IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) h // z < k ^M CANADA: A-1* m ITS GEOGRAPHY, SCENERY, PRODUCE, POPULATIONS, INSTITUTIONS, AND CONDITION. HY THE EEV. JOHN G. MANLY. LONDON: WARD & CO., PATERNOSTER-ROW.' DUBLIN: W. ROBERTSON, SACKVILLE-ST. 1860. • « •. , •y?> > t I ♦ • t , /,».', ••'« ' -.4,..lrii..i'-:^.i«!^- >i*W i i t/ nirow -*!■ ■ ■♦ •"" ^-TD^-'^Co^ Reprinicd from the " TFeeWy Agricultural Review." y^- *i>\»y*. ■ »!** t, • JUN 20 1955 DUBLIN : 6 & 7. GT. BRUNSWICK ST., ■ B]".!lJJJJ.J.Jg ;t I ,;.> , ' 1 assed wunded astonish' ment at Liverpool ; but the year previous the Canadian vessel Reindeer, built at the same water-flevel, and traversing the same route, excited no further curiosity at London than a hopeless in- quiry of * Where is Lake Huron ?' Since the Paris Exhibition, however, all is changed. Canada begins to be known and de- mands attention. The triumph attained by Canada at that exhibition, for her splendid display of minerals of all descriptions, tells its own tale. The grand medal of honor, awarded to' Sir Wm. Logan, the Canadian provincial geologist, was a prize won in a strife where all were strong, and tolls of rare industry and success, in bringing to light the hidden wealth of Canadian rooks." » Canada has her railways, as well as lakes, rivers, and canals. "The Grand Trunk Railway, consisting of 858 miles of line, the longest railway in the world, is open throughout from Portland, on the sea coast, in the State of Maine, and from Quebec, in Lower Canada, and forms a direct and continuous route from these ports to all parts in the Canadas and to the leading cities in the United States, as far west as the Mississippi ; and now passengers can be booked through by one payment, including the ocean passage, from all the principal emigration ports in the U.'dted Kingdom, at the lowest current rates of fare. Of rail- ways in Canada, built and in progress, there are about 1,850 miles which have cost, or will have cost, between seventeen and eighteen millions of pounds sterling. " The Victoria bridge, now in progress, from the city of Mon- treal to the south bank of the St. Lawrence, wiU be nearly two miles long and, considering the engineering difficulties which have to be surmounted, is held to be the greatest undertaking of modem times. It is calculated to cost £2,000,000, which will be well expended. There are other canals in Canada besides the frontier ones already mentioned. There is the Ridean canal, the finest stone- built canal in the world, including 47 locks, each 142 feet long, 33 feet wide, with 5 feet of water, together with 20 river dams, ex- tending, along with lakes and rivers, about 135 miles from the city of Ottawa, on the river Ottawa, across the country to Kingston, at the foot of Lake Ontario. This canal was con> structed by the Board of Ordnance, chiefly for military pur- poses, at a cost of about a million Bterlin^^ and is navigated by it ■mall steamboats. There is also the Grenville canal on the Ottawa ; the Chambly canal, which opens the navigation of the river Richelieu, from Lake Champlain to the river St. Lawrence ; and there is the Trent canal in Canada West, which connects Rice lake with Lake Ontario. Let us now look at the principal towns and cities of Canada, and at the population generally. Canada, east of the river Ottawa, was formerly called Lower Canada, but is now called Canada East ; and west of the Ottowa, formerly called Upper Canada, is now called Canada West. The cities of Canada East are Quebec and Montreal. The cities of Canada West are Ottawa, Kingston, Toronto, Hamilton, and London, with the towns of Prescott, BrockviUe, Belleville, Picton, Cobourg, Peterborough, Port Hope, Brantford. Quebec is the great sea-port of Canada, 410 miles from the ocean, with a popu- lation of 55,000, and is the second ior size in the whole province. Montreal is built on an island at the confluence of the Ottawa and the St Lawrence, and is 168 miles above Quebec. It is the largest city in Canada, having a population of about 75,000 inha- bitants. About 173 miles above Montreal, at the foot of Lake Ontario, is the city of Bongston, with a population of about 20,000. Toronto is situate on the shore of Lake Ontario, about 160 nules above Kingston, with a population of about 42, 000, and is the third city for size in united Canada. Hamilton,. 39 miles from Toronto, at the head of Lake Ontario, has a population of about 22,000 inhabitants. London lies inland about 76 miles west-south-west from Hamilton, and has a population of about 15,000. The city of Ottawa is situated on the Ottawa river, 168 miles above Montreal These cities are the great centres of urban population, and of trade and commerce in Canada, and to understand their positions, alqng with the lakes and rivers, will greatly facilitate aciquaintance with everything Canadian. The people of Eastern Canada are chiefly of French extraction ; of Western, chiefly British. The population of the whole province now exceeds 2,500,000. According to the last census of 1851 — when the population was much smaller than it now is — the Canadians of French origin were 795,945, of other origin, 651,679; that is, Irish, 277,766; English and Welsh, ,93,929 ; Scotch, 90,376 ; natives of the United States, 56,214 ; Dutch or German, 10, 1 16 ; natives of other British North ) canal on the ivigation of the r St. Lawrence ; vvhich connects ties of Canada, lie river Ottawa, called Canada Upper Canada, anada East are ada West are London, with 'icton, Cobourg, 3C is the great I, with a popu' I whole province. 5 of the Ottawa lebec. It is the out 75,000 inha- he foot of Lake dation of about e Ontario, about ,bout42,000, and inulton,. 39 miles } a population of about 76 miles ulation of about le Ottawa river, i great centres of 1 Canada, and to J and rivers, will Canadian. The 5h extraction ; of e whole province census of 1851 — m it now is — 5,946, of other lish and Welsh, United States, her British North American colonies, 7, 373. According to the last religious censui, the church of Rome is 914,561; church of England, 268,592; Presbyterians, 237,683; Methodists, 234,681; Baptists and In- dependents, 61,520; Lutherans, 12,107; Quakers or Friends, 7,423; besides some smaller denominations. According to the last agricultural census there are 194,309 landholders, of whom 85,912 hold from 50 to 100 acres, and 37,029 hold from 100 to 200 acres. The whole quantity of land held in Canada was 17,937,148 acres, of which 7,303,241 acres are cultivated, and the remainder consists of woodland, either reserved for fuel or unoccupied. The average produce of wheat in some townships is more than 22 bushels- per acre, and with good farming rises to 30 and often to 40 bushels. Canadian wheat won a first prize at the Paris Exhibition. " In Canada y/est, in 1856, the yield of wheat considerably exceeded 20,000,000 bushels ; and the quality of Canadian wheat is so superior that American millers buy it for the purpose of mixing with United States' grain, in order to improve the quality of their flour, and in some instances to render it fit for exportation." The general revenue of the province is derived from customs, government land sales, proceeds of public works, and minor sources of income. Government or provincial taxation never reaches the Canadian in a direct manner ; and if he choose to limit his wants to the simple necessaries of life, and clothe him- self, as tens of thousands do, in homespun — the stamp of domes- tic industry and frugality — indirect taxation will meet him only in the articles of tea or coffee, each of which costs about one-half what it costs in Britain The only taxes he is called upon to pay he has the opportunity of voting for or against ; in other words, his opinion is taken as to whether the tax is just or necessary. Such are the taxes for school purposes, and for road- making and bridge-building in the township in which he lives, and by which he benefits to a degree often one hundred-fold greater than the amount of money or labor he is required to contribute. ** The commerce of a producing cotmtry like Canada, drawing its wealth from its agriculture, forests, mines, and seas, is fairly represented by statistical tables of exports and imports. Hie following tables, compiled from official returns, will show the direction in which the industry of the province exerts itself. The exports for 1855 are thus classified : — ' ■ £ currency.* Agricultural products, . .3,257,599 Produce of the forest^ . 1,986,980 Animals and their products, . 398,796 Manufactures, . 119,019 Produce of the sea, . 1H980 „ „ mines, . 31,458 Other articles, . , . 17,140 6,925,972 Estimated short returns from inland ports, 816, 253 In addition to these items, we have the value of ships built at Quebec, . 304,886 Grand total of exports for 1855, £7,047, 111 The tonnage employed in the transatlantic commerce of Canada, and with tiie sister provinces, amounted, in 1855, to 419,553 tons inwards, and 451,241 tons outwards." Canada is one of our colonies, but is eminently free, or self- governing. The governor is appointed by the crown, but the two legislative bodies, called tiiie House of Assembly and the Legislative Council,^ are elected by the people. The elective franchise is nearly universal Every man paying an annual household rental of £6 in the cities and towns, and £4 in the rural, districts, is entitled to a vote. And while Canada is thus free, she enjoys the prestige of connexion with Great Britain, and is protected by our fleets and armies. *' It is no exaggeration to say that Canada enjoys more thorough rational freedom than any country on the globe. Upper Canada is divided into 42 counties ; each county into townships ; so that, on an average, each town- ship is about ten miles square. Each township is divided into twelve concessions or ranges, and each concession is divided into lots of 200 acres each. The inhabitants of a township elect five ' councillors ;' the councillors elect, out of this number, a pre- siding officer, who is designated the 'town reeve j' the town reeves of the different townshipc form the 'county council,' and this councU elect their presiding officer, who is styled the * Warden. ' The town council and county council are municipal corporations, possessing the power to raise money for municipal * £1 sterling is £1 4s. 4d. currencj. WMM £ curreiicy.