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32X

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NEWFOUNDLAND TO MANITOBA.

WOBES BY W. FBASEB BAE.

^A^ESTWARD BY RAIL: a Journey to San Francisco
and Back, and a Visit to the Mormons.

NOTES ON ENGLAND. By H. Taine, D.C.L. Oxon.
Translated, with a Biographical and Critical Introduction.

WILKES, SHERIDAN, FOX: the Opposition under
George III.

ENGLISH PORTRAITS by Saintk-Beuve. Trans-
lated, with a Biographical and Critical Introduction.

COLUMBIA AND CANADA. Notes on the Great
Bepublic and the New Dominion.

QCISCO

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NEWFOUNDLAND TO MANITOBA

A GUIDE THROUGH

CMADA'S MARITIME, MI«, AND PRAIRIE PROYINCES

W. ERASER RAE

REPRINTED, WITH LARGE ADDITIONS, FROM

^he ^Qlintes

WITH THREE MAPS AND TWO ILLUSTRATIONS

EonUon

SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, SEARLE, & RIVINGTON

CROWN BUILDINGS, 188. FLEET STREET

1881

lAll rights reserved]

- ■^' ;^>vl.'r,f'

l/Oi-miy

LONDON :

PRINTED BY GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, LIMITED,

ST. JOHN'S SQUARE.

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PREFACE.

I VISITED and described the Province of Manitoba and a
part of the New West in the United States, as a Corre-
spondent of The Times, during the summer and autumn
of 1878. Last autumn and winter I visited Newfound-
land, landed on the North American continent, journeyed
across it from Halifax on the Atlantic Ocean to Eapid
City on the Little Saskatchewan River, and athwart it
from the Red River of the North in Manitoba to the Rio
Grande in New Mexico. The letters written on the spot,
which are reprinted in the following pages, have been
recast, so as to embody the fresh particulars which I
gathered, and the conclusions at which !^ arrived after
traversing the Canadian Far West for the second time,
while the contents of many pages are entirely new. The
Province of British Columbia is the only important section
of the Dominion which is not treated in this work.

I propose reproducing in another volume my experiences
and observations in those States and Territories of the
Union which constitute the remarkable New West,
extending from the Territory of Dakota to the Territory of
New Mexico, and from the State of Kansas to the Territory
of Wyoming.

Whilst gratefully acknowledging my indebtedness to
many Canadians for great courtesy and attention, I must
return special thanks for the information and aid which I
received from Mr. John Lowe, Secretary to the Depart-
ment of Agriculture at Ottawa, and Mr. William Hespeler,
Dominion Immigration Agent at Winnipeg. Mr. Hespeler
is one of the many cultured Germans who have made
Canada their home, who do credit to the country of their
birth, and who render genuine and patriotic service to
the land of their adoption.

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CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

England's oldest colony.

Earliest Notices of Newfoundland
Products of the Island .
Rich in Minerals .
Sir Humphrey Gilbert's Mission
Daniel discovers Silver .
Result of Mineral Discoveries
Whitboume's Account .
First Colonists
Laws of Charles I.
Settlement Impeded
Condition of the Fishermen .
Increase of Pauperism .
Responsible Government granted
Views of the Islanders .
The Capital of Newfoundland
Public Buildings .
Legislative Assembly
The Soil and Climate
Newfoundland Railway .
Agricultural Prospects .
Opposition to a Railway
Newspaper Press .
Notes on Newspapers
Compulso^ Education .
Principal Imports .
Mines and Mining .
French Claims
Fish, Game, and Dogs .

CHAPTER II.

THE LAND OF THE " BLUE NOSES.

The Founder of Nova Scotia

The " National PoUcy " ....

"Old Fossils"

Gol-dMines

PAGE

3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
25
27
29
31
33
35
37
39
41
43
45
47
49
61
53
55
57

61
63
65

viii Contents.

Nova Scotian Collieries .
Scenery and Climate
The Capital of Nova Scotia
Halifax Hospitality
Governor Archibald

PAGE

69
71
73

CHAPTER III.

THE PROVINCE OF NEW BRUNSWICK.

The Puritans and New Brunswick 81

Foundation of St. John 83

New Denmark ......... 85

The St. John River 87

Churches in Fredericton 89 ^

Headquarters of the Intercolonial 91 > /

A Forest on Fire 93

New Brunswick Land Laws 95

Cattle-Rearing 97

CHAPTER IV.

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND.

Oysters, Mackerel, and Lobsters 101

Yield and price of Potatoes 103

Highland Settlers 105

Subdivision of the Land 107

Landlords and Tenants 109

Settlement of the Land Question ^^^

Summerside 113

Charlottetown and its Suburbs 115

Governor John Ready's Administration . . . .117

CHAPTER V.

INTERCOLONIAL, GRAND TRUNK, AND NORTHERN RAILWAYS.

Intercolonial : Origin and Character 121

Workshops at Moncton ... ... 123

Scenery along the Line 125

Newcastle 127

Mr. Justice Henry 129

Mr. Hiokson's Management of Grand Trunk .... 131

Glut of Traffic 133

Muskoka Lakes 135

Future Prospects of Northern Railway 137

CHAPTER VI.

ACROSS LAK.E SUPERIOR.

The North Shore Route 139

A Landlord's Career 141

\\ i

PAGE
69

71
73
75

Contents.

RAILWAYS.

89 ^

91»)

101

103

105

107

109

111

113

115

117

121

123

125

127

129

131

133

135

137

139
141

Tempestuous Weather .
The Bruce Mines .
Homes for Indi.in Children
Fishing in the Eapids .
A Historic Ceremony
Panegyric on Louis XIV.
Michipicoten Island
Discoveries of Coj^per
Value of Native Copper
Copper Mining Companies
^Mineral Riches
Silver, Copper, and Iron Deposits

CHAPTER VII.

DUIUTU TO WINNIPEG.

Mr. Proctor Knott's Speech
Delights of Duluth
Geographical Ignorance .
Manufactures and Trade
Land Speculators .
A Hint to Emigrants

CHAPTER VIII.

ON THE RED lUVER OF THE NORTH.

Course of the Re<3l River
Mammoth Farms .
By Water to Winnipeg .
Lake Minnetonka .
Stern Wheel Steamers ,
Onslaughts of Insects .
Scenery on the Banks
First View of Winnipeg

CHAPTER IX.

THE CITY OF WINNIPEG.

University of Manitoba .

Historical and Scientific Society

PuMic Markets

Fruit and Howers .

A Journalistic Experiment

Tlio Hudson Hay Company

Mr. Brydgea .

St. Boniface .

Archbishop Tiicho .

Advice to Eleci^jrs .

A French Isewspaper .

PAGE
li3

145
147
149
151
153
155
157
1.59
161
163
165

169
171
173
175
177
179

181
183
185
187
189
191
193
195

199
•JOl
203
205
207
209
211
213
215
217
219

Contents,

CHAPTER X.

THE PROVINCE OF MANITOBA.

Opinions about the Region
Extent of the Province
Farming in Manitoba
Red River Farmers
Prairie Grasses
Grasshoppers
Manitoba Homesteads

CHAPTER XI.

MENNONITES AND ICELANDERS IN MANITOBA.

Mennonite Homes .
Mennonite Doctrines and Habits
Failings of the Mennonites
Mennonite Exclusiveness
New Iceland ....
Discord among the Icelanders

CHAPTER XII.

THE NOHTH-WEST TERRITORIES.

Western Roads . . . .

Mudholes

Prairie Hotels . . . .

Royal Commissioners in Manitoba

Journalism at Rapid City

Successful Farmers

Home of the Buffalo

Sale of Intoxicants Prohibited

CHAPTER XIII.

THE CANADIAN FAR WEST.

Western Winters .
Climate, Soil, and Minerals .
Sir George Simpson's Prophecy
Canadian Pacific Railway
Hudson Bay Route
Rival Regions
Perfect Wheat Plants
The "Land of Misery" .
A Terrestrial Paradino .
Canada's Future .

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTER.

Wi-'.DS IN NORTH AMERICA.

Weeds in North America

PAGE

221
223
225
227
229
231
233

237

239

241

243

245

ij^H

247

249

J ,

251

253

255

257

MB 3.

259

«■

261

263

267
269
271
273
275
277
279
281
283
285

287

MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

^'^.N'V>V-V,X^X,,,,,^^,,

1. Map of Newfoundland .

-• Do. Manitob/v .

3- Do. Dominion of Canada

4. Winnipeg as it was in 1870 .

•5- Do. AS IT IS

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Ft^ontispiece
. 2,S3

. 29o
. 1!>7
. 212

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[iii

NEWFOUNDLAND TO MANITOBA.

CHAPTER I.

England's oldest colony.

Newfocjndland was discovered in the reign of
Henry the Seventh and incorporated with the
EngUsh realm in the reign of Queen EHzabeth.
It is an Island presenting many and marked con-
trasts to the Fiji Islands which have been added
to the British Empire in the reign of Queen
Victoria. In Fiji every prospect pleases and
man does the reverse, owing to a taste for eating
his fellows. Nature often wears a rude and for-
bidding aspect in Newfoundland ; the aborigines,
on the other hand, were too mild and inoffensive
to survive the invasion of savage Mic-Mac Indians
and the effects of civilized vices imported by
white men from Europe.

|< '-■— ,^:;

;^3pr-v -. -.

2 England'' s Oldest Colony.

Money is made in Fiji by growing and crusliing
sugar-cane ; in Newfoundland fortunes liave been
accumulated by catching and curing fish. The
colonists of Eiji are envied for basking in
summer weather all the year round, while the
Newfoundlanders are pitied for having to sustain
a struggle for existence amid the icy gales and
fogs of the Northern Atlantic. If the lot of the
latter were as sad as is commonly supposed, they
would be pardon '^d for repining and complaining
that it was intolerable. Though not more con-
tented than other mortals or reluctant to exercise
the truly British prerogative of grumbling, yet
their grievances are not those for which Nature
can fairly be held responsible. They are proud
of their Island despite its fancied drawbacks,
loving it with a devotion which nothing can
impair. The intensity of a Newfoundlander's
patriotism is a striking and admirable trait in his
character. His patriotism is evidently as genuine
as it is profound. Even new comers soon learn
to vie with the native-born inliabitants in ex-
tolling the Island's charms. Life in Newfound-
land has many compensations and enjoyments
which are unsuspected by a stranger.

For many years after the month of June,
1497, when John Cabot discovered this Island,
nothing was done by Englishmen to profit by its

1 1 1 1 I

Earliest Notices of Neivfotindland.

natural advantages. The earliest notices of it
are to be found in the records of Henry the
Seventh's privy purse expenses ; the first of these
references is dated the 10th of August, 1497, and
is to the effect that 10/. were given " to hym that
found the new Isle ; " the last is dated 25th
August 1505, and is a reward of 13«. 4^7. to Clays
for going to Richmond " with wilde catts and
popingays of the Newfound Island." Entries
between these dates relate to two payments of
20Z. and one of 30/. made to merchants that had
voyaged to Newfoundland, and to a reward of
IZ. "to one that brought hawkes from the New-
founded Island." It was not till 1540 that
Englishmen sailing from the ports of Biddeford,
Barnstable and Bristol systematically engaged in
the Newfoundland fisheries. As early as 1504,
the Portuguese had begun to catch cod there;
fifteen years later, the crews of forty vessels
belonging to Portuguese, Spaniards and French-
men were thus employed. In 1578, England had
50 vessels, Portugal 50 and France and Spain
150 occupied in reaping the harvest of the sea in
the North Atlantic.

The value of Newfoundland as, a fishing station
having been demonstrated, it was resolved to
send colonists thither. The first essay towards
carrying out this resolve was made by Mr. Robert

B 2

Efigiand's Oldest Colony.

! il

Thome of Bristol, in 1527; the second, by Mr.
Hore of London, a man whom Hakluyt describes
as "of goodly stature and great courage and
given to the study of Cosmography.*' Mr. Hore
persuaded many gentlemen and others to join
with him in an undertaking which Henry the
Eighth regarded with approval. The party to
the number of " about six score persons whereof
thirty were gentlemen " embarked at Gravesend,
towards the end of April 1530, m the Trinity and
Minion, Before embarking, the entire party
** mustered in warlike manner and received the
Sacrament.'* They returned home in October
after visiting Newfoundland, getting a glimpse of
the natives, observing that the land was covered
with fir and pine trees, undergoing such great
privations through lack of provisions that the
strong killed the weak and ate their flesh. The
survivors took forcible possession of a French
ship and sailed in it to England. It is related
by Hakluyt that Mr. Thomas Buts, one of the
party, "was so changed in the voyage with
hunger and misery " that his father and mother
Sir William and Lady Buts, of Norfolk, "knew
him not to be their son, until they found a secret
mark which was a wart upon one of his knees."

The subsequent action of the French crew,
whom the English had shamefully used, gave

Products of the Island.

Mr.

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Hore
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crew,
d, gave

Henry the Eighth an opportunity to display the

better side of his character. Hakluyt records

that these Frenchmen reached England certain

months after "and made complaint to King
Henry the Eighth : the King causing the matter
to be examined, and finding the great distress of
his subjects, and the causes of the dealing so
with the French, was so moved with pity, that he
punished not his subjects, but of his own purse
made full and roj^al recompense unto the
French." '

The most detailed account of Newfoundland as
it appeared to the early visitors is contained in a
letter of Mr. Anthony Parkhurst of Bristol to
Mr. Kichard Hakluyt of the Middle Temple,
dated 13th of November 1578. Parkhurst had
made several voyages to the Island, and Hakluyt
having applied to him for information, Parkhurst
said in reply that he hoped Hakluyt would use
his influence to induce men in power to help in
christianizing Newfoundland or rather, as he
phrases it, " to redeem the people of Newfound-
land and those parts from out of the captivity of
that spiritual Pharaoh, the devil.'' He gives a
glowing picture of the Island. He says that the
soil is good and fertile, that, in sundry places, he
had '* sown wheat, barley, rye, oats, beans, peas,

' Hakluyt's Works, ed. 1810, vol. 3, pp. 168—170.

r,;

6 England's Oldest Colony.

and seeds of herbs, kernels, plumstones, nuts, all
of which have prospered as m England. The
country yieldeth many good treos of fruit, as
filberts in some places, but in. all places cherry
trees, and a kind of pear tree meet to graft on.
As for roses they are as common as brambles
here; strawberries, dewberries and raspberries,
as common as grass. The timber is most fir, yet
plenty of pineapple trees ; few of these two kinds
meet to mast a ship of three score and ten
[tons] ; but near Cape Breton, and to the South-
ward, big and sufficient for any ship. There be
also oaks and thorns, there is in all the country
plenty of birch and alder, which be the meetest
wood for cold, and also willow, which will serve
for any other purposes. As touching the kinds
of fish beside cod, there are herrings, salmons,
thornebacke, plaice, or rather we should call
them flounders, dog fish, and another most ex-
cellent of taste called by us a cat, oysters and
muscles, in which I have found pearls above forty
in one muscle, and generally all have some, great
or small. I heard of a Portugal that found one
worth 300 ducats. There are also other kinds
of shell fish, as limpets, cockles, wilks, lobsters
and crabs ; also a fish like a smelt which cometli
on shore, and another that hath the like property,
called a squid." He calls the climate temperate
and far pleasanter than might be supposed from
the tales of *' foolish mariners." He depicts the
land as being intersected with rivers and covered

Rich ill Minerals. 7

in places with lakes full of fish: "There are
plenty of bears everywhere, so that you may kill
of them as oft as you list ; their flesh is as good
as young beef, and hardly you may know the one
from the other if it be powdered but two days.
Of otters we may take like store. There are sea-
gulls, murres, ducks, wild geese, and many other
kind of birds store, too long to write, especially
at one island named Penguin, where we may drive
them on a plank into our ship, as many as shall
lade her." Deer, hares, foxes and wolves

abounded. In addition to possessing a fruitful
soil, and many varieties of trees, animals and fish,
the Island was believed by Parkhurat to be
rich in minerals; he had found and brought
home with him specimens of iron and copper
ore.

The foregoing particulars, which Parkhurst
communicated to Hakluyt, were doubtless known
to many persons and increased their desire to
colonize the Island. In the year that Parkhurst's
letter was written, Sir Humphrey Gilbert pro-
cured Letters Patent from Queen Elizabeth autho-
rizing him to search for and occupy unknown
lands or places which were not in the occupation
of the subjects of any Christian potentate. In
those days, as at a later time, the natives of a
country whoso skins were dark and who had
never heard of Christ, were denied any rights

't-r-.KM -ri:i«.<.>'-A.A i

'MUtaas^-

England's Oldest Colony.

III! i

which white-faced Christians were bound to
respect. The Christians considered themselves
justified in taking possession of the lands of these
heathen barbarians on the plea that they would
teach them to read the Bible and rescue them
from the dominion of Satan.

Sir Humphrey Gilbert's first attempt at ex-
ploration failed after he had collected a fleet and
persuaded many persons to join him. He returned
to England without accomplishing anything, and
with the loss of a vessel. Sir Walter Raleigh,
his half-brother, who was associated with him in
the enterprise,was to have accompanied him when
he set out the second time, from Causet bay
near Plymouth, on the 11th of June 1583 ; but
Raleigh did not go and the vessel which he had
fitted out put back to port shortly after sailing.
However, Raleigh sent a letter to Sir Humphrey
Gilbert, immediately before the latter sailed,
containing a message from Queen Elizabeth to
the effect that she wished him " as great good hap
and safety to his ship as if she herself were there
in person,'* this letter being accompanied with a
jewel fi'om the Queen in the form of an anchor
guided by a lady. A narrative of the expedition
has been written by Captain Hayes, one of the
few survivors. He says the fleet consisted of five
vessels, the Delight, 120 tons burden, the Raleigh

'' 4

lii

Sir Humphrey Gilbert^ s Mission, 9

200 tons, the Golden Hind 40 tons, the Sivalloiv
40 tons, and the Squirrel 10 tons. The party-
numbered about 260, ** among whom we had of
every faculty good choice, as shipwrights, masons,
carpenters, smiths and such like, requisite to
such an action ; also mineral men and refiners.
Besides, for solace of our people, and allurements
of the savages, we were provided of music in
good variety: not omitting the least toys, as
morris dancers, hobby horses and Maylike con-
ceits to delight the savage people, whom we
intended to win by all fair means possible. And
to that end we were indifferently furnished of all
pretty haberdashery w^ares to barter with those
simple people."

Their first mischance, as has been stated, was
that the Raleigh parted company soon after sailing,
and put back ; their second was that the crew of
the Swallow engaged in piracy. However, they
reached the harbour of St. Johns, Newfoundland
on the 3rd of August. The next day being
Sunday, Sir Humphrey and his company went on
shore under the escort of the English merchants,
"who showed us their accustomed walks unto a
place they call the Garden. But nothing appeared
more than Nature itself without art, who con-
fusedly hath brought forth roses abundantly,
wild, but odoriferous and to sense very com-
fortable. Also the like plenty of raspberries,
which do grow in every place." On the following

If n

England* s Oldest Colony.

i \

i>;

i!H yt;i

!il

llj,

day, Sir Humphrey Gilbert read his Letters
Patent and took possession of the country in the
Queen's name. A fortnight was spent in ex-
ploring the country and in trying to communicate
Avith the aborigines. It was found that there
were no natives in the Southern part, and it was
supposed that this arose f^om the south coast
" being so much frequented by Christians." In
the Northern part they found savages who were
" altogether harmless."

The country pleased them. They liked the
climate ; they were struck with the abundance of
fish and game and with the fine flowers which
grew luxuriantly. Indeed, Captain Hayes ex-
presses his thankfulness to God for having super-
abundantly replenished the earth with creatures
for the use of man, though man hath not used a
fifth part of the same, and this consiaeration, in
his opinion, " doth aggravate the fault and foolish
sloth in many of our nation, choosing rather to
live indirectly, and very miserably to live and die
within this realm pestered with inhabitants, than
to adventure as bccometh men, to obtain a
habitation in those remote lands, in which Nature
very prodigally doth minister unto men's en-
deavours, and for art to work upon." Captain
Hayes notes that there a)'e traces of minerals in
many places, that iron is plentiful, and that lead

Daniel Discovers Silver,

and copper are to bo met with. Sir Humphrey
Gilbert's avowed desire was to discover silver or
gold. " Amongst other charges given to inquire
out the singularities of this country, the General
(Sir Humphrey) was most curious in the search
of metals, commanding the mineral man and
refiner, especially to be diligent. The same was
a Saxon born, honest and religious, named Daniel,
who after search brought at first some sort of ore,
seeming rather to be iron than other metal. The
next time he found ore, which with no small show
of contentment he delivered unto the General,
using protestation, that if silver were the thing
which might satisfy the General and his followers,
there it was, advising him to seek no further : the
peril whereof he undertook upon his life (as dear
unto him as the Crown of England unto her
Majesty, that I may use his own words) if it fell
not out accordingly." Captain Hayes avows that

he was sceptical about the value of the '* mineral
man's " discovery, and adds Sir Humphrey
was so thoroughly satisfied tliat he took pre-
cautions to keep the discovery a secret lest the
Portuguese and French, who were in force there,
might seize the BelhjM freighted with the precious
ore. The Del if/lit was lost soon after on Sal)le
Island, the island on which the (;unard steamer
Jh'ifannur grounded for a short time when (/harles
Dickens crossed the Atlantic in 181-2. A man of
letters, who was a passenger on board the DcHrjhf,

stS^r^'-

V i',

England s Oldest Colony.

perished when that vessel was wrecked. This
was Stephanas Parmenius, a learned Hungarian
who, in the language of Captain Hayes, " of piety
and zeal to good attempts, adventured in this
action, minding to record in the Latin tongue,
the gests and things worthy of remembrance,
happening in this discovery, to the honour of our
nation, the same being adorned with the eloquent
style of this orator and rare poet of our time." The

only record of the voyage, which this learned Hun-
garian has left, is a Latin epistle written at St. Johns
and addressed to Hakluyt who has turned it into
English. "What impressed Parmenius the most was

the incredible abundance of fish, " whereby great
gain grows to them that travel to these parts : the
hook is no sooner thrown out, but it is eftsoones
drawn up with some goodly fish : the whole land
is full of hills and woods. The trees for the most
part are pines and of them some an/ very old,
and some young : a great part of them being
fallen by reason of their age, doth so hinder the
eight of the land, and stop the way of those that
seek to travel, that they can go no whither : all
the grass here is long and tall, and little differeth
from ours. It seemeth also that the nature of
this soil is fit for corn : for I found certain blades
and ears in a manner bearded, so that it appeareth
that by manuring and sowing, they may easily be
framed for the use of man : here arc in the woods
bush berries or rather strawberries, growing up
like trees, of great sweetness. Bears also appear

Result of Mineral Discovei'ies.

This
arian

piety

this
ague,
ance,
>f our
[^[uent

The

Hun-
Johns
t into
3t was
great
s : the
cones
3 land
) most
y old,
being
er the
e that
: all
'ereth
ure of
lades
eareth
jily be
woods
ng np
ippear

about the fishers' stages of the country, and are
sometimes killed, but they seem to be white, as I
conjectured by their skins, and somewhat less
than ours."

Another passenger whose loss was even more
lamented was Daniel, " our Saxon refiner and dis-
coverer of inestimable riches." Sir Humphrey
Gilbert deeply mourned the loss of Daniel .and of the
ore on board the DeligJtt as well as of his own notes
and books. The discovery of ore had altered his
opinion as regards Newfoundland and he intimated
that, whereas he previously had a great pre-
dilection for the southern part of the North
American Continent, now he was wholly in
favour of the northern. Had he been spared, it is
probable thp^ the colonization of Virginia might
not have taken place for a longer space of time.
The failure of his expedition to Newfoundland
directed all the thoughts and efforts of Sir Walter
Raleigh and others towards effecting the settlement
of Virginia. Sir Humphrey's confidence was so
extreme that he believed he could persuade Queen
Elizabeth to lend hira 10,000/. wherewith to pro-
secute his enterprise the following spring. His
hopes were destined to die with him and that
speedily.

Sir Humphrey Gilbert's death is one of the
tragic episodes in the annals of adventure. He

EnglaiicTs Oldest Colony.

r
'I' I

resolved to sail home in the Squirrel a cockle
shell of 10 tons. He was entreated to leave that
vessel and take passage in the Golden Hind, being
urged to make the exchange on the ground that
he ran great risk by remaining in the Squirrel.
His admirable reply was " I will not forsake my
little company going homeward, with whom I
have passed so many storms and perils." Soon
after he had thus spoken the wind blew a gah
and tlie sea raged tnmultuously so that both vessels
were in extreme peril. On the afternoon of Mon-
day the 9th of September 1583, the Squirrel nearly
foundered, but the vessel recovering. Sir Humph-
rey was seen by those in the Golden Hind seated
on the deck w^ith a book in his hand, and he was
heard exclaiming, whenever the vessels ap-
proached within speaking distance of each other,
" we are as near to heaven by sea as by land."

Captain Ha3^es adds : *' The same Monday night,
about 12 of the clock, or not long after, the
Squirrel being ahead of us in the Golden Hind^
sudderlly her lights were out, whereof as it were
in a moment, we lost the sight, and withal our
watch cryed, the General was cast away, whic^"*
was too true."

The tangible result of Sir Humphrey Gilbert's
expedition was the formal addition of Newfound-
land to the English realm. After he had read

Wliitbotirne' s Account.

30clde
e tliat

being
d that
'uirrcL
ike my
liom I
Soon

a gale
vessels
,f Mon-
l nearly
lumpli-
l seated

lie was
dIs ap-
1 other,
r land."
f night,

er, the
Hindi

it were

hal our
whic^^

jilbert's
wfound-
lad read

his Letters Patent ; " had delivered unto him
(after the custom of England) a rod and a
turf of soil," set up the arms of England, en-
graved on lead, in a conspicuous place, there
could be no dispute as to which European State
had professed to have taken possession of the
Island. He followed the ceremony of taking
possession with an act of legislation, promulgating
three Laws which were to take immediate effect,
the first ordaining that the public exercise of re-
ligion should be after the pattern of the Church
of England ; the second enjoining the pains and
penalties of high treason against the persons
who should question or attack the Queen's
title to the country; the third providing that
" if any person shall utter words sounding
to the dishonour of her Majesty, he should
lose his ears, and have his ship and goods
confiscate."

Captain Richard Whitbourne, the author of the
first book written about Newfoundland, was present
on this occasion. He confirms the reports of other
observers as to the fruitf ulness of the land. Fruits,
flowers and herbs he saw growiug in great pro-
fusion ; moreover, there was '* great store of
deer's flesh in that country, and no want of ffood
fish, good fowl, good fresh water, and storo of

■'.rTm'^-'»*M»T -

■i:i
I

' f

England's Oldest Colony,

wood. By which commodities people may live
very pleasantly." He argued with great show
of reason that such a country was well adapted
for settlement. He held, not only that people
could make new and comfortable homes for them-
selves there, but rJso *' that by a plantation there
and by that means only, the poor mis-believing
inhabitants of that country may be reduced from
barbarism to the knowledge of God and the light
of his truth, and to a civil and regular kind of
life and government."

Both Captain Hayes and Captain "Whitbourne
saw strange monsters during their visits to New-
foundland. The latter minutely describes an
animal which he fancies to be a merman or mer-
maid, but which was probably a seal. The
former thus describes a monster which bears a
resemblance to that represented in the accounts of
the sea serpent : " Upon Saturday in the after-
noon the 31st of August [1583] we changed our
course, and returned back for England, at which
very instant, even in winding about, there passed
along between us and towards the land which we
now forsook a very lion to our seeming, in shape,
hair and colour, not swimming after the manner
of a beast by moving of his feet, but rather sliding
upon the water with his whole body (excepting
the legs) in sight, neither yet diving under, and
again rising above the water, as the manner is..

First Colonists.

2ij live
b sliow
idapted
people
r tliem-
m there
elieving
ed from
he light
kind of

tbourne

to New-

•ibes an

or mer-

The

bears a
ounts of
le after-

ged our
it which
e passed
rhich we
n shape,

manner
r sliding
scepting
der, and
inner is.

of whales, dolphins, tunnies, porpoises and other
fish ; but confidently showing himself above water
without hiding, notwithstanding we presented
ourselves in open view and gesture to amaze him,
as all creatures will be commonly at a sudden
gaze and sight of men. Thus he passed along
turni? g his head to and fro, yawning and gaping
wide, with ugly demonstration of long teeth, and
glaring eyes, and to bid us a farewell (coming
right against the Bind) he sent forth a horrible
voice, roaring and bellowing as doth alien, which
spectacle we all beheld so far as we were able to
discern the same, as men prone to wonder at
every strange thing, as this doubtless was, to see
a lion in the O^ean sea, or fish in shape of a
lion."2

The colonization of Newfoundland was one of
Bacon's favourite projects ; he believed that the
country was well suited for settlement and that
the surrounding sea contained even mor.e precious
treasure than that which was embedded in the
mountains of Mexico .and Peru. He was a
partner in a company which obtained an exten-
sive grant of land in Newfoundland from James
the First, and John Guy, a merchant of Bristol,
was sent forth to found a colony at Conception
Bay. He sailed from Bristol in IGIO with
three ships filled with emigrants, established

« llakluyt, vol. 3, p. 200.

' f^KMiSfSS^-'

V i I

England's Oldest Colony

■n

fi;l|i

himself and his followers at the apjDointed place
and opened up an intercourse with the Indians.
For some unexplained reason many of the colo-
nists determined to return home, which they did
in 1612. Eleven years later Sir Greorge Calvert
obtained a large grant of land from the Xing
which he styled the Province of Avalon. Here
he built himself a house and settled with his
family and several followers. A French settle-
ment had been made not far distant and the rival
settlers were on terms of enmity. Sir George
Calvert built a fort to protect his settlement from
the attacks of the French ; he became tired, how-
ever, of the hostihties which he had to wage and
returned with his family to England. He re-
ceived from Charles the First a grant of land on
the American Continent where he founded a
highly successful colony, the land itself being now
known as the State of Maryland. Lord Falkland
sent a few colonists to Newfoundland from Ire-
land in 1628 and a few more went from England
under the supervision of Sir David Kirk in 1654
and with the sanction of the Parliament.

Charles the First considered it his duty to issue
a code of laws to govern the Newfoundland
fishermen. According to this code any person
accused of murder or theft of articles valued
at 40 shillings was to be brought to England for

f^'

Lazvs of CJiai'lcs I.

tited place
3 Indians.

the colo-
li tliey did
^e Calvert

tlie King
on. Here
[ witli his
ich settle-
d the rival
\\v George
ment from
bired, how-
) wage and
[. He re-
of land on
founded a

being now
d Falkland
from Ire-
VQ. England
rk in 1654
it.

iity to issue
vfoundland
my person

lies valued
llngland for

trial; all persons were prohibited from casting
ballast into harbours or destroying the stages used
in drying and curing fish ; it was ordered that,
according to ancient custom, the master of the
ship which first entered the harbour at the begin-
ning of the fishery should be Admiral, and exercise
jurisdiction over the others and enjoy special
privileges ; all persons were forbidden to deface
or alter the distinguishing marks on boats, to
purloin salt or other provision belonging to the
fishing trade, to set fire to the woods of the
country or work detriment to them by " rinding
of the trees," to cast anchor where the hauling
of bait might be hindered, to rob the nets of
others, or take bait out of their boats and, lastly,
it was enjoined that the ships' companies should
assemble on Sundays and hear Divine service read
to them, the prayers to be *' such as are in the
Book of Common Prayer." In this summary of
the laws which Charles issued, I have omitted
the tenth Clause of the Commission which is in
some respects the most noteworthy, being one of
the earliest attempts made to suppress the sale
not only of strong drink but also of tobacco. Its

terms are : " That no person do set up any tavern
for selling of wine, beer, or strong waters, cyder
or tobacco, to entertain the fishermen ; because it
is found that by such means they are debauched,

c 2

'1 .

England's Oldest Colony,

neglecting their labour, and poor ill-governed men
not only spend most part of their shares before
they come home upon which the life and mainte-
nance of their wives and children depend, but are
likewise hurtful in divers other ways, as, by
neglecting and making themselves unfit for their
labour, by purloining and stealing from their
owners, and making unlawful shifts to supply
their disorders, which disorders they frequently
follow since these occasions have presented them-
selves.'*

Two hundred years elapsed after Charles the
First gave these laws to Newfoundland before the
people of the Island exercised the right of legis-
lating for themselves. In that long interval the
Islai_ders were treated as children who did not
know what was good for them and their Island
was regarded as nothing more than a fishing
station. Indeed, the utmost efforts were used to
prevent its becoming anything else. The wish of
any person to settle and till the soil was thwarted
in every possible way. The masters of vessels
were strictly prohibited from carrying any settlers
thither. It was supposed that, if the Island were
covered with persons engaged in farming or cattle
rearing, the fisheries would be neglected. This
dread led to the issuing of the most iniquitous
decree for which the Government of any civilized
community can be held responsible. At the in-

Settlement Impeded.

[•ned men
es before
i mainte-
1, but are
5, as, by
, for their
om their
30 supply
requently
ted them-

larles the
oefore the
b of legis-
terval the
o did not
3ir Island
a fishing
re used to
le wish of
thwarted
of vessels
ly settlers
land were
^ or cattle
ed. Tiiis
iniquitous
y civilized
A.t the in-

stance, as was supposed, of Sir Josiah Child, a
London merchant, a man accounted far more en-
lightened than his contemporaries and one of
the earliest writers on Political Economy, the
Government of Charles the Second decreed the
destruction of the colony, Sir John Berry being
commissioned to burn down the houses in order
that the settlers might be compelled to depart.
This inhuman edict was modified through the
representations made to the King by John
Downing, a settler ; his Majesty being graciously
pleased to command that the houses were to be
allowed to remain. However, rigid steps were
taken for hindering any person residing on the
Island who was not directly engaged in the
fisheries.

Down to the year 1811, no house could be erected
on the Island without the written permission of
the Governor. Letters are extant showing that
the Governors ordered the demolition of houses
erected there without their consent and also that
they forbade the cultivation of the soil. The
following example of this almost incredible policy
is to be found in a letter written in October, 1790,

by Governor Milbanke to George HutcJiins : " I
have considered your request respecting the
alteration which you wish to make in your store-
house near the waterside, and as it appears that

ii I

ill

"I '

I ^ii

England'* s Oldest Colony,

tlie alteration will not be in any ways injurious to
the fishery, you have hereby permission to make
it. As to Alexander Long's house, which has
been built contrary to his Majesty's express com-
mands, made known to the inhabitants of this
place by my proclamation of the 13th of last

October, it must and shall come down I

shall embrace this opportunity of warning you
against making an improper use of any other part
of (what you are pleased to call) your ground,
for you may rest assured that every house or
other building erected upon it hereafter, without
the permission — in writing — of the Governor
for the time being — except such building and
erection as shall be actually on purpose for the
curing, salting, drying and husbanding of fish . .
must unavoidably be taken down and removed, in
obedience to his Majesty's said commands. And
it may not be amiss at the same time to inform
you, I am also directed not to a low any posses-
sion as private property to be taken of, or any
right of property whatever to be 'acknowledged
in any land whatever which is not actually em-
ployed in the fishery."

The conduct of Governor Milbanke was not

exceptional ; his successor Governor Waldegrave

wrote in the same strain and acted in the same

style. In a letter addressed to the sheriff in

1797, he says: "Your having suffered Thomas
Nevan to put up what you are pleased to call a
few sheds, is clearly an infraction of my orders ;

p| ; !

f\'

.11

Condition of the Fishermen,

arious to
to make
hicli has
■ess com-
5 of this
L of last

• • • • J>

aing you
ther part
ground,
liouse or
, without
aovernor
ling and
) for the
f fish . .
Qoved, in
Is. And
o inform
y posses-
f, or any
owledged
ually em-
was not
ildegrave
the same
iheriff in

Thomas

to call a

y orders ;

you will therefore direct him to remove them
immediately ; which, if not complied with, I desire
that you will yourself see this order executed.
You will take good care that Jeremiah Marroty
and John Fitzgerald do not erect chimneys to
their sheds, or even light fires in them of any
kind." The parental despotism which interfered

with the building of houses and the construction
of chimneys naturally extended to the prices of
provisions. Thus, Governor Edwards having
issued a decree that the price of beef, veal and
mutton was to be Is. per lb. and Luke Ryan
having sold beef at \s. 3f?. a lb., the latter was
fined 10/. for his offence. The boatkeepers at
Harbour Grace, having complained of the mer-
chants charging too much for provisions, the
Governor ordered that the prices charged there
should be the same as at St. Johns, notwithstand-
ing that the extra carriage to Harbour Grace
necessitated the imposition of a higher charge in
order to reap a profit corresponding to that ob-
tained at St. Johns. Governor Waldegrave
recognized the fact that the fishermen had a
hard struggle for subsistence. He describes the
fishermen, in a letter to the Duke of Portland, as
" a set of unfortunate beings, working like slaves,
and hazarding their lives, when, at the expiration
of their term (however successful their exertions),
they find themselves not only without gain, but so

*.«■: I

England'' s Oldest Colony,

VA'

deeply indebted as forces them to emigrate, or
drives them to despair." The foregoing remarks
on the condition of the fishermen were elicited by
a remonstrance from the merchants against the
fishermen at Burin being suffered to emigrate.
Many instances occur in the history of Newfound-
land which prompt the inquiry whether an essen-
tial difference existed between the relation of the
fishermen to the merchants in that Island and
that of the slaves to their masters in the "West
India Islands and the Southern States of the
Union ?

The picture given of the condition of New-
foundland at the end of the last century is not a
pleasing one. The poorer classes were in great
suffering and were naturally discontented with
their hard lot. The richer classes displayed, ac-
cording to Gcvernor AValdegrave, " an insolent
idea of independence (which will some day show
itself more forcibly) and a firm rr 'olution to
oppose every measure of government which a
Governor may think proper to propose for the
general benefit of the Island." One of the reasons
which made him think so was the refusal of the
merchants to submit to taxation. The consump-
tion of rum having increased to a great extent,
the Governor estimated that a tax of sixpence
a gallon levied upon the rum imported would

I i

Increase of Panperism.

defray the entire cost of the Government and
that it would be fairer to do this than to call
upon the Mother Country to bear the burden.
When the merchants ■vrere sounded on the sub-
ject, they expressed their sentiments in a letter
which is a curiosity in its way. They stated that
they would be " extremely concerned to see any
species of taxes introduced into this Island, which
would inevitably be burdensome and inconvenient
to the trade and fishery in general, and we trust
tliat in the wisdom of his Majesty's Ministers, no
such innovation will take place." During his
Administration an attempt was made to provide
relief for the destitute, a fund being formed for
the purpose by voluntary subscription. That
plan afterwards gave place to a regular system of
charity from funds raised by taxation. The demand
for relief has gone on increasing at so rapid a
rate as to suggest that something must be
seriously wrong in the system which leads to
such a result. Two generations after the intro-
duction of the palliative which Governor Waldo-
grave devised for the succour of the destitute, one-
third of the public expenditure of the Colony was
absorbed in pauper relief.

The retention of the fisheries on the Banks of
Newfoundland in British hands was for many
years the great object of British statesmen. The

1 'I^

)l:i

1 (

26 England's Oldest Colony.

elder Pitt, in ono of 1 s impassioned speeclies,
declared those fisheries to be so valuable to the
country that they must be preserved even though
foreign soldiers had captured the Tower of
London. Whatever tended to promote the fish-
eries was favourably regarded by the Britisli
Government, while any scheme for benefiting the
people of Newfoundland was either regarded with
mdifference or rejected as inopportune. In con-
sequence of this the Islanders made but little
progress ; their numbers were comparatively
small ; the fixed population of the Island did not
much exceed 10,000 at the beginning of the
present century. During the winter season, when
the fishery was over, it was deemed appropriate
that the Governor should leave the Island. It
w^as not till 1818 that Gove^'nor Pickmore broke
through the established rule nnd lived ^here all
the year round. Since then the Governor finds
plenty to occupy himself in winter as well a." in
summer, and the office itself has not only risen
m dignity, but has also been illustrated by men of
great capacity and distinction.

The slowness with which this Colony made its
way to the position which it now occupies cannot
be better exemplified than by the fact tliat, not
till 1807, was a newspaper publi.-hed there. Its
modern history dates from 1855 when responsible

1 '!

speeclies,
ie to the
n thouarh
ower of
the fish-
i British
iting the
ded with
In con-
)ut little
aratively
I did not
' of the
on, when
3ropriate
and. It
re broke
i^here all
ior finds
d11 ar in
ily risen
y men of

nade its
cannot
:liat, not
U'C. Its
ponsiblo

Responsible Government Granted, 27

Government was granted. Twenty- two years
earlier a Representative Assembly was constituted.
It is since the Colony has been truly self-govern-
ing, that its progress has been most marked, and
that its dissensions have been grown less serious
and violent. Although a large part of the people
from the earliest days belonged to the Church
of Rome, it was not till 1784 that a Roman
Catholic priest was permitted to discharge in
public the duties of his sacred calling. Till 1875,
the subject of religious teaching in public scliools
was a constant source of discussion and bitter-
ness. Xo system of general education meeting
with approval, the young were prevented from
having a fair start in life. Now, however,
there is a national system of education oased
on the plan of dividing the fund voted by the
Legislative Assembly among the several bodies in
proportion to their numbers, and thus the chief
step has been taken to ensure that future genera-
tions of Newfoundlanders will be wiser than their
progenitors. Other changes and movements in
the path of progress will be noted hereafter.

II.

Though St. Johns, the Capital of Newfoundland, is
about 1000 miles nearer the United Kingdom than

ill )

England's Oldest Colony.

New York, the means of communication are greater
between Liverpool and New York than between
Liverpool and St. Johns. An Allan steamer
runs direct between Newfoundland and the United
Kingdom every fortnight during nine months in
the year, whiV passengers and letters are con-
veyed by wa} of Halifax during the other three
months. If le Government of Newfoundland
did not pay the Allan Company a subsidy of
12,000/. the facilities for passing from the Island
of Great Britain to the Island of Newfoundland
would be even less than they are, while the postal
arrangements would be as primitive as in the Jays
of Queen Elizabeth. This constitutes one of the
grievances, referred to at the outset, which gives
the Islanders greater concern than the climate.
It is held by them that the Mother Country ought
at least to contribute something towards the mail
service between the two Islands.

I visited Newfoundland in the Allan liner
Caspian, under the command of Captain Trocks,
an experienced sailor and excellent man. The
Caspian is one of three steamers which ply
between Liverpool and Baltimore, touching at St.
Johns and Halifax. Two thirds of my fellow-
passengers were Newfoundlanders, all of whom
were firmly of opinion that St. Johns was a city
second to none, that the climate of the Island was

}

I-

£\

■a

■;

' M

'■;'

■4

■ S

-i

■i

•i;

Viezas of the Islanders.

3 greater
between
steamer
e United
onths in
are con-
ler three
)undland
bsidy of
e Island
)undland
he postal
the Jays
le of the
ich gives
climate.
}ry ought
the mail

an liner
Trocks,
m. The
hich ply
ng at St.
fellow-
of whom
i^as a city
land was

unequalled for salubrity and that the Island was
as nearly perfect as any other spot on the earth's
surface. When it was suggested that improve-
ments might be possible, that the interior of
the Island should be thoroughly explored, that its
agricultural and mineral resources could be better
developed, and that railways might prove of
great service in these respects,' some of them
scouted the very notion as superlatively absurd.
It seems natural for Newfoundland to form part
of the Dominion of Canada ; yet, when union
was proposed, the opposition in the Island was
ovevwhelming. Mr. Bennett, the Premier at
that time, looked upon the scheme with genuine
horror, and he laboured with mortifying success
to convince his prejudiced fellows that Confedera-
tion would be succeeded by increased taxation,
their virtual enslavement and utter ruin. Many
men have prospered exceedingly under the exist-
ing Government in Newfoundland and they are
apprehensive of the effects of any change and
indisposed to hasten it. The rich merchants
apparently consider that everything has been
ordered for the best in the best of all islands,
whilst tlio poor are too ip-norant to appreciate the
changes which would prove boncticial and too
inert to agitate for them. If money and know-
ledge were more equally disseminated the aversion

Ifl

1 *

Enoiand''s Oldest Colony,

to now tilings and ideas would be less, while the
desire to know more about the Island itself, and
contribute towards its farther development would
be far greater. Extraordinary though the state-
ment may seem, it is literally true that the interior
of Newfoundland, especially towards the northern
side, is as undeveloped a region as the middle of
Greenland, and the heart of Africa.

When the weather is propitious the approach
to the Island impresses every admirer of grand
scenery. I was told that the spectacle was strik-
ing ; the reality exceeded my anticipations. On
either hand, as fa»' as the eye can reach, the rocks
which rise from the sea to the height of several
hundred feet, are moulded into fantastic forms by
the incessant dashing against them of the Atlantic-
waves. The masses of floating ice play a part in
affecting the appearance of the rocks. Naviga-
tion in the spring is rendered hazardous hero
owing to icebergs and fields of ice. As the Caspian
nears the land it is difficult to understand where
the entrance occurs into the famous harbour of St.
Johns ; it is not till the steamer is comparatively
close in shore that a breach is seen in the rock bound
coast, which is 220 fathoms wide at the inlet, and
95 at the opposite end of the Narrows where the
harbour is reached, this harbour being a sheet of
land-locked deep water, a mile and a quarter long

The Capital of Nezufuandland.

liile tlie
self, and
t would
e state-
interior
lorthern
liddle of

pproacli
if grand
as strik-
ns. On
he rocks
: several
brms by-
Atlantic
. part in
Naviga-
►us liero
Caspian
d wlicro
fur of St.
irativel^^
jk bound
ilet, and
here the
sheet of
[•ter long-

and one-third of a mile wide. AYitli the exception
of Halifax, there is no finer harbour in this region
of the world. In former days it was hard for a
ship to run the gauntlet of forts which command
the Narrows. If the old fortifications were re-
paired and put into a proper state of defence no
hostile force could pass or take them. St Johns
has not inaptly been styled the Gibraltar of the
Atlantic.

The capital of Newfoundland is situated on the
slope of a hill. Its population at the time of the
last census was 30,574. This was in 1874, and
and it showed an increase over the census taken
in 1869 of seventeen liundi '3d persons. As there
is much building going on, it may be assumed
that the population of St Johns is increasing at a
satisfactory rate. Though founded so long ago
as the year 1572, the city has none of the marks of
age. This modern look is due to the fact that the
houses are all of recent date, having been erected
Avithin the last 80 years. More than once the
entire city has been swe^ t away by fire, and the
last time this occurred the impression made was
so profound that proper precautions are now
observed to hinder a recurrence of the like calamity.
In the lower streets, where an outbreak of fire
would be most serious, as the flames would
spread from them to the buildings in the upper

England's Oldest Colony.

