^, ^.^a- IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) s % iL ^'€ 'I d ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. of Hudson Bay, the officials of the compari would seek to penetrate into the vast regi. stretching out indefinitely to the west and soui from which the Indians, with whom they dea: drew their supplies of precious peltries. But su( was not the case ; on the contrary, they were ver slow to venture away from the sight of the se although the managers in England were mf> anxious for them to push inland, offering specie rewards to those who should take part in sue: expeditions, and pensions to the widows of al whose lives might pay forfeit for their enterprist The men themselves were not so much to blaii for this inaction as the organisation of the company It was, as Father Drummond shrewdly indicatt- too wooden, too much on the London countiii*: house plan. There was no spontaneity, no adjusting of means to an altered environment, nothing oi what Parkman calls ' that pliant and plastic tempn which, in the French, forms so marked a contrast to the stubborn spirit of the Englishman.' Witl a view to isolating their officials, the company forbade them to enter an Indian lodge. At lea^i one man was flogged for lighting his pipe at an Indian's tent. The factors feared the interior a> a land of unknown danger. Terrible stories were ti|ec if th id^on the compaij 5 vast reL'ii 3st and soui n they dea; ies. But sut ley were ver it of the m. d were mo^ fFering specia part in sue: ^udows of al eir enterprise ach to blaiii the compani dly indicati^ on countini' c , no adjusting ', nothing oi )lastic temper 3d a contrast iman.' With /he company ^e. At lea^t 3 pipe at an e interior as stories were THE HUDSON BAY TRADING COMPANY. 9 dmilatod, to keep up a dread of the Indians and th^ French. Minute instructions were given to ihb men to protect themselves, especially in the winter. Scouts were to reconnoitre every day, and did they not return by nightfall, everything l|^s to be got ready for a siege. At all times tie cannon were to be in order, and all obstructions that might impede the view from the fort were to be cleared away. Hampered ;by these restrictions, which were as mecessary as they were burdensome, the officials iturally enough preferred the comfortable if jjfciiniionplace life at the forts, to the discomforts, difficulties, and dangers inseparable from expeditions ito the interior. Thus it came about that more lan a century elapsed before they first made their ray into the Red River region, which subsequently icame the centre of their operations. But in the leantime the French Canadians were showing a ir different spirit. Knowing nothing about the 'Hxclusive privileges of the company, or caring less they did happen to be informed, their coureura pu hois, following in the track of La Verandrye, rear by year in increasing numbers set out from [ontreal, ascended the Ottawa, made their way )y portage, lake, and stream to Lake Nipissing ; 10 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. t'l li thence into the greater Lake Huron, across that inland ocean, Lake Superior, to its farthest shore. Then the Kaministiquia was entered, and tliu voyage continued tlu-ough Lac la Pluie (Rainy Lake) and river, over Lac du Bois (Lake of the Woods), and down the River Ouinipique (Winnipeg,') into the lake of the same name, thus reaching tlio borders of the fertile prairies, where the buffalo took the place of the doer, and which rolled away in billows of verdure, until they broke at the base of the Rocky Mountains, where the terrible grizzly met the trappers with fearless front. These coureurs du hois were perfectly adapted for their business. They always maintained the best of terms with the Indians. They treated them as their equals. ' With that light-hearted bravery and cheerful fortitude so common among the descendants of the French,' writes one of their eulogists, * they sought out the savage in his wigwam. They often spent the whole winter with him, bearing with all his rudeness and caprices, and winning their way to his heart before they asked for his furs. Quick to learn the Indian languages and the tricks of Indian life, fertile in expedients, they were loyal and warm-hearted to the core. They were not mere US THE HUDSON liAY TKADING COMPANV. 11 across that •thest shore. d, and thu luie (Rainy Lake of tho (Winnipei;) caching the the buti'alo rolled away [)ke at the the terrible Dnt. bly adapted itained tlie ley treated ^ht-hearted lion amonir le of their go in Iiis ole winter leness and his heart c to learn of Indian loyal and not mere lines animated money-bags. In- the savage, they met him Ott his own ground, and began by making him presents of trinkets and tobacco; and not until ^y had him in good-humor did they broach the questio.. of trade.' Naturally enough, the Indian very much pre- ferred dealing with these fascinating fellows, who 0»me right to his wigwam, to travelling away up the Hudson Bay fort, where he would be [ifHy received by an official who spoke to him U'ougli a barred window, and whose manner jemed to say : * Be oft' with you as soon as you re fleeced ; * and the consequence was that the pck of the peltry found its way into the stores the French, and went by the overland route Montreal, while only the beaver and otter :ins got up to Hudson Bay. It was not long jfore the managers of the company realised that lis state of things must not be permitted to mtinue, and again and again we find the [eneral Court writing to the factors, and urging [pon them the necessity of securing other furs lan beaver and otter. In response to these jpeated demands, the factors sought to extend le sphere of their operations by establishing : ( I I i 12 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. I I ! the )onc lue tcly forts farther inland. As year by year they thus made their way to the south and west, it could only be a question of time when they must en- counter the ever-increasing stream of expeditions which had their source in Montreal, and the first meeting did take place in the year 1774 at Fort Cumberland, on the Saskatchewan River. *In that tliey year,' says Professor Bryce, ' the two rival currents of trade, Canadian and English, met in the far north-west, and the struggle between them begun, which for well-nigh fifty years went unceasingly on, now in dangerous eddy, then in boiling whirl- pool, till at length as one stream they flowed on together in one course.' , Tho struggle thus referred to forms the most exciting portion of the history of the Hudson Bay Company, and at the same time the portion con- cerning which, owing to the bewildering variety of contradictory evidence, it is most difficult to arrive at clear and satisfactory conclusions. The company, of course, looked upon the Canadian traders as unauthorised invaders of its territory, for the bulk of the furs they secured were un- doubtedly obtained from Indians whose hunting- grounds came within the terms of the company's charter. Not only so, but these intruders were It le ri tht the jms )t h ore al lese t THE HUDSON BAY TRADING COMPANY. 13 Fir they thus est, it could ey must en- : expeditions and the first 774 at Fort 51'. 'In thnt ival currents in the far them hc| could ; and, in order the V)etter to obtain and retain control of the poor red man, the Canadians resortii to the importation of spirits, for which he at oncn manifested the frantic passion that was lyintr doi. mant, awaiting tlie advent of the tempter. I had been from the first a leading principle of tin company that no spirits should on any account bei sold to the Indians ; and it is one of the brightest leaves in their laurels that their officials so lono' adhered to this in spite of many temptations. Close upon the introduction of the accursed fire-water into their dealings, the elements of violence and bloodshed, hitherto happily unknown began to manifest themselves between the rcfl man and his white brother. The most dariiiii and turbulent spirits were now attracted to the Canadian fur trade, and if w^e follow Pi'ofessoi Bryce, the chief qualities sought in those sent out from Montreal were a love of violence amJ a thorough hatred of the Hudson Bay Company. They were not long, however, in finding out their folly in resorting to strong drink as a means of increasing their trade : for while it did undoubtedly I ' i'i .iii to the ad van- was able to han its rival> lin and rotuii f liana resortoi; icli ho at once as lyincr dor. tempter. I inciple of tht ly account h the brightest icials so lono nations. tlie accursed elements of ily unknown. een the red most daring acted to the ow Pi'ofessor those sent violence and ompany. ing out their ' a means of undoubtedly 0) > a o n 2 ^»lll Hlit ■tte it ^ ^■dei THE HUDSON BAY TRADING COMPANY. 15 them a temporary advantage over the com- r, retribution followed fast. In the year 1780, at Eagle Hills on the Saskatchewan, the rendezvous of the Montreal traders, a liberal allowance of grog "VWB bestowed upon a large band of Indians, and one of the traders, who had had some trouble with a chief, put a big dose of laudanum into his glass by way of subduing his aggressiveness. The ex- periment proved a complete success in that regard, for the Indian never awakened from the drunken )or into which he immediately fell. But his ^nds and followers, not appreciating the situation, je in their wrath, attacked the camp, killed offending trader as well as several of the Ifiiftn, and sent the survivors flying for their lives, leaving a fine collection of valuable furs behind. A , little later, two posts on the Assiniboine River weve attacked, and a number of traders and Indians pn in the struggle. These lamentable events re but the beginning of sorrows. Thenceforth [tters went from bad to worse, until at length business became utterly disorganised, and the lers bankrupt in purse and morals alike, [n the meantime the company had not been in defending its interests. It was not )rding to human nature that its sturdy Scots- B Hi'' i 1 i Hi!! II! i : :i^!! I 1 : ' I , i ' i a : 16 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. men should remain indilierent spectators of m groi scrupulous endeavours to cut the ground fit, ^^^ under their feet. Tliey had already shown tli* ^^g ability to protect their interests by more tha y|^ one device. By fomenting divisions and ari: £y^| mosities among the Indian tribes in the interi ^n^eJ they had made it difficult and dangerous for a; fj^^ one but themselves to trade with them. Tlh pjnm had even gone so far upon one occasion as e^r\ seize and drive ashore two ships that had venture ^bflit into Hudson Bay on a trading expedition, pleudin- in extenuation that the vessels were lost throuo^Blit stress of weather. And now they all bent the; energies to the task of opposing, hindering, ar||^e ruining the rivals who had the presumption tsoa E encroach upon their domain. The latter soocence realised the necessity of combination if they woulof 4th< not be driven out. who ^ So powerful and well-intrenched was the coiiof its pany, that only an organisation of correspondiiign^h magnitude and resources could hope to success Tlr fully cope with it. From this necessity spraii^Emd ( in the year 1783, the famous North-west Futocrac Company of Montreal, which, beginning witlT^ir a mere partnership of the principal merchants ^nHHot gaged in the fur trade, developed with astonishinjjBen V THE HUDSON BAY TRADING COMPANY. 17 sctators of n: ^||th until it positively overHhadowed its elder 3 ground fiv riv^l. The method of the Hudson Bay Company ly shown i\\>: y^^ to pay its employees simply by salary; but by more tlia |j|j^ new company introduced a better system, ions and ai Every officer had before him the immense in- in the interi ducement of a probable partnership — for thus were gerous for a: ^^^ faithful and energetic ones by due process of L them. Tlir promotion rewarded. This masterly policy kept occasion as every man up to the high-water mark of his it had ventmv ajj^iticK, and the result was that in a few years edition, pleadiiifj^i the inception of this enterprise the annual re lost throii(;pf0iits had reached the splendid figure of all bent the j»), 000, while ten \ ears later they were hindering, aitl^e times that amount. The conservative Hud- ■f presumption tgoil Bay Company -was astonished at the magnifi- le latter soocepice of the new-comers, and old traders yet talk if they woiilo^he lordly ' North-wester.' Washington Irving, whi) was a guest of the company in the height was the conof^ts prosperity, has given us a characteristically correspondiiig»|)hic record of his impressions. e to success Jthe principal partners, who resided in Montreal Quebec, formed a kind of commercial aris- acy, living in luxurious and hospitable style. lir early associations were as clerks at the ote trading-posts ; and the pleasures, dangers, sutures, and mishaps which they had shared jessity spraii lorth-west Fu bginning wit merchants ei; lith astonisliin: i 18 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. i!i ' I ■ 1 'liiili i» ! ! l: !; ihi ^llliiifii-! together in their wild-wood life had linked their, heartily to each other, so that they formed j convivial fraternity. Few travellers that hav( visited Canada in the days of the M'Tavislies the M'Gillivrays, the M'Kenzies, the Frobishers, and the other magnates of the north-west, when the company was in all its glory, but must re- member the round of feasting and revelry kept up among these hyperborean nabobs. Sometimes one or two partners, recently froir the interior posts, would make their appearanc in New York, in the course of a tour of pleasui and curiosity. On these occasions there w£ always a degree of magnificence of the purs about them, and a peculiar propensity to ej penditure at the goldsmiths and jewellers for rin^ chains, brooches, watches, and other rich trinkets a gorgeous prodigality, such as was often to I noticed in former times in southern planters an West Indian Creoles, when flush with the profit of their plantations. To behold the North-west Company in all it state and grandeur, however, it was necessary t witness an annual gathering at the great interic place of conference established at Fort Willian near what is called the Grand Portage of Lak ico linked their. 7 formed \ that hav( M'Tavishes Frobishers, i-west, when ut must re- revelry kept icently fron L' appearanc • of pleasui there wt the purs isity to ex ers for ring^ ch trinkets often to \ planters an the profit y in all it necessary t reat interic ort Willian ige of Lak THE HUDSON BAY TRADING COMPANY. 19 perior. Her(j two or three of the leading tners from Montreal proceeded once a year to Set the partners from the various trading-posts of the wilderness, to discuss the affairs of the pany during the preceding year, and to arrange ns for the future. On these occasions might be seen the change CO the unceremonious times of the old French ers and the coiireiira du hois, for now tiie istocratic character of the Briton shone forth iifignificently, or rather the feudal spirit of the BBglilander. Every partner who had charge of an interior post, and a score of retainers at his com- nd, felt like the chieftain of a Highland clan, was almost as important in the eyes of his endents as of himself. To him a visit to the nd conference at Fort William was a most iiaportant event, and he repaired thither as to a meeting of parliament. The partners from Montreal, however, were the s of the ascendant. Coming from tlie midst luxurious and ostentatious life, they quite ipsed their compeers from the woods, whose fotms and faces had been battered and hardened bjr hard living and hard service. Indeed, the ners from below considered the whole dignity 20 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. ii ■ 1 i i i i i ' 1 P '■ 11 ' of the company as represented in their persons and conducted themselves in suitable style. Tlav ascended the river in great state, like sovereifrn^ making a progress. They were wrapped in ricl> nei^e furs, their huge canoes freighted with every con- 86fiei venience and luxury, and manned by Canadian ifXf t voyageurs as obedient as Highland clansinen, They carried with them their cooks and barbie together with delicacies of every kind, and abund ttlip ^ ance of choice wines for the banquets whicli the attended this convocation. Happy they were, too, 4ft"ot if they could have some distinguished strangers: above all, some member of the British nobility, t{ grace their high solemnities. Fort William, the scene of this important annua meeting, was a considerable village on the farthei shore of Lake Superior. As already pointed out, the Hudson Bay Com E«wa pany was slow in extending its operations bey oik the region directly tributary to the bay, and ii^ officials seemed to prefer that the Indians should come to them instead of tl.eir going out to siik the Indians. But now the Nor' -westers pusliel away north and west until they not only toucluM the feet of the Rocky Mountains, but fearlessly scaled that mighty barrier, and floated upon the THE HUDSON BAY TRADING COMPANY. 21 their persons e style. Th\ ike sovereiiTii^ •apped in rich ith every con. by Canadian ^ind clansmen, 9 and barbers, id, and abund- anquets whick^ they were, too ;hed strangers ^h nobility, t( portant annua on the farthei son Bay Com •ations beyoii' bay, and it^ ndians shoiil; g out to seek^ ^esters pusliei ) only touclie( but fearlessly ited upon the. rs of the Peace River. At the first they met no active opposition from their older rivals, it is possible that the two organisations might er have come into active conflict but for a es of events, not directly connected with the trade, which precipitated the struggle. lOrd Selkirk was a philanthropic Scotch noble- , whose kind heart was stirred to its depths by woes of his fellow-countrymen at the time of ' Highland clearances,' and he determined to ote his resources to finding, for some of them aili least, the opportunity in the New World across t|^ Atlantic ' to redress the balance of the old.' H* had heard of the wonderful prairies of the N0rth-west, waiting only to be tickled with the hoe to make them laugh into abundant harvests ; and after planting a successful colony in Prince B3ward Island, he forwarded another instalment of; emigrants, via Hudson Bay, to the plains of ilie Red River, establishing a colony there which in: later years became the nucleus of a new province. |The North-west Company at once took alarm, anted those fertile plains preserved as hunting- lunds, and did not relish the idea of their being lulated by the overflowing thousands of Great itain. Every possible obstacle was placed in the I \1: il;; m 22 ROMANCE OF COMMEKCE. 