* 3,257,699 1,986,980 398,796 119,019 1H980 31,458 17,140 6,926,972 3, 816,263 304,886 £7,047,111 itic commerce of uted, in 1855, to ds." jntly free, or self- le crowD, but the Lssembly and the ^le. The elective laying an annual (rns, and £4 in the e Canada is thus Grreat Britain, and 10 exaggeration to freedom than any L into 42 counties ; erage, each town* p is divided into ion is divided into township elect five is number, a pre- eeve j' the town 'county council,' who is styled the mcil are municipal tney for municipal 7 . purposes, such as maldng public improvements, opening and repairing roads and bridgea Repayment is secured by a tax on aU the property in the township op county where the debt is incurred; but no bye-law for raising money can be enforced unless it has been previously submitted to the electors, or people. Each corporation possesses the power of sueing, and is liable to be sued, and their bye-laws, if illegal, are subject to be annulled by the superior courts of the province, at the instance of any elector. " Each township council has the ppwer to provide for the sup- port of common schools, under the provisions of the school law ; to construct roads, bridges, watercourses, ftc, to appoint path- masters or road inspectors, &c. The county councils are charged with the construction and repairs of goals and courthouses, roads, and bridges, houses of correction, and grammar schools, under the provisions of the school law ; to grant moneys by loan to public works, tending to the improvement of the country, and to levy taxes for the redemption of the debts incurred, subject to the vote of the x)eople. Villages not having a population over 1,000 are governed by a board of police, and are styled police villages; possessing over 1,000 inhabitants, they become incor|)o- vated villages, and are governed by a council of five, whose reeve is a member of the county council ex oj^cio ; as soon as a village acquires a population exceeding 3,000 it becomes a town, governed by a mayor and council, and is represented in the county council by a town reeve, and a deputy town reeve. When the number of inhabitants exceeds 10,000, it may be created a city, and is governed by a mayor, aldermen and council- men. All town reeves, wardens, mayors and aldermen, are ex officio justices of the peace. *' Upper and lower Canada enjoy separate school laws, adapted to the religious elements prevailing in either. Each township in Upper Canada is divided into several school sections, according to the requirements of its inhabitants. The common schools are supported, partly by government and partly by local self-imposed taxation, and occasionally by the payment of a smaU monthly fee from each scholar. The total amount e^qiended on common schools in Upper Canada in 1866 exceeded £180,000 sterling. In 1867, the total expenditure for teachers' salaries was £216^057 16s., consisting of a legislative grant of £32,961 138. 4d., and an Amount naaed by local efforts of £182, 106 28. 8d. In long set- tled rural districts, eadh school section is now distinguished by a handsome brick school-house, furnished with maps, authorised school books, and elementary philosophical apparatus.. The salaries of teachers vary from £130 to £40 sterling, in country I>arts, and from £280 sterling to £75 sterhng, in cities and towns. All common school teachers must pass an examination before a county board of education, or receive a license from the pro- vincial normal school, empowering them to teach, before they can claim the government allowancie. '*The provincial Normal school is a highly effective and useful Institution for the training of teachers, and annually sends forth from 100 to 150 young men and women. ^* In 1842, the nu~^ber of common schools in Upper Canada waa 1,721, attended by 65,978 children ; in 1855 the number of schools was 3,325, attended by 227,864 children; and the average time during which the schools were open was nine months and twenty days. This increase speaks volumes for the condition and progress of elementary education in Upper Canada. Each school section is governed by an elective corporation, styled school trustees, and is supplied, partly at government expense, with a small library of selected literature. The number of volumes already distributed for this purpose is 120,000. <'The free school system is gaining ground in many parts of Canada ; the principle it involves is the support of common schools, open to all by a general tax, and the non-exaction of fees. Any school section may cdoptit by the vote of the majority of its inhabitants. Separate schools for Roman Catholics are sanctioned under certain regulations. "The grammar schools are 65 in number, with 3,726 pupili^. They are intended to form a connecting link between the commnn schools and the universities. Teachers must be graduates of some university ; they receive an allowance from government in addition to fees. The amount raised for grammar school purposes in 1855 was £12,000 sterlmg. " Besides a richly endowedprovincial university, supplied with a complete staff of highly competent professors and lecturers, there are several other universities and colleges, in Upper Canada^ in connection with different religious denominations. All the expenses of a full university course need not exceed £60 ster- Id. In long set- istinguished by a maps, authorised apparatus. The »rlmg, in country cities and towns, aination before a se from the pro- \y before they can ly effective and 8, and annually imen. n Upper Canada 55 the number of l; and the average nine months and br the condition »r Canada. Each rporation, styled lent expense, with mber of volumes in many parts of >port of common non-exaction of be of the majority lan Catholics are ith 3,726 pupils. ween, the common be graduates of m government in IT school purposes ty, supplied with rs and lecturers, n Upper Canada> lations. All the exceed £60 ster- ling per annum, board and tuition included. To the provincial uni- versity, and to the university of Trinity college, in connection with the Church of England, scholarships are attached, which vary in value from £18 sterling to £40 sterling per annum. '*The educational statistics of Upper Canada may be thus sunmied up. In 1855, there were in actual operation 4 imiver- sities, 6 colleges, 65 grammar schools, 29 private academies, 278 private schools, and 3, 325 common schools ; making in the aggre- gate 3,710 educational institutions, teaching 240,817 pupils and< students, and costing the country, in great part by self-imposed taxation, £230,000 sterling. '* In Lower Canada a system of education' in some respects similar to that which has just been described exists, and is rapidly obtaining favor among the people. The superior schools there, however, are of a very high order, and many of the semina- ries attached to religious houses are well endowed, and amply provided with eflficient professors and teachers." It may not be uninteresting to compare the government education of Upper Canada with that of Ireland. There are points of agreement and points of difference. Three features of the Irish national system have been adopted in Upper Canada, namely, first, the series of school text-books and maps, except the two books of the series which have been the subject of dispute in Ireland. Second, the system of normal and model schools, in the management and exercise of both of which im- portant improvements are said to have been made in Upper Canada. Third, the principle and method of protecting parental authority, and the rights of conscience in regard to religious books, ex- ercises, and instruction in the schools. And in these, too, real improvements have been made in Canada. Between the two systems there are several points of difference. In Ireland the National Board of Commissioners enacts the school-laws, in Upper Canada the legislature enacts the school-laws. In the Irish system there are local patrons who possess the whole power of local control, as respects pupils' fees, appointment of master (under veto of the central board), the master's absolute dismissal, religibus exercises of the school, &c. The people in Ireland have nothing to do but send their children to the school or keep them at home. In Upper Canada the schools are controlled by a council of public instruction, the office of chief superinten- 10 ^ent, and by the extensive and independent jK^wer ni mumoi- palities and school sections, without patronage. In Cana«ia the people control the schools, in Ireland the schools aie controlled by commissioners and patrons. The tearonto, £3,513 >nal system of as long as that Lools in Ireland 3,731 national 272,000, and in [parliamentary le-half as many .s many schools - of Canadian nd, like the esUb-> school-houses to Irish. In Upper Canada more than four-fifths of the population are in the national schools ; in Ireland, not one-third of the school population is yet in the national schools.