IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I tiitTB 12.5 ■tt 1^ 12.2 S? 144 "^ li£ IIIII2.0 lU L25 i 1.4 1.6 ^ ^ '/a ^>' ^^^* •% 7 y ^5. \ iV SJ \\ '<^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian institute for Historical IVIicroreproductions institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 1980 1 Technical Notes / Notes techniques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Physical features of this copy which may alter any of the images in the reproduction are checked below. D D Coloured covers/ Couvertures de couleur Coloured maps/ Cartes gdographiques en couleur L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6tA possible de se procurer. Certains dAfauts susceptlbles de nuire A la quality de la reproduction sont notte ci-dessous. 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Bibliographic Notes / Notes bibliographiques D D Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible Bound with other material/ Reli6 avec d'autres documents □ Pagination incorrect/ Erreurs de pagination Pages missing/ Des pages manquent D Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque D Maps missing/ Des cartes gdographiques manquent D Plates missing/ Des planches manquent D Additional comments/ Commentaires suppldmentaires The images appearing here are the beet quaiity possible considering the condition and iegibiiity of the original copy and in Iceeping with the filming contract specifications. Las images suivantes ont 4tA reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nettet* de I'exempiaire film*, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol —►(meaning CONTINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la der- nidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols -► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". The original copy was borrowed from, and filmed with, the Itind consent of the following institution: National Library of Canada L'exemplaire film* fut reproduit grflce d la g6n6rosit6 de i'dtablissement prAteur suivant : BibliothAque nationale du Canada Maps or plates too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper tuft hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes ou les planches trop grandes pour 6tre reproduites en un seul cllch6 sont filmdes d partir de Tangle supAriaure gauche, de gauche A droite et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Le diagramme suivant iilustre la methods : 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 s \ LIFE OP SIR WILLIAM E. LOGAN, Kt. ■t ■■* 1' rj!..- .^ I s^J v A_l liFE "F M E. LiHiAX, Kt Kr-'v|l' ■■■'■ ^.1* '■■ V *'; > A;<:;.. ', ■>^ HJ> IjR/irR. IfHKXM* ANI. Klur.KIS .^»^''' IS ■■•; "t:*-T-r . T.J*' i. ■ '' / .;»■ Ph 1)! ':,-^v ««*(tW^ f^' I 1 UK i^p>-^^i|«| ■ SI — '^ ,i -^•i'.v. H Chiri * V ritoKE ..V I X-' >'.■'? ^^..>' D. ^ LIFE ;^1 ^ 1 or SIR WILLIAM E. LOGAN, Kt.. LL.U., F.R.S., F.G.S., &t.. FIRST DFRFXTOK f)K THK GKOLOGICAL SURVEV OF CANADA. Chiefly Compiled from his Letters, Journals and Reports. BY ^ i * ■^■ ^/. BERNAKI) J. HARRINGTON, B.A, Ph. D., raoKEHSOR OK Mmm IS M'0,LL UN,VKR.SrrV ; LATK CHEMIST A.N„ M.NB,UL0.M8T TO TUB OKOLOOICAL SURVEY O*" CANADA. mr/J STEEL PORTRAIT AND NUMEROUS WOOD-CUTS ^1- V 1' MONTREAL DAWSON BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS. 1883 L 7i^ H5 2008'63 Entered according fo Act of Parliament by Piiwson Bnithcrs in the year 1883 in the office of the Minister of Agriculture- PRINTED BY TUG UAZKITiC f KUITUIQ 00MFAN7, MONTREAU PREFACE. rrniE task of proparin*^ a ])iofrrai>hy of Sir William -^ Logan was not a self-imposed one, and was only undertaken vvilh feelings of great delicacy. Then' are those who knew him hmger and more intimately, and who might have done far better justice lo his memory. But the work having l)een entrusted lo me, I have endeavoured lo discharg.; it faithfully. My aim has not been to write a eulogium or yet a lengthy criti- cism of Sir William, but rather to bring together such of his own words as will rei all him to the minds and hearts of old friends, or ciiabU' (host; who were not privileged with his acquaintance to form for them- selves an estimate of his character and work. Canadians cmnot aiford to forget the name of one who laboured so long and so earnestly to i)romot(; the interests of this his native land, and if the following pages in any way serve to keep green the memory of Sir William Logan, their compiler will feel more than repaid. We have plenty of Canadians able and w^illing VI. PRE fact: . r- ,.) to work for thomsolvos, but too few who, like Logan, are willing to work for Canada. My grateful acknowledgments are due to Professor Geikie, now Director-deneral of the British Geological Survey, for information incorporated in the text ; to Alexander Murray, Esq., C.M.O,, Director of the Geo- logical Survey of Newfoundland, for reminiscences of Sir William ; to Dr. John Percy, F.R.S., of London, for his estimate of Sir William's work ; to Mr. J. Gwyn Jeffreys, F.R.S., for the reminiscences given on page 388 ; and to Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, who has kindly given me the bencllt of his adviie on a number of points about which I was in doubt. I would also express my 'indebtedness to Dr. Dawson, for notes on the ori- gin of coal, for the use of a number of wood-cuts, and for his article on the Quebec trroup. The latter was kindly prepared by him to serve for my assistance and guidance ; but I was unwilling to mutilate it, and with his permission have given it in full as an Api)en- dix (A). My sincere thanks are due to Dr. Selwyn, Sir William's successor, for the use of note-books and of a number of wood-cuts ; to Mr. G. K. Grant, one of Sir William's executors, for his unvarying courtesy and kindness in placing at my disposal letters, jour- nals, etc. ; and, among others, to my friend Professor C. E. Moyse, of McGill College, for advice and assistance in revising the proof sheets of the earlier chapters ,1 PREFACE. vn. The information concerninc^ the origin of the Greolo- gical Survey of Canada is chiefly derived from Scobie's' Almanac. Most of the illustrations scattered throuo-h the volume are copies of pen-and-ink sketches with Vi'hich the pages of Sir William's note-books and jour- nals abound. They have been reproduced on wood by Mr. W. H. Walker, of Montreal. The steel portrait forming the frontispiece is from a photograph by Notman, taken in 1869. It represents Sir William in his graver moments, and fails to give an idea of the humour and brightness which so often pervaded his countenance. V V . 's BIRTH LIFE I] LIFE E COPPER STIGMA CANADi" CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE BIRTH AND BOYHOOD, I CHAPTER II. LIFE IN LONDON, 12 CHAPTER III. LIFE IN LONDON (Continued), 32 CHAPTER IV. COPPER-SMELTING AND COAL- MINING, .... 62 CHAPTER V. STIGMARIA, . . 62 CHAPTER VI. CANADA REVISITED, 72 [r t X. CONTENTS. CHAPTER VII. PENNSYLVANIA AND NOVA SCOTIA, * • PAGE . 101 CHAPTER VIII. ORIGIN OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA, . 122 CHAPTER IX. GASP^. EXPLORATIONS, 1843, 143 CHAPTER X. GASP^ EXi 1.0RATI0NS, 1844, • • 177 CHAPTER XI. EVENTS IN 1845 AND 1846, 227 CHAPTER XII. EVENTS OF 1846-63, . 254 CHAPTER XIII. THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 282 CHAPTER XIV. THE PARIS EXPOSITION OF 1855, AND ITS FRUITS, . 297 CHAPTER XV. AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. — LAURENTIAN. GROUP, QUEBEC .324 CON^TLWTS. xt. 177 227 254 282 297 CIIAPTKR XVI. EXHIBITION OF 1862 —PRECARIOUS EXISTENCE OF THE PAOK SURVEV.—EOZOON CANADENSE. . 346 122 CHAPTER XVir. CLOSING YEARS, 382 143 APPENDIX A.— THE QUEBEC GROUP. By Pkincipal Dawson, C.M.G, F.R.S., 403 APPENDIX B— LIST OF PAPERS, REPORTS, &c. 419 324 ml \:h> . I. H LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PORTRAIT OF SIR W. E. LOGAN, from a Photograph by Notman, taken in 1869, Frontispiece. WOODCUTS. ST. GABRIEL STREET CHURCH IN 1839, PAGE 3 CLARKSTONE, from a Sepia Drawing by Logan, to /ace 27 STIGMARIA ROOTS OF ERECT SIGILLARIA. After Dawson, 63 SIGILLARIA, WITH STIGMARIA ROOTS. After R. Brown, . fio ISLE PERCEE, eketched from the Steamer " Unicorn." (Logans Journal, 1840), ••...,. 77 INCLINED PLANE ON THE PHILADELPHIA AND BALTI- MORE RAILWAY, LOOKING DOWN TOWARDS PHILA- DELPHIA. (Logan's Journal, 1841) lOr, AMPHIBIAN FOOTPRINTS, DISCOVERED BY LOGAN AT HORTON BLUFF, NOVA SCOTIA. After Dawson, . . 117 MY TENT. (Logan's Journal, 1843), 152 LITTLE BON AMI COVE, SHOWING CLIFFS OF THE GABPfi LIMESTONE, 700 FEET HIGH. (Logan's Journal, 184;!), . 157 i.i XIV. LIST OF iLLrsTiiirioys. PA(iK SUl'POSEn WORM-TRACKS FROM GASPfi SANDSTONE. After Logan, 161 SECTION NKAR MOUTH OF GRAND RIVER, GASPI^. After Logan, J 68 I i- 8 VISIT TO ABBOTSFORD. [1816-17. 1817.] I '■' "I'l;. \H m ! I'.'iiii'!; .IP I'.i: if 'I iiii Provost with ' Bourne's Poems,' in 2 vols. The books are all most elegantly bound, and have the Edinburgh coat of arms stamped on their covers. The vacation continues till the first of October. " To make this long reprieve from hard labour pass pleasantly, I have accepted the invitation of one of my school-fellows, Archibald Boyd, to spend a few days with him at his father's estate, near Selkirk, on the Tweed ; and I intend, at the same time, to pay a visit to the son of the great poet, Walter Scott, who has an estate only a few miles distant from the former gentleman's." Scott's estate alluded to here was, of course, Abbotsf id, which, beginning in 1811 with the purchase of a farm of one hundred acres on the banks of the Tweed, was now rapidly extending its boundaries. As yet Scott was not a baronet, nor was his baronial residence erected ; but he had already made important collections of historical curiosities, which he took much pleasure in showing to his guests. During Logan's stay at the home of his school-fellow, Boyd, in the autumn of 1816, the two young men paid a visit to Abbotsford, where they were received with great kindness by the poet, who not only exhibited his curiosities to their wondering gaze, but also, with his wonted hospitality, invited them to dinner. On his return to Edinburgh, Logan became a student in the University, and during the session of 1816-17 attended the classes in logic, chemistry and mathematics. Among the professors in the University at that time were John Play fair, the friend and illustrator of Huttou, 1817.] AT THE UNIVERSITY. d and Robert Jamieson, who, as the exponent of Werner's views in Britain, did so much to excite an interest in geological speculation. But the teaching of these probably had notliingto do with Logan's future devotion to geology. During his one session at college he studied with great diligence, and obtained the first prize in mathematics, " with the good- will of all the competitors " His success he announced to his brother in Canada in the following letter : — •'Edinburoh, 9th. May, 1817. " My Dear Jamik, — If I were to shape out an apology proportioned to the magnitude of my fault, four pages would be scarcely suificient to contain all that ought to be said in extenuation of my negligence in not writing to you before this ; but, indeed, I have not the shadow of an excuse to offer. It would not do to say that my classes and studies engaged the whole of my time. No ; for had I been ever so much occupied by them, I might still have stolen a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday to write to you. It would not do to say that I had forgotten you — no, no, that would be making bad worse. It would be wronging myself; and besides, my mother has been no way remiss in desiring me to 'write to Jamie.' In fact, the best thing I can do is to say nothing more about the matter, but to show by my future regularity how sincerely penitent I am for my past delinquency. "It is perhaps unnecessary for me to tell you that I obtained the highest prize at Mr. Nichol's first geometry class, that my name was inserted in the new^spapers, &c. ; for, if I mistake not, my mother, or Agnes, has told you 10 DITJGENCE REWARDED. m\ !:l already, and it is not for me to speak my own praise. However, as you are a friend, and as it is probable that you will derive the information from no other source, I may A^enture to let you know the inscription engraved on the quadrant. It is in Latin, as you will see, and runs thus : — GULIELMO P:. log an, QDI KLEM. MATH. STUDEBAT, ANNO 1816-17, ET &VM CLASSia PACILK PIUNCEH3 KliAT, A PKAICKPTORB, GUALTERO NICHOL, A.M., KDIN. I will not speak of the logic class, for all that I got there is a certificate ; and as to the chemistry, at it prizes are never given. " It is my intention to send to Mr. Skakel, by the first convenient opportunity, all the geometrical propositions that were done at Mr. Nichol's class during the winter, together with those given to us at the competition. The number of them is not very great, and most of them are simple, but it is to be hoped that Mr. Skakel will be pleased. Perhaps I may also send an edition of Leslie's Greometry, and an essay which I attempted at the logic class. . . . " All hands here are busily employed in preparing for my departure for London. . . . Ten days is all the time that I have now got to spend in Edinburgh, and this I shall employ in walking about and seeing all the remarkable buildings in and near the city. For although I have been three years here, yet I have not gone through one of them, not even Holyrood House ; and it would appear somewhat strange if at any time I were asked what I thought of them, to answer that it OFF TO LONDON. 