1 1 1 \W ' t i \ ■ t f j 1 i 1 i i i 1 :, 'rl, ■ i,!! 1! II way of tlie colonists. Intimidation and evol violence were resorted to, and the lives of tli poor emigrants tilled with terror. This coiiducil 8tron<^ly incensed the <^ood earl a^^ainst the neJ company ; and to enable him the better to puiiis) them, he bon(Mii(ion sent out hy i\w company consisted of fiv(^ small ships undiT connnand of Captain thmu^s Lancaster. 'I'hcy were laden with cloth, glass, cutlery, lead, and tin, and tlu^ i)rofits of the un(hM'takinf]j were so satisfactory that other and larjijer fleets followed in (piick succession. Some idea of these profits may he ^niined from the fact that a cargo of cloves, which cost the company only £,S000 in Amboyna, realised in London the magnificent sum of £8(),()00. Not all the transactions, to be sun*, proved (piiio such bonanzas as this one, nor was the English company permitted to have its own way without let or hindrance. The Portuguese did not at all like the idea of a fresh rival in the field of which they had once been sole masters, to their great profit, and they were disposed to be very trouble- some, until the company's fleet, under Captain Best, gave a decisive beating to a much superior Portuguese force off the port of Swally in 1615. This victory served a double purpose. It disposed of the Portuguese, and it produced a profound impression upon the natives, who had hitherto m Mii THE RISE AND FALL OF JOHN COMTANY. 51 l)(»lirvo(] thoin to be iiivinci})!^, and tlM'r('})y iimdc inattorH iiuicli oaHicr for tlio Kn^liHliincii in rutiiro. The Dutch liad next to In; rockon(^d witli. Tlu'y too woro strongly oppo.scd to Jiriti.sli com- petition, and did everything' in their power to thwart the company 'h (h'.si^nH, even ^'oin^ ho far iiH to maHnacre the memberH of the HettUiment at Ain})oyna in tlie year 1022. But in Hpito of all ()[)p()Hition from either Europium cinnpetitorH or hostile natives the British pernevered, and bit by bit their power and poHHeHsionH ^rew. Their plan was first to obtain perniiHHicm to plant a trading station, or ' factory ' as it was called. Presently the factory developed into a fort, the fort into a fortified town, and so on until it became the capital of an extensive district. In this way Madras, Calcutta, and other cities of renown had their beginning. Some of the incidents of those early days are worth noting. Thus the demand for ships was so great that the shipbuilding yard at Deptford was unable to meet it, and another yard had to be obtained at Blackwall, in w^hich was built the Royal George, of 1200 tons, the largest vessel hitherto constructed in England. In the year 52 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. -4 1645 the Emperor Shall Jehan showed his grati- tude for the services Surgeon Boughton of the Hopewell rendered the beauties of his zenana by granting important concessions to the company ; and in 1G68 King Charles II., for an annual rent of ten pounds, transferred to them Bombay, which had come to the British crown as part of the dower of Catharine of Braganza. With the Portuguese and the Dutch out of the way, the company for a tiine had plain sailing, until their rapidly growing wealth attracted the attention of the native rulers, and they found that in order to resist their increasing extortions they must needs set up a regular army and naval establishment — in fact, that while continuing to be traders they must also be chiefs and conquerors. Then began a new era in the company's history. During the following century and a half there were few years free from wars or rumours of wars. Brilliant successes and disheartening reverses alternately rejoiced and saddened the hearts of the shareholders, and stirred the pulses of the English people. The period is illumined by the fame of great commanders, wise statesmen, and admirable administrators. The names of Warren Hastings, Robert Clive, and Sir Eyre Cook; of ""^•raswiti' THE RISE AND FALL OF JOHN COMPANY. 53 the Marquises of Cornwallis, Wellesley, and Hastings ; of Generals Holt, Napier, and Pollock — with others hardly less noteworthy — foi'in a roll of heroes scarce to be equalled in the history of any other land. Above them all the names of Clive and Hastings stand pre-eminent for the romance of their careers. That of the former, indeed, was no less pathetic than romantic. The son of a small landowner in England, Clive seemed to be such an idle scape- grace of a boy that his friends were glad to get rid of him by despatching him to Madras as a clerk in the service of John Company. Poor of pocket and shy of disposition, detesting the dry drudgery of the desk and haunted by homesickness, he twice attempted suicide, and it was only on the second failure that he flung down the defective pistol with a conviction that destiny had better things in store for him. His opportunity came a few years later, when, having resigned his clerk- ship for a commission in the company's army, he came forward with a daring scheme for the relief of Trichinopoly, then besieged by the French and their Indian allies. His scheme was accepted, and proved a brilliant success. He twice defeated the French and the Hindus in league with them, foiled 54 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. every efibrt of the dasliing Duplcix, and razed to tlic ground a pompous pillar that the too sanguine Frencli governor had set up in honour of liis earlier victories. The defence of Arcot for fifty days with 820 men all told aijjainst a besie THE WORLD. 07 being unused to the proceedings, they made a poor business of it, and spilled a good deal, whereupon the courtiers showed that they could be as guilty of bad manners, as they subsequently proved of bad faith, by laughing outright at their guests' awkwardness. At the outset the Samorin evinced every desire to be friendly, and to gratify Da Gama's desire to open up trade. But no sooner was this apparent than the Moors, who for a long time had had a monopoly of the commerce of India, which they carried on by way of the lied Sea and Alexandria, began to plot against their European rivals, and by bribing the Samorin's courtiers succeeded in filling his mind with suspicions about tlie new- comers. The negotiations which had opened so prosperously were interrupted, and finally the admiral and some of his companions were seized and confined, not being released until Da Gama's brother had sent a quantity of goods as ransom. On regaining his liberty, Da Gama was so disgusted at this treachery that he resolved to set out for home. Two days after lie sailed he was attacked during a calm by sixty large boats lull of soldiers. Happily a wind sprang up in time to save the Portuguese fleet from falling 68 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. I into the hands of these treacherous rascals, and the Iiomeward voyage was begun witliout further misliap. Tliey liad, however, by no means so easy a time of getting back to the African coast as they had in making India. For four montlis the little s([uadron struijfjled with bad weather and head-winds. Scurvy in its worst form broke out ; and both officers and crew began to give themselves up to despair, in spite of their brave leader's earnest exhortation to trust in Providence. At length a fair wind dispelled their fears, and soon they reached Melinda, where they were well received. Thenceforward the ships made steady if somewhat slow progress, until in September 1499 they cast anchor in the Tagus, having been absent two years and two months. Next to that of Columbus, this brilliant and eventful voyage made by Vasco da Gama was frauglit with more important consequences than any otlier in the world's history. By thus opening up a new route to the far East, the Portuguese admiral, without knowing it, had prepared the way for the commercial downfall of the maritime states of Italy, Egypt, Turkey, Arabia, and all those countries between the Red Sea and the Caspian, wliich throve upon the overland commerce betwet still, i this h while liold o mental As there African compet( profital; Rutter, tion of have be make w In th not cone in the d of new reached ing. Ti owe a ' to value conceded HOW MERCHANTS OPENED UP THE WORLD. 69 between Europe and India. What was stranger still, it was according to the decrees of destiny that this lucrative traffic, after being for only a brief while in the hands of Portugal, should be taken liold of by the British, and prove cliiefly instru- mental in the building up of their colossal empire. As soon as it became known in England that there was money to be made by trading to the African coast, merchants and mariners began to compete there with the Portuguese ; and many profitable voyages were made by Lok Toursen, Rutter, Baker, and others, despite the angry opposi- tion of the Portuguese. Details of these expeditions have been preserved in the Hakluyt collection, and make wonderfully interesting reading. In this way the world was opened up, commerce not conquest being the chief motive of the pioneers in the discovery of new countries and nations, and of new routes to marts which had hitherto been reached only by long and costly overland journey- ing. True it is that civilisation and Christianity owe a larger debt to the practical men * prone to value none but paying facts ' than is generhlly conceded. ^' ' '"^wm*^^ • '^>'T»iTBff'y'' - Tt i;! ' > ' « ! y" 'f" "^^^ fmS.Pm CHAP T E R 1 V. thp: chase of the Spanish galleons. HAT a tlu'ill of romantic interest tliese two words ' Spanisli galleons ' excite ! Tlie moment we see them they bring np before us visions of bright bars of silver and glistening ingots of gold, with diamonds and 2^tiarls as big as walnuts, and emeralds larger tlian pigeons' eggs in lieaped handfuls, such as gladdened the eyes and enriched the pockets of Sir Francis Drake and the other freebooters whose exploits have been so brilliantly celebrated by Charles Kingsley in his Westward Ho ! They remind us, too, of daring deeds at sea, when in vessels smaller than a fii'st-class fishing schooner of to-day, ard not half so seaworthy or so easily handled, the British mariners flung themselves upon the l)uge Spanish ships, -whose poops towered higli above their decks, and captured them by the sheer impetuosity of their attack. 1 ^y 111 )n siK KKAxciH ^»raict:. / ^'^b 11 AlK quest South En^li.s down I the E inaster any ot glory 8 No\\ came t term *- only t( decks ; and all They m when than a and roi exeeedii of then joined sticking attached maze of It w. THE CHASE OF THE SPANISH (JALLEONS. 71 And it must not Ix; fortrotten that it wuh in tlie quest of these very gjilleons {ilon*^ tlie coast of South America, and in the fit^htin^ of them in the English Channel, when the Great Armada bore down so menacin<^ly upon poor little England, that the English sea-dogs learned the secret of the mastery of the seas, a lesson that did more than any other to Iniild up and maintain their country's glory and strength at home and abroad. Now what were the Sv-'nish galleons, and how came they to have such ^^renious cargoes ? The term * galleon' was, in tlie first instance, applie May two epocli Paalu self, {1 five t( of wh certaii tlian nien a: There age of nothiir Dios House Tlie theless it. A possess; ^vay u eyes n fevered of a pi feet in But TIIK fllASE or THE SPANISH (SALLEONS. ir, ill :c, ere ventnn*Ti<( upon it. Tn tlio niorry inoiitli of May 1572 tliorc sailed out of Plymouth Sound two small ships that wore di'stinecl to maik au epoch in the world's history. These were the 2^(usha, of seventy tons, commanded by Drake him- self, and in lu-r wake the little Swan, of twenty- five tons, in charge of his brother .John. In view of what was l)efore this little expedition, the project certainly looked more like a school-boy's escapade than a serious enterprise. Tlie crews, all told, men and boys, nundjered about seventy-three souls. There was only one of them who liad reached the af^e of thirty. And yet their modest scheme was nothing less than to seize the port of Nond)re-de- Dios in the Panama Isthmus, and the Treasure- House of the World ! The wildest kind of a desion, truly. Never- theless, they came within an ace of accomplishing it* As it was, they stormed the town, held possession of it for some houi's, and made their way into the treasury, where their astonished eyes met a sight such as exceeded their most fevered expectations, to wit, the gray shimmer of a pile of silver Ijars ten feet in breadtli, twelve feet in height, and seventy feet in length. But the Spaniards presently rallied from their ^'k. ^>. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // y^:s' A z v^ 1.0 I.I l^|28 |2.5 1.8 1.25 1.4 III 1 ^ ^ 6" ► V] <^/ m °% ,^ / h ^.. 'f Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 873-4503 'V- ) fc ^ <^ . C^ 76 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. / afiright. Drake was severely wounded, and very reluctantly the daring invaders had to return tc their boats leaving the vast booty untouched. In retreating to cover they took with them, how- ever, a well-filled galleon that lay in port, and after a fortnight of rest on an island, they swooped down upon Cartagena, cut out a large ship that was at the quay, and once more vanished. But they soon reappeared, and after making a dashing thougli fruitless attempt upon the Panama gold- train, sacking Vera Cruz, capturing thirty tons of silver almost at the very gates of Nombre-de-Dios, and securing other booty, they at length decided to call a halt and go back to England for a rest. The return voyage was safely accomplished, and on a fine Sunday in August 1573 the good folk of Plymouth scandalised the preacher by running out of church as the triumphant young freebooter's guns thundered out a salute to the batteries. Some idea of the wonderful daring and energy shown by this handful of men during their twelve- month in the Spanish Main may be gathered from the statement that of two hundred vessels of all kinds which then navigated the Caribbean Sea, they calculated that there was not one they had not overhauled once at least, and some of them 5 \ e^ CO o 71 a u ^ en ,d "\ n ,] J '1 ill i i THE CHASE OF THE SPANISH GALLEON'S. 77 treatment times. ' had sufTered this unpleasar Whatever may be thouglib of the propriety of such proceedings, this must not be forgotten, that Drake never maltreated a prisoner, and was as renowned for his mercy to tlie vancjuislied as he was for his courage in the face of foes. After four years' inaction at home, Drake, with some difficulty, succeeded in organising another expedition into the wsame rich fiekl. It was not much more imposing than the other, comprising as it did only five ships, of which his own, the Pelican, measured but one hundred tons, and the smallest was a mere pinnace of fifteen tons, yet the results were to be the most momentous, without question, in the whole naval history of England. The little squadron set sail from Plymouth in November 1577, and took nearly three months to reach the Strait of Magellan, and three weeks more to get through that perilous passage. Then the fates, which had hitherto been very unpro- pitious, seemed to do their utmost to wreck the enterprise. Two vessels had been left on the other side of the strait, and of the remaining tliree, one went down w^ith all hands, and the other fled back home, leaving Drake alone in the Pelican to go on in a strange sea — for he was M if I I T8 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. * i the first Englishman to navigate the Pacific — and along a strange coast held in force by the deadliest foes of England. But his great spirit was equal to the emergency. Dauntlessly he pressed northward, and splendidly was he rewarded. In the harbour of Valparaiso he found one of the great galleons from Peru, having on board * a certain quantity of fine gold of Bolivia, and a great crosse of gold, beset with emeraulds, on which was nailed a God, of the same metal.' This ' certaine quantity ' amounted to about £24,000, and was only the beginning ! From December to April, the story of the voyage reads like a fairy-tale. The saucy little Pelican ran in and out of the harbours, hardly ever losing a man or failing to add to her store of booty. The Spaniards, who no more thought to see an English- man on these coasts than the pope himself, seemed to have attempted no resistance, preferring to be plundered rather than to fight. At Tarapaca the Englishmen found a lot of silver bars ready piled on the pier for shipment, and the Spaniard in charge sleeping comfortably by their side. ' Whereon,' writes the chaplain, in a humorous strain, * we freed him of his charge, which otherwise, perhaps, would have kept him ■ THE CHASE OF THE SPANISH GALLEONS. 