* Canada is rich in minerals and deposits, and in vegetable and animal life. The forest trees are excellent and of various kinds. Oaks are numerous, but not equal to the British. The pine tribe is both valuable and various, including balsams, fir, spruce, pitch-pine, black and red larch, and others. There are also white and red elms, maple, hicory, chesnut, cherry, butternut, walnut, birch, beech, cedar, poplar, &c. The bark of a small shrub called moose wood is extremely tough, and is used by the farmers, instead of cords, for tying. The zoology of Canada comprehends the bear, the deer, otter, racoon, badger, ermine, fisher, beaver, marmots, squirrels, Canada lynx, wolves and foxes, besides the domesticated species. The deer is the principal game. Bears are not seen in the old settlements, and will not attack man, but will defend themselves. Their flesh is con- sidered good food. Of birds, there are eagles, hawks, grouse, owls, the Canada and short-billed jays, immense numbers of w^ater-fowl and wading tribes, as the Canada geese, ducks, and widgeons, besides numerous small migratory birds in summer. Wild pigeons are very numerous, and so are woodcocks and snipes, in spring and autumn, particularly the latter. The salmon abounds in Ontario ; the whitefish, superior fo the herring, is plentiful Thei-e are also trout, mullet^ pike, pickerel, bass, black and white rock, and masquinonge. Unlike Nova Scotia, Canada is free from fog ; and though the winter is considered severe, it is much less disagreeable than the damp and drizzle, the fog and mist, and the clammy, chilly atmos- phere of Great Britain and Ireland. The siuumer is usually very hot, the winter very cold and bracing. Upper Canada is milder than Lower, and the soil more fertile. On the shores of the great lakes less snow falls, andmelts much sooner, than in the backwoods. The climate, in many particulars, exhibits a striking dis- similarity to Europe. In the first place, the temperature is much lower under the same latitude ; and this remark applies to the whole of North America. Thus, Quebec in 46° 49^ N. has almost the same latitude with Nantes in 47° 13' ; yet the * See Rev. I^. Ryerson's Education Report for 1867. ^ 1 I 12 mean annual temperature of the two places exhibits a difference of nearly 13*^. Edinburgh and Copenhagen, though more than 9° further north than Quebec, exceed it in mean annual heat, the one by 6°, the other by 4°, '* The next distinction is the great difference in the temperature of winter and summer, which is much more intense than in European countries of the same annual mean. While the medium temperature of winter at Nantes is about 40-46°, at Quebec it is 14-18° , but that of summer is nearly identical ; at the first, 68°-54, at the second, 68°. Even in London the heat rarely attains 83° ; whereas in Canada, during July, it rises bccasionaUy 20° higher. These great heats, however, leave the average still much lower than in the same latitude in Europe." The chief causes assigned for so remarkable a difference are the influence of the winds, which blow chiefly from the north-west, over a vast expanse of frozen continent ; the position of the adjacent ocean, filled with fields and islands of ice, detached from the arctic shores ; the uiicultivated state of the soil, covered with vast forests and swamps ; but chiefly the effect of the gulf stream on European climates. The Indian summer in November, (when frost is about to set in, ) with its hazy atmosphere, is not easily accounted for. It has been suggested that '' the abundant waters are then undergoing the process of conversion from a fluid into a solid form ; in the course of which they must necessarily give out in large quantities the caloric which held them in a state of fluidity. Heat thus developed wUI naturally be accompanied with thin mist, which is, in fact, usually seen rising from the surface of a newly-frozen stream." **It might have been expected that the rigour of the climate, more especially in its extreme and sudden changes, would have been peculiarly trying to the human constitution. Experience, on the contrary, has established its decided salubrity." Brilliant skies and bracing cold are more congenial to health than sleet &nd fog. '*In the action of the climate on agricultural produce the upper province nearly coincides with the health of England ; yet the grape, the peach, and the melon come to as much perfection as in their native soil. Even rice is foimd growing wild. In this respect, British America seems not to fall much short of Euro- is ,*'l 13 its a difference gli more than annual heat, h.e temperature itense than in . While the out 40-46°, at arly identical ; in London the ig July, it rises ever, leave the I in Europe." Bference are the bhe north-west, position of the , detached from 1, covered with the gulf stream ibouttoset in,) id for. It has hen undergoing d form; in the large quantities y. Heat thus lin mist, which a newly-frozen of the climate, res, would have Experience, ity." Brilliant alth than sleet al produce the )f England ; yet nuch perfection g wild. In this short of Euro- pean countries under the same latitude. Its wiuter-cold at the same time enables it to combine the products of the northern with those of the southern temperate climates. By the side of the fruits above-mentioned, flourish the strawberry, the cran- berry, and the rasbeny ; while the evergreen pines are copiously intermingled with the oak, the elm, and others of ampler foliage. Autimin wheat, or fall wheats as it is always called in Canada, has not yet succeeded in Lower Canada, though it succeeds weU in Upper Canada, where, in fact, it is the chief wheat."* The dwelling-houses, in winter, are warmed with stoves, and in Lower Canada protected, as in Russia, by double windows. Every house has a cellar, and sometimes also a root-house, to preserve various kinds of food from the severe frost. A root-house is formed near the dwelling-house by making a large excavation, surrounded with double walls of logs, between which clay is ranmied ; covered with a very close, thick roo^ and pro* tected by double doors and other means of excluding cold. Large framed bams are erected to receive the grain when it is drawn from the field, and sheds are constructed to shelter the cattle during the winter. Homed cattle are liable to a disease which frequently causes the toi;al loss of the horns. The chief provender for cattle in the winter is l^mothy hay, or timothy and clover mixed. In the severest winter the timothy never perishes. In the second year the roots of clover are often destroyed by frost. Though a great part of Canada is flat, it is not wholly so, and is by no means wanting in commanding positions and noble views. The approach to Quebec, up the St. Lawrence, past the beautiful island of Orleans, affords a peculiarly noble view. The elevation of the city ; its famous defences ; its tin-clad roofs and spires, glittering in the sun ; its spacious harbour or river-basin, about two miles wide and nearly four miles ]ong, thronged with shipping ; the beautiful landscapes on both sides of the stream ; the recollections of Wolfe's cave and Abraham's plains, and of the triumphs of British arms, render this city one of the most interesting and attractive in America. The sunmiit of Beloeil mountain, on the south side of the St. Lawrence) affords very fine views. On the noble river Eiehelieu^ * Bonchette and Murray. I i\ ^ I '' ,' u below Lake Champlain, and connected with Laprairie by a rail- road, the town of Si. John, or Dorchester, is situated, which was long the outlet and inlet between Montreal and the United Stages ; twelve miles lower down, on the Richelieu, is the village of Chambly, in a peculiarly fine agricultural valley. About twelve miles from Chambly, on the eastern side of. the Richelieu, is BelcBil or Rouville mountain. Standing on the pinnacle of this insulated mountain, about 1,000 feet high, the country, inter- s^drsed with towns and villages, stretches away in the distance in every direction, laid out in regular farms, which, at that height, resemble gardens ; and studded with tl^e white and pic- turesque dwellings of the haJbitans; while, in one direction, the distant hills bound and beautify the scene. Viewed &om the mountain-top, the sheep and cattle and human beings seem very diminutive things, and remind us how much our judgment of others is affected by our own position. In every direction tin- dad church spires glisten in the sun, about forty of which can be counted in the various parishes on a clear day ; the windings of the Richelieu and the meanderings of the Huron, which falls into the Richelieu near Chambly, can be distinctly traced, as well a» the bendings and swellings of the -mightier and more majestic St. Lawrence. Montreal is easily seen, and even, on a clear day, the country behind its mountain. On every hand the scene is extensive, highly picturesque, and noble. Often, at the door of a well-remembered friend, whose house stands a good way up a beautiful slope of the mountain and beside a gurgling stream, have we stood, and with peculiar plea-* sure ** viewed the landscape o'er." No repetition of gaze has lessened its interest or beauty, or degraded it to the level of vulgar and familiar things. Fancy and feeling still linger about that enchanting mountain and the friends we left behind, or rather above; and often, in imagination, have wej retraced our course along the Richelieu and the Huron, and across the inter-* vening country, till we gained the heights of Beloeil. On this elevated spot, how low and insignificant have the wealthy