11 had never entered into my head to examine them. I know not yet whether I am to go to London by sea or land ; but, at any rate, when I do go, Agnes is to accompany me, and no doubt we will both of us be much surprised and delighted with the wonders and amusements of that mighty city. My regret on leaving Edinburgh will be sincere, and although I carry along with me so pleasing a companion to beguile the journey, yet my thoughts will often recur to the dear friends that I have left behind. . . . " I remain yours, very sincerely and affectionately, "W. E. Logan." ;|p!i::i' ii j]';: \m m CHAPTETl II. LIFE IN U)NDON. IT appears strange that with such prospects for success, Logan's University career should have been brought to a close so early. He seems, however, to have made up his mind to enter upon commercial pursuits, and in this he was probably encouraged by his uncle, Mr. Hart Logan. The uncle, as we have seen, had taken up his residence in London, and established a large counting* house at 44 Cross Street, Fiusbury Square. Fond to a degree of his nephew, he now received him into his London office, and gave him every opportunity of acquainting himself with commercial life. Nor had he cause to regret it ; for the nephew soon mastered the details of the business, and released him from many responsibilities. For about ten years the great and busy metropolis was Logan's home, and it is to this period that we must look if we would obtain a view of many of his traits of character, which in later life only came to the surface at intervals. If, like his four brothers, he never married, and if for years he lived much in the seclusion of his study, or far away from the busy haunts of men, often Llliiiilii CLABKSTONE PUBrHASET). 13 with Indians as his sole companions, it was not from any want of appreciation of domestic comfort or happi- ness, not that to him society was devoid of charms. He was no misanthrope. But as he advanced in life, the cause of science, which he had espoused, became more and more a ruling passion, and often masked his true nature and disposition. When he left Edinburgh in the spring of 181V the family still resided in Queen Street, but the father, whose increasing deafness must have interfered with his enjoyment of society, soon tired of city life with no special employment, and in 1820 purchased a small estate in the country. It was beautifully situated near the Avon, about twenty miles from Edinburgh, and was known as Clarkstone. On account of the young people the town residence was kept up for a time, but it was finally sold in 1822. At school and college the three sons continued to be " an honour to all connected with them." Hart eventually studied law, and made his first speech at the Bar in 1829 Edmond became a "Writer to the Signet; while Henry, having chosen commerce as "the road by which he wished to jog thro-^gh life," went to London in 1825, and entered the counting- house of Messrs. A. Stewart and Westmoreland. James, the eldest son, remained in Canada, and one and another of the daughters married and left the parental roof. But ever and anon Clarkstone became the scene of joyous family reunions. In his younger days Logan was an excellent corres- pondent, and not a few of his letters to other members of the family have been preserved. As we shall see, they u A FOND SON AND BROTHER. Ifll7.] m,' w- are full of all the warmth of family atfection and of the little details of every-day life, so gratifying to those who have once daily gathered round the same fireside. But not satisfied with writing often himself, he frequently urges his brothers or sisters to do likewise, and sometimes, by way of encouragement, praises the letters which he receives : " Let me tell you, without joking," he says to one of his sisters, " you write a very good letter. You judge well what topics will please, and you express them in a lively and agreeable manner. And now that you have broken the ice that bound the spring of your correspondence, and its waters are found to be so sweet and pleasant that he who tastes once will ever thirst after more, I hope you will not pour them out with a niggard hand." To his brother he says, on one occasion : " Do, my dear James, send us just a line now and then. You cannot think how it would gratify us, and of how much anxiety it would sometimes relieve our good father and mother " And at another time : " When I was in Scotland in August, there was a universal complaint at Clarkstone that you never wrote. I really believe that the reason of your not doing so is because you conceive it necessary to take a great deal of pains in putting your videas on paper, and thus, making an unnecessary labour of the matter, you are unwilling to enter upon it, and defer from day to 'day But really you need not mind what you say, if you only say something Nobody there is disposed to criticise, and if anyone were, I am sure they would have nothing to find fault with." In this way, and by regularly causing the letters which he 1817.] BOYS OF rnoMrsE. 15 himself received to circulate among other members of the family he aided in keeping alive that union and interest in family ailairs which so often ceases when the children grow up and become scattered. Portions of some of the lett(^rs written to his brother .Tamos during this period are here transcribed as serving to give a better idea of the man than could any narrative based upon them : — " London, 2'^rd. August^ 1817. "My Dear Jamie, — Agnes and uncle left on the 5th. instant, and got down to Edinburgh safe and sound, and little fatigued, on the Hth. On the 11th. my father and uncle set out for Crawford Moors, but owing to the continual bad weather and incesssant rain, they have not as yet been able to fire a shot All the rest of the family have gone to spend a few months at Kincardine House, a delightful place which my father has hired for half a year, near Auchtcrader, about twelve miles from Perth. " It gives mo very great pleasure to inform you that all the boys, I mean Hart, Edmond and Henry, obtained prizes at the examination of the High School, which took place on the 8th. inst. Hart was fifteenth of the Rector's class, and got as his prize Allen's Demosthenes. Edmond, of course, was dux of the fourth class, and got Melmoth's Cicero, in three vols., 8vo., most superbly and expensively bound. Upon my word I think that Edmond is a most astonishing fellow. He has been at the head of his class, consisting of 180 scholars, ever since you left England, '^enry, poor fellow, was twenty-fifth of the second class, which, for a boy of 16 MA TIONA L A MUSKMENTS. [1817 i;]!jii!i;i^ ili||;i:l:' hiH age, w extrem»»ly good, coiisidoring that the class contains 230 scholars. For his diligence he got Hunter's Livy in one volume ; as well as a fishing rod from his father. . . . " I find myself very lonesome at present, and have been so ever since the departure of my uncle and sister. My time, however, with one thing and another, is pretty well filled up. Part of the day 1 read Italian and French, write versions in those languages, and generally in the evening translate Gil Bias, with Alex. Gillespie, Jnr., who, by-the-by, is the greatest companion I have here. Now and then 1 have a look at Homer and Cicero, and mathematics is not neglected. Indeed, I carry on a correspondence with one of my fellow-collegians, Mr. Cockayne, who resides in the north of England. He sends me propositions, which, after having solved, I return to him with the demonstrations, annexing at the same time propositions to exercise his knowledge of geom ry. This, in my opinion, is a rational and useful means of keeping up an acquaintance. Sometimes the flute amuses me, and I hope you have not given up playing on that instrument. When we meet we must have some duets together. On Sunday, of course, I go to church. Uncle has taken two seats in London Wall Church, where once a week I have the pleasure of listening to one of the worst preachers that ever wagged his head in a pulpit. " In my uncle's absence I act as his agent. When letters come to hand, I send him copies of them ; when bills arrive, I carry them to be accepted ; when drafts on him from H. L. & Co. make their appearance, I 1«17] A r LEASING UNION. 17 act o|>l them, &c. • . Brlit'vo mo to bf, dour Jamie, yours truly and alloctioiuitoly, "Wm. K. Logan." "London, 8/A. Sept., 181". "My Dear IUiotiikii, — . . I began this letter yesterday, fully determined to coutiuuo it in French to the end ; but behold the muta})ility and uncertainty of human resolves ! — the vessel by which it goes departs immediately, and as I can write English a little faster than French, I must finish in the former language to be in time. " You will, I dare say, before long receive a letter from Agnes (if you have not already), giving you information of an event which is to take place soon, that greatly concerns her future comfort and happiness, and which is of course deeply interesting to the whole of our family. The long and short of it is this : While she was in London, a gentleman w^ho used to A'isit the house frequently, struck with the beauties of her mind and person, fell desperately in love with the fair lady. A short time ago he made proposals. The proposals were accepted, and the marriage is to take jilace in January next. This favoured and fortunate gentleman's name is Alexander Stewart, of No. 5 Finsbury Square. He is an excellent, good-tempered fellow, and a perfect gentleman; a very particular friend of uncle's, and, if this can add anything to his merits, is worth about .£100,000. Uncle is quite elated with the match, our father and mother are very much pleased with it, and so jare all the rest of us. But not a w^ord of this to the I good people in Montreal. They will know it soon 2 18 LESSOA'S FROM A LINGUIST. [i8i7-i8. enough, if they know it after the affair takes place. It will be a great comfort to me to have so dear a friend ko near to me, and many of my evenings will be passed pleasantly in her company, which now hang heavy on my hands. Indeed, if it were not for French, Italian, and particularly geometry, I really b lieve I would cut my throat, or do some ol her foolish thing ; for I sometimes find myself very lonesome in the evening. I take lessons in geometry from Mr. Robert Burns, a son of the celebrated Robert Burns, the Ayrshire poet. This gentleman, besides being perfectly acquainted with mathematics, is an excellent Latin and Greek scholar, understands French, Italian, and almost all the European bTiguages, as well as a little Chinese and some other Oriental languages. He is very short-sighted, like myself, but uses no glass. I wear spectacles almost continually. " When friends at a distance write to one another they generally contrive to fill their pages ; but this I find it impossible to do, even although I have so very little more to fill up, because I am so much hurried, as you may perceive from ray writing. — Yours very ^^^^^^^1^' "Wm. E. Logan." << London, \1th. Aug., 1818. " My Dear Jamie, — With painful confusion have I to look ba-ck upon a long lapse of time during which I have been so neglectful as not to address to you a single I epistle. But, by the dead waters of the Styx, I swear— an oath which immortal Jove himself dare not violate — I swear that for the future the regularity of myj correspondence shall be eminently remarkable. 1818-19.] FAMIL y AFFAIRS. 19 "Tis nearly a whole year— I blush to think of it — since the date of my last letter to you. Half of it was scrawled in bad French, the rest in indifferent English ; but though the style of expression may have been poor the matter was interesting. It concerned the marriage of a dear and amiable member of our family to Mr. Stewart. The event took place, as I mentioned, in January. At the ceremony I was not present (being in London at the time) ; otherwise I would, according to your request, relate with the minutest accuracy all the circumstances of the case. But these I fancy you have already had in detail from my mother, or Agnes herself, or some other member of the family. It remains for me to tell you of the happiness and comfort of the married pair. To descant on the merits of the lady were unnecessary, — we know them already ; and to enumerate the good qualities of the gentleman would fill all my paper. . . . "There is another event shortly to take place in our family, which, though not of such deep concern as the marriage of a sister, is still sufficiently interesting to us all. The matter in question is no less than the marriage of our affectionate uncle, Hart Logan. , . . " I shall write to you again shortly, and in the meantime remain, yours very sincerely, but in very S'^^*^^*^' "W. E. Logan." " London, 23rrf. August, 1819. " My Dear Jamie, — I have made oaths innumerable to become a regular correspondent, but oaths, you see, are as weak as straws, and even that last dread one which >20 A VISIT TO IRELAND. [1819. I swore, binding to immortals, has not been binding to me : ' My promise is broken, My vow is betrayed.' Therefore, I'll no more of promises and vows, but show you by my future deeds that I can keep a resolution, The fact is that having a superabundance of employment in reading, &c.,&c., for every instant that I am unoccu- pied by the business of the counting-house, I have daily deferred the grateful duty of writing to you until whole months have slipped away, and the duty still remains unperformed. It was my full determination to send you a letter in the beginning of April last ; but just at that period I was despatched over to Ireland to superintend the shipment of some provisions on account of a contract which my uncle, conjointly with Mr. Stewart and Mr. Usborne, has had with Government. I visited Dublin, Waterford, Limerick, and Cork, and was much pleased with my trip, with the country, and with the hospitality of its inhabitants. " You will perceive by one of the Edinburgh news- papers sent to you by this opportunity, that Edmond and Henry, particularly the former, have been distin- guishing themselves at the High School. Henry has obtained a medal for excellent penmanship, and Edmond has carried off the highest prize that can be obtained at the school. Hart last winter attended college, and in his Grreek class was presented with a prize for his Latin verses ; and his name glittered in the newspapers. He has lately, also, been rewarded with the highest prize in a French class which he attended. We have now !9! -J AUTTSTia TENDENCIES. 