lions as a When ) arrived in the vicinity of the Kedan, it was especially necessary to keep as much as possible under cover, as the Redan lowered upon us at a distance of 200 yards. The Quarries are more extensive and important than I supposed when in England. Their possession, with that of the adjoining Mamelon by the French, I consider of immense importance. It is now almost impossible for the Russians to make effective sorties, as they used to do, on our line ; and the possession of the ^Nlamelon by the French protects most effectively our advanced trenches from falling into the hands of the enemy, as they are commanded by it. I remained nearly all night in the Quarries. ' A sortie was expected at head-quarters, and a tele- cjram sent down to the General commanding in the trenches to be prepared for it. Tlie guard of the advanced trenches consisted of the Guards and High- land Brigade, so that the Russians would have met with a warm reception had they made the attempt. Large masses of troops had been, during several days, observed marching from Sebastopol into the Redan; and as a very large army is in the neighbourhood, aiid the siege is approaching a critical period, it wi; 1 1> ought not un- likely that a desperate attack might be made to impede its progress. The left face of the Redan had been much smashed and battered by our fire of the two pre- ceding days, and orders were given to preserve a fire of musketry on it the whole night, to prevent the enemy from repairing damages. * Suddenly the Russians opened upon us with the t; 1 1 I ! ! I r , /I; i, i It I 184 CANADA AND THE fRIMKA j, utmost violence; evorv one in cninp lliou^'ht from the cxtrciiit' licavincss luid rapidity of the fire that a sitrtie was ,L;oiii:; on. Croiifiu'd under tlic parapets, our mm remained witli tlioir arms in tlieir iiaiids, [n'epared for any event. Tlie L;rape Avliistlcd past us and over our heads like liail. We eouhl sec tlie shells win^'in^ their destructive course ahove us, wiiilst every now and then one of them would phimp down in our vicinity. ' When this '• tire of hell " had a little slackened, my confrere and myself started to visit the workinLi; parties, and prevent their al)an(h>nin;4' their work. We were exposed to a jjfreat deal of dani^er in doinjjj this; hnt it is a uKJst necessary duty, as our fellows, though as brave as lions in the held, certainly have a dread of working imder fire. The Sappers are noble fellows, and in- valuable men in a sie^-e. One private has often a party of 50 or loo line soldiers to direct. The other niy the disphi}'^ of a nuinl)er of lights from various parts of tlie English camp. Knowing how many spies we have amongst us, he rin of missile, and, l)esides were close to the Russian sentries. The fii'ino-, whicli had been maintained with some spirit during the evening from our trenches on the Eedan, suddenly almost ceased, and the suspicif^ns of the enemy appeared to he aroused in ci>use(iuence. They threw out a fire-ball which alighted within a few yards of our newly-placed gal)ions, and blazed brightly up. We witli- drew our working party as rapidly as possible to prevent their being ol)served, and waited in anxious suspense watching the burning missile. By what seemed ahuost a miracle, the light fell in every direction, apparently, but that of our trench; and the enemy clearly had not perceived us, as no fire Avas opened for several minutes, and then only a chance shower of grape, with the view f»f making sure all was right, directed across the space in front of the salient. This unhappily killed one of our working part}^, and I had an opportunity afforded me uf witnessinsf the coolness and unconcern with which a casualty was regarded in the trenches. The poor fellow's body was borne past me as I stood near the entrance of the trench, and haif-an-hour afterwards, when at tlie same place, one of the bearers returned to report that the man was buried, adding that *•* he was surprised to find he made such a handsome corpse." All this was said with the enemy's shot and shell flying over us, and scattering death around. There was only one casualty in the work- ing party, and 87 gabions were placed and filled, and a small trench dug behind them. ABSURD STYLE OF DRESS 189 *I had charge of another working party of 100 men, employed in improving the otli parallel. The ground was extremely rocky and unfavoural)le, and it was necessary, in order to obtain earth, to place a portion of the party employed outs'tde the trench, unprotected by any cover whatever. The men worked in their red coats buttoned up to the throat, and with 60 rounds of ammunition suspended across their shoulders, as they had to resume their arms and act as part of the gv^ard of the trenches on the slisrhtest alarm being given of a sortie of the enemy. It was not to be supposed that men thus encumbered would be al)le to -.'i,.iaifti 190 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA m i-i would perform more work in an hour than ordinary work- ing parties would in five or six, and do it in a more work- manlike manner. They should be marched home to camp immediately their labours were over, and have plenty of time for rest and sleep, being merely worked as ordinary navvies or labourers. It seems surprising that some system of this kind has not been adopted. ^August 25th. — Last night Captain Browne, K.E., the director of the right