79 I I waking, and so left him to take out the other part of his sleepe in more security.' At the next landing they * met a Spaniard driving eight Peruvian sheep (llamtis) ; each sheep bearing one hundred weight of refined silver. Now, we could not endure to see a gentleman Spaniard turned carrier so, and therefore, without entreatie, we ottered our services and became drovers, onely his directions were not so perfect that we could keep the way which he intended, for almost as hee was parted from us, we with our new kinds of carriages, were come into our boats.' At Arica 'some forty and odde barres of silver of the bigness and fashen of a brick batte ' were annexed, and at Lima their eyes were rejoiced by the sight of a fleet of ships ready freighted for sea, 'aboard whom we made somewhat bold to bid ourselves welcome,' with the result of the addition of one thousand five hundred bars of silver, a chest full of gold reals, and some bales of costly silk to their valuable cargo. The greatest prize, however, was still ahead. This was the huge galleon Cacafiiego, 'the great glory of the South Seas,' full to the brim of gold and silver. Sailing two miles to her one, the Pelican overtook her off Quito, and made her i| 1 1 .; n 1 lu; 80 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. an easy capture. ' We found in her,' records the chaplain, in his quaint way, 'some fruits and other victuals, and (that which was the especialist cause of her lieavy and slow sailing) a certain (juantity of jewels and precious stones, thirteen chests of ryals of plate, eighty pound weight in gold, twenty- six tonne of uncoyned silver, two very fair gilt drinking boules valued at about 300,000 pexols,' more than £400,000. Enough had now been done both for glory and profit, and Drake decided to hurry home, which he did, not by going back through the Strait of Magellan, but by continuing right on round the world, which feat, hitherto unperformed by a British mariner, was safely accomplished, and after nearly three years' absence he returned to Plymouth, the richest man in the kingdom. Of course there were others besides Francis Drake who made prey of the Peruvian treasure- ships, but none who succeeded so splendidly ; and he may be accepted as their representative in so far as to render unnecessary the following out of their chequered careers. Moreover, there was another phase of this chase of the Spanish galleons which still needs to be touched upon. I have alieady pointed out that '' ^> fa THE CHASE OF THE SPANISH GALLEONS. vSl of galleons there were two kinds, freight carriers and ships of war. It was with the latter kind that Drake and his associates had to contend when, in the summer of 1588, the prematurely styled ' invincible ' Armada, consisting of no less than two hundred and thirty galleons, galeasses, carracks, and other craft, bore down upon England in its imposing crescent formation. There is no need to rehearse the story of that famous fight, which continued through days and nights of thrilling anxiety, until at last the elements came to the aid of the Englishman, just when they were well-nigh spent with their almost superhuman exertions, and completed the demoral- isation of the mightiest naval force that ever the world had seen. Throughout this tremendous struggle Drake bore the leading part. To him more than to any other was due the glorious result whereby the sceptre of the seas fell from the hand of Spain into the hands of England, where it has ever since remained, for in the chase and conquest of the Spanish galleons, little as Queen Elizabeth or her 'sturdy little pirate,' Sir Francis Drake, imagined it, England laid broad and deep the foundations of her maritime supremacy. lil ! CHAPTER V. THE QUEST FOR A NOUTH-WEST PASSAGE. HE story of accidental discoveries of great importance, made by persons who had I, other objects in view, would be one of the most interesting chapters in the history of human progress. While prosecuting fruitless search for the imaginary philosopher's stone, the alchemists of the middle ages chanced upon many valuable processes and compounds in chemistry ; and in equally vain endeavours to solve the problem of perpetual motion, ingenious inventors have worked out no small number of practicable mechanical devices. It was when sailing westward to find a shorter route to that marvellous Zipangu of which Marco Polo had heard at the court of Kublai-Khan, that Christopher Columbus found the continent of America barring his way, and was fain to discover it instead. Control of trade with the Orient has from the ^ THE QUEST f R A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 83 ru )f I remotest antiquity been coveted by western nations as a prime source of wealtb. JMercantile connimn- ities engaged in carrying Eastern freiglit invariably prospered, and the greatest cities of ancient time owed much of their splendour to the rich traffic. Alexander the Great, Tamerlane, Mohan>med, Caliph Omar, and other great military rulers had keen eyes for the commerce of the golden East ; and when Mecca, the Holy City, was at the height of its glory, the bright chintzes and snowy muslins of Bengal, the brilliant shawls of Cashmere, the savoury spices of Malabar, the flashing diamonds of Golconda, the iridescent pearls of Ceylon, and the gauzy silks of China made the merchants* booths places of sore temptation for the pious pilgrims. Then the discovery of a path to India by the Cape of Good Hope changed the course of trade between Europe and Asia. The golden tide now swept the shores of Spain and Portugal, and those kingdoms suddenly rose out of their obscurity into commercial importance, vying in opulence, political weight, and maritime enterprise with the proudest nations of the day. But the navigators of those times had little liking for the stormy passage round the Cape i: 1 / ■M I 84 ROMANCE OF COMMEIK'E. wli()S(» jmcific immc wii.s ho inconsiHtent with tlio troatiucnt u.-Jiially nu'tod out to them there, and they came to tht^ conviction that acrosH the un- tracked waters of the Athintic hiy the shortest and best way to the riclies /f tlie East. All tlie earlier exi)editions ol' discovery from Euroi)e to tlie shores of the western continent liad their ori^jjin in this idea. It wa« while hunting for an all-sea route to China that John Cabot di.scovered the coast of Newfoundland and the mouth of the St Lawrence, in the reign of Henry VII.; and from his day down to the year 1854, when Captain M'Clure, while achieving the feat, also proved beyond a perad venture the utter useless- ness of tlie passage for conunercial purposes, the belief in such a highway and the determination to discover it led to the loss of many precious lives, and the expenditure on the part of Great Britain alone of over one million pounds sterling. The list of those who, under the banner of England, imitated the example of John Cabot is a long and inspiring one. Sebastian, his son, followed in 1498. Then came Robert Thorne, of Bristol (1527); Master Hore (1536); and Master Michael Lok (1545) of London — men who knew * cosmographie ' and the ' weighty and sub- i of * i THE QUKST FOR A NOHTII-WKST PASSAfJE. 85 staiitial roasons fv)r a (liscovory even to the north polo.' Next we have some more I'aniiHar names : Frohishcr (inTti); Sir Humplirey (Jin)ert (15H3); James Davis ( 1 585) ; the ill-fated Henry Hudson (1007); Sir Thomas Ihitton (10 12); Baflin and Bylot (1015); Fox and James (10. SI ), and so on, a glorious nu'ster-roll of heroes of the (piarter-deck, whoso memories have been perpetuated by their names bein^ ^iven to the bays they entered, the straits they passed through, or the capes they si(;hted. Bearing in mind how miserable were the craft they sailed in compared with the modern specimens of marine architecture, and how imperfect was their equipment, the achievements of these dauntless searchers into the mystery of the sullen North call for our warmest admiration. Now breaking through the icy fetters which fain would bind them fast, then being chained by them in seemingly hopeless captivity ; at one time big with hope of having hit upon the passage, only to be beaten back by the terrific storms and irresistible berg- laden currents that held guard over it — these men never faltered in their faith, never despaired of final success. Among those who won high places in the honour 86 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. / :j list of arctic explorers by their daring and per- sistence in striving to penetrate the fastnesses of the Frost King were Sir John Ross, Sir Edward Parry, Captain Hiichan, and Sir George Back. But the hero above all others, without (juestion, wius Sir John Franklin, one of the noblest navigatoi^g that ever faced the terrors of the deep. Born in 1786, with an innate longing for the sea, Franklin, whose parents wanted him to be a clergyman, was sent to Lisbon on a small mer- chant ship when a mere boy, in the hope of curing him of his romantic notions. But the experience had precisely the contrary effect. He returned home more than ever charmed with a sailor's life, and nothing else would satisfy him than an appointment in the navy. Yielding to liis earnest entreaties, his friends procured this for him, and at the age of fourteen he had the pleasure of pacing the quarter - deck of the fine sixty - four gun Polyphemus. His life on board ship had no lack of exciting incident from the start, as he was one of those who helped Lord Nelson to win the great naval battle of Copenhagen ; he had a sharp taste cf shipwreck in the southern Pacific ; and assisted Commodore Dance to put to inglorious rout ■ i agai ^!l THE QUEST FOR A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 87 Admiral Linois's fleet in the Strait of Malacca. He was mentioned in the despatches as * evincing very conspicuous zeal and activity ' at the battle of Trafalgar ; he was wounded in the gunboat attack on New Orleans in December 1814, and again honorably mentioned in the despatches ; and finally, when peace was proclaimed, and there were no more foes to fight, his adventurous, energetic spirit loathing inactivity, he went ofi* as second in command of an expedition despatched to find the north pole. Although he did not find the north pole, Franklin acquitted himself so well that he was shortly after his return put in chief command of an expedition which made a marvellous journey overland from Hudson Bay to the mouth of the Coppermine River, and thence in frail bark canoes eastward along the dreadful coast, where beetling cliffs alternated with glistening glaciers for hun- dreds of miles — a journey, it has been said, which must always take rank as one of the most daring and hazardous exploits ever accomplished in the interest of geographical research. The sufferings endured by the explorer and , his party were beyond, all description ; yet so firm was his belief in the North Pa.ssage, and G \ay, had is is mgh [ter- iture ex- ^ pedition. Despite its leader's unwavering faith, dauntless courage, and well - nigh superhuman endurance of hardships that would have appalled a thousand other men, victory remained with the ruthless North, and the passage still continued untraversed. If the conjectured course of the ill-fated ex- pedition at all approach the truth, there is nothing more pathetic in the whole record of human enter- prise. It would seem that good progress was made during the summer of 1845, the winter passed as pleasantly as could be expected, and the succeeding summer put to such good purpose in achieving further advance, that they had got almost within sight of success when the pitiless grip of winter fastened upon them, never again to relax. ' To winter in the pack,' says Captain Markham, *is known happily only to a few. To pass tw^o successive winters in the ice is an experience that has fortunately been vouchsafed to fewer still ; yet the brave explorers of the Erebus and Terror were destined to pass, not only one, but two long, weary, successive winters helplessly beset and firmly frozen up in their icy bondage. In May of 1847 a sledge party under Lieutenant Gore left the ships, and made their way to King 90 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. William Island, whence they were able to see in the distance the North American continent, and to realise that only a comparatively short channel blocked with ice lay between them and the success for which they had suffered so much. Depositing a record, which was found by the M'Clintock expedition twelve years later, they hastened back to the ships with the joyful tidings, only to find their beloved leader, who had so often before been face to face with death and come off scatheless, now fighting his last battle with the relentless foe. He had scarce time to be assured that the supreme ambition of his life had been achieved, that what old Thomas Purchas pronounced 'the only thing whereby a notable mind might be made famous ' was practically accomplished before, on the 11th of June 1847, he passed peacefully away. As to the rest of the unfortunate expedition, it would appear that in the following April they abandoned their ships, and set out for the Great Fish River on foot, hoping there to meet with Indians who would help them, but they all drooped and died by the way, leaving little or no trace of their course. Everything that human forethought and exertion could devise or accomplish was done to discover f "// ) )ed Jace lion ''er i^ ^ a o 0) 3 7 1 t i 1 i ''|nj ^m ^n m H M ^^■^H i'l im ^^B 'J s 1 lii 111 Wi THK (^irRST Foil A NOKTirVVKST I'AHHAdK. (M s i\ui] wHcxu) tlu) iiiiMHin^ (;x|H'. f^'^ ^-v^. ■ ■* - — ^.^ — :^r-' ;'^i-'.> CHAPTER VII. THE DARIEN EXPEDITION. aw at iened and tlic luch un- 1 t HE Isthmus of Panama, or Darien, is beyond a doubt one of tlie most in- teresting, as it is one of the most important, bits of terra firma on tliis round globe. The connecting link between the continents of North and South America, it is also the barrier that divides the Atlantic from the Pacific Ocean, and in fact, one side of the world from the other. From the time of its discovery and occupation by the Spaniards, it has been a matter of general belief that whoever had command of this narrow neck of land held the key of the commerce of the world. Here would naturally be concentrated the trade between the Atlantic and the Pacific coasts of America. Moreover, it would neces- sarily be an important stage in the shortest route between Europe and the Indies, as well as the mighty islands lying far to the south of the equator. 104 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. n. Little wonder, then, that tlie Spaniards wanted to keep the istlnnus to themselveH, and always did their very best, cowards though they were except when greatly in the majority, to make it eminently unpleasant for anybody who sought to share its advantages with them : and in fine and sti'iking contrast to their miserable dog-in-the- manger policy — for they really put their splendid opportunities to little use — was the spirit in which William Paterson conceived the famous Darien project that played so prominent a part in the history of Scotland, at the close of the seventeenth century. This William Paterson was a very different typo of man from that notorious speculator, John Law, whose doings have been already told in this book, and yet his vast project proved hardly less dis- astrous in its outcome than his. He is generally credited wdth being the founder of the Bank of England, and this is in large measure true. He certainly deserves the entire honour for laying down the only true basis for a bank-note currency — viz., that the bank issuing notes should always have on hand a sufficient supply of gold to enable it to redeem in gold all the notes that the daily operation of business might bring to its counter. « THE DARIEN EXPEDITION. 105 I t He was one of the twenty- four diicetorH at the opening of the bank ; but appears to liavi; sold out not long after, and with his money in hand, to have looked about him for some way of in- vesting it that would be for the public good. Now those were the days of vexatious mono- polies and irritating restrictions in connnerce. The trade of England with the distant regions of the globe was in the jealous grasp of two great corporations — the East India Company and the African Company — which, although they were at deadly enmity with each other, heartily agreed in crushing every free-trader who dai'ed to intrude within the limits of their territory. Paterson was an ardent free-trader. He believed his mission to be the emancipation of commerce from the hurtful restraints laid upon it by miscalculating selfishness, and it was by the creation of a great free port at the Isthmus of Darien, open to the trade of the world, that he hoped to accomplish his benevolent purpose. Accordingly, in the year 1695, he obtained the passage through the Scottish parliament of an act for the incorporation of ' The Company of Scotland trading to Africa and the Indies,' called, for short, 'The African Company,' but popularly known as 1'^ 10() ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. the * Darien Company.' This company was granted very extensive powers, and had a capital of £600,000, one-half of which, it was stipulated, must ever be held by Scotsmen residing in their own country, thus insuring the permanently national character of the undertaking. As it turned out, however, there was no need of this provision, for when the subscription-books were opened in London, there came such a rush of applicants for shares that the stock was soon all taken up, and this so aroused the hostility of the English companies that they called upon the House of Commons to assist them in crushing their Scottish rival. The House of Commons yielded to the clamour, and by threats of pro- ceedings so alarmed the London subscribers that they all backed out and forfeited their holdings. This hostile action roused the national spirit of Scotland. The English had withdrawn — well, what of that ? Scotland would go on, and keep to herself the glory and all the other rewards of the great national undertaking. In proof of their earnestness, the Scots thereupon subscribed for another £100,000 of stock, making £400,000 in all. Subsequently, an attempt was made to place the balance of the stock in Holland, but * THE DARIEN EXPEDITION. 