pleasures, honors, and turmoil of the world appeared, and how delightfully has the heart instinctively sympathized with the majesty, and beauty, and purity of nature ! Who, in such a places would not feel that it was good to be there, and desire to set up his tcbemacle ? ** Purest of crystal and brightest of green" are 15 •airie by a rail- bed, which was United Sta^ ; the village of About tweWe le Richelieu, is innacle of this country, inter- in the distance w^hich, at that white and pic- e direction, the iewed from the Bings seem very or judgment of y direction tin- of which can be ;he windings of which falls into aced, as well as ore majestic St. on a clear day, ad the scene is id, whose house I mountain and th peculiar plea' ton of gaze has to the level of till linger about left behind, or ^rej retraced our icross the inter-' Jeloeil. On this ve the wealth, eared, and how ihized with the insuchaplace^ desire to set up it of green" are there ; calm and peace are there, combined with " soft magic of streamlet and hill ;" and the heart, unpolluted and uninflated, can there inhale balm from the breeze, and find joy in the works of Ck)d. The eastern townships of Lower Canada, which adjoin the United States, and are not occupied on the French feudal tenure, abound in fine scenery. The surface of the country is undulating^ the hills in some places are lofty, the soil is fertile, and the inhabitants are chiefly emigrants from Great Britain and Ireland. The summit of Montreal mountain, which is 550 feet high, commands very extensive and noble views. Just below is the city itself, the great depdt and centre of Canadian commerce ; past the city poiirs the St. Lawrence, including a highly-culti- vated and beautiful island; beyond the St. Lawrence is the extensive country drained by the Huron and the Richelieu, and skirted by Lake Champlain, on which are the towns of St. John, Chambly, and others ; to the right is the confluence of the Ottawa river with the St. Lawrence ; and to the left we trace the majestic flow of the St. Lawrence and the scenes of cultivation and com- fort on either side. Montrecl itself is a large city, and along with its magnificent wharves contains several fine buildings. The Roman Catholic cathedral particularly deserves attention. It was begun in 1834, and is a species of gothic, 2554 ^^^^ ^o^^ 1344 wide, and 61 feet high, from the flagging to the eaves. It has three front towers, each 220 feet high, and three other towers of less height. It has twelve entrances, nine spacious aisles, and seven chapels, and is seated for 10,000 persons. The exterior is faced with excellent hewn stone ; the roof is covered Mrith tin ; the principal window is 64 feet high and 32 )>road ; the high altar re- sembles St. Peter's at Rome, and the pulpit that of the cathedral at Strasbourg. A promenade, commanding a most delightful view, has been formed on the roof, and is 76 feet by 30, and at aa elevation of 120 feet. Entering Canada West by the St. Lawrence, the traveller will find much to gratify the eye, especially after leaving Dickenson's Landing. On both the British and American sides of the river tiiere are picturesque and well-rultivated fai;ns, good dwellings, and flourishing towns and villags«)s. There are the towns of Pres- oott, on the British side, and Ogdensburgh on the American ; and highw up^ with a remarkably fine and long-settled country, the !: \ \'h i I 16 very beautiful town of Brockville on the former side, and Morris' town on the latter. But it is after ascending the river above Brockville that one of the most romantic and attractive regions of Canada is entered. This is what is culled the Lake of the Thousand Islands, lying between Brockville and the foot of Lake Ontario. The islands have been actually coimted and found to number 1,692. "They are of every imaginable size, shape, and appearance." Some of the islands are so small as to sustain only a single shrub or tree ; others comx>rise seven acres, and generally they are "picturesque combinations of wood and rock." The channel between them, in some places, is so narrow and serpen'- tine that the steam-boat almost touches. Lake Ontario is navigated in all directions by large, swift, and Well-fiimished steamers, 1)oth Canadian and American. A very large arm of the lake, called the Bay of Quinty, about fifty miles long, and from nine to twelve miles wide, runs up very tortuously from the town of Bath, ten miles above Kingston, and forms the peninsula of the Prince Edward's district, which is one of the finest and most flourishing districts in Canada, and which produced the Canadian prize-wheat in our Great Industrial Ex- hibition. On this bay are the central and flourishing towns of Picton and Belleville ; and from the head of the bay there is water communication with Bice Lake, and from Kice Lake there is communication up the serpentine Otonabee river with the prosperous town of Peterboro'. Above Peterboro' there are cascades and rapids on the Otonabee, at intervals of about a mile, for about eight miles, through a limestone country. "Beyond this angry portion of the river,", says Sir J. Bonnycastle, " is a scene which cannot 4)0 adequately described, as the waters spreiad out into every variety of form which islands, lakes, and rivers can present. Lakes incessantly follow each other, some not more than a mile, others ten miles long,, whose banks consist of a rolling outline covered down to the pure margin of the water with the most rich, luxuriant, a ad magnificent forest scenery, in a fertile and rich soil. For nearly a hundred milos the traveller passes through scenes which awaken all the most splendid conceptions of the grandeur with which forest and fell combine in the scenery of the new world ; and here, sailing along or paddling at his ease, nothing disturbs the reign of nature but the solitary cry of the loon, the sharp note of the kingfisher, the 5, and Morrui" he river above •active regions e Lake of the le foot of Lake I and found to ize, shape, and to sustain only , and generally i rock." The 3W and serpen*- xge, swift, and rican. A very y, about fifty e, runs up very 5 Kingston, and ct, which is one ada, and which Industrial Ex- ishing towns of he bay there is iice Lake there river with the t)oro' there are of about a mile, try. "Beyond inycastle, **isa as the waters mds, lakes, and ich other, some 36 banks consist margin of the gnificent forest a hundred milos en all the most I forest and fell jre, sailing along rn of nature but e kingfisher, the tapping of the great woodpecker, the screams of the wild geese, and the noisy wing of the splasbing-duck, or the occasional dart of a maskanonge, a huge species of pike, from his deep abode. Now and then you see the red Indian, as silent as his native woods, engaged in hunting or fishing ; but in general, with the exception of some solitary clearings at long distances, all is solemnly still and in magnificent repose- Ac the end of his journey on these beautiful waters, after passing along a deep, black, placid stream, whose frowning clififs bound the prospect, a beautiful httle Niagara is reached, and the river pitches over a regular parabolic curve, about thirty feet in height. So regular is the descent, and so smooth the edge of this hon;e-shoe fall, that a curious visitor may, it is said, pass entirely across under it, from shore to shore, behind a magnificent liquid curtain, without danger, and without being wetted by its spray."* A sketch of Canada without Niagara is like the play of Ham- let with Hamlet's part omitted. But who shall describe the leap of the lake, the cataract of the earth ! I have seen it thrice — thrice have I listened to its ** eternal roar" — but I cannot pour- tray it. I well recollect an excursion from Toronto to the falls. The weather was singularly favorable ; not a drop of rain fell during the day, and the sun shone out brightly, while a delight- ful breeze cooled the atmosphere and rendered the voyage par- ticularly pleasant. The time on board was spent in conversation, the participation of appropriate refreshments, and the survey of the beautiful scenery of Niagara river. It was refreshing to the eye after the monotony of the lake, to view the sloping banks of the river, clad with verdure and crowned with forest foilage, and to look upon a gradation of hills and slopes, terminating in the heights at Queenstown. The Niagara district is singularly mild and fertile, producing peaches, nectarines, and other fine ruit. One object that arrested and fixed the eye was the monu- ent on the heights to the memory of the brave BROtK, ** the ero of Upper Canada," and the gaUant soldiers he commanded] nd the brilliant victory they achieved. The monument contain- d at the base the ashes of Brock, was ascended by 170 spiral iteps, and commanded a truly noble view. During the border iroubles an enemy attempted to destroy this monument of •Bonnycastle's Canada, VOL iL pp. 259, 360. S ' ■ '5. 