attack, was severely wounded by a minie-rifle ball through the shoulder; the doctor hopes he may get over it well. We all feel great regret, as he is an excellent officer, and a very good fellow. As we get nearer and nearer the Redan, our work becomes more and more dansferous. * A great attack, near Baidar, was anticipated last night. The whole of the Highland Brigade was sent there to co-operate with the French, and extra troops marched into the trenches to guard against a sortie, which was likewise expected. The unfortunate Light Division (which has suffered so heavily throughout) were detained 48 hours in the trenches. Our artillery and cavalry were under arms and in readiness to move at a moment's notice. It is now past seven in the morning, and we have heard nothing of the attack in camp, though the siege-firing has been heavy all night. ' August Slst. — My nights in the trenches are generally rather hot ones, i. e. there are a great many casualties — one night especially so, when one regiment alone (90th) lost 36 men, killed and wounded. I had the superintendence of a number of working parties, amount- :m.ib\\ II HARASSING DUTY IN THE TRENCHES 191 ing to about 400 men, and was walking about visiting and directing them. I came to a hole where a shell had evidently burst. A corporal of some line regiment was standing by, with a bayonet and part of a belt in his hand. I inquired what had happened, and was told that the shell, which had fallen close to where I was standing, had blown some poor soldier literally to atoms. A foot, a few yards in the rear of the trench, was all they had been able to discover of the dead man. I hurried past the scene of this shocking accident to encounter another of a similar character, a Mttle farther on. * I can imagine no duty more trying and harassing than that performed every day and night by our army in the trenches. If a man gets a medal for going through a battle which lasts only a few hours, without running away, what do they deserve who, night after night, and day after day, are exposed to be killed or wounded, lying in a ditch, and have to perform their duties without the stimulus and excitement of action? I saw one poor fellow after another brought up to the doctor's, but many of them frightfully wounded by splinters of shells. Such perpetual exposure to death, in cold blood, tends, every day, to demoralize the army, and makes men fear the shot of the enemy. ' My night's duty in the trenches, on one of the last occasions 1 was down, was diversified by a little incident rather exciting in character. We were engaged about the time in making a sap from our 5th parallel along the slope of a hill, with the view of establishing a rifle-pit at the end of it, to silence the fire of several guns on the K^: I : • l ir .ii J i >riY i ' |lll .n , „ ).ii... I 1 I I I '■! H 192 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA proper left face of the lie Jan, which were unpleasantly annoying our gallant allies. The Russians seemed to have divined our intention, or at all events to regard our nearer approach with great uneasiness ; for the moment they discovered the existence of our sap, they directed a heavy fire of shells, grape, and round shot at it, killing and wounding, night after night, the men of our work- ing parties, and knocking our gabions into toothpicks. They also made frequent sorties for the purpose of pull- ing down our parapet, and impeding our operations. The sap was not far from the MalakhofF, commanded by that work in some measure. The Russians (who are admirable at outpost and picket duty) almost always manage every night to get possession of the ground in front of our works, and of a small rifle-pit, in a ravine, whence they were able to annoy our men. They were partly favoured in their approaches by the colour of the grey great-coats ; they were undistinguishable from earth at a short distance. * It was proposed to establish a rifle-pit on the side of the ravine opposite theirs, with the view of silencing their fire. Elphinstone was on duty with me (though my junior officer) on the night the attempt was directed to be made ; he had been in the Crimea almost from the commencement of the siege, and knew the ground perfectly. We both repaired, shortly after nine o'clock, to the most favourable point of our line for starting an expedition across '' the open." Unluckily, though this was by no means an exception to the general rule, our sentries had been jDosted late, and the Ruskies were in ileasantly iemed to eijard our I moment iirected a it, killing Diir work- oothpicks. se of pull- )perations. manded by s(who are ost always grovmd in 1 a ravine, They were )lour of the from earth the side of nicing their though my directed to from the ;he ground ine o'clock, starting an though this d rule, our Lies were in A DANGEROUS ADVENTURE 193 possession of the ground in front of us. Nevertheless we determined on trying the experiment. Our party con- sisted of three soldiers with muskets, and a small working party of a sapper and ten, or twelve men. Elphinstone and myself, with our three armed men, crept on in front, followed at a short distance by our working party carrying tools and (gabions. 