21 been all gazetted ; three golden medals have been obtained, a quadrant, and forty-one volumes of books. Edmond's exercises and verses have always borne the highest character, and deservedly. " Henry's verses, too, have been much admired, and when you come home thi? fall you shall be loaded with copies of his, Edmond's, and Hart's exercises to take out to Mr. Skakel, who, 1 am sure, will be much pleased in reading them. " We all heard with inexpressible delight of your intended visit to us this ensuing autumn, and shall expect your arrival with the most impatient eagerness. It is therefore to be hoped that you will use every exertion to let us see you as soon as possible. You ought to inform uncle officially that you intend to visit this country ; for although he has heard of it indirectly, yet he might deem it rather strange were you to come without writing to himself directly. " Since I wrote to you last I have been drawing, and, under the instruction of an old school-fellow, Mr. Cockayne, who has particularly fine taste, I have made considerable progress ; so much so that a chalk drawing which T have sent dow^n to Edinburgh has been much admired by my friends there. " About a month ago, Agnes left this with her little son for Scotland, and is now pleasantly passing her time with her friends and relations at Parkhall. There she intends to remain until October next, when Mr. Stewart will go to Edinburgh to bring her back. She went down by a Leith smack, and had a very boisterous passage of five days All the family are now at t! ■ ■ ii M 1 ! ! M t i i ■ 11 22 FAMILY DETAILS. [1320 Parkhall, and quite well. Mary and Eliza have become great musicians, and you will be delighted next winter with their dulcet and harmonious notes. My father has been very successful at the Moors this season, as usual. I have as yet had no particular account of the number of birds he has slaughtered, but doubt not that he has been pretty sanguinary. . . . Yours most truly and affectionately. ,. ^ j^^ ^ogan " ||i:i'!'' ■: "London, 29th. March, 1820. " My Dear Jamie, — . . It was a grievous disap- pointment to us all, as you may suppose, that you were so unpleasantly prevented from paying us a visit last fall. I would often have written to you since the date of my last epistle, had I not daily flattered myself with the prospect of your making your appearance. But all the family rest in the agreeable hope that you will not fail to do so the coming winter. You must set out from Montreal as soon as possible, and make your stay among us as long as you can. " All your relations here and in Scotland are well. Our young nephew in the Square is a very fine little fellow. He can now walk, and begins to articulate a few words. Among others he has been taught to say 'uncle.' . . . Hart, Edmond and Henry are still pursuing a successful career in their studies at Edinburgh. ... It was extremely gratifying to see such honourable mention made of them at the place of their birth, in some of the newspapers which we got from you last year They deserved it, and I think (perhaps I judge partially) that they do credit to their first instructor, Mr. Skakel. 1821.] THE USUAL APOLOGY. 28 ' My father, as you have perhaps already heard, has purchased the small estate at which the family have for these two years past been spending the summer months. . , . When I was down in Scotland a year ago I paid it a visit of a few hours, and my admiration was excited by its situation. ... It will be a source of employment and amusement to my father, who has already commenced the cultivation of it, and the first ridge of the first field of wheat was sown by his own hand. Excuse my careless- ness, and believe me, my dear Jamie, yours most truly and affectionately, ,. ^^_ Y.y^uony, Logan." "London, 29/A. March, 1821. " My Dear Jamie, — T must not permit the Clarkstone to depart from London without sending by her my annual epistle to you (so I may call it, for I shame to say it has been nothing more for these two or three years past) ; and I must commence it with my usual tribute of apology for so long a silence as may almost induce you to suppose that my tongue has dropped out of its place, or rather that my fingers, like those of poor Niobe, have ' hardened into stone.' I know not precisely what to say for myself To tell you that I had for such a length of time submitted myself to the dominion of the evil spirit procrastination, would only be to swell out my fault — large enough already. There appears not, however, within ken, any other true cause why the whole four seasons should have inter- vened since last I scribbled to you. Therefore, I must just throw myself upon your mercy ; and you ought to be merciful, for you yourself stand in need of pardon. 24 AN ABYSS OF SORROW. [l821. I :\i>li: I ■i:';( Look at the groat ])lots that dye your own epistolary character so darkly, and you will then scarcely perceive the stain that tinges mine. But we must really ronse our correspondence from this vile repose in which it lies resting. I shall write oftener to you, as you must to me. " Since I last did so, we have all, both here and in Edinburgh, been quite well, and the only cloud that has during the interval darkened the sunshine of our happiness, was the death of poor Agnes' little boy, of which you were informed about ten months ago. That was, indeed, a sad and heartbreaking catastrophe. It threw us all into an abyss of sorrow ; and you, I make no doubt, when you heard of it, felt in common with us. He had just arrived at the most interesting period of childhood ; could run about, and was beginning to prattle most amusingly. Agnes was wrapt up in him, and almost all her time was spent in doing something for him. . . . She used often to picture to herself the pleasure you would take in him when you came to Britain, little imagining that before then Death, cruel Death, would lay his cold and relentless hand upon such an angel. . . . You may conceive what a pang it gave her to part w^ith him. But she sustained the loss with a greater degree of fortitude and heroism than I thought she possessed. Mr. Stewart felt it like a father, yet gave to Agnes all the consolation in his power. The society and sympathy of Margaret, too, who was then here, served to soften in some measure the agony of her sorrow. But what more than anything else tended to wear away its poignancy, was the birth 1821.] TIME WORKS CHANGES. 2ft of a little daughter, to whom she has given the name of Agnos. A bouncing young lady she is — now nine months old. She cannot yet speak or walk, but is in training, and will have arrived at that point of profi- ciency in her education by the time you see her next winter. . . . " You must make us an early visit next fall, and pray do not try how lato you can remain in Canada before you start, but how soon you can bo here. You will find us all strangely altered from what we were four years ago. Some of us, you perhaps will say, are not improved, and among this awkward squad your humble servant will have the honour of being placed. . . If you think of them as they were when they last met your view, you would call Edmond Hart now, Henry Edmond, and for little Henry himself you would look in vain through the family. But their improvement has been mental as well as corporeaL ... " Captain Service is waiting for my letter, and I have only time to tell you further that I am, my dear Jamie, most affectionately yours, " W F Logan " i i i' ■ !l "FiNSBUUY Square, Zlst. Aug., 1821. " My Dear Jamie, — ... I was at Clarkstone when the intelligence of your confime ges ing iii't md rds me Lse- mt ing 5 is tly ;he ^er he or, he ile et, on >le to ig of ill ly ;s. 1 , ■ i ■ill 1821.] I '/, Z o ^ \ < < < "Th( what i was wi naked, clothed The gr on the certain ancient style, af lower t is no e lllli: 1821.] CLARKSTOXI'J DP.SCniBPJ). 'It I "Tho beauty of Clarkstone is greatly superior now to what it was when I saw it two years ago ; for then it was winter, and everything was wet, and withered, and naked, and black, and cold. But now the trees are clothed with loliag(», and the parks thatched with grass. The grain waves in the iields, and heather blooms on the mountains. The scenery about Clarkstone is certainly very fine. The house itself is of a curious ancient appearance, mid hii« a front built in the Uothic style, after the manner of a priory. It stands on ground lower than the land immediately about it, so that there is no extraordinary extent of view from it, nor even any very great Ijeauty of prospect. . . . But walk a little distance, and ascend any of the green knolls that are near, and you are repaid for your step by a prospect magnificent indeed. For the lofty mountains that run along the northern side of the Forth — theOchill Hills — and Ben Lomond and Ben Ledi, with their cloud-capt tops, lend their blue and distant sublimity ; the wide waters of the f'orth lend their majestic motion, and the low, level and fat land of the carse, which lies along the southern side of the river, its luxuriance, to form as admirable a view as can be conceived or desired by the heart of man. — Yours truly, "WE Logan" On the 22nd, of August, 1822, Logan wrote his annual letter to "Jamie"; but this time, instead of beginning with the usual excuses tor his own remissness, he commences by scoldmg his brother tor not writing more frequently. After venting his pretended wrath in a closely'written page and a half, he continues : 28 CITE MIC AL LA NO IT A K. [l822. "If you havo imbibotl all tho heat I have radiated upon this all'air, and do not find yoursolf in a profuso perspiration, why I can only say, in the language of chemistry, that you havo a 'gnnit capacity for caloric' When you havo read my letter, touch the first person you meet, and o})sorvo wh«^ther your tact sets his clothes on lire, or raises a blister on his skin. If it does not, why then you may conclude that the heat which is in you is 'latent heat.' But this is all stuff See what you compel me to. Your silence preventing a community of topics upon which to descant, I am reduced to talking nonsense. " There is, however, one subject which draws equally our affections to it, and upon which I may write for a good while without proving tiresome — I moan that of ' our family. . , . My father, as you havo perhaps been informed by some of the northern branches of the family, has sold his house in Queen Street, and now resides altogether at Clarkstone. My mother, with Margaret, Mary and Eliza, resides there too. Hart, Edmond and Henry live in Edinburgh, comfortable lodgings having been hired for them in George Street, where they are accommodated with two or three rooms and have attendance from the woman of the house. Here they remain during the greater part of the year, and here they vigorously pursue their studies. Hart has determined, finally, to pursue the profession of the law, and is devoting himself to the acquirement of that knowledge necessary to fit him for the Bar ; not exclu- sively, however, for he is, too, a general reader, and is now pretty well versed in English literature. Edmond, liiiiilii I! 1H22.] FAMILY DETAILS, 29 after much uncertainty, und much anxiety on his part, and p^reat pondcrin*? on that of his parents, as to the profession for which he was best calrulattKl, has at length fixed upon that of Writer to the Sigr.et, a profes- sion of lirst-rate respectability, and one in which, I doubt not, he will, by his unrelenting diligence and porseveranc^e, at least acquire high that it would be painful to revisit them ? Did you experience no pleasures ? Did you meet with no society that make you cast back i,pon that period a look at once of satisfaction and regret ? Alas ! — one from whom you felt it hard to part, who made you caoi many a longing, lingering look behind, has ^ - wer to charm no more — Jessie is married. The eyes that beamed so kindly on you have beamed more kindly on another ; the fair hand that you pressed so warmly in token of farewell, which waved to you so affectionate an adieu, has been bestowed upon a rival. The gentle- man whom she man led is a captain in the navy. His name is . He is of a high family ; noble blood flows in his veins. He has a genealogical tree whose root, for aught I know, is planted in William the Conqueror. He is a nephew to Lord E , grandson to my Lord this, and cousin to my Lord that. But, above all, he is, I hear, a man of gentle manners and good disposition, and will make a good husband. Methinks I hear you cry out upon the hardness of your fate. But never despair — there are more fish in the sea. "When you are here you must bait well your hook, and try to catch some of them. ... I know several very j^^Iea- sant ladies to whom 1 shall introduce you. One will charm you with her conversation, another will enchant you with her music; this one will kill you with her beauty, and that one with her kindness. Somi are gentle, some romantic. Lito this vortex of delight will I throw you, and then, woe betide your senses and your CAJVADA VISITED. 31 I'l heart. . . . Believe me, my dear Jamie, very affec- tionately yours, "W.E.Logan." Although he says little about the matter, it would appear from some of his letters that Logan paid a visit to his native country some time in 1823. " I am very anxious," he wrote to his brother James, in August, 1824, "to know how the farm thrives this year. Pray what do you think of the improvements made by me about the yard and house ? Does the farm account begin to smile, or does it still bear its frowning aspect?" And in 1825 he again writes: "1 have not been to Scotland since I returned from Canada, nor shall I be there this year." WW:: .:?'it ■I, :,#. Mii;; i'\. n::!il !■ CHAPTER TIL LIFE IN LONDON — (Continued.) NOT long after Logan came to London his uncle purchased an estate called Kentwell, at Long Milford, in Suffolk, a county which he subsequently represented in Parliament. Hither he commonly resorted during the shooting season, often accompanied by some of his numerous friends. At such times it was usually necessary for the nephew to remain at the counting-house in London ; but now and then he was vouchsafed a visit to Kentwell, which he greatly enjoyed. One of these occasions, in the summer of 1824, was a particularly happy one ; for he was accom- panied by his father and brother Edmond, who had come from Scotland to spend a short time with him in London. Of the manner in which they enjoyed them- selves at Kentwell. we can best judge from Logan's own words : " We had," he says, " shooting by day, and music by night, making the corners of the old Hall ring with our flutes and piano, and causing the fields to re-echo with the reports of our guns. In the way of shooting, my father was more successful than any of us, 1824.] A MOTHERS VISIT. 