107 «i again the machinations of the English companies interfered, and the whole burden was left to be borne by Scotland. Harassed and delayed by this hostility and other causes, it was not until 1698 that the company proceeded to carry out the main purpose of its formation. In the month of July a little fleet of three vessels, having on board over a thousand picked men, set sail from Leith, amid bright sun- shine and the cheers and prayers of a vast as- semblage gathered on the wharves to bid them ' God speed.' William Paterson's heart was full of joy and hope as he now saw before him the prospect of the early realisation of his long-cherished design. Hitherto the selfish Spaniards and the hardly less selfish British had sought to monopolise the commerce of the New World. He had in view, nothing less than the complete reversal of such a policy. The ships of all nations were to be perfectly free to the new port he would found at Darien. At that favoured spot, the merchandise from all countries might concentrate, and Scotland calmly take her seat as the great queen of com- merce, showering the blessings of abundance around her. 108 KOMANCE OF COMMEUCE. H 8ucli was Ins di't^am ii nohli' uno in ovcry way. Alan ! that it Hhould \ui\v failiMl so ])itifully of fuUilintMit ! After an unevcntlnl voyage, tlio vessels reached the isthnuis in November, and landed their passen^^ers at a projecting point oi' the (^lull* of Darien, which had pnniously been iSelected lus the site of the i'ort and settlement. The spot was in many resp«:cts well chosen. It was a lontj; peninsula ed^ed with rock, stretching southwards nearly half way across the gulf, and united to the mainland at the north by a narrow neck of land easily fortified. At the western point a strong fovt was built to conunand the gulf, which the buccaneers connnended as ' a very crabbed hold.* The peninsula wjis occupied as a fortified centre, not for settlement, it being arid and barren. An indefinite district stretching inland was to form the colony, and to bear the name of New Cale- donia. Two sites for towns were selected — the one to be called New Edinburgh, the other New St Andrews. At the time of the adventurers' arrival the weather was genial and healthy, the vegetation luxuriant and beautiful, the natives kind and hospitable, and everything seemed to smile upon the enterprise and promise complete success. But the seeds of failure were present from the i > THE IMKIKN KXI'KIU'IION. 10!) Ival lion ind )on ' nturt. Wliatovor little tlu^ English know ulxnit ])laiitin<^ colonioH, (ho Scots kiK^w notliin^ ut Jill; htkI there wjih a pitiful lack of the ri^^ht kind of ()r<^aniHatioii about the expedition. ^J'hcre was no arrangement for ^overiuiuuit and the pie- Hervation of order. All had apparently been left to chance. In the .same haphazard fashion liad the jfoods for barter been seUictcid, and th(;y were a marvellously mixed and upon the whole hi<^hly unsuitiible collection of commodities, such as axes, iron wedges, knives ; smiths', carpenters', and coopers' tools ; barrels, guns, pistols, combs, shoes, hats, paper, pipes, &c.^ — one vessel carrying over £4000 worth of these articles. Hardly had the colonists established tliemselves on dry land, when dissensions within and dangers without made their appearance. The party was composed of very various elements. Along with political enthusiasts and men of rigid piety and virtue, were men of quite another stamp — hardy sailors with consciences as tough and weather- beaten as their bodies, and who had learned their seamanship among the buccaneers ; in plain words, pirates who were ready for any deed of blood or rapine. These * tarpaulins,' as Paterson called them, soon gained that ascendency which the bold no MnMANrK (»|' roMMKH*'!:. h ■Hi nihl rtM'klosM MIC np( to havt*, mxl llicir inlhuMiro, j\i«l«Ml l>y n ol' tho oxprdilion. 'V\\o l(»;\(l(Ms li.ul h.'ir(l Nvoik krrpip^ order, Mini ovory (l.'iy (lu* lliilisli ^(ivrrmiH'nl, lln' srntmci} wiiH not oxccuird, ImiI. it nliowrd pininly (Jin tcnip^T of tlw^ rcnl niMHlci'H ol' Mir Hitnnlion. Tlir ScolliHli intrudiTH couM liop<« Tor no mercy at tlicir liund.s, oncci tlicy lm vvorHP even than intrrnal di.MHcnHionH and cxlvrnal Uh'H wcim^ i\u* attacks ol' p^'KlilcncM' and I'junino. With the approach of the hot Hcas(jn, the (^vil iidhience.M of the; country and climate he^an to work. All that Ih d(!adly in the pcj.sti- lential clcuientH of tropical America would hva^ui to he concentrated on the IsthnuiH of Darien, jih the toilers on the ill-fated Panama Canal have learned to their cost. Up to the present it has defied permanent settlement hy Europeans. Narrow as it is, its forests are pathless, and its dense shroud of matted and rotting vegetation, with all its animate and inanimate horrors, sullenly opposes the operations of man. The unhappy Scotsmen, who had hoped, after finishing their fortifications, to sally forth in search of gold, found that the sad task of burying their dead, and of seeking for some addition to their rapidly diminishing store of food, demanded all I 12 UOMANCI': OK roMMKUCK. ^ if tluMT onort;ios. WhiMj .hiiu* caino wiilioni hi'in^iii;^ \\\\\ lu^NVM «»r (ho (*x|hh*((m1 r(>inroi'(M wrclcluMl colonists (loci1). four otl\ors followed in Auiiust, and \\ thiixi (loot in Soi^tembor. Imagine tho disappoint- ment and depression of this second expedition wlien, on its arrival at Darien, instead of boin^ roceivod with true Scottish liospitnlity by a prosperous, iiappy community, th*^"e was nothing to be seen save a deserted and dismantled fort, tho ruins of a village, and a graveyard sown thick with memorials of the dead ! Yet tlu y had the courage and resolution to stay, and take tho chance of a happier fate than their predecessors. > TIIK DAinilN KXI'KIU'IION. 1 i:i *i<;c ) i' I^ul' IIm^ fnicH, inily Ktrikin^ the; first blow, and did distintfuisli th(;niHelveH })y i)uttin/^ to flight a much superior I'oi'co at ^ru})acanti on the riv(;r Santa Maria, yet when the; victors returruHl ladcjn with .spoils, it was to find the poor little colony blockaded by a number of nuai-of-war. There was no alternative but surr(ind(;r ; and the Spaniards, only too i^lad to bo I'id of tluiir unwelcome captives, wi]lin<^ly allowed them to ^et away as expeditiously as they could mana^^e. This csipitulation was tho virtual destruction of tho fijreat Indian and African Company, as well as the colony it had attempted to plant, and of the lit UOMAN(^E OF COMMKUCK. ^rand scIumiu* for n world's U'oo ])ov{. TImmn* wjih \\vv{\' iiidi^naiion f<'l( in Scotland al (1m» Iohm holli of nu>nov and oi' national honoin* tho lamontablc faijuri^ of tho ont(M']iriHo involved ; but. thoro Hocniod no way of rodooniin^ oitlior, and ho tho Darion Kx|>(Miition wont t,\A']. d u~^u-~\j — b ,IIA1^ V()lu(il(s Hari^uiiK^ France- hIiouI^I loHf; ' her head over tlie Mi.SHiHHippi Jiulible, I, (^ven to the extent slie did, i.s far (wiHicsr to underHtand than tliat Hoh(!r, .stolid ICn<^land Hhonld he teni[)ted into any .similar lolly. And yet the Hue de Quincampoix in the vrry vortex of tlie MiH.si.s.sippi niadne.s.s did not [)re.sent a .scene of wilder speculation than '(Jhan^e Alley in London, when the South Sea mania was at its liei^ht. Oddly onoutrli, also, the two bubbles expanded within a f(^w years of each otlier, and burst not far apart. Happily, liowever, the conseriuences did not prove (juite ho disastrous in En^^land as they did in France. The bei^innini; of the EuLdish bubble was in the year 1711, when good Queen Arnie was rjorsuaded to grant a royal charter to the ' Governor and Company of Merchants of Qreat Britain trading 116 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. to the South Seas.' The formation of this company- was the direct result of the extravagant stories told by the buccaneers and freebooters who had followed in the path of Drake, of the fortunes that were to be made by shrewd ventures to the coasts of South America. All the world knew of the immense wealth derived by Spain from her South American dominions, and there was no lack of bold and restless spirits eager to engage in any enterprise thither which promised rich reward, and so when the Earl of Oxford, then Lord High Treasurer, lent his powerful influence to the support of a scheme for the incorporation of the proprietors of a portion of the national debt for the purpose of carrying on a trade to the South Seas, not only was a very comprehensive charter secured without difficulty, but the stock of the new company at once took a high place in the confidence of the community. The rights and privileges conferred upon the company were simply preposterous. No ships but their own were suffered to trade within the vast territories assigned them on penalty of forfeiture of both ship and merchandise, together with double their value ; and they had the power to take by force of arms and treat as a prize any vessel ■ THE SOUTH SEA BUBBLE. 117 infringing upon their monopoly. Moreover, all the commercial rights and extraordinary powers with which they were vested were declared to be perpetual. The capital of the company was at first nearly ten millions of pounds sterling. A few years later it was increased to twelve millions ; and as the interest paid upon the stock by the government amounted to more than six hundred thousand pounds per annum, there was a certainty of decent dividends, even though the results of the few trading ventures that were made to the South j Seas were utterly insignificant in comparison with the expectations which had been excited in the public mind. For some time the affairs of the company were prudently and economically managed, and the stock advanced steadily until it was worth 114 per cent. Then there appeared upon the scene a remarkable man who has good claims to be considered the father of modern stock -jobbing, and whose statue ought certainly to be placed in some prominent position commanding a view of the Stock Exchange, or of Wall Street. This was John Blount or Blunt, bred to the obscure position of scrivener, but endowed by nature with many notable quali- 118 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. ih ties. His manners were graceful and insinuating, and his air and address peculiarly calculated to win the confidence of the people he met. Possessing great boldness of character combined with striking originality of thought, and a readiness of conception rarely equalled, he was just the man to originate and execute some daring scheme that would set the world wondering. His opportunity came when King George I. asked the House of Commons to consider some means of reducing the national debt of Great Britain, which had grown so large as to become burdensome to the people. Blunt at once appeared with a plan that the South Sea Company should purchase the debt from the persons by whom it was held, giving in exchange therefor their own stock, which was to be issued by authority of parliament. He submitted his project to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who fell in with it at once, and supported it so si^ongly that the ministry of the day had it adopted, in spite of strong protests from several leading members of the House of Lords, who, with true insight, contended that the measure was certain to impoverish thousands, although it might 'jnrich a few. Accordingly, in the year 1720, an act was passed authorising the company t p THE SOUTH SEA BUBBLE. 119 { !'■ to take over by purchase or subscription tlie entire national debt, then exceeding £80,000,000 sterlintr. Having succeeded in this step, Blunt's next proceeding was to boom tlie Soutli Sea stock, which he did by having secret agents circulate the most rose-coloured reports concerning the commercial privileges and opportunities of the company. So successful were these and other similar devices employed, that the most frantic eagerness was shown by the public to obtain the stock ; and its price rose by leaps and bounds to 300 per cent., then 400, then 500, and so on day after day as the mania grew wilder, until the incredible figure of 1000 per cent, was reached, at which price it was eagerly bought and reluctantly sold, except by the very few who had kept their heads in the midst of the general infatuation, and perceived the inevitable sequel of such folly. John Blunt, the whilom scrivener, was now the hero of the hour. His low birth was conveniently overlooked, and the title of baronet conferred upon him, the more effectually to conceal it. The highest members of the aristocracy vied with one another in showering attention upon the fortunate fellow, and the populace received him everywhere with a favour that was little short of adoration. 120 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. u. A frenzy for speculation more furious than that whicli but a few months before had done so mucli damage in the French capital took possession of London, and 'Change Alley became the vortex of a human whirlpool, he like of which England had never witnessed before, and is not likely ever to see agam. From morning till night this narrow street was thronged with an excited crowd of men and women of all ages and rank, who forgot their differences of opinion and station, and joined together in the fierce pursuit of fortune. Statesmen deserted their chambers, and clergymen their studies, to throw themselves into the arena of stock -gambling. Whigs and Tories buried the political hatchet for the nonce and mingled in friendly intercourse, exulting together when their stocks advanced, or groaning in unison if they fell. Merchants for- sook their ofBces anr' tradesmen their counters, the doctors neglected their patients, and the lawyers allowed their clients to wait, while all were whirled giddily along with the rushing stream of speculation that was to bear so many out, to be for ever engulfed in the ocean of bankruptcy. A street ballad of the day thus graphically hits off the situation : 1 ^3^ i-'i»^ hits 1) — H 3 O m work this was may be judged by tlie fact tliat for fifteen months one hundred tons a montli of dynamite were used. This dangerous material, whose explosive power is twelve times tliat of ordinary gunpowder, was manufactured on the spot as required. The total cost of the dynamite alone exceeded one and a half millions of pounds sterling. Yet that was but one item in the expenditure. The work went on without intermission day and night, winter and summer ; an army, whose numbers reached twelve thousand men, toiling like ants, relay succeeding relay, until at last the utmost resistance of ' nature stern and wild ' had been overcome. An interesting feature was the employment in the winter of dog teams, drawing toboggans which bore heavy loads of provisions or material over the deep snow that rendered the use of any other kind of conveyance quite out of the question. Nor were the grim rock barriers of that northern shore the most perplexing obstacles the builders had to overcome. Even more difficult to reckon with were the morasses across whose sullen, treacherous surface an enduring road-bed had to be laid. Some of these proved veritable bottomless pits, and after months of toil and the laborious dumping Ih 1:1: If' If ' , ,^ 140 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. ■i In of thousands of tons of stone and earth whicli were swallowed down without any perceptible effect, the attempt to cross them had to be abandoned, and a more circuitous route adopted. Others pretended to be gorged for a time, but ere long opened their maws for road-bed and rails, and the filling in had to be repeated. Quite lately the writer remembers being delayed several hours by the sinking of the track at one of these morasses, which necessitated the cars being carefully towed across the weak spot, one by one, and the train made up again on the other side ; and he was informed that into this very morass thousands of car-loads of gravel had been dumped, yet it re- quired constant watching. A pleasant contrast to this tedious and costly construction was the building of the road from Winnipeg west to the Rocky Mountains. Here there were no rugged ramparts of rock, no deep, deceitful morasses ; but instead of them, a good, honest turf, covering the finest wheat soil in all the world. Now, any one who conceives of the prairicr, as a vast, level expanse of verdure is greatly mistaken. The prairie is not level in any part. It undulates like the ocean, rising and falling THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY. 141 all in great swales and rounded hollows, to which the railway must needs accommodate itself as best it might. The builders of the Canadian Pacific could not therefore simply lay down a road of ties, and spike the rails to them. To secure a level road-bed, and one that would stand plenty of hard wear and be above the winter snow, no small amount of grading and ballasting was necessary, all of which was thoroughly done. Yet for rapidity of construction, the records of railroad building pre- sent nothing to surpass what was accomplished on that section of the line. A few figures and dates will help to make this clear. A beginning was made at Winnipeg in the month of May 1881, and by the close of the year trains were able to run 165 miles westward over a finished track. The following season saw 419 miles more completed, and in 1883 the remaining 376 miles of the prairie section were put in running order, making the wonderful total of 962 miles of well-built road as the result of three seasons' work. How this was accomplished, the details of the work revealed. In 42 days of the year 1882, 134 miles of main rail were laid, being an average of 3 "19 miles per day, exclusive of sidings! The 142 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. next year even this wonderful achievement was surpassed, as in 48 days 106 miles were laid, while in one record-breaking day the almost in- credible figure of 0'38 miles was attained, no less than 040 tons of steel rails being recjuired to ' iron ' the road-bed. Of course no such brilliant rate of progress was possible when the mountain ranges were reached, and the Rockies, the Selkirks, and the Gold Range had to be reckoned with. It cost nearly a million pounds sterling to seek out and survey a practicable route through those gigantic, gUvcier- crowned barriers, and maiiy more millions to con- struct the iron road. Intrepid engineers had to be swung from the edges of dizzy clifl's, and to cut their way, foot by foot, through abys nal valleys, choked with the debris of a thousand avalanches, before the line could be laid out. When the work was at length completed, every mile had its marvel of natural scenery or of human ingenuity. The line, now climbing high to the snowy summit, now descending far into the shadowy canon, opened ever-varying vistas which made it easy for the traveller, lounging luxuriously on velvet cushions in the Pullman car, to imagine himself transported to the legendary land of Asgard, 1 Ill- ' CO o •-a ■ ^^ o 53 ■ i-H o o CO O a m f THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY. 143 n the home of Thor, and Woden, and Balder the Beautiful. In wonderful ways had the difficulties of the route been surmounted. Tremendous trestles, some of them hundreds of feet in height, or steel bridges, as light seemingly as a spider's web, bore the train over the gloomy gorges ; huge snow -sheds built of mighty timbers and ponderous boulders made mockery of the avalanches that otherwise would have gleefully swept the track from the mountain- side ; lofty tunnels bored through the solid rock solved many a problem in grade and progression. And thus a safe and speedy way through the mountains was triumphantly established. Not only is this way safe and speedy — it is also one of the most richly endowed with scenic splendour in all the world. From the time the traveller enters the Gap just beyond Calgary until he is almost within sight of the Pacific coast he is passing through a sea of mountains, whose serrated peaks and vast pyramids of rock, curiously con- torted and folded strata, are followed by gigantic castellated masses, down whose gleaming sides the snow-white glaciers, like the waterfalls of Tenny- son's * Lotus-land,' ' to fall, and pause, and fall do seem,' or the cascades, * like a dow^nward smoke, 144 HOMANCE OF f'OMMKHCE. hIow dropping veils of thinnest lawn do <(o ;' while others yet again : Throu^'h wavoi'iii«^f lights iiinl shadows hruak Rolling a t''ouhl(!i^ sti^et of foPin ])elow. Amidst such .