'We advanced as cautiously as we could: the shot and shell directed from our batteries at the enemy, and by theirs at us, whizzing over our heads. We spoke in whispers and endeavoured to tread as lightly as possible ; I groped about for a flower to bear off and send to my mother as a trophy, but my liand encountered nothing but thistles and grass. At length, after walking about thirty or forty yards, Elphinstone stopped, and told us he thought we had reached the right place. He had no sooner said this, and our small working party halted to wait for our workmen, when a low whistle was heard from the Russian sentries, lying concealed aroimd, and we perceived that we were discovered. Our men in the trenches had been told we were out, and directed on no account to fire. Our discovery was immediately followed by a volley of musketry directed at us from all around, and our men, in spite of the warning given them, seeing the blaze of the Russian muskets, opened an indiscrim- inate cross fire on every one (ourselves included). We took to our heek and made for our own trenches as fast as our legs would carry us, and happily reached them in safety. Three of our working party, however, had been wounded, and they had been forced to abandon their I ! i r, ' 4 I a I I 194 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA tools and gabions. This adventure led me to suggest that buglers should ])e sent into the advanced trenches to sound " fire," " cease firing," &c., in order that a command might be instantaneously conveyed along the trenches when necessary. * On the night of my rifle pit adventure, the advanced sap was guarded by a vStrong party of the 55th Regiment, whilst the Guards lined the adjoining parallel. The Russians were distinctly heard advancing, and their yell was quite audible. They soon gave more convincing proof of their approach, by firing a volley at the trench. I thought I perceived signs of wavering among our fellows, but they happily stood firm, and returned the enemy's fire with vigour. The officer commanding the detachment of the 55th said he wanted reinforcements, and I accord- ingly ran to the nearest parallel, and got an officer of the Guards to bring up twenty of his men. The enemy, however, seeing the English soldiers stand firm, withdrew, abandoning his attempt. * I continue my rides in intervals of duty. The other day I rode to a French battery near the head of the harbour, whence I had an admirable view of the town, harbours and shipping. The houses on the north shore are pretty-looking white villas, quite uninjured. We are firing now more frequently on the town, and some of its finest buildings have been greatly damaged. The Russians are making a bridge across the harbour, which looks as if they were ready to make a run for it if neces- sary. The Malakhoff is immensely strong, and fortified towards the town as well as towards us. Everythiug depends on the approaching assaults. If they fail, some to sufffjest order that a THE MONASTERY OF ST. GEORGE 193 wholly different movements may be made. Everybody is sick of the siege, with its perpetual hammering, and the gradual daily consumption of life in the hot, dusty trenches, apparently to all the world in general without any result. * I have visited lately, amongst other places, the Monastery of St. George. It is very pictures(|uely situated. A few Eussian monks are still permitted to live there, and there the French (gay everywhere) delight to have their little picnic, occasionally enlivened by the presence of aome piquaute brunette^ the wife of an officer of the navy or army. On the occasion of my visit, a party were sitting on the ground around the relics of a feast, singing and drinking champagne. It was certainly a contrast to " life in the trenches." *The Monastery of St. George is almost the only build- ing within range of the camp which has been respected. It consists merely of a few plain buildings, and a couple of little chapels. It has, however, a noble well, and a fountain of the coldest and most delicious spring water. The ground immediately in front is arranged in small terraces, shaded by trees, overlooking the perpendicular cliffs and the blue sea. There is a sanatorium in its neighbourhood for sick officers and soldiers. One of the attractions of the place is a pretty little Greek girl with classical profile, and gentle winning demeanour; she is quite a child, only twelve years old. She will have plenty of youthful memories to cherish up. The beauty of the weather almost reconciles one to the monotony of camp Hfe. There has been scarcely a drop of ruin since I came, o 2 1 , li 'H'tlit'l rt'i iMnltni. if II ,«l i I 196 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA and the sky and temperature resemble those of Canada in September. I should think, to people living in properly drained cities and iniexposed to hardships, the Crimea must be a most healthy residence. * A grand combined attack on our siege works and the whole position is daily, and even hourly, expected. The whole of the troops on the line of the Tchernaya have been, I hear, under arms every morning at three o'clock for the last fortnight ; and the Highland Brigade, consisting of the 42nd, 72nd, 79th, and 93rd Regiments, under 8ir Colin Campbell, have been marched to the left of the Sardinian army as a support. * Since the battle of the Tchernaya, the French have fortified their position very strongly, and the hills are covered with musketry ambuscades, entrenchments, and masked batteries. No one is allowed to cross the river, and Zouave sentries, in