18 British prowess and American defeat, by introducing and igniting a quantity of gunpowder, and but too well succ^Mlcd. Around the riven and crumbling column was held ono of th^ iM^est and mpst enthusiastic gatherings that Canada < ver witne^^ned, con- sisting of about 5,000 persons, headed by icn Lieun .iant-Gk)vemor, Sir George Arthur, for the purpose of it. urectmg Brock's monu- ment. A large sum of money was speedily realized, and at the time of this excursion preliminary steiMS had been taken for re- storing the column. From Queenstown, on the British side, op[K)site Lewiston, on the American side, we proceeded by railway to the Falls, catching, as we advanced, "the muffled thunder" of the cataract, which resembles the roar of old ocean, as its surges everlastingly hf'nf upon the nhore. Arrived at the falls, we see £rie's leap of 160 foet down Niagara's cliff; we feel, or seem to feel, the earth trembling beneath us ; we gaze on clouds of mist and the beau- tiful rainbow above, and below on the seething cauldron ; we listen to God's voice and see God's hand, and reverentially ex- claiiii, " Great and marvellous are thy works. Lord God of hosts !" Words cannot delineate the scenery of the Niagara. One sus- ceptive friend of ours found vent for his emotions, as he gazed upon the falls, onlj in a flo-jd of tears ; and another de;;lared that he could siti ard ^,a^'^ *^ ;- a mo" '-, if he had only Elijah's raven to bring hii. ■! cad. But the effect of nature's noblest scenery depends upon the heart which we bring to its contempla- tion. A cool, calculating, utilitarian Yankee looked at the cataract and pronounced it ''an almighty fine water })rivilQge." He thought only of its power to propel, the mills it would niove, and the grists it woidd grind. Surely there is but a i^p b tween the sublime and the ridiculous ! In estimating the pojjulation of Canada, we must always care- fully distinguish the French Canadians of Canada East. The feudal land tenure and kindred customs long contributed to keep this race stationary and depressed. Every tenant must grind his grist at his seigneur's mill, on whatever terms, at whatever distance, and with whatever results, and must never dare to act in opposition to his seigneur's pleasure. It is almost superfluous to declare that, in these circumstances, Jean Baptiste, as the French Canadian is sometimes called, persisted in doing as his 19 ing and igniting (•tied. Around bl)'> liw^^eat and witn^^f'sed, oon- .iant-Governor, Brock's monu- l/ed, and at the in taken for re- osite Lewiston, ay to the Falls, of the cataract, ;es everlastingly ee Erie's leap of D feel, the earth t and the beau- 35 cauldron; we :«verentially ex- a, Lord God of igara. One sus- ons, as he gazed nother deislared lad only Elijah's nature's noblest io its coutempla- 9 looked at the crater i)rivilegtt. " it would move, t a step b; tweeu LUst always care- lada East. The itributed to keep lant must grind ms, at whatever aever dare to act most superfluous Baptiste, as the I in doing as his fathers did, and refused to participate in the enlightenment and progress of his day. He might see an English farmer settle benide him, and convert an exhausted" soil into fertile and teeming helds ; but he would not profit by the example or desist from his exhaustive process of cultivation. Remonstrance and counsel only made him shrug his shoulders, and elicited the avowal that he did and would do as his forefathers did. But, perhaps, nothing will better serve to illustrate his character than his indomitable obstinacy in spoiling his winter roads. In consequence of the French Canadian's method of yoking his shafts under the front beam of his sleigh, berlin, or oariole, the snow of the roads be* comes formed into a constant succession of hills and hollows, called cahots, which makes travelling exceedingly disagreeable, though no kind of travelling is pleasanter than sleighing on good level roads. One can easily imagine how unpleasant it is to be tiontinually rising up a hill ai) I then pitching violently into a lu»llow, instead of going smoothly forward. When Lord Syden- ham governed Canada, by a council, he issued an ordinance against the Canadian style of sleigh, and required, under }>enalty, the use of such sleighs as are used in Canada and the United States of America ; and, to facilitate the change, he had model sleighs exhibited at the principal central places in all the 2>arishes. It so happened that I travelled in Lower Canada, in winter, both before this ordinance and during its opera- tion, and I found its e£fects most dehghtful. Instead of a sleigh-ride being a wearisome task or a virtual emetic, it became, as elsewhere, a great pleasure ; but it will scarcely seem credible, and yet it is a fact, that as soon as the United Parlia- ment came into operation, and the French Canadians, with the Upper Canada Obstructives, acquired an ascendancy, this ordi- nance was repealed ; and notwithstanding a whole winter's ob- !*ervation and exj^erience, Jean Baptiste returned to his old, absurd, and disagreeable method of yoking his shafts and spoiling his roads. Let us rejoice, however, that in their union with Upper Canada, the French Canadians are gradually awakening and amending. They are a remarkably quiet, kind, and polite people ; and, but for designing and mischievous men, would never have thought of insurrection and rebellion. In conversation they are remarkably animated and voluble, and abound in gesticulation. i 20 No one is merrier or more light-hearted than Jean Baptiste, in the depth of winter wearing his honnet rouge^ or conical red woollen cap, his capote, or coat, of grey homespun cloth, with a hood to draw over his head, like the old-fashioned hoods of the ladies' mantles ; his handsome red sash round his waist, and his feet encased in easy leather mocassins; and no one is more courteous and attentive in pointing out the way or supplying information. ^-•':v.-^m:,--j- ^"^^ /;-i'irvi'v-'^- >';:■■■-' '-'" ■ Nothing can parallel the cahots of Lower Canada roads so much as the corduroy roads of the back settlements. When swampy or very soft groimd occurs, the trunks of trees are laid in lines along the sides of the road, and in a longitudinal line through the centre, as string pieces, or as they are commonly called * *■ sleepers" ; across these string pieces, round logs are laid in contact with each other, so as to make a corduroy bridge over the soft ground. The snow in winter makes these formations, as well as the roughest roads, pleasantly passable, but for a vehicle in summer they are anything but a treat. As the land becomes more fully occupied the roads become improved, for the law requires every man to work so many days annually upon the roads, or provide an equivalent in labor or money. The woods of Canada are invariably called "the bush." Life in the hiLsh is rough, but healthful and happy. Hard work- ing is requisite in order to clear the ground of the heavy timber, and fence and cultivate it ; and this land-clearing is certainly the most exhausting kind of toil in Canada, except the similar toil of the shanty-men in preparing pine timber for the market. Land- clearing is worth about £2 10s. per acre. The stumps (about hip-high) remain in the ground for about eight or ten years, till the roots become so decayed that a yoke of oxen, with a chain, can drag them out. And till this decay begins the chief imple- ment of agriculture is the hoe, with which both potatoes and In- dian com are planted in hills. The ground is scratched for wheat with a small harrow, and a peculiarly short and handy plough is soon introduced among the stumps. Rail fences are made by splitting the soft wood of the cedar, pine, or bass- wood tree, into lengths called rails, which are joined together in zig-zag form, and laid one above the other till the requisite height is obtained. The appearance of a back township or new settlement, to a European, is very strange. At first the path n Baptiste, in > conical red sloth, with a hoods of the raist, and his one is more or supplying ada roads so Bnts. When trees are laid ^tudinal line re commonly 1 logs are laid )y bridge over formations, as b for a vehicle land becomes , for the law ally upon the "the bush." Hard work- heavy timber, J certainly the similar toU of arket. Land- jtumps (about ten years, till with a chain, le chief imple- ►tatoes and In- scratched for )rt and handy Bail fences pine, or bass- led together in the requisite wnship or new first the path through the woods is denoted by blazing the trees in the proper direction, that is, hewing the bark off a spot about breast-high, so as to let the white appear, and at such intervals that the faree-mark or blaze is always discerned a-head. A space cleared of timber is called a clearing or a clearance ; and the endless succession of clearing and bush, as well as the circumscribed view within a small clearing, are certainly rather monotonous and unpleasant ; but the prose of an emigrant's life leaves little space for poetry; fact overbears fancy; and the delightful con-' sciousness of freehold independence and of growing posses- sions, together with the prospect of future competence, ai'e sufficient to cheer the heart and nerve the arms of the emigrant family^ :: : , ^ . The first habitation is a shanty or small cottage, formed of layers of unhewn logs, fastened at the four comers by notching. The shed-like roof is formed of wooden troughs, the first row of troughs being covered with another row of inverted or over- lapping troughs. It is surprising with what dexterity and ra- pidity the inexperienced emigrant soon learns to wield his axe in felling trees, cutting them into lengths, splitting them into rails, or hewing them into troughs. The chinks between the logs of the shanty are first filled with pieces of wood driven in, then stuffed with moss, and plastered with the most tena- cious .clay that can be found. Canada is so well watered that the emigrant has never far to go till he finds a brook, or *' creek," as it is universally called in Canada West. He has fuel in abundance, for his greatest enemy is wood ; the moose- wood shrub of the forest supplies him with abundance of strings ; and as limestone ever3rwhere abounds, there is no difficulty in obtaining abundance of good lime. In Canada, as elsewhere, union is found to be strength. What