I-

streets, the erection of wooden structures is
absolutely prohibited. Moreover an ample
service of water, always available, has been
provided for the extinction of a fire in any part
of the city. At the water's level there are
wharves which run round the Bay. They are
lined with stores in which the process of extract-
ing oil from seals is carried on, and with ware-
houses in which cod are packed for exportation.
Behind the wharves on the North side is Water
Street, about a mile and a half long, wherein are
the principal shops and merchant's warehouses,
the post-office and the Custom House. This
street has the uninviting ^.spect of similar streets
in seaport towns, the services of a sca.venger
being obviously required. The other streets are
cleaner and they contain many neat houses of
brick or wood.

The most conspicuous edifice in St. Johns,
when approached from the sea, is the Roman
Catholic Cathedral. It is built of stone ; its form
is that of a Latin cross; its extreme length is
237 feet; it has two towers which rise to the
height of 138 feet. Internally it is richly orna-
mented. Close at hand the Jhurch of England
Cathedral is now in course of erection from the
design of the late Sir Gilbert Scott. Its length
is 120 feet, its width is 56 feet and its tower and

ares is
ample
bs been
ny part
ere are
hey are
extract-
bli ware-
ortation.
s Water
3rein are
rehouses,
3e. This
ir streets
5ca.venger
breets are
houses of

it. Johns,
le Roman
) ; its form
length is
ise to the
chly orna-
of England
from the
Its length
tower and

Public Buildings.

spire are to be 130 feet high. The nave was
finished and opened for divine service in 1852.
At that time the cost was $200,000, and at least
another $100,000 must be expended before the
building is finished. When complete in all its
parts, this Cathedral will be one of the grandest
piles on this side of the Atlantic. There are
other churches belonging either to the Roman
Catholics or to members of the Church of Eng-
land. The Wesleyan Methodists possess more
than one church, and the Presbyterians who,
though small in number, abound in intellect and
wealth, have recently erected a very tasteful
stone Church at a cost of $50,000. Among the
public buildings which attract a stranger's notice
is the Athenaeum, where lectures and concerts
take place, and which has a library and reading-
room for the use of the members; it is the
property "»f a company and it is so admirably
managed as to yield a dividend to its proprietors.
St. Patrick's Hall, a more recent structure, is
also used for public meetings. No public
building is so noticeable at night as the Custom
House owing to the large red light which shines
from the upper part and serves as a beacon to
vessels passing through the Narrows into the
Bay.

The Colonial Building or Parliament House

England s Oldest Colony.

X'"

! m :1;

and the Government House are the two largest
public buildings. They are situate on the
plateau which stretches for some distance inland
from the upper part of the city. The view of the
surrounding country is not unlike that from the
elevated ground in South Devon and far more*
picturesque than that which the stranger expects
to find in an Island which has been depicted as
barren and unattractive. The eye gazes upon
cultivated fields, clumps of trees, villas encom-
passed with gardens. The Colonial Building is
surrounded by balsam poplars. The building is
of white limestone imported from Cork ; it has a
stone portico suppoi ced by pillars, the front re-
sembling that of the British Museum in its
general outline. In this Building the stafi" of
some of the government departments is accommo-
dated as well as the Legislative Assembly when
that body is in session. The Upper House or
Legislative Council numbers 15, the Lower one,
or House of Assembly numbers 31. The rule in
the British House of Commons is not observed in
the Newfoundland House of Assembly, as to the
relative positions of the Ministry and the Opposi-
tion. At present the Newfoundland Opposition
occupy seats to the right of the Speaker and the
Ministry to the lefc. The Ministry may sit on either
side ; the other members keep their seats irrespec-

% 1

Legislative Assembly,

largest
on the
e inland
5W of the
Erom the
far more'
[• expects
picted as
izes upon
bs encom-
uilding is
luilding is
: ; it has a

front re-
im in its
le staff of
\ accommo-
mbly when

House or
Lower one,
The rule in
observed in
y, as to the

the Opposi-
[ Opposition
aker and the

sit on either
jats irrespec-

tive of a change of Government. But the most
comfortable seats are on the Speaker's left
because a large fireplace is at that side of the
Chamber. In Newfoundland politics, the party
farther from the fire is the one which experiences
the " Cold shade of Opposition." The acoustic
properties of the Chamber are very bad owing,
possibly, to the great height of the ceiling and to
the intercepting effect of a large chandeHer. As
it was found that the reporters of the Press could
not hear the debates in the gallery set apart for
for them at the end opposite to the Speaker,
seats have been provided for them close to his
chair, the members of the Assembly thinking it
better that reporters should be admitted to the
body of the Chamber than that their speeches
should be unrecorded. The qualification for a
seat in either House of Legislature is the posses-
sion of an income not less than $400 or of
property to the nett value of $2000. Every male
person who has attained the age of 21 years and
has occupied a dwelling-house for a year as
tenant or proprietor is an elector. Votes are
recorded openly in the old English fashion.

The party lines were drawn between Protestants
and Roman Catholics and, strange though it may
seem, the Protestants being styled Conservatives,
and the Roman Cathohcs, Liberals. It would

D 2

England's Oldest Colony.

< I

\ \

have surprised the late Pope Pius the Ninth, who
execrated the very epithet Liberal, to have
learned that his devout adherents in Newfound-
land gloried in applying it to each other. Happily,
the days of bitter religious disputes have passed
away in this Island. I have already stated that
the question of appropriating the fund for edu-
cating the people which was the chief subject of
contention and source of animosity has been
amicably adjusted by dividing the fund among
the several religious denominations. Another
question which also caused strife and ill-feeling, the
right to control the burying-grounds, has been
harmoniously settled by each body having pro-
vided for itself a place for burying the dead. I
noted a novelty in funerals ; this consisted in the
coffia, which was borne exposed to sight on a
vehicle shaped like a cart, being painted light
blue.

Government House divides with the Colonial
Building the honoiri* of being the most important
in the Island. It is one of the plain stone build-
ings which Mr. Ruskin has characterized and
denounced as huge boxes with holes in their sides,
but which, though deficient in architectural beauty,
are not lacking in comfort. The grounds about
it are extensive and well laid out. Sir John
Glover, the present occupant is one of the best

itb, wlio
to tavc
)W found-
Happily,
e passed
ited that
for edu-
jubject of
bas been
id among
Another
eeling, the
has been
Lving pro-
) dead. I
ted in the
ight on a
nted light

le Colonial
important
tone build-
erized and
their sides,
Liral beauty,
unds about
Sir John
of the best

The Soil and Climate, 3 7

Governors which the Colony has had ; he has
taken great pains to make himself acquainted with
the scenery and resources of the Island ; he has
outstripped his predecessors in this respect and no
native has a stronger faith than his as to its future
capabilities. It is pleasant to be able to add that
he enjoys the popularity among all classes which
he richly merits. Before passing from these
official buildings, I may state that the house of
Sir William Whiteway, the present Prime Minister,
which is not far distant from them, has a garden
attached to it which charmed me ^rreatly. I was
struck with the number and beauty of the flowers
in all the private gardens, but this one impressed
me the most. Among other familiar English
flowers, I saw dahlias in fine condition and looking
as if the climate agreed with them. The condi-
tion of the gardens was a strong testimony not
only to the care bestowed upon them, but also to
the excellence of the climate.

That the soil and climate of Newfoundland are
really good is a statement which may be read with
scepticism. The common opinion is unfavourable
to both, and this opinion is based upon experience
gained near the coast. It is a transparent absur-
dity to take the climate of Paris as representing
that of all France, to suppose that the fogs which
sometimes visit London spread on all England, to

't'l

«h

^fe

1 )

3«

England's Oldest Colony.

maintain that the weather which prevails in the
city of ]^ew York is the same as that prevaiUng in
San Francisco, and to fancy Berlin, the capital of
the German empire, enjoying the natural advan-
tages which have made the vine-clad slopes of the
Rhine things of beauty and sources of wealth.
Newfoundland is not very large, yet it is large
enough to have a varied climate and a diversified
soil. The Island is nearly the same size as England;
its extreme length is 419 miles and, at the widest
part its width is about 300 ; its coast-line extends
over 2000 miles and its surface over 40,000,000.
Mr. W. E. Cormack who traversed the Island from
East to West in 1822, being the first white man
who did so, has left a vivid picture of what he
saw after he had penetrated the dense forest which
intercepted his path westward and wlien standing
on an eminence, he obtained a view of the interior :
" What a contrast did this present to the conjec-
tures entertained of Newfoundland ! The liitherto
mysterious interior lay unfolded upon us — a bound-
less scene — emerald surface — a vast basin. The
eye strides again and again over a succession of
northerly and southerly ranges of green plains,
marbled with woods and lakes of every form and
extent, a picture of all the luxurious scenes of
national c\iltivation receding into invisibleness. . .
The great externjil features of the eastern portion
of the main body of the Island are seen from these

n(
n

e(i
tl
in
isi

Newfoundland Railway.

? !

in the
ling in
)ital of
advan-
\ of the
wealth.
s large
ersified
ngland;
3 widest
extends
)00,000.
md from
lite man
what he
st which
standing
interior :

e conjec-
3 hitherto
-a bonnd-
;in. The
ession of
n plains,
form and
scenes of
lenesa. . .
^n portion
Tora these

commanding heights. Overland communication
between the bays of the east, north and south
Coasts, it appears, might easily be established. . .
We descended into the bosom of the interior.
The plains wliich shone so brilliantly are steppes
or paranuas, composed of fine black compact peat
mould, formed by the growth and decay of mosses.
They are in the form of extensive gently undulat-
ing beds, stretching northward and southward,
with running waters and lakes, skirted with woods,
lying between them. Their yellow green surfaces
are sometimes uninterrupted by either tree, shrub,
rock, or any irregularity, for more than ten miles.
They are chequered everywhere upon the surface
by deep beaten deer paths and are in reality mag-
nificent natural deer parks, adorned with wood
and water."

Not till a few years ago was it determined to
open up the interior of the Island by construct-
ing a railway across it. A preliminary survey
was made in 1868 at the instance and cost of Mr.
Sandford Fleming, the eminent Canadian Engi-
neer. In 1875, the Legislature passed an Act for
a more extended survey. The reports of the
Engineers confirmed all that had been previously
written in praise of the Island, wliilc showing how
easily it was to construct r-iilways there. Nearly
the whole of tlje interior is undulating, is covered
in parts with forest, is intersected with rivers and
is strewn with lakes. One third is water. Tlio

m
If

1 I

England^ s Oldest Colony.

greater part of the soil is adapted for the growth
of all kinds of vegetables, most kinds of grain
and even tobacco. On the western side the soil is
richer and the climate is finer than in the penin-
sula of Avalon at the East. If the earliest
settlement had rakeii place at the western shore
the Island might now sustain a large population,
living by the pursuit of agriculture alone.

Mr. Alexander Murray, the Government Geolo-
gist of Newfoundland, has carefully analyzed and
summarized the reports of the railway engineers.
This summary is the more valuable and instruc-
tive because Mr. Murray is personally acquainted
with a large portion of the ground passed over
and able to estimate the statements made regard-
ing it. He says, with regard to St. George's Bay
on the west side, that it forms a convenient har-
bour and terminus for the trade of the ndjacent
mineral region. Twenty miles from the harbour
there is a coal-field thirty miles long and ten

miles broad. " That the Geological character of
the country over a vast area, extended to the
northward of Bonne Bay, gives promise of the
presence of metallic ores, seems well assured ; that
the Humber Valley contains marbles of nearly every
shade of colour — some of the saccharine variety
vieing in purity with the far-famed statuary of
Carrara — is well known, and, finnlly, that there is
nothing less thuu 1000 i^quare miles of country —

ki\ I

Agriadtiwal Prospects.

including the Humber Valley — scattered over the
region, in every respect worthy of being reclaimed,
I re-assert with confidence. . . As regards climate
and the possibilities of agriculture being properly
pursued, Newfoundland is not, by any means, so
bad as has often been represented. True indeed
it is that the eastern sea-board and this (St.
Johns) immediate part of it, in particular, suffers
much from the effects of the cold arctic currents
which, ice-laden, pass along their shores ; but
even here in St. Johns the drawbacks of a late
spring are greatly compensated by the unusually
long continuance of fine weather in the Fall,
which allows barley and oats to ripen well as late
as the middle or end of October ; and if we may
be allowed to judge from the experience of those
who have spent much time in the interior (among
whom I am one) the rigours of the coast are to a
great extent modified there, and fogs are exceed-
ingly rare. . . Everyone, nowadays, appears ready
to admit that the Bay of Notre Dame is destined
to develope itself into a great mining region.
Supposing, then, that there were some half a
dozen such establishments as Tilt Cove and Betts
(>ovc in Notre Dame Bay, the mining population
alone would amount to many thousands of souls,
to say nothing of horses, cattle and the like. . .
There are, beyond all doubt, many places border-
ing on the great Bay of Notre Dame where oats
and barley, turnips and potatoes can bo cultivated
as well as in any part of Nova Scotia and gi-ass
crops can bo raised as well, if not better, as in
the most favoured regions of the Dominion."

:i.|i:

I 'I

llf ,li:

England^ s Oldest Colony.

\ I

II (I

! I i

After exhaustive debates in the Newfoundland
Legislature and acrimonious discussion in the
Press an Act was passed on the 18th of April
1880 authorizing the construction of a narrow-
guage railway across the Island with branches to
the more important points at a total cost of
$5,000,000. The ground upon which this legis-
lative enactment are based may be found in a
Report of the Joint Committee of the Legislative
Council and Assembly. That Eeport sets forth
that the future of the growing population of the
Island is a matter of grave solicitude; that,
though the yield of the fisheries has increased,
this has not been in proportion to the increase in
the population; that it has been proved how
much can be gained by a further development of
mining and agriculture, the mining industry
having been very profitable and the most
prosperous of the labouring people being the
cultivators of land in the vicinity of St. Johns
whore the conditions of fertility are far inferior to
those in the interior and the Western side of the
Island; that, if a railway were made, large tracts
in the interior might be turned to such good
account for grazing purposes, the Colony might
xport cattle to England instead of importing

Scotia. To the valid reasons
hould be made is added the

why

Opposition to a Railway.

mdland
in the
f April
larrow-
iches to
cost of
is legis-
id in a
yislative
bs forth
L of the
I ; that,
creased,
rease in
ed how
ment o^
industry
e most
3ing the
t. Johns
ferior to
e of the
IQ tracts
ch good
y might
nporting
reasons
Ided the

curious fact that this Colony is the only one of
like importance wherein no railway exists.

The passage of an Act to make this railvYay
did not end the opposition to the project. I was
surprised to find men of intelligence and position
disapproving of the railway and speaking with
approval of the attack made by some excited
women on the Surveyors. Looking over the
files of the newspapers, I meet with many letters
denouncing the whole matter as a dangerous
innovation and treating this railway in the same
terms with ;vhich railways were treated by
English landowners and others when thev were
first introduced into England. The burden of
the strain is, what was good enough for our
fathers is good enough for us ; that, if improve-
ments are required they will come naturally in
due course of time without any special legis-
lation or taxation being necessary. One of the
extreme opponents of the railway clenches his
argument by stating that no return has yet been
obtained for the money expended in making a,
preliminary survey. With such a man the gods
would argue in vain. An explanation of much
that was said and done on this subject which
seemed to me incomprehensible, occurs in a
number of the Patriot and Terra Nova Herald.
There it is written that " the sole opposition to

Ens^lancPs Oldest Colony.

the Railroad has been created in the capital with
the view of getting up a party cry. All the old
shibboleths are dead. Party itself is dead or
dying; and something iniust be started to give
animation to the next General Election, and afford
some chance for new aspirants to Legislative
honours to become lawmakers." There is more
method in the madness of such a party cry than
is obvious at first sight. It is certain that the
railway will not be finished for some years and,
whilst under construction nothing will be so
apparent as the fact of its cost. Even when
finished, it will differ from nearly every railway
if it should prove immediately remunerative.
Thus the opponents will be able to refer to their
opposition to it as to a fulfilled prophecy and
may even succeed in getting people to elect them
to the Legislature in order that they may cure
the mischief which they have foretold. Mean-
time, despite covert and open opposition the
railway policy of Sir William Whiteway and
the Administration of which he is the head, has
triumphed.

This spring the Government entered into a
contract, which has been sanctioned by the
Legislature for the construction of a narrow-
guage line of three feet six inches from St. Johns
to Hall's Bay on the north-east coast, the distances

• i:!.

;al with
tlie old
iead or

to give
id afford
sjislative

is more
;ry than
that the
ars and,
II be so
3n when

railway
nerative.

to their
lecy and
ect them
nay cure
Mean-
ition the
way and
lead, has

;d into a
by the
narrow-
St. Johns
Q distances

Newspaper Press.

being ivbout 340 miles. Branches are to run to
Harbour Grace and Brigus. At a future day a
branch may be made as far as St. George's Bay on
the western shore. A New York Syndicate has
undertaken the construction and working of tlie
Hdc, the line to be constructed within five years and
worked by the Company — conditionally on receiv-
ing an annual subsidy of $180,000 for 35 years and
a grant of land, consisting of every alternate sec-
tion one mile long and eight miles deep along the
Hne of railway. Unless the calculations made
should prove entirely misleading the Newfound-
land Railway Company ought to be profitable to
its founders and beneficial to the Island in which
it will supply intercommunication by rail.

I should convey an erroneous impression if the
foregoing remarks about the railway led any
reader to suppose that I have formed a low
estimate of the Newspaper Press of Newfound-
land. These journals contain jDolish writing
now and then, as is the case with journals in
other places. YVhen the writing in them is the
most extreme and severe in tone it is least easy
to imagine that the writer is perfectly in earnest
and that he is not intentionally resorting to
exaggeration Certainly it was with a feeling of
amusement that I read in a number of The News
LetteVf to quote but a single instance out of

!■':■

ill J

England's Oldest Colony.

< ,

many, that certain figures respecting the public
debt of the Colony " show the hopeless incapacity
of the present Government to rise superior to the
vulgar hankering for official place and salary."
The strong language which is a character-
istic of these newspapers, may be ix. perfect
accord with the taste of their readers. In conse-
quence of this habit, the writers express a great
deal more than they really mean, having no in-
tention, when they style a man a scoundrel who
is robbing the public, to convey any other idea
than that they disagree with his political
opinions. Sixteen newspapers are published in
the Colony ; my collection comprises thirteen of
them. The oldest is the Royal Gazette, estab-
lished in 1807, and having the motto "Fear God:
honour the king." It contains a good selection
of news as well as the official documents which
are not light or very interesting reading. The
Nevus Letter, which was the youngest at the time
I made my collection, is " devoted to the interests
of the Liberal party in Newfoundland." Th-'
Patriot and Terra Nova Herald, which has been
published for more than thirty years, prints its
programme in a metrical and a prose form, the
first being

" Here shall the press the people's rights maintain,
Una wed by influence and unbribed by gain ;

CGI

exj
itsi

tiM

j'l ^

e public
capacity
)r to the
salary."
laracter-
perfect
[n conse-
is a great
ng no in-
idrel who
ther idea
political
)lislied in
tiirteen of
,te, estab-
Fear God:
selection
nts wbicK
ling. The
it the time
le interests
Qd." Th"
has been
prints its
form, the

lintain,
in;

Notes on Newspapers. 47

Here patriot truth her glorious precepts draw,
Pledged to religion, liberty and Law."

The second being " Be just and fear not. Let
all the ends thou aim'st at be thy God's, thy
country's and truth's." The importance of de-
veloping the resources of the Island and the
means for doing so are clearly apprehended and
set forth by the conductors of this journal. The
Evening Telegram is a sheet to which a writer
signing himself " Au Revoir " contributes letters
opposing all improvements, whether they relate to
sanitary arrangements or railway communication,
disparaging the politicians and professional
classes and eulogizing the merchants as " the old
pioneers of the country " and holding them up as
the only persons whose wishes and interests
ought to be considered and advanced. In The
Morning Chronicle the policy of considering the
good of the people at large is skilfully advocated
and pungent letters have appeared in reply to the
tirades of " Au Revoir." The North Star is
another of the journals which treat patriotism as
synonymous with the well-being of the whole
community. The Times, which has been in
existence for upwards of a generation, takes as
its motto '* For the Queen, the Constitution and
the people." The Newfoundlander; The Terra
^ova Advocate; The Public Ledger, and The

! l!l f

England's Oldest Colony.

Tum'percince Journal are other journals published
in St. Johns. At Harbour Grace, the next place
in size to the capital, the people are enlightened
and guided by the Standard, a large and well
conducted sheet, while at two other " Outports,"
as all the towns save St. Johns are designated,
The TwilUngcte Sun and The Garbonear Herald
are quite as good newspapers as many published
in the capital.

Though the newspaper Press does credit to the
Coiony, yet the credit would be greater still if a
larger percentage of the people were able to profit
by anv printed pages. According to the census
of 1876, it appears that 20,758 children did not
attend school and that 18,935 did, the figures for
the corresponding cases in the census of 1869
being 16,249 and 18,813. This shows a slight
advance, but there is still great room for progress.
The reports for 1879 of the Inspectors of Public
Schools exhibit an attendance at school of 15,315.
These Reports are from Mr. M. J. Kelly,
Superintendent of the Roman Catholic Schools,
of the Rev. G. S. MiUigan and the Rev. Wilham
Pilot, the former being Superintendent of the
Methodist, Congregational and Presbyterian, and
the latter of the Church of England Schools. Mr.
Kelly considers the schools under his supervision
to ut in a satisfactory state. Both Mr. Milligan

■1
' i

ConpiUsory Education.

3lislied
t place
^"htened

id well
:ports,"
[ocnatea,
Herald
iiblislied

at to the
still if a
to profit
le census
Q did not
Lgures iov
i of 1869
i a slight
• progress,
i of Public
of 15,315.
J. Kelly,
c Schools,
.y. "Wilham
jnt of the
terian, and
lools. Mr.
supervision
Ir. Milligan

and Mr. Pilot agree in thinking that, till atten-
dance is made compulsory, a large number of
children will grow up ignorant of the rudiments
of education. Mr. Milligan holds that, while public
opinion is growing in favour of educating all the
children, yet that many persons will not send
their children to school unless compelled by law
to do so. He notes that the poorest parents are
the most apathetic. He instances one case where
the teacher was in fault ; saying that '* he was
industrious, but that his education was defective."
Another entry is to the effect that "at Perry's
Cove, the day not being fine and the teacher aged,
school was not open." He adds that this worthy
old man has since retired from a position for
which old age had long unfitted him. Mr Pilot is
emphatic in condemning the practice of employing
incompetent teachers, taking care to point out
that the remedy is to pay adequate salaries in
order to ensure good service. Like Mr. Milligan,
he bewails the apathy and indifference of parents
respecting their children's education, rightly
attributing it to the fact that the parents are too
ignorant themselves to appreciate the advantage
of knowledge. His opinion is that " nothing short
of compulsory attendance will bring about the
consummation devoutly to be wished, viz., the
general education of all." It is clear that the

ill

h <

• km

Ird

) ,1
1 1

I ?;!'

:. f

IK 1

•1) J

England^s Oldest Colony.

existing arrangement as to education is but pro-
visional. Through its operation sectarian jealousy
and strife have ceased. But, until all the children
under twelve are obliged to attend school for a
given time, it cannot be maintained that New-
foundland enjoys all the benefits which flow from
a comprehensive and thorough system of national
education.

Though the Island of Newfoundland is as large
as England, the population numbers no more
than 158,985 ; in Labrador which is united to it
there are 2416 persons. In 1869 the total popu-
lation was 146,536, so that the increase in New-
foundland and Labrador between 1869 and 1876
was 14,836. Considering the nature and extent
of the Island, the number of persons inhabiting it
is absurdly small. The mass of the people find
it hard to earn daily bread. Upwards of $100,000
are expended annually in relieving the poor. The
misfortune of the people consists in the fishery
being their only means of livelihood and that
they do not seem disposed to embrace any
others. Indeed they look with suspicion upon
any harvest except that of the sea. They have
a saying that an acre of the sea is worth a
thousand acres of land.

It has been proved that the Island abounds in
excellent timber, that there is grazing-ground

df
R(
in,
lai
eit

Principal Imp07'ts,

»ut pro-
lealousy
children
►ol for a
at New-
ow from
national

3 as large
no more
lited to it
)tal popn-
,e in New-
and 1876
md extent
habiting it
people find
f $100,000
30or. The
the fishery
d and that
ibrace any
licion upon
They have
is worth a

abounds in
,zing-ground

sufficient for rearing thousands of cattle, that
there is land enough to grow all the grain re-
quired for home consumption and leave a large
surplus for export. I have examined the Customs
Returns for 1879 and I observe that the following
articles, all of which might be produced in the
Island, were imported to the extent specified :
Flour 303,483 barrels; oatmeal 1884 barrels;
meat and poultry to the value of $28,479 ; peas
4445 barrels ; salt 42,943 tons ; timber 341
tons ; potatoes 109,380 bushels ; other vegetables
24,428 bushels ; hay and straw 596 tons ; shingles
42,943 tons. These are some of the articles
which ought to be produced in the Island and
which might be exported in place of being im-
ported. Among the curiosities of those returns
is an entry among the exports of 27 gallons of
Spanish red wine having been sent to Spain.
This is a new version of sending coal to New-
castle.

If the Reformation had taken place at an earlier
day and been universal, or had not the Church of
Rome made a fish diet obligatory on many days
in the year, it is doubtful whether the Newfound-
land fisheries or those of the Cornish fisheries
either, would have attained their present value.
INext to the United Kingdom, the country to
which Newfoundland exports the most is Brazil.

E 2

lit'

ii'iif,ii

England* s Oldest Colony.

\ W,

I subjoin the list whicli I
accordance with the amounts

The United Kingdom

Brazil .

Portugal

Spain .

The Dominion of Cana

United States of America

British West Indies

Italy .

Gibraltar

Hamburg

French West Indies

Sicily .

Sainte Pierre

Mauritius

Jersey .

IVfadeira

France

have arranged in

exported to each : —

$2,067,636

1,383,819

713,571

584,427

316,630

268,018

231,848

131,493

84,840

49,139

40,46^

12,012

8,903

8,671

8,199

7,101

2,148

By arranging the imports in the order of values,
it will be seen that several countries, to which the
exports are the largest, send the smiillest pro-
portion of goods in return.

The Dominion of Canada . . S?2,258,671

The Uniled Kingdom . . . 2,180,703

United States of America . . 2,140,345

r.ritish West Indies . . . 329,220

Spain 172,704

French West Indies . . . 101,738

Portugal 20,980

Jersey ...... 19,374

Sicily 11,417

Hamburg ..... 4,602

Franco ..... 605

Four places, Brazil, Gibraltar, Madeira, Mauritius,
to which the exports amount to $1,484,440 send

(

Mines and Mining.

nothing back to Newfoundland. The result is
that the value of the total exports is $5,918,924,
while that of the imports is $7,261,002.

Among the exports are 28,405 tons of copper
ore valued at $511,290 and 11 12 J tons of regulus
valued at $44,500. These are the results of
mining at Betts Cove and Little Bay carried on
by a company formed by Mr. Ellershausen of
Nova Scotia. In the brief space of five years
Newfoundland has risen to the sixth place among
the copper-producing regions of the globe. Other
minerals have been discovered in sufficient quanti-
ties to justify their extraction ; these include gold
and silver, nickel, lead and iron. Coal-beds of
vast extent, though known to exist, have not yet
been worked. It seems probable, however, that
when the mineral deposits on the Island are
systematically explored and made available it may
become as famous and envied for its mines as for
its fisheries. At present the merchants, who sire
the capitalists of Newfoundland, give their atten-
tion to the fisheries and neglect alike its mineral
and agricultural resour'^es.

A company has been formed for prosecuting
copper-mining on an extensive scale. It is styled
the Newfoundlnnd Consolidated Copper Mining
Company and its originators arc citizens of the
United States, the head office being in New York.

■A '■'*

' <

EnglancCs Oldest Colony.

Mr. Ellershausen transferred to this company the
properties over which he had control. Other
properties have been acquired and the undertaking,
as a whole, is gigantic. The capital is in keeping,
being three million dollars. Should this company
be as successful as its sanguine promoters antici-
pate, a great impetus will be given to mining in
Newfoundland.

As the Island is peopled and if a railway be
constructed to St. George's Bay, a question of in-
ternational relations will have to be finally deter-
mined. Between Newfoundland and the United
States frequent disputes have arisen concerning
the fisheries, but these are even less complicated
and more easily settled than the chronic misun-
derstanding with France ">n the same subject.

The misunderstanding known as the Fortune
Bay outrage has been dispelled by Great Britain
paying 15,000/. in full of all demands for compen-
sation from the New England fishermen who were
maltreated by the Newfoundlanders. Other dif-
ferences of opinion as to the true interpretation of
clauses in the Treaty of Washington may get
harmonized by diplomacy. That treaty is as note-
worthy as other similar documents for the vagueness
of its terms. This appears to be the great object of
diplomatists. Just as plumbers seem to take care
to leave some damaged pipes when they are calleil

'li

F^'ench Claims.

ly the
Other
iking,
aping,
npany
mtici-

mg in

ray be
L of in-

deter-
United

erning
)licated

misun-

ect.
Fortune

Britain
jompen-
rho were
bher dit-
bation ot
nay get

as note-
agueness
object of
take care
ire called

in to put the water supply to a house in good order
and do so with the hope of being soon summoned
to repair the mischief they have wrought, so diplo-
matists continue to leave treaties in such a con-
dition that controversy arises as to their precise
purport and fresh negotiations have to be under-
taken with a view to make terms intelligible and
satisfactory to the persons affected. The treaty
of Utrecht, which defines the rights of the French
at the coast of Newfoundland, might be regarded
as an exception to the rule, as it is as clear as any
instrument of the kind. Yet it has been held by
the French to confer rights which do not seem to
have occurred to its framers.

By that treaty the French enjoy the right, con-
firmed by subsequent treaties, of fishing off the
west coast of Newfoundland and of drying fish on
the shore, concurrently with the subjects of the
British Sovereign. This has been interpreted by
French diplomatists to mean an exclusive right
both to the fishery and to the occupation of the
western shore. As Lord Palmerston observed,
in a masterly despatch on the subject to Count
Sebastiani in 18;58, a concurrent right of en-
joyment cannot possibly mean an exclusive right
to a particular privilege ; he added, " the claim
put forward on the part of France is founded
simply upon inference, and upon an assumed in-

;'S I

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111

England's Oldest Colony

terpretation of wor-ds." Yet the French have
protested against mining operations on the plea
that the land must be reserved for their exclusive
use. The district about which this dispute exists
is the favourite resort of persons who have im-
perative reasons for disliking the police and who
like this region because policemen are unknown in
it. The points at issue between Frmce and this
country concerning Newfoundland become more
embarrassing as time passes away. In such a
case as this, delay is unquestionably dangerous.
The sooner a clear and definite understanding is
arrived at the better for all parties. By a system
of bounties the French have given their fishermen
a practical monopoly of fishing on the Banks of
Newfoundland ; not a single British vessel being
able to compete with them. This they are free to
do, but no valid authority has yet been shown by
them for excluding British subjects from British
soil. "When the matter is again dealt with, it
would be wise if the statesmen of Newfoundland
were represented on any commission which might
be empowered to act ; the question immediately
concerns them and it is one with which they are
intimately acquainted.

I have shown how much there is in Newfound-
land to attract and enrich the woodman, the
farmer and the minor, in addition to the original

Fish^ Game and Dogs.

attraction which has made it the great home of
fishermen. It may yet be numbered among the spots
to which invalids hasten in order to regain health
by drinking mineral water. There are many
mineral springs in the Island which only require
puffing to be popular. A chalybeate spring at
Logic Bay, near St. Johns, resembles the spring
at Bath which used to be most in request when
that place was the fashionable resort for all sorts
and conditions of invalids. The seeker after sport
will there find as good opportunities of gratifying
his taste as he can in the hunting-grounds of the
Far West. The rivers abound in salmon, the
inland lakes teem with trout; cariboo are stiJl
numerous and bears are often met w4th.
Feathered game are plentiful. Anyone who desires
to combine sport with profit can hunt wolves.
Under an Act of the Legislature a reward of
§12 is paid for the head of every wolf killed.
Mosquitoes and other insects are even greater
plagues than wolves, causing more annoyance and
being less easily exterminated. On the other
hand, the Island enjoys immunity from frogs,
toads, lizards and all venomous reptiles. It has
long been noted for its dogs. In the earlier days of
its history there is frequent mention of wild cats
and hawks being brought from Newfoundland to
England. Later the Newfoundland dog grow into

'■W

I ■

i i

England^ s Oldest Colony.

f .;:■

iiil f i

(

yg^^

repute and was deservedly prized. When the
Prince of Wales visited the Island in 1861 a
splendid dog of pure breed was presented to him
which he appropriately named Cabot. The
Islanders caimot make many such gifts now. They
have innumerable dogs, but most of them are
mongrels which no rational person would accept
as a gift.

The resources of " England's Oldest Colony "
are greater; its soil and climate are far better;
its natural attractions are more varied, than is
commonly supposed. Among these I do not
number the public debt of $1,240,990, bearing
interest at the moderate rate of 4 per cent. Yet
no independent st?te or self-governing colony
has a debt which has been incurred fc more
useful objects and which imposes so light and
temporary a burden upon the community. In the
statement of accounts for last yoar, the Auditor
remarks that the public debt of the colony is
" held solely by the people of Newfoundland."
'The Islanders ought to be prouder of this fact
than of the many advantages which Nature has
placed within their reach.

versi

earlj

this 1

Mr.

thai

recol

:i' •

I tlie

m a

D him
The
They
m are
accept

lony"
)etter ;
;han is
io not
Dearing
b. Yet
colony
- more
rht and
In the
Auditor

olony is
adland."
this fact
ture has

CHAPTER II.

>»

THE LAND OF THE '* BLUE NOSES.

Tee Royal Province of Nova Scotia, as its in-
habitants proudly style it, is familiar to readers of
" Sam Slick" as the home of " the Blue Noses."
The late Mr. Justice Haliburton, the author of
" Sam Slick," was a member of the House of
Assembly of Nova Scotia when a young man, and
he died, at an advanced age, a member of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom. He did not
object to the nickname which the Yankees had
given to his fellow-countrymen ; on the contrary
lie thought it an honour to be "a Blue Nose."
One of the most accomplished and estimable ot
New England poets has embalmed in harmonious
verse a sad and romantic episode in Nova Scotia's
early history. Indeed, the legendary history of
this Province has received a circulation through
Mr. Longfellow's " Evangeline " far wider
than that of its authentic and more prosaic
records.

. ,i.

il '

'Jii; ^

i' i

rl '

|i ;1

1 ■■

5a 1 t

ill

: ■ . , t

i' ':

1 .

The Land of the " Blue Noses^

Sir William Alexander, the founder" of Nova
Scotia, was accounted a good poet in liis day. His
verses please*^ Jam s 'he First, who called him
" my philosop > "' poe t." He was a consummate
courtier; he ellei in the art of persuading
Princes to confer upoi; 'im substantial tokens of
their favour. The Province of Nova Scotia was a
gift to him from James the First. His son
Charles made the further grant of the power to
create Baronets to the number of 150 as a means
of promoting the settlement of the Province.
Each Barorot was to acquire 6000 acres of land
in return for a payment of 150Z. A special
privilege, which they much valued and which
some of their contemporaries deservedly ridiculed,
was to wear a yellow ribbon round their necks
from which hung the badge of their order. This
excited the jealously of the Irish and English
Baronets who petitioned that they, too, might dis-
play a similar token of their rank. Sir William
Alexander did not find his Province or his order
of Baronets so remunerative as the permission to
coin base money. With the wealth thus acquired
he built himself a fine house at Stirling. Sir
William's wealth would have been greater >still if
the people of Scotland would have consented to
adopt in their churches the Metrical version of
the Psalms made by James the First and re-

The Founder of Nova Scotia.

Nova
.His

L him

imate

ading

sns of

was a

; son

ver to

means

•vince.

f land

special

wliicli

iculed,

necks

This

i^nglish

ht dis-

i^illiam
order
sion to

cquired
. Sir
still if
nted to
sion of
and re-

vised by him. Charles the First ordered that
the version should be used, but the people ob-
jecting to it as decidedly as they did to Laud's
Prayer Book, themonopolyof printing that version
for thirty-one years, conferred upon Sir William
Alexander, did not profit the " philosophical poet."
He died bearing the title of Earl of Stirling
without having effected anything else for Nova
Scotia than to give it a name. Through great
tribulation that Province has slowly attained it^
present condition as the chief among the Maritiire
I^rovinces of the Dominion of Canada.

When the Confederation of Canada was achieved
in 1867, a strong protest was made by Nova Sco-
tians against becoming members of the Dominion.
The Hon. Joseph Howe, the soul and leader of
the malcontents visited England and enlisted Mr.
Bright' s powerful advocacy in appealing to Par-
liament to detach Nova Scotia from the new Con-
federation. The attempt failed ; Mr. Howe was
pacified, after what were called 'better terms"
had been offered to the Province and then he
accepted oflBce in the Grovernment of the Do-
minion. The controversy as to the advantage of
Confederation has not yet lost all bitterness, or
ceased to excite and divide the people of this
Province. Superadded to it is the question of
that ** National Policy" which Sir John Macdonald

'1 1

f : , ':'

•.Ml

111 ;■

If, •

re. >4

H' i.

i I

I. Tt ! r

7";^^ Land of the " ^Z?^^ Noses."

devised and to which the Dominion Parliament
has given effect at the instance of his Administra-
tion. " National Policy " is the old -fashioned
" Protection to native industry " under a new
form and with a new name. Some Nova Scotians
declare that the evils of Confederation have been
intensified by the effects of protection. Others
are of opinion that the severe depression felt in
business circles during the last few years is due
to general causes affecting the entire commercial
world. For six or seven years after Confedera-
tion, the Province enjoyed extraordinary pros-
perity. Large sums were then expended in con-
structing railways, cutting canals, erecting public
buildings throughout the Dominion, and this
Province shared in the business activity which
ensued when so much borrowed capital was put
into circulation. Merchants and others lived up
to their means ; sometimes they lived beyond them
in the belief that the gains of the future would
more than meet any liability they might incur,
and thus, when the day of reckoning suddenly and
Uxiexpectedly arrived, the reaction was the more
disastrous because the expansion had been so
extreme. It is a gross blunder to blame Con-
federation for this. Nor would it be discreet to
pronounce that the new panacea for making
everybody rich and contented has utterly failed.

;:!

His

capi<
land

viewi

The ^^ National Policy''

ment
stra-
loned
new
(tians
been
Itliers
:elt in
is due
lercial
edera-
pros-
n con-
public
^ this
wbich
as put
red up
i them
wo aid
incur,
ily and
le more
)een so
He Con-
creet to
making
y failed.

A protective policy ought to succeed for a time,
and it will continue popular so long as the people
at large are satisfied to pay the price. An indi-
vidual who is rich enough can have any luxury
which money will buy. Protection is a luxury
which only a very wealthy or a very self-denying
nation can afford to pay for. As yet the influence
of the " National " or protective policy of Canada
has had so slight an effect in this Province that
although the Nova Scotians rail against it, they
are influenced by their fears rather than by their
actual experience.

The most doleful and dispiriting account whicli
I received as to the position and prospects of
Nova Scotia was supplied by a Virginian gentle-
man, who played a leading part in the tragedy of
secession and who has made his home in Halifax.
His h )art is in his native State but his money is
invested in the capital of Nova Scotia, He assured
me that the Nova Scotians had ceased to be loyal
to the British Empire and would have no objec-
tion to become citizens of the North American
Republic. I failed to ascertain any ground for
this conclusion ; but I heard that, house property
having fallen in value, this gentleman's invested
capital has been reduced for the moment. Should
land and houses rise in price he may change his
views. Despitf is dissatisfaction with the policy

%\'\i

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i ,:;,,

tlH

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1 I

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1 ,'■;

ill

T/ie Land of the ''Blue Noses ^

of the Government under which he had vohmtarily
chosen to Hve, he had no fault to find with the
Province as a place of abode ; on the contrary, he
praised both the soil and climate in strong terms.
Natives of the country deplored the emigration
from it of young men to the United States. Com-
munication between Halifax and Boston in Mas-
sachusetts is frequent and the journey can be made
for a small outlay. The temptation is extreme for
young Nova Scotians, who are dissatisfied with
their home prospects, to proceed to New England in
order to begin life there under conditions which
theyconsider more favourable. They are influenced
by the feeling which causes the country bumpkin
to quit his quiet English village and hasten to
London where he hopes to find the streets paved
with gold. Many Nova 3cotians learn by sad
experience that, if they are better paid abroad,
they must work harder and expend more than at
home, and the numbers of the disenchanted and
disappointed who return are said to balance the
numbers who depart elate and over sanguine.

Intelligent Nova Scotians whose opinions on
other subjects would have commanded my respect,
spoke concerning the Canadian Pacific Railway
with a recklessness which astonished me. They
laboured under the delusion that the construction
of the Railway would either ruin the Dominion or

I I:

'' Old Fossils r

irily
tlie
r,lie
rms.
ition
^om-
Mas-
nade
.e for
with
.nd in
^liicli
piiced
npkin
en to
paved

sad
Droad,
lan at
d and
Lce the
le.

ns on
espect,
Railway

They
ruction
nion or

else that tlie operation of the railwj^y would benefit
the Western Provinces exclusively. If a citizen
of New York were to use similar language in
reference to the Union Pacific Railway, his hearers
would naturally conclude that he had lost his wits.
The truth is that Halifax will profit by a railway
through Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific
just as New York city has profited by the railway
between that city and San Francisco.

The evidence which I have collected leads me
to the conclusion that the Nova Scotians are too
ready to grumble and are deficient in a patriotic
faith ■ in the resources of Canada and in the
capacity of her sons to develope them. In Halifax
there are many men who are irreverently but not
unaptly termed " old fossils." They have made
enough money upon which to live in comfort.
They hav3 invested it in non-speculative securities
yielding them a moderate return. They have
adequate capital wherewith to embark in any enter-
prise, but they lack the requisite courage for sup-
porting novel undertakings with their money, even
though the chanc* of doubling their capital and in-
come by so doing may not be slight. These men
are foremost in complaining of capital and energy
being lacking to develope Nova Scotia's resources.
It has been proved to demonstration that the gold
fields are as rich and as safe investments as the

h\ i1

1 1 '

?i.

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T^'

The Land of the " Blue Noses"

111 1 1

(■i

,.i'

i (1:

'I'j

coal pits from whi'^.h adventurous native and
Englisli capitalists have derived large profits.
The Nova Scotian capitalist hesitates to take
shares in a gold-mine. When a gold-mine of
undoubted richness is discovered and tested, it
usually passes into the hands of a shrewd and
enterprising United States capitalist, and when
the Nova Scotians see him becoming rich by his
venture they blame Confederation or the Govern-
ment for marring the prosperity of their Province.
After the discovery of gold in 1861 at Tangier
River, forty miles to the eas^ of Halifax, there
was an outburst of foolish spcrulation. When
over-cautious men lose their heads, they are fre-
quently guilty of inconceivable follies. Experience
then taught the lesson that a gold-mine may ab-
sorb more of the precious metal than it can ever
yield, and that it is necessary to exercise judg-
ment in choosing a mine and skill in working it,
Th© Nova Scotians seem disposed to act like a
boy who, having burned his fingers, refuses ever
after to warm his hands at the fire. Instead of
profiting, in a rational way, by what has occurred,
their prevailing feeling now is to eschew mining
altogether and let strangers step in and carry off
the golden prizes.

From the year that the extraction of gold began
down to the present time, the total yield has been

Vic

"vvasl
Prof
woii
in

Gold-Mines.

I': %

and
ofits.
take
le of
id, it
I and
when
by his
)vern-
ivince.
angier
, there
When
ire fre-
srience
lay ab-
in ever
3 judg-
king it.
) hke a
es ever
stead of
curred,
mining

;arry

off

d began
las been

397,372 ounces. Last year 14,000 ounces were
returned. The average earning of each miner
has exceeded $600 annually ; the earning last
year exceeded $700. These figures contrast
most favourably with returns from other regions
of this Continent where gold-mining is a re-
munerative industry. Yet the room for improve-
ment here is very great. The waste in extracting
gold is enormous. It is indisputable that a yield
of five pennyweights per ton is ample for paying
the miner who uses the most improved machinery
and follows the most modern processes. Gold-
mines in Brazil and Australia, where the return
is at that rate, pay large profits, yet in Nova
Scotia the complaint is that no profit can be
obtained unless the quartz yield ten pennyweights
per ton, seven being a common yield and seven
being found inadequate for profitable working.

Mr. Selwyn, the Director of the Geological
Surv':y of Canada who, for sixteen years before
filling that oflice, filled an analogous one in Vic-
toria, has shown how close are many of the
ffeolo<]:ical resemblances between the Provinces of
Victoria and Nova Scotia. He also shows how
wasteful the system of mining is in the latter
Province, many mines there wasting as much as
would sulHce to return dividends of 10 per cent,
in Victoria, and the machinery iu the Australian

F 2

\:'

» . I. .

' I

The Land of the " BltLC Noses,"

, 'Mi

\ i"

I f 11

mines doing nearly double as mucli work as that
employed in the Nova Scotian. It is clear that
skill and proper machinery are lacking. Were
the Nova Scotian gold-mines properly developed
they would take rank among the most remunera-
tive, favourite and stable investments of the
Province. The gold-bearing region of Nova
Scotia extends over 3000 square miles.