33 and killed more than all of us put together. My uncle, agitated by a desire to show how well he could shoot, shot very ill , Edmond killed right and left, and I, poor wight ! was obliged to hide my diminished head, for I wasted a great deal of powder and lead." In the summer of 1825, his mother came to visit her married daughter near London. Her coming had long been looked forward to with delight, and the occasion of her arrival was enthusiastically described by Logan in one of his long letters to Clarkstone. The letter shows not only his fondness lor his mother, but also the interest which he took in the sayings and doings of children : " It gives me great pleasure," he writes, " to announce to you the safe arrival of our good mother. . . I found that the steamboat was expected about noon on Monday ; so all was prepared to receive our mother at that time. Agnes sent the carriage from Woodford, and I went down to meet the boat, which got up to her anchorage about three o'clock. I was in a small boat on the river, and was the first person who put foot on board the steam packet ; so that while my mother was looking towards the shore and straining her eyes to see if she could distinguish there anyone she knew, I surprised her by taking hold of her hand. We soon got ashore and into the carriage, and made a short journey of it to "Woodford, I asking and she answering many questions, in which you were not forgotten." Then follows a description of the meeting at Woodford, and the delight of the children, particu- larly when they found that their grandmother had " no loss than half a dozen parcels " of the good things which A 34 JUVENILE DISPUTANTS. lfi2C.] grandmothers are wont to carry with them when they " go visiting." "The little ones hung to her, and called her all sorts of honeyed names — ' Dear Grandmamma,' ' Sweet Grandmamma,' ' Pretty Grandmamma,' &('. So that she looked like the Goddess of Fortune, and they her votaries, upon whom she bestowed her excel- lent gifts. And as it happens with the big children of the world, so it happened with them — the one became envious of the goods which fortune dispensed to another : 'Your sugar-plum is bir. ' r than mine,' and 'you have got an almond more than I have,' said Alexander to Agnes Then replied Agnes, ' But you have got three cara^ iy seeds, and I have not got any.' Then came clamour : ' Grandmamma, give me three caraway seeds ;' ' Grandmamma, give n.ie an almond ;' ' Mamma, make Grandmamma give me one of the big ones.' ' Agnes, you're a very naughty girl ;' ' Alexander, I'll send you upstairs.' Then came crying ; so that it was not more than half an hour after Grandmamma's arrival before she heard how nicely they could tune their pipes." In 1826, his uncle having given him a short leave of absence, Logan visited Paris for the first time. Passing through Normandy on his way to the great French capital, he was much struck by the numerous points of resemblance between the people of that Province and the French-Canadian i)easants, or habitants, with whose appearance, manners and customs he had of course been familiar as a boy in Montreal. Of the Parisians he shortly after wrote to his brother James as follows : — «'Th of— coi all the of houi Champ places crowds going 1S2C.] PARIS AND THE PARISIANS. 35 •/ ) " They are the gayest of beings that can be conceived of— constantly in search of amusement. In the summer all the world seems to live in the open air, making use of houses merely as dormitories. The Boulevards, the Champs Elysees, the public gardens, the theatre, and all places of entertainment, are continually frequented by crowds, eager to participate in such diversions as are going on. The male part of the population dresses ill, and cuts but a sorry figure ; but the females put on their clothes to perfection — much better than the ladies of this country. Fine rotundity of form, however, is so universally met with, that I cannot but imagine that part of it is occasionally derived from the cork-cutter or the milliner. Indeed, a milliner is thought nothing of who cannot artificially supply the greatest defect or remedy the greatest deformity. The ladies all affect an air mignon, and with the head a little on one side, a smirk on the face, and a pretty little trip in the walk, they go about all day as if they had studied an attitude before the glass in the morning, and meant to carry it to bed with them at night. But it is only when dressed for show that a French lady looks well ; take her at any other time and she is a slattern. So great is the contrast ])etween her deshabille and her toilette, that, seeing her in the one and in the other, brings to mind the change a caterpillar undergoes in becoming a butterfly." Logan was always fond of music, and not only sang himself, but also played the flute. London, during the time of his residence there, being, as now, the great centre to which the most celebrated musicians of Europe resorted, he had ample opportunity for gratifying his I i : 36 MUSICAL TASTES. [1827. 1827.] i;ir!vi: musical tastes, and was frequently to be found at the opera, at concerts, or at musical parties. At this time, also, it happened that there were numbers of Spaniards in London, who, driven from their own country, had taken refuge there. With their foreign manners, their language, and their peculiar music, he was greatly charmed, and being often thrown into their society, hu soon acquired such a knowledge of Spanish as to be able to converse with them in their own tongue. In the winter of 1827 a private concert was given at the house of one of his friends, at which many of these Spaniards were present, and in one of his letters he describes it in the following amusing manner : — " Before the concert there was a dinner party, at which it was not my lot to be j)resent, the beckoning finger of good fortune not having invited me, perhaps because there was no room. It is, therefore, out of my power to describe that part of the ceremony, the only good thing of which that came to my knowledge, with the exception of the many good things that made their re-appearance at supper, was one that came out of the mouth of a celebrated wit of our acquaintance, better than anything that went into the mouths of all the rest ; for he, upon the all-devouring G-eneral Y complaining that he had lost his stomach and could not eat, replied that, judging from the quantity sent down his throat, he was inclined to believe that if he had lost any part of his stomach it must be the bottom. . . . "Being a fashionable man, I did not attend until half-past ten o'clock, and when I ascended the staircase and entered the small drawing-room, a dead silence deligh 1827.] SPANISH ACQUAINT ANOES. SI was prevailing. Madame V was about to sing. There was no passing into the front room. The folding- door was completely blocked up by a crowd of Spaniards and other foreigners, all of distinction, w^ho clustered round like bees at the mouth of a hive. There was Mr. G- , with his wide-swelling nostril ; General V , with his nose for four, and Mr. S , with his w^hiskers to match ; Mr. L , with his mouth shut, and Mr. B , with his mouth open ; Mr. D , Mr. De la T , &c., &c. " Not without a world of difficulty, I squeezed myself through this w^orld of men, j ust so far fbrward as to get a peep at what was going on. The musicians were collected about the piano, the fascinating little syren in the midst, L seated at the instrument. All were preparing to listen — the Miss De la T s with envy, the Miss G s with pleasure, the M s with apathy, and our friend L (seated on the sofa, the beautiful Miss M on one side, and the beautiful Madame de L , magnificent in a black velvet Parisian hat and plume of w^hite feathers, on the other), with ecstacy and delight. Onibra adorata was the song, and how exqui- sitely the little woman sang it ! Mr. B was, as usual, overflowing with high spirits. He constituted himself master of ceremonies, and unceremoniously made enough noise for the whole party. After favouring us with one of his best songs, in the execution of which, to his wife's accompaniment on the piano, he showed himself to be in capital voice, he allowed no intermis- sion to take place in the performances that succeeded. More than once again Spanish and Portuguese airs. 38 SPANTSH MUSIC. [l827. '^' many of which I had never heard before, flowed in the richest perfection of melody from the soul of La de Y . The De la T s sang solos, duets and trios, sometimes accompanied by the piano, sometimes by the guitar, and there was a trio to the latter instru- ment, which I mention in particular, because the words are the production of the fertile brain which lodges in the head of their great brother, the renowned scholar, Sr. Don Manuel de la T . L dashed out a grand fantasia on the piano, and Mr. B , a Spaniard, a professor and divine performer on the guitar, astonished and enraptured our ears by some most beautiful and peculiar music, such as I had no idea the instrument was susceptible of, and such as certainly cannot be played on any other. I did myself the honour of tripping it on the light fantastic toe with Miss Monica de la T , who in the course of conver- sation told me that the Duke of Wellington had heagte's het/es, and that she had a few days before attended a juvenile party, where she had seen a child that was quite an Eeb (meaning a Hebe)." The same G-eneral de V and his wife subse- quently gave a concert at the residence of Sir Francis Burdett, the noble baronet placing at their disposal a suite of brilliantly-lighted rooms, and supplying refreshments for the entire company — the condition, however, being that the tickets should not be less than a guinea each. Logan, who was at the concert, tells us that altogether about a thousand tickets were disposed of, putting about .£800 in the pocket of the Spaniard. 1827.] HOLIDAYS. 39 The artificial life of a city has with some the eft'ect of diminishing appreciation of the beauties of nature, while with others it only makes that appreciation more keen. With Logan the latter was the case, and the longer he lived in London the more did he sigh for the freedom of the country. Fond as he was, too, of home and its associations, it is not to be wondered at that in the coniinement of the counting-house a visit to the country home at Clarkstone was long looked forward to with pleasure. Four years have elapsed since he was last there, in 1823, and now he expects to go again. In anticipation of the happy event, and also of meeting his brothers from Edinburgh, he writes to one of his sisters : " It is to be hoped that Edmond will have it in his power to make our stay the season of his annual holiday, and then, as it will be vacation time with Hart, we shall have glorious fun, and make the welkin ring again with our songs and merriment." On this occasion he was accompanied to Clarkstone by a friend, Mr. A. L. Gower, who subsequently became his brother-in-law. His hopes of meeting his brothers were also realized, and, after a short stay at Clarkstone, the four young men left together for a tour through the Highlands. This was afterwards described in a letter to his brother James (London, May 9th., 1828,) from which we transcribe the following : — " We set out from Clarkstone on foot one morning early, and got to Stirling about noon, well ducked by a thunder-storm which overtook us before we had paced many miles of the journey. At Stirling we paid our respects to Mrs. Irvine, and the same afternoon pro- 40 A SCOTTTSH TOUR [1827. ceeded in a stage-coach to Callandor, where we slept that night, after taking an up-hill promenade, with half a dozen Highland boys and girls as guides, to see the beautil'iil cascade at Bracklinn Bridge, distant a])out throe miles from the village. Next day, after taking a peep at the Pass ol' Lony, we w^alked along the shores of Loch Vonnachar and Loch Achray, to the Trosachs, winding, as we went, round the base of Ben Ledi ; and, having refreshed ourselves at Stewart's Lin, which we reached about twelve o'clock, we visited all the remark- able and beautiful scenery of the neighbourhood, and then ascended to t».e top of Ben venue — about 3,500 feet high — whence we had a magnificent prospect of mountain and flood. Our eyes commanded the whole of the scene of Sir Walter Scott's ' Lady of the Lake.' We beheld five Lochs immediately under our feet, three of which, Vennachar, Achray, and Katrine, joined in succession by a small stream flowing from one to the other, bound the ])ase of the mountain like so many links of a chain ; and there arose up round us a thousand gigantic hills. Fatigued with our exertions, we slept that night at Stewart's Lin, which w^as filled with visitors, even to the very barns and stables, and, among others, the Duchess of Gordon honoured the place with her presence. The following morning we took to a boat, and were rowed by a couple of High- landers to the upper extremity of Loch Katrine, and then crossed the country on foot to Loch Lomond, visiting on our way the dirty, smoky, mud-hut (very much resembling a pig-sty), in which th-e celebrated Helen McG-regor was born, and where is still preserved 1827.] A SCOTTISH TOUR. 41 a tromcndous long gun, onco the property of Rob Roy, to whom the old Highland wife, who reigns the blear- eyed queen of the i)lace, is related. We came upon Loch Lomond at Inversnaid, where we were in time lor a passing steamboat, which conveyed us to Rowar- (loiinan, at the foot of Ben Lomond. There wo waited twenty-four hours, with an intention to ascend iho mountain should the weather prove favourable. But it rained all the time, and clouds upon clouds capped the summit, without even seeing which, much less touching it, we embarked again on board the steamboat, and sailed to the lower extremity of the lake, where it flow^s into the Leven, a stream celebrated by the pen of SmoUet, who had, and whose family (some of the members of which were companions of mine at the High School) still have a small property on its banks. Here we got into a coach, and proceeded to Dumbarton, thence to Dunglas (the termination of the wall built by the Romans between the Forth and the Clyde), where we boarded one of the thousand steamboats that ply on the river, and from it we soon landed on the pier at Greenock. Mr. Lewis Gower having some friends there, we were on his account obliged to remain in that dirty, disagree- able place for two days ; and I have to reproach myself with not having written to you thence. There was plenty of opportunity ; for the ' Cherub,' and one or two other vessels sailed at the time. But I hate writing at all times, and I was then particularly lazy. "Again resuming our tour, a steamboat took us to Holy Loch, our legs to Loch Eck, to the upper extremity 42 A SCOTTISH TOUR. [1827. H 