the emigrant could never achieve alone he accom- pUshes by the co-operation of his neighbours ; in other words, he makes a "bee," by going about to invite his neigh- bours to come and work for him on an appointed day, to erect his shanty, or to pile his logs in large heaps for burning. The first gathering is called a "raising-bee," the second a "logging-bee." The older and better-furnished settlers bring yokes of oxen to draw the logs ; the others equip themselves with handspikes. A substantial meal of home-made bread (for every housewife ii 1 si 1i> i I'l 22 her own baker), of pork and of tea, perhaiiB without milk but sweetened with maple-sugar, and seasoned with that imperial sauce called hunger, regales the men at mid-day and also in the evening ; and when the day closes, the shanty, or at a more ad- vanced stage of the settlement, the wooden frame, is reared, or thQ scattered logs are all piled up, to be ignited at no distant day. The commencement of winter, before the snow falls, is spent in '* brushing" a portion of the forest, that is, cutting down the un- derwood, or, as it is invariably called "the brush," and piling it into heaps ; then felling the trees, piling the boughs on the brush heaps, and cutting the trunks into manageable lengths of ten to twelve feet. When the snow disappears, the brush heaps are burned, after which the logging takes place, and then the fencing, to be followed by planting. * > As the settlement advances, a large shanty displaces the original one, and, after a time, even a large log-house is found to be not quite the thing ; and then nothing can satisfy the growing wants and tastes but a handsome framed house, clinker boarded, or, as it is called there, clap-boarded and painted, or else a good substantial stone dwelling. The women have their bees as well as the men, such as sewing bees or quilting bees. A quilt is thus completed in a day that would otherwise be unfinished for months. The beverage of every meal, even of dinner, is tea ; and how much better it is than whiskey or beer I need not say. I have heard, in- deed, that naughty things are said of the absent over the tea- cup, and I fear that sewing and quilting bees are not altogether innocent ; but I am sure that a little female tea-cup scandal is infinitely less than the evils of beer drinking and whiskey drinking. It may be necessary for me to hint that a ladies' bee includes, of course, something nicer in the dietetic department than an out-door bee. If you order dinner in some of the American taverns, " down east," you will be asked whether you wish for "chicken fixings" or "common doings." Now, though common doings will answer for the men's bee, there must be something like "chicken fixings" for the women's. The long- handled pan is set up before the fire, fastened by a string from the top of the handle to a- nail over the fire-place; and in this the favorite short cake, or some otber nice cake, is getting itself ready for the company of quilters. 23 out milk bat that imperial id also in the it a more ad- is reared, or 3 distant day. lis, is spent in down the un- and piling it i on the brush gths of ten to ash heaps are sn the fencing, displaces the loose is found m satisfy the house, clinker id painted, or nich as sewing I in a day that le beverage of much better ave heard, in- b over the tea- not altogether -cup scandal is : and whiskey it a ladies' bee bic department 1 some of the )d whether you Now, though there must be I's. The long- y a string from 3e ; and in this is getting itself Since the men and women have their bees, it seems only fair that boys and girls, young men and maidens, should have their bees too. And so they have, especially husking or col'n- shelling bees, in the long winter evenings, preceded and followed by pleasant long walks, over the hard-beaten smooth snow roads, and in the fine bright moonlight. What they talk about, or why it is that they exchange glances and throw corn-cobs at each other, or on what principle they pair off for walking home, I, of course, cannot pretend to know. Winter is the period of highest life and greatest gaiely in Canada. Every one is braced by the pure, dry cold ; there is considerable leisure ; the evenings are long, the large wood-fire blazes on the hearth, the crickets chirp, and very pleasant gatherings of the neighboxirs and friends take place. The houses are well secured against the cold, in Lower Canada, as in Russia, by double windows, and warmed with stoves. The atmosphere is perfectly clear and dry ; the stars sparkle beauti- fully by night in the deep azure of the heavens ; the dry snow creaks beneath the foot-falls or under the pressure of the steel- shod sleigh ; the bells of the sleigh-horses make a cheerful noise, besides warning the approaching foot passengers or sleigh ; the occupants of the sleighs are warmly clad and protected by hand- some buffalo robes, made of the skins of the buffalo, and ornamented perchance with claws, tails, and faces of various wild animals. There is no mode of travelling so truly delightful as sleighing ; the horses go forward with a will to the merry jingle of the bells ; the vehicle glides smoothly over the beaten show, and the travellers or pleasure-takers in the sleigh beguile the time with looks of iove or words of mirth and friendship, SLH the case may be. Even an upset in the snow can break no bones, and is merely the variety that is the very charm and spice of life. The backwoodsman waits for the snow to make his roads, and then sets off with his sleigh-load of wheat, flour, com, peas, or potash, to the nearest village or store, to ex- change with the trader or storekeeper for whatever his family requires. Life puts on its finest garments in winter, for then pro- duce is sold and goods are purchased ; distant friends are visited ; special religious services, among some denominations, are held ; an evening school for music is '^got up," and is attended by the young of both sexes; long sleigh-rides are undertaken, and ■ 8 24 important questions are "popped" and answered, to the great delight of both parties. Potash and maple sugar are manufactured by the Canadian farmers. In the backwoods or newest settlements nothing commands ready money from the trader or storekeeper so surely as potash, and tiierefore every settler carefully collects the ashes from his log-heaps, and either purchases a potash kettle for the preparation of potash, or else pays a neighbour for the use of his potash works. The ashes are thrown into large wooden frames, vats, or tubs, shaped like the letter Y ; and the water that is poured upon them extracts the alkaline salt as it percolates from top to bottom, where it falls into troughs. This ash- water or lixiv- ium is called lye, and is boiled in the large boiler or potash-kettle till it is reduced to the hard and heavy substance called potash. Pot- ash dissolved in water and crystallized is called pearlash. Potash and pearlash are put up in barrels and exported to England. Sugar is made in Canada from the sap or juice of the maple tree, whose wood is known in this country in articles of furni- ture. The curled maple and the bird's eye maple are particularly esteemed by cabinet-makers. A good soil is always indicated by the prevalence of maple and beech. The prevalence of beech only, or of fir only, denotes a light sandy soil ; but the combination of maple and beech is a never-failing evidence of a soil that is neither light nor stiff, but rich and productive. Every settler carefully examines his lot of land, usually 100 acres, in order to ascertain where maple most abounds, and this part is reserved as the sugar-bush. In the spring of the year, usually in April, when the snow is disappearing, and the sap is beginning to as- cend in the trees, the farmer begins the manuf actui e of sugar. The tree is either notched with an axe or bored with an augur, about breast high, so as to pierce through the bark and sever the sap vessels. Just under this notch or augur-hole an incision is made with a gouge, and into this incision a small wooden spout, or spoil, as it is caUed, is driven, to catch the sap as it trickles down from the wound first made. The sap is caught in a wooden trough at the bottom of the tree, and is collected from the troughs in buckets, and carried to a central place for boiling. The boiling apparatus is very cheap and simple. Two strong stakes, witii bifurcated tops, are driven into the ground, and the kettles or boilers are suspended from the strong pole that is laid sd, to the great f the Canadian ments nothing :eeper so surdy llects the ashes h kettle for the ir the use of his veooden frames, tr that is poured tolates from top .