-a''!'' jg scenery as this Coleridge might have caught in.;^ 1 'ation for a hymn like that which he penned of the Vale of Chamouni : Ye ice-falls ! Ye that from the luouiitaiu's hrow Adowii eiioi'iuoiis ravines slope amain — Torrents, methinks, that heard a mighty voice, And stopped at once amidst the maddest plunge ! ^lotionless torrents ! Silent cataracts ! Who made you gioriou.. as the gates of Heaven ! But after all, railroads are chiefly instruments of commerce, and the most beautiful and sublime of scenery will not in itself content stock-holders eager for dividends. it is therefore of much more practical moment that the Canadian Pacific should offer to the Old World the shortest road to the marvellous, mysterious Far East, toward which the eyes of the w^orld were not long since turned with peculiar interest while sturdy, skilful, alert little Japan dealt effective blow^ upon blow at huge but unwieldy China. So remarkable is the saving of time accomplished ii:i o o M to a ■^ o ■^ •■■-« CO M ■3 3 'J u 72 ishecl K « TTIR CANAHIAN PACIFir RAILWAY. 145 by this new route that it is tidw poHsiblc} to ^o from Ijivorpool to Yokohama in litth) nioni than (lou})Io the tiim^ rcquirccl to cross Ihc Atlantic })ut a f«!W years a«^o. 1'he (/anadiaii Pacific lias its own stcanicrs l)Iyij><( between tlie I'^ar West and the Fai* Kast sphiiidid stcanisliips of six thousand ^ons l)urtli('ii, tliat plough their way tlu'ou^^li the waves oi' the bioad Pacific at the rate of eighteen knots an liour. It was by means of tliese ocean ^reyliounds that the company was enabled to accomplish what was thus recorded in the London Tiine»: 'The delivery of the mails in London within twenty-one days of their leaving Yokohama is a feat never before accomplished, sufficiently remarkable in its(;lf, and preo^nant with untold issues for the future of the British Empire.' Here is an outline of that unicjue performance, before which Jules Verne's Round the World in Eighty Days sinks into insignificance. The steamer Empress of Japan left Yokohama on the morning of 19th August 1891, and reached Van- couver in British Columbia by noon of the 29th. An hour later the mails started eastward on a special train that whirled them to Brock ville, Ontario, in seventy-seven hours ! Having been 146 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. ferried across tlio St Lawrence, they were can^lit up by a New York Central train wliicli s(>ven hours later delivered them in New York City, where they were hurried on ])oard the steamship City of New Vork, which iled at for Liverpool or/c, wnicn sailed at once and arrived within six [v 6^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80 (716) 872-4503 6^ 160 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. / U 5 mii being unaccompanied by any show of force proved no more effectual than estimable Dame Partington's endeavours to push back the Atlantic Ocean, and not long after its issue, the cattle totally dis- appeared, leaving the wild horses in undisputed possession of the pastures. To Winthrop, whose Journal has been already quoted, we are indebted for another item of the island's history not elsewhere recorded. He has an entry to the effect that in 1635, the English having returned thither to pursue the chase of the walrus and fox, were much surprised and no less chagrined to find already in possession some sixteen French- men, who had evidently been there al^ winter and had built a little fort. These men were probably employees of the De Razilly brothers, to whom Sable Island had been granted in that offliand manner which distinguished the French monarchs of that time, and they had made good use of their opportunities, as their accumulations of hides and pelts betokened. On the death of Commander de Razilly, which took place in 1637, the French must have abandoned the place, for Winthrop further notes that the New Englanders had the field all to themselves from 1639 to 1642; and we may form some idea of the value of this monopoly from A[ ^mm- AN OCEAN GRAVEYARD. 161 liis statement that their last expedition yielded over £1500, or more than 7000 dollars. From that time until the beginning of the nine- teenth century, very little is known concerning Sable Island, save that each year added a darker tinge to its sombre reputation as a naval cemetery. More dreadful, however, than the unconscious fury of the storm was tlie deliberate wickedness of the demons in human form who now made this peculiarly favourable spot their haunt and hunting ground. Wreckers, pirates, and vagabonds of like infamous stamp were attracted thither by the unceasing succession of wrecks and the absence of all restraint, and they plied their infernal trade so vigorously that the terror of their name spread far and wide. The discretion of dead men to tell no tales can always be trusted, and so when some rich wreck rejoiced the hearts of these wretches, they made it their care to despatch all those ill-starred castaways whom even the raging surf had spared. For a time all went merrily with them, and many an adven- turer who left his home * under sealed orders ' returned in a suspiciously short time with well- lined pockets. Rare jewels, costly silks, and other articles of what Mag witch would professionally designate as ' portable property,' not guiltlesi of a 162 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. h sinister connection with Sable Island, found their way surreptitiously into the shops of Halifax and Boston, while blood-chillin<( tales of horrid deeds done where there was no heart to pity and no hand to save became current on the mainland. But tlie most successful of scoundrels eventually reach the end of their tether, however supinely their atrocities may be endured for a season. The Nova Scotian government, too long culpably in- different, v/as at length goaded into action by the loss of the transport Princess Amelia, and the gun- brig Harriet in quick succession. At the sugges- tion of Sir John Wentworth, an appropriation was made in 1803 for the settlement of guardians upon the island. Then a proclamation was issued that all persons found residing there without a govern- ment license would be removed and punished with at least six years' imprisonment ; and this proclama- tion, unlike the one about the cattle, being backed up by a show of force, the wreckers deemed it expedient to remove themselves without standing upon the order of their going. With their departure the romance of Sable Island's history ends. From the year 1803 the Imperial and Nova Scotian authorities have main- tained a settlement there called the Humane AN OCEAN GRAVEYARD. 163 cl their ax and 1 deeds 10 hand entually supinely n. The ibly in- i by the :,he gun- sugges- bion was ms upon aed that govern- hed with roclama- g backed eemed it standing )f Sable .803 the ve main- Humane Establisliment, and under its regime the only breaks in the peaceful monotony of the insular existence liave been the never-failing wrecks, whereof nearly two hundred arf^ already noted in the super- intendent's register. A visit to Sable Island can be made only under certain conditions, and these conditions so in- frequently occur that it is no unusual thing for the passage there to be taken in vain. It lies due east from Nova Scotia, at a distance of about eighty-five miles, between the 48d and 44th degrees of N. lat., and the 59th and 60th of W. long. To one approaching from the north, the island appears to be a succession of low sandhills, thinly patched with straggling vegetation, having at the west end an elevation of some twenty feet, then gradu- ally rising as you go eastward until they attain the height of eighty feet near the east end light, beyond which they slope away again till they merge into the north-east bar. Its general shape is that of a long, narrow crescent, measuring twenty- two miles from tip to tip, and one mile in breadth at its best. The time was, as will be presently shown, when the measurements would have been stated in figures twice as large, but now each succeeding year tinds the area of the island surely, steadily decreasing. wmmmiimmmmam 1(>4 ROMANCE OF COMMEIICE. ■i Perplexin<^ as are the currents, and bewildering the i'ogs that beset the ishmd, they are not by any means its worst feature. Far more fruitful of harm are the entangling shallows, spread out so wide that for many a mile beyond the point where sea and sand meet and mingle there is not water enough to float a small schooner. Thus at the north-east end on a windy day there may be seen some nine miles of I'oaring breakers before a depth of six fathoms is reached, and then four miles more of heavy cross-seas, leading out from a depth of from ten to thirteen fathoms. At the north-west end the bar extends seaward nearly seventeen miles after the same fashion before the water is really deep. So that taking the length of the island and its bars together, the scene presented in stormy weather is magnificent and awe-inspiring beyond all possible powers of description, when in continuous line for over fifty miles the raging waves of the sea, rolling in unchecked from vast ocean spaces, foam out their fury upon the sandbanks, which seem to quake and quiver beneath their over- whelming onset. The conditions which have been hinted at as prerequisite to effecting a landing upon Sable Island are that the day be fine, and the wind securely AN OCEAN (iKAVEYAKI). 105 dering y any i'ul of out f^O point is not 'hus at nay be lefore a T miles b depth bh-west n miles i really md and stormy yTond all ttinuous of the spaces, which r over- i at as Island securely settled in the south. The only good landing-place is on the north side ; and even there the govern- ment steamer, which forms the sole connccting- hnk between the ishind and the outside world, can come no closer than a mile, and must keep a vigilant lookout, so that on the first sign of a change in the wind, she may weigh anchor, and and make an offing without delay. Let us suppose that the halcyon days of July have come, and that we have obtained permission to accompany the Newfield upon one of her regular supply trips. The midsummer night passes quickly. Our ninety miles of open sea are soon accomplished, and as the morning sun climbs grandly upward from his bed among the eastern waves, his rich red rays crimson the creamy froth that fringes all the shore. We are in luck to-day, for old ocean is at peace with himself, and the south wind blows softly. How rare this is may be imagined from two entries in the superintendent's journal — one to the effect that there had not been five fine days in four months ; the other, that the steamer was eight days in trying to effect a landing. Fine though the day may be, however, to get safely ashore is no easy matter, iov the long ocean-rollers are tumbling in upon the beach 166 ROMANCE OF COMMKKCE. with tireless energy, and no ordinary boat may brave them with impunity. But there is due pi'ovision made for tliis. Hardly has the steamer come to anchor when the beach is dotted with men and horses, one of the broad-beamed, liigh-stennned surf-boats pecuHar to the island is rapidly drawn on its wide-wheeled cart to the water's edge, and after gallantly breasting the breakers, comes swiftly toward us. Soon it is alongside, and the crew grasp eagerly at the mail- bags, whoso contents will tell them what their friends and the rest of the world have been doing ft* ce the steamer's last visit. We are to return with them ; and it will be a wise precaution to don our waterproofs and wear our closest-fitting caps, for there are some marine gymnastics before us, which may not improbably result- in our undergoing an involuntary baptism that would content the most thorough immersionist ere reaching the land. Seated in the stern sheets, we look forward to the nearing surf with an anxiety which even the encouragement given by sleek, shining seals bobbing up serenely all about our boat, as if in cheery welcome, does not altogether allay. The crew bend lustily to their oars, and the helmsman, AN OCEAN fiRAVEYARD. 167 t may is due jteamor dotted )eained, island to the iig the 1 it is e mail- t their 1 doing it will jrproofs ere are may ng an e most land. ard to ^en the )obbing cheery crew iisman, standing high in the pointed stern, with loud command and brawny arm keeps the great boat true in her proper course, let the billows butiet her never so roughly, until, riding triumphantly upon the back of a huge comber, she is carried far up the beach, and stranded amid a mass of seething waters. To spring from their seats and hold hard the boat, lest it be swept back by the receding wave, is the work of a moment for the dripping oarsmen, and then another foaming breaker, supple- mented by a vigorous shove from their stalwart arms, sends their unwieldy craft up high and dry, and the spray-splashed passengers can step out upon terra firma. The yielding sands do not make easy walking, and we plod slowly up the slight ascent until, going through a short pass between two hummocks, we suddenly emerge upon a scene so utterly different from what has hitherto met our gaze, that we are fain to wonder for a moment if it may not possibly be a mirage or ocular delusion of some sort. Before us lies a broad valley, completely shut in from the sea by hills, which rise to right and left, and wave with a wealth of vegetation that is inexpressibly refreshing to eyes already wearied with the monotony of sand and sea. Kanged 168 KOMAVCE OF COM MERCK. / in an irrot^nlar scpiare, stand tlic })uiMin<^^s of tlie main station — the Hupcrintendent'.s spacious dwelling, wlioreawann welcome always awaits the newcomer, be he casual visitor or castaway, Hanked by (juarters for the staff, boat-houses, stores, and other out- buildings, while well-tilled barns and well-stocked barn-yards lend an air of substantial comfort to the whole picture. After exchanging greetings with the super- intendent and his stati* who, delighted with this pleasant break in the monotony of their lives, crowd about us, eager for the latest news, our first thought is to climb the big flag-staff and view the landscape from the crow's nest, perched perilously on high. The ascent accomplished, a wonderful panorama lies outspread before us. To adapt the picturescjue language of Dr Gilpin, whose brochure has already been drawn upon : From beneath our feet the narrow island stretches east and west its bow-like form, holding a shallow lagoon, some eight miles long, in its centre, and presenting many an effective contrast of sandy upland and grassy meadow, bare, bleak beach, and richly flowered nook, where fairies might hold their midnight revels. From the foreground with its group of buildings the eye roams over to the AN OCEAV tJKAVEYAHI). Mi!) of the xoiner, uarter.s !!• out- stocked fort to Huper- th this L" lives, tvs, our aff and perclied shed, a IS. To wliose From les east shallow re, and sandy ich, and it hold id with to the west end lighthouse, whence the men are now hurrying on pony-back at the sunnnons of the lla<^ announcing the steamer's arrival. Every sandy peak or verdurous knoll bears some sad tradition. Baker's Hill, Trot's Cove, Scotchman's Head, French Gardens — so many silent records of human suffering. Then turning eastward, we see the little uuiying- ground, nestling in the deep, rich grass, and consecrated to the last sleep of many a victim to the ocean's wrath. 