Coal and Iron are two products of which Nova
Scotia possesses an abundance. The capital in-
veyted in coal winning is estimated at$12,000,000 ;
the number of pits worked is twenty-five. Pictou,
which is the principal town in the coal district, is
next in importance to Halifax. It is picturesquely
situated on a point jutting into a land-locked
harbour wherein hundreds of vessels can bo con-
veniently moored. The passage from Northum-
berland Straits into the harbour is only ' 200
yards across at the entrance. On either side the
eye rests upon a stretch of fine land dotted with
trees and divided into farms. The town of
Pictou was founded in 1767 by some emigrants
from Philadelphia. Five years afterwards thirty
families arrived from the Scottish Highlands with
the object of establishing a settlement, byt, being
unable to agree with the first comers as to the
right of ownership in the land, they went else-
where.- Other families from Scotland arrived

fra
pa]
nej

tra
aiitl

Nova Scotian Collieries,

that
tliat
Vere
3ped
lera-
tlie
^ova

Nova
al in-
,000;
ictou,
ict, is
^quely
ocked
e con-
thum-
V200
de the
d with
wn of
I errant s

thirty-
Is with
, being

to tho
it else-
arrived

here at a later day, and the majority of the people
still bear Scottish names and speak with the
accent of their forefathers. Tho demand for
Nova Scotian coal is greater now than in former
years. The trade with the United States, which
was almost extinct for a time, has revived again.
I saw three United States vessels taking in cargoes,
a sight which, as I was informed, was both un-
usual and welcome. When the Reciprocity Treaty
was in force. Nova Scotian coal was chiefly ex-
ported to the United States ; since the imposition
of a heavy import duty, that market has ceased
to be the principal one. The coal-owners com-
plain that the present Canadian tariff does not
give them that monopoly of supplying the Western
Provinces of the Dominion which they expected
to have under the " National policy." The citizens
of Ontario still buy coal imported from the United
States, while the citizens of New England still
buy coal imported from Nova Scotia. A protection
tariff* cannot always subserve the design of its
framers either by diverting all tradt> into a
particular channel or in diffusing universal happi-
ness.

A sliort ride from South Pictou brings tlie
traveller to New Glasgow, vvliicli resembles the
ancient and tlourlsliing city on the banks of tho
Clyde in being over-hung with smoke. Not fuj*

ti I

The La7id of the ^^ Blue Noses^

'■■ I

distant are the Albion pits, from wliicli large
quantities of coal have been taken for half a
century, and which are expected to continue
productive for many years to come. The seam
there is thirty feet thick. At New Glasgow there
are iron foundries, tanneries, a pottery and ship-
building yards. The largest Nova Scotian ships
have been built here. This industry was not
brisk at the time of my visit ; I saw only one
ship on the stocks. The demand for wooden
vessels is falling off and, if the ship-builders here
would regain their supremacy, they must build
iron ships. They have so many faciUties for so
doing that, by taking due advantage uf them, the
iron vessels of Glasgow in Nova Scotia might be
in as great request as those of Glasgow in Old
Scotland. The Island of Cape Breton, another
part of this Province Avliercin coal abounds, is
about a mile from the mainland, being separated
from it by the Gut of Canso. The scenery on
this island, whicli attracts tourists qiut« as much
as the coal-fields attract capitalists, is on a very
gi-and scale. Readers of Horace Walpolc's
writings will remember an amusing reference to
tMs I'Lind. Walpole asserts that tlie Duke of
Newcastle, the Prime Minister at the time, having
N'ttvnt to 'lis sur^/rise that (/ape Breton Avas an
I'Oiiiid, ho could not I'cst till he had comnmui-

stai

nu]

andl

valll

Th(i

flaxi

tlieil

the

■( 5

Scenery and Climate.

cated the extraordinary fact to every member of
the Cabinet.

From Cape Breton at the north to Yarmouth
at the south, this Province covers an area of
nearly 22,000 square miles, out of which 3000
square miles are covered with lakes. It has a
coast-line of 1200 miles and a large number of
excellent harbours. Within the limits of the
Province, which is about 300 miles long by from
100 to 50 in breadth, there are great varieties of
soil and climate ; the temperature is 8° higher in
the. western than in the eastern Counties. It has
plenty of shaggy wood, but no mountains like
those in Old Scotia. The height of the hills does
not exceed 1000 feet. The richest and most
picturesque part of the Province is the broad
valley between Windsor and Annapolis, where the
Acadians passed an existence which resembles
the visions of the golden age.

The historian of Nova Scotia, depicting their
state in 1755, tells how these Acadians, to thr
number of 18,000 tilled the fields, reaped crop<,
and reared cattle and poultry in this liap ^
valley. Their ordinary drink was beer or cyder.
They clad tli(naselves in garments spun from the
flax which they cultivated or from the fleece of
their sheep. They rarely went to law, accepting
the decision of the elders in cases of dispute.

I r^'

I lit

The Land of the " Blue Noses."

I- M'i

:.j:;

: f

There was no permanent destitution among tht^m,
the unfortunate being succoured by those richer
in the wc "Id's goods. They lived as a large and
happy family ; early marriages were the rule and
the vices of great cities were unknown. The
picture of these people before their expulsion
makes their fate seem the more pitiful; but it
may be that the picture is too highly coloured
and that the Annapolis Valley has never been the
scene of an earthly paradise. It is certainly a
pleasant and fruitful land where the inhabitants
have every reason to enjoy life. The soil is very
fertile and admirably adapted for the gro'i^th of
fruit trees. Indeed, the app'< s grown m the
Annapolis Valley are very fine and arc highly
prized by good judges. When the apple trees
are in blossom, the prospect resembles that
between Heide'ljerg and Frankfort in the spring
time when the cherry trees are in blossom. It is
a peculiarity of this Province to offer great
variety of scenery and of means of livelihood.
The farmer, gardener, miner and fisherman can
all find profitable employment. The fisheries
are very valuable ; the fish caught comprise cod,
mackerel, shad, liake, herring and salmon ; the
annual return from the fisheries is not much under
a million sterling. Twenty thousand men are
occupied in fishing. The land is specially well

itf

mmmm

The Capital of Nova Scotia,

very
th of
n the
lighly

trees
that

great

iliood.

Ill can

Iheries

cod,

the

kinder

in are

well

suited for the culture of such vegetables as pota-
toes and turnips, and of such grains as wheat,
barley, oats, rye, buckwheat and maize. The
number of acres of good land is estimated at
10,000,000. Of these less than 2,000,000 are
under cultivation. This large, fertile and salu-
brious Province, wherein there is ample scope for
millions of people, has less than 400,000 in-
habitants.

Halifax is the capital of Nova Scotia. It has
many natural advantages among which beauty of
situation is the most striking and tlv'.t of
possessing the finest harbour on thp coast is the
most useful. It was founded on the 25th July
1749. .Not till the close of the American
revolutionary war did it secure a large acces-
sion of citizens. Then, however, it became a
refuge for the United Empire Loyalist? who
abandoned or were expelled from Jieir hcn^es in
the United States. These men displayed great
vigour and fortitude in promoting the interests
of this Province. They gave an impetus to the
capital which it has not quite lost or which, if
lost is owing to the accident of their descendants
not inheriting all tteir virtues and all their
talents. My opinion is that the sluggishness of
the generation now passing away will give place
to greater energy in the generation which is

hi!

t i

The Land of the " Blue Noses ^

'■■ :

J i '

■M

growing up and that the new comers will revive
the best traditions of Nova Scotia by working as
strenuously to make it an ornament to the
Dominion as their forefathers did to render it a
K 1 Province.
The capital of Nova Scotia is the only place in
the Dominion where a British garrison is main-
tained. It is the only city on the North
American Continent where a Government dock-
yard is kept up by the ITuited Emgdom. The
dockyard covers fourteen acres. Men-of-war are
always to be seen in the harbour, soldiers of all
arms are to be seen in the streets and these
things give liveliness to the scene. The citizens
have sometimes reason to regret that soldiers are
statioL^ d here. When a discontented private de-
termines to do the utmost mischief with the least
suffering to himself, he smashes the costly plate-
glass windows in the principal shops. I once
passed along a street where this wanton destruc-
tion of property was perpetrated so quickly that
no one could prevent it. The shopkeeper would
get no compensation if the glass were uninsured.
The soldier would probably be imprisoned for a
time and then dismissed the service. However
unwelcome the presence of the troops may some-
times be, I am sure that a proposal to withdraw
them altogether would not please everybody. As

Hal

reg
Mar
sailc
the
anc
Willi
T
port
fortia

Halifax Hospitality,

a garrison town Halifax lias many charms for
strangers, especially for citizens of the United
States. Of late years many of these citizens
spend the summer months here, the climate at
that season being excellent and the sea-bathing
being all that can be desired. If a large and
well-appointed hotel were built at or near to the
lovely North West Arm, which is the rural part
of Halifax and where many charming villas are
built, the influx of strangers would be greater
than ever. The Halifax Hotel, though good and
comfortable, does not meet the requirements of
exacting visitors from the United States. Al-
though the hotels are disappointing, no fault can
be found with the Halifax Club. It is admirably
managed. The building is commodious and the
stranger who, like myself, is honoured by being
temporarily allowed to use it, finds his stay in
Halifax rendered far more agreeable, while his
regret at leaving it is far more keen. What
Marryat wrote in Pdev Simjjle is still true : " All
sailors agree in asserting that Halifax is one of
the most delightful ports in which a ship can
anchor. Everybody is hospitable, cheerful, and
willing to amuse and be amused."

The Capital of Nova Scotia is not only a splendid
port for commerce, but it is also one of the strongest
fortified places in the world. The Duke of Kent,

■i ■'

1 1

1" '

' !:l ii

t ,

I.;

■

f i

I M

' ,s

1 .1.

T/ie Land of the " Blue Noses!'

the father of the Queen, planned the Citadel and
laid its foundations. There is a belief that the
ground upon which the Citadel stands is rich in
gold quartz. If this be well founded, then the
defenders of the Citadel have a twofold treasure
to guard. The fortifications on the islands in
the Bay are so well planned and executed that a
hostile attack upon the city may be regarded
with equanimity, because it can be repelled with
certainty. Through the courtesy of Colonel
Drayson, an officer of large experience and multi-
farious accomplishments who was in command of
the artillery at the time of my visit, I visited
the fortifications and was permitted to inspect
them in detail. Nothing that the science of war
could suggest in the way of defence has been
overlooked in their arrangement or neglected in
their supervision. Everything is in perfect order
and available at any moment. Should an enemy
attack them, he will have a painfully warm re-
ception and he will egregiously err if he should
count upon finding the defenders napping. Visi-
tors from the United States are shown whatever
they want to see and they leave the place with
the conviction that, if the hotels are not perfect,
the fortifications are of the first class.

The Provincial Legislature meets in Halifax.
Close to the building where the Legislators

Governor Archibald.

Lalifax.
slators

assemble is a large building containing the
Government offices, the Post office, the City
Library and the Provincial Museum, the latter
being rich in the antiquities, Indian relics and
mineral products of the Province. I ought not
to omit to mention with well-deserved praise the
public garden, which is not only extensive and
stocked with curious plants, but which is kept
with as much care as it is laid out with taste. Nor
should I conclude without writing a few sentences
ii^ eulogy of the present Lieutenant-Governor, Mr.
Archibald, Vho occupies an official residence
which has a gloomy look, but which is a com-
modious and most agreeable house to live in.
Mr. Archibald is a Nova Scotian and his ambition
is centred in advancing the interest of his native
Province. He has had long and varied ex-
perience of public life and he has played his part
in it most admirably. He filled the office of
Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba at a crisis in
the history of that far western member of the
Dominion, and he there displayed great adminis-
trative ability, solving the difficult problem of
reconciling the Indians to their new Canadian
rulers and concluding treaties with them which
have proved as just to them as they have been
serviceable to Canada. If his fellow-countrymen
in Nova Scotia were imbued with his patriotic

%: I

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

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150 ^^~ M^B

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Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

33 VIST MAIN STMIT

WtUTH.N.V. MSM

(7U)I73.4S03

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1 ,

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T/ie Lmid of the ** Blue Noses.'*

spirit and were endowed with his capacity for
deahng with problems in public affairs, the
progress of their fine Province would be even
more rapid and gratifying in the future than it has
been in the past. That the " Royal Province **
has a great future I firmly believe. That " the
Blue Noses *' have great opportunities as well as
honourable traditions is quite certain. Their
land offers many inducements to the capitalist
and it is a tempting home for the emigrant.
The capitalist, the mining engineer, the agri-
culturist, the sportsman and the emigrant can all
find within the ample and untenanted limits of
Nova Scotia, an incomparable field wherein to
realize the fondest desires of their hearts.

it'. 'iK' i .(

iiii

)

\ ,

)}

CHAPTER III.

THE PROVINCE OF NEW BRUNSWICK.

When St. John, the chief city of New Brunswick,
was almost entirely destroyed by fire on the 20th
of June, 1877, the loss sustained was greater
proportionately than that caused by the great fire
at Cliicago six years previously. About 13,000
New Brunswickers were then rendered homeless ;
1612 houses, covering an area of 200 acres, were
destroyed in the brief space of nine hours ; the
loss of property was estimated at $27,000,000.
English philanthropists showed their usual and
laudable alacrity in aiding the sufferers. Some
of them also displayed discreditable ignorance
about the situation of St. John and the nation-
ality of its inhabitants. T remember an appeal
earnestly made by one of them to the effect tliat
the sad occasion was an admirable opportunity,
not only for succouring the needy, but also for
manifesting brotherly love and charity towards

II'

s •

■[

> t

•^

'J!

i \i

\ \'

l.'>'^^^

\i: n

Tke Province of New Brunswick.

1 r.j

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!f!

the citizens of the United States. Unfortunately,
this is no isolated example of geographical igno-
rance. Indeed, when Cobden expressed his
opinion that young Englishmen should be in-
structed in the history of Chicago, be might have
added that they would be all the better for
obtaining precise knowledge of the history and
geography of Canada. This knowledge would
prove quite as useful to them as that minute and
exclusive acquaintance with Grecian history and
literature which he assumed them to possess and
which, as an intellectual possession, he may have
undervalued.

It is true that the people of New Brunswick
are closely allied in race to their neighbours across
the border. Many of the oldest and most
respected New Brunswick families are descended
from the Loyalists who were driven from the
United States because they pertinaciously avowed
their predilection for an ideal British Empire of
which the North American Continent should
form a part. No Province of the Dominion of
Canada is less Yankee in sentiment than
New Brunswick which is conterminous on the
south-west with the State of Maine. Its inhabi-
tants do not seem to have forgotten how the
State of Maine was aggrandized at the expense of
their Province in 1842, owing to whrt they

The Ptwitans and New Brunswick.

ely,

jno-

bave

for

and
rould
3 and
y and
J and
have

iswick
Across
most
ended
m the
vowed
Ire of
should

lion

of
than
the

Inhabi-
the

jnse

of
they

believe to have been the sharp practice of Daniel
Webster, then Secretary of State in Mr. Tyler's
Administration .

The Puritans of Massachusetts played a curious
part in the early history of what is now New
Brunswick but was then called Acadia. John
Winthrop, then Governor of Massachusetts,
assented to a request that New England ships
and men should be employed in helping
Latour, who held the fort which stood on the
site of the principal city in the Province and who
refused to surrender it, and resign his commission
of Lieutenant-General to D'Aulnay whom tho
King of France had sent to supersede him. The
assistance rendered by the New Englanders
proving effectual, D'Aulnay had to retire dis-
comfited. This happened in 1643. Two years
afterwards D'Aulnay renewed the attack during
Latour's absence. The wife of Latour then dis-
played the heroic qualities which the Countess of
Derby afterwards did during the war between the
English Parliament and Charles the First. Again,
D'Aulnay was repulsed. A third time he made
the attempt and, on this occasion, he succeeded
through bribery in getting a footing in tho fort
though vigorously opposed by Madame Latour at
the head of fifty brave men. His revenge con-
sisted in hanging tho whole garrison before tho

li-

■ f

' »

! ;

ffsnfr-

i :^ '!

!l!

The Province of New Brunswick.

eyes of the woman wlio liad manifested so mucli
fortitude and bravery. The spectacle was more
terrible to her than an assault of armed men ; she
died of grief soon after.

AVhen D'Aulnay felt himself strong enough to
assert his rights, he accused the Government of
Massachusetts with a breach of neutrality and
demanded compensation. The latter replied that
they had not directly interfered in the quarrel,
having merely permitted Latour to hire ships and
enlist men. The damages demanded were 8000/.,
yet the Commissioner who urged the claims of
D'Aulnay said that if the Government acknow-
ledged their guilt in the matter the damages
might be reduced to a nominal amount. Ulti-
mately the blame was transferred to Captain
Hawkins and the volunteers who had taken part
with Latour, and the Government consented " to
send a small present to D'Aulnay in satisfaction
of what Captain Hawkins and the others had
done." Governor Winthrop in describing the
transaction, enables us to understand that the
" smartness " which is supposed to be a modern
characteristic of New England was possessed and
exercised by the early Puritans. The small
present sent to D'Aulnay was " a very fair new
sedan " which hud been taken in the West Indies
and presented to the Governor, which was

thf

I.;

Foundation of St. John,

lUCll

nore
; slie

rli to
nt of
and
[that
arrel,
s and
OOOL,
ms oi
know-
mages
Ulti-
aptain
part
d "to
'action
had
the
at the
odern
ed and
small
lir new
Indies
Ih was

" worth forty or fifty pounds where it was made,
but of no use to us.'"

In 1650, Latour returned. D'Aulnay had died
in the interval, leaving a widow who surrendered
the fort to Latour and, three years afterwards,
became his wife. Thus Latour not only regained
possession of the fort but he became the husband
of his rival's svife and lord of all his lands. This
settlement occurred in 1663; in the following
year it was abruptly terminated by Oliver Crom-
well who sent a naval expedition against him
with the result that he was ousted from office and
Acadia was annexed to England. It was ceded
to France again a few years later and it was
re-acquired by England in 1745 ; a few years
after this an English garrison under the com-
mand of Colonel Moncton was established in the
fort which, during a century, had been the
subject of strife. A few settlers came hither
from England in 1764; but the first settlement
on a large scale and permanent basis was made
by 5000 United Empire Loyalists who left the
LTnited States in 1783 and, on the 18th of May in
that year, founded the city of St. John. Several
years later there was an influx of settlers from
Ireland who have found their removal to the new
country from the old one to be highly advan-
' Jolm Winthrop's "New England," vol. ii. p. '274.

• G

1 !

The Province of New Brunswick,

\. I ,(

I; '

tageous. The least successful tillers of the soil
appear to be the descendants of the Acadians
who escaped expulsion from the country. Their
farming is both slovenly and wasteful, consisting
in exhausting a piece of land and then applying
to the Government for a new piece whereon to
recommence the same process.

Many small colonies have settled in New
Brunswick and have prosrered exceedingly. A
small colony numbering 182 went thither from
the North of England in 1837. The colonists
had to fell trees before they could cultivate the
land. According to a return compiled in the
sixth year of their sojourn, the result of their
labour was that they had taken from land
originally covered with trees, 260 tons of hay and
straw, and 1500 bushels of grain, potatoes and
turnips. They appended to the return the fol-
lowing remarks : " The climate of New Bruns-
wick agrees well with ^he constitution of English-
men ; the air is salubrious, and the water as pure
and wholesome as any in the world. During the
six years of our location there have occurred but
two deaths, while there have been thirty-nine
births without the presence of medical aid. Six
years' experience have convinced us that not-
withstanding the privations to wl ich new settlers
are .exposed, diligence and perseverance must

MMMVi

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New Denmark.

soil

lans

heir

ting

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n to

New

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from

mists

,e the

a the
their
land

Ly and

is and

le fol-
iruns-
iglish-

|s pure
ig the
id but
iy-nine
Six
it not-
lettlers
must

}»

ensure success. " In 1842, an attempt was made
to found a small colony of Irish people where
teetotal principles would be rigorously practised.
The experiment was successful beyond expecta-
tion. The colony, inchiding women and children,
numbered 101. Thirty male members of it are
credited at the end of the first year with having
gathered from a spot, which had been a dense
forest till they cleared it, 7276 bushels of grain,
potatoes and turnips. Their labour had been
rewarded with a total return, in crops and per-
manent improvements, to the value of 2000/.

Quite as interesting and significant as any of the
foregoing examples is that of the Danish colony
established within the last ten years about eight
miles from Grand Falls in the western part of the
Province. This place, formerly called Hellerup,
is now known as New Denmavk. There it was
that, in the year 1872, thirty-six Danes began to
cut down the primeval forest. The toil was
greater than they had counted upon, while the
difficulties against which they contended seemed
so great as to dishearten them. But they per-
severed and they have now no reason to complain.
Where trees covered the ground a few years ago,
is now a tract of cleared land extending over
3000 acres and yielding large crops. The colony
has grown from 36 to 500 persons and it is

^ m

•'!

iii.

y^'it'

^\:i

If t

! 'i !■ t

86 The Province of New Brunswick,

being recruited by frequent arrivals; as many
as 120 immigrants arrived there from Denmark
in 1879. Tlie extent of the settlement is such
that there ax^e thirty- six miles of road running
through it. The people are frugal and indus-
trious, and are growing rich, because they have
an annual surplus in excess of their own require-
ments. A curious circumstance is ihat, whereas
the Danes who arrived here were Lutherans, they
adopted the service of the Church of England in
the church whicL they built for themselves.

All the facts which I have gleaned from official
papers as to the prosperity of the New Brunswick
farmers were verified in conversation with those
whom I questioned as to their condition. They
have many advantages over farmers in the Far
West. The land yields as good a return, while
the price obtained for the produce is higher owing
to the proximity of a market. They have not to
pay so much for what they buy, as the farmers
must do who are far removed from the sea-board,
while they receive more for what they have to sell
than the farmers can do whose crops have to be
carried to market hundreds of miles by rail. The
area of the Province i^ 27,332 square miles, being
greater than that of the Kingdoms of Belgium
and Holland combined. Thirteen million of acres
are available for cultivation. It is estimated that

1^^

The St. jfohn River,

the land can support a population numbering
four millions and a half. The actual population
does not much exceed three hundred thousand !

The St. John River is the most notable fact in
the Province of New Brunswick. It is a noble
stream, affording, with its tributaries, 1300 miles
of navigable waters, draining a region covering
17,000,000 acres, thereof 9,000,000 are within the
Province, 2,000,000 in the Province of Quebec,
and 6,000,000 in the State of Maine. The valley
through which it flows is vdy beautiful, the
scenery being quite as attractive as at the most
lovely parts of the Hudson. The Indians gave it
the name " Looshtook " because they were struck
with its length, the word meaning " Long River.'*
It winds through the Province for a distance of
250 miles ; as the Province is 190 miles long by
140 broad, it is obvious that the St. John River
is a meandering stream. At the upper part of
the stream are Grand Falls where the water
descends 70 feet perpendicularly. Where it
enters the harbour at the city of St. John another
fall of a singular kind attracts the notice of
strangers. When the tide is out and the water
low, the water descends 17 feet. At high water,
on the contrary, the fall, if I may thus phrase it,
is in the opposite direction, the tide rising so high
as to cause rapids up stream. I passed over the

» i

lidH

ill

(.wjr "I.

The Province of New Brunswick.

1 Mi) J

:;n

IM^!'

spot in a steamer during the twenty minutes this
can be done when the tide is at its height, and I
could scarcely realize that the spot was the same
as that at which I had seen the river dashing
down the rocks in a sheet of foam.

. For some distance above the city of St. John
the river is very wide and is studded with wooded
islands. The view on either side is varied and most
attractive over the whole eighty-six miles which
intervene between that city and Fredericton, the
Capital of the Province. The Lieutenant-Governor
occupies an oflGicial residence at Fredericton which
is imposing in appearance but which has a serious
defect, judging from the statement which Dr.
Botsford, a physician of St. John, made in a
paper read before the Convention at Ottawa of
the Canada Medical Association. Dr. Botsford
said that Government House, which cost $100,000
to erect and from $5000 to $8000 annually to
maintain, was so unhealthy that the persons who
lived there did so at their peril. The sudden
death of the late Lieutenant-Governor and the ill-
health of the present one were attributable, in
his opinion, to the sewage gas which pervades the
edifice. It is clear, then, that the Governor of
this Province runs quite as much risk as the
leader of a forlorn hope. Let me hope, however,
that Government House will be converted into a

tmp^

Churches in Fi^eder'cton.

place, in which to enjoy life, from one in which to
risk and lose it. A house of meeting for the
Provincial Legislature is the most recent public
building in Fredericton ; it has been erected to
replace the one destroyed by fire. The new
House of Assembly is a suostantial stone struc-
ture. The Episcopal Cathedral is the building
most conspicuous and best worthy of a visit.
This Cathedral vies with that of Montreal as a
fine example of Canadian ecclesiastical arcbitec-
tiire. The loyal citizens take pleasure in in-
forming a stranger that the altar-cloth is the one
used at the coronation of William the Fourth.
The Methodists have built a church with a spire
still higher than that of the Cathedral and having
a hand with an outstretched finger at the summit.
Much of this structure is of wood, and it does not
resist the action of the weather like the stone of
which the Cathedral is built; thus, while the
Methodists are entitled to boast of having the
higher spire, they have also the obligation of
paying largely to keep it in repair. The Uni-
versity of New Brunswick, founded in 1800, is at
Fredericton. An annual scholarship of $60 is
awarded to one boy from each county in the Pro-
vince as well as free tuition, and fifty-six scholar-
ships, entitling the holder to free tuition, are
appropriated for competition to any youth in the

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90 T/ie Province of New Brunswick.

cities and counties. The Methodists founded a
College at Sackville in 18G2 which is open to
students of either sex, and the Roman Catholics
maintain St. Joseph's College at Memramcook.

The Post office, and other public buildings in
Fredericton are of red brick ; several stores and
warehouses ave built of the same material ; they
have all a solid appearance and they belong to
men who are enterprising and opulent. Trees line
the streets and surround many of the buildings.
Gardens are attached to most of the houses and
the combination of foliage and flowers on every
hand, and public buildings, shops and houses
standing among gardens, produces a rural effect
and makes the observer fancy that he is looking
upon a large and finely-built country village. I
have never seen a capital which seemed less like
a city, or a city which had so pleasant reminders
of the country. The river is half a mile wide
here and the banks are too flat to be picturesque.
Fish of various kinds abound iii the river.
Sturgeon are specially plentiful. This fish used
to be prized by royalty in England; it is not
considered a delicacy here. Yet great zeal is
shown in catching sturgeon because the business
is profitable. I visited a station Avhero four men
were engaged in fishing. They had caught twenty
fish within twenty-four hours ; all these sturgeon

"MtVIMPf^

Headquarters of the Intercolonial, 91

led a

311 to

tiolics

>k.

igs in

IS and
they

ng to

es line

dings.

es and
every

houses

. effect

ooking

ge. I
ss like

linders

e wide

7esque.
river,
h used
IS not
zeal is
usiness
ur men
twenty
iurgeon

were large, one of them measured six feet in
length. The price paid for each, irrespective of
size, is fifty cents. I was told that, when the fish
reached Boston, which was their destination, they
would fetch five doll.irs each. It is strange that
the New Brunswickers have no relish for the fish,
because it is good, though rather substantial
eating. But a prejudice such as they entertain
cannot be removed by argument, any more than
the prejudice of the Iiish people against rabbits
and of the Scottish people against eels.

Moncton takes rank, after the Capital and St.
John, as the most rising New Brunswick town.
It is the headquarters of the Intercolonial Railway
and the junction where the trains meet which
run between Halifax and St. John and Halifax
and Quebec. While St. John is situated not far
from the mouth of the Bay of Fundy, Moncton is
at the head of that extraordinary sheet of water
which, as the tide flows and ebbs, rises and falls
in certain places as much as sixty feet. So far
from the sea as Moncton, the difference between
low and high water is thirty feet, and the contrast
is most striking between the vast expanse of
almost dry ground when the tide is out and the
area of water where the largest ships can float
when the tide is at its height. The phenomena
called the " bore,'* which is occasionally seen on

•if ('

*ar»«*

rii

li I

'',

1 1

I '

■il

T/ie Province of New Brunswick,

the Severn, is a common occu^ "ence at this part
of the Bay of Fundy.

A few years ago Moncton was a straggHng and
quiet village. The old and the new are easily
distinguishable, the town having recently grown
in the opposite direction to that which it followed
in its early days. When the 600 acres within
which it stands are covered with buildings the
place will have an imposing appearance, and the
main street, which is a mile long, will not seem so
different from the other streets. As the centx-e
of a large agricultural district, Moncton has long
been a place where much business was transacted
and this accounts for the number of stores ap-
pearing to be far in excess of what the inhabitants
could support. The articles on sale in some of
these stores are very varied. On a notice-board
outside one of them a list of the goods kept began
with Bibles and Prayer Books and ended with
newspapers, but did not include the potatoes,
turnips, cabbages and other vegetables which
were the chief things to be seen indoors.

Late in the evening of the first day I spent in
Moncton, I gazed upon a sight grander than any
which I had beheld elsewhere, unless I except a
fire in the woods on the bank of the St. John
River. I have seen a prairie ablaze and I have
looked with wonder at the " tulcs " or gigantic

■»*

mt in

any

!ept a

Jolin

have

:antio

A Forest on Fire.

bulrushes such as grow on the banks of the Nile,
burning as far as the eye could reach along the
left bank of the Sacramento Eiver in California,
but this was the first time that I beheld the con-
flagration of a forest. At first the fire seemed
trifling, but the flames gradually rose in angry
shape and spread in serried masses as tree after
tree succumbed to the effects of an element which,
in this case, was really a devouring one. Tho
march of the fire was marked next morning by a
space through the forest as clearly defined as if it
had been wrought by machinery, and by hundreds of
blackened trees which would never bud again. The
sight of these bare and lifeless poles is a common
one here; the poles are termed " ram-pikes.'*
They are utterly useless, being valueless as timber
and merely cumbering the ground. The people
of Moncton thought nothing of a sight which
impressed me greatly. They care no more about
the loss of a part of a forest by fire than the in-
habitants of a coal district care about the ignition
and loss of a pile of waste c*. al at the pit's mouth.
One of them, however, sympathized with me. He
had left Ireland thirty years ago and he had
prospered in New Brunswick, and ho expressed
his opinion that the folks in the ok' country Avould
naturally regard tho destruction of o much valu-
able timber as a serious calamity ; adding that

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1 t

1 I

T/ic Province of New Brunswick,

wood was too plentiful and cheap in New Bruns-
wick to be sufficiently valued. But the day is at
hand when even the forests of this Province will
cease to be sources of wealth and to be regarded
as practically inexhaustible. The area covered
by primeval forest is gradually becoming cleared.
Where young trees are allowed to grow they do
not furnish timber equal in value to that derived
from the old ones. Indeed, the industry of
" lumbering " which used to be a leading and
profitable one in this Province, as well as in the ad-
joining State of Maine, is gi'owing less remunera-
tive year after year. The day is not distant when
it will have to be exchanged for that of cultivating
the soil or rearing cattle and I do not hold that
the exchange will be a loss. The farmer and the
grazier make quite as industrious and sober
citizens as " lumbermen."

The gentleman to whom I have just referred
was an Irishman who has found in the Dominion a
home which reconciles him to live away from his
native Erin. He was a patriot in his youth who
regarded OXonnell with idolatry. His affection
for the land of his birth is strong enough to cause
liim to Avatch its fortunes with intense interest.
Ho seemed, however, to entertain a sentiment
akin to that which made Horace Walpolo declare
that he would love his country exceedingly if it

smgl

I " ■ ' ^ ' »

Land Laws.

lion a
his
wlio
jction
I cause
[erest.
liracnt
leclare
if it

t<'i

were not for his countrymen. He was personally
acquainted with many of the Irishmen who devote
themselves in the United States to stir up strife
in Ireland. Between them and the Irish in
Canada there is a strong antagonism. This was
shown by the murder of Darcy McGee for his
opposition to Fenianism and his denunciation of
Fenians. My informant was emphatic in stating
that his countrymen in New Brunswick were per-
fectly satisfied with their lot, and his desire was
that thousands, whose hearts were set upon having
land of their own to cultivate and who could not
attain their object in Ireland, might emigrate
to that Province. No Province in Canada, nor
any State in the Union is so liberal to settlers as
New Brunswick. In the year 1868 an Act was
passed by the Provincial Legislature empowering
the Government to give free grants of 100 acres
of land to settlers who paid a sum of §20 to be
expended in making roads, or who gave his labour
to the value of §10 for three years in succession,
who built a house within two years and cultivated
ten acres within three. An Act of 1872, now in
force, is more liberal still. Under it an actual
settler can obtain 100 acres of Crown land if a
single man, and 200 acres if he be married and
have two or more children, on condition that a
house is built and three acres cultivated within a

H 1. 1

I > I

II*

iljl

wrr

The Province of New Brunswick,

«' N

year and ten acres within three years. After the
house is built, the Government makes a present
to the settler of $30. Moreover, he is protected
against utter ruin by a law giving immunity to
his property to the amount of $600, in the event
of execution for debt.

It is not easy for a visitor to the city of St.
John to believe that nearly the whole of it was a
blackened rui-^ a few years ago. A vacant charred
space here and there proclaims in an unmistak-
able fashion that a fire has swept a building away ;
but the general aspect of the city is that of a
prosperous place which has never been devastated
by fire. Most of the buildings are new, but new
buildings are what one expects to see on the
North American Continent. Some of them, such
as the banks of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick,
are effective specimens of architecture. The
Custom House has an imposing aspect, resembling
in several particulars the Louvre at Paris. The
docks are spacious and filled with ships ; it is the
boast of the citizens that St. John ranks after
Glasgow in the amount of its registered shipping
and is, in fact, the fourth port in the Empire.
Churches abound. As the city is built on a series
of eminences, the Churches and the Church spires
are visible at every turn. In answer to my inquiry
whether St. John were not a very pious city, the

t!smmmm«aBi^iism^^ii>SJ3S>^^

Cattle Rearing,

the
jent
iced
yto
vent

■ St.
ras a
irred
stak-
,way ;
of a
jtated
b new
^ the
such
wick,

The
abhng

The
is the

after

ipping
mpire.
series
spires
nquiry
ty, the

landlord of the hotel in which I stayed replied
that I ought not to reckon the Churches as a
guide to such a conclusion, because they were
largely exceeded in uTimber by the " whisky-
holes." I heard many lamentations about the
prevalence of intemperance. Efforts are made to
lessen it by prohibiting the sale of strong drink,
in imitation of the system prevailing in the ad-
joining State of Maine. The struggle is carried
on with a bitterness which does not edify the
spectator and which cannot produce lasting good,
whatever the political issue may be. My own
opinion is that, if half the energy and money ex-
pended in this controversy with the effect of
stirring up bad blood, were devoted to encouraging
immigration the Province would gain enormously.
A new industry dating from the year 1879 pro-
mises to increase the wealth of the Province.
This is the exportation of sheep and cattle to
England. No part of the Dominion is better
adapted than New Brunswick for rearing cattle
and the proximity of the sea-board is a natural
advantage of the first importance. Like Nova.
Scotia it has been inadequately appreciated by
the emigrants from the Old World ; indeed these
two Maritime Provinces of Canada, which are
among the oldest of any, are really less known
than the younger which are more remote and far

»i-'.'i

. f

1 i'

!!.i

77/^ Province of New Brunswick.

more difficult of access. The emigrant who has
resolved upon leaving the United Kingdom for
Canada might go farther west than New Bruns-
wick and fare worse than if he settled there.

CHAPTER IV.

PEINCE EDWAED ISLAND.

The Island now called Prince Edward was known
as St. Johns Island till 1800. In that year its
name was changed to commemorate the sojourn
of the Queen's father in British North America.
Till 1770 it formed a part of the Province of
Nova Scotia. In 1873 it became a Province of
the Dominion of Canada. Though the smallest
member of the Dominion, its area being a little
in excess of 2000 square miles, it has a population
of 100,000, which is proportionately larger than
that of any other Canadian territory of the like
extent. The situation of Prince Edward Island
in the Gulf of St. Lawrence corresponds, in its
relation to Canada, to that of the Isle of Wight in
its relation to England. The climate is milder
and more equable than on the mainland. The
sea breeze tempers the summer heat, and renders
the Islarid a pleasant place of resort during the

H 2

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■■ ■::,i

if
II

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lOO

Prince Edward Island.

warm season. The sea-bathing on the north side
is excellent, and of late years many persons, not
from Canada only, but from the United States
also, take up their abode here in the summer time
and enjoy a dip in the Atlantic surf.

Though the distance across the Straits of
Northumberland between Cape Traverse, on the
Island, and Cape Tourmentine, on the shore of
New Brunswick, is 9 miles, and between the
opposite end of the Island and Nova Scotia 15
miles, yet the journey over the route taken by the
steamer occupies four to five hours. During the
winter months communication with the mainland
is maintained with difficulty, it being often an
arduous feat to force a passage through the ice
which fills the Straits. In spring, summer and
autumn, steamers ply every other day between
Point du Chene, in New Brunswick, and Summer-
side, the second town of importance on the south
coast of the Island, and between Pictou, in Nova
Scotia, and Charlottetown, the capital of the
Island. When beheld from the sea on a bright
day, the Island looks very beautiful. Its cliffs
are as red as those of South Devon, and the com-
bination of red rocks, dark green woods, and
green fields, dotted with white houses, is very
pleasing to the eye. The coast is frequently in-
dented with bays, running far inland, and swarm-

^MP

w wnt ' » i <w i >iu;- i nr i iii >i '>:iii» . n i -B M P ^i!>p

Oysters, Mackerel, and Lobsters, loi

imer-
ioutli

ova
tlie
|riglit

cliffs

com-
and

very
|ly in-

rarm-

ing with fisli. Shell-fish abound. Oysters are
plentiful and good. They are in great request at
Halifax and other cities on the mainland. The
shells are longer and the contents are larger than
those of English oysters, and also than those of
the " Blue Points " which are highly prized in the
United States. On the other hand, they resemble
English oysters in taste more than those of the
United States.

The chief fishing industry is that of catching
and curing mackerel, and tinning lobsters for ex-
portation. There are nearly 50 factories in which
lobster preserving is carried on, giving employ-
ment to 2000 persons. Some of the factories treat
from 10,000 to 15,000 lobsters a day. It was
expected that 125,000 cases, each containing 48
tins lib. in weight, would be exported the season
of my visit. The price paid to the fishermen for
every lobster delivered at the factory is half a
cent, and the present shipping price of each box
holding 48 tins of lib., is S4 25c. ; in other words,
nearly 43 lb. of lobster can be bought for export
at a trifle over 16s. If I do not mistake, the
retail price of a tin in England is 9«?., so the
margin between 16s. paid here and the 30s. ob-
tained for a case in England leaves a large per-
centage out of which to defray incidental expenses
and to gain a profit. I am told that lobster

iH ;

I02

Prince Edward Island,

I {

i! i

catching is forbidden by law during the month of
August. The fishermen neither seem to care
anything about a close time, nor to pay a willing
respect to the law which decrees it. One of them
told me that, in his opinion, lobsters were always
in season, ai;id that he did not believe any one
knew or would ever know when they spawned.'
He adduced evidence to the effect that, at all
periods, they presented the appearance of being
in a condition to spawn. Yet there can be no
doubt in the minds of rational men that lobsters
can be exterminated, just as oysters have been in
places, if the number taken from a given spot be
in excess of the number produced.

The cultivators of the soil thrive as well on
Prince Edward Island as the harvesters of the
sea. Oats, potatoes, and buckwheat are the most
remunerative crops. Large quantities of oats are
exported to Europe. Hay is exported to the
West Indies ; oats, hay, eggs, fish, and other
edibles are exported to Nova Scotia, New Bruns-
wick, and Massachusetts. For several months
in the year, a steamer which runs weekly
between Charlottetown and Boston carries away
many young islanders of both sexes, as well
as the produce of the farms. The desire of
the young men and women to visit Boston is as
keen as the desire of young people in the rural

sup

Bui

this

yea

pot?

the

pric

mmm

. m mf m j i fi-0K:uH i mm > ksoi * nd )> F ^

are

the
tlier
uns-
nths
ekly
iway

*vell
of
IS as

ural

Yield and Price of Potatoes.

103

districts of England to visit London. In both
cases they consider that, when the capital of the
country is reached, their fortunes are made. I
asked some of the young islanders what was the
special attraction of Boston. They replied that
they had been told they could get high wages
there. They did not know that if the wages they
received were higher than those obtainable in the
island, the price of what they had to buy was
higher also. Besides, they had the inducement
of being able to make the experiment at the low
cost of $8, and they were sanguine that they
would have no reason to regret the change. It
was the change of life which most of them de-
sired. They could not complain of anything save
the monotony of existence ; the Island seemed far
too contracted a world to them.

Prince Edward Island has an established repu-
tation for producing excellent potatoes. Neither
in size nor quality can any potatoes be found of a
superior kind. As many as three and a half
milhon bushels are produced in a single year.
But the main difficulty is to find a market for
this useful and abundant article of food. A
year ago it was possible to buy a bushel of
potatoes for 10 cents. At the time of my visit
the price had risen to 15 cents, though 25 is the
price at which the seller obtains a handsome

!.5

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1 i I?

il'

1^1

^ri

104

Prince Edward Island,

\ 1 1

III: 'I

\ ,

profit. Even at 25 cents, or one shilling, the
price is extremely low from an English point of
view, seeing that one penny a pound is accounted
cheap by the purchasers of potatoes by retail. A
bushel which sells in the Island for one shilling
sterling would thus command five shillings in the
London market. Last year, three steamers were
freighted with potatoes from Prince Edward
Island to England, but the result, unfortunately,
was disastrous to the exporters. Whether the
cause was imperfect packing or some other mis-
take, certain it is that the potatoes arrived at
their destination in so bad a condition that the
parties who engaged in the venture lost money. I
imderstand that the attempt will be renewed, and
I hope that the issue may be more satisfactory.

The f'st settlement of this Island on an exten-
sive scale took place shortly after the beginning
of the present century. It is not generally
known, I think, that among the few sensible
measures of Mr. Addington's much ridiculed
Administration was one for encouraging settlers
to make Prince Edward Island their home. Lord
Selkirk stirred Mr. Addington to move in this
matter. It was Lord Selkirk's desire to divert
the stream of emigration to the British pos-
sessions in North Am; rica. Ho induced 800
Highlanders to proceed to the Island in 1803.

•WHV

btlers
iLord

this
livert

pos-
800

.803.

Highland Settlers.

105

They prospered exceedingly. The colony would
have had many accessions had not war again
broken out in Europe. When the war was draw-
ing to a close in 1812, Lord Selkirk had set his
heart upon what is now the Province of Manitoba,
as the most eligible place for settlement ; he had
become chairman of the Hudson Bay Company
and he had bought a large tract of land in the
North-west. Other Scottish families emigrated
to the Island. The two parties were divided into
hostile camps on the question of religious worship,
the one being attached to the Roman Catholic
form, and the other preferring the Presbyterian.
Down to the present day there is enmity between
the descendants of the two sets of immigrants
from Scotland. The branch of the Church of
England in the Island has also many adherents.
The tendency in the Episcopal Church is towards
the extreme form of Ritualism.

There is now an end to the conflict which
raged for a century between the tillers and pro-
prietors of the soil in Prince Edward Island.
From the date of its cession to England in
1763 down to 1875, statesmen were perplexed
with a *' land question " there. At the outset the
best mode in which to dispose of the land had
received great consideration. It was surveyed in
17GG; two years before it had been granted to

io6

Prince Edward Island.

'■ r;

lf«

Lord Egmont who was enamoured of tliat feudal
system which, even in his day, was accounted
foohshness by many peers. His scheme was to
divide the Island into fifty baronies ; each baron
was to erect a castle with a moat and drawbridge
in genuine mediaaval fashion, he was to maintain a
certain number of men-at-arms and do suit and
service to the Lord Paramount. Upon the
merchants of London hearing that the king had
granted this Island to Lord Egmont they valued
the gift at half a million sterling. When his
scheme for dealing with it was published, the
public laughed at him and doubted whether he
possessed his senses as well as an island. Sanclio
Panza cculd not have made a more absurd propo-
sition about the Island of Barataria.

Finding that he could not turr his grant to
account Lord Egmont relinquished it, and the
Board of Trade and Plantations devised a scheme
of their own. According to this scheme, the
Island was divided into ^1 townships of 20,000
acres each ; the proprietor of each township was
to find a settler for every 200 acres, within ton
years after entering into possession, and to pay
a sum varying from six to two shillings yearly for
each 100 acres held by him. The applicants for
the land were so many, being far in excess of the
quantity to be allotted, that it was resolved to put

^■«i^

..sa»-^[pi«

-.1

. ' 'ii

Subdivision of ike Land.

107

nt to
d tlio
;]icmo
tUc
10,000
1^) was
hi ten
opay
jly for
its for
lof the
[0 pvit

lip the whole as prizes in a lottery, siibdi^dding
;the townships into lots of a half or a third.
The prize-holders became the proprietors of the
Island, with the exception of two toAvnships which
had been reserved for the use of a fishing company.
In a single day of the year 1767, 1,300,000 acres of
land were appropriated to persons not many of
whom had the intention either of settling on the
Island or of inducing others to do so. The prizes
were sold for cash ; many fetched as much as 1000/.
at first ; but, the supply continuing, they ceased to
have any value in the market.

Very few of the proprietors fulfilled the con-
ditions under which they obtained their lands.
In only ten townships were the conditions com-
plied with as to settling one person for every
200 acres, before the expiry of the time when the
lands were to be forfeited in the event of all the
conditions not being fulfilled. The quit rents
remained unpaid. These proprietory were de-
faulters to the Crown and at the same time
exacting landlords. They declined to pay the
rents for which they held their lands, but they
insisted upon rents being paid to them by the
tenants to whom they leased the lands. The
scandal was so glaring that as far back as 1770
an agitation began in tlio Island for the forfeiture
of estates to which the holders had ceased to

\f\

io8

Prince Edward Island.

f''

1: 1'

enjoy an indisputable title. Year after year the
dissatisfaction waxed stronger. Nothing of a
decisive kind was accomplished till 1853 when
the Provincial Legislature passed an Act autho-
rizing the Government to purchase such estates
as might be offered for sale and to resell them,
in portions, to the tenants. Between 1854 and
1871, thirteen estates, comprising 457,260 acres,
were bought by the Commissioner of Crown
Lands, acting for the Government, at a cost of
$518,294. In every case of re-sale the sum
obtained for each acre was larger than that paid,
so that the redistribution of the estates was
profitable to the Government as well as satis-
factory to both tenants and landlords. The Act
was permissive only. Like all permissive legis-
lation this attempt to settle the " land question "
was fundamentally weak. The best landlords
readily disposed of their property, the worst or
the most useless refused to come to terms. Thus
the agitation throughout the Island did not abate
and the call for a drastic measure grew louder
and more general.

In 18G0 another attempt was made to effect a
settlement of the popular grievances by appointing
a Commission to devise and enforce a measure
for converting leasehold into freehold estates.
The Commissioners consisted of the Hon. J. H.

>a8^-^i«ii>ii» I III' i»«'«> ^J^^||^

Landlords and Tenants.

109

the

rf a

hen

bho-

iates

liem,

and
ores,
rown
st of

sum

paid,
J was

satis-
le Act

legis-
jtion "
dlords

rst or
Thus
abate

llouder

[ffect a
)inting
ieasure
[states.
J.H.