their picturesque uniforms, line the banks at intervals of a few yards. The position I consider now almost impregnable at this point. The choicest troops of the French army defend the line of the river, and the Chasseurs d'Afrique, their crack cavalry, are in great strength in the neighbouring valle3% The variety of uniforms, and the picturesque costume of the African corps of the French army — the Zouaves Indigenes, Egyptians principally, the finest infantry they have — is very striking, and one continually en- counters groups forming perfect little pictures. The French are quite at home in the field. One of their regiments is encamped on the top of a bleak hill with no shelter except tentes cVabH, blankets stuck on bayo- ANOTHER GENERAL BOMBARDMENT 197 nets. Here and there they have formed arbours of boughs of trees, and the other day I saw a pretty minia- ture little garden. * General Pelissier's head-fjuarters are surrounded by a chevaux-de-frise, and the front of his tent gravelled, and kept in the neatest order ; no officer, even of the highest rank, being allowed to ride to the door, l^ut obliged to dismount before approaching it. The youngest ensign of our army may ride or walk to General Simp- son's unmolested. ' Sept. 5th. — Thank God, I still keep quite well, though disease and death are rife around me. Exposed constantly to danger, I can rely only upon God, and place my life in His liands. Last Sunday I received the Sacrament with seven or eight of my brother-officers, — the ceremony, within sound, and even range, of the enemy's guns, was to me deeply impressive. Nothing makes a man feel the extreme uncertainty of life, and his entire dependence on the will of God, so much as war. I was on duty in the trenches on Sunday night, and I think the ceremony I had gone through strength- ened, and supported me a great deal. I had several most providential escapes. * There are stronjj rumours current of the evacuation of Sebastopol after a grand despairing effort of the enemy. This morning, shortly after daybreak, another general bombardment from the English and French batteries on the whole Eussian line of defence commenced, and was conducted with such violence that in half an hour the Russians withdrew their guns from the embrasures, ( I 198 CANADA AND THE CKIMEA ;, ■jjs I >rr 1 and ceased to reply to it, — it is to be continued for thirty-six hours. Its object, I understand, is to enable the French to push forward on the 3Ialakhoff: they are so close that a final assault cannot long be delayed. The Russian defence has been admirable ; their batteries are beautifully constructed, and quite models of en- gineering. One cannot help both admiring and pity- ing them. ^Sept. Qfh. — Yesterday morning, an officer of the 3 1st (Captain Anderson), who had been acting for some time as Assistant Engineer, was killed by a round shot in the trenches. He was a very fine young fellow, and one of the handsomest men in the army. All of us Vv'ho were able (I believe) attended his funeral in the afternoon. I had only known him a few days, but liked what I saw of him, and his death has been a blow to us all. The band of the regiment played his funeral march to the grave. The coffin was a plain deal one, and on it were placed a Union Jack, and the cap and sword of the de- ceased. The procession moved from our camp at about six o'clock. The evening was lovely. The burial-place (Cathcart's Hill) was in full view of Sebastopol and the siege works, and a bombardment was going on from various parts of our line as we lowered the corpse into its last resting-place. Groups of soldiers off duty stood watching the sad procession as it moved slowly past them ; some civilians, who happened to be present, un- covered ; and cavalry soldiers dismounted and stood by the side of their horses. Nothing could well have been more impressive. I walked side by side with the clergy- tinned for to enable tioff: they >e delayed, ir batteries lels of en- and pity- of the 31st some time shot in the and one of IS v;ho were e afternoon. what I saw IS all. The larch to the i on it were of the de- mp at about Durial-place )pol and the ng on from corpse into f duty stood slowly past present, un- md stood by 11 have been h the clergy- A RUSSIAN SHIP ON FIRE IM man, and thought of who might he tlio next victim. One must steel one's feelings and summon all one's forti- tude to bear tlie spectacle of the miseries of war. ' Last night one of the enemy's large line-of-battle- ships, moored in tlie harbour, caught fire and illuminated the whole horizon. There wore also, I hear, two other smaller firer. The sight of the burning ship was very fine. It could be seen distinctly from a hill near our camp. The guns went off as the fire reached them ; but it seems the Russians had contrived to save the powder, as no loud explosion was heard. The sight of this fire was of course very clieering to our men, who devoutly wish the whole place would burn to the ground. The bombardment is still going on, and the thunder of artillery accompanies my pen as I write. ' Orders have been given to form steps in the most advanced parallels, and also to hasten the completion of a small battery for three heavy guns near Egerton's rifle- pit, to silence the fire of one of the flanks on the proper left face of the Redan, which commanded the space in front of the salient angle. ^ Sept. 7th. — Thank God, I am alive and well after another night in the trenches. The bombardment is still going on. The Russian shells killed and wounded several of our men in the advanced trenches ; but I managed to push forward our approaches satisfactorily. *An officer of the Guards was killed whilst visiting his sentries at the head of one of them ; I had been speaking to him shortly before. The duties of the Engineer officers at night in the trenches are very ' ft- ' i' 1 1. ' 1: •^00 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA arduous. I was walkiiii^ iihout uudrr firo noarly the whole ni^'ht, haviii;^; woikiui,' parties in various parts of the trenelies 4.