'Nine miles farther down, a telescope makes plain the flag-staff at the foot of the lake, and five miles beyond that the east end light, with its attendant buildings. Herds of wild ponies, jealously guarded by shaggy stall- ions, graze upon the hillsides, black duck and sheldrake in tempting flocks paddle about the innumerable ponds, while sea-birds fill the air with their harsh clatter, and whole regiments of seals bask in snug content along the sunny beach. Here and there the bleaching ribs of naval skeletons protrude, half-buried in the sand, and the whole picture is set in a silver- frosted frame of seething surf. It does not take many hours to exhaust the sights of Sable Island, but many long nights might be spent around the superintendent's fireside ere i^i 170 UOMANCE OF r()MMi:U( E. h tho storioH aniie 'hole mile thought a ly time to ation upon ppled over been men- tve of the .ce of the undergone. ling on the ^d. A few sea forced a Idering it a kit in 1836 le same time [at had run in there for shelter. Gradually it became very shallow from the washing down of the surrounding clitis. Then, during the winter of 1881; a gale opened a gulch toward the east end, which so drained the lake that it shrunk to some eight miles in length, where it rema? \s. The lake margin forming the south shore was at one time half a mile broad and fifty feet liigh. To-day it is merely a narrow ridge, forming a precarious sea- wall, over which the waves break in stormy weather. Should this barrier be removed, the demolition of the island will proceed with such increased rapidity that the end may be approxi- mately predicted. During storms, in addition to the action of waves and currents, the winds ravage the island's surface on their own account. Finding a raw spot, that is, where tliere is no protecting skin of sod, the eddying swirls scoop out the loose sand, and carry it off with them, so that around the stations the utmost vigilance is ever exercised to discover the lirst break in the sod and patch it carefully before headway has been gained ; otherwise, the sub- stantial buildings would soon totter from their foundations. To sum up the whole matter in a sentence. Sable 182 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. h Island is })einf; subinergcd, and is travelling cast- ward at such a rate that any chart of it to be accurate would need to be corrected every few years. It is safe to say that the latest chart obtainable by mariners is some miles at least out of position. Since the beginning of the present century the island has ajcreased in length from forty miles to twenty-two ; in breadth from two and one-fourth to something less than one ; in height from two hundred feet to eighty, while there has been a variation in the position of the w^est end of not less than twenty-five miles. With such startling figures as these before us, it is not difficult to forecast its future. Slowly, perhaps, yet none the less surely, and defying all attempts or devices of feeble man to stay its advance, the time is coming when the victorious waves will fling their triumpnant spray high over the last vestige of dry land, and the lights of Sable Island will no longer send their warning gleams across the fatal sands, that will then, far more than ever, merit the sorrow -laden title of ' An Ocean Grave- yard.' 1 Ji, liliil! If oast- , to bo ry few t chart laHt out proHont h from om two )no ; in yT, while n of the 1. With it is not perhaps, attempts ance, the lives will the last e Island ,cross the lan ever, 11 Grave- ^ CHAPTER XI I. FROM B'OREST TO FLOOR. MONG all the materials wherewith men erect unto themselves splendid edifices to dwell in, stately ships to voyage by, or far-spreading iron roads to travel upon, none have a fairer, brighter history than wood. Stone is blasted from hideous debris-strewn chasms, in and out whose craggy recesses quarrymen labour like ants in some gigantic ant-heap : metal is torn from the bowels of the earth, where, steeped in gloom and oppression scarce endurable, the grimy miners pursue their unlovely toil : but wood, from the time the first stroke of the lumberman's fatal axe sends a shiver through all its shapely form as it rears its head aloft amidst the forest, until, when sundered into yellow planks, it awaits the joiner's will, is hardly for an hour away from the glow of sunshine, the ripple of water, or the virgin purity of the snow. As bright and clean as the 184 KOMANC'E OF COMMERCE. / frosh-sawn boards thcinsulvoH i.s tlio record tliat lies ht'liind them, and in following tlioni Iroin forest to lloor, we have before us one of the most romantic, fascinatin*^, and manly occupations in which the children of men can en^^age. The chief centre of ^he lumbering interest in Canada is the city of Ottawa, which, as it happens, is also the political capital, a conjunction that LHive Goldwin Smith a chance for the exercise of his brilliant wit too teniptin<^ to be withstood ; and so we have his clever, but cruelly unjust epigram about Ottawa being ' an Arctic lumber village turned into a political cock-pit.* To this we trust it may be deemed but a venial offence to add, chat, viewed in either light, there certainly does seem to be a considerable amount of * log- rolling ' done there. It will accordingly serve our purpose very well if, selecting the Canadian capital as our coign of vantage, we proceed from thence to make as full a survey of the whole business of lumbering as may be managed within the limits of a single article. In the matter of facilities for the carrying on of this important industry, Ottawa would be unique upon the continent were it not for Minneapolis. FKOM KOKEST Tn KLooK. 185 •d tluit 11 I'l'Olll iG most ions ill }re8t in lappens, m that exercise thstood ; unjust lumber To this offence jertainly of * log- ry well coign of as full ering as a single ying on e unique neapolis. As it is, she has in the tremendous torrent that pours tumultuously over the roaring C'liaudiere, an even mightier power than the falls of St Anthony : whiK\ as tar as communication with the timber limits by rail and water is concerned, honours are easy at all invents. But at the falls of the Chaudiere we reach almost the tinal stage in the passage of a plank from forest to floor ; and so, in order to begin nt the beginning, we must betake ourselves one, two, or even three hundred miles away up into the bosky recesses of the forest primeval, where the mighty trees are whispering together in blissful ignorance of the fate awaiting them. The first thing to be done by one who proposes to engage in the business of lumbeiing is to secure a ' berth ' or ' limit ' — that is, an area of natural standing timber. This he does directly from the Government, in whom the fee of almost of all the timber- producing districts still remains, or indirectly from some person who has taken up limits simply for speculative purposes, and with- out any design of cutting over them himself. Theoretically, a limit is ten miles scjuare ; but, owing to the topographical features of the country, they are in reality of all sizes, from twenty-four ii'' 186 ROMANCE OF COMMEKCE. fit square miles and upward. It is not often that one worthy of the name is less than fifty square miles in extent. The amount of territory held under lease by some of the ' lumber kings ' of the Ottawa district is so imii^ense that in respect of area an ordinary German principality would sink into insignificance beside these vast landed possessions. Limits having been secured, the next step is to despatch a party of experienced scouts, often Indians or half-breeds, to examine the country, and seek out the best groves of timber. The skill of these self-taught surveyors is sometimes very remarkable. They will explore the length and breadth of the terra incognita, and report upon the kind and value of its timber, the situa- tions and capabilities of its streams for floating out the logs (an all -important point), and the facilities for hauling and transportation. They often sketch the surface of the country, showing the positions of its streams and lakes, its groves of timber, and its mountainous or level appearance, with a skill and accuracy little short of marvellous. The scene of operations having with the aid of these scouts been finally decided upon, the limit holder, early in the month of September, sends his gangs of men into the woods, the usual FROM FOREST TO FLOOR. 187 i that square 7 held of the )f area k into ions. =itep is , often ountry, The aetimes length report situa- ioating id the They [howing groves ^arance, lellous. Ihe aid >n, the Itember, usual number in a gang being from thirty to forty, including foreman, clerk, carpenter, cook, and chore-boy. This number is about doubled, how- ever, later on, when the teams come in to haul the logs that liave been cut, so that sixty to eighty men may sometimes be found at one shanty. The foremen rule the gangs, and are in their turn subordinate to the ' bush-superintendents,' who drive in all weathers from gang to gang super- vising their work and checking the results. On arriving at their destination, the gang proceed immediately to build their shanty. Nothing could be more primitive than the architecture, or better adapted to its purpose than the construction of this edifice, which is placed as nearly as possible in the midst of the ' bunch ' of timber to be cut, so that no time may be lost in going to and coming from work. With all hands helping, a shanty twenty-eight feet by forty can be put up in five days, the men in the mean- time living in tents. The method of construction is as follows : Huge logs, cleared only of their branches, are piled one upon another to the height of eight feet. Great wooden girders are then stretched across, supported in the middle by four massive pillars called * scoop-bearers,' and upon 188 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. these girders hewn timbers resemblintr elongated railway tiers, hollowed out on one side and designated * scoops/ are phiced with convex and concave sides up alt (•lu)])|)(M-s (»x(iMnl (luMr (>|H'rnt ions. Ovor tlu\se roads, whicli iwv sonu'dnuvs wuuU' wry liurd and smooth hy i\v' us(» of a sprinklcM-, (he t«'ains(,»'rs transport tlio loijs from tin* roll-ways upon which tlioy havo htuMi pilod, and drop tluMU Ix'sidt* tlui borders of the stream upon the iey hosoni of tlu^ lake, there to await the eonun*^ of the spring. No part of the work is more intert^stin^ tlian that which de\H)lves upon the choppers. TIk^ foreman ha\ injx ixono ahead and marked with a * bla/e ' the trees he wislu^s felled, they set to work in pairs (and occasionally in trit)s) ni opposite sides of the trunk, and handliui^ tlieir hi^avy, keen-edited axes as though they were mere toys, chop swiftly into the heart of their helpless victim. The wliite cliips liy fast and thick as tlie axes swino; steadily to and fro, and presently tlie tree beirins to trend)le : a few more skilful strokes, a warning crack, and then witli a sudden sweep, the huii^e mass comes crashinoj down to earth, makinoj a wide swath in the smader trees standing unsuspect- ingly around. Having felled their tree, the choppers next trim ott' the branches, and then with cross-cut saws divide it into leno^ths of thirteen and a half or sixteen and a half feet, according to its quality. I Over >ry hard (»}uns(crs >n winch li oi' iho n«jj. than vs. 'Pho n»j; il with a ',t U) work , opposite h' heavy, novo toys, OSS victim, the axes r the tree strokes, a sweep, the making a uususpect- next trim ■cut saws a half or ts quality. V\Hm I'OlUvST TO !<'!.< M>K. 191 1 f 'rw(^, (h?(M', fonr, or even (iv<' logs niny hr got out of a single irrr, and wilh sncli r}ipiap from lo^' to loo- with the sure-footedness of a chamois, until safe out of harm's reach, or porhaps dive headlong into mid-stream, and tlnis avoid the danger. Dexterous as these men are, however, not a season passes that lives are not lost in these perilous ventures ; and there is hardly any iu\- nouncement more unwelcome to the lumberman's ears than that one of the dreaded jams is forming. Once the logs are fairly afloat in the deep waters of the Grand River, as the lumberman loves to (?ull ^ HI hrokon delay, ior ;)iues. T(3 l()(f ^v]ncll >(1 all the necossavy, need river- jaiu is only lich he will 3vated lo^^s. lonsly upon I strenuous or drive it whole mass him, he will ,edness of a , or porhaps ^is avoid the However, not ,st in these [ly any aii- lumberman's is forming, deep w^atovs loves to eall C5 n 72 (-1 .a H h FIIOM rOKKST TO K LOO II. 1 1)5 (ho Ottawa, tlio river-driver's work Ih at an end, and he either tinds eniploynient at tiie mills, or idles away his time at home, until tlu^ approach ol' fall ayain bids him make ready lor the winter's work. Havin<^ been ;^atherey a with a M'Mcil of a inill-vacc, ansciouH ol' iddle close machinery, shriek ol* ot* brawny plunged in icture that 3ry. scribed the ot improve 3orrow it : idous saws oward this laving first an inclined )Osition, are other, day ening steel a veritable and a hiss the ugly-looking teeth make the first bite, and for tivo or six mimites eat their way steadily through the tough fibre, till that which enters the machine's mighty Jaws a mere log emerges as sawn planks, and after a few more rapid operations becomes well- trimmed lund)er ready for the mai'kets of the world.' While, of coUi'se, the sawing of deals and planks constitutes the chief business at the mills, there arc also large quantities of box shooks, laths, railroad ties, pickets, &c., turned out there. The process of lath-making is very interesting to watch, especially as it is entirely in the hands of boys. Odds and ends of planks are first cut by circular saws into the length of a lath, and then passed through a machine where a set of tiny circulars slices them into laths with amazing rapidity. Into one side goes the strip, out at the other come the laths, to be caught up by a quick-tingered lad, and sorted with a speed almost bewildering, the defective ones disappearing into a hole at his feet, the perfect ones being laid in a kind of cradle beside him, where they accumulate until there are enough to make the regulation bundle, when another boy whisks them off to be tied up for market. For six days of every w^eek, between the coming down of the logs in the spring and the closing of 198 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. the river in the autuTnii, the buzz and whirr and shriek of wheel, and pulley, and saw cease not day nor night. The workmen are divided into day- shii'ts and ni<^ht-shifts, each putting in eleven liours steady work. The wages paid are good, the highest being one hundred dollars a month to the mill foreman, the sawyers getting from forty to sixty dollars, edgers and trimmers from thirty to forty dollars, and the general help about thirty dollars a month. A more cheerful, contented, or active lot of workers could hardly be found anywhere. It is true the fine old days liave somewhat gone by when the ' lumber kings,' as the great mill-owners were called, exercised an authority over their mills and tributary territory that was so regal in many of its aspects as to give good ground for their grandiose title. Yet nnich of the old semi-paternal, semi-despotic influence lingers, and it may with pride be recorded that with a single exception those hateful, harmful things called ' strikes ' and ' lock- outs ' are unknown to the twelve thousand hewers and fashioners of wood in this Ottawa district. An important and indispensable adjunct to the mill is the piling ground. Having been in the water for months before they are sawn, the logs are, of course, thoroughly ' water-logged,' and after lirr and not day to day- en hours ) hio;hest the mill to sixty to forty dollars a Lictivc lot re. It is gone by lill-owners lieir mills in many for their 1 -paternal, |may with tion those Imd 'lock- |nd hewers strict. Lict to the en in the ,1, the logs ' and after Lumber ?Sa\viuill, Canada.— P. 199. 1% / h ii liii FROM FOREST TO FLOOR. 11)0 they have been converted into lumber it is necessary to ^et them tlioroutjjlily dry a^ain. This is accom- pLslied by pi liner them up in luif^e stacks, con- structed in such a wa}^ that the air has free play all around each plank, and thus disposed they remain from three months to a year, until some- times the outer ones, instead of l)ein^ a golden yellow, become a dirty gray, or even black. Looking out from the cliff behind the Parliament Buildings one sees miles upon miles of these lumber piles extending far up and down the river banks, and constituting a very prominent, if not pictur- esque feature of the landscape. While as a rule the pick of the logs are cut into deals for the English market, yet a very large proportion is sawn into ten, twelve, and fourteen - inch boards, which are exported to the United States. Part of the latter go by rail, but the majority by canal barge, and every summer the Ottawa River is crowded with fleets of these cumbrous craft. They are usually owned by the captain, and he often takes his whole family on board witli him ; so that it is a common thing to see a bunch of these boats moored in one of the coves awaiting a cargo, and in the meantime festooned with the family washing, and swarming 200 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. I ) with troops of dirty but liappy and evidently well- fed youngsters. The barges are towed by steamer down the Ottawa to tlie St Lawrence, and along that mighty stream to Sorel, wlience they pro- ceed up the Richelieu River, and across Lake Champlain to Whitehall, then down the Hudson to Albany or New York. I have left for treatment by itself a branch of the lumber business which, although much smaller in its proportion than the production of sawn lumber, and, indeed, steadily decreasing, is still of too great importance to be passed by unnoticed. I refer to what is called the * square-timber trade.* By square timber is meant whole tree trunks, roughly squared with broad axes, and separated into lengths that vary according to the quality of the tree, but, as a rule, fall within forty feet. These great, unwieldy timbers are made up into 'cribs,' a crib being about twenty-four feet wide by thirty to forty feet long, and containing some twenty-five pieces held together by cross pieces called 'traverses,' strongly pinned on, four of the largest timbers being then laid upon the traverses, and fixed firmly. The cribs are in their turn combined into rafts, some of which are of such immense size (comprising, perhaps, over one hun- iiii FROM FOREST TO FLOOR. 