Gray of New Brunswick, nominated by the British
Government; the Hon. Josej. i Howe of Nova
Scotia, nominated by the Legislature of Prince
Edward Island, and the Hon. J. "W. Ritchie of
Halifax, nominated by the proprietors. A Pro-
vincial Act was passed giving the force of law to
the Commissioners' award. On the award being
published the proprietors raised a technical objec-
tion to the manner in which provision was made
for valuing the laud. The Commissioners had
devolved the duty of valuing the land upon other
persons, whereas they ought to have discharged it
themselves. Hence it was that their Report and
award which the Duke of Newcastle, then Secre-
tary of State for the Colonies, pronounced " able
and impai tidl " were invalidated and their labour
led to no result. The people throughout the
Island regarded this conduct on the part of the
proprietors as betokening bad faith and a deter-
mination to thwart a thorough and enduring
settlement. Accordingly the agitation increased
in strength and the demands of the tenants became
more extreme as well as more menacing to social
order. A " Tenant's League " was formed with
the avowed purpose of resisting the payment of
rents. The civil power, not being able to make
head against the opposition to authority, a mili-
tary force was despatched from Halifax to aid in

I ,

•5

I lO

Prince Edward Island.

upholding and enforcing the law. Eents were
collected at the point of the bayonet ; unless over-
whelming force backed the demand, they were
withheld. This lamentable and discreditable state
of things lasted from 1865 till 1875 when the Land
Purchase Act was passed. Under this Act the
proprietor of any piece of land, or pieces of land
amounting in the aggregate to 500 acres, who was
in the receipt of rents, could be compelled to have
his interest valued by a Commission and to have his
propert}^ transferred to the Commissioner of Public
Lands in exchange for the price fixed by the Com-
mission and paid to him. No proprietor who culti-
vated his own land was affected by the Act, pro-
vided his estate did not exceed 1000 acres. The
opposition of the proprietors to this Act was perti-
nacious and vehement. A petition to the Crown
praying that the Act might be disallowed, set
forth that the Act embodied " a most unconsti-
tutional principle," that it was utterly " destruc-
tive to the rights and property " of the petitioners,
that it reproduced to a considerable extent in one
provision " the worst features of the Star Cham-
ber," that it was an " act of open and sweeping
confiscation " directed against persons " whose
only crime was to possess land in Prince Edward
Island." However, the Act was put in force, the
Commission over which Mr. Childers presided as

II in "I in I II mill r 1 I nnirii

the
led as

Settlement of the Land Question. in

representative of the Dominion of Canada, held
its sittings and made its awards. Cases of dis-
content were common, as was to be expected
when the persons affected objected to the whole
proceedings ; but cases of real hardship were rare
and the Island has ceased to be the theatre of
angry disputes respecting the tenure and treat-
ment of land.

The proprietors' loss has been the Island's
gain. I found general satisfaction as to the
result. I learnt also that, since the settle-
ment of the la^id question and the transforma-
tion of leasehold into freehold properties the
area of land under cultivation has largely
increased and that this salutary process is con-
tinuing. I have since read the last report of Mr.
Donald Ferguson, the Land Commissioner, which
contains minute and satisfactory details as to the
working of the Act. The following extract is
instructive ; the passage which I print in italics I
consider to be specially deserving of attention : —
" The sums received at this office during the
years 1877, 1878, and 1879 in payment of instal-
ments, and interest on purchase-money, amount
to 5jl 77,878 7Gc. A much larger sum would no
doubt have been received were it not for the great
depression in trade existing during that period,
causing a decline in the prices usually receiv'ed

l:.i!

1 1
lift I

.i»«

: ^ :liii

* 1

i ■

1 IL

li:

I i.

i'^

It' .1 ?

iiii

i
i

■d

t '

112

Prince Edward Island,

for agricultural products. Whilst some of the
tenants are somewhat slow in meeting their
instalments as they fall due, ilie majority are
making commendable efforts in that direction, and
the public sentiment in the Colony luill sustain the
Department of Public Lands in firmly but pru^
dently enforcing payment of the balances remaining
unpaid by the tenants^*

A narrow guage railway, which runs from one
end of thft Island to the other, is of great service
in developing its agricultural resources. Farmers
can get their produce carried quickly and cheaply
to the port of shipment. The railway is not a
very pleasant one to travel on. There are no
mountains in the Island, yet there are plenty of
undulations and, as the line is carried up one
slope and down another and round sharp curves,
the consequence is that the trains oscillate and
jar to a great extent. A serious accident which
occurred shortly before I journeyed on the
railway, was attributed to the imperfect condition
of the permanent way and the Dominion Govern-
ment, who manage the line, were bitterly
denounced for this by their political opponents.
Their political supporters were quite as ready to
maintain that the Government deserved thanks
for having kept the line in excellent condition..
I could not find evidence of any other fault save

Ki4a

.r- • ,.-;£2S-^..

-■•-^

Summerside.

T13

that of running trains at too great a speed over
dangerous curves and high gradients.

Shipbuilding used to be the great industry of
this Island. A.s many as 100 vessels were on the
stocks at one time in the several yards, some
being of 1000 tons burden. The demand for
wooden vessels having fallen off, the Islanders are
the losers. At Summerside, I saw but one small
vessel on the stocks ; it was thought a subject of
congratulatory notice in the newspapers that
another of 600 tons, which was about to be built,
would give employment to some of the ship-
wrights who had been for some time in enforced
idleness. Timber of the best quality is so
abundant, labour is so plentiful and there are so
many facilities here for supplying wooden vessels
of the highest class at the lowest price that,
should a demand for them spring up again, the
Islanders will have busy times. I fancy, how-
ever, that wooden hulls are destined to diminish
in number and to be superseded by iron ones.

Summerside, the second largest town in the
Island, is in communication by steamer with
Point du Chene, in New Brunswick. The popu-
lation is not much more than 3000. An attempt
to make it a place of resort for summer tourists
has failed for the present. This consisted in
building a palatial hotel, called the Island Park

) ■

i i

!:l'

\r^

114

Prince Edward Island.

Hotel, on an island in tlie Bay. The Island
covers 200 acres and tlie grounds in wliicli
the hotel stands are beautifully laid out ; a steam
ferry keeps up communication bet .yeen the hotel
and Summerside. For a time the 600 rooms in
the hotel were filled, but the visitors gradually
departed without any intimation that they would
return. The result has been a heavy loss to the
proprietor of the hotel, which was closed when I
saw it. Everything seemed in its favour. The
situation was lovely ; a pleasanter spot on which
to spend a few days or weeks it would be hard to
find. But the sojourner in the Island Park
Hotel found that it was less of a paradise than
might have been supposed. I was told that the
Island produces mosquitoes of a specially vicious
and persevering character, and that these mos-
quitoes did not rest till they had made the hotel
too hot for its occupants. I have known cases of
eyes being closed owing to mosquito stings, but I
never before heard of mosquitoes shutting up a
hotel. It is certain that the hotel was a failure
and it is possible that the mosquitoes were
unjustly blamed for a misfortune which might
have been due to other causes. I did not sojourn
on the Island where the hotel stands ; I cannot
write from personal knowledge of its character as
the hunting-ground for sanguinary insects, but I

con<

..jiwtwr-^rf ~

Chm'lottetown and its Suburbs.

115

were

1111

slit

|>30urn
tannot
iter as
Ibut I

can say that I was untroubled by mosquitoes in
Prince Edward Island.

Charlottetown, the Capital, is the largest city in
the Island and even it does not contain more than
10,000 inhabitants. Its situation is admirable,
being built on a rising ground at the bottom
of Hillsborough Bay and at the confluence of the
rivers Hillsborough, York, and Elliot. From the
upper part of the city the prospect is charming ;
in the distance are the hills of Nova Scotia,
between them and the Island lie the Straits of
Northumberland and many sheets of water filling
irregular indentations in the shore, as well as
many small islands or promontories covered with
trees. There are several important buildings in
Charlottetown, the principal one being the Colonial
Building, where the Government officials and the
Legislature are accommodated. The suburbs
contain neat villas, surrounded with flower-
gardens tastefully laid out and well kept. In
traversing this Island and visiting the private
houses and living in the hotels, one is pleasantly
reminded of the Old World ; there is not much
bustle and there is much more comfort. Times
do not appear to have changed materially since
the Island was divided into three counties.
Kings, Queens and Princes, and since the
chief streets of its capital were traced and named

I 2

;l*

\.\\

Ii6

Prince Edward Island.

.1:
i-
\

Kent, Dorchester, Grafton, Queen and Great
George, The conductors of the newspapers are
less disposed than the other Prince Edward
Islanders to take life easily and quietly. They
display much energy and fertility in personal
attack and recrimination. The newspapers often
contain specimens of the style of journalism
typified by the Eatonsivill Gazette. Professional
politicians, who are as active and unpopular here
as they are in other parts of North America,
frequently make public statements about each
other's motives and conduct which the charitable
stranger must hope are grossly exaggerated, if
not wholly unfounded.

Though the smallest Province of Canada, this
one is not the least worthy of a \.^sit. The future
of the Island will probably resembit; its past in all
respects save the controversy concerning the land
question, and also in the advance in wealth and
population going on at an accelerated speed. It
is possible that coal exists at a great depth, and it
is known that a small quantity of iron ore exists,
but the only natural wealth of the Island is in the
trees which still remain and show how the whole
country looked when it was entirely covered with
forest, in the soil which is very fertile, in the
game which is very plentiful and in the fish which
swarm around the Island and fill its many rivers.

Governor yohn Ready's Administration, 117

During several years of its early history, complaints
were made as to the injury wrought by the rapacity
and tyranny of the Governors sent from England.
One of them, Governor Smith, was actually
removed in 1813 for misconduct, in deference
to the strong complaints of the inhabitants. Since
the Island has enjoyed responsible government,
that is since 1851, its rulers have not had the
power, even if inspired with a wish to do, mischief.
The pleasantest memories of bygone days are
associated with Governor John Ready who dis-
played a benevolent disposition and a sincere
desire to promote the welfare of the people. It
was in 1827, during his Administration, that the
first Census was taken, the population being
found to number 23,266. At the beginning of
the century the number was 5000. The census
of 1871 showed that the population had increased
to 94,021 ; it is estimated that about 15,000 have
been added to the people during the last ten
years. These statistics prove a steady increase in
population and there is no apparent reason why
the progress should be speedily arrested.

After visiting the Maritime Provinces of Canada,
I was struck with the advantage which they would
derive from a legislative union. Before the Con-
federation Act of 1867 was passed, it had been

ii8

Prince Edward Island,

^^•^^''^■^

ilii

III

vh^

I ■

'ti-'l

proposed to confederate the Maritime Provinces,
but the jealousy and opposition of each was too
great to be surmounted. Since becoming Pro-
vinces of the Dominion, complaints are frequently
made that they do not exercise so much influence
at Ottawra as the Provinces of Quebec and Ontario.
This grievance would be mitigated or removed if
they joined their forces and acted as a unit.
Their interests are identical ; a single Provincial
Legislature could provide for their local affairs,
while as a united body, they would command
greater respect in the Dominion Parliament.
Home rule has its advantages; but, when three
legislatures exist in a population of 800,000, the
cost of home rule is greater than the benefit.
"Whether the Maritime Provinces make this
change or whether they remain as they are, they
will be the better appreciated in Europe, the more
they are known, and the tourist who desires to see
new places will find a trip through them both
enjoyable and instructive. The time wasted by
ambitious travellers in aimless journeys round tho
world and in describing what they had imperfectly
seen and understood, would be more advan-
tageously expended, Avhilo literatui'e might have a
lesser (puintity of rubbish added to it, if they
leisurely traversed and truthfully described tho
Maritime Provinces of Canada.

wli

|» l l ii -^'i]L"^ 'i g )i

■•tt^it:^

jes,

too

?ro-

Dtly

3nce

ario.

edif

unit.

ncial

fairs,

mand

ment.

three

0, the

enefit.
this
they
more
to see
both
ed by
id the
fectly
tdvan-
havo a
they
)d the

CHAPTER V.

INTERCOLOXIAL, GRAND TRUNK, AND NORTHERN

RAILWAYS.

In 1838 the Earl of Durham strongly urged the
British Government to construct a railway
between Halifax and Quebec. In 187G the Inter-
colonial Railway was completed and opened for
traffic. When passengers were first enabled in
18G9 to travel by rail from New York to San
Francisco, they rejoiced that this had been rendered
possible. It was not remembered that the con-
struction of a Pacific Railway was advocated by
Joh^ Plumbe in 183G. The rule is for a great
national undertaking to be delayed at least thirty
J ears longer than is absolutely necessary. A
generation often passes away before the project
of a far-seeing man is carried into effect by the
persons whom he has converted to his views and
who, when they see the feasibility and success ci

... ]

I20

Intercolonial Railway.

1 . 1

1(1'

the undertaking are ready enough to appropriate
the credit which is his due.

The first objection made to the Intercolonial
Railway, while it was still the subject of considera-
tion, was that it could not be constructed ; the
second was that, if constructed, traffic over it
would be suspended during the winter mont^hs ;
the third and, in the opinion of most persons, the
conclusive one was that, even if constructed, it
could not possibly pay. The objections made in
the United States to the Pacific Railway were of
the same character and were equally conclusive.
Engineering skill has overcome all natural
obstacles in both cases. The trains on both lines
run with regularity all the year round, and both
are successful railway up J or takings. With re-
gard to all such undertakingcj as gr^at trunk
railw.iys or interoceanic cr.nals, the prophecies
of failure are the only things connected with them
which usually remain unfulfili'^d.

The Intercolonial Railway is the most palpable
result of Canadian Confederation. At a meeting
held at Quebec in 1804 of the delegates from the
Provinces which first constituted the Dominion of
Canada it was resolved, and this resolution was
.afterwards incorporated in the Imperial Act
creating the Dominion, that " the general govern-
ment shall secure, without delay, the completion

- H ' ?'r ^ '«-->- sA:^ aiHB9ft

Origin and Character.

121

re-

jcies

)ablo
)tiiie:

the
of

)ii

was

Act

rern-

jtiou

of the Intercolonial Railway from Riviere du
Loup, through New Brunswick, to Truro, in Nova
Scotia." In accordance with this resolution and
with a capital of 3,000,000/. raised under Imperial
guarantee, the construction of the railway was
begun in 1809. Several surveys and plans for a
railway had been made at an earlier day. The
first scheme referred to a line, surveyed by Major
Yule, R.E., which was to run from St. Andrew's in
New Brunswick to Quebec and which a joint-
stock Company was to construct with the sanction
of the British Government. The International
dispute as to the boundary between New Bruns-
wick and the State of Maine caused the postpone-
ment of this undertaking, and the Ashburt jii treaty
under which certain territory, claimed and
occupied by Great Britain, was ceded to the United
States, caused the project to be abandoned. Several
other plans for constructing a railway from the
sea-board to Quebec through British territory were
successively mooted, matured and laid aside. The
great work was ultimately begun and completed,
without half the difficulty which was expected and
with more advantage to those primarily affected
than had been imagined or foretold.

Tliough not so gigantic a work as the Pacific
Railway from Omaha to San Francisco, it is yet
no trifling display of cngineerhig capacity. Its

122

Intercolonial Railway,

! ,V

\\v

I :

total length, including branches to Pictou and
Shediac, is 713 miles. A more substantial line of
rail is not to be found anywhere. The permanent
way is in admirable condition; the rails are of
steel ; the brid^res are of stone or iron ; the engines
and carriage ire iiade of the best materials and
on the latest ] odels in the Government workshops
at Moncton. It is indisputable that the snowfall
is very heavy and the cold is intense in winter
throughout much of the country through which the
line runs. A part of it passes along a tract 743
feet above the sea level. In the Meta^edia
Valley the weather is fre([uently severe, yet the
detention of a train owing to bad weather is rarer
than in the Highlands of Scotland. This is
largely due to the careful provision which has been
made for all contingencies. Wherever the snow
is likely to drift and bar the passage of a train,
fences have been erected to keep it off the line ;
where it might fill up a cutting, snow sheds have
been built ; one of these sheds, which is upwards
of a mile in length, cost $1,500,00C. In tbis case,
however, the outlay has proved to be judicious
economy. Only a short section of the line has
baffled the efforts of the engineers to render it
perfectly free from risk or irouble ; tbis consists
of a vast slope composed of clay down which, in
the spring-time, a heavy mass sometimes slides

Workshops at Moncion.

and sweeps rails and eyerytliing else before it.
Various remedies have been tried in vain. As the
clay is of excellent quality and bricks are in demand,
it might serve a double purpose to erect a brick-
making machine and thus turn the erratic clay to
useful account.

During my visit to Moncton, the headquarters
of the Railway, I had the privilege of inspecting the
Company's workshops and offices under the
guidance of Mr. Bruce, the Chief Clerk, who was in
temporary charge during the absence of Mr.
Pottinger, the Government Superintendent, to
whom I had an introduction. I was impressed
with the business-like way in which everything
was t^rranged and executed- The workshops are
on a large scale, consisting of three huge buildings
which cover 70 acres ; as many as 2000 men being
employed when the demand for making or repair-
ing cars and locomotives is at its height. A proof
of the care with which the line is managed is the
fixct that carefully compiled Moteorological tables
are kept at each station and forwarded at regular
intervals to the head office, where they are filed
for reference. This ii ly seem superfluous, yet
it is an eminently sensible as well as a practi-
cal arrangement. Should the ]\Ianager be called
upon to make compensation for damage to goods
in course of transit, it may happen that tlio

I* I

I' I

I i
^1

i
1

'■y

I •!

-.1.1

"»

124

Ifitercolonial Railway.

damago is entirely due to excessive heat or exces-
sive cold or to a condition of the weather which
exonerates the railway authorities from blame and
from any liability to pay damages. By referring to
the Meteorological tables on the given day at
the place in question, the state of the weather can
be ascertained and thus a dispute may be averted
or settled.

There can be no doubt that the Intercolonial
Railway is excellently constructed and admirably
managed. The Chief Clerk, Mr. Bruce, who
readily afforded me all the information I desired
and displayed a courtesy which I heartily acknow-
ledge, and Mr. Pottinger, the Superintendent,
whose praise I heard from many mouths and
whose ability is demonstrated by his success,
evidently do their duty without reproach. Yet I
am not convinced that a great railway should be
a Government undertaking. The temptation to
appoint or promote railway officers for party ser-
vices rather than for personal merit is hard to
resist and it is not easy to satisfy the public that
Government patronage is uninfluenced by political
considerations. Whenever this line is a paying
property the Canadian Government would show
wisdom in leasing it for a term of years. They
would then be able to count upon an annual return
without running any risk. Hitherto the working

ser-
:d to

that

litical

tying

Isliow

iThey

)tuni

toig

Scenery alo7ig the Line,

125

expenses have been in excess of the receipts, but
the days of deficits appear to be numbered. The
rate of increase has been rapid and, with one
exception, continuous. In 1876-7 the deficit ^ aS
$307,000 ; in 1877-8, it was 8232,000 ; in 1878-9,
it was $547,867 ; in 1879-80, it fell to $97,131.
A profit has accrued at the time I write. This
is the manner in which the prediction has been
justified that the Intercolonial would never earn
enough wherewith to pay for the grease on the
axles of the wheels.

The Intercolonial Railway is not only an in-
valuable means of intercommunication between
the Maritime and mid-Provinces of Canada, but
it offers many attractions to tourists. From Hali-
fax to Quebec the distance is 686 miles. After
leaving Halifax the scenery begins to attract the
beholder, nothing can be more charming than the
chain of lakes with wooded islands nor can any-
thing be more weird than the tract of country
strewn with boulders, ivjout thirty miles along
the way the Gold quartz mining district is reached.
Ten miles further on is Shubenacadie on a river of
that name which divides Nova Scotia into two
parts and abounds in shad and salmon. I was
told that the sunsets at Shubenacadie were gor-
geous in the extreme. The statement was verified
in my own experience ; never have I seen sunsets

ft'
I'

• 1

J t

1 1 /

M|j

I
f

i;
I

I't!

'Il

•i

S'!'

126

Intercolonial Railway.

elsewhere that presented so many marvellous and
brilliant effects. Truro, a refreshment station,
was a small village before the railway was made ;
now it is a town of 5000 inhabitants. Ifc is sur-
rounded by meadows and it has the benefit of the
ocean breeze from the Bay of Fundy. At London-
derry, a station further on, shipbuilding is the
chief industry. Here the Acadian Charcoal Iron
Company's works are situated ; these works have
been acquired by English capitalists. The outlay
upon them has been 300,00OZ. and they are ex-
pected to yield, when in full operation, 20.000
tons of pig iron annually. The railway runs
through the small settlement of Ishgonish, where
rabbits are as plentiful as at Ostend. A local
firm catches and tins these rabbits and exports
them to England. The tins are labelled " Pre-
served Hare." Purchasers of Nova Scotia pre-
served hare ought to see that the contents of the
tins tally with the label. The course of the line
over the Cobequid Hills is very picturesque, the
elevation reached being 600 feet, and the view both
far and near being exceedingly beautiful. Where
the level country is gained lies the village of Oxford,
which is noted for its manufactu es of carpenters'
tools and wooden boxes. After entering the
Province of New Brunswick, the most notable
place on the line is Dorchester on the left bank

Newcastle.

127

of the Peticodiac River. Kear this place a mineral
called " jet coal " is found in large quantities. It
is as rich in gas as cannel coal. I pass over
Moncton which I have already described and
name Newcastle as next in order of note. It is
the most important business place in New Bruns-
wick after St. John. Like St. John it has been
swept away by fire and rebuilt in a more attrac-
tive style though not a more substantial manner,
wood being principally u,sed instead of stone which
is quite as abundant and nearly as cheap. The
Miramichi river on which it is situated is one
of the largest in the Province, being 220 miles
long and having a width of 9 miles at its mouth.
At Bathurst the sightseer, as well as the angler,
will be repaid should he visit the Grand Falls on
the Nequissiquit River. These Falls are 140 feet
in heis:ht, and are sublime specimens of natural
scener;y . On the banks of another river, the Tete-
a-Gauche, is to be found the curious Wax-yielding
plant, Myvch Conifeya ; candles made from i\\h
wax are commonly used in the locality. Camp-
bellton, which is 872 miles from Halifax is a place
well known to the passengers who leave by the
night express on Saturday, as they have to remain
here all Sunday, the running of trains being for-
bidden on Sunday in Canada. The attractions of
Campbellton, which greatly resemble those of the

'I
'1

J ll'

I1i

1-28

Intercolonial Railway.

town in Scotland nfter which it was named, would
be more appreciated if they were not seen under
compulsion. From this point to Metapedia the
first village in the Province of Quebec, the scenery
is diversified and the places at which the tourist
might halt are many. No finer fishing can be
had a^xywhere than in the Restigouche and Meta^
pedia Rivers ; the valleys of both streams abound
with game while the scenery is on as vast and im-
posing a scale as in the Alps, while it has at times
all the soft efiects which enchant the traveller in
the Pyrenees. A pretty place in the Metapedia
Valley bears the unpronounceable name of Assa-
metquaghan. Shortly after this valley is left
behind, the line nears the St. Lawrence, and runs
at no great distance from it for upwards of 200
miles till entering the terminus at Point Levi
opposite Quebec. Here the Intercolonial ends
and the Grand Trunk begins. In the latter part
of the journey there are many places which tempt
a halt, chief among them is Cacouna the fashion-
able watering-place of the Dominion. Here the
visitors can amuse themselves by bathing, boat-
ing, fishing and shooting. There are several large
and well-managed hotels at Cacouna, which is not
only a pleasant place of resort for the holiday-
maker, but also enjoys the reputation of restoring
health to invalids.

Mr. yustice Henry.

129

irge
I not
lay-
:ing

I journeyed over the Intercolonial from St.
John to Shediac, from Pictou to Halifax and from
Halifax to Quebec. A piece of pleasant personal
experience on the last journey deserves mention.
This consisted in forming the acquaintance of
Mr. Justice Henry, a Judge of the Supreme Court
of Canada. He is a native of Nova Scotia and
took a leading part in the affairs of that Province.
He was an earnest advocate of the Intercolonial
Railway and of the Canadian Confederation. In
addition to being an active and a respected poli-
tician, he distinguished himself as a law reformer ;
it was at his suggestion and under his guidance
that the Statutes of his native Province were re-
vised, a work which was praised in the House of
Lords by Lord Campbell, then Lord Chancellor.
The reforms in legal procedure introduced by him
are vast improvements on the old state of things.
At a dinner given in his honour by the Bar of
Nova Scotia in 1876, after his appointment as
Justice of the Supreme Court and before hiy de-
parture for Ottawa, the Lieutenant-Governor, Mr.
Archibald, said " It is fair to say that on our smaller
scale Mr. Justice Henry has had the honour of
initiating in this Province something in the same
line of policy which has lately been carried out in
England. If his bill did not succeed at once, it,
at all events, entitles him to be considered as one

.1.':

, 'I

J^I'T

t ■ f

130

!iM''

Grand Trunk Railway.

of the earliest and oldest advocates in this country
of a policy on the subject of judicial tribunals,
which has, after a long struggle, prevailed in the
Mother country." I was gratified to learn from
Mr. Justice Henry that the Canadian Supreme
Court is working satisfactorily and fully attaining
the objects of its originators. The cost of litiga-
tion is reduced, owing to appeals to the Privy
Council occurring in exceptional cases only. The
existence of the Supreme Court adds to, while
gratifying national feeling in Canada. I have
had the good fortune to become acquainted with
several Canadian Judges and I have been impressed
not only with their professional attainments, bub
with their readiness to adapt themselves to
changes of every kind and with their power of
dealing with all matters as men of the world as
well as trained lawyers. Among them Mr. Justice
Henry is not the least notable.

•\

I I

11.

The Grand Trunk Railway of Canada is a sadly
familiar name in many an English household.
When the line was projected its shares and bonds
were considered so good and safe an investment
that thrifty parents bought them as a provision
for their wives and children. During its con-

Mr. Hicksofi^s Matagemcnt.

131

;

struction the interest on the bonds was punctually
paid. It is now difficult to credit that the Fourth
Preference Bonds were once quoted at upwards
of 70?. each in the Stock Exchange official list.
After the opening of the Victoria Bridge, when
the interest on the bonds was to be paid out of
earnings, many an English family was reduced to
poverty, no surplus having accrued wherewith to
meet the interest on all the bonds and to divide
something among the shareholders. Writing on
" Railways ; their Cost and Profits " in the WcsU
minster Bevieiu for October 1862, 1 stated that the
Grand Trunk Railway was perhaps the most un-
successful undertaking of the time : " it has been
made fifty years too soon for pro:it, but not a day
too soon for the Province." This prediction has as
good a prospect of being verified as any prediction
about the future of a railway. The receipts are
now increasing so largely that bondholders who
despaired of their lot are now receiving a return,
and the case of the shareholders iias ceased to be
absolutely hopeless. This pleasing transformation
is due, both to the progressive improvement in
traffic, and to the great organizing and administra-
tive ability of the General Manager, Mr. Hickson,
whose policy has been ably carried into effect by
his assistant Mr. Drinkwater and a well- selected
and an efficient staff.

K 2

J'*
\K'

'•.a

I;
if'

II !

i i!

132

Grmid Trunk Raihuay,

The traveller bound West from the citj of
Quebec can now journey over the Grand Trunk
as far as Chicago. By securing a direct through
line to the great city of Illinois, the Manager and
Directors of the Grand Trunk have displayed as
much judgment as boldness. Moreover, the Inter-
colonial acts as a feeder to their line, so that the
connexion by rail is unbroken between Halifax on
the Atlantic and Chicago on Lake Michigan.

A feeder to the Grand Trunk of great value is
now in course of construction. It starts from Sher-
brooke and runs through New Brunswick till it
joins the railway in that Province which now runs to
St. John. The saving in distance between the sea-
board and Montreal over this line will be 200 miles,
and the result may be to make St. John a still
more dangerous rival to Halifax. It is possible
also that the Intercolonial may be injurious^
Tiffected, yet of this I am very doubtful. The
local traffic on the Intercolonial will not be di-
minished, and this is quite as remunerative as the
through traffic. Indeed, there is ample room for
both lines. When this new route is open the
Grand Trunk will have three termini on the
Atlantic, one at Portland in Maine, a second at
Halifax in Nova Scotia and a third at St. John in
Now Brunswick. When the Canadian Pacific
Railway is finished, the Grand Trunk will form

Glut of Traffic.

133

isty
'he
di-

Itlio
for

Ithe

Itlio

ifio

rill

an important and profitable link in the iron road
which will then pass across British Territory
from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans.

It is eleven years since I first travelled over the
Grand Trunk Railway ; on my last journey I could
scarcely fancy that the line was the same, so com-
plete had been the improvement in the interval.
At the date of my earliest trip over the Grand
Trunk, the chance of arriving at the appointed
hour was very slight ; the probabihty of a break-
down, if not of a serious accident, being very great,
the oscillation and jumping of the cars being
intolerable. Now, the trains run with remarkable
punctuality and with a smoothness equal to that
on the best railway in England or elsewhere; acci-
dents have happily become very rare. It seems
to me that there is as much goods and passenger
traffic on the line as can be accommodated ;
the pressure on the rolling stock is specially
severe between Montreal and Toronto. Another
line of rails may yet have to bo added between
these two places. I think, however, that the
struggles of the Grand Trunk as a commercial
undertaking are nearing their close and that the
long expected period of prosperity is about t(?
begin. Everything that can bo done by skilful
manngement to make the lino remunerative has
been carefully attended to, and the shareholders

I ;i

t I

'l»^i;

i' i

!1.

134

Non'thcryi Railway.

may ye^ find that tlieir patience lias not been tried
in vain, and that the sanguine expectations which
they once cherished about future profits were
premature rather than baseless.

HI.

While the Grand Trunk runs west beyond
Toronto, another line, the Northern, running in
a north-westerly direction, connects that city
with Collingwood on Georgian Bay. The distance
between the two places is 95 miles. At Allandaie
a branch runs to the Muskoka district, that pic-
turesque region of wood and water which bears
many resemblances to the Highlands of Scotland.
The total length of the Northern with its
branches is 1G7 miles. It has been under the
management of Colonel Cumberland since 1859.
Befijre his advent, the prospect of the line becom-
ing remunerative was very slight. A great change
for the better has now taken place, the vigour
and ability of Colonel Cumberland having altered
the prospects of the railway. Not only is the line
in an admirable state for transporting goods and
passengers, but its stations are models of neatness
and good taste. The sight of a pretty garden at
a station is common enough in England, but it is

Mnskoka Lakes,

135

t is

so rare in Canada and the United States that the
flowers, grass and shrubbery at the stations on
the Northern Railway impress a stranger as ex-
ceedingly effective.

The country through which the Northern Rail-
way runs after leaving Toronto is well adapted
for farming. The Vale of Aurora is a district in
which good grain is grown and horses and sheep
of the best kinds are reared. Beyond the village
of Aurora is Newmarket which is noted for manu-
factures. Half-way between Toronto and Col-
lingwood is the Holland River Marsh, a spot
where snipe and wild duck abound and where
there is also excellent fishing. At AUandale, the
junction for the Muskoka branch, the prospect is
lovely. This place and Barrie are on Kempenf eldt
Bay in Lake Simcoe. This Lake as well as the
Lakes in the Muskoka district are not like the
huge inland seas which entirely upset the ideas of
Lakes formed by visitors to the north of England,
the Highlands of Scotland and to Switzerland.
The sheets of water in this part of Canada while
seldom too vast to be embraced at a single glance,
are exquisite in their surroundings.

It is fifteen years since the Muskoka district
was thrown open for settlement and free grants
of land were made to those persons who should
fix their homes there. The influx of settlers has

if!

I ^ > Northern Railway,

been considerable ; tlie inhabitants numbered 300
in 1861 ; tliey now number about 10,000. Many
persons have been disappointed because the land
is of small value for the agriculturist, though
furnishing a beautiful prospect to the tourist.
The settler naturally prefers fine soil to fine
scenery. Moreover, the country was in a wild
state when the first settlers went thither and was
not so easily farmed as in the west, where the
prairie is ready for the plough. But the early
failures of a few have been the exceptions and the
country is now becoming filled with industrious
and thriving families. Year after year it is grow-
ing in favour as a place of summer resort, being
to Ontario what the Highlands are to England.
All this brings tri.ffic to the Northern Railway.

Collingwood is the most important station on
the line, being the place of departure and arrival
of the steamers which ply between this town and
Duluth at the head of Lake Superior. Other
lines of steamers run between Collingwood and
Chicago. As the West becomes more populous
and the surplus of products increases in amount,
the trade on the Northern Lakes must grow in a
corresponding ratio and this increase will add
more trafl&c to the Northern Railway. It stands
fourth, in the extent of its traffic, among Canadian
lines of rail. As the line whereby north-western

hough

Future Prospects. 137

Ontario will be developed and which will profit,
m turn, by such development, it stands first.
Possessing a virtual monopoly of an important
tract of country, the Northern should attain a
high place among the most successful Canadian
Railways.

.f'

-■^\

CHAPTER VI.

ACROSS LAKE SUPERIOR.

The traveller bound for the Canadian Far West,
who crosses the Atlantic in an Allan liner,
reaches Toronto by rail after landing at Halifax,
Rimouski or Quebec. Unless he shall have made
up his mind before leaving home as to the route
which he will take in order to arrive at Manitoba,
he finds at Toronto that three courses are open
to him and that each has its professed advantage
or special temptation. First, he may proceed to
"Winnipeg by rail. If he travel night and da}^ he
is at his journey's end in three days and a half.
Second, he may proceed to Sarnia on Lake
Huron over the Grand Trunk Railway, embark
there in a steamer for Duluth, at the head of
Lake Superior, where he takes the train for
Winnipeg. Third, ho may proceed to Colling-
wood on Georgian Bay over the Northern of
Canada Railway, where a steamer will carry him

Uing-
rn of
liitn

The North Shore Route.

139

to Duluth whence he continues his journey as in
the second case. The time occupied in the third
of these cases is four days and a half, being one
day shorter than by the Sarnia route and one day
longer than the direct route by rail. In addition
to the Jiaving in time, the third route has the
advantage over the second that the voyage is
made along the North Shore of Lake Superior
where the scenery is bolder and more varied than
on the South. During five months out of the
twelve, Lake Superior is closed to navigation;
the open season begins at the end of April and
closes at the end of November. As the boats
were running, I determined to cross the Lake and,
after careful consideration, I elected to start from
Collingwood in order to enjoy the attractions of
the North Shore route.

Five hours after leaving Toronto on a Thurs-
day forenoon, I reached Collingwood and I
looked for the C'dy of Winnipeg, the steamer
which was advertised to leave the wharf shortly
after the arrival of the train. I looked in vain.
The steamer did not get to Collingwood on her
return trip till Saturday evening, having })een
detained owing to boisterous weather and having
been so much injured that she had to be docked
for repairs. On Sunday evening the Frances
Smith, another steamer of the same line, reached

140

Across Lake Stiperior,

CoUingwood and her Captain reported that he
had encountered a gale on the upward trip which
jeopardized the vessel's safety and did some
damage to her. After being temporarily re-
paired, she started for Duluth on Monday night.
I was not sorry to leave CoUingwood, having
grown tired of waiting there four days for a
steamer which might appear at any mo-
ment.

In other circumstances I might have liked
CoUingwood better. The town is of recent date.
It stands upon what was formerly a cedar swamp.
Its advance in importance has been rapid. The
population numbers 4000. CoUingwood is ad-
mirably situated for the purposes of commerce ;
the greater part of Ontario's trade with the
Upper Lakes must pass through it. The soil iu
the immediate vicinity is poor, yet certain vege-
tables and fruits flourish there, the vield of
exc€'llent plums being very large. Small though
CoUingwood be, it is yet rich enough to support
two weekly newspapers and one daily. There
are many attractive villas in the neighbourhood
where the prosperous merchants reside. There
is an Episcopalian, a Methodist and a Roman
Catholic Church and two Presbyterian Churches.
In the two principal hotels the traveller is hciu.sed
at a very moderate charge. At one of them I

that lie
) which
i some
rily re-
■ night,
having
5 for a
y mo-

D liked

at date.

swamp.

[. The
is ad-

TTierce ;

th the
soil in
vege-
eld of
hough

|upport
lliere
rliood
There
Oman
grebes.
Lctu&ed
bem I

A Landlord s Career.

141

obtained a comfortable room and excellent food
for the small sum of §1 a day.

The proprietor of the hotel told me an inte-
resting story of his struggles with fortune. Born
in the North of Ireland, he came to Canada at an
early age. He migrated to Collingwood, where
he followed the trade of a shoemaker. Being a
skilful workman he was able to save a little
money and to employ men to execute the orders
he received. He had p.s many as eight men in
his employment and h^ct plenty of business when
he was obliged to suspend payment owing to the
bad debts which he made. Then he became hotel
keeper, prospered in that capacity and paid all
his old creditors in full, the sum required for the
purpose being $2500. Soon afterwards his hotel
was burnt down ; he was uninsured and lost every-
thing except a good name and credit. On the
strength of his credit he borrowed money, where-
with to buy the site on which his hotel had stood,
and to erect a new building. He has now paid
off all his liabilities and is independent. He
ascribes his success in life to working hard and
minding his own business. He told me that his
feeling for Ireland was as warm as ever, but that
he felt ashamed of many Irishmen. He spoke
highly of the neighbouring country as a place
where farmers can prosper. There are many

1
1

; i-

142

Across Lake Superior.

\\y

farms of lOOacreswitli substantial house and offices
which can be bought for $7000. In several cases
farms ar3 for sale because the possessors have not
inherited their fathers' virtues as well as their
acres. Taking life easily and giving to pleasure
the energy which ought to be expended in their
fields, these young men find that they have to raise
money by mortgaging their land, and are often
obliged to part with the land because they cannot
meet tho interest on the mortgages.

The Frances Smith is a paddle steamer. For
sea-going purposes a steamer propelled by
paddles is inferior to one propelled by a
scr^w, but the former commonly affords superior
accommodation to passengers. I had a better
furnished and more spacious state-room in the
Frances Smith than is to be found on the best
Atlantic liners. I cannot imagine anything more
enjoyable in fine summer weather than a trip
in such a steamer. But when the equinoctial
gales are blowing and Lake Superior is a raging
sea, a steamer like this is neither comfortable nor
staunch. If the engines brcke down the vessel
would be at the mercv of the waves. On a
screw steamer sail can bb carried which might
prove serviceable in the event of damage to the
machinery. The voyage was tedious owing to
stormy weather. Leaving Colling wood on Mon-

d offices
i\ cases
lave not
as tlieir
aleasure
in tlieir
I to raise
re often
f cannot

jr. For
lied by
L by a
superior
1 better
in the
lie best
lof more
a trip
dnoctial
raging
ible nor
vessel
On a
miglit
to the
dng to
Mon-

Tempestuotis Weather.

143

day night we did not reach Dulutli till the suc-
ceeding Monday morning, though we were due on
the previous Thursday night. Captain Robertson,
who has had seven years' experience of navigating
Lake Superior, had never seen a worse season ;
this does not prove much, however, for the Cap-
tains of steamships always appear to think that
the present bad weather is unprecedented. This
is their mode of flattering passengers ; the latter
are rather proud of hearing that their experience
of the weather is altogether exceptional and that
their survival is almost miraculous. However,
the Captain of the Frances Smith demonstrated
that he considered the weather very bad, for,
rather than face the gale blowing in Georgian
Bay, he remained twelve hours in the sheltered
harbour of Owen Sound. Another steamer which
left CoUingwood for Chicago soon after we
started, was driven on an island in Georgian Bay
and became a total wreck. The Captain of
our steamer had the greater reason for caution
because the boat was obviously over-laden.
There were several horses and fifty head of cattle
on board ; cargo was piled in every spot where
space could be found; ample provision seemed
to have been made for causing what would have
been misnamed an accident.

Though the weather was unpropitious for full

144

Across I ake Superior.

enjoyment of the scenery, yet I saw enough to
lead me to concur in the praise lavished upon it.
As many as ten thousand islands or islets have
been counted in Georgian Bay and this figure is
believed to be far under the mark. Many are
wooded ; they differ in shape and they give a
variety tp the landscape which is exceedingly
charming. The steamer was a whole day thread-
ing its course among this maze of islets. Killarney
on the north shore is the fourth stopping-place
after leaving CoUingwood; it is a village con-
sisting of about twenty houses and a church.
The land is very poor in the neighbourhood ; the
laurentian formation is conspicuous, the out-
cropping of bare rock being more frequent than
patches of soil. The people are Indians and Half-
Breeds who live by catching fish and gathermg
fruit. They had many tubs of freshly caught
white fish and salmon trout and barrels of cran-
berries for sale, the latter costing $5 each.
Specimens of Indian embroidery were in a store
over which was a sign " Indian Works." As a
few of the houses were new, I inferred that the
village of Killarney was flourishing.

A very different impression was produced by
the sight of the Bruce mines. This was once a
busy settlement; now it is in decay; many of
the houses are empty and the church seems

The Brtice Mines,

145

iigli to
pon it.
s have
jure is
ny are
give a
jdingly
]hread-
Uarney
g-place
;e con-
jliurcli.
id; the
16 out-
it than
Half-

iiermg
caught
cran-
each.

1 store
As a

at the

ed by
)iice a
my of
seems

falling into ruin. The copper-mines around
which the settlement had gathered belong to an
English Company. At one time they were very
remunerative. A gentleman who had managed
one of the principal mines told me that, if copper
were to fetch 16tL a pound again all these mines
would return large dividends, but that, at the
present price of copper, they must be worked at
a heavy loss. The works are stopped and the
machinery is not only idle, but it is deteriorating
rapidly. However, the English Company is so
fortunate as to possess in addition to unproduc-
tive mines, 6500 acres of good farming land, for
which there is a demand ; the capital sunk in the
mines may be partly replaced from their sale.

The Bruce mines are 307 miles from Colling-
wood. After leaving them the steamer enters the
St. Mary's Kiver, connecting Lake Superior with
Lake Huron ; it is about sixty miles long. For a
great part of its course it bears no resemblance to
a stream, being rather a series of shallow lakes,
among which Bear Lake and St. George's Lake
are the most important. At the outlet of tbe
latter the Neebish Kapids attract attention, chiefly
because the current is so much less sluggish there
than at other parts. The St. Mary's Eiver is
meandering as well as shallow ; at parts the space
between the banks is narrow and the banks them-

i': I

) i ,

^.1

(

II'

146

Across Lake Superior.

selves are very picturesque. When I saw them,
their rocky sides were not only tinted with many
colours but their summits were crowned with
trees glowing in the gorgeous tints of a Canadian
autumn. On the northern side there is an Indian
reservation whereon an Indian tribe, under the
rule of Chief Francis, lives by fishing and farming.
In physique the chief strikingly resembles the
great Duke of Wellington and in character lie is
quite as shrewd. He resists all encroachrner cs on
his domain. The Quebec and Lake Superior
Mining Company discovered a silver-mine to
which access could be had only through the
Indian reservation. Chief Francis refused to
allow the Company's servants to exercise the
right of way which they claimed on the technical
ground that the land was unfenced. When the
Indians understood the nature of the claim, they
lost no time in surrounding the land with fences
of the strangest and most primitive kind and thus
check-mated the Company. Chief Francis stands
upon his legal right, and he will neither surrender
his title to the land nor sell any of it. The
Canadian Government respect his title, and there
is no likelihood of Chief Francis having to make
any change against his will. He knows that a
treaty with Indians is always scrupulously
respected wherever the British flag floats.

Homes f 07' Indian Children.

A little way further up the river, at Sault Ste.
Marie, on the Canadian side, is the Shingwauk Home
established six years ago by members of the
Church of England in Canada for the training of
young Indian boys. Two years ago the Wawanosh
Home was estabhshed for training Indian girls.
There is accommodation for eighty boys and thirty
girls. The Government gives a small subsidy to
the Homes, but voluntary contributions are their
chief support. As is common with charitable
institutions these two labour under the drawback
of poverty. I am assured that both have been
appreciated by the Indians, who are glad to send
their children to be educated and, I may add,
civilized there. A little monthly paper printed at
the Boys' Home called the Algoma Missionary Neiva
and Sliinrjiimuh Journal gives information about
missionary progress among the Indians. The
profits from the sale go to the support of the
Home ; the yearly subscription is only 85 cents.
Moreover, any one who desires to support a boy
or girl, including clothing, can do so by paying
$75 a year. The purposes and wants of these
Homes only require to be generally known for
their prosperity to be assured. It is through sucli
agencies that the Indians of Canada will not only
remain peaceful dwellers in the land, but are
prepared and disposed to exercise the privileges of

L 2

■III

'ill

148

Across Lake Superior,

citizensliip to whicli they are entitled, under
Canadian law, whenever they choose to comply
with the requisite formalities.

On the Michigan side the land is good and
well-cultivated. The most comfortable looking
house and the best laid grounds belong to Mr.
Church who has accumulated a fortune by making
raspberry jam. He settled here when this part
of the State was unpeopled by white men
and he employed Indians to gather the wild
raspberries which grow in profusion. He made
them into jam which he forwarded for sale
in the more settled and civilized parts of tho
United States. His jam grew into favour with
the public and he became very rich.

At Sault Ste. Marie the steamer passes through
a canal into Lake Superior. This canal is a fine
example of engineering skill, but it will soon be
superseded by a still finer example. The second
canal is an admirable piece of work, every part
being built of the most durable materials. Vessels
drawing sixteen feet of water will be able to pass
through the new canal. It is not creditable to
Canada that no such canal has been made on her
side of tho rapids. The natural difficulties are
far less there, while the advantages of a canal
through Canadian territory are obvious.

As a spectacle, the Rapids are very striking.

Fishing in the Rapids,

149

For the distance of a mile the waters of Lake
Superior rush down over shelving rocks ; at
intervals in the descent, islets, covered with trees,
form obstacles to the hurrying waters which eddy
and foam around them. In the eddies white fish
lie and feed till they fall a prey to the Indian
fisherman. It is nearly two centuries and a half
since the Sault Ste. Marie was first visited by
white men. In 1641, two Jesuit missionaries.
Fathers Raymbault and Jorgues, pushed their
explorations as far as this place. They then
found an Indian village of two thousand persons
on the spot where a small United States city now
stands. For centuries the Chippewa Indians had
made this a place of abode, living on the white fish
that swarm in the Rapids. The mode of fishing
is unlike any which I ever saw practised. Two
Indians stand upright at either end of a canoe and
force it up the swift running stream. One attends
to keeping the canoe's head up stream while the
other watches for a fish ; on seeing one he scoops
it out with a small net attached to a pole six feet
long. The pole, with the net attached, is not
easily handled on land ; when a fish weigliing
from ten to fifteen pounds is in it, the phy-
sical exertion required to raise the net must bo
great. There is a knack in this as in all other
feats ; but it is one which none but Indians are

I50

Across Lake S2ipcrior.