1837.] ill ' I'll' « Ml 1 i. \4 iiii si 11 of which wo were convoyed ))y an iron steamboat. "Wo were again indebted to our legs for carrying us to Strachur, where we onco more took to a steamer, and, sailing along the beautiful banks of Loch Fyne (famous for its herrings), landed at Invorary, a very neat and commodious village, mui;h frequented by bathers and all those gadding people who cannot stay at home during a line summer. The Duke of Argyll has a fine castle in the neighbourhood, which, of course, W(! saw. The park about it is very i)retty, and is adorned with some of the most beautiful lime-trees I have soon any- where. We supped at one of the inns, of which there are two, large and convenient; but, strange to say, notwithstanding the celebrity of the place for herrings, we were served with some so offensive to our olfactory nerves that we were obliged to send them from the table. From Invorary we took a moonlight ramble to Dalmally, about twelve miles distant, which we reached about two hours after midnight. In the course of our walk we saw tvA^o beautiful lunar rainbows. The day's journey had fatigued us most completely, and, being accommodated with comfortable c^uarters, we slept like so many tops. Next day, notwithstanding it was Sun day and we were in Scotland, we started like giants refreshed, and walked through the uncultivated valley of Grlenorchy, along the stream which gives to the valley its name. We disembogued upon Inverouran, where we took dinner, which, by the by, consisted of tea, with oat-cakes and other things lit to choke any man of| sensibility ; but hunger enabled us to get them down We had walked about sixteen miles, and there were! 1827.] A SCOTTTSIT TOUR. ^•^ about twnnty-fivo more to get over })ofore wo should , o-ot to Ballahulieh, where we meant to rest for tlie night. Some of our feet were blistered, and all our legs were tired, and it was unanimously resolved that wo should drive the rest of the way, provided we could get a cart — the only carriage, fit for a gentleman, to bo found in that part of the world. The inn-keei)er had a cart, which had been used to carry manure the day before, and, therefore, jmssessed a most savoury smell, as you may suppose. This we applied for. But Iraino host, a fellow with a huge purple nose and Iscarlet face, studded with carbuncles, who was, I dare say, scarcely evtn* sober, whether Sunday or Monday, forsooth could not let us have the fragrant vehicle, )ecause it was the 'Lord's Day.' But we saw through lis drift, which was no other than to get a little more )f our money, by causing us to sleep at his inn ; and, leeting his ruse by one in return, we informed him IQ should walk on. Then, fearing to lose the oppor- tunity of letting his cart, he said we might have (t, although it went much * agin his conscience.' 'he bottom of the cart was forthwith covered with leather, the horse 'put to,' and, packed in like four fogs, we set out. After passing along on a most )eautiful military road, through some of the most lesolate and solitary country that, I daresay, is to be found on the face of the globe, where not a mud hut, or creature, or a tree, is to be seen for miles and miles, ,'0 reached King's House, and while the horse was Raiting, ascended a hill called the Devil's Staircase. '^e again got into the cart, and entered the Valley of \ I 44 A SCOTTISH TOUR. I. ; . I ' :, i 1 ^:!i Glencoe, famous as the birthplace of Ossian. and noted for the horrible massacre perpetrated on the unsus- pecting inhabitants by the Government troops in 1691, in the reign of William and Mary. The valley is v^^ildly romantic. It is very narrow, and in the bottom of it runs the small stream of Cona, from which the mountains rise upon eac^i side, rugged, broken, and precipitous, to the very great height of 3,000 feet. They overhang the road, and stand out in some of the most striking and terrific attitudes; sometimes approaching so near to each other from the opposite sides as to shut out the light of heaven. They threaten to fall upoii| the passenger, and bury him in a tremendous ruin; and it is not without a feeling of secret dread that one I beholds this awful scenery, which in its character is not equalled by anything in the British Isles. AVe! reached Ballahulish about midnight, after a fine moon- light drive along the shore of Loch Leven. But it was! too obscure to see the slate-quarry, for which the place is famous. The subsequent day we walked to Fort William, about fourteen miles, and then ascended to the summit of Ben Nevis, seven miles more, where we found ourselves on the highest land in Britain, being J 4,500=^ feet above the level of the sea. We had a most exteiisive prospect from this position. We could seel the Islt of Skye, the Isles of Mull ond of Rum, about sixty miles off', and the Atlantic beyond them ; on the other side, the Grampian Hills. The commencement of the Caledonian Canal was almost under our feetj Never did I endure such dreadful fatigue as I experi- • 4,406, according to the Trigonometri ;al Survey. 1827.] A SCOTTISH TOUR. 45 enced in ascending and descending this great mountain, the summit of which is a barren, naked rock, without a single particle of earth on it, but here and there I covered with snow all the year round. . . . About 3,000 feet above the level of the sea there is a spring of very line water, which I made a point of tasting, as it lis the highest water in the island. " Completely knocked up with our exertions, we slept [that night at Fort William. Next morning we took the steamboat, and coasting along Argyleshire, and passing through the Crinan Canal into Loch Fyne ao-ain, we threaded the Kyles of Bute, and returned to Greenock the following morning, in company with about 300 Highlanders, male and female, who at 3s. a head had made this descent on the Lowlands for the [purpose of getting employment as reapers during the [harvest. Leaving Greenock, we soon got to Glasgow, land there taking coach, again sho *ved our faces, some- Iwhat sunburnt, at Clarkstone, just at dinner-time, after jan absence of ten days, during which we had walked )ue hundred and twenty miles, coached fifty miles, carted twenty-live, boated twelve, and steamboated three hundred and fifty ; climbed one hill of 3,600 feet [ill height, and another of 4,500 feet." After his return to London, he wrote the following fetter to Clarkstone, giving further details of his tour in Scotland : — "London, 2nd. September, 1827. "My Bear Mary, — Ever since my return to this ?reat bustling and noisy place, what with making up the lee-way my absence has occasioned in the counting- 46 SCOTTISH FPTENDS. [1827. H 1837.] '■'M 1 ¥■] house, what v- ith the hurry-skurry produced by my uncle's departure from town in time to get to Kentwell to shoot on the first, and my aunt and Mrs. Parker's preparations for their final removal to the country, I have not had a moment's leisure to put pen to paper on any other subject than business. Just at the instant of Dr. Dickson's departure for Scotland I was particularly engrossed, and could not write by him to give you an account of my journey hither, and a few of the various adventures that befell Lewis and myself on the road. By the boy that drove us to Lanark, I returned a. note to Edmond, to let him know that we had got that far. I told him that we had seen the Falls of the Clyde, which are very beautiful, and that we intended to proceed southward the next day. But next day we did not proceed; and it was altogether the fault of Lewis, who broke through an agreement we had made to prevent delay either at Lanark, where I had friends, or at Newton Stewart, where he b . ^ friends. I knew that if I called on the Grillespies at Sunnyside, I should be pressed to stay another day ; and he knew that at the Manse of Kirkowan he would be pressed to stay a week instead of a day, the time we had set down as all we could spend there. So we agreed that among my friends he should pretend a great hurry to be up to town, and that among his friends the hurry should be mine. ... Having satisfactorily arranged this plan while we were at dinner at the Clydesdale Inn, towards evening we went with Mr. Menzies to pay our respects to Mrs. Gillespie, at her beautiful villa on the banks of the Clyde. But on our way thither we visited that romantic 1827.] A BROKEN COMPACT. 4*7 o-len, the Cartlaiid Crags, through which the River Mouse runs, between lofty, rugged and precipitous, but thickly wooded sides, to join the Clyde, passing, as it flows along, under a new bridge, built of freestone, and consisting of three arches, of which the middle one is 150 feet high.=^ It was rather late when we reached the glen, and in the obscurity of the evening we had but an imperfect view. But it appeared to my companion so romantic a place that, wishing to observe it by a more jierfect light, he silently determined to break through our settled plan of proceeding on our journey in the morning. This I found out when, after spending the evening very agreeably at Sunnyside, and being on the point of returning to our inn, Mr. trillespie, as had been anticipated, most urgently pressed me to remain next day in the neighbourhood, where there was a great deal worth seeing, and to dine with him in the evening. Agreeably to arrangement, I said that nothing would give me greater pleasure, were not my r. id, Mr. Gower, pressed for time to such a degree that it would be out of our power. Mr. Gillespie then turned the battery of his eloquence to Ivcwis, who, at once, and to my utter astonishment, said that he could and would with pleasure spend all next day in visiting the beautiful scenery about Lanark, and dine at Sunnyside in the afternoon. Our concerted plan thus IVustrated, I could, of course, be nothing less than very hap])y to do the same. " Next morning we got up very early, breakfasted at * Black says : — << About thirty years ago a liridgo was thrown across tliis ravine, consisting of three arches, 128 feet in height."— 1861, p. 391. I ■ I ! 48 INCREASED RESPONSIBILITIES. [l827. VI; ^'1 ; 'Hi ;!:iii the Manse, wh^re tea was made for us by the fair hand of Miss Menzics, and thence proceeded in Mr. Gillespie's gig, first five miles along the banks of the Clyde, above Lanark, and then ten miles by the same beautiful stream, below Lanark, visiting all that was worthy of a stranger'^ attention, not omitting Tillytoodlem Castle, and taking another peep at the Cartland Crags. "We dined with Mr. Grillespie in the afternoon, and met Mr. Patterson and Mr. Grreenshields at his table. Next morning we proceeded in a hired gig round the base of Tinto to Chester Hall Inn, a distance of about ten miles. There we met an Edinburgh coach, which took us by the stupendous A'ale of Dalven, and the wooded vale of Nith (where we had a glimpse of Douglas Castle, the seat of the l)uke of Buccleugh), to Dumfries. . . Believe me very affectionately yours, "W.E.Logan." Logan's uncle seems to have given up his London residence in 1827, and gone to reside all the year round at his country-seat in Suffolk, leaving to his nephew the responsibility of managing the business in the metropolis. The change, on the whole, appears to have been pleasing to the latter, who was beginning to tire of the many parties and dinners to which he was subjected while living with his uncle on Wimpole Street. " I shall not," he says, " much lament the change, for then I shall get lodgings in the city, and thus be nearer to the scene of business, and save the time 1 now daily lose in walking to and from the counting- house — two hours, at least. Besides, I shall be able to 183031.] SCIENTIFIC TENDENCIES, 49 lead a more quiet life. . . . Much company, rich food, and rich wines, are things disgusting to my taste and prejudicial to my health. Henry and I will lodge together, and those evenings that are not taken up with business we shall occupy, sometimes with a little music, sometimes with a little drawing, and very often with much reading.' Writing to Montreal in the spring of 1830, he says : — " I do not think I have ever informed you that Henry and I have taken up our quarters in Finsbury Square, number 47. We reside with a young gentleman who is an old school-fellow of Henry's, and who, having spent many a day at Clarkstone, is well acquainted with all of us. Eobert Dickson is his name, and Doctor is his title." To what extent, during his life in London, Logan devoted himself to pursuits or amusements of a scientific nature, we do not know ; but the study of geology was apparently not begun until after he went to live in Wales. Shortly after his arrival there, in the spring of 1831, he wrote to his brother Henry, asking him to send him some of his " goods and chattels," which had been left in London. " In the first place, put into my trunk as many of my old clothes as I have left behind. This will be a famous place to wear them out, and, indeed, at the works it would be a sin and shame to wear anything else than old clothes. In the next place, put into it as many of my scientific books as you can, particularly such as are connected with mechanics and chemistry ; and I will thank you to purchase and add to such as you find, the 3rd edition of Turner's i I 50 MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY. [1833 :,x] ii Chemistry, and some good work on mineralogy and! geology. Dr. Dickson will be able to tell you which are the best. In the third place, stuff into it my pencils, drawing-boards and drawing-paper, and my case of instruments ; and if it will hold any more, puij in some of my flute-music." In a letter written to his I brother James two years after this (June, ld33,) hei says : " The study of the ores of copper has gradually led me to that of mineralogy and geology, and oil specimens in both departments I have become a bit of a collector. Now, if you could assist me to a few of Canadian origin, 1 should be obliged. Any steamer coming to Swansea or Neath would bring them almost to the door. ... At first you need not be very parti- cular in your choice ; even a collection of the pebbles I of various kinds to be found in the river would be welcome, and so would small fragments broken off from any of the strata near or far from you, such as from the mountain, from Cape Diamond, Quebec, &c,, &c. Specimens having the appearance of shells, or organic remains of any kind, would be preferred. Let | me know where they come from as exactly as possible, and you can say, also, what you consider them to be, By the way, I am informed by our good cousin, William i Edmond, who, you are, I take it for granted, aware, is here with me, that his brother James has provided him with a collection of whatever he meets with that is curious. If, therefore, he has been practising, he will] assist you. " Did you eve) hear of any copper ore in Canada, or I anywhere near it I If any were discovered it might Ibecome a lit, and it ivoop the recently L'onncctic [ova Sec some wer Lawrence 1833.] COPPER IN CANADA. 