201 Y well- ^tcamer I along 3y pro- ^ Lake Hudson •ancli of smaller )f sawn ; still of nnoticed. trade.' ', trunks, separated quality prty feet, up into eet wide ng some )ss pieces 11- of the traverses, leir turn of such one hun- dred cribs) as to constitute regular floating islands. Were the course of the Ottawa smooth and regular, these great rafts with their little cabins, which look like magnified dog-kennels, for the crew to sleep in, and fireplaces to cook their meals at, might pursue their solemn stately course by the aid of sail, and oar, and current, down to the St Lawrence intact. But, broken as the river is into frequent falls and riotous rapids, this is quite out of the (question. So, at each of the falls, there are * slides ' prepared, whereby the perils of the watery precipice may be avoided. These slides are very elaborate and expensive aflfairs, and are, in most cases, maintained by the government, a toll being exacted from the rafts that use them. They are simply artificial channels constructed in close proximity to the falls, the w^alls and bottom being lined with smooth, strong timber work, and ballasted with mighty stones. In order to go through the slides, the great rafts must, of course, be resolved into their component cribs, and then made up again after the swift descent is ac- complished. The longest and steepest slides are those at Chaudi^re Falls, and ' shooting the slides ' is an experience of thrilling novelty, which no 202 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. \ !! / tourist visiting the Canadian capital should think of neglecting. It may not inaptly be likened to tobogganing on water. Let me try to convey some idea of what it is like. Ascending to the slide's summit, you jump aboard a passing crib before it is fairly under way. Soon you are conscious of gathering speed ; the slide slants sharply downward, the water begins to ripple and splash beside you ; in another moment, with a sudden shock, your unwieldy bark having taken its plunge, is gliding down the smooth descent at a pace that makes you hold your breath and tightly hug the biggest beam. Now you have reached the bridge, and as you shoot beneath, you just have time to see what is before, and you feel your heart leap to your mouth as, with a shudder and a groan, the great crib, poising for an awful moment on the watery verge, dives head- long into the dark, foam-flecked whirlpool. The timbers strain and spread apart, the waves burst up fiercely between your feet, the spray springs high and falls in drenching showers. For one harrowing second, you bitterly repent your rashness in making the venture ; then with quick buoyancy, the crib risos again, shakes off its aqueous burden, and hurries onward, dipping and rising, until FROM FOREST TO FLOOR 203 1 thinly likened convey p aboard ^. Soon the slide to ripple ent, with ing taken li descent reath and you have beneath, i, and you j^s^ with a .oising for lives head- jpool. The aves burst •ay springs For one ur rashness buoyancy, ,us burden, Ling, until witli one last dive tlie perilous passage is over, and you are floating quietly out on the placid river. ]\Iany distinguished visitors, from the Prince of Wales and Princess Louise downward through the social strata, have enjoyed the experience ol shoot- ing the slides. Cribs put together with more than usual care, and planked so as to prevent wetting, are used on such special occasions. And this is very necessary, because there is a certain amount of actual dano'er to be reckoned with in takiii"' one's chances upon the flrst crib that happens along. You may get to the bottom with nothing worse than a soaked coat, or you may just at the most critical moment find your loosel}' compacted craft summarily separating into its in- dividual 'sticks,' and then it is a case of 'jump for your life.' When the writer went down, the crib immediately in advance of him and ihe crib behind him broke up completely, happily without injury to anybody, although the one lie had selected preserved its integrity to the iinish. With a leisureliness that irresistibly reminds an onlooker of one of those glaciers which ]\Iark Twain proposed to utilise for the purposes of ' slow 204 H( )M A NCE ( )l' ( '( )M M KIU E. « ^ fivio'lit ' ilio I'al'ls crec}) on down tlio (Jttawu und St L'lwrcnco to Quobee, wlioro ihvy ai'c stowed away, stick l)y stick, in the ^a})in^ liolds of waiting- sliips, and carried off across tlie ocean to Great Britain. Quebec, )ltiUVJi aiiF CANADA. 209 Ison r>ay two Ct'll- ay every st ructions iiicr, con- lort which cation i'or cover the 1 1 i'roni the 18S4. It land steaui pnjuit A. H. e Meteoro- on board vey, seven e Neptiiiyi a vessel for ail, afforded d moreover, •ous occupa- ices of the ibility, have the blest, y strength, ued to the fiercesf ])ufrelin<^', not only of the wind and wave, l)Ut ol' ice-ll(je and rock-red' also. Settin;; I'orth lioMi Halifax on 2*2d -Inly 1884, the i\rptu))e, sailin*^ ii[) throu^jjh tlu^ (Julf of St Lawrence and Straits of Belle Isle, coasted alon<^ the bleak, forbidding Labrador shore until she arrived at Cape Chudleigh, which forms one of the lips of the mouth of Hudson Straits. Many icebergs were encountered on the way, and constant vigilance had to be exercised t(j guard against their coming to too close ([uarters. At Cape (Jhudleigh a dense fog enveloped the vessel, and kept her a close prisoner for several days. When it cleared away she pushed on through the strait, and looked about until a tine harbour was discovered on the north-western shore of the cape, which was evidently just the place for Observatory Station No. 1. As some slight con- solation for having to spend the winter there, the station was called Port Burwell, in honour of the observer who was placed in charge, together Nvith two station-meri to keep him com2)any. The same pleasant compliment was paid each of the otlier observers left behind during the progress of the expedition, and future geographers will therefore please take note of Ashe Inlet on the north side ^•^;:ii iim 210 ROMANCE OF COM AMERCE. '♦: h li.:; .4::: of tlie strait, a litth* more than midway botweoii the ocean and the bay ; Stupart's Bay, immediately opposite on the soutliern sliore ; Port De Boucher- ville on Nottin<^ham Ishmd ; and Port Laperriere on Digges Island. At each of these places an observer and two station-men were established in snug huts, taken out for the purpose, and fitted uj) with unstinted stores of food, fuel, furs, and every necessary comfort, besides, of course, a complete fiet of such instruments as would be required for the observations as to movements of the ice, tides, and winds. The observers were also instructed to note down carefully everything of importance as to the migrations of mammals, birds, and lisli, and also as to the growth of grasses. In fact, they were to find out everything they possibly could ; and it may be said here that, without exception, thoy discharged their duties in a thoroughly satisfactory manner, and thus accumulated an immense mass of information about a region of country hitherto almost unknown. Having established tlie stations one by one, the Neptune then turned northward to visit Chester- field Inlet and Marble Island, thence southward to Fort Churchill, the future Liverpool of tha,t region if the hopes of the Hudson Bay Railway pro- THE MEDITERRANEAN OF CANADA. 211 between mediately Boucher- Laperrieie places an blishecl in 1 fitted up and every L complete red for the , tides, and ted to note Q as to the and also as iy were to d ; and it tion, they [satisfactory Inse mass of •y hitherto by one, the it Chester- iuthward to thnt region ilway pro- moters shall ever be realised ; and soutliward still to Fort York, the present commercial metropolis of the bay, if so tine a term may be a})plied to a [)lace whose business activity is compressed into a week or two out of each year, and is then limited to receiving a cjvrgo from and providing a return cargo for a single ship. All this took from August Gth to September 12th. On the evening of the latter day, the Neptmie struck out across the broad bosom of the bay for Digges Island, and beginning with Port Laperriere, made a farewell tour of the various stations, after which her course was sliaped home- wards ; St John's, Newfoundland, being reached by October 11th, when the voyage came to an end. The results of the expedition were very con- siderable, although, of course, they w^ere only pre- liminary. In reference to the ice, which had hitherto been supposed to be the most formidable barrier to the navigation of the waters, Lieutenant Gordon, the commander of the expedition, reported tliat on close inspection its terror very largely disappears. The ice met with during his cruise could be divided into three classes, each class having a separate origin : namely, icebergs from the glaciers of Fox Channel, heavy Arctic ice from 1 212 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. Pi the cliannel itself, and ordinary field-ice being that formed on the shores of the bay and strait. No icebergs were encountered in Hudson Bay, nor were any reported as having been seen there in the past ; but in the strait a good many were met with, principally along the northern shore, where a num- ber were stranded in the coves, while some others were passed in mid - channel. They were not thought, however, to form any greater barriers to navigation than do those met with in Belle Isle Strait, nor were they more numerous than they frequently are in those waters. The field-ice en- countered, although it would have compelled an ordinary iron steamer to go dead slow, gave no trouble to the Neptune, the vessel running at full speed between the pans, and rarely touching one of them. The following summer a second expedition, in charge of the same commander as before, went up to the Bay, this time in a much superior vessel, H.M.S. Alert, which had been lent for the purpose by the British naval authorities. In every respect, except perhaps speed, a better vessel than this steamship could hardly have been selected. She had been specially rebuilt for the Nares Arctic expedition of 1876, and was so constructed as to THE MEDITEllRANEAN OF CANADA. 218 be capable of resisting great ice-pressure, while her engines gave a very creditable amount of steam tor a small expenditure of coal. It being deemed essential to determine, so far as possible, the time ofc" the opening of Hudson Straits for navigation, a much earlier start was made than before ; the Alert steaming out of Halifax harbour on the 27 th May. Unfortunately, however, the fates saw tit to frustrate this design, for, after making her way with much difficulty, but no mishap, through fields of ice and banks of fog right up to the mouth of the strait, on the 16th June, the ice set solid to the ship, fore and aft, rafting and piling up all around her, and the next day it was discovered that the iron stern-plates had been broken oft' some distance below the water. This was a most serious injury, as Lieutenant Gordon did not dare drive his ship at all hard through the ice, and from that day until July 6th was compelled to let her drift about, the plaything and sport of the pitiless Ice-King. Thus much precious time was lost, and a still further delay occasioned by the necessity of re- turning to Newfoundland for repairs, which took until nearly the end of the month, so that August had come before the first station. Port Burwell, was 214 ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. / readied. The observer and liis assistants were found in excellent health, and reported havin0 «lo(M"WM\M iWV \ «M'V l'>W M!h1 VriX* IIMn'OW, .'I {]\o l»t»M|M sjxmmI (Iumt pjuliii^ oiiomI. nimicly, 'Vi\ l>«>\irl\(* .'»|MMni('l\ in .'i(il,* i\\t\{ i,M, "(mmmI hy<', 'Inn! No\( vo nis rMil': M\. ilir luoMJ iin|M)rlMnl iiKMiiltcrs ol .'in l\sUinu>M i: .iM*;-' !»1 r.w lu.s «lt)^.M, Ihoy Immiil; <>sstMUiMl (o lus hunlini: m MinnnuM* Jind IrnAcllin''' in wiutor. 'Vhoy twc \ov\ wiM. woHish nniinMlM. only ]\Mir (lomc^sl icMliMl. Mnd posscssinij^ niMrvclloiis ilii^ostivi^ powers. A ]>u|> i\\i\i IMr Asho nvu.s tcmt in^\ luMnLi' lol't (o .'inuisi^ lunisoll' in {]\o ]u)\\hv one vl.n . i\u\ so V(M*\' (^Hoi'lUMlh" \)\ (h^xourinir ■stockini's, i^lovos. tlu^ Li^ro.'ittM- \v.\vi «'i n (op l>ooi. jind nwniy sniallor nrtiol«\s of n siniilar n.'i(\in\ nono ol' wliicli ;\p|virontly dis,'mT(H^l \\'\i\\ Www. In (r.MAi^llin^ (lu> (Kail's Mvo bnrnossod io ihc sKhIoi^s 1>v (nicies oT \vlni;» wliaK^skin. tl\o olilost ;\nd nu>s( trust worthy on tlir K\'in tMthor sido of his line; n diX'.on const ii lit iuii* «' '^i^' tt\*un, Mnd the whole IviuiT controlled bv a driver who runs luvside th(MU. wioldine- M whip with a lash tliirtv I'cet louir, which in his hands can take a tuft of haii* out of the most distant doir with unfailiuiX accuracy. \Vh(Mv there is no beaten track some one must precede the dog's to show them the way, but on a well-detinetl •rm-; miiuiikhankan ni tan a ha. 220 ; njurnw, i\ willi \vln<'li nd Ir-'ivt^llin'' iisb nniiuiilM, lu* ho\is(» one* )(,, jvnd innny •orthy on (l»o (^ of his liiu' ; ir out of tlio racy. Wliciv st procodo the a well-detiuod I'Mii*' lli<'y Nvill lr<»' 'ilnii|^ mmily l»y 1 Im'Ihh<*Iv«'h »,t rnlr nl' fi\j' or mix iiiiIrM i\u lioiir (Ml il«M, iind n MrrimnwiiT*' <'Hmii<',m vv liici • won id en. ;t. II in li\rli(\Mt corner of Donnv l)ro(»k Knir into llic, hu «,d. , lli«' daiicinn; driver willi liin crack ifij^ wli"!*; ii.o Niiailiii;;', mI ni;^^;^!!!!;^ do^^s rrilaii<^lrd in llicir- li <■< h, iHid llic ovci'Inrncd HJed, conihint^ i<> nla^ Uj* a, sciMK* llial «leli<'M (IcMciipl ion. Tlic hlsUinios arc very ;^ood to Micir- do^H, Hluuin;^ liicir lasl. I)ilr willi Mh'iii wlicn food is .scarce. S o fond ai'(^ ^''*\y '*' liicni, too, tlia,t it is cxcccdin^dy (liiruMdt to piircliasc a ^ood team. 'IMic llndson Hay ('onipaiiy cnijiloyi's Iind thcs*; do^.s very u.se- I'ui in (lieir work, and there; ar(; hu-^(! pac^k.s of (hem at every fort. 'I'la'y ar«! faniou.s liH}i-(rat(;rH, ;nid : w.^^w '%' ';' Photographic Sciences Corporation ^ ^ s^ #> :\ V \ o'^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ■^ I/. %o <\ few ^eiiie^ of popni&ii Biogi>Bphie$. Ppiee la. eaeb. Illostvated. 'Present concisely and in a graphic manner the life-story o( the celebrities mentioned. Much praise is due to the publisher! for thla Tery handy and useful series. ' — Bookbilliiu Thomas Carlyle : The Btorj of his Life and Writings. Thomas Alva Edison : The Story of his Life and Inventions. Thomas Telford and James Brindley. General Gordon and Lord Dundonald : The Story of two Heroic Lives. Queen Victoria : The Story of her Life and Beign. Livingstone and Stanley : The Story of the opening up of the Dark Continent. Columbus and Cook : The Story of their Lives, Voyages, and Discoveries. Sir Walter S.<;Jott. By Robert Chambers, LL.D. Re- vised with' additions, including the Autobiography. Napoleon Bonaparte. The Story of his Life and Career. Howard and Oberlin. The Great Philanthropists. Nelson and Wellington. Two of Britain's Heroes. Watt and Stephenson. The Story of the Steam Engine. W. ft R. CHAMBERS, Ld^ London ft Edinburgh ed. y of th« ibentor Writings. Life and The Story Beiga. le opening idr Lives, liography. lintmrgb BOO KS SUITABLE FOR PRIZES AND PRESENTATION. Price 5s- ROY ROYLAND, or the Young Castellan. By George ^Ianville Fenn. With eight Illustrations by W. Boucher. 6/ A highly interesting tale of the English Civil War, which relates how the hrave la«l, Hoy Iloyland, defended the family stronghold while his father was away fighting for the king. There are many exciting situations. A traitor in the camp betrays them, but he eventually falls into the pit he has dug for others. THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE COAST. By David Lawson Johnstone. AVith twenty-one Illustrations by W. Boucher. Large crown 8vo, antique cloth gilt. 6/ * There is fascination for every healthily-minded boy in the very name of the Buccaneers. . . . Mr D. Lawson Johnstone's new stoiy of adventure is already sure of a warm welcome.' — Manchester Guardian. 'A lode of that precious metal which went to the making of Treasure Island and Catriona.* — Morning Leader. 'Another sjdendid tale of adventure by the author of The Rebel Commodore. . . . While the more tragic scenes are remarkable for their sustained strengtii and dramatic power, many passages cul- minate in true and unaffected pathos.' — Brechin Advertiser. W. db R. Chambers, Limited, London and Edinburgh, BOOKS FOR PRIZES AND PRESENTATION. h GIRLS NEW AND OLD. By L. T. Meade. With ei-ht Illus- trations by J. Williamson. 6/ This versatile and acconiplislietl authoress is of the opinion that this is one of the best tales of the kind she has ever written. A varied group of girls at Kedgarth School is sketched with great realism, in their difl'erent lights and shades of character, while many good moral lessons are inculcated, more by example and warning than by precept. DON. liy the author of Laillie, &c. With eight Illustrations by J. Finiiemore. Large crown 8vo, antique cloth gilt. 6/ * Written in a bright and sunny manner that is pleasant to read. ... It may be eminently reconnnended for young girls, and that of itself in these days is a very desirable quality for a book to l)ossess. ' — Manchester Guardian. * A fresh and happy story . . . told with great spirit ... it is as pure as spring air.' — Glasgow Herald. 'A brightly-written study of mind and manners ... No great passions meet us in these pleasant, homely, bantering pages, but there is enough of wholesome love and hate to keep us interested to the last.' — Blorning Leader. OLIVIA. By ^Irs Molesworth. With eight Illustrations by Robert Barnes. 