(' I

known to acquire. The Indians get 2 cents a
pound for the fish they catch, which are packed in
ice and sent to Detroit. The fish caught in the
Kapids are better eating than those caught above
or below them, the flesh being firmer and the
taste being more delicate. I never enjoyed a
greater delicacy than a piece of white fish which I
ate within half an hour after t!ie fish had been
swimming in the water. Another new sensation
I did not covet. This consists in running the
Eapids in a canoe. Adventurous and curious
persons can have their desire gratified by Indians
in exchange for $5. The first step is the payment
which is enforced before-hand, the next is to
^ spend a couple of minutes in breathless excitement,
as the canoe spins down the foaming water, and
to be drenched by the spray through which the
canoe passes, the final conclusion being that the
game is not worth the cost.

When one looks at these Rapids where fishing
has been prosecuted in the same fashion for
centuries, one is not so greatly struck with the
little change in this respect which has taken
place, as with the greatness of other changes.
Powerful Indian tribes, whom the first white man
laboured to conciliate before essaying their con-
version, have passed away leaving only names
behind. The Jesuit Fathers who visited this spot

A Historic Ceremony.

151

and

would have less difficulty in recognizing it again
if they could return to earth, than in realizing the
transformation in the position of that great French
nation which they admirably represented and
devotedly served in the wilds of western Canada.
Few scenes ia French colonial history are so
memorable as that of which this place was the
theatre on the 14th of June, 1671. A grand
council then assembled, in which fourteen Indian
tribes were represented, where the Rev. Claude
Dablon, Superior of the Lake Missions, Fathers
Gabriel Druillettes, Claude AlloUez, and Louis
Andre represented the Church, and where M.
Daumont de St. Lusson with fifteen of his followers
represented the Govei-nment of Louis the Four-
teenth. A large cross was blessed by Father
Dablon and erected on a hill, while the Frenchmen,
with bare heads, sang the Vexilla Regis. Near the
cross a post was fixed in the ground and to it was
fastened a metal plate on which the royal arms
were engraved; the Exaudkit was sung and a
prayer oflfered for the King during this part of
the ceremony. Then Daumont do St. Lusson stood
forth with upraised sword in one hand and a clod

of earth in the other and said in a loud voice :
*' In the name of the most high, mighty, and
renowned monarch Louis, Fourteenth of that
name, most Christian King of France and Navarre,
I take possession of this phice, Sainte Marie du

.' -'.I

''f

152

Across Lake Superior.

I ;

Saut, as also of Lakes Huron and Superior, tlie
Island of Manatoulin, and all countries, rivers, lakes,
and streams contiguous and adjacent thereunto;
both those which have been discovered and those
wh ich may be discovered hereafter, in all their length
and breavith, bounded on the one side by the seas cf
the North and of the "West, and on the other by the
South Sea : declaring to the nations thereof that
from this time forth they are vassals of his Majesty,
bound to obey his laws and follow his customs :
promising to them on his part all succour and
protection against the incursions and invasions of
their enemies : declaring to all other potentates,
princes, sovereigns, states and republics, — to them
and to their subjects, — that they cannot and are not
to seize and settle upon any parts of the aforesaid
countries, save only under the good pleasure of
his most Christian Majesty, and of him who will
govern on his behalf; and this on pain of incurring
his resentment and the efforts of his arms. Long
live the King." '

After the representative of the King had

performed his oflBcial duty. Father Alloiicz

harangued the Indians about the ceremonies

which they had witnessed, impressing upon them

that they should w^orship Christ upon the Cross,

and honour and obey the King, who, he told

them, had no equal upon earth. M'tny fulsome

panegyrics were passed upon Louis during his

' Tranplated and quoted by ^Fr. Parknian in his adniiraLle
work "The Discovery of tho Great West," pp. 41-2.

Panegyric on Louis XIV,

15.

lifetime, but none surpassed this one. The

Indians were cold that when Louis goes to war all

his chiefs raise armies. " When he attacks, he is
more fearful than thunder. The earth trembles,
and the air and the sea are on fire from the dis-
charge of his cannon. He has been seen in the
midst of his squadrons covered with the blood of
his enemies ; so many of them has he put to the
sword that he does not number their scalps, but
merely the rivers of blood which he has caused to
flow. He carries such a number of captives with
him that he does not value them, but lets them go
where they please, to show that he does not fear
them. Nobody dares make war on him. All
nations beyond the sea have sued for Peace with
great submission. They come from every quarter
of the globe and listen to him and admire him.
It is he who decides upon the affairs of the world.
What shall I say of his riches ? You think your-
selves very rich when you have ten or twelve sacks
of corn, and hatchets, and kettles and other things
of the kind. He has more cities than you have men,
which are scattered over a space of more tlian five
hundred leagues. In each city there are shops
containing hatchets enoagh to cut all your wood,
kettles enough to cook all your cariboo and sugar
enough to fill all your wigwams. His house extends
fui'therthan from here to the Sault, is higher than
the tallest of your trees, and contains more people
than the largest of your settlements ever contained.'*

It is doubtful whether the Indians to whom

Father Alloiiez recounted the feats and niaguifi-

154

Across Lake Superior,

' !

cence of the great Louis were so much impressed
by the recital as they were by Lake Superior.
The Lak the^^ worshipped. It was the source
of their c .!' M-od and it represented to them the
might and T'!y;n\;.;"y of the ocean. No other sheet
of fresh water on Jie globe is larger or more
wonderful. Its extreme length is 355 miles and
its breadth 160 ; it covers an area of 32,000
square miles. The surface of the Lake is 627 feet
above the sea level ; parts of its bed are several
hundred feet below it ; hence it is one of the
deepest depressions on the earth's face. The
largest and deepest, it is also the coldest body of
water in the world, the temperature not rising
above 35° Fahrenheit when the summer is at its
height. The most skilful and the boldest swimmer
may abandon all hope should he have to swim any
distance for his life in Lake Superior. The sailor
has to exercise the utmost caution when navi-
gating a vessel upon it. Fogs are frequent and
they obscure the air in the twinkling of an eye.
Without any warning the wind often begins to
blow furiously, and lashes the placid bosom of the
Lake into tumultuous waves. The Atlantic during
a gale is not a grander or a more sublime spec-
tacle, and the navigation of the Atlantic is never
a greater test of seamanship than that of Lake
Superior when a storm is raging.

Michipicoten Island.

155

Michipicoten Island, distant about a hun-
dred miles from Sault Ste. Marie, is the first
regular stopping-place after entering the Lake.
The Island rises 800 feet above the water ; it is
richly wooded, the principal trees being maple,
birch, spruce, cedar, balsam and mountain ash.
The climate is more temperate than on the aa -
land. It is probable that the Island may 3cc
a favourite place of resort during the ni. mer
months on account of the extreme salubrity j: the
air. The soil, which is a rich vegetable mt 'A riixed
with sand, is very well fitted for growing root crops.
Beautiful agates are found along the beach. The
visitors who busy themselves in searching for agates
are generally disappointed, as the keeper of the
lighthouse has forestalled them in gathering the
finest specimens. Those persons who buy agates
instead of trying to pick them ap, may amuse
themselves profitably by fi 'hing, as speckled trout
abound close in shore and can easily be caught.

The Jesuit Fathers who werethe earliest explorers
of this region of the Continent have left on record
many interesting particulars about the mineral
riches which a bound on the shores of Lake Superior,
as well as on the islands in it. Father Dablon, in
his Chronicle for 1G69-70, thus refers to the Island
of Michipicoten : " After entering the Lake the
first place met with containing copper is an island

rfi

i! .

I I

) I

156

Across Lake Stiperior.

abont forty or fifty leagues from the Sault, towards
the North Shore, opposite a place called Missipi-
cooatong (Michipicoten.) The savages relate that
it is a floating island, being sometimes near and
and at others afar off. A long time ago four
savages landed there, having lost their way in a
fog, with which the island is frequently sur-
rounded. It was previous to their acquaintance
with the French, and they knew nothing of the
use of kettles and hatchets. In cooking their
meals, as is usual among the savages, by heating
stones and casting them into a birch-bark pail
containing water, they found that they were
almost all copper. After having completed their
meal, they hastened to re-embark, for they were
afraid of the lynxes and hares, which here grow to
the size of dogs. They took with them copper stones
and plates, but had hardly left the shore before
they heard a loud voice exclaiming in an angry
tone *who are the thieves that carry off the cradles
and the toys of my children ? ' They were very
much surprised at the sound, not knowing whence
it came. One said it was the thunder ; another
that it was a certain goblin called Missibizi, thc^
spirit of the waters, like Neptune among the
heathen ; another that it came from theMemogoris-
sioois, who are marine men, living constantly under
the water, like the Tritons and Syrens, having long
hair reaching to the waist, and one of the savages
asserted that he had actually seen such a being. At
any rate, this extraordinary voice produced such
fear that one of them died before landing ; shortly
after, two others died, and one alone reached home,

towards
Missipi-
ate that
ear and
go four
vay in a
tly sur-
lintance
^ of the
ig their
heating
irk pail
jy were
;ed their
icy were
grow to
3r stones
I before
a angry

cradles
3re very

whence
another
3izi, th(i
ng the
nogoris-
ly under
ino^ long;
savages
3ing. At
sd such

shortly
d home,

Discoveries of Copper.

^57

who, after having related what had happened, also
died. Since that time, the savages have not dared to
visit the Island, or even to steer in that direction."

Father Dablon concludes by saying that it is
commonly believed by the savages that the Island
contains an abundance of copper. He also gives
a rational explanation of the phenomena which so
terrified the savages as to make them shun the
spot. The heated stones containing copper which
they put into their birch-bark pail may have
poisoned the meat and caused ths deaths of the
eaters; the supernatural voice may have been an
echo of their own, while the apparent vanishing
and reappearance of the Island may have been
due to fleeting fogs.

It is noteworthy that, while the existence of
minerals was known to the savages who lived
near Lake Superior and was made known by the
first European explorers of that Lake and its
vicinity, the working of the mineral deposits was
not begun there dll nearly two centuries later.
Stransrer still it was ascertained that a race far
older than the savages with whom the Jesuit
Fathers conversed, a race of which little more is
now known than that it existed, must have been
extracting copper from the mines at Lake Su-
perior lor before Columbus set forth to discover
a new w .d. These people are supposed to be

i5«

Across Lake Superior.

Mound Builders ; in the Mounds which are their
only memorials, copper ornaments have been found.
The Indians inhabiting the country had no know-
ledge of mining and no skill in working metals.

In the winter of 1847-8 a most curious dis-
covery was made at the place on the South Shore
of the Lake, near the Ontonagan River, where
the Minnesota mine is situated. There Mr. Knapp
discovered the remains of old workings, and found
a mass of native copper, ten feet long, three feet
wide, nearly two feet thick, and weighing six tons.
The earth has been carefully excavated on all
sides, but the metallic mass proved too heavy to
be removed. In the vicinity were stone hammers,
copper knives and chisels and wooden bowls for
balint; out water. Had not the copper been de-
posited here in its native or pure state these
ancient people could not have mined it. Yet their
operations, though rude, were most ingenious and
they were a people which had made a greater
step in the direction of civilization than the Indians
who succeeded and supplanted them.

"While the citizens of the United States have
carried on Copper-mining at Lake Superior with
great energy and to their pecuniary advantage,
the copper deposits of the like nature on the
Canadian side have remained almost untouched.
The magnitude :>f the mining operations in this

I'll

Value of Native Copper.

159

e their
found,
know-
ils.

lus dis-
L Shore

where
Knapp
i found
fee feet
LX tons.

on all
3avy to
mmers,
>wls for
een de-
3 these
et their
ous and
greater
Indians

3S have
or with
antage,

on the
ouched.

in this

part of the United States may be understood
when I add that the amount of metal extracted
since their beginning is 300,000 tons in weight and
valued at §140,000,000. Several mines have yielded
profits which may be literally termed fabulous.
The shareholders in the Calumet and Hecla, for
instance, receive dividends at the rate of half a
million sterling annually on an original capital of
forty thousand pounds sterling, the market price
of the original capital being '.bout five millions.
Indeed, the tales about the yield of the gold
mines of California and Australia, of the silver
mines on the Comstock lode and at Leadville are
not more wonderful than the authentic story of the
Copper-mines of Lake Superior.

The purity of the Lake Superior native Copper
is remarkable, being as great as that of the same
metal found in Japan and in Siberia. The metal
is pronounced to be chemically pure, leaving no
residuum when dissolved in pure nitric acid,
giving no precipitate when the nitric acid solution
is heated v ith ammonia, containing no trace of
arsenic or other volatile metal. For electric
purposes it is preferred to any other owing to its
superior conductivity ; hence it commands a higher
price in the market and hence, too, the process
of mining this native Copper is more remunera-
tive than that of mining the sulphurets of Copper.

4 ■

, . ■ ;

i ■]

ii.'i, i

i6o

Across Lake Superior.

M^ I

When I visited the Island of Michipicoten I
learned that its mineral treasures are attracting
the attention of capitalists. In addition to de-
posits of native Copper, resembling those on the
South Shore of the Lake, deposits of silver and
nickel have been found. AVith a supineness which
it is difficult to understand and scarcely possible
to justify, the Canadians allow strangers to reap
the profits which the mines in this part of their
territory can easily be made to yield. I was told
that a company formed in the United States
had acquired several acres of land on this
Island where they were mining for native Copper
and that their preliminary operations had been
eminently satisfactory. Still better results were
anticipated by the Quebec and Lake Superior
Mining Company which had acquired ten square
miles of land on the Island. I was unaware at
the time of my visit to the Island that the share-
holders in that Company were indisposed to
furnish the cajiital wherewith to erect machinery,
so as to profit by the explorations which demon-
st"ated that their property was as rich in native
(/opper as other remunerative properties on the
United States side of the Lake. Several months
later I returned to England where I learned that
a Company called the Michipicoten Native Copper
Company had been formed, that Mr. W. \V. Stuart,

Copper Mining Companies.

i6i

oten I
•acting
to de-
on the
'^er and
\ whicli
)0ssible
to reap
)f tlieir
i^as told

States
on tbis

Copper
id been
Its were

uperior
square

ware at

e sliare-

osed to

chinery,
demon-

[n native

on tlio

mouths

nod that
Coppor

. Stuart,

the Chairman of the Quebec and Lake Superior
Mining Company, having purchased the majority
of the shares, had transferred his interest in
ten square miles of the Island of Michipicoten to
the English Company for a sum of 50,000/. in
fully paid up shai'es, these shares not to rank for
dividend till the subscribers of money had received
all their capital back out of profits. I was im-
pressed with the stories which I heard on the spot
and read about the mineral riches of Michipico-
ten Island. I was also struck with the unusually
favourable terms on which the English Company
had acquired a property there, and I thought I
should not act foolishly in becoming a share-
holder in a Company which not only promised so
much, as is the rule in mining companies, but which
appeared likely to be one of the companies which
supplement promise with performance. Other
Companies will doubtless be formed to bring to
the surface and divide among shareholders the
riches which lie below the surface of Michipicoten.
Nor is the mineral wealth confined to the islands
in the Lake. The North Shore also is rich in
copper and silver ; an English company, tlie
Lake Suj)erior Native Copper Company, is now
working a property at Maimainse, in Batchewaung
Bay, whei'e the Copper in the ore a?nounts to
61i per cent, while, in addition, the ore contains

-■^w ■'•r-

162

Across Lake Superior.

silver to the value of 36 ounces per ton. Silver
Islet was the next place at which the Frances
Smith stopped. The passage from Michipicoten
Island to that spot was made in most disagree-
able circumstances. A storm of thunder and
lightning raged for five hours ; seldom have I seen
so much and such vivid lightning ; never have I
seen rain fall so heavily ; the water descended in
sheets. The storm began at 6 o'clock in the
evening ; early on the following morning the rain
ceased, the wind lulled and the sea gradually went
down. A dense fog covered the water. About
8 o'clock in the morning while looking towards
the bow, I heard the roar of surf and I saw rocks
not far distant on the port side. Captain Robert-
son, who was on the look-out, at once ordered the
engines to be reversed, and the steamer began to
go astern in time to prevent any mischief. A
delav of a few minutes would have rendered a
catastrophe unavoidable. It is improbable that
any one would have survived to tell the tale had
the vessel first struck upon the rocks and then gone
tlown in the deep, icy cold water. The coolness
and rapidity with wliich Captain Robertson acted
were appi-eciated by the passengers. It was with a
tinge of incre(hility, liowever, that they heard him
avow \iL liad expected to meet with rocks at the very
place where they loomed ominously through the fog.

i,;.

Mineral Riches.

163

Silver
i^rances
picoten
sagree-
,er and
3 1 seen
[• have I
jnded in
in the
the rain
ally went
About
P towards
saw rocks
V Uobert-
'dered the
. began to

^chief. A
endered a
bable that
le tale had
then gone
[e coolness
•tson acted
was witli a
heard him
at the very
agh tUefog.

A few years ago a Montreal Company was
seeking for silver on an Islet about a mile from
the mainland. Having discovered that the rock
was rich in silver the Company sold the property
to a few citizens of the United States. These
gentlemen have since then taken silver out of this
small rock to the value of two million dollars.
The Islet is a mass of rich silver ore ; it is esti-
mated that eighteen million dollars' worth of
silver may yet bo extracted from it. The searcli
for silver on other islands, such as Isle Royale,
Pie Island, McKellars Island, as well as on the
luainlaud is actively pursued by many persons
who have made valuable discoveries. Indeed,
the prevailing opinion is that the mineral deposits
around Lake Superior and on the islands in it are
extensive and rich beyond calculation.

After leiiving Silver Islet the steamer enters
Thunder Bay, a sheet of water twenty miles in
diameter, girded with lofty lieights and guarded
at its entrance by Thunder Cape, a rugged rocky
lieadland rising 1:550 feet above the sin-face of
the Lake. The cliffs of Thunder Cape extend
in unbroken surface for a distance of s(*ven miles.
When the tempest howls around this mass of
rock the echoes reverberate like claps of tliuuc.'er.
The Indians believe*! the noise to be the voice of
the Great Spirit, Nana-bijoo, speaking to them

Sf 2

\^'

l|t|

1 64

Across Lake Superior,

U! ' I

from out of his dwelling in the clouds. The ex-
planation of the tradition is that a volcano at the
summit, now extinct, once belched forth fire and
lava. A grander or more impressive spectacle
than that presented at this spot it is scarcely pos-
sible to imagine. Prince Arthur's Landing is a
town on the mainland at which the steamer calls,
and here the cattle, which had suffered much
during the voyage and had caused the passengers
no slight discomfort, are sent on shore. The town
itself dates from the time that Sir Garnet Wolseley
started from this place at the head of the Red
River Expedition to suppress Louis Riel's re-
bellion in Manitoba. Prince j^rthur's Landing is
a Lake port of the Canadian Pacific Railway, com-
peting with Fort William to the South as the
terminus of the line. The town has a thousand
inhabitants. It supports two weekly newspapers,
one being the Thunder Bay Sentin'il^ the other the
North Shore Miner. The purpose of the latter is
to chronicle the prospects and progress of mining
in this region. It contains highly eulogistic
articles on the mineral wealth of the Islands in
the Lake and of the mainland. The great demand
is for capital. Lamentations are indulged in as
to the indifference of Canadian capitalists to the
development of the riches which are buried
underground, and tlie remai-k is made that " the

Silver^ Copper, and Iron Deposits. 165

he ex-
at the
ire and
ectacle
ly pos-
liT is a
sr calls,
I mucli
isengers
he town
Volseley
the Red
ieVs re-
bnding is
ay, com-
Li as the
thousand
^spapers,
otlier the
3 latter is
►f mining
eulogistic
slands in
t demand
ged in as
sts to the
•e b\iried
that " the

American capitalist is the one on whom we must
depend for the development of our rich resources.
There are no Canadians who have the push and
stamina sufficient for the purpose." A Frenchman,
Baron de Guichainville, who has taken up his abode
at Prince Arthur's Landing, is labouring to induce
his countrj^men to invest money in a fish-canning
establishment there and also in various mining
enterprises. In addition to the deposits of silver
and copper which have excited much attention
and enriched many persons, this region abounds
in vast deposits of iron ore which may prove as
remunerative when extracted and smelted as
mines of silver or gold.

Not far from Prince Arthur's Landing stands
Fort William, an older settlement on the Kami-
nistiquia River where the Hudson Bay Company
have long had a trading-post. The rivalry bo *^ ween
the inhabitants of the two places is extren In
each place it seems to be an article < faith
that the rival must speedily decay and at the
one which remains will increase rapidly iu wealth
and population. There is ample room ; oppor-
tunity for both. After a ten hours' sail through
scenery of great beauty and variety, the head of
Lake Superior is reached and the steamer is
moored at the wharf of Duluth, the ambitious
city which it was supposed would rival Ch. jgo in

>;r

1 66

Across Lake Superior.

quickness of growth, which is one of the best
puffed cities on the North American Continent
and which is styled by its self-satisfied and
grandiloquent inhabitants, "the Zenith City of
the Unsalted Seas."

e best
itinent
d and
Jity of

CHAPTEK VII.

DULUTH TO WINNTPEG.

Twenty years ago a few enterprising n^id sanguine
men settled on t^ site of Duluth an<^ lesolved to
found a city which should excite the astonishment
and admiration of mankind. They were also
prompted by the desire to eclipse the city at the
head of Lake Superior which then seemed destined
to become a place of importance. They partially
succeeded in their project. It is ui^quostionable
that Duluth has thriven more i . .pidl}- than Superior
city with w'hich it has maintained a constant
rivalry from the outset. Yet the stranger whose
expectations are very moderate will be the least
disappointed with Duluth. Eleven churches and
a few houses scattered upon a hillside are all that
meets the eye when the city is approached from
the Lake. There is a main street in it contain-
ing stores and hotels; there are side streets con-
taining many unoccupied building-sites; there

•a^TM iwiUMM m-Tm

i^^-J^-* - T ' . 1 ^ ^. — »■

i68

Duluth to Winnipeg,

Ri ■ (

are said to be 5000 people in the city, yet nothing
is visible which produces a stronger impression
on a new-comer than that made on the least
observant stranger by the sight of other preten-
tious and quite as populous cities in the United
States or Canada. It must be apparent, however,
to the careful observer that Duluth possesses
natural advantages which almost justify the hopes
and boasts of its founders. This city is the
natural depot for traffic by way of the Lakes to
the interior of the Continent. The opening of
new railways to the west has had the effect of
increasing that traffic and su(3h increase must
coutinue to benefit Duluth.

Cairo on the Mississippi, the *' Eden " where
Martin Chuzzlewit nearly lost his life, is com-
monly supposed to have been more cleverly and
justly ridiculed in its younger days than any
other city in the United States. Quite as much
ridicule has been cast upon Duluth and nothing
has served it so well. None of the advantages
which this city owes to Nature have helped to
make it so attractive as the speech in the United
States Congress which Mr. Proctor Knott, a
representative of Kentucky, delivered in February,
1871, a speech which was designed to scout its
pretensions and to make it the laughing-stock of
the country. Whenever the conductors of Duluth

Mr, Proctor Knotty Speech.

169

)tliing
ession
J least
►reten-
Jnited
wever,
ssesses
i hopes
is the
akes to
ling of
ffect of
e must

where
IS com-
rly and
an any
IS much
nothing
antages

Iped to
B United
;^nott, a
ebruary,
cout its
■stock of
f Duluth

newspapers are at loss for something wherewith
to fill and enliven their columns, a condition of
things which appears to be not infrequent, they
reprint Mr. Proctor Knott's speech and, when-
ever the citizens have nothing better to do, which
appears to be a common occurrence also, they re-
read it with unconcealed satisfaction. Mr. Knott
made for himself a reputation for oratory by this
one speech, resembling that which was made in
the House of Commons by the member who was
not quite accurately nick-named " Single Speech "
Hamilton. Mr. Knott's effort is a striking
example of that mock heroic vein which is sup-
posed to be the forte of "Western orators. It made
him and Duluth the subject of general talk and
celebrity, if it did not confer upon both lasting
fame. It was directed against an application for
a grant of land from the national domain which he
fancied would advance the growth and foster the
prosperity of Duluth. A few extracts will show
the character of a speech which produced a more
lasting impression than hundreds which have been
addressed to Congress in our day and which no
sane person would dream of reprinting from the
volumes in which they are consigned to oblivion
at a large cost to the country. After a laboured
introduction Mr. Knott said : " Years ago, when I
first heard that there was somewhere in the vast

i •

i,,l

170

Dtiluth to Winnipeg.

X III

terra incognita, somewhere in the bleak regions of
the Northwest, a stream of water known to the
nomadic inhabitants of the neighbourhood as the
river St. Croix, I became satisfied that the con-
struction of a railway from that raging torrent to
some point in the civilized world was essential to
the happiness and prosperity of the American
people, if not absolutely indispensable to the per-
petuity of republican institutions on this Continent.
I felt instinctively that the boundless resources of
that prolific region of sand and pine shrubbery
would never be fully developed without a railway
coDstructed and equipped at the expense of the
Government, and perhaps not then. . . .Who
will have the hardihood to rise in his seat on this
floor and assert that, excepting the pine bushes, the
entire region would not produce vegetation enough
in ten years to fatten a grasshopper ? . . . I had
been satisfied for years that if there was any por-
tion of the habitable globe absolutely in a suffering
condition for want of a railroad, it was the teem-
ing pine barrens of the St. Croix. At what
particular point on that noble stream such a road
should be commenced I knew was immaterial,
and so it seems to have been considered by the
draughtsman of this bill. It might be up at the
spring, or down at the foot-log, or the water-
gate or the fish-dam, or anywhere on the bank, no
matter where. But in what direction it should run
or where it should terminate were always in my
mind questions of the most painful perplexity. . .
I was utterly at a loss to determine where the
terminus of this great and indispensable road

Delights of Ditluth.

171

1 •]

ions of
to the
as tlie
le con-
rent to
itial to
nerican
he per-
atinent.
irces of
rubbery-
railway
s of the

. Who

on this

shes, the

L enough

. I had
my por-
suffering
le teem-
^.t what
jh a road
material,
id by the
ip at the
le water-
bank, no

ould run
ys in my

exity. . .
yhere the
ible road

should be, until I accidentally overheard some
gentleman the other day mention the name of
'Duluth.' Duluth ! the word fell upon my ear
with peculiar and indescribable charm, like the
gentle murmur of a low fountain stealing forth in
the midst of roses, or the soft sweet accents of an
angel's whisper in the bright joyous dream of
sleeping innocence. Duluth ! 'Twas the name for
which my soul had panted for years, as a hart
panteth for the water-brooks. But where was
Duluth ? Never, in my limited reading, had my
vision been gladdened by seeing the celestial word
in print. And I felt a profound humiliation in my
ignorance that its dulcet syllables had never before
ravished my delighted ear. I was certain that the
draughtsman of this bill had never heard of it,
or it would have been designated as one of the
termini of this road. . . . Yet, sir, had it not been
for this map kindly furnished me by the Legisla-
ture of Minnesota, I might have gone down to my
obscure and humble grave in an agony of despair,
because I could nowhere find Duluth. . . . The
fact is, sir, that Duluth is pre-eminently a central
place, for I have been told by gentlemen who have
been so reckless of their personal safety as to ven-
ture away in those awful regions where Duluth is
supposed to be, that it is so exactly in the centre
of the visible universe that the sky comes down
at precisely the same distance all around it. . . .
Then, sir, there is the climate of Duluth, unques-
tionably the most salubrious and dehghtful to be
found anywhere on the Lord's earth. Now, I
have always been under the impression, as I

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172

Duhith to Winnipeg,

presume other gentlemen have, that in the region
around Lake Superior, it was cold enough for at
least nine months in a year to freeze the smoke-
stack oft" a locomotive. But I see it represented
on this map that Duluth is situated exactly half-
way between the latitudes of Paris and Venice, so
that gentlemen who have inhaled the exhilarating
airs of the one or basked in the golden sunlight
of the other, may see at a glance that Duluth
must be a place of untold delights, a terrestrial
paradise fanned by the balmy zephyrs of an eternal
spring, clothed with gorgeous sheen of ever-
blooming flowers and vocal with silver melody of
Nature's choicest songsters. . . . Sir, I might
stand here for hours and hours, and expatiate
upon the gorgeous prospects of Duluth, as de-
picted on this map. But human life is far too
short and the time of this House far too valuable
to allow me to linger longer upon the delightful
theme. I think every gentleman on this floor is
as well satisfied as I am that Duluth is destined
to become the commercial metropolis of the Uni-
verse, and that this road should be built at once.
. . . Nevertheless, sir, it grieves my soul to be
compelled to say that I cannot vote for the grant
of lands provided for in this bill. . . . These
lands, which I am asked to give away, alas, are
not mine to bestow 1 My relation to them is
simply that of trustee to an express trust. And
shall I ever betray that trust ? Never, sir !
Rather perish Duluth 1 Perish the paragon of
cities ! Rather let the freezing cyclones of the bleak
Northwest bury it for ever beneath the eddying

Geographical Ignorance,

"^n

le region
;li for at
B smoke-
)resented
;tly half-
Venice, so
lilarating
sunlight

t Duluth
errestrial
an eternal
of ever-
nelody of
I might
expatiate
bh, as de-
is far too
valuable
delightful
is floor is
s destined
E the Uni-
b at once,
oul to be
the grant
. These
alas, are
thera is
ust. And
ever, sir !
aragon of
f the bleak
e eddying

sands of the St. Croix." The speech from which
the foregoing extracts are taken has been pro-
nounced " the most amusing speech ever made in
the American Congress;" it gave its author a
reputation which he has not adequately sustained.
But the most curious thing is the ignorance of
geography shown in it ; if a foreigner had made
half the number of blunders with which Mr. Knott
is chargeable, he would be held up to scorn in
hundreds of newspapers throughout the Union,
and pronounced a being unworthy to live. If Mr.
Knott had spoken about the St. Louis River, his
remarks would have had some cogency ; if the St.
Croix River were to swallow up Duluth it would
have to begin by making a journey across Lake
Superior. Intending to ban Duluth, Mr. Knott
succeeded in blessing it most effectively. The
bill which was thrown out, owing to his speech,
was opposed by the friends of Duluth, and was
supported by the friends of Superior City, of
which it was the rival. Indeed, to repeat what I
have said and to do so in the grateful words of a
Duluth newspaper, Mr. Proctor Knott's speech
" gave Duluth the best advertisement she ever
had."

For a year before, and for three years after this
speech was dehvered, the city was in a state of
feverish activity. In the spring of 1870, every

I «<

' !|

. H.n,i,i» ■ * t -j—

174

Diiluth to Winnipeg.

I'll
II

I' I '1

f J ill

III

boat that arrived swarmed with passengers and
every stage-coach was over-crowded. A railway
was in construction to St. Paul, the capital of the
State and Mr. Jay Cooke had projected the
Northern Pacific railway which .vas to run from
Lake Superior to Paget Sound on the Pacific.
Mr. Jay Cooko suspended payment in 1873 and a
panic spread to Duluth from the financial centres
of the United States ; real property fell to one-
fourth of its former price and then, as an eye-
witness wrote, " for a few months, there was as
much of a stampede from Duluth as there had
formerly been of a rush to the place."

A worse fate than being buried " beneath the
eddying sands of the St. Croix River" was reserved
for ** the Zenith City of the Unsalted Seas." In
the days of its prosperity, money had been bor-
rowed and expended in a reckless fashion : when
the panic subsided, the citizens who remained
behind, found themselves face to face with
municipal bankruptcy. Not till 1879 was a com-
promise effected whereby the creditors agreed to
cancel one-fourth of the amount due to them.
The most significant sign of the depression then
prevailing in Duluth, and the circumstance most
deplored by many citizens, was the pubHcation
of the newspapers once a week instead of every
day. There are two weeklies now, The Tribune

Manufactures and Trade.

175

^ers and

railway
al of the
;ted the
^un from

Pacific.
73 and a

I centres

II to one-
3 an eye-
•e was as
:here had

meath the
s reserved
eas." In
been bor-
lon : when
remained
:ace with
as a com-
agreed to
to them,
ision then
lance most
lublication
of every
|/ic Tribune

and The Lake Superior News. Should the revival
in trade ccixtiuue, a daily newspaper, that neces-
sary of existence according to western ideas, may
again be reissued here. Certainly, the confidence
in the city'sfuture which had vanished,has returned
in full measure and speculation in land is renewed
in the old style. During my visit I learned that
pieces of land which could s'^arcely be sold for
$500 six months before were then easily saleable
at $1500.

Several sawmills and a blast furnace are in active
operation ; an industry paying those who take
part in it very well is collecting the sand on the
shore of the Lake and despatching it to glass-
making Tforks, where it is in demand. There is a
large elevator for the transhipment of grain and
there are well-built docks for the accommodation of
shipping. Indeed, Duluth is not only doing a large
trade now, but has made full provision for future
expansion.

The additional traffic carried over the Northern
Pacific Railway when its construction was resumed
benefited the trade of this place, while the emi-
gration to Manitoba has had the like effect. The
Canadian Government have erected a home for
the emigrants who halt here on their way to
Manitoba. It is under the intelligent and atten-
tive supervision of Mr. Grahame, the Canadian

i ,

\ij H 'I'

[/■ fi

r, a

m . I

Duluth to Winnipeg,

Emigration Agent. He told me that the immi-
grants are often very exacting and are generally
very dirty and that those among them who were
most stinted in their means and living before they
left home, develope the most luxurious tastes
after crossing the ocean.

An express train starts once daily from Duluth
for Winnipeg. It is not long since the passengers
who started for the same destination could not
travel farther by rail than Fisher's Landing, on
Red Lako River, the average time taken being a
week. Now, the journey between the *' Zenith
City of the Unsalted Seas " and the Capital
of Manitoba can be made in twenty-seven hours.
The scenery is very beautiful on part of the line
skirting the left bank of the river St. Louis.
The " Dalles of the St. Louis " are as striking as
those of the Columbia River, though on a smailei*
scale. Within the space of four miles the river
descends 400 feet, passing ove** serrated rocks
which are enclosed between high banks, the ap-
pearance being that of a series of small and long
drawn out cataracts surging downwards.

At Glyndon the passengers for Manitoba change
to the St. Paul and Manitoba line, while those for
the Northern Pacific continue their journey west-
wards. There is a second change at St. Vincent,
the frontier city between Canada and the United

Land Speculators.

^77

3 immi-
3iiera\iy
10 "were
oretTaey
s tastes

1 Dulutli

issengers

could not

ading, on

Q being a

5 »* Zenitli

he Capital

>ven hours.

of the line
St. Louis,
striking as

n a smaUei-
js the river
jated rocks
,ks, the ap-
lU and long

•ds.

itoba change
Inle those ior
lurney west-
St. Vincent,
the United

States, to the Pembina branch of the Canadian
Pacific Railway. I have made this trip several
times without finding many things worthy of record
and I have been quite as unfortunate after having
spent a night at Glyndon. Yet emigrants who
pass over the line are kept in a state of pleasing
excitement from the time they quit Canadian
territory till the time they re-enter it. Land
agents and speculators are accustoiped to travel
backwards and forwards in order to persuade the
emigrants to make their new homes in the United
States. These persons commonly assume the
characters of disappointed Englishmen who, hav-
ing tried Manitoba, left it in disgust, and have
found a genuine Eden on United States soil.
As the profits of these agents are not small when
they manage to sell the land belonging to the
Company with which they are connected, they
are naturally disposed to make representations of
greater strength than trustworthiness in order to
effect sales.

I can write from personal experience in this
matter. It was erroneously thought by a worthy
gentleman that I was on the way to settle in
Manitoba and might be induced to settle in Minne-
sota instead. He told me that many English
families were expected to arrive and take up their
abodes on the prairie lands of Northern Minne-

1 . .i N

178

Duluth to Winnipeg,

I * H

sota and that the representative of an English
Company was in negotiation with the St. Paul
and Manitoba railway company for 56,000,000
acres. There had been a slight hitch in the nego-
tiations, but my informant added ** I guess that
will be fixed." He explained that the gentleman
desired the Company to let him have the land at
$4 an acre and to insert in the deed of sale that
the price paid was $8. This gentleman could
then make sales in England at a professedly slight
advance upon what he had actually paid, while
his real profit would V e more than double. I was
..ognizant of a flagrant case in which ignorant
persons in England had been made to pay $25 an
acre for Minnesota land which could have been
bought on the spot for less than $4. I found
that the gentleman who was negotiating with the
St. Paul and Manitoba Railway for 56,000,000
and who was said to have 170 families waiting
to be transported thither from England in the
following spring bore the same name as the one
who had disposed of land in another part of the
country at an enormous profit to himself. I
learned also that a second Englishman who was
very active in recommending Minnesota as the
best place to which his countrymen could emigrate,
had been trying to establish a land Company, but
had failed owing to insisting not only upon a large

li , I

A Hint to Emigrants.

1 79

BnglisTa

it. Paul

000,000

ae nego-

less that

^ntleman
land at

sale tbat

an could

dly sliglit

aid, while

e. I was
ignorant

ay $25 an

have been

I found

with the

16,000,000

IS waiting

|nd in the
as the one
art of the
imself. I
|n who was
ita as the
emigrate,
ipany, but
iponalarge

commission, but upon a double commission. I do
not question the advantage of choosing Minnesota
as a place of residence. It may be quite true,
as is alleged, that the land in the North-western
part of that State is superior to that in the South-
west of Manitoba, even though an imaginary line
is the only separation between them. The soil
may be affected in some occult way by the nation-
ality of the flag flying over it. Yet, after assuming
for the sake of argument, the truth of everything
that I have heard in favour of this part of the
Continent, I still maintain that no folly can be
greater than buying land here on the representa-
tions of a third party, and that those purchasers
of land will have least reason to repent them of
their bargains who enter into no contract and make
no payment till they have seen the land with their
own eyes.

. , II

( U

> I

N 2

J. (<

CHAPTER VIII.

ON THE BED RIVER OF THE NORTH.

Although the trip to Manitoba by rail through
United States territory is generally uninteresting,
yet the trip by water is sometimes diversified by
incident. The railway attracts all the passengers
in winter; but the steamers on the Red River
of the North are eagerly patronized during
the summer time. Having made the trip all the
way by rail and partly by rail and partly by water,
I can ajffirm from experience that, by journeying
partly by rail and partly by water, an adequate
notion can be formed of the country and its insects,
while much more can be learned about the people.
Besides, the Red River is a stream of sufficient
volume and importance to deserve notice. Com-
pared with the Mississippi, the Red River of the
North appears insignificant. Nevertheless, as ics
length from Elbow Lake, in which it rises, to Lake
Winnipeg into which it flows, is 900 miles, it merits
a place among the great rivers of the world.

il throagli
Qteresting,

ersified by
passengers

Red River
zed during
trip all the
iy by water,
' journeying
an adequate
jd its insects,
the people,
of sufficient
jtice. Com-
jBiver of the
iheless, as its
;ises, to Lake
dies, it merits
world.

Course of the Red River.

i8r

Two Red Rivers are numbered among the notable
streams of the North American Continent. One
of them rises in the Territory of New Mexico,
flows through the States of Texas, Arkansas, and
Louisiana, and, joiningthe Mississippi,helps to swell
the volume of the mighty flood which the Father of
Waters pours into the Gulf of Mexico. The other,
which is known as the Red River of the North, rises
in Elbow Lake, in the State of Minnesota. Its
source is not far distant from Lake Itaska, which
is the fountain-head of the Mississippi. Though
that river's course is southward and the course of
the Mississippi is northward when both streams
first issue from their parent lakes, yet they soon
follow the direction which they keep till their race
is run. The Red River, in its northerly progress,
divides the Territory of Dakota from the State of
Minnesota; it enters the Canadian Province of
Manitoba at Fort Pembina ; it passes by the city
of Winnipeg, the capital of that Province, where
it 13 joined by the Assineboine, flowing from the
west ; it enters Lake Winnipeg, whence it issues
under the name of Nelson River ; and, finally, it
finds its level and a last resting-place in the icy
waters of Hudson's Bay. The valley bearing the
same name through which it runs is still more
remarkable than the Red River itself. For a space
which is 400 miles in length by 70 in breadth, that

■■*••?'

1 8 2 On the Red River of the North.

l!7 I

' il

m y

\ '•'

valley is the finest wheat-growing tract on the
continent of North America, if not on the habitable
globe.

Farming on a scale unparalleled except in
California is prosecuted in the Red River Valley.
This dates from the year 1875, when several
capitaUsts bought vast tracts of land there. Mr.
B. P. Cheney, of Boston, and Mr. Oliver
Dairy mple, of St. Paul, purchased 5000 acres of
which 3500 were under cultivation in 1879. In
1877 they harvested 42,000 bushels of wheat, 6000
of oats, and 3000 of barley. The machinery on
this farm comprises 40 ploughs, 16 seeders, 40
harrows, 16 harvesters, 3 steam thrashing
machines, and 3 portable steam-engines. As many
as a hundred men are employed at the busiest
season. Mr. Cass has a farm of 6000 acres,
nearly the whole of which is sown with wheat.
Large though these farms are, yet they seem small
in comparison with that belonging to Mr. William
Dalrymple ; it covers 30 square miles. The area
sown with wheat in 1878 was 20,900 acres; the
yield was 250,000 bushels. Seventy-five reaping
and binding machines were used to harvest the
crop, the work being done at the rate of 1000
acres a day. This farm is managed on the plan
of a factory. It is divided into sections of 2000
acres, over each of which an overseer is placed ;

v.. ;

Mammoth Farms,

183

lie carries out the orders of Mr. Dalrymple just as
a Brigadier-General carries out the orders of the
Commander-in-Chief of an army. Comfortable
dwellings are provided for the overseers, while
there is a boarding-house for the accommodation
of the farm-labourers. Each section has its
granary, stables, machine-shop, and engine-house.
Indeed, the vast estate is really divided into a
number of separate farms, each complete in itself,
and all subject to a common head. Four hundred
and fifty labourers and upwards of three hundred
horses and mules are employed on this farm ;
three bookkeepers are required to register the
accounts, and two cashiers to receive and disburse
the money. Indeed the whole arrangements are
designed to assimilate the production of grain to
the operations of a manufactory. The idyllic side
of farming has no place here. The farmer is a
capitalist ; the farm-labourer is called a " hand "
and treated as one. Advocates of spade-husbandry
will see nothing to admire in this wholesale method
of cultivating the soil, and they will maintain that
if this system should grow in favour, the day
must arrive when, in the United States as in
certain European countries, there will be a perma-
nent and rigid separation between the tillers of
the soil and its owners. However, while land
continues as plentiful and as easily acquired in

I ^;i

'. '4

■MiV

i P''l'

^Ti II

1 84 On the Red River of the North,

North America as it was in Europe during the
Middle Ages, when the existing large estates were
formed in England, the citizens of the United
States will disregard gloomy forebodings and will
continue to lavish their admiration upon a success-
ful capitahst like Mr. Dalrymple. His farm is a
common topic of glorification among the citizens
of the new North-West, and of admiring envy
among the dwellers in less fertile parts of the land.
My present purpose is not to linger and describe
what may be observed on the Red River within
the United States, but to journey along it to the
Canadian Province of Manitoba. That river is
the silent highway of intercourse between the
citizens of the Union and the citizens of the
British Empire. A few years ago an Indian
canoe was the only kind of boat which traversed
its surface. Now steam vessels pass backwards
and forwards between St. Vincent, a station of
the St. Paul and Manitoba Railway and the capital
ot Canada's Prairie Province. There has been a
settlement of British subjects on this river since
the year 1812. Then the Earl of Selkirk, chair-
man of the Hudson's Bay Company, induced
Highlanders, who could not live in comfort on
their native heath, to seek a new home in the
heart of the North American Continent. Nearly
half a century after this settlement was formed,

li V

By Water to Winnipeg,

■85

Dr. Rae, the famous Arctic explorer, informed a
Select Committee of the House of CommoiiS that
about two months were required to journey from
Toronto, in Upper Canada, to the Red River Settle-
ment in Rupert's Land. The Earl of Southesk, who
went to hunt in the Hudson's Bay Territory in
1859, saw a steamer on the Red River for the
first time. In 1862 the late Lord Milton and
Dr. Cheadle experienced on the Red River a pain-
ful foretaste of the perils which had to be faced
and surmounted before they could begin their
toilsome journey across the North- Western Wil-
derness. Finding that the steamer sailed but once
a fortnight, and not caring to wait for it, they
started down the rapid stream in a canoe, and
endured extraordinary hardships before they
reached Fort Garry. Eight years latter Captain
Butler was commissioned by Colonel (now Sir
Garnet) Wolseley, the chief of the expedition which
was sent to suppress Riel's rebellion, to proceed
to Winnipeg through the United States. He
passed along the Red Eiver in the steamer Inter-
7iatlonal, and suffered by the way as others have
done before and since. The tale of his misery
is graphically told in ** The Great Lone Land."

The inconvenience of this route caused the
Government of Canada to devise another within
the limits of the Dominion. This was known

i I

•^r^<»'» j i ^j w> ^ V

1 86 On the Red River of the North.

I il!

as the Dawson route. A traveller over it, who
started from Thunder Bay, on Lake Su^ orior,
reached Fort Garry in the course of three weeks.
The Red River expedition, under Sir Garnet
Wolseley, which first passed over this part of
the country, took three months to make the
same trip. As the Dawson route proved unre-
munerative to its promoters, it has long ceased
to be a regular pathway for traffic and travel
between the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba.
The traveller who started from the capital of the
former province for that of the latter either went
to Chicago by rail, thence by another line of
railway to St. Paul and Fisher's Landing, where
he stepped on board a steamer which carried him
to his destination, or else he took the train to the
shore of Lake Superior, where he embarked in a
steamer for Duluth ; thence he proceeded by rail
to Fisher's Landing, and by steamer to Winnipeg.
But, whichever route was chosen, the time occu-
pied was not less than 11 days, so that Manitoba
remained as far apart from the Eastern Provinces
of the Dominion as Canada is from England.
My first trip to Manitoba was made by rail from
St. Paul to Fisher's Landing, thence by water
to Winnipeg. Since then the landing-place has
1)0011 changed to St. Vincent, thus saving the
tedious navigation of Red Lake River.

Lake Minnetonka.