51 )ecome a matter of profit to us, if we could get hold of lit, and it proved of good quality. Kecollect this, and cet'p the matter before you. I understand there has recently been a mine of it discovered in the State of Connecticut, and I am told, also, that there is copper in [ova Scotia. It would be no matter of surprise if some were found in Canada within reach of the St. iljawrence." CIIArXER IV. viii; 'IP i'. 1 III COrPER-SMELTING AND COAL-MINING. ABOUT the year 1828, a process having been discov- ered in Wales for extracting copper from the slags I which had j^revioiisly been abandoned as useless, the inventor communicated the secret, for a consideration,! to certain gentlemen, who soon bought up, at very little i cost, millions of tons of slag, and began smeltiii!; operations in the neighbourhood of Swansea.^ In securing the necessary capital for their enterprise they were greatly assisted by Logan's uncle, to whom, in return for his services, they afterwards gave an eightli share in the business, on the condition, however, that he should contribute ,£10,000 in money. In the terms of co-partnership, the uncle, who was desirous that his * From information kimily supplied by Dr. Percy, of London, il| appears that the process mentioned here, for the extraction of copper fro ore-furnace slag, did not prove a success. Dr. Percy says : " I liavtl visited the works where the process was to be conducted (^near Neath)! and remember seeing some of the very slag accumulated there. Biil certainly the process came to nothing." The smelting operations supwj intended by Logan were, therefore, probably carried oa in accordancil with the ordinary Welsh process, 1831.] A NEW LINE OF LIFE. 53 nephew should represent his interests in the business, reserved the right of giving him part of his own share. But the young man preferred accepting a salary "Hiiving," he says, "nothing to lose, I am unwilling to hecome responsible as a i>artner, and have stated to our uncle that I will not accept a share until I have become aicjuainled with the business, and am able to satisfy myself from experience and personal observation that it is of the profitable nature his friends rei)resent and he thinks. In the meantime I shall require a salary, which, he said, should be jG 1,000 ; but, for my part, I shall be content with less. When I was in Scotland in August (1830), I spoke to our father on the subject, and he thinks with me, that a salary would, at first, be preferable to a share. If, when the business is ulti- mately proved to be so prolitable, those concerned will not give me a share, why I cannot help it ; but I hope to make myself so useful that they will not refuse.'' In this we have a glim])se of the characteristic caution "■^'hic'i afterwards proved so valuable to him in his professional career. Though less sanguine than his uncle with regard to the enterprise, he was nevertheless pleased with the prospect of a new line of life in Wales. "It has," he writes, "been arranged that I shall go down to Wales, where it is intended that the chief part of my duty will be to attend to the accounts of the establishment ; but you may be assured I shall spare no pains to make myself master of every branch of the business, and as it is of a scientific nature, I am pretty sure I shall like it." The difiiculty, however, was to get some one to assume the management of affairs 64 WORK IJS WALES. [1831-33 ;tii in London. At first it was planned that his brother James should leave the Canada branch of the ])nKine8s, and go to London ; but this was afterwards found inexpedient. Other arrangements having linally been made, Logan left for his Welsh home in the spring of 1831, and began his labours at the Forest Copi)or Works, Morriston, near Swansea. For a time he was chiefly engaged in the counting-house, where, he tells us, he toiled from six or seven o'clock in the morning until midnight, in order to establish a proper and regular system of accounts. But eventually he had to attend both to the smelting of copper and mining of coal.=^ " Here I am," he writes to his brother, in June, 1833, "out of the world altogether, and attending to nothing else but the making of copper and digging of coal from morning till night." From the digging of coal, however, he was led not only to thoroughly investigate the question of its origin, but also to study the structure of the Grlamorganshire coal-field, in which his uncle's mines were situated. A theodolite, compass, and other instruments, were purchased at his omhi expense, and all the spare time which he could command enthusias- tically devoted to the production of a geological map of the district.! His measurements, as they were obtained, were laid down upon the one-inch sheets of the Ordnance Survey, and with a minuteness of detail ♦ Owing to his close application to office-work, his eyesight was for a time seriously affected. f Writing in 1832, to his brother in London, about the purchase of a theodolite, he jokingly says : " If a pound or two more would make the theodolite much better, I should be disposed to give it. I'll live on milk diet, and save the money in a short time. But do not let ornament have anything to do with the additional expense." 1833.] GEO LOG TO A L CONSO LATJOK. r>r) which had probably not boen obsorved before in any of tho geological maps of the country. When Sir Henry (Ic la Bechc^ began his geological survey of that region, he must have been not a little surprised at the extent and thoroughness of Logan's work, and when the modest amateur generously handed over to him his maps, l)e la Boche not only accepted them, but adopted them for the Crovernment Survey, on the early sheets of whic^h Logan's name is engraved, together with those of De la Beche, Ramsay, Phillips, and Aveline. In the capacity of a volunteer on the staff of the Survey in South Wales, Logan also proved of great assistance, and, among other services, introduced horizontal sections on a true scale of six inches to a mile, which served as models for the large sections of the Survey. In the spring of 1833 he was obliged to go to London to attend to some of the affairs of the " Copper Company," and was greatly annoyed at being detained there awaiting certain legal decisions. " Here I am," he writes to his brother Hart, " tied by the leg until the lawyers have brought to a cond leaving- them out where they ought to be ; and these said readini^s universally led to discussion. The reach^r, as you may imagine from his style, showed himself a Whig and a Itadical ; but we had our Tories and Conservatives too, and they were represented by the Mayor, who seemed the only one approaching to a gentleman among the whole set. After filling the house with the vapours of their argu- ments, pipes and T)randy, these my friends paid their scores and turned out about eleven o'clock ; so 1 went to bed. But I was wyt again at three in the morning, to start for Sheerness })y a forty-ton vessel, half boat, half smack, which goes every tide. In the cabin, where it was impossible to stand upright, 1 found myself among another queer set, sailors and their wives, &(^, drunk and sober, some going on board merchantmen, some of men-of-war, and all as noisy as the devil. I selected for my especial companion an elderly Irishman, who happened to !)e a tailor in Rochester, and was on a voyage to pay a visit to a son, bandmaster on board the 'Donegal 74', just arrived at Sheerness. 1 was much entertained with the man's stories, for he had been a regimental tailor in the 39th Inftintry, and had seen a good deal of service in the Peninsula and in Canada. "I got to Sheerness and to breakfast about seven o'clock, and then started forth geologizing along the northern coast of the island, and having the good 58 A JOURNEY TO FRANCE AND SPAIN. [i83i. fortune in the course of my walk to meet with another Irishman, and to fall into conversation with him, I found he was what was called the curiosity-man in Sheern(;ss, from his occasionally walking* forth in search of such things as I was looking for, when he was out of work. I could not have got into better hands, for he showed me all that was curious, and where to get the best fossils. I got several fossil crabs, lobsters, shells, wood, seed-vessels, &c., &c. The coast is very well described in 'Phillips and Conybeare,' and I saw plajes where there had been slips of huge masses of the soft clifi' that stretches for miles along the shore, and in one spot there appeared about lour acres of a wheat- field, which was cracked in various directions, and only awaited very wet weather to be precipitated into the sea." In 1834 Logan went on a jouri. ?y to France and Spain, and was absent for several months. The journey was probably undertaken in the xnterests of the Forest Copper Companj s he visited a number of the Spanish copper mines, and made notes with regard to the cost of mining, price ot" ores, &c. The knowledge of the Spanish language which he had acquired while in London, now stood him in good stead, as did also the many letters of introduction which he carried with him from some of his old Spanish friends. In those days travelling was a slow process. From London to Dover by coach occupied ten hours , from Calais to Paris, by diligence, from noon one day until (sight p.m. on the next. From Paris to Bordeaux, again, was a journey of tv«ro days and three nights. Logan spent several dnys 1837.] ELECTED F. G. S. 59 in Paris, and while there saw the i'uneral of Lafayette, which, he says, was " not vin-y imposing." lie had his sketch-book with him, and took views of Calais, Bordeaux, and many other places in both France and Spain. He also made notes on the geology of the country through which he passed. Notwithstanding the danger of travelling through the mining regions of Spain at that time, owing to the numerous robbers who constantly prowled about in search of the unwary, he seems to have escaped molestation. During his residence in Wales, Logan's fondness for geology daily increased, and it was not long before his work began to attract the attention of some of the loading British geologists of the day. In 1837 he was elected a Fellow of the Greological Society, and the same year was present at the meeting of the British Associa- tion, at Liverpool, where he exhibited his map of the South Wales coal-district. It was greatly admired, as no such work had previously been executed, unless by the Ordnance Survey. Early in the same year he wrote to his brother in Montreal as follows : " If I mistake not, I have more th once asked you to send me a collection of Canadian in.nerals, which, however, have never made their appear .nee. I am anxious to have them, because w^e have set up a museum here, of which I have the honour to be Secretary . You have a museum in Montreal, have you not ? Now, if exchanges corM be effected, it would bo a capital thing We have here ill the ores of copper and iron in great abundance, and are located in the midst of a coal-basin, which abounds in vegetable remains, i am CO CURATOR OF A MUSEUM. anxious to know what you have in your neighbour- hood. You must know that I have become a bit of a geologist of late years, and am now entitled to write after my name F. G-. S. — being a Fellow of the Greological Society. I take a great interest in the science, and some day or other I may appear in print. The locality to which I have especially directed my attention is this immediate neighbourhood, of which, during leisure hours, I am gradually getting up a geological survey and sections. If ever I return to Canada again I shall geologize there." This was only six years before he became Director of the Canada Survey. The museum to which he alludes in his letter was that of the Royal Institution of South Wales, for the interests of which he was an active worker during his stay near Swansea. Not only was he Honorary Secretary, but Curator of the Geological Department, and the Institution is indebted to him for valuable collections of minerals and metallurgical products, books, drawings, laboratory apparatus, and a fine collection of the indigenous and migratory birds of Canada. The birds he himself both shot and stuffed when on a visit to Canada, and among them several previously unknown or undescribed species were disco- vered. Subsequently, it is stated, Mr. Logan was appealed to by Audubon, the ornithologist, foi aid in the accomplishment of his great work upon the birds of North America.=^ In 1838, his uncle, who had ever taken a lively * The above statements with regard to Logan's ornithological proclivi- ties are given on the authority of Alexander Murray, Esq., C. M. G., of Ht. Johns, Newfoundland. 1838.] FiE SIGNS POSIT J ON IN WALES. 61 interest in his welfare, died, and not long after Logan resigned his position in AVales — a position in which he had enjoyed the best of opportunities for the deve- lopment of his eminent talents as a stratigraphical geologist. Then, as afterwards, he had a keenly obser- vant eye for all the phenomena presented to him in the l)rogress of his researches, and the question of the origin of coal happening to engage his attention, he devoted himself to it with great enthusiasm. His work in connection with this subject will be considered in the next chapter. CITArTEE, V. STIGMARIA. AT the time of which we write, the questions relating to the origin of coal were in a somewhat unsettled state. It was generally admitted that coal is of vegetable origin, and many species of Carboniferous plants from the shales and sandstones accompanying the coal-beds had been described and figured. But the precise circumstances under which the coal accumu- lation had taken place still remained an open question. On the one hand, the coal-seams had been likened to the accumulations of drift-wood, which lake place in certain lakes and at the mouths of great rivers draining wooded countries. On the other, they had been sup- posed to have grown in the manner of peaty swamps. These theories of growth and driftage were warmly agitated, and objections of various kinds arising from the supposed climate of ihe Coal-period, the character of its vegetation, the diificulty of accounting for the regularity, purity, and uniformly-bedded conditions of the coal-seams, could be urged against both theories. STir.MARM lif UNDERCLAYS AND ST Id MARIA. 