^0 stronj,'. I was several times o])Hge(l to throw inysclf on tlu? ^'nmnd to avoid splin- ters of shells. There is a little hut protected from fire in the (juarries, which, is called the Engineer Oftiee. It is so small that one cannot stand upriglit in it, and is full of fleas and mice ; hut it is a welcome retreat from danger, after a long and fatiguing round through tin- rocky trenches. I gave it u[) in great measure to th»^ doctor on duty last night, but happened to he present when several poor fellows were brought in with limbs torn away by splinters of shells. I was much shocked at the various sights I was compelled to witness. The wounded men behaved heroically. 'The Engineer on duty, though perhaps only a young subaltern, is the next greatest man to the General of the trenches. Every one consults him; and I was frequently asked by experienced officers how many men should be placed at particular points, and how they should be disposed; and my advice was always imme- diately acted upon. ' After an arduous ami sleepless night, and a fatiguing walk from the advanced trenches to a point wliere a horse can be brought in safety, Engineer officers, on their return to their tents, between live and six in the morning, have to write detailed reports describing the progress of the work during the night, the operations of the enemy, and the employment of a variety of working INTENDED F NCH At?S*»0%-!-W I ';': i I !' 202 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA changfe. How many hundreds of poor fellows will breathe their last to-morrow ! I must not think of home, or I shall unman myself. May God be pleased to bless and preserve me. 'Sept. 8th. — lam to lead the assault with the scaling ladders. I march down in about half an hour. Imi 203 I 1! J CHAPTER XII. THE ASSAULT OF THE REDAN. TTHE secret of the attack was admira})ly preserved. Xot -L a whisper was circulated. It took us all by surprise, as we imagined no furtlier attempt would be made on the Eedan, after the failure of the assault of the 18th of June. We heard, however, that it was arran^^ed that both armies should "go in" in earnest, and that the success of the French in their attack on the Malakhoflf was to be the signal for our advance on our old enemy the Redan. Oar several positions were not assigned to us; but knowing that it would probably fall to my lot, as Senior Subaltern, to occupy the post of honour and lead the ladder party, I prepared myself, as well as the short interval permitted, for the probable fate which would attend the performance of the desperate duty. I took farewell of my mother and all my relations, committing them to the blessing and protection of God. I endeavoured to pray earnestly, and to compose ray mind. I felt the only course left open was willing submission, and fixed resolve that if I were to die, to fall in endeavouring to do my duty to the uttermost. n M h i\'\ '- iHipj^iri^t i^fS ii^'tftifaiH.'i; ■ ' 111 1 Li 1 ■^■■-"'-^*>i,i4itai^'^^«^'*ii^..iaiqfVVW-'>i h i 204 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA Beyond this, I was determined not to go. Though every soklier should expose himself without the slightest hesitation to the greatest danger when necessary, reck- lessness should never form part of his creed. His duty to his country should be the primary, and the preserva- tion of his life the secondary, consideration. No really good soldier throws his life away without aim or object. ' I had been on duty in the trenches during the night of the 6th September, and was consequently very tired on the night before the assault. I slept well and calmly on the whole, but awoke rather early in the mornnii):. ' Between five and six o'clock, a.m., the Adjutant came in and confirmed my conjecture that I was to lead the ladder party. Soon after Anderson came into my tent, and informed me he was told off for the working party to follow when the storming party were well in pos- session, and form a lodgment across the Redan. I rose and dressed; I put on my red shell jacket to look as much like the men as possible, and carried in my pocket besides a tourniquet, portion of a night-shirt torn into strips for bandages. • ' I called at my Colonel's (Col. Chapman) to read the written instructions given me by General Jones. I found they were as follows: — "The Subaltern of En- gineers in charge of the ladder party should, as soon as the troops have got into the Eedan, commence a communication by a ramp from the ditch to the glacis. It will be necessary for him to ascertain whether any parapet will be necessary across the ditch of the two rnEPARING TO LEAD "THE FORLORN HOPE » 205 faces, to guard against any attacks the enemy may be disposed to make by them. If the scarp and parapet of the