187

it, wlio
3u^ ^rior,
(6 weeks,
r Garnet
i part of
nake the
v^ed unre-
ng ceased
md travel
Manitoba,
tal of the
ither went
ler line of
ing, where
irried him
rain to the
xked in a
.ed by rail
Winnipeg,
time occu-
Manitoba
Provinces
England,
ly rail from
by water
■place has
saving the

In the spring, when the river is in flood, the
500 miles which separate the two places can be
traversed in 48 hours. In the autumn the river
is very low and then the passage is very tedious.
The return voyage which I made occupied five
days and nights. The first part of the journey
northwards is easy and pleasant. Leaving the
capital of Minnesota by the St. Paul and
Manitoba Railway at 5 o'clock in the evening,
the passenger reaches Fisher's Landing shortly
l)efore noon the following day. Twenty-five
miles from the starting-place a stoppage is made
at Wayzata, on Lake Minnetonka. This Lake is
one of the natural attractions of the State of
Minnesota, ; it excites even greater admiration
than the falls of Minnehaha, wiiich owe much of
their popularity to Mr. Longfellow's poetry. The
Lake consists of a series of bays, each of which is
a lake in miniature, and many are studded with
wooded islands. There are 25 of these bays. The
Lake is navigable for a length of 17 miles. In
olden time it was the favourite haunt Oi. Dakota
Indians ; they encamped on its margin or on one
of its islands. They caught fish in the lake,
gathered wild fruits on the islands, hunted deer
and other game in the surrounding forests, an<l
procured sugar from the maple trees which
beautified the scene. The places of the wild

■ft!.-'

, <<

It '

■p*

mmmlm

V !

?; i

1 88 (9/2 //^^ J^ed River of the North.

Indians are now filled with thousands of civilized
tourists, who enjoy themselves during the hot
months of summer along the shores or on the
bosom of the lake. As we proceed northward
there is a change in the aspect of the land. The
southern part of Minnesota is diversified with
wood and rising ground ; the northern is genuine
prairie, extending to the horizon without any-
thing but a few log houses to vary its flat sur-
face.

The monotony of the night journey was broken
by an incident of which I do not desire a repetition.
About midnight the car was filled with an acrid
and stifling odour ; such a smell I had never ex-
perienced before. If the pungent and nauseous
effect produced by throwing water upon hot
cinders were intensified a hundredfold and if all
the worst stenches were combined with it, the
result would not equal the reality on this
occasion. In the morning I learnt that the train
had passed over a skunk. The small town, called
Fisher's Landing, from which the steamers started
was on the model of Western cities. It had two
hotels, between which there was nothing to
choose, both being as comfortable and attractive
as the cabin of an Irish bog-trotter. There were
several drinking-saloons and one general store ; a
sensible notice in the latter was to the effect that

I n Ml

Stern Wheel Steamers.

189

persons who came to make purchases were more
welcome than those who merely wished to gossip.
Fisher's Landing is on the Red Lake River, a
stream which joins the main one at Grand Forks.
Steamers plied between it and Winnipeg twice
weekly between the months of May and Septem-
ber. The Manitoba was the one in which I went,
and the Minnesota the one in which I returned.
They are the property of the Kittson Transpor-
tation Company. I gladly acknowledge that the
officials of the company and the officers of the
steamers did what they could to render the
voyage as pleasant as possible. The boats are
unlike anything to be seen in England. Their
appearance can best be realized by supposing a
Thames coal-barge to have a deck and two long
furnaces, with boilers above them, placed near
the bow, and two steam-engines further aft.
The engines work a paddle-wheel which is the
breadth of the boat, and revolves at the stern.
Above the boilers and engines is a wooden house,
containing the saloon and state-rooms. The top of
this house forms the upper deck. Pipes convey-
ing steam from the boilers to the engines run
under the thin flooring of the state-rooms, which
are situated at the sides of the saloon. As the
thermometer seldom indicated less than 95 deg.
in the shade during this journey on the Red

H ',

.f,.- T-T»' «'*"«IH III IIM. U ■» III . 1 1 1,1 la B^ jn , j ,M .,j Mt^

^*, ^L.-i»iiMi ■ 111 ^ ii^i I .J. — . * '■ II I ■ -^ I »wpi| * fc<WIMM

) ,1

I. ■!

190 On the Red River of the North.

River, the extra heat from these steam pipes was
a superfluity with which the occupants of the
state-rooms could easily dispense.

Though the heat was intolerable almost beyond
endurance and far in excess of what most of the
passengers had ever experienced, yet it was not
the worst infliction. Myriads of hungry and
ruthless mosquitoes plied their sanguinary trade
in every corner of the steamboat where a human
being 'jould be approached. Many black flies
rivalled them in assiduous efforts to get food and
inflict pain. At a competitive examination a
black fly could bear away the prize from a
mosquito. He bites with greater force and to a
greater depth, and he clings to the surface of the
skin with more firmness than a mosquito, while
the irritation which he leaves behind lasts longer
and is more painful than that produced by his
fellow pest. It is a beautiful provision in nature
that a real or imaginary remedy is provided for
every plague. Everybody knows that there are
several ** infallible " cures for sea-sickness. Pro-
vision of the same kind exists for the protection
of the human skin against the bites of venomous
insects. A passenger on board the Manitoba was
the happy possessor of one of these infallible
remedies. He had being fishing in Labrador,
whern the streams are alive with fish and the air

Onslaughts of Insects.

191

►ipes was
bs of the

st beyond
ost of the
Lt was not
ngry and
lary trade
a human
)lack flies
ifood and
aination a
56 from a
56 and to a
face of the
uito, while
ists longer
j6d by his
in nature
•ovided for
there are
ess. Pro-
protection
venomous
.nitoha was
i6 infalhble
Labrador,
,nd the air

dark with stinging insects, and he had been able
to pursue his sport in comfort by smearing him-
self with a mixture of tar and sweet oil. He was
loud in praise of this panacea before the mosqui-
toes and black flies pounced upon their prey. He
prepared himself for the onslaught, and he was
kind enough to allow myself and others to do the
same by rubbing the skin with the mixture. It
was not long before he stated with extreme
emphasis that the insects of the Red River must
be differently constituted from those of Labrador,
because what repelled the latter seemed to attract
the former.

The distance from Fisher's Landing to Grand
Forks is 12 miles by land. It is about 50 miles
by water. The time taken to go between these
two places when the water is low varies from 18
to 30 hours. Ten hours were consumed in
passing over the worst part, the distance being
four miles. I was surprised, not that the steamer
made slow progress, but that it made any. The
river winds to a degree which is unprecedented.
At few parts is the course a straight one for a
quarter of a mile in length. Wliat renders the
navigation more laborious is that a barge, laden
to the water's edge, is generally lashed alongside
the steamer; hence the difficulty of rounding
sharp curves is materially increased. The stop-

i-l'

IM' ,

1 92 On the Red River of the North,

pages are frequent and tedious. Sometimes tliey
are caused by the barge and the steamer ground-
ing on a shoal, and then a rope has to be sent on
shore, fastened round a tree, and dragged in by
the steam winch, or "nigger" as it is here called,
till the tree is torn up by its roots or the steamer
is moved into deep water. At other times long
halts are made to repair the stern wheel, the floats
of which are often broken by striking against the
bank. It is strange, indeed, that the steamer is
not seriously injured every voyage. At the
narrowest and most curved parts of the river the
steamer's bow is forcibly sent against one bank,
while its stern is swung round by the force of the
current, and each shock shakes it from stem to
stern so terribly as to produce the impression
that the entire structure must fall to pieces.

When a steamer runs aground or stops for
repairs during the day, the cabin-boys, and the
crew, who are not on duty, set to work and catch
fish. They use long lines weighted with sinkers ;
a piece of raw meat forms the bait. Cat-fish,
gold-eyes, and pike abound in the river, and a
good catch of fish is often secured during the
interval of waiting. The anglers and the on-
lookers are kept awake and excited by the insects,
which increase in number and energy when the
vessel is stationary. If any one is tempted by the

mes tliey
• ground-
,e sent on
red in by
jre called,
e steamer
imes long
, the floats
Lgainst the
steamer is
At the
e river the

one bank,
force of the
)m stem to

impression

)ieces.

stops for
ys, and the
and catch
Lth sinkers ;
Cat-fish,
iver, and a
during the
^nd the on-
T the insects,
jy when the
'ipted by the

Scenery on the Banks.

193

wild grapes or wild plums to go ashore and pluck
them, he gladly returns on board. The mosquitoes
are even more plentiful and savage on land than
on water. On each bank there is a belt of timber ;
outside this fringe of trees, the prairie Stretches its
apparently illimitable expanse. The wood, which
comprises elder, oak, box, ash, and elm trees,
constitutes the supply for fuel and building pur-
poses over a very large area. Rafts formed of
the fallen trees are floated down to Winnipeg,
where they are broken up and the logs sawn into
boards. One of the rafts which we passed was
navigated by a woman; a man lay in a rude
structure erected upon it. Household furniture
was piled up at the sides, the whole being the
worldly effects of a couple changing their place of
abode. The man, who had kept watch during
thd night, now slept while his helpmate took her
turn in steering.

The steamer stopped at four stations between
Fisher's Landing and Fort Garry. The first was
Grand Forks, a town in Dakota Territory ; the
second Fort Pembina, on the frontier between
the United States and Canada; the third West
Lynn, a Canadian settlement, where is Fort
Dufferin, a trading-post of the Hudson Bay
Company; and Emerson, on the opposite side of
the river, which is one of the risinof towns of

f;:i

tii'

lit

■ 1

i'i ■;

ji ii li

I . r rS-ymtmn',

1 94 Oil the Red River of the North.

( I

! i

^i !

f , i

Manitoba. A flag showing the letters H.B.C. in
white on a red ground was the mark of the Hud-
son Bay Company being in possession of the fort.
An American citizen told me that some of his
countrymen were puzzled when they saw this flag
for the first time. One of their number thought
he had solved the engima of the three letters by
saying that they meant " Here before Christ," as,
from the appearance of the country, there had not
been any change since then.

Sixty miles intervene between the frontier and
the capital of the Province. There is very little
wood left along this part of the river, the greater
part having been cleared away by settlers or by
speculators. Farms are to be seen at short
intervals ; the crops which cover the ground look
exceedingly well. The passengers in the steamer
experience a change since the stream has run
between banks denuded of timber — in other words,
the mosquitoes have ceased from troubling. The
only insect which skims the surface of the river
and which fills the saloon when the lamps are lit
is a white-winged one called a " miller." I have
seen these insects on the Rhine in the autumn
months, but I never saw so many as on this occa-
sion. A constant stream of them is borne along
by the breeze ; it has the appearance of a bank of
snow. The glasses of the steamer's lanterns are

.B.C. r^
be Hud-
tlie iort.
le of te
this flag
[. tbouglit
Letters by
brist, as,
jrebadnot

ontier and

i very little
the greater

ptlers or by
, at sliort
•round look

jtbe steamer
.tn bas run
otber words,

LUiug.

Tbe

[of tbe river
imps are bt
3P »' I bave
tbe autumn
Ion tbis occa-
borne along
of a bank of
lanterns are

J^i'rs^ View of Winnipeg.

195

covered with these insects ; they dash against the
glass and then fall down to die among the mass
on the deck. They fill pails when the deck is
swept in the morning. Though they obscure the
light, they give no other annoyance, and they are
mere objects of curiosity.

The first I saw of Winnipeg was in the autumn
of 1878. Fort Garry, a rectangular building, with
a turret at each corner, then stood where the Assi-
niboine enters the Red River. The steamer stopped
a few minutes to land passengers, the permanent
landing-place being a short way further down the
river. The houses which form the city have a
substantial look ; the villas on the river's bank are
tasteful in appearance. On the opposite side of
the river to that on which the capital stands is the
parish of St. Boniface, with its cathedral, the
palace of Archbishop Tache, its college, and its
convent. When Mr. Whittier was here a quarter
of a century ago the journey down the river in a
canoe seemed to him a wearisome undertaking.
He wrote a poem on the " Red River Voyageur,'*
which opens with this vivid and correct descrip-
tion of the river itself: —

Out and in the river is winding

The links of its long, red chain
Through belts of dusky pineland,

And gusty leagues of plain.

; 1,1

I ,

* 1

I;'

It Jl

- I !■

. 1 '

ill

!"'

-•;l !

196 On the Red River of the North.

He depicts the "voyageur," when tired and
exhausted, regaining his spirits and vigour on
hearing the chime of the bells of St. Boniface.
Then the poet, as his manner is, ends his verses
with a comparison and points a moral : —

Even so in our mortal journey
The bitter north winds blow,

And thus upon life's Eed Eiver
Our hearts, as oarsmen, row.

And w^hen the Angel of Shadow
Rests his feet on wave and shore,

And our eyes grow dim with watching
And our hearts faint at the oar,

Happy is he who heareth

The signal of his release
In the bells of the Holy City,

The chimes of eternal " peace."

i I

ired and
igonr on
Boniface,
lis verses

" !,

I m

^1i

^ .

I ' : ; i

CHAPTER IX.

I .<

THE ClTr OF WINNIPEG.

1-1

Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba, surprised me
more at first sight than any one of the countless
cities which I have visited on the North American
Continent. The older ones frequently surpassed
my utmost expectations ; the younger as fre-
quently fell below the most moderate estimate
which I had formed of them in imagination.
Indeed, a pretentious city in the Far West is
commonly on a par, in external appearance, with
a paltry village elsewhere. I had read much
about Winnipeg before visiting it, and the im-
pression left on my mind was not favourable.
The Earl of Southesk, who was here in 1859,
writes that ** there were houses enough to form a
sort of scattered town." Lord Milton and Dr.
Cheadle, who followed him three years later, saw
nothing worthy of note. Captain Butler, who
paid it a visit in 1870, refers to it, in his " Great

I !

i 1

( ! |.

198

The City of Winnipeg.

i I

i fi

' '(

Miii-' ;

(■ '

Lone Land," as "the little village," and "the
miserable-looking village of Winnipeg." I knew
that changes had been made since Captain Butler
came hither on duty connected with the Red
River expedition under Colonel (now Sir Garnet)
Wolseley; but I was not prepared to find that
they had been so great and startling as those
which I actually beheld.

Walking down Main-street, on my way to the
Pacific Hotel, I could hardly realize that I was
in a city incorporated so recently as 1873 and
supposed to be far beyond the confines of civiliza-
tion. The street is 132 ft. wide and it is lined
with shops, churches, and public buildings which
would do credit to a, much older and more famous
place. The solid look of the majority of the
edifices is as noteworthy as their orname^^.tal
design. They are built of creiim-coloured brick.
It is at a comparatively late stage in the growth
of a western city, either in the United States or
Canada, that the buildings are composed of any-
thing but wood ; hence, a stranger in one of tbem
is apt to arrive at the conclusion that the build-
ings are erected for a temporary purpose. Here,
however, the effect is the reverse. The Town
Hall and the Market, the Post Office, the Do-
rnnion Land Office, and the Custom House, to
name but a few of the public edifices, are as sub-

Univei'sity of Manitoba.

199

\ "the
I knew
Butler
he Red
Garnet)
nd that
IS those

y to the
it I was
873 and
I civiliza-
t is hned
o-s which
•e famous
,y of the
name^.tal
[•ed brick,
le growth
States or
,d of any-
,e of them
the build-
ie. Here,
:he Town
the Do-
House, to
ire as sub-

stantial buildings as can be desired. No one
looking at them can feel here, as is so common^
felt in other places of rapid growth on this conti-
nent, that the citizens apprehend their city will
decay as rapidly as it has sprung up. While the
progress of Winnipeg is one of the marvels of
the Western world, there is good reason for be-
lieving that it will continue at an accelerated rate,
and that Winnipeg will hereafter hold in the
Dominion of Canada a place corresponding with
that now held in the United States by Chicago.
In 1870 there were 300 people in the miserable-
looking village of those days ; now, the popula-
tion is approaching 15,000. There are eight
churches — one belong ug to the Roman Catholics,
three to the Episco])alians, one to the Presby-
terians, two to the Wesleyan Methodists, and one
to the Baptists. There are several schools and
colleges — two common schools, St. John's College
Schools, for boys and for girls ; a Central School ;
St. Mary's Academy ; Manitoba College, in con-
nexion with the Presbyterian Church, and a Wes-
leyan Institute. Most remarkable of all, if not
idtogether exceptional among seminaries for the
advancement and diffusion of sound learning, is
the University of Manitoba. It grants degrees
in arts, sciences, law, and medicine. Its govern-
ing body is composed of representatives of re-

I '' '

f f

ivi

ni . .'

. ^.. .,....^^

20O

T/ie City of Winnipeg,

I 'I

I I

Tl«l

ligious societies which have not succeeded in
working harmoniously for a common end in other
parts either of the Old or the New "World. The
colleges affiliated to it are the Episcopal College
of St. John, the Roman Catholic College of St.
Boniface, and the Presbyterian College of Mani-
toba. Others may and are expected to join a
University which, if as successful as it deserves
to be, will become a model for other places, both
on the North American continent and on the con-
tinent of Europe. The governing body consists
of a Council, composed of a Chancellor and Vice-
Chancellor, representatives of each college, three
representatives elected by the graduates, and two
representatives of the Provincial Beard of Educa-
tion. The first Chancellor chosen to preside over
the Council is the Bishop of Rupert's Land, and
the Vice -Chancellor is the Hon. J. Roval, the
Secretary of State for the Province, and a highly-
respected member of the Catholic Church. Pro-
vision is made for the colleges affiliated to the
University granting theological degrees. No ob-
jection can be raised to this by the most advanced
and uncompromising educational reformer ; in-
deed, the educational reformer would be hard to
please, if he were not satisfied with the constitu-
tion and government of the University of Mani-
toba. While those persons merit unstinted praise

'I H

Historical and Scientific Society. 201

ided in
.n otlier
l. The
College
3 of St.
)f Mani-
3 join a
deserves
ces, both
the con-
■ consists
md Vice-
)ge, three
, and two .
of Ediica-
3side over
Land, and
loyal, the
a highly-
'ch. Pro-
ed to the
No ob-
b advanced
»rnier ; in-
36 hard to
e constitu-
y of Mani-
nted praise

who have worked and made no mean sacrifices to
render the University successful, the Legislature
of the Province is equally worthy to be held in
honour for having contributed to aid the experi-
ment by endowing the University. Thus nothing
has had to be paid by the colleges which are now
in connexion with it, nor will those which may
hereafter become affiliated to it have to provide
any funds.

Another institution which I did not expect to
find in so young a city is the Historical and
Scientific Society of Manitoba. Though it has
been only two years in existence, this Society has
rendered a. service to the Province by collecting
its records, exploring its Indian mounds and
collecting specimens wherewith to illustrate its
mineralogy and geology. It is unfortunate that
the Society could not persuade the Hudson Bay
Company to spare old Fort Garry, instead of
levelling it to the ground and using the stones to
form the foundation of a new store. However,
the Company have wisely presented many volumes
of records to the Society's library, where they
will be safely kept, and accessible for study.
From a personal inspection of the works in the
library, and the curiosities in the museum, I can
vouch for a good beginning havnig been made,
and I have no doubt that, if the members continue

« ,ii

202

The City of Winnipeg.

■I ,

l!^

\i'\

|!"|

to display the same energy, the Historical Society
will prove of infinite advantage to the inhabitants
of the Canadian Far "West.

The great widtn of Main-street, which runs
north and south, adds to its effect; Portage-
avenue, which, like it, is 132 ft. wide, runs west,
and is an important thoroughfare ; Burrow' s-
avenue is 99 ft. wide ; and the other streets are
^^ ft. Indeed, the city is laid out with an eye to
its future increase in population. This is spe-
cially shown in the oare which has been taken to
secure open spaces, which will prove of much
benefit when the area is more thickly covered
with buildings. There are three public parks —
Victoria, Burrow's, and Mulligan ; the first covers
eight acres, the second five, and the third three.
There is a race-course and a rifle range. The
young men take delight and are very expert in
rifle- shooting, their ambition being to obtain a
place in the Canadian team which pays a yearly
visit to Wimbledon, and there displays a vigorous
and fraternal rivalry with the volunteers of the
United Kingdom. Several tall chimneys in diffe-
rent parts of the city denote the presence of
manufactories. I learn that there are two flour
mills, three saw mills, and four planing mills ;
that there is a carriage factory, a biscuit and con-
fectionery bakery, a distillery ; and that there is

! I

Public Markets.

203

^ociety
bitants

h runs

ortage-

is west,

irrow' s-

eets are

n eye to

, is spe-

taken to

of mucli

r covered

5 parks —

'st covers

ird three.

ige. The
expert in
obtain a
a yearly
a vigorous
lers of the
ys in diffe-
resence of
two flour
ling mills ;
it and con-
,at there is

a brewery five miles distant, where the hops used
in combination with malt are the wild hops which
abound in the district and can be obtained by any
one who chooses to gather them. Hotels of
various classes are plentifully provided for the
entertainment of strangers, the Pacific Hotel and
the Queen's being the two best and largest. The
public-houses, or saloons as they are called
throughout the "West, are many in number ; they
are under rigid supervision and each is licensed.
The licence, which costs $240 annually, is liable
to forfeiture in the event of the saloon being
badly conducted.

The public markets I found well supplied with
butcher's meat, poultry, game, fish, and vege-
tables. The fish come from the lakes and the
rivers, comprising pike, cat-fish, gold eyes and
white-fish. I have always thought that none
but persons who are nearly starving can really
eat pike with any relish. A good imitation pike
could be manufactured out of white blotting-paper
with small pieces of fine wir3 interspersed; on
being cooked the taste of the fish would be well
reproduced by the moist blotting-paper, while the
sensation of finding a sharp bone at each mouth-
ful would be perfectly rendered by the stray
pieces of wire. One of the fish on the bill of fare
at the Pacific Hotel bore the name of Ked River

i'ii'f

■< t

204

The City of Winnipeg.

^^;j'-

■I !,

salmon. I tasted it and thought it delicious,
though not at all like any salmon which I had
eaten. It was quite as rich as salmon and had
scarcely any bones, resembling a lamprey in this
respect more closely than any fish with which
I am acquainted. A travelling-companion was
quite as much pleased with it as I was. Before
eating and praising it, he had warned me against
ever eating the cat-fish, which he had seen taken
out of the river, and of which he disliked the look
as well as the name. He was rather surprised to
learu that he had heartily enjoyed and commended
cat-fish under the name of Red River salmon.

The vegetables for sale in the market reminded
me of stories which I had read at home in the
months of autumn. No imaginative writer in a
country newspaper ever penned a paragraph about
gigantic vegetables that could not be justified by
the potatoes, cabbages, and turnips which I saw
for sale here, and others which I have seen se-
lected for exhibition. It is a common thing for
potatoes to weigh 2 Ibo. each and turnips 20 lbs.
and for them to be as good as they are heavy. A
squash has been produced weighing 138 lbs. and
a vegetable marrow 26. Cabbages measuring
4 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 1 inch in circumference
have excited the astonishment of other visitors as
well as my own, while a cucumber, grown in the

s|
ol

bUcious,
h Iliad
and had
I in this
)li whicli
lion was
Before
e against
jen taken
i the look
fprised to
.mmended

Imon.
reminded

,me in the
v^riter in a
'aph about
ustiaed by
hicb I saw
re seen se-
1 thing for
lips 20 lbs.
heavy. A
38 lbs. and
measuring
cumference
visitors as
rown in the

Fruit and Flowers.

205

open air and measuring 6 feet 3 inches in length,
was rightly considered a curiosity. The display
of fruit was not equal to that of vegetables, the
culture of fruit having been neglected owing to
the supply of wild fruit being so varied and
abundant. Experiments made in growing apples
having proved successful, the gardens here will
soon be filled with fruit-bearing trees. Yet it is
not wonderful that the early settlers should have
been satisfied with what Nature has provided for
them, seeing that they had nothing to do but
gather and consume an abundance of wild plums,
grapes, strawberries, currants, red and black
raspberries, cherries, blueberries, whortleberries,
marsh and high bush cranberries. If the settlers
have not busied themselves about the culture of
fruit, they have not neglected the culture of
flowers. The little gardens which adorn the
fronts of the houses are filled with roses, mig-
nonette, and other flowers dear to English eyes.
Never have I seen flowers with more brilliant
tints than those of Manitoba, and the brightness
of their colours is in keeping with the strength
and sweetness of their* perfume.

An enumeration of the principal sights in the
streets of Winnipeg would be incomplete if I
omitted to mention that it contains many stores
which for size and variety of the goods kept

'11

i|..

I ,

206

The City of Winnipeg,

Mil y<

S i;

I ■

' \ :

i \ I

would do credit to any city, as well as several
banking-houses, which have not only a solid look
as buildings, but which enjoy the reputation of
being sound financial establishments. First there
is the Post-ofiice Savings-bank, where depositors
receive interest at the rate of 4 per cent., with
the advantage of perfect security ; secondly, there
are branches of the Merchants' Bank of Canada,
of the Ontario Bank, and of the Bank of Montreal.
In the newest western cities it is customary to
find churches and schools, manufactories and
markets, shops and banks; but I think no
other city than "Winnipeg has ever been able
to boast of a c'ab-house at so early a stage of its
existence. The Manitoba Club was founded in
1874 — that is, one year after the incorporation of
the city. The club-house in Main-street presents
a neat appearance externally, while its internal
arrangements are as comfortable as the most
fastidious person could expect. Its members
number about 80. I can write with the greater
confidence in praise of the Manitoba Chib, because
I had the gratification of being made an honorary
member of it and of enjoying its advantages.
Though acquainted with many clubs, I know of
few wherein dinners are supplied of equal quality
at so moderate a charge as in the Manitoba Club.
I found that the members enjoyed some articles of

A y ournalistic Experiment.

20'

several
lid look
ition of
•st there
positors

it., with

ly, there

Canada,

Montreal.

)mary to

►ries and

:hink no

)een able

^age of its

)unded in

oration of
presents
internal
the most
members
le greater
because
1 honorary
dvantages.
I know of
ual quahty
itoba Club.
? articles of

food which would be accounted startling novelties
in any English club, among them being sturgeon,
an excellent fish, and roast bear, a tender and
finely flavoured meat. I was more struck with
this club than with the fact that Winnipeg pos-
sesses two excellent daily newspapers, the Mani-
toba Free Press and the Daily Times. A club-
house is regarded as a luxury in the Far West,
whereas a newspaper is held to be a necessary of
life. In the town of Selkirk, t^renty miles farther
north, the few inhabitants decided that they must
have a newspaper, and, as there was no printing-
press in the town, the difficulty to be overcome
was considerable. They agreed among them-
selves to pay a sum of $500 to the founder of a
weekly newspaper in Selkirk, and they advertised
this offer, adding that a circulation of 400 copies,
at $2 each, was guaranteed for a year. The
result was that an enterprising gentleman started
from the older part of Canada with a printing-
press, and became printer, editor, and newspaper
proprietor in Selkirk. The experiment was not
successful ; the weekly journal lived a year when
it ceased to appear and a monthly magazine was
issued in the hope that the reading public would
give it the support which had been denied to the
weekly venture.

Before crossing the Red River and describing

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-«ii ijf,,'.:;; .jti-j^ >'--.»■■.

208

The City of Winnipeg.

I a H

V n.4

the thriving suburb of St. Boniface, I must devote
a few sentences to the Company which was once
supreme and which is still a power in Winnipeg.
There was a time not very long ago when no per-
son could buy, sell, or reside here without leave
from the Governor of Assineboia, the old name
for this Province. The Hudson Bay Company
had then an actual monopoly of the country and
exercised an exclusive jurisdiction over it. It
had not been disputed in a court of law that the
charter conferred on the Company by Charles II.
gave them all the authority to which they laid
v?laim, neither could it be denied that the attempt
to keep a fertile region vaster than Europe as the
hunfing-ground of savages and a breeding-place
for wild beasts, was opposed to the spirit of the
age. The monopoly ended in 1869, when the
Company surrendered its claims to Ca .da in
return for 300,000Z. in cash, the retention of land
round the trading- stations estimated at 50,000
acres, and of one-twentieth part of the remainder
of the land. Thus the Hudson Bay Company
became the largest possessor of landed property
in the world.

In past times no company could well be more
prosperous than this one ; the proprietors received
enormous returns for their investments ; the divi-
dends were sometimes as high as 300 per cent.

devote
s once
Qnipeg.
no per-
ut leave
[d name
Company
itry and
V it. It

that the
harles H-

they laid
le attempt
ope as the
ding-P^ace

irit of the
^-hen the
Ca .da m
ion oi land
at 50,000
remainder
Company
>d property

\q\\ be more
tors received
[ts; thedivi-
^00 per cent.

T/ie Hudson Bay Company,

209

Not even the East India Company in its palmiest
day was a greater financial success than this great
fur company of the North- West. And just as the
East India Company had among its servants men
of genius like Clive and Hastings, so was the Hud-
son Bay Company served by men whose ability
was not inferior to that of the conquerors and
rulers of the East. The factors who conducted the
Company's trade were proud of their position and
did their utmost to uphold it. Once a year they
met at Norway-house, reviewed the operations of
the previous year, planned those of the following
year, and carefully scrutinized each other's per-
formances. The factor who had been weighed in
the balance and found wanting was excluded from
acting with his colleagues. Indeed, merit was
then the indispensable qualification for the ad-
vancement of a Hudson Bay Company's servant.
In treating the Indians of the North- West, the
policy of that Company has been both humane
and exemplary. No one, indeed, who has studied
the subject and who has had the good fortune
to enjoy the acquaintance of the pioneers of
civilization in the North- West can refrain from
praising the servants of the Hudson Bay Com-
pany in the strongest terms. Though that Com-
pany is as ably served as of old, yet its excep-
tional prosperity is a thing of the past. The

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210

T/ie City of Winnipeg.

i I

fur trade must dwindle in importance as tlic
settlers cover the region where the desultory
efforts of wild Indians to kill wild animals alone
checked their multiplication. The Company must
look for its future profits from the sale of land.
It is difficult for any body which has certain tradi-
tions, and which has prospered by observing them,
to forget them altogether and begin an entirely
new career, and this is the difficulty with which
the Hudson Bay Company have been confronted.
Fort Garry, the original post of the Hudson
Bay Company, was at the southern end of Main-
street. A large store adjoins it, in which all the
articles can be purchased which are required
either by the simple savage or the exacting white
man. Next to the store is the Governor's resi-
dence, now occupied by the Lieutenant-Governor
of the Province. Formerly this store was the
only place where the Red River settlers, for several
miles round Fort Garry, could make purchases, or
where they could dispose of their produce. Even
now the articles sold here are as good and quite
as cheap as in the Winnipeg shops ; in making
ihis statement, I do so from experience, having
been a customer both to the store and to some of
the shops. Now, if the Company desired that
their store shouhl be able to cope most thoroughly
with rival establishments the obvious course was to

i'i

Mr. Brydges.

211

as tlie
isultory
la alone
iiy must
of land,
lin tradi-
ng tliem,

entirely
til whicli
ifronted.
) Hudson

of Main-
ch all the
s required
ting white
nor's resi-

■Governor
|e was the

for several

rchases, or

.ce. Even
and quite

in making
ce, having

to some of

lesircd that
thorovighly

)urso was to

promote settlement in its vicinity. This was not
done ; on the contrary, the chief business part of
the Ciuy was driven northward. Five hundred
acres of land at Fort Garry remained the property
of the Company at the transfer of its dominion to
Canada in 1869. Instead of selling this land to
the highest bidder, a price was set on it far in
excess of the sum for which land equally good
could be bought elsewhere. Hence it is that,
instead of the neighbourhood of the Fort and
store being covered with dweUings, it lay waste,
while dwellings covered the opposite end of Main-
street, nearly two miles distant.

A change has taken place in the conduct of the
Company's business which is likely to redeem all
the errors once committed. Mr. Brydges, who
had been Manager of the Grand Trunk and Super-
intendent of the Intercolonial Railway, was ap-
pointed Commissioner for the sale of the Company's
land. He has brought his large business-know-
ledge and tact to bear upon the matter with the
best results. There are still changes to bo
effected in the management of the Company's
affairs before they can be said to be conducted in
the most efficient manner. Nevertheless, so much
luis been done in the right direction that tlie
financial success of the Company ought to be far
greater in the future than in recent years. About

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212

The City of Winnipeg.

the value of their property there Ci i be no ques-
tion. To use a phrase common in the United
States, " there are millions in it." But prudent
management both in London and Winnipeg is
required to extract the millions from it.

I: I

II.

It is time, for the sake of variety, to pass across
the river to the interesting suburb of this city. A
few minutes spent in a ferry-boat, and then the
passenger sets foot in St. Boniface. The change
between any part of the English and French coast
is very great ; crossing the Straits of Dover and
landing in France is like entering a new world.
Much the same effect is produced on him who
leaves Ottawa, passes through the suburb of Edin-
burgh, crosses the river, and enters Hull. This is
not only a change from the Province of Ontario
to that of Quebec, but it is also a change from an
English to a French speaking locality, Such a
contrast may also be perceived, botii in the
oldest and youngest States in the North American
Union. Wlien the river is crossed which separates
New York from Hobokon, (me passes from an
English to a Gorman speaking city ; indeed, there
are shops in Hobokeii where German is under-

I '

3 ques-

United

prudent

lipeg is

iss across
s city. A
^ then tlie
le change
encli coast
Dover and
lew world,
bim wlio
b oC Ediri-
This is
of Ontario
ge from an
Such a
btn in the
American
ch separates
,ca from an
mdced, there
nu is under-

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SL Boniface.

213

stood better than English. In Chicas^o and Mil-
waukee there are quarters where German is the
prevailing speech, and in St. Paul there are
quarters where Norse is the only tongue fluently
spoken. But none of these cases is so curious as
that of St. Boniface. In the cities of the United
States, though the people may speak a foreign
tongue, there is yet no external token of the popu-
iation being foreign. On the western side of the
Red River, the wayfarer who looks at the street-
corners sees such truly British names as Alfred,
Gladstone, and Macfarlane ; on the eastern side he
sees Rue St. Boniface, Rue St. Joseph, Rue du
Moulin, while he hears the passers-by converse in
the French language. It is not so much the fact
that French is s^^oken, as that everything looks so
French which renders this suburb of the city of
Winnipeg unlike any other which I have seen in
any city on the continent of North America or of
Europe.

The settlement of French half-breeds at St.
Boniface dates from the year 1818. Since then it
has been the Roman Catholic mission centre of the
North-West. Bishop Provencher laboured here as
a priest from 1818 till his death as bishop in 1853.
His successor, Archbishop Tache, has spent the
greater part of a long life as a missionery priest
among the Indians. Archbishop Tach^'s work

f .♦

214

. The City of Winnipeg.

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entitled *' Twenty Years of Missions in the Nortli-
West of America " is not only an interesting
record of personal experience, but till recently it
has been the only trustworthy guide to that
obscure region. He is very popular, and his great
authority over the half-breeds and the Indians is
exercised with much discretion. He chiefly con-
tributed to allay the irritation which occasioned
and succeeded the rebellion headed by Louis Riel ;
and, though he was said to have rather straiiied
his powers as a mediator by promising an absolu-
tion to the rebel leaders which the Canadian
Government did not intend to accord, yet he un-
questionably acted in good faith and with a suc-
cess proving that his interpretation of the mission
which he undertook was justified by events.

The most conspicuous buildings in the suburb
of St. Boniface are connected with the church of
which Archbishop Tache is a worthy representa-
tive. First in importance is the Cathedral, a stone
building in simple Gothic style, and one of the
best edifices of the kind in the North- West. Its
organ is one of the finest in the country ; it was
a gift to the Archbishop from his friends in
Quebec on the 25th anniversary of his accession to
episcopal rank. The inteiior of the Cathedral
is principally remarkable for the absence of the
tawdry decorations which so often ofFend the eye

Archbishop Tachd,

215

:Nort\i-
>resting
lently it
to that
lis great
idians is
efly con-
•casioned

ais Kiel ;

• straiiied

,n absolu-

Canadian

^et he un-

ith a suc-

tie mission

jnts.

ihe suburb
church of

-epresenta-
ral, a stone
one of the
West. Its
ry ; it was
friends in
accession to
Cathedral
;ence of the
fend the eye

in such places. The Archbishop's palace is close
to the Cathedral, and is also built of stone. It is
a plain, comfortable dwelling-place, with a well-
kept garden in front, filled with flowering plants
and trees. I had the pleasure of conversing with
the Archbishop and of learning his views with
regard to the settlement of the country. He has
that polish of manner which seems to be the
inheritance of most persons whose mother-tongue
is French. Though no longer young and though
much of his life has been passed among hardships
which render a man old before his time, yet he has
the look of a man much younger than his years.
He is a living witness to the salubrity of the
climate, having been here upwards of 30 years ;
his predecessor, Bishop Provencher, lived long
enough to show that residence near the Red River
was conducive to longevity.

Archbishop Tache has a strong faith in the
progress of this region of the country and in its
adaptability for ssettlement. Some parts further
westward he considers too poor for cultivation,
but he admits there is ample space and attraction
for millions to take up their abodes and prosper.
The task of civilizing the Indians he holds to be
much less difficult than is commonly supposed,
and the success which the missionaries of his
Church have had among the Indian tribes betweca

III

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2l6

The City of Winnipeg,

the Red River and the Rocky Mountains is strongly
in favour of the sanguine views entertained by the
Archbishop. His own exertions to promote edu-
cation are worthy of high praise and have yielded
good fruit. Several educational and charitable
institutions over which he exercises supemsion
are within a short distance of his palace. First
there is the College of St. Boniface, where the
students number between (lO and 70 ; secondly,
there is St. Boniface Academy for the education
of girls, where the teachers are Sisters of Charity ;
thirdly, there is the Convent of St. Boniface, where
orphans and destitute old women are cared for and
supported by the Sisters ; and, fourthly, there is
a hospital in connexion with the convent for the
relief of the sick. Having read some extracts
from the pastoral letter issued by Archbishop
Tache at the time of the last general election in
Canada, I was desirous of seeing the document
itself, and, on stating this, the Archbishop kindly
presented a copy to me. I shall translate a few
passages from it in order to show the kind of
advice which is given to electors by this excellent
representative of the Catholic Church in the
Canadian West.

Fe begins by claiming for priests, r,s citizens,
the duty to take part in elections and the right to
do so in virtue of their education and sacred office.

rongly
by tbe
,te edu-
yielded
Laritable

). First
lere the
iecondly,
jducation
Charity ;
Lce, where
ed for and
y, there is
it for the
e extracts
Archbishop
election in
5 document
bop kindly
,slate a few
ae kind of
[is excellent
|rch va. the

. jj citizens,
Ithe right to
jacred office.

Advice to Electors.

217

He sets forth the importance of the elections on
account of the results which may follow, and the
necessity of having a well-constituted Legislature.
He insists on the value of every vote in a Legisla-
tive Assembly, seeing that a single vote may turn
the scale for good or evil, and he contends that
this consideration ought to be borne in mind
in choosing representatives. He controverts the
generally prevailing view that any man is fitted
to be a legislator, saying that to represent one's
fellow-countrymen, to undertake the preservation
of the interests of one's country, and to become a
legislator are such very difficult and important
duties that one is often surprised at the ease with
which certain persons set up as candidates and
solicit the votes of electors. A proper candidate
ought to possess common sense, a thing which the
Archbishop holds to be rarer than is commonly
supposed, and of which the absence is almost in-
variably marked h^ ignorance of the precept there
is " a time to keep silence," adding, " Discretion
in speech is so charactistic of prudence that we
are assured in Solomon's Proverbs that even a
fool when he holdeth his peace is counted wise,
and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of
understanding." He thinks it imperative that a
good member of Parliament should be a well-
instructed man, " it being possible to be a worthy

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218

T/ie City of Winnipeg.

f/ ».

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•H ..'i

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man without instruction, but not a good legislator."
Equally necessary is it to be an honest man, to be
received in good society, to be sober and God-
fearing in order to merit being sent to Parliament.
The Archbishop remarks that these considerations
prove that the requisite Parliamentary qualifica-
tions are not possessed by all men, and then he
goes on to shov^ what are the duties incumbent on
electors. The first is to pray for enlightenment,
the second to consult wise and discreet persons, to
avoid being influenced by passion or personal in-
terest, to widen the sphere of their contemplation,
and to consider the public weal. He warns them
against the curses of elections, which are lying,
drunkenness, venality, and violence, and he
implores them to allow the result to be achieved in
opposition to their wishes rather than to gain an
electoral triumph through perjury, calumny, or
falsehood. He denounces bribery as a crime
which stains both parties, both the briber and the
bribed being bad citizens, traitors to duty and
honour. He styles a member who owes his
election to corruption as an intruder in Parliament.
He charges the electors not to commit any acts of
violence and ^o refrain from copying the bad
example m this respect which had been set else-
where, adding, " Above all show yourselves
Christians, and you cannot fail to be good citizens."

A French Newspaper.

219

slator."
.n, tobe
Qd God-
liament.
Lerations
[^ualifica-
l then he
mbent on
itenment,
.ersons, to
;rsonal in-
emplation,
arns them

are lying,
>, and he
achieved in

to gain an
alnmny, or
as a crime

ber and the
duty and
owes his

Parham<^nt.

b any acts of

ing the bad

>een set else-
yourselves

Dod citizens."

He concludes by forbidding the holding of political
meetings at the churvh doors on Sundays and by
desiring that such gatherings should be held on
weekdays only. The foregoing summary of this
pastoral letter not only shows the opinions which
the Archbishop inculcates, but it justifies me in
asserting that if other dignitaries of his Church
displayed the same tact and good taste there
would never be any cause for protesting against
priestly interference at elections.

Before leaving St. Boniface, I must note that
this suburb of Winnipeg promises to thrive even
better in the future than it has hitherto done.
The terminus of the Pembina branch of the St.
Paul and Pacific Railway is here, and this has
given an impetus to building. A newspaper in
French, called Le MetiSf is published weekly. It
is the only French journal published in the Cana-
dian North-West and taking cognizance of the
wishes and wants of the large class there which
preserves the use of the French language. There
is no part of Canada ^vhere speech is more diver-
sified than in the Province of Manitoba, nor is
there any in which the ordinary routine of
existence is more varied.

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■-"•«r-'™»rw<;i«*i*?^W»"*"'»»'^ ■;

CHAPTER X.

THE PilOVISCE OF MANITOBA.

The surprise which I felt on first walking along
the streets of Winnipeg and seeing so many
tokens of progress and civilization was increased
when I journeyed through the Province of which
Winnipeg is the capital. I had read that the
country was totally unfit for settlement. I had
read that it Avas pre-eminently adapted for
farming and that no other part of the Continent
was a more desirable place of abode. Indeed,
few regions of the world have been the subjects
of greater controversy than Manitoba, the Prairie
Province of Canada. It has had many indiscreet
eulogists and as many unscrupulous defamers.
If the former are right, the Province must be an
Earthly Paradise; if the latter set forth the
whole truth, it must be the counterpart of Dante's
Inferno. Though the discussion as to the ad-
vantages or drawbacks of this place has been

cing along
r so many
5 increased
ce of wliicl^
,d that the
jnt. I Taad
dapted iov
e Continent
[e. Indeed,
:lie subjects
I, the Prairie
ly indiscreet
ls defamers.
must be an
^t forth tbe
,rt of Dante's

to tbe ad-
^ce has been

Opinions about the Region.

221

specially keen and persistent of late years, yet the
difference of opinion concerning it is of old date.
Since the Hudson Bay Company received their
charter from Charles the Second in 1670, doubts
have been expressed and uncertainty has pre-
vailed as to the character of the region out of
which this Province has been carved. The
matter was carefully investigated by a Select
Committee of the House of Commons in 1749
and again in 1857. Mr. Gladstone was a member
of the Committee which sat in 1857 and he was
not so ready as some of his colleagues to conclude
that the officers of the Hudson Bay Company
were justified in maintaining that the entire
Canadian North West was unsuited for settlers
and had been evidently designed by Providence
to be a perpetual breeding-ground of wild beasts
and a congenial habitation for wild Indians.

Sir George Simpson, who had been Governor
of the Hudson Bay Company's territory during
thirty-seven years and who had traversed every
part of it, emphatically assured the Committee
that the region now known as Manitoba was
cursed with a poor soil, a variable and inhos-
pitable climate and disastrous and frequent
inundations. The Right Hon. Edward Ellice,
speaking on behalf of the governing body of the
Company in England, confidently asserted that

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222

The Province ^f Manitoba.

1,1

Vll i

the Red River district was no place for settlers
aad that the State of Minnesota, now so prospe-
rous, was no place for them either. Sir John
Richardson, the famous Arctic explorer, agreed
with the officers of the Company in pronouncing
the land utterly worthless for settlement ; and he
declared that he could not understand why any
one should go thither except to prosecute the fur
trade. He made a statement which caused an
impression on his hearers but which seems very
strange to me. It was to the effect that the vine
does not grow naturally on the North American
Continent to the north of 43 degrees of latitude.
Now, I have eaten and plucked grapes on the
banks of the Red River to the north of the 49th
parallel of latitude, and I have drunk wine made
from wild grapes grown on the Assiniboine River
at thc3 50th parallel. When men of experience
and eminence like Mr. Ellice and Sir John
Richardson made such extraordinary mistakes as
to matters of fact relating to this part of the
country, it is not to be wondered at if they
grievously erred in matters of opinion. In truth,
many of the facts and opinions current about
Manitoba have been either palpable fictions, or
absurd blunders.

The Province of Manitoba occupies the centre
of North America, being equidistant from the

•^ %

settlers
prospe-

, agreed
louncing
; and he

why any

e the to

aused an

ems very

b the vine

American

f latitude.

les on the

[ the 49th
ine made

,oine River
experience
Sir John
mistakes as
,art of the
at if they
In truth,
•rent about
ftctions, or

the centre
it from the

Extent of the Province,

223

pole and the equator, the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans. Its area when formed into a Province was
14,310 square miles; since then its boundaries
have been extended and it now covers 120,000
square miles. In Canada the Provinces of
Quebec and British Columbia are the only tw^o
covering a larger area than Manitoba, while in the
Union two States only, Texas and California, are
A'aster than it. Yet Manitoba covers but a
J:raction of the Canadian Far West, there being
ample space therein out of which to carve fifteen
other Provinces of the like extent. Its peculi-
arity and advantage consist in the fact that
settlement there is of an old enough date to
enable its capacity for producing food and
affording pleasant homes to the landless to have
been thoroughly tested. When I visited it in
1878 for the first time the novelty of the scene
fell short of my expectation. I had been accus-
tomed, in common with many other persons, to
regard it not only as outlandish and inaccessible,
but as a region where life must be spent under
even less favourable conditions than in those
remote parts of the Far West with which I was
accjuainted. With a feeling of am'izenn^nt, then,
1 discovered throughout Manitoba innumerable
indications of a long-settled and well-governed
country. Many of the farms which I visited had

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224

The Province of Manitoba.

an antiquated look which produceu a striking
impression. I had expected them to resemble
other Prairie farms, which appear as if they had
just been established, or were on the point of being
abandoned, everything about them being unsub-
stantial and unfinished. The rude dwelling-houses
seem intended to serve a temporary purpose. No
trim gardens give evidence of long residence and
the expenditure of leisure time. An unenclosed
plot of ground, in which cabbages or potatoes are
struggling for existence among a mass of weeds,
is the only attempt at gardening to be seen on a
new prairie farm. The fields bear testimony to
the haste with which the settler has striven to
grow and garner a crop. He has sown the seed
before the land has been wholly reclaimed from
its wilderness state, caring nothing about appear-
ances so long as he can harvest a quantity of
grain sufficient to repay his outlay and to leave
him a surplus wherewith to feed himself and his
family. Tidiness is not the forte of a prairie
farmer.