63 In these circumstances, Logan had the sagacity to observe and turn to account a fact which has settled forever the question of the origin of coal in favour of the theory of growth in situ. Under eighty or more (oal-seams which occur in the Welsh coal-field, the niniers had observed the invariable presence of a bed of more or less tenacious and bleached clay, which they called the "underclay" of the coal, and w^liich was often of practical importance as aflording facilities for undercutting the coal. The constancy of this fact Logan confirmed by his own observations, and added to it the further and important discovery that in all these STIOMAHU UOOT.S OF ERECT BIOILLARIA, SEEN FROM ABOVE AFTER REMOVAL OF TiiK TRUNK (PORT HOOD, NOVA SCOTIA..)— Dawsoti, "Acadian Geolofftj." undorclays there occurred abundance of remains of the peculiar plant known as Stig-viaria, in such circum- stances as to show that the plant v/as in situ, and not drifted. The conclusion to be deduced from this was obvious. The constant occurrence of an underclay • ontainiug a particular plant was altogether adverse to 64 PAPER ON UNDERCLAYS. the theory of drift, while it gave the strongest support to that of growth, with the additional indication that the plant which had been mainly instrumental in promoting the growth of coal was that known as Stigmaria. Mr. Logan laid the results of his researches in this matter before the Geological Society of London, in February, 1840, in a paper entitled, " On the Characters ol the Beds of Clay immediately below the Coal-Seams of South Wales." As this paper is interesting in itself, and affords a good example of Logan's style at this early period of his career, a considerable portion of it is reproduced here : — " In South Wales, immediately below every regular seam of coal, and co-extensive with it, lies a bed of clay, which is commonly called underclay, undershift, under- stone, bottomstone, or pouncing. It is of so peculiar a character, and the miners are so well acquainted with it, that there is scarcely one who would not immediately recognize a specimen of it, and state its position in relation to the coal. " From several sections made with care in various places, it has been clearly ascertained that the coal- measures of South Wales, from the mountain limestone upwards, attain in the deepest part the great geological thickness of 12,000 to 13,000 feet. They contain nearly 100 thick and thin seams of coal, about one-half of which, measuring a foot and upwards in thickness, have in various places been more or less worked, and I am not aware of a single instance of a seam unaccom- panied in any part by this subjacent bed ; indeed, so thoroughly is the Welsh miner persuaded that the two PAPER ON UNDEUCLA YH. 65 things are essentially conjoined, that he would as soon expi'ct to live in a house without a foundation as to work in a coal-seam which did not rest U})on underclay. It is very necessary that he should bo familiar with the material, as it oc^casionally serves a most important purpose in i^rosecuting- the work of a coal-mine ; for, though there is never coal without a subjacent bed of underclay, there is sometimes underclay without superincumbent coal. A seam of coal which becomes thinner l)y degrees will occasionally vanish altogether ; but, after a short distance, it will appear in increased thickness, and ultimately regain its original dimensions. When a collier, meeting with an irregularity of this description, perceives the coal disappear, he might lind it difiicjult to know whether he had not suddenly come upon a fault completely dislocating the measures if he had not the underclay to guide his course ; and it is only when this fails that he feels assured the direction of his search must be changed. "This underclay, as its name imports, is generally more or less argillaceous, but is never without a consid- erable admixture of sand ; and it is always of a fine texture, yielding, in most cases, a very good fire-clay. In many parts of the coal-deposit of South Wales it is tough, though not very hard, when fresh cut ; Imt on exposure to the weather it slacks, splits, and crumbles into a greyish mass. It is occasionally quite black from an admixture of carbonaceous matter, and is then sometimes sufficiently consistent to resist the effects of weather ; and under some of the lowest seams of coal between Swansea and the Bury Eiver, it yields a hard, 1 1' - 60 PAPER ON UNDERCLA YS. durahlo, fine-grainod, siliceous stone, very much roscm- bliug quartz rock. " It is not, howovor, by the miuoralogical composition that these beds are so thoroughly marked, lor tht^y not only vary considerably, but many strata oticurring in other parts of the coal-measures, are precisely identical in mineral contents. The grand distinguishing feature of the underclays is the- peculiar character of the vege- table or«nini(^Y^n ins: these an> always of one kind /^yyA^il^l^^^BLj^^ilLl '^)')' diilused throughout every parto^i?c^l^^^g|^^^'^^^nl()i m clfect alone the clay is readily recognized hy tne ey«?^^'^ii*ni^iev. "The beds, varying in thickness from six inches to more than ten feet, and averaging about three, arc crossed and penetrated vertically, horizontally and obliquely, by a confused and tangled collection of long, slender, Jibrous casts, with a thin coating of carbon- aceous matter. These fibres are sometimes cylindrical, though generally flat, and are usually about a quartor of an inch in breadth ; but they are very often traceable to a junction with a stem or branch, sometimes flattened, sometimes not, and varying in diameter from about two inches to half a foot. From this stem or branch, which is usually of considerable length, and always lies in the plane of the bed, but rather nearer the top than the bottom, the fibres radiate in all directions, and take such a tortuous, irregular course that it is impossible to follow any one of them to the natural termination, though it is easy to see that the range is very consider- able. This fossil, the Sligmaria Ficotdes, taking for granted that the slender, fibrous impressions belong r always t that it is not coiiti of remai from tlu tlie undi "It is even if t become ( extensive making \ ;i coal-sea permit tl of Nome p superior s the requi or when a ' creep ' pared do^ amount c j^oinetimei floor of ai were on i specimens above stat^ attentive i the truth < maria hav doubt — in( such instai were the : PAPER ON UNDEIICLAYS. 67 always to it, so completely fills every bod of nnderolay, that it is not possi})le to cut out a cubic foot which does not y a bed wholly monopolized by these peculiar vegetable organic remains, it is imi)os- sible to avoid the inference that some essential and necessary connection exists between the production of the one and the existence of the other. To account for the unfailing combination by drift, seems an unsatisfac- tory hypothesis; but whatever may be the mutual dependence of the phenomena, they give us reasonable grounds to suppose that in the Sligmaria Ficuides we have the plant to which the earth is mainly indebted for those vast stores of fossil fuel which are now so indispensable to the comfort and prosperity of its inha- bitants."''^ At the time when Logan's paper on underclays was written, the plant known as Sligmaria was little under- stood as to its precise nature and affinities. Its branches, which are among the most abundant fossils of the coal- measures, present round depressed spots, or areolos, arranged in spiral order, and when the interior structure is preserved, they show a central axis of fibrous textnro (scolariform fibres), surrounded by a thick cellular bark, and this enclosed in a dense rind or outer bark. The organs attached to the areoles of the surface are very long, cylindrical, soft bodies, about a quarter of an inch in thickness, whether roots or leaves, radiating in all * Transactions of the Geological Society of London, VI., p. 491. (liroctioi articulat removed presente from wh hifurcati the delii organs a of their tendency vented tl low orga thus to ] organizat lagoons, 1 to form a kinds of \ ill Europi SIOILLA Was funci trunks of STTGMARTA. 69 directions, an attached to the bran(,'h by a distinct iirtitulation, leaving a clean S(^n,r where they have ])een removed. When complete specimens were found th«^y l)resented a central cylindrical or dome-shaped mass, IVoni which the branches were given olF by a regular l)ifurcation. At lirst the regularity of these bodies and the definite arrangement and true articulation of the organs attached to them seemed to negative the idea of their being roots, while the fibrous structures and tendency to exogenous growth in the branches pre- vented them from being regarded as aquatic plants of low organization. The tendency among botanists was thus to regard Stigmaria as an aquatic i)lant of high organization, which had established itself in jionds or lagoons, filling these up with its growth, so as ultimately to form a vegetable deposit which might support other kinds of vegetation. Later observations, however, both in Europe and America,=^ have shown that Stigmaria SIOILLARIA, WITH STIOMARIA ROOTS (SYDNEY), APTEE R. BROWN. From "Acadian Geology y Was functionally a root, and that it supported the trunks of trees known as Sigillarice and Lepidodendra, * By Biuaey, Brown and Dawson. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 121 ■so I 2.2 1.4 11 1.5 7 '/ /A V <>^ v> [v ^ $ Iff ORTGTN OF COAL. and their allies, which are the most common trees of the coal period, and out of whose debris the greater part of the coal was formed. Under the microscope the coal itself has revealed the structures of Sigillaricc and other trees having Sligmaria roots^^, while the leaves and other aerial parts of such trees have been found in abundance in the shales forming the roofs of the coal- beds. Numbers of erect trees occur with their roots fixed in the coal-beds, and other beds of sandstone or shale have been found to contain erect trees of the Sigillaria type, with their roots fixed in Sligmaria underclays, which thus not only support coal-beds, but sometimes fossil forests, which did not exist sufficiently long, or in sufficiently favourable circumstances to produce beds of coal. Thus the theory of the growth of coal in situ is now firmly established, and in connection with this we are in a position to assign due importance to the extensive swampy flats of the coal-period as favouring its deposit ; to the protection of these areas from the inroad of sand and mud by the fringes of Calamites and other reed- like plants growing along their borders, and to the character of the dense Sigillaria forests as affording abundance of fallen trunks, of leaves and fruits, and of smaller herbaceous vegetation, to promote the accumulation of beds of vegetable matter more exten- sive and important than those of any other geological period. * Goeppert haa observed these facts in Germany, and Dr. Dawson ha« described the structures found in about eighty distinct coal-beds of the coal-field of Nova Scotia in the Journal of the Geological Society, and in his <' Acadian Geology." ORIGIN OF COAL. 71 Some points still remain open to discussion. Accord- ing to Dr. Dawson, an undue importance has been attached by certain observers to the spore-cases found in cortain layers of coal, whereas cortical or bark tissues in general, including those of spores or spore-cases, should bo credited with the greater part of the material of coal. The exact botanical affinities of the Sigillari(c are still in some doubt, and though these trees have borne the principal part in coal accumulation, there is also much to be attributed to Catamites, Lepidodendra, furns and other plants of the period. All these subjects have been fully discussed by Dr. Dawson in his various papers, and in his " Acadian Geology," to which the reader is referred. CIIArTETl VI CANADA REVISITED. THOUGH for so many years resident in Great Britain, I^ogan never lost his interest in lii.s native country. While in London he was Vice- President of the Canada Club, and he always kept himself informed with regard to the political move- ments and commerce of tlic colony. Now that geology had become his favourite i)ursuit, he longed to scan with critical eye the rocks over which he had climbed as a boy ; and accordingly, being free from business engagements, he set sail from Liverpool in August. 1840. Among his fellow-passengers on the steamship " Acadia " were Sir George Seymour, Sir Joseph Copley, Lt.-Colonel Balfour of the Guards, and several other military men ; also, the late Mr. John Greenshields, of Montreal. The daily incidents of the voyage were duly chron- icled by Logan in his journal ; but as nothing of special interest occurred, we extract only what is said of the 15th. of August, the day on which the vessel arrived at Halifax : — 1840.] ON SHIPBOARD. 73 " Up at six. I got a sight of the land. The place is supposed to be Garsons Point [?]