-water or lixiv- otash-kettle till ed potash. Pot- arlash. Potash England, e of the maple [tides of fumi- are particularly lys indicated by pe of beech only, combination of a soil that is Every settler res, in order to part is reserved suaUy in April, )eginning to as- Gime of sugar, with an augur, bark and sever hole an incision small wooden ch the sap as it ap is caught in I collected from ace for boiling. Two strong jround, and the )ole that is laid 25 from fork to fork of those upright posts. By careful boiling and skimming, the sap, which at first is slightly sweet, is reduced to the consistence of syrup, then to molasses, and then to sugar. It is usually poured into tin shapes, from which it comes out in hard masses, and is cut or scraped for use as it is wanted. Well- made maple molasses is almost equal to honey, and is generally eaten with bread. Whatever molasses remains in the sugar is easily drained off by simply setting the cakes on edge. Some- times the maple sugar is granulated, in the manufacture, like the sugar made from cane juice, especially among the Indians ; but the European settlers generally make the maple sugar in solid masses. The flavor of maple sugar is different from that of cane sugar, and is not so agreeable at first to European palates ; but in this, as in everything else, custom is second nature. The quality of maple sugar depends mainly upon the method of making, and is sometimes scarcely excelled by good Muscovada sugar. Good vinegar, too, is made from the maple juice. A good deal has been written about life in the bush, but the LIFE OF A SHANTY-MAN is not often depicted. It is, in many respects, a life of great hardship and privations, but to some it has great attractions, on account of its novelty and freedom, while others are lured to it by good wages. The employer re- sides in some distant town, but occasionaUy visits the men during the winter, and employs a competent person to conduct and oversee the work. Far up on the Ottawa, or one of its tribu- taries, or on some other river, often beyond the bounds of settlers and squatters, he has several men congregated in the commencement of winter, to fell and hew the lofty pine trees, white or red. The stock of provisions consists chiefly of barrels of flour and pork, tea, and sugar. Water is obtained from a "creek," or river, or by melting the snow. A shanty is soon constructed out of the trunks of trees, roofed with wooden troughs, alternately inverted, and over-lapping. Rude wooden berths, resembling those in the steerage of an emigrant ship, are constructed for sleeping, and blankets constitute the bedding. In the day time, the forest around rings with the sound of the axe. One of the men is chosen to cook ; some fell the trees and sever the branches, some score the sides of the trunks, the broad- axe men smooth the surfaces, and at the proper time the timber is drawn over the snow to the lake or river ice by horses or oxen. i I i! ! ' ■ '■■\ Several pieces of timber are united together to form a "crib," and several cribs joined together make a raft, whose size depends upon the number of men employed and the abundance of timber within their reach. On the disappearance of the ice, and the floating of the timber in the spring, the raft is formed. Some of the shanty-men now return home to cultivate their own land, and others are engaged as "raftsmen," at high wages, to take the raft to market. A small shanty is constructed on the raft, for cooking and sleeping ; and now commences the tedious progress of the great mass of timber, first, we shall suppose, down the Ottawa to its junction with the St. Lawrence, and thence to Montreal or Quebec. The latter city is the great rendezvous and market for Canadian lumber. The raft is governed by large oars and is carried down by the force of the current. Considerable difficulty and delay are occasioned by rapids and falls. For- merly, in order to descend a fall, it was necessary to take the cribs in pieces, and then re-construct the cribs and raft below the falls ; but since the construction of wooden slides on the principal falls, such as the sUde on the Madawaska river, which is a tribu- tary of the Ottawa, and the slide of the Chandiere falls, on the Ot- tawa itself, at Ottawa city, the complete cribs are successively shot down the slides and re-united below. When Sir Francis Bond Head was Lieut. -Governor of Upper Canada and on a visit to Ottawa, then called By town, he descended the Chandiere falls by the slide, on a crib of timber, with a few raftsmen. Much tim- ber was formerly lost in the great vortex or whirlpool below the Chandiere falls, but the transit now is safe and easy. On lake St. Peter, between Montreal and Quebec, which is wide and shallow, great difficulty and danger sometimes accrue to the managers of the unwieldy rafts, from the fierce storms that occa- sionally sweep the lake. The Indian tribes of North America are, in many respects, a noble race. Their chiefs are elective, and are not dictators but leaders ; their affairs are discussed and determined in council, in which their achievements are rehearsed, the scalps of their ene- mies are exhibited as proofs of their prowess, their imaginations become enkindled, and they give utterance to strains of genuine eloquence, embodying their conceptions in apt and striking fig- ures. They send round the wampum belt, smoke the calumet of peace, and bmy the hatchet, to denote the cessation of hostiUties rma "crib," B size depends nee of timber ice, and the led. Some of own land, and ), to take the the raft, for iious progress Dse, down the ]tnd thence to endezvous and 1 by large oars Considerable id falls. For- y to take the raft below the n the principal 'hichisatribu- :alls, on the Ot- re successively en Sir Francis b and on a visit andiere falls by a. Much tim- pool below the sasy. On lake h is wide and accrue to the )rms that occa- kuy respects, a t dictators but i in council, in 8 of their ene- ir imaginations lins of genuine id striking fig- the calumet of on of hostilities 27 and the resumption or initiation of friendship. Their unflinching and uncomplaining endurance of pain is extraordinary. An In- dian would suflfer the flesh to be torn oflp his bones without shed- ding a tear or uttering a groan, for he thinks that nobody but old women shed tears. A Christianized Indian, describing the kindness with which he had been treated in Europe, and relating how the people in Dublin x)ressed to shake hands with him anc'. bid him an affectionate farewell, said — ' * Oh, how I cried ! I cried like an old woman." The Indiana believe in the Great Spirit, but they think he has favorite localities, especially the Great Manitoulin island in Lake Huron, 75 miles long, and also the cataract of Nia- gara. Some of them think that the thunder is the noise which a great bird makes with its wings, and say that their fathers have been in the far west and seen the place where the young thun- ders are hatched. The inland Indians, between Lake Huron and Hudson's Bay, are very ignorant. The first time they went to the trader to exchange their furs for other articles they were quite surprised at what they saw. One of the Indians took a fancy to a large kettle for cooking, bought it, and was very proud of it, exhibiting it on his head. One of the Indians said to him, *' O, my friend, you very great fooL What will you do with that great big thing in a few years ? It will grow so big you won't be able to handle it. I'll go and buy one." So he I went and bought one that would hold about a quart ** Here," said he, "I've got one just proper size. I shall keep it good many years, and then it will grow proper size." Those Indians thought that kettles grew like trees. The Indian women are called •' squaws," and the children "papooses." I shall never forget some visits I paid to two settlements or villages of civiUzed and Christianized Indians in Canada, near Rice Lake, particularly to' Alnwick, on the south side of Bice Lake. This lake is about 25 mUes long and 4 or 5 miles wide, and lies about 15 miles north of Lake Ontario ; and the drive to the Indian village, from Cobourg, is first through a beautiful undulating country and then over some sandy prairie land. The Indian settlement lies on both sides of a central road, and is laid out in farms of 50 acres each, with a comfortable cottage for each Indian family. I put up at the house of the venerable missionary, the late Rev. W. Case, who had devoted the best part of his life to the religious instmction and temporal improvement of the Canada Indians. He was assisted by the chief, Shawun-dais, who was very ingenious and shrewd, and of a fertile imagination. I visited the day school, which was conducted by an Indian teacher ; I entered some of the cottages and saw the signs of order and comfort; I attended some of their religious sei ces and witnessed the most unmistakeable tokens of Christian sincerity and earnestness. There were evidences on every hand ' the benefits of civilization and Christianity. These Indians, thus comfortably settled, instructed, and civilized, were once savages in the woods, subsisting on fish and game, and often reduced to the greatest extremities by scarcity of food. They were once in- temperate, scantily clad, ignorant, and superstitious; nowthey are settled in quiet habitations, on productive farms, and under emi- nently kind and beneficial supervision. Drunkenness is one of the most degrading and destructive of all vices, and prevails eicten- sively among the unchristianized Indians. In their savage state they call whiskey their great mother's milk, meaning by their great mother the Queen of England ; but in their civilized state, they call it, with great truth and justice, "fire-water." Till they become (Jhristians, they delight in whiskey above every- thing. "0," said one of them, after a draught of whiskey, " I wish my throat was a mile long, that I might taste it all the way down." But, as Christians, they evince great firmness in their abstinence from the fire-waters. A whiskey trader, near an Indian settlement, called Muncey-town, was sorely vexed and disappointed because the Indians would not deal with him, and he resolved to tempt and seduce them by placing a keg of whis- key in their path. On placing the keg, he hid himself among the trees to watch the result. Very soon a party of Indians came up, in what is called Indian file, that is, one after the other, which is their invariable method of travelling, and is, indeed, neces- sitated by their narrow paths through the woods. As soon as the first Indian came up to the keg he stopped, looked