In Manitoba, however, many prairie farms have
as finished and comfortable a look as any in Great
Britain. An enclosed garden, filled with flowers
and vegetables and free from weeds, is attached
to most of them ; the fields are in excellent con-
dition ; the dwelling-house seems built to last

Farming in Manitoba.

225

triking
jseinble
ley Taad
of being
^ unsub-
g.bouses

)se. ^o
ence and
aenclosed
batoes are
of weeds,
seen on a
itimony to
striven to
In the seed
imed from
)ut appear-
quantity of
id to leave
,elf and Ui^
3f a prairie

e farms bave
any in Great
svitb flowers
is attacbed
.xellont con-
built to last

and to afford a comfortable shelter; an air pre-
vails which can best be rendered by the epithet
home-like. This was not what I had come so far
to see. Yet, if I had pondered more carefully
the history of the country, it is precisely
what I ought to have expected. It is a common
but an entire mistake to regard Manitoba as a
region of the globe in which farming is an ex-
periment. The truth is that farming has been
practised there on a considerable scale and with
remarkable success since the year 1812.

At the beginning of this century the problem
of how to deal with the poorer Highlanders
caused much anxiety to philanthropists and
statesmen. The semi-patriarchal state in which
the Highland clans had lived was a thing of the
past, and there appeared to be no place for the
members of those clans in the new state of things.
Sliortly after the bloody suppression of the re-
bellion of 1745, many Highlanders emio rated to
North Amorica. Expatriated Highlanders con-
stituted the bono and marrow of the colony which
General Oglctliorpo conducted across tlie AtUuitic
in order to found what is now the State of
Georgia. Others had clioson North (/arolina as
their dwelling-place, and, siding witli Congress in
tlio war of Independence, lliey proved tliemselves
sturdy and djiuntlos.s soldiers in battle.

iT'-,'

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226

T/ie Province of Manitoba.

Bi| ./

w i '

In the introduction to Scott's Legend of Mon-
trose an account is given of Sergeant More
M*Alpin who, having served his time in the army
and been discharged with a pension, went back
to his birthplace in the North of Scotland and
found that a single farmer occupied the ground
where two hundred persons had lived in his boy-
hood. He meditated following them to Canada
and settling in the valley which they had illed
after their native glen. Lord Selkirk persuaded
some of these evicted Highlanders to unite in
founding a colony on the banks of the Red River
of the North. He had become Chairman of the
Hudson Bay Company and he had acquired a
tract of land covering 116,000 square miles,
whereon he wished to form a settlement. In the
spring of 1811, a party of Highlanders, the
majority being natives of Sutherlandshire, em-
barked at Stornaway and sailed for York Factory
on Hudson Bay. It was autumn before the
party reached York Factory, and the land journey
to Fort Garry, on the Red River, could not be
begun till the following spring ; the emigrants
did not reach their destination till tlie autumn of
1812. The weary and dispirited Highlanders
found that tlioy were expected to figlit as well as
to farm, hostilities being tlieu in progress between
the Hudson Bay Company and the North-West

)^ illon-
,t Hore
he army
gut back
land and
Q ground

his boy-
o Canada
lad -i-^^ed
persuaded
) unite in
Ked River
^an of tbe

acquired a
aare tniles,

anders, the
Ldsbire, em-
ork Factory
I before tbe
land journey
•ould not be
be emigrants
Ke autumn of
Higidanders

[rrbt as well as
l^ress between
^ Kortli-West

I^ed River Farmers.

227

Fur Company of Canada and they were told that,
if the latter Company were victorious, they would
be deprived of the land which, they had bought.
So hard did their lot seem that they resolved to
quit the country, and they had actually started
in 181 6 when, on Lord Selkirk appearing with a
fresh band of emigrants, they agi^eed to remain.
Their descendants in the third generation are
now successful and prosperous farmers, and it
was their farms which struck me as very different
from the Prairie farms which I had seen else-
where. Their experience demonstrates hpw fertile
the soil is along the Red River Valley.

I visited farms in the parish of Kildonan where
wheat had been sown and where crops had been
reaped for sixty years in succession without
manure being applied. Indeed, the Red River
farmers have long regarded the natural fertilizers
of the soil as an incumbrance of which they try
to rid themselves with the least possible trouble.
Their habit was either to cast manure into
the river or else to build out-houses in sucli a way
that it might fall down and be no more seen.
When this region passed from under the juris-
diction of the Hudson Bay (company aiul became
a Province of Canada, one of the earliest legislative
enactments provided that the farmer who polluted
a river with manure should pay. a tine of $25, or

li 2

■4

<ii

228

The Province of Manitoba.

'Jii' i'

' ^ 1

else be imprisoned for two months. Even now it
is more common to collect the manure in heaps
than to strew it over the land. The only fertilizer
added to many fields is the ash from burned
straw. I often saw the straw, remaining after
the grain had been thrashed, set on fire as the
quickest way to dispose of it. However, as the
country becomes mure thickly peopled, straw will
be taken to market and sold for money instead of
being converted into ashes.

That a piece of land should bear wheat for three
generations in succession is extraordinary, but
that the yield at the end of that period should
amount to 25 bushels a'l acre is more extraordi-
nary still. On virgin soil the yield is enormous.
The best evidence on this head, because it is per-
fectly authentic, is that furnished by Mr. Senator
Sutherland, a native of the Province, to a Com-
mittee of the Dominion House of Commons in
187G. Mr. Sutherland then said that he had
"raised GO bushels of spring wheat per acre,
weighing 66 lbs. per bushel, the land having been
measured and the grain weighed carefully. I
have plso received reliable information to thc^
effect that 70 bushels of wheat have been pro-
duced from 1 bushel of wheat sown." Another
interestintr fact rests on the same trustworthy
authority ; this is tlie abundance of grass antl

Prairie Grasses.

229

a now it
in heaps
fertilizer
1 burned
ing after
re as the
rer, as the
straw will
instead of

tt for three
linary, hut
riod should
e extraordi-
s enormous.

ise it is per-
Hv. Senator
e, to a Com-
^omtnons iu
hat he had
at per acre,
having been
carefully. 1
ition to the
,ve been pro-
" Another
trustworthy
of grass and

cheapness of hay. The prairie grasses, of which
there are six varieties in this Province, con-
tain much nutriment; they can be converted
into hay at the cost of $1 a ton. These wild
grasses often grow to the height of 5 feet ; the
yield of hay is as much as 4 tons an acre.

While the descendants of the original settlers
are living in comfort, the new-comers are pros-
pering also. They have to struggle against cer-
tain drawbacks as is the lot of all prairie farmers ;
in their case, however, it is emphatically true that
patience and perseverance have their reward. I
conversed with many of the later settlers. One
of them was a very intelligent man who had
emigrated from the North of Ireland to Ontario
fifteen years ago and who had migrated to Mani-
toba a year before I saw him, being induced to
do so because the return from his farm did not
keep pace with the increase and the demands of
his family. His flock of a dozen children gave
him no concern in his Manitoba home. His
eldest daughter had found a good place at a
liberal wage in a clergyman's household, while
his crops were so abundant that he could easily
feed all the mouths dependent upon him and lay
something aside fnv the future.

He had but one fault to find with the country,
and he was not singular in his complaint. The

f»

B-<.mf> — ^— — ~*^

230

The Province of Manitoba.

I u

■A \

!;';!

violence of the thunderstorms appalled him. I
was not surprised to hear him say this. I have
had some experience of thunderstorms and I am
prepared to maintain that those of Manitoba are
so terrific as to be beyond all rivalry. In Ontario
the flashes of lightning are more vivid and the
peals of thunder are far more resonant than in
England, but a Manitoba thunderstorm is to
one in Ontario what one in Ontario is to one in
England. "When Manitoba is visited with such a
storm the rain falls as if the windows of heaven
were open, the thunder crashes as if the celestial
combat imagined by Milton were at its height,
the lightning fills the air with sheets of dazzling
brightness athwart which dart tongues of flame.
The air is so charged with electricity that the
simplest operation reveals its presence. It can
be made manifest by merely combing one's hair.
At times it appears in a startling fashion. The
Earl of Soathesk records in the narrative of his
travels here that, when about to wrap himself in
a fur robe, "a white sheet of electrical flame
blazed into his face, for a moment illuminating
the whole tent."

The Manitoba farmer who reaps fabulously
large crops can afford to bear the discomforts of
occasional thunderstorms of exceptional violence.
When locusts, or grasshoppers as they are here

Grasshoppers.

231

him. I
I have

nd I am
itoba are
L Ontario
an^ the
b than in
'm is to
to one in
ith such a
of heaven
e celestial
ts height,
)f dazzling
s of flame,
that the
e. It can
one's hair,
lion. The
itive of his
himself in
ical flame
[luminating

fabulously
comforts of
ml violence,
ley are here

called, visit the country they cause greater un-
easiness because they occasion far greater loss
than all the thunderstorms. This plague is not
peculiar to Manitoba ; it is dreaded by farmers in
the Western States from Minnesota to Colorado.
At Denver, the capital of Colorado, I once saw a
flight of grasshoppers, resembling a scintillating
brown cloud, pass over the city, and many were the
speculations among the onlookers as to the part
of the State on which it would descend and work
destruction. The settlers in Manitoba have
suffered less from this pest than their neighbours
in the United States. Since the first settlers
came here in 1812 the grasshoppers have ap-
peared thirteen times, whereas they have visited
the State of Minnesota six times since 1855 ; in
the former case the visitations having been thir-
teen during sixty-eight years and in the latter,
six during twenty-five years. The Indians wel-
come grasshoppers ; they catch, roast and eat them
and pronounce them very good. Happily for the
farmers, who prefer bushels of grain upon which
they can live, to bushels of grasshoppers which
devour their crops, the voracious insects are not
regular visitors. As many as thirty-five years have
elapsed between their successive appearances.
Moreover, the farmers are better able now to ward
off their ravages than they were ni bygone days.

■■%

''.I

I I

i-i/

!'■

^/ '-..

:^i^:st- mmmmm

232

T/ie Province of Maiiitoba,

'IM l( '','

r ■■ i; I

.)■ I

:fH ^ ?

Grasshoppers are an infliction wliich is not
very freq^ient nor very greatly feared ; the spring
floods are annual torments for which no remedy
has yet been adopted. They cause the farmer
much annoyance and serious loss. The deposit
left upon the land which has been inundated fre-
quently lessens its fertility for a season. There
is a remedy which would cure all this, or better
still which would prevent the mischief altogether.
A liofhtninfy-rod oruards the farmer's house and
barns from injury by the electric fluid. A proper
and general system of drainage would shield his
fields from the destT*oying flood when the snow
melts in the spring and the streams are swollen to
a great height. The Government of the Province
have a comprehensive scheme of drainage in
contemplation. If it weie carried out and if it
proved eflectual, the wealth of the Province would
be vastly augmented, the waste now produced by
the floods being incalculable.

The Eed Eiver cart is a relic of Manitoba in the
old time which is destined to follow the buffalo
and be seen no more. Indeed, it cannot outlast
the buffalo, because buffalo hide is one of the
chief materials used in its construction. The
cart is entirely made of wood and buffalo hide, no
metal being employed or required in its construc-
tion. It was an ingemous device of the first
settlers who, having no iron at their disposal, had

li is not
lie spring
o remedy
16 farmer
tie deposit
dated f re-
Q. There
or better
iltogether.
liouse and
A proper
shield liis
the snow
swollen to
e Province
rainage in
it and if it
race would
roduced by

itoba in the
the buffalo
mot outlast
one of the
;tion. The
alo hide, no
:s construc-
of the first
isposal, had

it ■

:!■

lyi^i.

im [

1 1

ENLARGED MAP OF

MANITOBA

SHEWING NEW TOWNS. VILLAGES
& POST OFFICES.

^WHTLS HOUMTMN ^<

M,., i.ii, ^ .Ml. 1 i< U'l. '...'I-

lEN

LISBURY

CIMUi

vVV

iRfCK lotto

%■

PAK POINT

PMiSTiNEVfitAOSTOME

_fi005IOEl
porY COLOENi

STREAt

i\\\ '—- •

tOAKLANO

^wooo

CLAmMY£Mf£Q«'8

Dmyoitr

iVICTORIA

>BERON

\PETNEL
•/FAIRVIEV^t

WEUINCTDN

[BOURNE

ROCKWOOO

'POINT

RCE
LA PRAIRIE

WINNIPEG^

E;.KIRK

HSCRE^

^^^/^COOHS CRIEN

OUNO

lUBROli

^^at iiNOIAN FORD
TREHERNE

^HOLLAND

vit/(l

iUNNYSi

rMPTO

URIR CREEK

lim

BEAC0N6FIEL0 , v
CAMPBGiLVIIAE
TOBACCO CREEK RI6DELI.
LORNE

siVuAthev^
r, K--

i ^

r^.

8TLE0T

IIAMI

«OCK Iht^t

IIVERVIUE

CLEAR SPDINC

»IIAT RIVER

.— — ""Treston

CRYSTAL ) rR»'*l.

innmr^MOUNTAiN city LETEUIER •

SINA _ ^"^•^taODERVILLE

KMNOMITE

SESirTLEHIENTS

^^RNAUO

l>SI,

s#i««»,«r^i \ MENNONITE

fmouNum

BREEN RIBOC
IIOCEVILLE.

WEST LYNNE

EMCRtOri

^li>' I iM]J. I.ill.':'l. I

'-^■■■5? - .- « * i » . ; J;'^.__^ ; - --^-M^^SfimitiiiismmS^

■ U

f;t.

'. (.

\iV%

■ ' » :,

I I

I'li 1,;

GRAND VALlE.V.LYMPTei

imiCMCK
BNAND(^^^

ENLARGED MAP

MAN ITO

SHEWING NEW TOWNS.
& POST OFFICES.

'•v»Tir

OONC

IIVCNVCiU

CliAR SPlIM

\llAT RIVER

TLEMSmS
Unauo

BRCEN met

RIOGCVIUI .
IMCMON

il 'f!

Manitoba Homesteads.

^Mi

|UI8
ELKIRK

OUNDI

mLLlM

It Ci»K

ITTt

vt;.LC

CLEAR SPlMCl

w tivm

MMOMtTE
TLEMfrTS

AREEN RItOl
XlOGEVlUl.

CKtOM

to contrive to dispense with it. Such a cart costs
$10 ; it is light as well as cheap, and a heavier
load can be drawn in it by an ox over the soft
prairie than in •<!■ cart of another build. With one
of these carts carrying a load of half a ton, a yoke
of oxen, a plough and a few other implements,
the Manitoba farmer is equipped for tilling the
soil. Farming on the prairie is very different
work from farming in the backwoods of Canada.
It has been aptly and truly said, " Where the
Ontario farmer ends, the farmer of Manitoba
begins." The latter has merely to plough the
prairie, sow the seed and wait till his grain is
ready to be reaped ; he has neither trees to fell,
nor land to clear.

Any citizen of the British Empire can get a
farm in Manitoba on very easy terms. The
Canadian Homestead Act provides that he may
secure 160 acres of land on paying an office fee of
$10, living there three years, erecting a dwelling
on it not less than 18 feet long by IG feet wide,
and cultivating a part of the land. On complying
with these conditions, he becomes the absolute
owner of the land. His task is not hard. Ho
may grow a crop the first year of occupation
which will reimburse him for all his outlay.
Should he have cattle, they can graze free of cost
on the prairie grass and be fed in winter on 1"
which he obtains for the trouble of cutting ai

1 i

; I

■(:

It'

234

The Province of Manitoba.

*.!.

I 7

•

curing it. In order to succeed lie must start with
capital ; the minimum sum which he ought to have
on beginning to farm is $500 ; the larger his
capital the greater his chance of success. In any
case he must make up his mind to endure some
privations, to eat very plain food, to sleep little
and work very hard. Should he be diligent in
toiling with his hands, he may count upon being
in comfortable circumstances at the end of five
years and a rich man at the end of ten. The
fault will be his own if he fail. Nature has done
everything for the Manitoba farmer that nature
can do for any farmer, and it rests with him
to do the rest. The Manitoba farmers whom I
visited and with whom I conversed are so con-
scious of this as to indulge but seldom in the
grumbling which is the failing of the farming
class. I found them more ready to express
thankfulness than to find fault. It was their rule
to use nearly the same form of words in which to
convey their reply to my question as to what they
thought about the country as a svhole, the phrase
being " Manitoba is the finest land that God's
sun ever shone on."'

\ Amon<5 tho many pamphlets, Blue Looks and works relating
to Manitoba which I have read, none contains a more interesting
and valuahlo account of its early history than a book entitled
lied River, by ^Ir. .1. J. Hargrave, published at Montreal in
18' 1.

irt witli
to have
ger liis
In any
re some
!ep little
igent in
3n being
i of five
en. The
has done
at nature
with him
i whom I
e so con-
)m in the
3 farming

express
their rule

1 which to
what they
\\e phrase
Aiat God's

works relating
oro interesting
book entitled
,t Montreal in

CHAPTER XI.

MENNONITES AND ICELANDERS IN MANITOBA.

TuE emigration of the Mennonites from their
Russian homes near the Sea of Azoff to new ones
near the Red River of the North, is an interesting
fact in contemporary history. These Mennonites
are German Protestants who reject infant baptism,
who will not bear arms or take an oath. Their
ancestors took refuge in Russia a century ago
because they were not allowed to practise their
reUgion in Western Prussia. They found an
asylum in Russia where the edicts of successive
Emperors allowed them to till the soil and live in
peace. It was decreed, however, that the immunity
which they had enjoyed from military service
should terminate in 1871 ; hence, they liad either
to submit to the conscription or leave the country.
The majority choje the latter alternative.

A largo number of Mennonites emigrated to the
United States, settUng in Nebraska and Kansas.

;

'■'i\

* i ;

'rgjiftu i

236

Meiinonites and Icelanders in Manitoba.

! i

A small body went to Brazil, suffered mucli and
returned to Russia after undergoing great priva-
tions and after being the objects of English
charity during their stay at Southampton, on
returning from Brazil, and till permission to re-
enter Russia was granted. While the exodus was
in progress, Mr. Hespeler was commissioned by
the Canadian Government to proceed to iiussia and
suggest to the Mennonites that Manitoba would
be a suitable place for them. A few Mennonites
had settled in Ontario, had prospered, had grown
rich and were disposed to succour their unfortunate
brethren in the dominions of the Czar. They
agreed to become sureties to the Government of
Canada for the repayment of any sum which it
might be necessary to advance to the Russian
Mennonites by way of loan. The amount lent by
the Government was $80,000, -at 6 per cent,
interest, repayable in eight years.

Before deciding to leave Russia for Canada, the
Mennonites sent three agents to survey the land
and empowered them, if satisfied with it, to
select a tract for settlement. These agents
reported very favourably of Manitoba, and they
chose two places one to the East, the other to
the West of the Red River, as suitable for their
brethren. The Canadians were not impressed
with the penetration of these agents, because tlie

)ba.

icli and
it priva-
Englisli
pton, on
)n to re-
odus was
ioned by
.ussia and
)ba would
;ennonites
lad grown
ifortunate
,ar. They
rnment of
n whicb it
le Russian
ant lent by
per cent.

Mennonite Homes,

anada, the
ey tlie land
with it, to
lese agents
a, and they
be other to
,blo for their
impressed

because the

land which they dehberately selected seemed far
inferior to other land which they might have had.
When the main body of the Mennonites arrived
at the Red River about five years ago, they had
much to endure. They had to encamp on the
open prairie in the cold winter months. Water
was scarce and trees were few in numbei . They
dug wells and met the first difficulty ; they built
houses of sun-dried brick and overcame the second
and, what was still more wonderful, they heated
their dwellings and cooked their food with fires
made without wood or coal. I mentioned in a
previous chapter that the early settlers had a
habit, which they bequeathed to their descendants
and from which the latter are not yet weaned, of
burning the straw in their fields and casting their
manure into the river. The Mennonites carefully
save both. They thatch their houses and barns
with part of the straw ; the remainder they mix
with the manure, press the two together and cut
the mass into cakes, which serve admirably as
fuel to burn in their clay-built stoves. These
stoves are so arranged that three sides of each
form parts of three rooms, thus distributing heat
over the greatest surface and economizing fuel.

More cosy dwellings and better arranged farm
offices than those of the Mennonites are not to be
found in Manitoba or in the Canadian Far West.

1 :1

238 Mennoniles and Icelanders in Manitoba.

The furniture is plain but substantial, ard well
adapted for its purpose. It is the handiwork of che
people themselves. Thev employ their leisure in
carpentry during the frost-bound winter months.
The men think it as absurd not to make their own
chairs and tables, their writing-desks and chesty of
drawers, as the women consider it inexcusable not
to suckle their infants and make the clothes
used by their families. It is the custom of both
sexes to buy anything which they can fabricate
for themselves. They are thoroughly practical
Christians ; they hold that their duties to them-
selves and their neighbours consist in dressing
plainly, being diligent in business and rendering
to every one his due and no more. They are
ready to help those who help themselves; but
they will not lend a hand to keep the idle by
nature in a state of blissful indolonce. The men
are farmers from choice, ^o drones are suffered
to remain in their community. Every one in
sound health is obliged to labour with his hands
or to pay the penalty of starving. A clergyman
toils in the fields during the week and ministers
to the spiritual wants of his flock on Sundays.
Nor is the scliuuimaster exempted from manual
labour during seed-time a:,d harvesi:; the rest of
the year he is permitted to teach the children.
The women have to labour as liard and r.s un-

id well
k of the

isure ill
montlis.
aeir own
3liest^ of
3able not

clothes

of both
fabricate
practical
to tliem-
, dressing
rendering
iTbey are
jlves ; wut
le idle by

Tlie nien
re suffered
ry one m

his hands

clergyman
1 ministers
Sundays,
om rnanual

the rest of

le children.

and f.s un-

Mennonite Doctrines and Habits. 239

romittingly as the men. No distinction of sex is
made when a field has to be weeded, a house
plastered, seed sown or cattle tended. All who
can use their hands are obliged to do so when the
occasion arises.

The Mennonites will not fight on any provoca-
tion. They will not take an oath whatever the
consequences. They will not go to law if they
. !in possibly help it, and they carry their in-
dependence to such an extreme that each one
acts as his own physician without thinking that
he is chargeable with folly. They can the more
easily dispense with drugs and doctors because
they enjoy exceptionally good health. The country
and the climate suit them. I was told by those
whom I questioned on the subject that, in
Manitoba, they had far less sickness, especially
among the children, than in Southern Russia.
They are temperate; but they are not water
drinkers on principle. They relish a glass of
whiskey and still more a glass of brandy if they
can enjoy it without payment. Tlieir chief
objection to strong liquors consists in having to
pay for them. They also delight in a pipe, if
tobacco be supplied to them gratis.

I spent a night in one of their settlements ; I
visited many of their farms ; I conversed with
several of them in their own tongue. It is a

' 1

ff^pBm

rt;

^ iTitense conservatism
proof of their innate ^^^ ^ f «^,„,an speech
Lt they ^ave pre-ved Wr^ ^^^^ ^^^, „„, ,

till now. It ^s c^ '*^* ji 3,, German and,

driven to «P«*? i;^; ^^ exctasively. In BuB^a
in time, to speak L _ u..^ ^^ ^^^^n the

they had no temptation oi ...m ^ ^^^^^^^,^_

language of the co-^try. Jl^^y^ ^^ .g^^^ant
tively educated body Pl^°«^^, .g° ^ace. If the
rd,'in their e.ti— ^r^rounded wished

Russians by ^^^^r^^ ^^ Ihey held it to he the
to converse with ".'^q^i^e their language,
business of the Russians to acqm ^^^ .^ ^^^^^^^^^
Now the tables are turned. ^ ^.^^^ ^j^^^^

■ to learn English m ord^to do b ^^. ^^ ^^^^
neighbours these neighbours ^^ ^^.^^ ^^^^ ^^

any trouble for the pu^^^^^^ .^ ^^^^.^ .^^

converse with » ^ on their ignorant

looked down with tt»«emp ^ . ^j^^t their
neighbours, in Man^^a hey -J^^ ^^^

neighbours are ''^^^.^^orfa than themselves,
advancedinthewaysomewor^ ^^^ .^

The agricultural ^^ij;'"^^: t" those which they

Canada were as ^^'^l^''^^' train is to a stage

had used in R'^^^J'^^f.X people who made and
coach. They felt that the peop ^^^^^^^^

employed such '^f;;^^? be infinitely their
Jl^es and .ve^---:, tact and good
superiors. ^^^J

\bci.

jrvatism
speech
U not be
lan and,
n Russia
learn tlie
compara-
L ignorant

je. X^^^^®
led wislied

to be tbe
r language,
it necessary
3S witb tbeir
,ing to take
ing able to
Russia tbey
eir ignorant
,zie that their
d iar more
themselves.

they saw in
,se which they
1 is to a stage
[vho made and
L thrashing
infinitely their
act and good

Failings of the Mennonites.

241

sense, not only in recognizing this, but also in
buying the novel implements of agriculture where-
with to cultivate the soil.

Their satisfaction with the soil and climate is ex-
pressed without reserve and in the strongest terms.
Each of those to whom I addressed a question on
this head informed me that the soil of Manitoba
was more fertile, that the yield of grain was larger,
that the quality of tl ? grain was better there
than in Southern Russia, while the climate, espe-
cially in summer, was far superior. Some of
the m waxed enthusiastic when speaking of their
Canadian home. They have nothing to complain
of. The Canadian Government have pledged
themselves to respect the religious scruples of the
Mennonites. The Mennonites, on the other hand,
desire nothing so much as to' be left in the un-
disturbed enjoyment of what they styi^ "a
beautiful, a heavenly land." Theii' feelings are
manifested in the names given to i leir villages,
these being " Schonthal," " Blumenc rt," " Scliiin-
wiese," " Rosenthal," signifying Beautiful Valley,
Flowery Spot, Beautiful Meadow, Rose Valley.

Though the Mennonites possess many virtues
and make excellent settlers in a new country,
they are yet far from being model citizens. Their
very virtues are not easily distinguishable from
vices. They are as avaricious and niggardly as

,\i

Il I

242 Mennonites and Icelander's in Manitoba.

'i-r

I i

French peasant proprietors. They are morbidly
suspicious of persons who do not belong to their
body and, when dealing with strangers, they drive
bargains which are so hard as to verge on sharp
practices. To get money is their chief aim in
life, and their whole enjoyment consists in labour-
ing for that object. Like other assiduous cul-
tivators of the soil, they allow their minds to lie
fallow. They can read and write ; indeed, they
would be ashamed of being unable to do both ;
but they consider it no reproach to be indifferent
to literature other than school-books, hymn-books
and the Bible, and never to look at a newspaper.
They are utterly heedless as to the affairs of the
world, so long as they can reap their crops and
make a profit by selling their produce. If they
learn wbat is the market price of what they have
CO sell, they have learnt all the current information
which they care to possess.

Even the charity of the Mennonites has its dark
side. The poorer brethren are assisted by the
richer, but the richer take care lest the poorer
should be so well paid as to grow independent
and make their own terms. Rich Mennonites
are thoroughly convinced of the advantage of
employing cheap labour. Their astuteness as a
communitjns sometimes carriedfar beyond permis-
sible limits. I was present when the heads of one of

ba.

Lorbidly
to their
3y drive
)n sliarp
t aim in
alabour-
ous Gui-
lds to lie
3ed, they
do both;
ndifferent
mn-books
lewspaper.
'airs of the

crops and
3. lUhey
, they have

iformatiou

las its dark
bed by the
I the poorer
kdependent
blennoniteB
Ivantage of
Iteness as a
[ond permis-
Ids of one of

Mennonite Exclusiveness.

243

their Municipalities were taken to task for the
following conduct. In common with others in the
Province, this Municipality had received §400
from the Provincial Government to be applied
in drainage. The grant was accepted by the
MunicipaUty in question, but nothing was done in
draining the land. Unless each Municipality did
its duty, the effect of the work would be impaired.
The result of investigation was to show that the
Mennonite Municipality had expended $75 in buy-
ing two drainage ploughs which were carefully
stored away, and had lent the rest of the sum
at interest to a member of their own body.

It is the desire and hope of the Mennonites in
Manitoba to live apart from their neighbours and
to preserve their own speech and customs as they
did in Russia. There are many places on the
North American Continent where colonies have
been established which have preserved most of the
characteristics of their founders. In Nova Scotia
and Ontario there are German settlements ; in
New Brunswick there is a Danish settlement ; in
Ontario there is a Highland settlement ; in many
parts of the country there are French settlements.
But these settlements are chiefly characterized by
two languages being -poken by the people ; those
among them whose incestral tongue is German,
Gaelic or French le .1 English also and the fact

R 2

I I

;(

>< <

fi'

1 !

244 Mennonites and Icelanders in Manitoba.

of tlie people speaking two languages is the chief,
if not the only distinction between them and other
Canadians. Every year the possibility of remaining
a class apart is more difficult owing to the increase
of intercommunication. The present generation
of Mennonites may practise all the exclusive rules
to which they have been accustomed and their
ignorance of English will render it easier for them
to resist any external influence which might cause
them to modify or alter their views and habits.
Their children will assuredly succumb to these
influences. They are learning English and they
will acquire ideas which must alter their mode of
life. Moreover, the Mennonites are making money
more rapidly than they ever did before and the
sons of rich parents may cease to labour with their
hands as their forefathers have done for genera-
tions. It is to be hoped, however, that they will
preserve some of their simple tastes and all their
domestic virtues. The Mennonites have taught
the Canadians many lessons, and they have learned
much in return. The progress of their community
deserves to be watched with interest. As tillers of
the soil they have no superiors. As pioneers in
subjugation of the wilderness they cannot be
rivalled. Their gospel of labour is sound and
profitable doctrine for settlers in the Far West,
and it is their merit to practise it with diligence

ioba.

the chief,
md other
•emaining
e increase
reneration
Lisive rules
and their
T for them
light cause
md habits,
h to these
h and they
eir mode of
iking money
)re and the
ir with their

for genera-
|iat they will

aid all their
have taught
Ihave learned

r community
As tillers of

s pioneers in
cannot be
sound and

,e Far West,
ith diligence

New Iceland.

245

and zeal. As Lord Dufferin remarked in an
admirable speech delivered when visiting their
reservation, they are useful recruits and comrades
in a contest waged with Nature where no blood is
shed or misery wrought. Yet the war " is one of
ambition, for we intend to annex territory, but
neither blazing villages nor devastated fields will
mark our ruthless track ; our battalion will march
across the illimitable plains which stretch before
us as sunshine steals athwart the ocean ; .'le rolling
prairie will blossom in our wake, and corn and
peace and plenty will spring where we have trod."

II.

Fifty-six miles northward of Winnipeg is Gimli,
the Capital of New Iceland. The territory set
apart for the Icelanders covers 27,000 acres ; the
population did not much exceed 1029 at the close
of 1879 ; about 500 Icelanders of both sexes were
scattered over the Pro\'ince, the men working on
farms, the women as domestic servants. Lord
Dufferin was an enthusiastic advocate of immi-
gration into Canada from Iceland. He had
learned from personal observation how hard life
was in Iceland itself, the people there existing as
he phrased it *' amid the snows and ashes of an

li'

tj I' .1 1

l>l

:.-.S!hL^^.

246 Me7inonites and Icelanders in Manitoba.

arctic volcano." ThePrst Icelandic settlement in
Canada was made in 1875 near Burnt River in
Victoria County, Ontario. The spot reminded tlie
Icelanders of their native land far too well, the
chief product of the locality being rock. It was
then resolved to offer them a tract of land in the
Far West on the shore of Lake Winnipeg, provided
that they would remove thither and induce their
countrymen to join them. The removal was
effected the following year and as many as 2000
took up their abode near Lake Winnipeg, an
inland sea as long as England and not less
abundantlj?- stocked with fish than the salt ocean
around Iceland. Immediately after arriving,
small-pox broke out among them and they were
subjected to a species of quarantine ; they com-
plained of being kept too strictly isolated and
that intercourse with the rest of the world was
forbidden them long after all risk of contagion had
ceased.

Perhaps no settlers in the Far West have had
more difficulties to surmount than these Icelanders;
certainly, none have found anything so strange and
unlike what they had seen before. As Lord
Dufferin justly remarked, the business of the
Canadian settlers is to fell wood, plough fields,
make roads ; these Icelanders, however, had nev(T
seen in their native isle, a tree, a cornfield or a

itoba.

Discord among the Icelanders.

247

Dlement in

River in
fiinded the
3 well, the
tc. It was
[and in the
r, provided
iduce their
moval was
ny as 2000
nnipeg, an
d not less
3 salt ocean
I' arriving,
I they were

they com-
solated and

world was
ntagion had

>st have had
(Icelanders;
strange and
As Lord
ness of the
ough fields,
n', had never
ornficld or a

road, and they were ignorant of the very elements
of agriculture. It is highly creditable to them
that they have learned very (juickly how to
cultivate the soil, the neat gardens round their
comfortable houses being pleasing tokens of their
progress. They have been successful in rearing
cattle and tliey have now added beef to their
dietary ; formerly they lived entirely on fish,
vegetables and bread. I am not sanguine, however,
about the hopes of the promoters of the settle-
ment being realized. Immigration from Iceland
does not continue. For a time the desire of the
Icelanders to persuade their brethren at home to
join them was so marked that Mr. Lowe, Secretjiry
to the Department of Agriculture, informed a
Committee of the Dominion House of Commons,
*' almost every settler in New Iceland appears to
be an immigration agent." The great clianges
which these Icelanders have undergone appears to
have created in their minds a longing for further
changes and fresh wandering. Some of them have
proceeded to the United States and those who
remain are not satisfied with their lot. They are
a good-tempered and harmless race, they make
excellent servants, but they ai)i)ear lacking in the
(|ualities which constitute successful colonists.

ijg-i-sirafi

CHAPTER XII.

ii !

1 (''

THE NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES.

** Go west, young man, and grow up with the
country," was the pithy, sensible and often-
quoted advice which Horace Greeley gave to such
of his countrymen as were unable to get suitable
employment in the Eastern States of the Union.
The result has been to people the Western States
with mou who find it easier to grow ricli there
than in the place of their birtli. What the
younger citizens of the United States have been
doing for many years back, the young (^anadians
are domg now. They, too, have a Far West
which is as rich in golden opportunities as that
Avhich used to be regarded as the most favoured
part of the North American Continent. Lai'ge
,^ and important though Manitoba undoubtedly is,
there is a ^region beyond it still larger and still
more attractive. Many ])ersons fancy that Mani-
toba is far enough Avest, yet others regard it as on

lllt^'

Western Roads.

249

with the
nd often-
ve to sucb
et suitable
bl)C Union.
,eni States
rich there
What tlie
have been
Canadians
Fur West
ies as that
it favoured
nt. Larj^e
ubtedly is,
Y and still
that Mani-
ird it as ou

the threshold of the new and marvellous country
for which they are bound, and they treat it as a
mere halting-place in their journey towards the
setting sun.

When the Canadian Pacific Railway is finished
and open for traffic the journey westward through
Manitoba will be an easy one. At present it
is tedious and trying. During a part of the year
there is communication l)y v/ater between Winni-
peg and Portage la Prairie, 70 miles to the west,
and it is also possible to go in a steamer as far as
Battleford, the Capital of the North- West. But
the more general mode of travel, and the one
which will be followed till the railway can be used
is for travellers thither to start in a light spring-
waggon, carrying a tent and other encumbrances
in view of the probable necessity of having to
camp out. The traveller and the emigrant do not
require long experience of Mimitoba to thoroughly
understand its greatest drawback, the absence of
good roads. The word road has seldom a place
in the language of the people, the common ex-
pression to designate the pathway between two
places being " trail." It may be said, indeed,
that each traveller makes his own road. If he bo
aware of the direction which he ought to follow,
ho e] looses the part of the prairie where the
ground is best fitted for driving. Nothing is

i i.i

250

The No7'-th- West Territories.

m\\

tW"

easier ttan to drive over the stoneless and
springing turf of the virgin prairie and, if the
traffic be not too great, an excellent** trail*' is
made by the passage of successive vehicles. But,
when the traffic is heavy and continuous and holes
are formed in which water settles and the soft
mould resembles a mass of tenacious mud, then
following the ** trail " is a weariness to the flesh
of man and beast. The roads of Manitoba must
have much in common with the famous roads
in the Highlands before the advent of General
Wade.

Wlien England was supposed to be the land
of mirth and song, the persons who regard
those bj^gone days with regret would feel
themselves disenchanted if they were suddenly
transplanted to the gold age of their dreams.
EngUsh roads were then in much the same state
as those in Manitoba now. The Slough of
Despond through which Bunyan makes Christian
struggle at the beginning of his heavenward pil-
grimage to the Celestial City, was doubtless copied
from something which he had seen near Bedford.
No clearer or more accurate representation of a
Mr.iitoba "slew" has ever been furnished than
t'i:)l' which Bunyan wrote by way ot illustrating
chf oi.stacles whic^ Christian had to face and
,»uTao\)nt a,, the outset of his journey. Christian

: I I ii

MudJioles.

251

;less and
ad, if the
= trail" is
les. But,
and holes
d tlie soft
mud, then
bo the flesh
litoba must
Qous roads
of General

36 the land
who regard
would teel
sre suddenly
leir dreams,
same state
Slough of
ces Cliristian
Lvenward pil-
btless copied
ear Bedford,
entation of a
rnished than
)f illustrating
to face and
Y. Christian

had but one to cross, whereas the pilgrims bound
for the Canadian North-West have to cross
hundreds. The stoutest-hearted emigrant who
has resolved to settle on the Stiskatchewan River
and who has begun what he considers the last
stage of his journey at the Capital of Manitoba,
has felt his courage and confidence fail him long
before he has reached the first town of importance.
Between Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie the
mudholes are so many and so difficult to cross
that, if tliej^ had intercepted Christian's path, he
would inevitably have returned in despair to the
City of Destruction. Many emigrants have seen
them and turned back in dismay. Some explorers
of the land have done likewif-e. One of the latter
warned me against making an attempt which
must end in failure, if not in the fractur.! of my
neck. It is simply impossible to depict the diffi-
culties caused by those "mudholes ;" as difficult
is it to persuade the new comer that the " nuid "
Avhicli he regards with horror and disgust is the
finest alluvial soil which can be found anywhere.
It is no uncommon occurrence for a train of
freight waggons, bound westward, to be detained
several days in the " mudholes " which intersect
the beaten path a few miles to the west of Winni-
peg. The emigrants who have surmounted these
obstacles to their progress and who remain con-

• I

»'i (

J : I

252

The North' IVest T'^rritories.

riiJ'

/jl

''ir.

'1 .1

fident of ultimate success are the persons who
not only deserve success but reap it.

An emigrant who has made up his mind to seek
a new home in Manitoba can easily prepare himself,
before leaving home, for what he must encounter
on the way to his homestead in the Canadian
Far West. Let him practise crossing a newly-
ploughed field for hours together with a horse
and cart and pitching a tent at the end of his
journey. Let him arrange so that there are fre-
quent ponds in the field, these ponds being at least
five hundred yards in width, having an average
depth of fjiir feet and a muddy bottom. If he be
not dishearten d bj' exercise of thio kind he is well
(pialifiedfor starting on a trip to the Can^idian Far
West during the wet season. He may b e agreeably
surprised at other seasons by finding the roads in
ti very different <?ondition. Li the autumn they
iiro sometimes as dry and hard and smooth as a
road paved with asphalte. During the winter
months they are always good, for then the hard
frozen snow covers the prairie and any vehicle in
the form of a sledge skims over it as easily as
a train runs along a line of rails.
. The emigrant or traveller who is prepared to
camp out will find life on the prairie far less un-
bearable than if he depend for shelter at night in
a settler's hut. It is trying to toil along the miry

lonP

wlio

d to seek
e himself,
sncounter
Canadian
a newly-
h a liorse
end of liis
sre are fre-
ing at least
an average
If > 3 be
idlieiswell
.n-dian Far
e agreeably
he roads in
itumn tbey
.inootli as a
the winter
en the hard
y vehicle in
as easily as

prepared to

far less un-

at night in

>ng the iniry

Pfairie Hotels.

paths over which thirty miles are all that can be
conveniently passed between sunrise and sunset,
but the accommodation at the few stopping-places
on the beaten track is quite as great a trial to the
fastidious wayfarers. These prairie hotels are
the rude log-houses erected by settlers who add to
their incomes by entertaining travellers. They
are commonly 18 feet long by 16 fee^: wide and
are divided horizontally into two parts. On the
ground floor is the place where the family and the
visitors sit and take the meals which are cooked
in a stove at the one end, the stove serving tb'.
double purpose of heating tho house and affording
the requisite fjicilities for cooking. In the upper
story the occupants of the house pass the night.
The food is plain and simple enough to satisfy
the greatest foe to high living, consisting of fried
salt pork, bread, potatoes and tea. Eggs and
milk are luxuries rarely obtainable. Why the
settlers do not rear poultry or keep cows is a
question which I cannot answer. A few of them
add to their incomes, not only by entertaining the
strangers who present themselves, but also by
levying a toil upon their vehicles. If a stream
near their dwellings bo difficult to ford, or if the
" trail" be in good condition over tlieir land, tluy
constriict p« rude bridge across the stream and
iuake the persons who use it or who pass over

' 1

254

The North' West Territories.

.. ti

( ■

their land pay 25 cents each. I found that some of
these astute men put as much as §50 weekly into
their pockets by so acting. The emigrants curse
these imposts, but they have either to pay them or
f^'^bp '' to serious inconvenience. The Govern-
ment ought to see that the roads are kept in
better order and that they are free to all who pass
over them. I was told that the Provincial Govern-
ment are awakening to their duty in this respect.
li they give effect to their praiseworthy intentions,
many a settler who has to travel over the prairie
to his homestead, and to whom every dollar is
precious, will grumble less about a matter which
ought never to have formed one of his troubles.

AYhen I left Winnipeg for the Far West, the
first pkce at which I halted for the night was
Whitehorse Plains where Mr. House combines
farming with innkeepiug. He has been twenty
years in the country and he likes it \ery much.
He regrets the good old days when game was
plentiful, life was easy, -v/hen the settlers were
few in number and hunters were in the majority.
The road between Winnipeg and Portage la
Prairie, the first place of any importance on the
Western road and about 70 miles distant from
the Capital, is worse than in any other part of
the count ly I have visited. The j^opulation of
Portage is 1200. It is the most westerly place

Royal Commissioners in Manitoba. 255

; some of

ekly into

Qts curse

J tbem or
Goverii-

5 kept in
wlio pass

il Govern-

is respect.

intentions,

tlie prairie

y dollar is

itter wliicli

troubles.
West, tlie
night was

|e combines

iccn twenty
very mucli.
game was
jttlers were
|ie majority.
Portage la
Lnce on tlie
astaut from
ftlier part of
jpnlation of
isterly piace

visited by Mr. Peil and Mr. Reade, the represen-
tatives of the Royal Commission on Agriculture,
during their scamper through Manitoba. I found
that these gentlemen had made a deep impression
upon those with whom they came into contact.
It was admitted that, if they saw but little of
the country, they were assiduous in rigorously
questioning everybody they met. Both gentle-
men expressed themselves greatly struck with
what they saw and both admitted that Manitoba
was a wonderful land. Mr. Reade embodied his
feelings as a British farmer in terms which were
certainly emphatic. Being asked what be
thought of the country, he replied that he re-
garded it in the same light that a lamb does the
butcher. It is impossible to view the vast ex-
panse of land covered with crops of wheat and of
a still larger area of as good land still unculti-
vated without arriving at the conclusion that the
Manitoba farmers, who pay no rent, arc dangerous
rivals to British farmers Avho both pay rent and
obtain a far smaller return for thoir lal)our. The
average yield of wheat here is thirty-five bushels
an acre. If the land were farmed with as much
care as is the rule in Great Britain, the yield
could be nearly doubled.

The Hudson Bay Company have a store at the
western division of Portage, under the care of

5 1

■A

2^6

The North- West Territories.

Mr. Gigot. I found liim a well-informed and
mo«5t courteous gentleman of German origin. I
learned from him tliat the supply of furs has not
yet fallen off. He told me that some wild
animals are more plentiful now than before the
arrival of so many settlers ; he explained this by
saying that these animals have always been more
numerous in particular years and that the last
two years are remarkable in this respect. More-
over, the hunters use more effectual weapons for
killing them than in bygone days, so that tlie
return is necessarily larger. It is obvious, how-
ever, that the fur-bearing animals which still
abound here must disappear before the advance
of civilization.

I shall not mention in detail all the places at
which I halted during the ten days that I
journeyed through the North-West Territory. The
farthest point I reached was Rapid City which,
by the devious route I followed, is 200 miles to
the west of Winnipeg. The weather was very
bad during a part of the time and those persons
who have traversed the prairie in an open waggon
when snow or rain is falling will not wonder that
I curtailed my journey. I could not, then, visit the
young and aspiring city of Gladstone in the
township of Palestine, of which I saw a plan
representing it to possess many fine buildings

' nl

yoiirnalism at Rapid City.

257

med and
origin. I
s bas not
ome wild
betore the
3d this by
been more
it tbe last
,ct. More-
reapons for
50 tbat tTie
vious, bow-
wbicb still
tbe advance

he places at
[ays tbat I
rritory. Tbe

City wbicb,
iOO miles to
3r was very

ose persons
jopen waggon

wonder tbat
iben, visit tbe
jstone in tbe
saw a plan

Lne buildings

and parks, but which, like other young prairie
cities, doubtless looks most attractive on paper.
Not far from it is the township of Beaconsfield
which is less advanced than jrladstone city. In
Beaconsfield there are only a few shanties and a
post-office, whereas Gladstone has a population
large enough to support a weekly journal, the
Gladstone News.