6/ 'A beautiful story, an ideal gift-book for girls.' — BritisJi Weekly. * A bright story of English provincial life.' — Daily Chronicle. * Mrs Molesworth maintains her place in the front rank of writers for girls. The stoiy is a good one.' — Standard. BETTY: a School Girl. By L. T. Meade. With eight Illus- trations by Everard Hopkins. 5/ * Mrs L. T. Meade has shown her accustomed skill in delineating girl-life. . . . All the types are true to nature.' — Dundee Advertiser. ' This is an admirable tale of school-girl life : her history involves an excellent moral skilfully conveyed.' — Glasgow Herald. WESTERN STORIES. By William Atkinson. With Frontis- piece. . . 6/ * These stories touch a very high point of excellence. They are natural, vivid, and thoroughly interesting.' — Speaker. W. t£? R. ChamherSy Limited, London and Edinburgh. From Roy Royt,AND, hij George Manrllle Fcnn ; price 6s. sight lUus- 6/ ion that this 1. A varied leat leaUsin, ! many {,'ooi»e of the thrilling' scoiioh ami ci»is()(les of the Au'erican Civil War, in which his hero ami the other characters bear a part. THE WIZARD KING: a Story of the Last ^loslem Invasion of Europe. l>y David Keu. AVith six Illustrations by W. S. Stacey. 3/6 The hero of this story is John Sobieski, round whose marvellous career are woven threads of incident and adventure, many of which are historical. THE REBEL COMMODORE (Paul Jones); being Memoirs of the Earlier Adventures of Sir Ascott ])alrymple. By 1). Lawhon JoHNHTONE. AVitli six Illustrations by AV. Boucher. 3/6 * The Rebel Commodore is a spirited and well-written story. The scenes at sea and on shore are drfimatically presented, and strike us as wonderfully true to the life.' — Times. * The story is told with great spirit, and there is genuine literary quality about it.' — Yorkshire Herald. 'It is a good story, full of hairbreadth escapes and perilous adventures. ' — To Day. * The picture of tiie wild life of the smuggling population on the shores of the Solway Firth is adnnrably drawn, and the account of the doings of the buccaneering squadrons on the coasts of Scotland and Holland is strictly historical.' — Standard. ROBIN REDBREAST. By ^hs Molesworth, author of Imogen, Ncvi-Door lionise, The Cnclxoo Clorl', Sec. With six original Illustrations by Robert Barnes. 3/6 * It is a long time since we read a story for girls more simple, natural, or interesting.' — Publishers' Circular. * Equal to anything she has written. . . . Can be heartily recom- mended for jiiils' readinii-.' — Standard. W. tO R. Chambers, Limited, London and Edinburgh. )Ar. From The Blue Balloon, by lieginald llorslnj ; price 3s, dl Valley. By , Stacey. 3/6 liaii his usual i scenes and liero and the Invasion of 3 by W. S. 3/6 vcll-t()I(l talo of udvciituro and darin;,' in Morocco, in which the iatc anen'(tl loul Asiatic Qitartet'lii Review. 'Full of stirring adventure, and written in a belittin;,' spirited style. '—Christian World. THE YELLOW GOD: a Talc of some Stran^'c Adventures. Ily Keoinali) 1I()Hsij:y. Witli six Illustrations by "\V. 8. Stacey. 3/6 ' A(hnirably desigiu'd, and set forth with life like force. ... A lirst-rate book f<»r hoyn.'— Safnrdai/ lieriiw. *Tlic tale is very skilfully told, aboun«ls in i>atlios as well as humour, and the interest is well sustained to the amV— School- master. PRISONER AMONG PIRATES. By David Kkr, author of Cossack and CzaVf The Wild Horseman of the Pampas^ &c. AVitb six Illustrations by W. S. Stacey. 3/6 ' A singularly good story, calculated to encourage what is noble and manly in boys.' — Athcnwnm. •In point of variety of incident it would be hard to find a book which surpasses it. — Educational Times. JOSIAH MASON : A BIOGRAPHY. With Sketches of the History of the Steel Pen and Electroplating Trades. Wy John 'J'iiackray BuNCE. Portrait and Illustrations. 3/6 IN THE LAND OF THE GOLDEN PLUME : a Talo of Adventure. By David Lawson Johnstone, author of The Paradise of the North, The Mountain Kingdom, &c. With six Illustrations by W. S. Stacey. 3/6 * Most thrilling, and excellently worked out.' — Graphic. * A genuine old-fashioned boys' book of the Kingston-Ballantyne stamp. It merits a place on the same shelf with The Coral Island and King Solomon^s Mincs.^ — School Monthly. W. db R. Chambers, Limited, London and Edinburgh. N, Fn)m TilK WiZAlM) KiN'O, h>/ David lur : price .Is. (>H. KN C'OUBAN. 3/6 cr Gazette. !co, ill wliicli •eiy pleofiiaiit liii« spirited itures. Ily Staccy. 3/6 ICC. ... A I as well as ul.' — School- of Cossack AVith six 3/6 lat is noble iiid a book he History 'J'lIACKIlAY 3/6 Vdventiire. Jisc of the iistrations 3/6 3allantyne n'al Island The Turks are marching upon Vienna !' 10 ^'"« is a very b,ixrJ,, ,, . ''•^* '^'^ ' f'oat skill T"y ""'' ■'""t'-nctivc '_ <7., , 8/6 ^-'v^S ^ °^ ''«E NORTH • o ^'"■'"'•^• ''''^^"^(t Ircoci/a^ Ti », -^ ■*^- -Lawsox Tr.r,. '^'"''^v and 3/6 , 'A lively ,;„,.„ ,"• ' *^'* fifteen Z'T- '-^^'■'■'""ol "''""""''<'- «»<' a ,Ieci,,e,I >r • ^'^ ^^^''^'l ''y a Ve,.„e.)i,ce t n """ '" P-"- ^<^«c«..„„ ^'""'" "'oro.,«,Wy .,,i,f„^ 3/8 "*j as a prizp ' r piize. —Journal of ^^- ^' ^. aa;,,^,,.. ■' ^-^'^'W, Zo;^^^^ ""^'^ Edinburgh, '> ^^c- With 3/6 -(Graphic. ^nh, In the ^y ^y. s. 3/6 % author ustratfous m 'its off in rcury. ry and author fifteen 8/6 \ Polar or of ^. S. 3/6 x/ 0/ From The White Kaid op the Atlas, by J. Madoren Culhan; price Sh, V,d, THE KAID REELED IN THE SADDLE. 12 J^OOKS Fon PtiTZES ^^T) PltESENTATION. h WHITE TURRJTS. Price 2s. 6d. J'y Mi-s MoL 7» 7'./ . ^ -^/o •An ad 'A dm "liiably told '^''''y'-J>ful!/Tdi f/mph ;;;«]>iroH3.,,„.^^,,^^|j^^;^;-JJ-^^ to the fe-'-eat tiling for tliein «ct'Jv for soil HUGH MELVILLE-S QUEST i« ut tJieir jjuiid a„ti* "iircst tJifit •« ^''eat thing to do ^ m tJic A Con t ^leadtl a 1 at tlieir Iionie. '--^' 10 tl :s:^ "' —^^T i^^rz s.:^j;z :' from ii'»« niuch .sti '«ca])c 11 ninL'- i"ci,Ient and ad 2IQ ^^"'""^•^t the 8,,aniards "' ''^"^ '""^'-'"«t hrothc '''''^'^^''^^•>' u.nongst the 8, „, ^_ *= " '"'^ ^^J>.'Uiiards. o-"^.M. 'Jiothei ELOCUTION a 7» i'- C. ir. Mom.C ''""'^" •■""' i'-Ws. E,,a,a ,,^. •No eIocutioni.st'« Jihrirv «„ , 2/6 «C:;;5.^!:^' '^-"'-^ -^ "« ■^i-.. ^n u. e„«,.,. ,„„,„„;. THISTLE AND ROSE P . Robert Ban,es. ' ^ "^"'^ ^^^"on. Illustrated I,y Is as desirable a nrespnf f Y^'^^'^^^ ^wr//.v. -Skcjr.m n.ay T^,, '^ -^'- ^^ ^^^ .'i'l as any one could wish ' VANISHED, or tI,P ^f -,7^ — — — — ~~^f/'f««.vm. '"-'''''''^^ London and Edinburgh. * roN. From "White Tittjtikt.S, hy Mrs Molr.m-nrth : pr/'rc .?.f. Cd. '^le Days of t rations hy 2/6 '"'iny Jiai,.. «st Jjiotlier Edited hy 2/6 te wiMiont ion on 11,0 acliiiig. '— gua«,'e.'— ted by 2/6 ifiil and d M'isli.' Jsleigli. 2/6 hccV— ' It is quite charming,' she said ; ' just the sort of nest one would long to have.' ■ g— agg^ f ■ ■■ ■ ^ " ,^1 11 / 2/6 t/je 2/6 *""" OP REACH -'''•^""'Wto, '"^ •'■"■'"S tl.«- riwn "• ~*««'fo.v^. "''"'« hoot can ;.„ ^^^ 2/e 7 1 "■'""^Edinburgh. I rr C5) 2/6 2/6 ^»'s so M-e;i 2/6 /'rom Hugh Mklvim.e's Qi'Est, hij F. M. Ifohncfi; 2>rice 2s. 6d. ' font 2/6 \v. V6 nt The Moor rose on one arm and looked at liim eagerly and anxiously. 16 h ^OOfCS FOR piijyn-^ .,,,, COSSACK Am CZAr"Tr7~ --~~— '________^ in Bokhara, The Jr;/;^if^ ^^""^^ autlior of 27,, n .n ^^I;::""^^-"-nteresti^^^ 2/6 and so b itk rr ^'^^'-^""^I knowledge of Co. u ,- urtrr.«T ^'^^^y -Leaves. WHEN WE WERE YOUNG r> and Jem, m , . ^'.K ^^w O'Rprrr^ ^i A verv in4^ .. 2/6 ^M« J '"""■^■^""« ^'-y suitable for either , ^^ 'AdelH,tf„M °^' »>• girls. ■_ .eW. *''»'"'""^ «"ral an,, attractive .to,v ^ ROSE AND LAVENDER p, „ wiiess. —Mcuichesier JOAN AND JERRY j, ^^® *"■ With four origi^ lilSSrif^ °' ^"^^^ '^'--. ---^il!!!!!!!!!^:!!^^ Bone. 2/6 '''''^'^> London and Edinburgh. ^11 I y. <^c. With 2/6 line in ifc.'-_ iie Steppes, iiarJes XII. -Graphic. ay Place. 2/6 tJier than of Joan stratioDs 2/6 girls. '— Ediica- 'oosey's 3rt A. 2/6 from 'hester GHT, ntis- 2/6 2/6 an. From Vanished, hy David Kcr ; price 2s. 6d. f TTawkesleigh grasped the upper rope firmly with both hands, and puslied himself boldly out into the empty air. B if the „ """"W t-e the .,„ ""'^ ^""s'w- ^''»'« of the E„' ?"'*'''* '^»''vj;„"/' « "'atter 0/ " ?' "" "'at '''''o is n„. , *'"g'an( an,l . „ "an he sai,i * '"'"'a huf^J, ?," accepted Jl^? ^vell k„„,,„ ^^'^ 2/6 — -^^i^f^' ^,v"^ '•«'"'«■•. .cvard, t itr;'; V" t I 2/6 ^^ Jiiustra- 2/6 ?^, a" tiiat "Rs. 2/e '"'cii the ^^ siiorfc m days 2/6 It 18 2/6 ents 'lef tfc. rs '6 d s ;?00/ir5f FOR PRIZES AND PRESENTATION. 19 LIVES OF LEADING NATURALISTS. By II. Alleyne Nichol- son, Professor of Natural History in the University of Aberdeen. Illustrated. 2/6 * Popular and interesting by the skilful manner in which notices of the lives of distingulslied naturalists, from John Ray and Francis Willoughby to Cliarles Darwin, are interwoven with the methodical exposition of the progress of the science to which they are devoted.' — Scotsman. BENEFICENT AND USEFUL LIVES. Comprising Lord Shaftes- bury, George Peabody, Andrew Carnegie, Walter Besant, Samuel Morley, Sir James Y.' Simpson, Dr Arnold of Kugby, &c. By R. Cochrane. Numerous Illustrations. 2/6 'Nothing could be better than the author's selection of facts setting forth the beneficent lives of those generous men in the narrow compass which the capacity of the volume allows.' — School Board Chronicle. GREAT THINKERS AND WORKERS : being the Lives of Thomas Carlyle, Lord Armstrong, Lord Tennyson, Charles Dickens, Sir Titus Salt, W. M. Thackeray, Sir Henry Bessemer, John Ruskin, James Nasmytb, Charles Kingsley, Builders of the Forth Bridge, &c. With numerous Illustrations. 2/6 ' One of the most fitting presents for a thoughtful boy that we have come across.' — Review of Reviews. GREAT HISTORIC EVENTS. The Conquest of India, Indian Mutiny, French Revolution, the Crusades, the Conquest of Mexico, Napoleon's Russian Campaign. Illustrated. 2/6 RECENT TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE. Comprising Stanley and the Congo, Lieutenant Greely, Joseph Thomson, Livingstone, Lady Brassey, Vambery, Burton, &c. Illustrated. Cloth. 2/6 * It is wonderful how much that is of absorbing interest has been packed into this small volume.' — Scutsman. LITERARY CELi^lBRITIES. 2/6 Being brief tuographies of Wordsworth, Campbell, Moore, Jeffrey, and Macaulay. Illustrated. W. db R. Chambers, Limited, London and Edinburgh. k..^... 20 '111 / 11 BOOKS FOR Pm7Po . ^rr. SOYiGS OP SCOTLANdT^ ~"~ -— — HISTORICAL CELEBRITIES r ■ ^vell. Washington N„,7nT ^""'l^'''«»'g lives of OJivcr Cnm Iih.stmted. ° "' ''"''°''=°" ^'--l-rte, Duke of WeTluSton" STORIES OF REMARKABLE PEB«!nwc ^ Wville, Sir Walter Scott AT 5 ""^ "'"^^''*. Mar, CnAMBEns, LL.D. ' ' ^- ^'^^^'a". *c. By William Embraces about two i,y,t. "" °'''^'"p'<'«-Mo„tr„se!.B^::,^i:^ ^. cfc 7?. Chambers, LimJuJ~7~^7 ' '''*"^' ^''''^<^'^ ^nd Edinburgh. I I s> edited by 2/6 fin son^s of '/,' with the ver Croni- ^^eliiugtoii. 2/6 ^ to teach upon tJje ^s> Mary William 2/6 slvetciies ^»^ar and r CiUM- 2/6 7, wjjich f'iendJy n tlieir ■ing the d busy 2/6 eman, 2/6 Lady Lady itess 3uch nOOKS FOR PRIZES AND PRKSESTATION. ei Price 2s. TWO GREAT AUTHORS. Lives of Scott and Cailylo. 2/ Concise biographies of two of the most notablo autliore of the century. EMINENT ENGINEERS. Lives ot Watt, 8tei)henson, Tellord, and lirindley. " 2/ 'All young persons should rend it, for it is in an excellent sense educational. It were devoutly to he uishod that young i»eopIe would take delight in such biographies.' — Indian Engineer. TALES OF THE GREAT AND BRAVE. By ^Iargaret Fraser Tytler. 2/ A collection of interesting hiographies and anecdotes of great men and women of history, in the style of Scott's Talcs of a (Jvandfather^ written by a niece of the historian of Scotland. GREAT WARRIORS : Nelson, Wellington, Napoleon. 2/ * As a prize for the upper classes of JJoard and National Schools, it can be recommended.' — Standard. ' Told concisely and yet with sufficient detail to make these heroes live in the imagination of the reader. ' — New Ar/c. *One of the most instructive books published this season.' — Liverpool Mercury. HEROIC LIVES : Livingstone, Stanley, General Gordon, Lord Dundonald. 2/ •Deserves a high place among the best of biographies for the use of children. ' — Schoohnaster. * It would be difficult to name four other lives in which we find more enterprise, adventure, achievement. . . . The book is sure to please. ' — Leeds Mercury. THROUGH STORM AND STRESS. By J. S. Fletcher. With Frontispiece by W. S. Stacey. 21 *Full of excitement and incident.' — Dundee Advertiser. W. yv/ A'P -^^^NvoN, aiitiior . ^ c«*l>ital book . will 1 P/ «'*.'-^/««.. J^^-l';:.'-''''''' "■'^" "«%'-t ^y .Of. .„,. J ELIZABETH, or n i »""'o;' of w/S"i;i «:-;■'■'■!• /^ "-,.. , ,„,^^ l"cc'0 by Ifobert A. Bone ' ''""' ^"'' '^■<=- Witlx CS ftius. —Schoolmaster. »«itabio as a gift,. HEBOES OF ROMANTIC ADVEN.'Ure • . ,• -..., ana c.ir;riSsr'-r ^ OUR ANIMAL FRIENDS ,. . ""''• ^ With „„n,rous I,,,.tratii °' ^'^'' ^--' -^ Elephant Pei^Slrhr'tSMcMf'"'?'^-''"*'- anecdotes., ■ "" -»-ase, and n.e.I; 'f ^ ''"'' «ir«ityof thed„° tli"'r"^'."'« inf '^t>.e c:,! t,r°"^ "''"-'-^«^« o';nc;'i5 V. BOOKS FOn PmZKS AND PRESENTATION. ^ * Armada. 'f^d StreaHf t^oes tJut_y author by If. 2/ toJtl jjor author 2/ '>'s and foil tig, 2/ t giff- ehes J 'tain r igJifc I it 2/ Mi. lilt. 2/ he ►• •n, ty t, FAMOUS MEN. IH'istratod. J/ Conii»ri8in|,' Hiographical Sketches of Lord Duiulojiald, CJcorpo Stephenson, Lord Nelson, Louis Napoleon, Captain (NM)k, (Jeor^e Washington, Sir Walter Scott, Peter the (Jreat, Christopher Colunihus, John Howard, William Hutton, William Penn, James Watt, Alexander Selkirk, Sir William Jones, I)r Lcyden, I)r Murray, Alexander Wilson, J. F. Oberlin. LIFE OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. Illustrated. 2/ ' A fine example of attractive hiographical writing. ... A short address, ** The Way to Wealth," should he read hy every young man in the kingdom.'— rcf/cAcr*' Aid. EMINENT WOMEN, and Talcs for Girls. Illustrated. 2/ 'The lives include those of Grace Darling, Joan of Arc, Flora MacdonaUl, Helen Gray, Madame Roland, and others; while the stories, which are mainly of a domestic character, emhraco such favourites as Passion and Principle, Love is Power, Three Ways of Living, Annals of the Poor, Sister of Rembrandt, and others equally entertaining and gooiV— Teachers* Aid. TALES FROM CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL. 4 vols., each 2/ Comprise interesting short stories hy James Payn, Hugh Conway, D. Christie Murray, Walter Thornhury, G. Manville Fenn, Dutton Cook, J. B. Hanvood, and other popular writers. BIOGRAPHY, EXEMPLARY AND INSTRUCTIVE. Edited by W. Chambers, LL.D. 2/ The Editor gives in this volume a selection of hiographies of those who, while exemplary in their private lives, became the benefactors of their species by the still more exemplary eflorts of their intellect. AILIE GILROY. By W. Chambers, LL.D. 2/ • The life of a poor Scotch lassie ... a book that will be highly esteemed for its goodness as well as for its attractiveness. ' — Teachers* Aid. ESSAYS, FAMILIAR AND HUMOROUS. By Robert Chambers, LL.D. 2 vols., each 2/ Contains some of the finest essays, tales, and social sketches of the author of Traditions of Edinburgh^ reprinted from Chambers's Journal. W. d: R. Chambers, Limited, London and Edinbim/h, wmmmti^arsrz-. - -■ m nooks Fon mrs^pv a ».,. „ _'"^^^S ^^l> PItESBNTA TtON. MARITIME ^^^^^f^^ri^r^^:;;^;^^---^ anirwRECKS AND TALES OF THP 5p* t.. SKETCHES. UGHT AND DESCBIPTIVE. I^.^vr 20 Vols, clotl, i, «-• I ^""''«" '"'"•»"««• 10 Vols, doti,...'; !? l\ "0 Vols, lialf.calf /; ''• 10 Vols, cloth „:►'■"> " looNos.. *> «. Ciotli, giit edges 25 \vinV V ««<:'' 1 ' "'"<^'' "'ay be had separately 1 Price Is. 6d. SWISS FAMILY HOBINSON"Tr'™"r I>e.e,t Isla..d. '^^^- The„. Life a„d ^,,^„^^^^^ ^_^ ^ SKETCHES OF ANIM4T iir.„ 1/6 ^^^'-v, p..B.:^r'' "^^ ^''^ HABITS. ., ,,„„;^ iiTTT ^ — ;); jcas^lie animal world. ■•*-"• Chambers Tinntr,^ r ] ' V. I. tl '»o Linu— 2/ with otluT iltit'H, ami 'kIIjoiomcc •ervice. '— S,LL.J). 2/ laiigiii^f RACTS. 2/ 'Episodes ■reinent, attiac- aries. s. '''y« and gi,t will ioni" ;""'■''' °' «'« ^'e io^lt^t"', ",•!•'"« THE LITTLE KNIGHT. By EmTH TC Manchester Gnardian. ' " " N''"'™'. amusing, pathetic.-- WILFRID CLIFFOnn t. ^ * The author has cerf.Jni • ^^^^^^- 1/ ZOE Tiv ti ., -Spectator. "'• J':*' "'o author of rfe-rt,/ r 7^. 'Achannia^and ton.l ' *^*'' *<=• UNCLE SAM. ; "' ' "' """" "'^- '-^-'-- UNCLE SAM'S MONEV-BOX. By M. a C. H.. 1/ 1/ 1/ m BOOKS FOR PHIZES AND PRESENTATION. 31 ith Fvontis- V for children, inie.'—JSfew. V nder tiyin^r a/'tl Jitt/e ii interest.' V 1/ itlietic.'— Edith C. t/ •ealfchier. ^ectator. u 1/ or of 1/ -eying GRANDMAMMA'S POCKETS. By Mrs S. C. Hall. 1/ THE SWAN'S EGG. By Mrs S. C. Hall. 1/ MUTINY OF THE BOUNTY, and LIFE OF A SAILOR BOY. 1/ PERSEVERANCE AND SUCCESS : the Life of William Hulton. 1/ DUTY AND AFFECTION, or the Drummer-boy. A thrilling narrative of the wars of the first Napoleon. 1/ FAMOUS POETRY. Being a collection of the best English verso. Illustrated. 1/ STORY OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. Bv W. Chambers, LL.D. 1/ Price 9d. Cloth, Illustrated. THE LITTLE CAPTIVE KING. JOE FULWOOD'S TRUST. FOUND ON THE BATTLEFIELD. PAUL ARNOLD. ALICE ERROL, and other Tales. CLEVER BOYS. THE WHISPERER. By Mrs S. C. Hall. THE LITTLE ROBINSON. TRUE HEROISM, and other Stories. MIDSUMMER HOLIDAY. PICCIOLA, and other Tales. . MY BIRTHDAY BOOK. i/ wlio By V W. ct R. Chambers, Limited, Londuu and Edinburgh, 32 ^<>OJCS ^OJi J^ji,^^^ ^^O PSESEATATIOH. ' Price ed, P'lWislied by vvl „"!:«»? rate, co.,im,>„ I 'One contain, o.^ee ,;«,« ., '' -^^"'^"""/^.^^ "'"'"*' "' •'ERALD AND DOT n ,, KITTY A»„ '' "^ ''^""'^'«''- '^^^ix AND HARRY R WCKORYDOCK. %l, t.m '''""""'"'""■ "-of .^. C.& ^HBD STA,.FORD-S START iIZT""^ "'"'"'''""' '' ^''■ ^ ^ARTHINGP... «, ,. , ^,, ;''^""'=-^«— ''OO^MISSCAROUNA. n,,,; «AtC0LMANDD0ms.„ , " w. little series ^ number of ^olesworth, f^ Wie name ^ind which • MfiADr;. ^ MOLES- 'ole. ON.