salient of the Redfin do not form an easy ascent and descent, it must be made so." * These directions were clear and explicit enough ; but to carry them out, positively no working party, with tlie exception of a few sappers with shovels, nad been told off. I immediately pointed this out, and asked for and obtained a working party of 100 men, who were in- structed to follow immediately after the storming party. * I had an interview with Nicholson (now JNIajor Nicholson, R.E.), to whom I gave my brother's address, with a request that he would communicate with him in the event of my death. He promised to act for me in everything as he felt I should have wished him to act, and tried to reassure me as to my chance of escape, though (as he told me afterwards when 1 came back ) he had not the slightest expectation of ever seeing me again safe and sound. These matters settled, I rode down to the trenches with Anderson, Sedley, and Major Camp-jell, 46th. They were thickly lined with troops when A re arrived, and the batteries were firing heavily on the Redan and Russian works; the enemy replying with grape and round shot. ' I lound the ladder party, composed of men from the 3rd Buffs and 90th and 97th Regiments, lining the sap in front of the Redan (called the sixth parallel), the trench which Cooke, and mvself commenced on mv first night's duty in the trenches. The party consisted of 320 men, who were told off to forty scaling ladders, )! II h I ' , i: ^P^iUv^^ '".^-^jtf.jmfeHl^i-A-^ -■■'•■.»-^*ifc.'.l,ji !^T, ! ;■ ih 206 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA each twenty-four feet long. My instructions were, to advance with my sappers, armed with crowbars and axes for cutting through the abatis, and with the bidder party immediately after the skirmishers had been thrown out. The party was under the command of Major Welsford, 97th Eegiment, with whom I conferred for several minutes, and to whom I explained the point where tlie ladders were to be placed, in order to screen them as much as possiljle from the fire of the enemy. I tlien told my party of sappers what they w^ere to do, and assembled the non-commissioned officers to point out the measures to be taken under their directions, in the event of my being either killed or wounded. These arrangements being made, I awaited the signal to advance, silently calling upon God to aid and assist me in doing my duty, and, if it were His will, to preserve my life. Suddenly there was a shout that the French were attacking the iNIalakhoff. I looked over the parapet, and saw them rushing up the salient. They were apparently unresisted. The French flag in a minute was seen waving on the ramparts. All this happened so instantaneously, that it took us all by sur- prise. ' We had anticipated a hard struggle, and we were ordered not to advance till a decided success had been achieved ; but, as it were, in a second the dreaded Malakhoff had fallen into the hands of the French. Our men could be no longer restrained ; before there was time to get the ladders to the front, and before the sappers could advance to cut away the abatis, they THE ASSAULT OF THE EEDAX 207 MLS were, to rushed in a straggling line over the parapets, and dashed onwards to the salient. I hurried up my sappers as fast as I could, shouting to them till I was nearly hoarse, and ran forward with tliem and the ladder party, with a drawn sword in my hand (my scabbard and belt I left behind). In the hurry and confusion, many ladders were left l^ehind. There was, however, little excuse for this, as the men had had their places distinctly assigned to them, and should not liave left the trench without their ladders. It was of course impossible to perceive that anything of the kind had occurred, and still more impossible to have rectified it had it been known. The only word was — " Forward ; " the only course to pursue — to advance as rapidly as possible. Nearly 200 yards of rough broken ground, and an abatis had to be crossed under the enemv's fire. The men advanced with the greatest spirit. I could see bodies dead and wounded lying along and strewing the ground on each side of me, as I pressed forward, shouting continually to the men to advance, and not to pause for an instant. When I came to the abatis, I found five men nearly exhausted carrying a ladder and trying to get it over the opposing branches ; the remain- ing three men composing the l)arty of eight had pro- bably been killed or wounded in the advance. I lent them my aid and urged them on. The edge of the ditch was soon reached, and I was relieved to find the ditch not nearly so formidable as it had been repre- sented, and as I had good reason, from the solidity and extent of the Russian defences, to suppose it was likely i ! I. ! ' »ss^jr-w'iO»«*utaiJ>i«cc.-t.*,»«j;; j,:i i; II ' a I it ■HI' :. ■; , 208 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA to prove. I was prepared for a broad deep ditch, flanked by caponieres, and for military pits, chevaux- de-frise, palisades, and all kinds of obstacles. The dreaded ditch of the Redan, however, proved nothing but a simple trench, perhaps fourteen or fifteen feet deep at the counterscarp, and twenty or rather more at the escarp. I kept my ladders rather to the right of the salient angle, having been warned that the flanking fire would probably be severe up the proper left face. Half-a-dozen or so were lowered and reversed in a minute, and the men poured up them with eager haste. I set to work with every sapper I could get hold of, or to whom amid the din I could make myself audible, to tear down the rubble stone-work with which the salient of the escarp was reveted, and form a ramp practicable for ascent without ladders. 