Rapid City is situated on the Little Saskat-
chewan River and seems destined to grow in size
and importance, being the centre of a splendid
agricultural district. It was two years old at the
time of my visit. I counted 54 houses and a
saw mill, and I was told that the population
numbered 400. A weekly journal the Bajnd City
Enterprise, after a life of six months, had just
ceased to appear and the citizens were occupied
in devising measures for supplying a successor to
it. A young Canadian journalist arrived at the
same time as myself, his purpose being to make
an arrangement with the citizens. It was agreed
that lie should receive a bonus of $500, an office
rent free and a lot of land in a good situation, in
the event of his publishing a journal for twelve
months. The citizens were well pleased with the
success of the Show of the Rapid City Agricultural
Society, the first which had been held and one
which they were glad to think was far better than

■ m

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

^^ ,<^4fe

1.0

I.I

Ui|2^ |2.5
ui Hi

US. 12.0

11.25 iU

1.6

v:^

Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

as WIST MAIN STRUT
WIUTH.N.Y. MSM

I'r' ,'

I :i

1 !

258

The North' West Territories,

the first held in the City of Winnipeg. A thousand
visitors came to see the sight and the articles
exhibited were highly creditable. They com-
prised all those commonly seen at Agricultural
Exhibitions and some which would not be found
at such an Exhibition in England. The latter
consisted of articles manufactured in the locality
and of needlework, prizes being offered for the best
set of horse-shoes and the best pair of gentle-
man's or lady's boots, for the best panel door
and window sash and the best pair of woollen
socks and mitts, for the best rug or mat and the
best sack of flour. All varieties of needlework,
from plain sewing to the most elaborate em-
broidery, figured in the prize list. I thought it
perfectly sensible to encourage local skill in all
the cases where it can be turned to profitable
account. When the railway is open the articles
which have now to be made on the spot, will be
made by machinery, and though brought from a
distance, will be sold at a lower price than hand-
made goods produced at home. It does credit to
the managers of the Show that they offered a
special prize to the Indians for the best display^
of agricultural products.

The land in the vicinity of Rapid City is rolling
prairie interspersed with small lakts ; the soil is
lighter than that of Manitoba, yet it is not less

if I

Successful Fainners.

259

ousand
articles
^ com-
jultural
} found
e latter
locality
the best

gentle-
lel door

woollen
and the
dlework,
•ate em-
lought it
:ill in all
profitable
3 articles
will be
it from a
lan hand-

credit to

offered a
3t display,

J is rolling
the soil is
a not less

productive. Three miles to the South- West is
" the English Reserve," a tract of land covering
12 miles square and chiefly occupied by immi-
grants from England. I visited some of the
farms and I conversed with many of the settlers.
Several had emigrated with too little capital,
others had done so under the delusion that a
knowledge of farming was not essential, and both
those who had too little money and too little
practical knowledge had found their task very
severe. But I heard no other complaint than
one to the effect that the country was too thinly
peopled. All the practical farmers had done well,
having reaped large crops and obtained good
prices for their produce. The wheat was pro-
nounced by an expert who accompanied me to be
the finest he had ever seen. An Ontario farmer,
who had been here a year only, was enchanted with
the country. His seed sown in a shallow furrow
on the wild prairie had yielded a vast increase.
The root crops surprised him most of all, potatoes
grown on the prairie sod averaging 2 lbs. in
weight and turnips from 15 to 20 lbs. each. Some
of the farms were very charming. One of 320
acres, obtained at the cost of 33/. by a Hereford-
shire farmer who had left England owing to the
failure of his crops in 1879, was everything that
any one could desire. A small lake lay in front

6 2

26o

The North- West Territories.

of the house; a few trees grew close at hand,
about twenty acres had been sown with wheat, a
smaller portion had been devoted to root crops.
^^ small patch before the door had been sown
with flower seeds brought by his daughter from
the old home, and the sight of the flowers was as
delightful to my eye as the large yields of grain
and vegetables. More luxuriant mignonette I
never saw before ; the flowers were gigantic and
the delicious perfume was not impaired by the
size of the plants. I was so struck with these
flowers as to carry away specimens, being con-
vinced that they were as curious as any specimens
of agricultural products and quite as striking
testimonies to the goodness of the soil and
climate. If the settler in Manitoba be not con-
tented, he has but to migrate to the North- West
Territories in order to find a still better farming
country. There is plenty of room for all comers
in these Territories; they v^over more than two
and a half million square miles. A low estimate
of the finest land available for settlement shows
that there is ample room here for a population
three times larger than that of the British Isles.

The Hon. David Laird, Governor of the North-
West Territories, was on a tour of inspection
during my visit, and I had the gratification of
much personal intercourse with him. He is a

Home of the Buffalo,

261

b hand,
srlieat, a
■j crops,
n sown
er from
i was as
of grain
)nette 1
ntic and
I by the
ith these
)ing con-
pecimens
striking
soil and
not con-
)rth-West
r farming
ill comers
than two
estimate
lent shows
population
ish Isles.
;he North-
inspection
fication of
Ho is a

native of Prince Edward Island ; he admits that
the fertile soil and pleasant climate of his island
home are quite matched by those of the great
country over which he is now placed in authority.
He even thinks that Battleford, the capital of
these Territories, is healthier than that of any
other part of Canada. Though the attention of
the world has been concentrated on this region
owing to its reputed value for grain producing,
yet, in Governor Laird's opinion, the region is
even better adapted for rearing cattle. He de-
scribed a tract of country not far from the base
of the Rocky Mountains which has long been the
home of the buffalo, and which is unrivalled for
stock rearing; it is 360 miles long by 100 broad;
it is covered with rich grasses, and the climate is
so temperate that cattle can remain all the winter
in the open air with impunity. Underneath the
soil, throughout the whole of this tract, there are
beds of lignite of the best quality, the lignite
burning nearly as well as ordinary coal.

I was pleased to learn that the Indians are
giving no further trouble than to make appeals
for food when the season is unusually inclement.
Some of these Indians are setting an excellent
example to their brethren. When Governor
Laird went to Battleford in 1877 he found a body
of Crees, numbering 000, encamped there. He

262

Tlie North- West Territoi'ies.

persuaded tliem to lea^e a place where they had
no right to remain, and to settle on a spot to the
south which belonged to them. The Rev. Mr.
Clark, a Church of England missionary, was
labouring among these Crees. He had gained
their confidence, and he induced them to begin
cultivating the soil. He showed them how to set
to work, and in 1878 they had good crops of
potatoes. In 1879 they had crops of various
sorts of vegetables and of some kinds of grain
sufficient to provide for their wants, and
leave them a surplus to sell. Other Indians
are copying what the Crees have done, and it
is probable that the experiment so successfully
begun on a small scale will prove of inestimable
benefit to the Indians as a body. They must
cultivate the soil, be fed by the Government
or starve. Year after year buffalo are growing
scarcer. Once the Indians become habituated to
tilling the soil, they will give even less trouble
than they now do to the Canadian Government.

Out of consideration for the Indians and in
continuance of the policy of the Hudson Bay
Company, the sale and manufacture of intoxicants
are absolutely prohibited throughout the North-
West Territories. The Governor-General of the
Dominion is alone empowered to give a licence
for manufacturing intoxicants there, while the

Sale of Intoxicants Prohibited. 263

Lieutenant-Governor of the Territories may issue
a licence allowing them to be sold or kept, under
the condition of making an annual return to the
Minister of the Interior of the licences issued and
of the quantity and nature of the intoxicants to
which they refer, that return to be laid before
Parliament. Owing to attempts to defeat the
operation of such an Act the definition of intoxi-
cants is made to include every conceivable form
of intoxicating beverage or solid substance, the

words of the Act being : " The expression * intoxi-
cating liquor' shall mean and include all spirits,
strong waters, spirituous liquors, wines, fer-
mented or compounded liquors or intoxicating
fluids; and the expression * intoxicant' shall
include opium or any preparation thereof, and
any other intoxicating drug or substance, and
tobacco or tea mixed, compounded or impregnated
with opium, or with any other intoxicating drug,
spirit or substance, a:nd whether the same or any
of them be liquid or solid." Though not himself

a total abstainer on principle, the Governor has
become one during his term of oflBce on the
ground that he could not well enforce the Act if
he made himself an exception to its provisions.
He is beset with applications for licences ; indeed,
the enforcement of the law against the use of
intoxicants gives him more annoyance and labour
than any other of his duties. He thinks the pro-
hibitive system works well on the whole. Whether

264

The North- West Territories.

it can be upheld when the country is more densely
populated remains to be seen. The newly-arrived
settlers complain bitterly about the Act. An
English farmer's wife told me that she missed her
glass of beer at dinner more than anything else,
and that if she could enjoy it again, she would nob
regret having left her old home.

At present, the Governing body of the North-
West Territories is nominated by the Governor-
General in Council ; provision is made, however,
for the nominated being transformed into an
elected body. Whenever any district of 1000
square miles contains a population of not less
than 1000 adults, exclusive of aliens or unenfran-
chized Indians, the Lieutenant-Governor may pro-
claim it an Electoral District and desire the people
to return a representative. Should the number
of adults rise to 2000 then a second representa-
tive may be returned. When the Council shall
consist of 21 elected members then it shall cease
to be a Council and will become the Legislative
Assembly of the North- West Territories. This
transformation is now in progress and, when it is
completed, it will be seen whether the people
desire to continue the prohibitions as to intoxicants
which are now imposed upon them by the Dominion
Parliament.

i> I

densely
-arrived
jt. An
ssed her
ing else,
ould nob

e North-
overnor-
however,
into an
of 1000
not less
menfran-
may pro-
he people
5 number
spresenta-
ncil shall
hall cease
legislative
es. This
when it is
le people
itoxicants
Dominion

CHAPTER XIII.

THE CANADIAN FAR WEST.

It is a misfortune that the most widely-read
descriptions of the vast and sparsely peopled
region of Canada, extending from Lake Superior to
the Rocky Mountains, chiefly relate to its appear-
ance in the winter season. Hence the notion
prevails that the " Great Lone Land " is an illimit-
able wilderness, covered with snow and intersected
with frozen riyers over which people journey on
sledges drawn by unruly dogs. All countries in
the temperate zone have their winter, yet it pro-
duces a misleading impression to depict them as
if the winter state were the normal one. I have
seen snow lying thickly in sunny Provence and
in the Riviera along the Mediterranean which is
supposed to be an Earthly Paradise, and I have
felt the cold more keenly there than I have done
when Fahrenheit's thermometer indicated 20°
below zero in the coldest part of the North

I 'if'

266

The Canadian Far West.

American Continent. A lesson soon learnt, and
not rapidly forgotten by the visitor to the part of
North America where the winters are most severe,
is that the position of mercury in a thermometer
is no criterion of the cold experienced. So long
as the air is still, any person warmly clad is
almost insensible to cold. When the tempera-
ture is at the lowest point in Manitoba, it is the
rule for the air to be absolutely still. At Pau, in
the Pyrenees, the thermometer frequently falls
far lower in winter than at Nice on the Mediter-
ranean; but, as the atmosphere is so calm at
Pau that, for days or weeks together, not a
breath of wind stirs the withered leaves on the
trees, the sensation of cold is much less than in
the warmer but more agitated air of Nice.
During a Canadian winter, the sky is clear and
the sun shines brightly day after day, and hence,
though the mercury may be very low and the
indicated cold very great, the feeling is one not
of depression but of exhilaration, and the fact of
the cold seems to be forgotten. Admiral Sir
George Back told a Select Committee of the
House of Commons in 1857, that at Fort Reliance,
near the Arctic Ocean, he had seen Fahrenheit's
thermometer indicate 70° below zero. Being
asked as to the effect of the extreme cold on
himself and his party, he replied, " I cannot say

Westeim Winters,

267

pnt, and
3 part of
it severe,
mometer
So long

clad is
tempera-
,, it is the
.t Pau, in
ntly falls

Mediter-
» calm at
jr, not a
es on the
s than in

of Nice,
clear and
md hence,
V and the
IS one not
;he fact of
imiral Sir
tee of the
't Reliance,
ahrenheit's
'0. Being
ae cold on
cannot say

that our health was affected differently to what

it would be in any other extreme cold ; perhaps

the appetite was considerably increased.'*

Professor H. Y. Hind, being questioned on the

subject of climate by a Committee of the Dominion

House of Commons in 1878, said, ** The winter
cold of Manitoba is greater than the winter
cold on the coast of Labrador. But it is a dry
uniform cold, and it is very far less inconvenient
to the senses, or in any other way, than the
moist cold of Labrador." Professor Brvce of the

University of I/'anitoba, gives the following cor-
roborative testimony: " The winters of the North-
West, upon the whole, are agreeable and singularly
steady. The mocassin is dry and comfortable
throughout, and no thaw, strictly speaking, takes
place till spring, no matter how mild the weather
may be. The snow, though shallow, wears well,
and differs greatly from eastern snow. Its flake
is dry and hard, and its gritty consistence re-
sembles white slippery sand more than anything
else. Generally speaking, the further west the
shallower the snow, and the rule obtains even
into the heart of the Rocky Mountains. In
south-eastern Ontario the winter is milder, no
doubt, than at Red River; but the soil of the
North-West beats the soil of Ontario out of
comparison; and after all, who would care to
exchange the crisp, sparkliug, exhilarating winter
of Manitoba for the rawness of Essex in South
Ontario ? "

268

The Canadian Far West,

A common mistake is to assume that what
applies to one part of the Canadian Far West is
true of the whole. No man can speak of the
whole from personal knowledge. A great part
has not even been explored. The extent of this
territory is so vast that the mind cannot form a
clear conception of it from statistics. To say that
its area is 2,764,340 square miles is merely to set
forth large figures. A clearer and more striking
idea of the enormous expanse may be formed
when I add that it is seven hundred thousand
square miles larger than the German Empire,
France, Spain, Italy and Russia in Europe put
together. These countries support a population
exceeding 180,000,000. In the Canadian Far
West, the population, including Indians, is
probably under 200,000. It is not thought an
extravagant estimate to put the future popu-
lation of this territory, when it shall have been
I'endered easily accessible, and when its advan-
tages have exercised their full effect in attracting
settlers, at nearly 100,000,000. Sanguine ob-
servers maintain that the country can support a
population of twice that amount.

A territory so vast is exposed to varied natural
conditions. The fauna and flora differ in
different places ; the soil is not everywhere the
same, and the climate is as diverse as the soil.

I \

Climate y Soil and Minerals.

!69

;H( 11

hat what
• West is
ik of the
rreat part
nt of this
Dt form a
'o say that
rely to set
e striking
be formed

thousand
n Empire,
lurope put
population
ladian Far
ndians, is
hought an
ture popu-
have been

its advan-
a attracting
nguine ob-

support a

ried natural
differ in
ywhere the
as the soil.

Every hundred miles to the west of Winnipeg
there is an increase in the temperature and, when
the part is reached where tbe warm wind from
the Pacific — the Chinook as it is called locally —
makes its influence felt, the change in tbe climate
is very marked. There the snowfall is light.
Indeed, at the summit of the Yellow Head pass
through the Rocky Mountains, snow melts as it
falls. In the grazing-ground at the eastern
base of these mountains cattle remain out all
winter, finding their own food. Everything
necessary for the sustenance of man is provided
in this region. Farming or cattle-rearing is not
the only industry by which wealth may be ac-
quired. There is ample scope for the miner and
even for the manufacturer. Beds of lignite and
ironstone extend over hundreds of miles, so that
a little enterprise is alone wanted for the esta-
blishment of iron foundries and factories of all^
kinds at the base of the Rocky Mountains.

I cannot too often repeat that farmers act
unwisely in going to the fertile West, unless
they can get iheir produce conveyed to market at
a low price. If the price of grain be very low at
New York or Liverpool, the farmer who is at the
furthest point from either place is at the greatest
disadvantage. The price which he obtains for his
grain is lessened by the cost of carrying it to

.!■■

ii:

270

The Canadian Far West.

market, while his own outlay in growing it will
be as great as that of a farmer who is within
easy reach of the place of sale. It is certain that,
if the Canadian Far West be peopled in pro-
portion to its capacity, and if the population
grow wheat to the extent that is possible, then
the conveyance of this surplus to market will be
the most important problem to solve. Farmers
have found in the United States that, by settling
too far West, the cost of transport eats up all the
profit which they would make by growing grain
if the market were nearer at hand.

The Canadian Far West cannot be fully
peopled until it is more accessible to immigrants;
hence it is that the Canadian Pacific Railway is
imperatively necessary. Upon that railway the
agricultural population must chiefly depend for
transporting their produce to market. There is
room and there will be employment for a second
trunk line two hundred miles to the north of the

one now in coi^e of construction. An inde-
pendent line, the South Western, is to run three
hundred miles west of Winnipeg, between the
boundary -line and the Canadian Pacific, opening
up the rich country in what is called the Turtle
Mountain district.

I have journeyed over several hundred miles of
the Canadian Pacific between Winnipeg and

Sir George Simpson^ s Prophecy.

271

ng it will
is within
'tain that,
i in pro-
)opulation
ible, then
:et will be
Farmers
)y settling
up all the
^ing grain

be fully
amigrants ;
Railway is
ailway the
depend for
There is
3r a second
)rth of the

An inde-

run three
3tween the
ic, opening

the Turtle

ed miles of
jnipeg and

Thunder Bay and I was impressed with the
advantage of the line for developing local, as well
as for accommodating through trafl&c. This part
of the country has attracted less notice of late
than the Western prairie land. It is a region of
lakes and wood, interspersed with tracts of fertile
soil where crops could be grown, and expanses of
meadow whereon cattle could be reared. In
several parts mineral discoveries of importance
have been made. I saw specimens of gold quartz
taken from an island in one of the lakes. I was
told that an abundance of quartz equally rich had
been found ; if it be true that quantities of quartz
rich in visible gold are obtainable, then gold
mining will become a most remunerative industry
here. This, added to its other advantages, will
lead to the peopling of the region between Lake
Superior and Winnipeg quite as rapidly as that
of the agricultural region farther west. It may
be that the prophecy made by Sir George
Simpson in 1841, after he had been twenty years
(governor of the Hudson Bay territory, may be
speedily fulfilled, a prophecy which, it is fair to
add, he stated in 1857 was made in a fit of
enthusiasm. Writing about Rainy River which
connects the Lake of that name with the Lake of
the Woods, Sir George stated : — " From Port
Frances downwards, a stretch of nearly one

272

The Canadian Far West.

hundred miles, it is not interrupted by a single
impediment, while yet the current is not strong
enough aterially to retard an ascending
traveller. Nor are the banks less favourable
to agriculture than the waters themselves to
navigation, resembling, in some measure, those
of the Thames near Richmond. From the very
brink of the river, there rises a gentle slope of
greensward, crowned in many places with a
plentiful growth of birch, poplar, beech, elm and
oak. Is it too much for the eye of philanthropy
to discern, through the vista of futurity, this
noble stream, connecting, as it does, the fertile
shores of two spacious lakes, with crowded
steamboats on its bo^om, and populous towns on
its borders ? "

The impression made upon me when I passed
over nearly a hundred miles of the line to the
AVest of Winnipeg was that there, too, local
traffic would be developed. The total length of
line required to connect the present Canadian
railways with the Pacific ocean is 2G27 miles.
The struggle over the choice of routes, and over
the way in which to carry out the undertaking,
has been protracted and severe. A Syndicate
has been entrusted with the execution of the
gigantic work. The conditions under which the
Syndicate enters upon its labours were thus set
forth in the Dominion Parliament by Sir Charles
Tupper, Minister of Railways : *' For that portion

Canadian Pacific Railwa

2/3

a single
t strong
icending
vourable
.elves to
[•e, tliose
tlie very

slope Q>i
with a
, elm and
Lanthropy
rity, tliis
he fertile
crowded

towns on

n I passed
lie to the
too, local
length of
Canadian
G27 miles.
3, and over
dertaking,
Syndicate
ion of the
wbich the
e thus set
ir Charles
hat portion

of the line from Fort William to Selkirk, 410
miles, the Pembina branch, 85 miles, and that
portion from Kamloops to Burrard Inlet, 217
miles — all of which, amounting to 712 miles when
the line is completed, is to be handed over as the
property of the Company. The total amount
expended and to be expended by the Govern-
ment, including everything, is 28 million dollars.
For the construction of the road from Lake
Nipissing to Fort William, 650 miles, and
from Selkirk to Kamloops, 1350 miles— 2000
miles in all — the Grovernment have agreed to pay,
in addition to the 28 millions, 25 million dollars
and 25 million acres of land; making a total
subsidy, in cash, of 53 millions, and in land
estimating the 25 million acres at the same rate
that I have estimated the land under the contract
of 1873, and under the estimate of the Act of
1874, one dollar an acre, of 25 million dollars, or
a total amount to be expended by Canada for the
construction of the Canadian Pacific Eailway of
78 million dollars."

While the Canadian Pacific Railway will shorten
the journey between Liverpool and Yokohama or
Hong Kong, and while it will both link together
the Prc^n'nces of the Dominion and aid in deve-
loping their resources, it will not entirely solve
the problem of transporting agricultural produce
at the cheapest rate from the Canadian Far West
to Europe. In the United States the route by
way of the Mississippi has an enormous advantage

I' w

II,:

■\, 11

2 74

The Canadian Far West.

over any other; wheat can be carried from St.
Paul, the capital of Minnesota, down the Missis-
sippi in barges to New Orleans, where it is trans-
ferred to steamers bound for Glasgow, at 38 cents
a bushel. It ought to be possible to sell this wheat
on arriving at its destination at a lower price than
the prevailing one. With the great river as a
silent and easy highway, the farmers in the
Mississippi Valley can successfully compete with
farmers in other parts of the Union.

In the important matter of water-carriage the
farmer in the Canadian Far "West has unrivalled
advantages. The navigable rivers cover a dis-
tance of 11,000 miles, of which 4000 only have as
yet been turned to account. The distance from
Winnipeg to the mouth of the St. Lawrence is
2500 miles, and the transit of bulky articles over
this intervening space would be costly. But, if
instead of choosing the route of the St. Lawrence
as the outlet to the Atlantic, the route by Hudson
Bay be chosen, then Winnipeg may be brought
within two days' journey by rail and water from
the sea.

For two centuries the Hudson Bay Company
sent their stores into what is now the Canadian
Far West, and took their furs out of it in sailing
ships which plied between England and the Bay.
The Nelson River connects Lake Winnipeg with

Hudson Bay Route,

275

fom St.
Missis-
Ls trans-
38 cents
is wbeat
rice tlian
ivcr as a
s in tlie
)ete witlv

•riage tlie
iinrivalled
rer a dis-
ly have as
ance from
Lwrence is
iicles over
But, if
Lawrence
)y Hudson
)e brought
crater from

Company
Canadian
t in sailing
id the Bay.
inipeg with

Hudson Bay ; it is a vast stream, draining an area
of 360,000 square miles, and is six miles wide at
its mouth. There are impediments to the continuous
navigation of the river by large vessels, but these
have not hindered canoes being used for the pur-
pose. It is proposed, however, to make a railway
over the 370 miles which intervene between the
lower part of Lake Winnipeg and the mouth of
the Nelson River. Grain could be stored at
Port Nelson and conveyed to England in steamers
during the season of navigation. Professor
Hind considers " the head of tide- water in Nelson
River may yet become the seat of the Archangel
of Central British America, and the great and
ancient Russian northern port — at one time the
sole outlet of that vast empire — find its parallel
in Hudson Bay." The water-route by Nelson or
Hayes River from Hudson Bay to the interior has
proved available for the purposes of trade since
the incorporation of the Company in 1670. In
1846 the route was used to convey troops and found
suitable. A force consisting of a wing of the 6th
Foot, a detachment of Artillery and a detachment
of Royal Engineers, with one 9-pounder and three
6-pounders and numbering 18 officers, 329 men,
17 women and 19 children, made the journey by
boat from Hudson Bay to Red River in about 30
days. Colonel Crofton, who was in command,

T 2

2 76

The Canadian Far West.

made the journey in seven days' less time. The
current being strong, it takes far longer to make
the journey up stream; including stoppages it
has been made down stream, in loaded boats,
within nine days. If steam launches were substi-
tuted for the boats propelled by hand, the time
would be decreased. But it is proposed to dispense
with the river altogether, and to make a narrow
gauge railway from the northern end of Lake
Winnipeg to Hudson Bay and a charter has been
granted for such a railway. There is a difference
of opinion whether Fort Churchill may not be
a preferable port to Port Nelson. But there is
agreement as to the feasibility of reopening com-
munication between England and the Canadian
Far West by way of Hudson Bay.

It is true that the navigation of Hudson Bay is
only open for steamers during five months in
each year, yet, during that time, it would be easy
to export all the produce which may be destined
for the markets of Europe, and to import all the
goods which might be required in exchange.
The distance from Port Nelson to Liverpool is
nearly a hundred miles less than from New York.
It is estimated that when steamers shall ply
between Hudson Bay and the Mersey, the Clyde
or the Thames, it will be possible to sell Mani-
toba wheat in the United Kingdom at 28^. a
quarter and to do so at as large a profit as that

Rival Regions.

277

me. The
r to make
ppages it
ed boats,
3re substi-
the time
o dispense
a narrow
L of Lake
r has been
difference
ay not be
lit there is
ening corn-
Canadian

son Bay is
months in
lid be easy
>e destined
ort all the
exchange,
liverpool is
New York,
shall ply
the Clyde
sell Mani-
at 28s. a
Dfit as that

now obtained from the sale of United States
wheat at 48s. Should that day arrive the British
farmer must renounce growing wheat ; he can
barely hold his own now with his rival in the
United States ; he cannot possibly compete here-
after with his brother in Manitoba. It may then
be found that the desperate struggle in progress
between farmers in this country and their com-
petitors across the Atlantic will arise between the
farmers on the opposite sides of the boundary-
line in North America. The Manitoba farmer
will hereafter be able to defy rivalry in the
markets of Europe.

No question is more fiercely debated than the
relative advantages of different parts of the North
American Continent. If a stranger to the
country listened to the evidence adduced in
favour of a particular State in the Union, or a
particular Province of Canada to the exclusion
of anj other State or Province, he would think
that a conclusive case had been made out.
Should he listen to the statements made about all
of them, he will be either completely puzzled or
remarkably acute in sifting and weighing facts.
Instead of giving my own conclusion concerning
the Canadian Far West as a place for settlers, I shall
cite the conclusion of a thoroughly competent and
impartial investigator, who has long studied the
matter on the spot and who is justly regarded as

278

The Canadian Far West.

an authority. This is Mr. J. W. Taylor, the
United States Consul at Winnipeg, who has
served his country there since 1870. Like all
his countrymen, he is a firm believer in the great
destiny reserved for the United States, yet his
patriotism has not blinded him to the attractions
and resources of the part of the Canadian
Dominion wherem he resides.

Mr. Taylor's opinion, enunciated in many
speeches and writings, is that the North American
Continent is divisible into three zones, the southern
being the Cotton-growing zone, the mid-zone being
specially adapted for the growth of Indian corn,
and the northern for the production of wheat.
He holds that the mid-zone extends to Southern
Minnesota: he stated in a public speech "that
three-fourths of the wheat-producing belt would
be north of the International boundary." In a
letter to the Fioneer Press of Saint Paul, he gave
the following reasons, among others, upon which
he based his conclusion: "In 1871, Mr. Archi-
bald, the well-known proprietor of the Dun das
Mills, in Southern Minnesota, visited Manitoba.
He remarked that the spring wheat in his vicinity
was deteriorating — softeningj and he sought a
change of seed, to restore its flinty texture. He
timed his visit to Winnipeg with the harvest and
found the quality of grain he desired, but the
yield astonished him. ' Look,' said he, with a

Perfect Wheat Plants,

279

lylor, the
who has

Like all
the great
s, yet his
attractions

Canadian

in many
American
e southern
zone bein^
dian corn,
of wheat.
D Southern
icch "that
belt would

In a

il, he gave
ipon which
!ir. Archi-
he Dundas
Manitoba,
his vicinity
sought a
tture. He
arvest and
d, but the
he, with a

head of wheat in his hand ; * we have had an ex-
cellent harvest in Minnesota, but I never saw
more than two well-formed grains in each group
or cluster, forming a row, but here the rule is
three grains in each cluster. That's the difference
between twenty and thirty bushels per acre.'
More recently, Professor Maccoun, the botanist
of the Pacific Railway Survey, has shown me two
heads of wheat, one from Prince Albert, a settle-
ment near the forks of the Saskatchewan, latitude
53 degrees, longitude 106 degrees, and another
from Fort Vermillion, on Peace River, latitude
59 degrees, longitude 116 degrees, and from each
cluster of the two I separated five well-formed
grains, with a correspondmg length of the head.
Here was the perfection of the wheat plant,
attained according to the well-known physical
law, near the most northern limit of its successful
growth. Permit me another illustration on the
testimony of Professor Maccoun. When at a
Hudson Bay post of the region in question —
either Fort McMurray, in latitude 57 degrees, or
Fort VermilHon in latitude 59 degrees, and about
the longitude of Great Salt Lake, an employee of
the post invited him to inspect a strange plant
in his garden, grown from a few seeds never
before seen in that locality. He found cucumber
vines plan^ 'd in April in the open ground, and
with the fruit ripened on the 20th of August."

There is a physical cause why wheat grown in
the northern region of Manitoba should be su-
perior to that grown in the United States to the

28o

The Canadian Far West.

south of it. The nearer the northerly limit
at which wheat will grow, the finer is its
quality. At the northern limit of its growth on
this Continent, not only is the soil adapted for it,
but the duration of sunshine is longest there when
the ears are ripening. From the 15th of June
till the 1st of July nearly two hours more daylight
prevail in northern Manitoba than in the State of
Ohio. It is not heat alone which is required to
bring the wheat plant to perfection even in places
where the soil is best adapted for its growth.
This is true of all grain as well as of all vegetables.
Other conditions being present, the greater the
amount of solar light the better the result. Now,
wheat grown in the Canadian North-West is
grown under incomparable advantages with re-
spect to the length of sunlight ; hence, that wheat
is of the hardest description, is adapted for pro-
ducing the very finest flour and is certain to prove
the most remunerative crop. The acreage suited
for the growth of wheat in this region is large
enough to furnish bread for the whole of Europe.

11.

The facts which can ])e adduced in support of
the Canadian Far West being second to no part
of the Northern American Continent cannot be
gainsaid. It does not follow, however, that every

The " Land of Misery!'

281

y limit
is its
)wth on
d for it,
Te when
of June
daylight
State of
uired to
in places
growth,
^etables.
jater the
t. Now,
West is
with re-
at wheat
for pro-
to prove
re suited
is large
Europe.

ipport of

no part

annot be

lat every

settler there is entirely happy. Many settlers have
failed to profit by their opportunities. Some have
expected too much; others are unsuccessful be-
cause they do too little. There is no royal road
to fortune in any new land. In the fairest spot
on the earth the hardest worker will reap the
richest harvest, while the idler will be unable to
earn a living. Last year, the iVew; Yorh Herald
gave publicity to letters from settlers in Manitoba
who complained that the country was utterly un-
fitted for cultivation. That enterprising journal
thereupon dubbed it the ** Land of Misery." If
the early settlers in Virginia and New England
had been men of the same calibre as these
grumblers, they would never have developed the
resources of Virginia or made New England the
home of a prosperous community. The first
comers in any undeveloped country are like the
first occupants of a new house. The house may
be well built, yet it lacks innumerable appliances
which render it a comfortable dwelling. The
next tenants find it far better fitted for occupation
than their predecessors, and every succeeding
dweller in it profits by something which has been
added to render it more habitable. So with land
which may be capable of growing crops and feed-
ing millions, but which, in its virgin state, is little
better than a desert. The next generation will

\h •'*

282

The Canadian Far West.

find the Canadian Far "West a very different
country from what it is to-day. Marshes will
have been drained, roads will have been made,
railways will be in operation ; the soil will yield
more abundantly, and the labour of living will be
lightened. When its inhabitants hereafter read
that it was once styled the *' Land of Misery,"
they will marvel at the credulity, or the ignorance
which dictated the phrase.

Eulogy from those personally interested, cannot
permanently render a tract of country, which is
naturally unsuitable for human beings, a pleasant
land wherein to dwell, nor will depreciation on the
part of the envious or uninformed hinder a tract,
possessing every advantage which Nature can
confer, from being appreciated and developed.
Unless the Canadian Far West possess all the
charms which retain as well as attract settlers,
it will relapse into a wilderness over which
the savage will again roam and the wild beast
multiply. I have no apprehension as to its
future. My opinion is based upon what I have
beheld. I admit that persons who implicitly
trust the fascinating tales circulated by specu-
lators in land maybe grievously disappointed. It
is as hazardous to buy land anywhere without
personal inspection, as it is for a person who has
no special knowledge of horseflesh or art to rely

A TerresU'ial Paradise.

upon the assurance of a speculator in horses or
pictures. In North America, it is easier to buy
land than to sell it. The risk is diminished when
the purchaser of land in the Canadian Far West
deals with respectable and responsible bodies like
the Hudson Bay Company or the Pacific Railway
Syndicate, yet in all cases, the purchaser ought to
examine his bargain before paying his money.
He will display both shrewdness and prudence
should he visit the Homestead of 160 acres, which
he obtains as a free grant from the Government,
before occupying it.

The predominant feeling in my breast as I
traversed a part of what the late Earl Beacon sfield
termed the " illimitable wilderness " of Western
Canada was deep regret that such a region should
remain untenanted by busy men. There, year
after year the summer sun floods with warmth
millions of acres where beautiful prairie flowers
bloom and wither, and nutritious grasses spring up
and decay. The snows of winter cover the earth
with a garment which, though apparently a cold
shroud, is really a warm mantle. Game breeds and
dies without yielding food to more than a few
hunters. Fish spawn and fill the lakes and rivers
without being utilized to vary or constitute the sub-
sistence of more than a few Indians. When I thought
of the millions of people who might be fed and rear

284

The Canadian Far West.

families on the untrodden prairies, and enjoy tlie
game and the fish which abound, it saddened me
to contemplate the neglect with which Nature's
banquet was treated. And the sadness deepened
when I reflected how many landless millions in
Europe were struggling for the necessaries of
life, or were longing to be the possessors of land
which they might call their own, whilst food
was easily procurable here by all who might desire
it, and land could be had for the asking by all
comers. I have seen a large part of the North
American Continent. I have marvelled at the
enterprise which has converted so much of it from
a wilderness into a garden. No other tract can so
easily undergo the same transformation as the
Canadian Far West. I cannot believe that it will
long remain unappreciated and unpeopled.

The result of the settlement of the Canadian
Far West will be of paramount importance in
shaping the destiny of Canada. Many persons
speculate as to the future of the Dominion. The
theme is a tempting one, but its adequate discus-
sion is not easy. Confederation dates from the
year 1867; the Dominion, as now constituted,
dates from the accession of Prince Edward Island
in 1873. The settlement of Manitoba, the con-
struction of the Pacific Railway, the opening of
steam navigation through Hudson Bay to Europe,

Canada s Future.

28^

are elements of the greatest moment in determin-
ing the destiny of Canada, and several years must
yet elapse before the influence of these elements
is apparent. Men for whom I have the highest
respect have pronounced incorporation with the
United States to be Canada's inevitable fate. In
such a matter as this I hold prediction to be
wholly vain. It would not be hard to frame a
plausible argument to tho effect that the " manifest
destiny " of Switzerland was to be absorbed by
adjacent and more powei ful countries ; yet the
Swiss entertain no doubt about preserving their in-
dependence and they consiuer that they are fully
warranted in so doing. It is clear to my mind that
the future of Canada is in the hands of the Cana-
dians. Upon them rests the responsibility, and with
them is the opportunity of shaping the issues which
determine their destiny. A heavier responsibility or
a grander opportunity never fell to the lot of a
people. Should they fail in making Canada what
it may become, the fault wi.l bo their own and not
that of their magnificent Far West which, in
all physical advantages and [)otentialities, cannot
easily be matched and cannot anywhere be sur-
passed.

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTER.

WEEDS IN NORTH AMERFCA.

All visitors to North America must have marvelled
at the luxuriance of the weeds along every roadside.
Their number is very great and they are often
very beautiful. I wished to write something about
them when I met with the following article in the
Union Advocate of Newcastle, New Brunswick. I
think that the readers of this volume will approve
of my reprinting the article, and thus enabling
them to share in the pleasure with which I perused
it and to obtain the information of which it is full.

*' The walker makes the acquaintance of all the
weeds. They are travellers like himself, the
tramps of the vegetable world. They are going
east, west, north, south ; they walk, they fly, they
swim, they steal a ride, they travel by rail, by
flood, by wind ; they go underground, and they go
above, across lots and by the liighway. But, like
other tramps, they find it safest by the higliway ;
in the fields they are intercepted and cut off, but

Weeds in North America.

■-'ii

larvelled
'oadside.
ire often
Qg about
jle in the
wick. I

approve
enabling

perused
it is full.
)f all the
ielf, the
re going

fly, they

rail, by
they go

3ut, like

igliway ;

, off, init

on the public road, every boy, every passing herd
of sheep or cows gives them a lift.

" Ours is a very weedy country because it is a
roomy country. Weeds love a wide margin, and
they find it here. You shall see more weeds in
one day's travel in this country than in a week's
journey in Europe. Our culture of the soil is not
so close and thorough, our occupancy not so
entire and exclusive. The weeds take up with
the farmers' leavings, and find good fare. One
may see a large slice taken from a field by elecam-
pane, or by teasel, or by milk-weed ; whole pas-
tures given up to white-weed, golden-rod, wild
carrots, or ox-eye daisies ; meadows overrun with
bear-weed, and sheep pastures nearly ruined by
St. John's wort or the Canada thistle. Our farms
are so large and our husbandry so loose that we
do not mind these things. By and by we shall
clean them out. W( eds seem to thrive here as
in no other country. When Sir Joseph Hooker
landed in New England a few years ago, he was
surprised to find how the European plants
flourished there. He found the wild chicory grow-
ing far more luxuriantly than he had ever seen it
elsewhere, ' forming a tangled mass of stems and
branches, studded with torquoise blue blossoms,
and covering acres of ground.' This is one of
the weeds that Emerson puts in his bouquet, in
his ' Humble-boc ' —

* Succory to match the sky.'

" Is there not something in our soil and climate

288

Weeds in North America.

exceptionally favourable to weeds — something
harsh, ungenial, sharp-toothed that is akin to
them ? How woody and rank and fibrous many
varieties become, lasting the whole season, and
standing up stark and stiff through the deep
winter snows — dessicated, preserved by our dry
air ! Do nettles and thistles bite so sharply in
any other country ? To know how sharply they
bite, of a dry August or September day, take a
turn at raking and binding oats with a sprinkling
of blind nettles in them. A sprinkling of wasps
and hornets would not be much worse.

*' Yet it is a fact that all our more pernicious
weeds, like our vermin, are of Old World origin.
They hold up their heads and assert themselves
here, and take their fill of riot and licence ; they
are avenged for their long years of repression by
the stern hand of European agriculture. Until I
searched through the botanies I was not aware to
what extent we were indebted to Europe for those
vegetable Ishmaelites. We have hardly a weed we
can call our own ; I recall but three that are at all
noxious or troublesome, viz. : milk-weed, rag-
weed, and golden-rod : but who would miss the
latter from our fields and highways ?

'Along the roadside, like the flowers of gold
That tawny Incas for their gardens wrought,
Heavy with sunshine droops the golden- rod,'

sings Whittier. In Europe our golden-rod is
cultivated in the flower-gardens, as well it might
be. The native species is found mainly m the
woods, and is much less showy than ours.

Weeds in North America.

289

aething
ikin to
s many
on, and
le deep
our dry
larply in
ply they
r, take a
3rinkling
of wasps

lernicious
Id origin,
lemselves
ice; they
ression by
Until I
aware to
for those
weed we
are at all
[eed, rag-
miss the

;old

ight,

Irod,'

len-rod is
it might
ily m the
irs.

" Our milk- weed is tenacious of life ; its roots
lie deep, as if to get away from the plough, but
it seldom infests cultivation crops. Then its stalk
is so full of milk and its pod so full of silk that
one car lot but ascribe good intentions to it, if it
doos sometimes overrun the meadow.

* In dusty pods the milk- weed
Its hidden silk has spun.'

sings ' H. H.' in her * September.'

" Of our rag-weed not uch can be set down
that is complimentary, except that its name in the
botany is Ambrosia, food of the gods. I^ .uust
be the food of the gods if of anything, for, so far
as I have observed, nothing terrestrial eats it, not
even billygoats. Asthmatic people dread it, and
the gardener makes short work of it. It is about
the only one of our weeds that follows the plough
and the harrow, and except that it is easily de-
stroyed I would suspect it to be an immigrant
from the Old World. Our fleabane is a trouble-
some weed at times, but good husbandry makes
short work of it.

"But all the other outlaws of the ftirm and
garden come to us from over the seas ; and what
a long list it is : —

The common thistle,
The Canada thistle,

Elecampane,
Plantain,

lUirdock,

Motherwort,

Wild carrot,

Stramonium,

Yellow dock,
Ox-oye daisy,
(/amoniile,

Catnip^

Gill,

l>lue-wcod,

The mullein.

Stick-weed,

290

Weed^ in North America.

Hound's-tongue,
Henbane,
Pig-weed,
Quitch grass,
Nightshade,
Buttercup,
Dandelion,
Shepherd's purse,
Wild mustard,
St. John's wort,
Chickweed,
Purslane,

Mallow,

Darnel,

Poison hemlock.

Hop clover,

Yarrow,

Wild radish,

Wild parsnip.

Chicory,

Live-for-ever,

Toad-flax,

Sheep-sorrel,

and others less noxious. To offset this hst we
have given Europe the vilest of all weeds, a parasite
that sucks up human blood, tobacco. Now if
they catch the Colorado beetle of us, it will go
far towards paying them off for the rats and the
mice, and for other pests in our houses.

" The most attractive and pretty of the British
weeds, as the common daisy, of which the poets
have made so much, larkspur, which is a preti^y
cornfield weed, and the scarlet field-poppy which
flowers all summer, and is so taking amid the
ripening grain, have not immigrated to our shore.
Like a certain sweet rusticity and charm of
European rural life, they do not thrive readily
under our skies. Our fleabane {Erigeron Cana-
densis) has become a common roadside weed in
England, and a few other of our native less
known plants have gained a foothold in the Old
World.

** Poke-weed is a native American, and what a
lusty, royal plant it is I It never invades culti-
vated fields, but hovers about the borders and

I a iinr»0 — «,_..^-

Weeds in North America.

291

list we
parasite
Now if
, will go
and the

s British
he poets
a pretty
ly which
.mid the
ir shore,
larm of

readily

weed in
tive less

the Old

what a
les culti-

lers

and

looks over the fences like a painted Indian sachem.
Thoreau coveted its strong purple stalks for a
cane, and the robins eat its dark crimson-juiced
berries.

" It is commonly believed that the mullein is
indigenous to this country, for have we not heard
that it is cultivated in European gardens, and
christened the American velvet plant. Yet it too
seems to have come over with the pilgrims, and
is most abundant in the older parts of the country.
It abounds throughout Europe and Asia, and had
its economic uses with the ancients. The Greeks
made lamp-wicks of its dried leaves, and the
Homans dipped its dried stalk in tallow for
funeral torches. It affects dry uplands in this
country, and as it takes two years to mature, it
is not a troublesome weed in cultivated crops.
The first year it sits low upon the ground in its
coarse flannel and makes ready; if the plough
comes along now its career is ended ; tl second
season it starts upward its tall stalk, which in
late summer is thickly set with small yellow
flowers, and in fall is charged with myriads of
fine black seeds. ' As full as a dry mullein stalk
of seeds ' is equivalent to saying, ' as numerous
as the sands upon the seashore.'

" Perhaps the most notable thing about the
weeds that have come to us from the Old World
when compared with our native species, is their
persistence, not to say pugnacity. They fight
for the soil ; they plant colonies here and there
and will not be rooted out. Our native weeds

u 2

292

Weeds in North America.

are for the most part shy and harmless, and re-
treat before cultivation, but the European outlaws
follow man like vermin ; they hang to his coat
skirts, his sheep transport them in their wool, and
his cow and horse in tail and mane. As I have
before said, it is as with the rats and mice. The
American rat is in the woods and is rarely ever
seen by woodmen, and the native mouse barely
hovers upon the outskirts of civilization ; while
the Old World species defy our traps and our
poison, and have usurped the land. So with the
weeds. Take the thistles, for instance ; the
common and abundant one everywhere, in fields
and along highways, is the European species,
while the native thistle is much more shy, and is
not at all troublesome ; indeed, I am not certain
that T have ever seen it. The Canada thistle, too,
which came to us by way of Canada, what a pest,
what a usurper, what a defier of the plough and
harrow ! I know of but one effectual way to
treat it; to put on a pair of buckskin gloves,
and pull up every plant that shows itself; this
will effect a radical cure in two summers. Of
course the plough or the scythe, if not allowed
to rest more than a month at a time, will finally
conquer it.

" Or take the common St. John's wort (Hyperi-
cum perforatum), how has it established itself in
oijr fields and become a most pernicious weed,
very difficult to extirpate, while the native
species are quite rare, and seldom or never

Weeds in North Afueriea.

293

nd re-

atlaws

s coat

ol, and

I have

. The

ly ever

I barely

; while

nd our

^ith the

e; the

in fields

species,

^, and is

J certain

3tle, too,

t a pest,

ugh and
way to
gloves,

elf; this

ers. Of
allowed

ill finally

{Hyperi-
{ itself m
)us weed,

e native
or never

invade cultivated fields, being mostly in wet and
rocky places. Of Old World origin, too, is the
curled leaf dock (Bumex Crispus) that is so
annoying about one's garden and home meadows,
its long tapering root cli^jging to the soil with
such tenacity, that I have pulled upon it till I
could see stars without budofinof it ; it has more
lives than a cat, making a shift to live when
pulled up and laid on top of the ground in the
burning summer sun. Our native docks are
mostly found in swamps, or near them, anc are
harmless.

" Purslane, commonly called * pusley,' and
which has given rise to the saying * as mean as
pusley' — of course is not American. A good
sample of our native purslane is the Claytonia,
or spring beauty, a shy, delicate plant, that opens
its rose-coloured flowers in the moist sunny places
in the woods or along their borders, so early in
the season.

" There are few more obnoxious weeds in culti-
vated ground than sheep-sorrel, also an Old
World plant, while our native wood-sorrel, with
its white, delicately-veined flowers, or the variety
with yellow-flowers, is quite harmless. The same
is true of the mallow, the vetch, or tare and other
plants.

"Weeds have this virtue : they are not easily
discouraged ; they never lose heart entirely ; they
die game. If they cannot have the best they will
take up with the poorest : if fortune is unkind to

294

Weeds in North America,

them to-day, they hope for better luck to-morrow ;
if they cannot lord it over a corn-hill, they will
sit humbly at its foot and accept what comes ;
in all cases they make the most of their oppor-
tunities."

THE END.

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