at it, and said— "Ha! the devil's here," and then passed on. The next stooped down and smelled the keg : '* Yes," said he, ' * I smell him. " The next shook the keg, with ear inclined, and said, "I hear him.' And the next gave the keg & kick and sent it rolling down the hill, to the great dismay and defeat of the trader. It is due to the Methodists of Canada to say that they have been the chief means of converting and civilizing the Indians of British North America. \\\ 29 bo was very in. I visited lian teacher ; Lgns of order sei ces and tian sincerity hand ' the Indians, thus 5 once savages 3n reduced to • were once in- ; now they are nd under emi- )S is one of the trevails exten- ir savage state aning by their civilized state, -water." TiU f above every- r whiskey, " I I it all the way mness in their Mler, near an ely vexed and with him, and a keg of whis* limself among ;y of Indians iter the other, indeed, neces- As soon as looked at it, jsed on. The Tes," said he, inclined, and \g £, kick and and defeat of ia to say that civilizing the ' The Indian trail through the forest consists of slight axe- marks on the stems of the trees, or the pressure of the fallen leaves by the foot, or the broken ends of the minute branches of trees and shrubs, indicating the rapid pace of the Indian through the woods. The predominance of mos8 on the northern side of the trees is a guide to the Indians, and so is the comparative ab- sence of branches towards the most stormy quarter. The Indiana possess wonderful acuteness of sight and hearing. They see at a glance marks of human presence and progress in the woods, which would never be observed by any European ; and on placing their ear to the ground, they can detect the sounds of persons approaching, though a European can hear nothing at alL Their senses are highly educated and carefully exercised, while their minds are totally neglected, and hence their superiority in sight and hearing. Though we cannot alter the nature or nimiber of our organs and faculties, we can indefinitely improve them by study and use. As an emigrant's home^ Western Canada is greatly to be pre- ferred to eastern. It is less cold in winter, more favorable to agriculture, not Franco-feudal like Eastern Canada, more enter- prising, and better educated. It affords a great variety of soil and climate, from the most southerly point on Lake Erie, which is 42° north latitude, or the latitude of the city of Eome, to the most northerly point of exploration and settlement. The emi- grant farmer, with capital, can easily obtain a fine farm and a comfortable home, \i he chooses, in the older and frontier settle- ments, where beauty of landscape is combined with i)roductive- ness of soil. The poorer emigrant should press onwards, without fearing or halting, to the new townships, where land is cheap, and social life is in its birth and bud. It is the sad mistake of many emigrants to linger about the frontier towns, lured, perhaps, by good summer wages, or by some old-country acquaintance^ and when employment fails, and the rigours of winter begin, they are as dependant and destitute as in the land they left, and perhaps more so. It is better to stay at home than to go abroad for the uncertainties and hardships of a town stniggle. But in the backwoods of Canada the emigrant can begin at once to lay the foundation and rear the superstructure of personal in- dependence and family comfort. Every blow of his axe is for himself, and not for another; every tree he fells widens his ■•Mi 30 ^ ft-. farm ; the annual instalments of five shillings per acre, during a few years, are not hard to pay ; and if the first year or two be rough and hard, every succeeding year is an advance to ease and com- fort, till the position of a freeholder, with a deed from the crown, is obtained ; till the battle of emigrant life is fairly fought and won ; and then the parents, without want or anxiety, see a healthy progeny growing up around them, with every prospect and promise of sufficiency and respectability. The freehold farmers of Western Canada may be advantageously compared with those of any other countrj'^ in the world. They are very lightly taxed, free from rent and from poor laws and pau})eriem, cultivating a virgin and product' /e soil, breathing continually a clear pure atmosphere, annually braced and invigorated by the pure dry cold of AYinter, and approaching self-support and self- sufficiency as closeiy as is anywhere practicable. At the neigh- bouring saw-mill the scittler has his own timber sawn into boards or planks ; and he has never very far to go to get his wool carded, or his yarn woven into cloth, or his cloth fulled and fitted to make warm comfortable raiment, or his wheat or com ground for the supply of his table. He cultivates melons and cucumbers in the open air, plucks fine apples and pears from his own orchard, raises his own beef and pork, warms his house with his own wood, and can appropriate to himseK the well-known lines : — " I eat my own ham, My own chicken and lamb ; I shear my own sheep and I wear it." In the new settlements crime is scarcely known, and serious illness is of rare occurrence, till it comes in the fatal and final form ; the greatest harmony and confidence obtain ; the doors are either merely latched or but slightly fastened at night ; and sometimes the farmer, returning home in the winter, late at night, from mill or market, fastens his oxen and sleigh at the roadside, and hearing a hearty **Come in," in response to his knock, lifts the latch of some wayside dwelling, warms himself at the large wood fire that is blazing on the hearth, chats awhile with the goodman of the house, who is snugly ensconced in his blankets, bids a kind ** Good night," and resumes his journey. No one in the backwoods thinks of robbing or fears to be robbed ; every man is in circumstances to provide for his family ; and should adversity overtake a household, from an accident to its 31 ere, during a two be rough ase and com- m the crown, y fought and xiety, see a irery prospect rhe freehold ily comx)ared ?hey are very id paui)eri8m, continually a orated by the port and self- At the neigh- n into boards i wool carded, I and fitted to Dm ground for cucumbers in own orchard, his own wood, and serious ratal and final tn; the doors it night ; and [inter, late at sleigh at the Isponse to his rarms himself chats awhile 3onced in his his journey. |to be robbed; family ; and jcident to its head or from severe and protracted sickness, a symimthetic kind- uesH and a helping hand are never wanting among the neigh- bours ; something effectual is done by a "bee"— to log his chop- ping, to plant his com, to gather in his crops, or to raise his house. In the towns it is of course different ; in the older settle- ments, the progress of society presents modified features, but the country generally is distinguished by great harmony, kindness, and hospitality. The population is rapidly increasing, the forests are falling beneath the skilful and vigorous blows of the emi- gi'ant's axe, railroads and canals are uniting the most distant places, steamboats are plying on the lakes and rivers, the mtdti- plication of schools and the ministrations of religion keep pace with the westerly and northerly advance of the tide of emigra- tion and adventure, and there is everything to indicate the per- manent prosperity and future greatness of this noble province. Canada is indeed a magnificent country, desiring neither inde- I)endence nor annexation to the United States, but warmly attached to the mother country. It is the North American land of liberty to which the slaves of the neighbouring country are often repairing by the "underground railroad," or by other means. Canada is free from all the evils and perils of that slavery which John Wesley described as *' the vilest that ever saw the sun," and as the "sum of aU villainies." Canada enjoys the prestige of connexion with Great Britain, and is protect- ed by our fleets and armies, and enjoys also perfect self- control. She has nothing' to gain by political revolution, but much to lose, and is eminently tranquil and loyal. Eecent com- mercial difficulties are disappearing before this year's abundant harvest. Her banks stood firm when those of the United States were falling with a terrible crash. Before the introduction of responsible government, Canadian stagnancy and inferiority were always pointed at, in contrast with the enterprise and progress of the neighljouring republic ; but that contrast exists no longer ; and now Canada is the fairest field to which the emigrant can repair, who has money to invest or ability to work. It is the best poor man's country I ever saw. Here the poor man must struggle all his days for a bare subsistence ; there, the man of bone and sinew can become an independent and comfortable freeholder, and if he has children, he is so much the richer and more likely to succeed. Although I would not advise any man i 32 to go abroad who can do well at home, I would strongly advise agricultural laborers and struggling small farmers to avail them- selves of the scope for energy and the facilities for secidar inde- pendence which Canada affords. A little capital or large labor is what befits Canada ; not dehcate hands or luxurious habits. Canada is destined to become a great country. May her destiny be 8])eedily realized. :,':.■.,, ■...-) ■ '■- -i 7--< ''•■ '"''• I'-'^i-fi ' i? : .rM -•/i-f' .• ,-:"U:^ t,\'t THE END. > .. f%: ' ' - '.' i'. i Z*riuted by J. M. OToole, 6 and 7, Brunswick-street, Dttblin. rongly advise o avail them- seciilar inde- sr large labor irious habits. y her destiny iblin.