'The long continuance of dry weather which pre- ceded the assault must be regarded as a very favourable circumstance. The gabions staked to the ground with wooden spikes (with which the counterscarp was riveted) were torn down, and used in forming, with rocks, stones, and debris, a small parapet across the ditch of the proper left face, and a similar counter-caponiere thrown up also on the other side. I had to work, how- ever, with my own hands; it was difficult to get any one to do anything ; the men, as they straggled up to the assault in support of the advance, seemed stunned and paralyzed — there was little of that dash and en- thusiasm which might have been locked for from British soldiers in an assault; i": fjut it required all \¥ WHERE ARE THE RESERVES? 309 eep ditch, !, chevaux- cles. The red nothing fifteen feet ler more at he right of he flanking er left face, ^ersed in a eaccer haste. , hold of, or f audible, to a the salient p practicable ■y which pre- favourable OTound with erscarp was rming, with OSS the ditch er-caponiere work, how- to get any iggled up to ned stunned ash and en- .1 for from irequired all the efforts and example of their officers to got the men on, and tljese were rendered almost ineffective from the manner in wliich the various regiments soon irot con- fused and jumljled together. The men, after firing from behind the traverses, near the salient, for lialf-an- hour at the enemy, — also firing behind his parados and traverses, — began to waver. I nished up the salient with the view of cheering them on, and the offictrs exerted themselves to sustain them ; the men gave a cheer and went at it afresli. Tlie supports or reserves, ordered to follow, straggled up in inefficient disorder, but w^ere unable to press into the work, as the men in advance, occupying the salient, refused to go on, notwithstanding the devoted efforts of the ofificers to induce them to do so. Whether it was that they dreaded some secret trap, or some mine which would destroy the whole of them at once — whether it was that the lono: and tedious sie^'e works had lowered their "?nora/e" — or whether it was owing to the dreadful manner in which tlieir l)i\ision (the Light, most in- judiciously selected to lead) had been cut up in previ(ms actions — it is a melancholy truth, that the majority of the assaulting cohunn did not display the spirit and dash of thorough good soldiers, when assaulting the enemy. They refused, however, to retreat, and seemed to look round for aid: I trembled when I saw no one coming, and looked continually, anxiously, round for the reserves I considered, as a matter of course, would be advanced immediately it was perceived that the II ' ■ i ! I. I ,:i ¥. ) 210 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA leading columns had failed to carry tlie position, and were commencing to waver. * It wan in vain, however, to look ; our Crenerals had left their reserves about an h')ur's march in the rear, so that even if our soldiers had charged forwards, as they should have done, they woidd probably have found themselves compromised, surrounded by the enemy, and immolated, before any assistance could liave been brought to them. I had just given directions to the fraction of the working party of 100 men told off to me, which reached the ditch, what tliey were to do, and was returning towards the salient, when the sad repulse took place. What brought matters completely to a crisis, I have never exactly ascertained : I heard directly after I regained our trenches that three officers of the 41st, after vainly striving to induce the men to advance, rushed forward together, and were all three sliot down like one man by the cross fire of the Russians behind their parados. This w^as the turning-point, according to this account, of the men's indecision — they w^avered and fled. I was near the counterscarp, when I saw the whole living mass on the salient be' and swav- ing to and fro. In a moment I found mvself knocked down and lying on my face, with a number of men scrambling over me — their bavonets running through my clothes. I expected to have been stunned and bayoneted, and to have l)een left insensible in the ditch, or shot by the enemy before I could drag myself out of it. However, at last I saw an opening, and holding on by my hands and knees, managed to force my way to it THE UEPULSE 211 Dsition, ami enerals had the rear, so rds, as they have fouiul the enemy, I have heen tious to the id off to me, do, and was repulse took to a crisis, I rectly after I of the 41st, to advance, ■e sliot down Asians behind nt, according they wavered len I saw the no- and sway- self knocked iber of men ning through stunned and ill the ditch, myself out of id holding on my way to it tliroufdi the niovino: mass, and recrain mv lef's. I ran tlien as fast as I could towards our advanced trenches, the grape whistling past me like liail, and tlie Russians standing on the top of tlieir parapets, and firing volh'vs into the crowd of fuiritives. 'In our trenches all was shame, rage, juid fear — the men were crowded together and disorganized. It was hopeless to attempt to renew tlie attack with the same troops. ]\Iy Sappers all went to the (^larries, but I re- mained for more tlmn half an hour, in the most advanced trench, with the shattered remains of the assaulting column. An officer of the 92nd came up to me and shook me by the liand, saying that he was glad to see me safe and sound, and that of liis regiment he was the only officer left, — ]Majoi- Welsford and "olonel Hancock (whose wife, poor thing! was then in the Crimea) hav- ing both been killed, and several others wounded. ' Finding there was to be no attempt to renew the attack, and mentally returning thanks to God for my wonderful preservation from imminent jjeril, I returned to join my party at th(; Quarries. ( )n my way I passed General Sir ^^'illianl Codrington, who was charged with the direction of the attack, sitting in one of the trenches, with his aides-de-camp about him. I repeated to him a few Avords I had heard fall from the lips of an officer of the 33rd, to the effect, that if it were possible to col- lect the men of the various regiments together, under their owti officers, he would be willing to renew the assault. Sir William said the fire of the grape was too heavy to admit of the attack being repeated that day. I P 2 I ; i h ( , 212 CANADA AND THE CRIMEA >J< r' ' I'' i was received with very kind and hearty congratulations l)y one friend or brotlicr officer after antjtiier, whom I encountered in niv proLrress throuirh tlie trenches — Anderson especially, who was attached to the same company as myself, said he had been particularly anxious ; and when he found I did not return with the {Sappers, thought it was all over with me. The Enoiueers' hut, near the Quarries, presented a most lamentable spectacle when I reached it. Every stretcher had been put into recjuisition for carrying off the wounded. Some of the men employed as bearers, it was said, had not returned — remaining away to avoid the danger (for dejith and wounds v/ere rife through every part of the lines this day, and men were actually killed in the stretchers on which they were being borne wounded to the rear). SSeveral poor fellows, more or less grievously wounded, were lying helpless and in agony in the trench. Inside the hut was a poor gunner, with his leg badly shattered by the splinter of a shell. In front, in the centre of the roadway, lay a rifleman dying, covered with blood about the head and face, and foaming at the mouth — a most ghastly spectacle. Near me was a poor fellow shot iu the small of the back, iu great pain : I managed to raise him up, Avith some emjity sandbags, to make his posi- tion easier — this was all I could do. Three or four more victims lay groaning or faint and silent around ; while the inexorable roar of cannon and shot continued, and death remained l)usy at his work. The rags I had taken down with me proved very useful : I bound up SHAMEFUL XEGLECf il3 the •Nvounds of several ])oor fellows wirl tlicni, i tlie ditch of the Kedan, during thi' assiult, udiniiiisteriu<;' some V)raiidy to them from my flask ; and actually wa^ thanked by the surgeon in the advanced trendies for a couple which I gave him from my cap, as 1 went down (he having told me he was (piite destitute of any supply!), and that by some shameful negh-ct he had been on duty during a terrific bondiardment, dressing tiie wounds, or y)erhaps merely roughly binding tliem up, as well as the urgency of the case would admit, for forty-eight hours. I felt very indignant and dis- gusted at this, after all that has been said and written on this painfid subject. * Wliilst waiting in the Quarries with the remains of my party of sappers (some of my mere handful of twenty-two having been killed or wounded), a naval officer came up and asked for Elphiustone, the engineer officer on duty, as he wished the direction of an em- brasure in a battery to be altered, in order that one of the guns might be turned on some shipping. Though my duty strictly speaking was over, yet I felt I wjus called upon to supply Elphinstone's place at a time like this, and therefore repjured with a party of sappers t(j the battery indicated. I heard that the Eussian fire had been very heavily directed on this and an adjoining battery, and that they had succeeded in silencing several of the guns. I gave the necessary directions for the alteration of the embrasure, and then repaired to a point near where Col. Chapman, De Vere, and several t / :M 2U CANADA AND THE CIIIMEA I I ;l I 7' I > km: otliiTs, were loi>kiu;;- over the parapet, ftrid wjitdiiiiL; anxidiisly, as well as the dense tlouds of nmoke mid dust would admit, tin? assault of tlie Frcneli. It was impossible, however, to (listiii;L;uish any olijeet very clearly; all was «tli, IS.M. * " In oltcdicnco to your instnit'tioiis, F hnvc the lioiiour to report for yoiir iiit'oniiatioii tlic j»io- ftM'diiii^'s of ilie siippcrs mimI hidder jcii'ty to which I wa> attached at the assault iA' the I{e(laii tliis luoniiun'. I was ordered to advaiu'c witli the ladder party, iiiuiie- diately after tiie skirmishers had heeu thrown out. '"The exeitenieut auioii;^'' the' troops in the trenches, however, was so ^reat when they ])ereeived that the French were masters of the .MaJakhoff, that they rushed unexpectedly over the parapets, hefore the ladder party had liad time to <'et clear of the advanced treiu'h. I