. But now, after break- fast, the weather has got as thick as mustard, and we cannot see 100 yards from the ship. We are firing guns and ringing our bell, the lirst to attract a pilot, if there is one within hearing, and the other to keep off a vessel which we approached rather closely a few minutes ago. " At 10 i\.m. we supposed ourselves to be off Halifax Harbour, and Kept firing occasional guns until dinner time, the fog continuing very thick, and damping the spirits of us all, as well as our clothes. When the clergyman commenced asking a blessing at dinner, a shot was iired on deck from a twelve-pounder, which rather disconcerted him. He, however, did not forget to pray, among other things, for the removal of the impediment offered to the termination of our voyage ; and no sooner had he uttered the request than our shot was replied to by two from the shore. When the clergyman sat down he instanced the fact as exhibiting the influence of prayer. " Before we had finished dinner another shot from us was replied to, and shortly afterwards we heard the sound of a pilot's horn. The boatswain then got a musket, and fired away in reply to the horn, and the horn sounded in replication to the musket, gradually approaching all the while, until at length a couple of small sails emerged from the mist and showed us the boat, dimly visible at first, but at length sufficiently distinct to exhibit two men. The boat soon got along- side, and the pilot sprang on deck. I never saw such T4 ARRIVAL AT HALIFAX. [1840. a regular built Dutch figure that did not speak the language of Holland. The first thing he did was to tell us our head was pointing the right way, and that all we had to do was to paddle on. In live minutes wo got out of the fog, which we found to be, after all, but a partial one, extending across the mouth of the harbour like a wall ; and when we had done so we found our- selves close to Sam])ro Lighthouse, not more than two miles from the land, and about fifteen from Halifax. "All our steam was put on, and we shot up the harbour like a dart, passing rocks of granite on each side, and fortification after fortification. At length, approaching the lower end of the town, we were saluted by cheers from assembled thousands, and from every wharf in succession, until we swung round to the wharf of our destination, alongside of which we were soon placed, after smashing our figure-head against a wooden building, which was very nearly carried away by the shock. " I suppose it was about half-past seven or eight o'clock when we became stationary, but I forgot to look at my watch for the purpose of ascertaining. Then came a great bustle, as we heard the vessel was to start again for Boston in two hours, and that the mail for Pictou and Quebec would be ofT in less time still. Where the coach-office was, or what was to be done to get a place, or whether there were any places, or places enough for those who wished to go the Pictou way, were questions to which we could get no satisfactory answers, and I began to debate whether it would not be safer to go by way of Boston. Having, however, in 1840.] HALIFAX TO PICTOU. 75 a short time, thanks to Mr. ])obloi.s, and his nephew, who came on board to see him, obtained the requisite information, I secured a phice to go by Pictou. I put my baggage into a truck, loft the ship, and proceeded to the coach-office, where 1 paid je2 5s. for my seat, and 7s. for my baggage, over forty pounds weight. " Forty years have elapsed since the occurrences of which we write, and now great ocean steamers ply up and down the beautiful harbour of Halifax almost unnoticed. There are no cheering thousands on the piers, for steamers have ceased to be a novelty; no eager multitude looking for the monthly mails from Europe. Now there are almost daily mails from conti- nent to continent, and silent messages pass and repass along the Atlantic Cable, telling of far-otf events almost as soon as they have transpired. At nine o'clock on the evening of his arrival at Halifax, Logan left for Pictou. Crossing the harbour in a small boat, he found the coach-and-four in readiness at Dartmouth, and soon began his drive of 100 miles. "As it was a bright moonlight night," he says, "I determined to remain outside, in order that I might see something of the country ; while my companion (Col. Balfour) determined to stay inside, in order that he might shut his eyes and have a view of the Land of Nod." In the morning, shortly before reaching the nllage of Truro, they met Sir Charles 7itzroy, Governor of Prince Edward Island, who stopped them in order to obtain the news. Logan informed him of the death of Lord Durham, late Governor of Canada, the elevation of Poulett Thompson to the Peeras^e, and other events in which he was likely to be interested. A son of Sir 76 PICTOU TO MONTREAL. [1840. George Seymour aocomi>anied the Governor, and was gratified by hearing of hi.s father's safe arrival at Halifax. From Pictou to Quebec, I^ogan's journey was con- tinued on board the steamer "TTnicorn," which he recognized as one which had formerly plied between Liverpool and Glasgow. Arriving at Quebec on the afternoon of the 19th., he remained there but a few hours, and then left by the steamer "Canada" for Montreal, which was reached at five o'clock on th« afternoon of the following day. Those who are familiar with the journey from Quebec to Montreal, and with the swift and commodious steamers by which it is now performed, will read with interest the following extract from Logan's journal of 1840 : — *'Aug. 19//t. ... At 7 pm. embarked on board the " Canada," which is said to be one of the best steamboats on the river. It has a boiler and cylinder for each wheel, and there is no connecting spindle between the wheels ; so that they revolve independently of each othero The beam of each engine is above the deck, and the two bob up and down in the most independent style, without any regard to regularity. One was going twenty strokes, while the other did not exceed eighteen per minute. We took a large barge in tow, and stopped alongside of a couple of brigs for the purpose of taking on board a lot of Irish and Scotch emigrants. I understand that 20,000 have come out this year. "Wo got fairly away at nine o'clock, just as the evening gun was fired from the sloop-of-war, which is in port. The engines being on each side of the boat, l^^-^ ■^ I 9W Sj^V V 1^ w AURIVAL AT MOJ^TREAL, [l840 the centro i>art is loft froo for ('ii]>iiis for passengers, and for spare to hold rargo. "Just as the boat pfot under way a most beautiful aurora borealis wjik layed. The coruscations iirst shot uj) vertically from one point, and then spread in the form of a broad, irregular arch across the sky. One extremily of the arch afterwards folding round, it assumed the shape of a magnificent ostrich plume ; and from this as a base there ultimately shot up into the zenith a multitude of vertical lines, fading as th^y rose. The whole mass at length diffused into a volumi- nous cloud, and by degrees vanished. "ilwi,'-. 10th. . . . We went down to dinner at four o'clock, and when I returned on deck, lo and behold! there we were just by the ship-yard (at Montreal), with a brewery on one side of it and a foundry on the other. The current ran as fast as it used to ; but the town appeared to me shorter and more crowded than of yore T took the Bonsecours Church for some new one, which I fancied had been built in the middle of the Quebec Suburbs. The grand new Catholic Church produced a magnificent effect, towering as it did above all the houses of the town. . . . "The first person I saw on the wharf was John Molson — looking just the same as ever. There were multitudes of calashes (the hackney coaches of the district) on the wharf, and Molson got one for me, in w^hich I drove to Miss Dupircr's to look for James. When I got there I found that he had gone to look for me ; so I sallied forth again to look for him, but did not proceed twenty yards from the door when I met him 1840.] A JOl^RNEY TO MAINE. 7» turning the corner of the street, and looking as thin am a \vhipping-i>ost." On thiH his return to his native city, there were many old friends and many old haunts to be visited. The stores of ] [art Logan & Co., on St. vSacrament Street and at Pointe a Calliere, the old farm, where a new house=^^ of stone was now being erected in the place of the old one of wood, the Natural History Museum, on St. James Street, the mineralogical collection of Dr. Holmes, the Lachine Canal — these and many other places he wished to sec. But more important still, there were many rocks to be examined. Accompanied })y his l)roth<;r James, frequent geological excursions wore made to various points in the vicinity of the city, and the relations of the stratified and eruptive rocks of the region studied. In this way a fortnight was plea- santly spent, and then he set out on a journey to the State of Maine, the object of which appears to have been to examine lands in which some of his friends were interested. The journey occupied several w^eeks, and was indeed a rough one, giving him a foretaste of the kind of life through which he was subsequently to pass for many years. There was then no Victoria Bridge, and not even a steam-ferry to Longueuil. A steam-ferry had, it is true, been tried, but had not proved a success, and now the river was crossed by a horse-boat, which, owing to the swiftness of the current, required fifteen horses for its propulsion. From Longueuil Logan proceeded to * This house subsequently became Sir William'i) residence, and was known as " fiockfield," 80 A SEARCH FOR TIN. [1841). Sherbrooko })y coach, and learning hern I hat at a moun- tain known jis the Carhunch?, not very far oil', a vein of tin ore had been discovered, he determined to visit the locality, in order to awcertain whether there was any truth in the reports. " I left Sherbrooke," says his journal, " in a sinj^le-waggon at twelve, and pasM'd over an undulating country of slate to Hops' tavern, at the upper end of Brompton Lake, where we arrived at two p.m. . . . "About four p.m. we started, Hops, the driver, and myself, in a canoe made out of the trunk of a tree, and wont down a small stream, still and deep, for five or six miles, and then came upon a lake, along the shore of which we continued our course. As we proceeded down the brook we raised a couple of dut'ks, but the driver, who had brought with him a long single- barrelled gun, could not get a shot at them. On the lake we heard the cry of an aquatit* bird, which my friends informed me was a loon, and we came in sight of two of them ; but they seemed A^ery shy, as they dived and made off the moment they saw us approaching, while yet a long way off and wholly out of reach of shot. Their cry was very like a laugh, and it seemed to be a laugh at my friend the driver's gun. " Just as it was getting dusk, we reached the shore of the lake at the point most convenient to make our ascent of the silver mountain, and, after securing the canoe, we hastened to find a spot convenient for camping on. This we discovered at a few rods from the shore, and immediately Hops proceeded to cut down some dry timber to get up a fire. Log after log 184".] ALL NOT TIN THAT (i LITTERS. 81 wiw lieapcd iip; and vt;ry shortly we had u blaze Kiiffi- ciiMit to roaHt not one ox, but a dozen of them. Hops (oiitinuod to ply his axe, at whi«h ho seemed very expert, and, having secured a sulHcient quantity of soft vvoml, he cut down also a supply of maple and other hard woods to give the lire durability. This done, a quantity of hemlock boughs were sti'ewn upon the moss near the lire, and we then quickly made ourselves a home for the night. We had no ceiling but the branches of the trees above us and the canopy of heaven; and as this canopy was a clear, bright blue, i.pangled with many stars, and illumijied by the moon, without a cloud to show a chance of rain, we were content. Hops had brought some buckwheat cake, and when work was done his basket was produced, but I could not manage the cake. It seemeeoloffical examination of Canada, for which the Pro- vincial Legislature has voted the sum of ,£1,500. " I would request you to do me the favour to represent to Lord Stanley that I consider Mr. W. IC. Logan perfectly qualified for the task, having had occasion, during the progress of the Ordnance Geological Survey in South Wales, to examine the labours of that gentleman upon the important coal district contained in large portions of Glamorganshire, Carmarthenshire, and Breiknockshire. " Prior to the appearance of the Geological Survey in that part of the country, Mr. W. E. Logan had carefully investigated it, and at the meeting of the British Associa- tion for the Advancement of Science, held at Liverpool, 111 1837, he exhibited a beautifully-executed map of it. "The work on this district being of an order so greatly superior to that usual with geologists, and corresponding in the minuteness and accuracy of its detail with the maps and sections executed by the Ordnance Geological Survey, we felt desirous of avail- ing ourselves of it, when Mr. Logan most handsomely placed it at our disposal. Having verified this work with great care, we find it so excellent that we shall adopt it for that part of the country to which it relates, considering it but fair and proper that Mr. Logan should "btain that credit to which his labours so justly entitle I Mm. " His sections are all levelled and measured carefully, with proper instruments, and his maps are executed il B 128 TESTIMONIALS. 1842 I842.J I, ;;;?;,; with a precision only as yet employed, except in his case, on the Ordnance Geological Survey ; it being con- sidered essential on that Survey, for the right progress of geology and its applications to the useful purposes of life, that this accuracy and precision should be attained. "Personally, I have examined several portions of country with Mr. W. E. Logan, and can safely affirm that no one can be more careful, able, or desirous of attaining the truth. " He has made communications to the Geological Society respecting points of high interest Cu nected with the formation of coal, and recentlv has communi- cated to the same Societ-. a memoir on Nova Scotia and Pennsylvania, impor' mt in various respects, more particularly as relating to Canada. " I would further observe that Mr. Logan is highly qualified as a miner and metallurgist to point out the applications of geology to the useful purposes of life, an object of the highest importance in a country like Canada, the mineral wealth of which is now so little known. "I should anticipate the best results, both to the science of geology and its applications, from the emi)loyment of Mr. Logan on the Geological Survey of Canada. — I have, &c., " H. T. De la Beche, '^Director Geological Survey ^ " IG Belorave Square, 3rc/. April, 1842. " Sir, — In reply to the letter of yesterday, which you did me the honour of addressing to me by the desire of Lord Stanley, and in which my opinion is asked respecting the capability of Mr. "W. E. Logan to under- take pieasi qualif "I mere]} g'enera skilful drew f] value i: "I w rocks, i] is admi sub-soil of such that if h Sir Chai that imj: gical inq your iett despatch gical surv ^'ery JittI of his lab has prove( Wes; an coaJ-ficlds informed, ofPennsyl (. 1842.] TESTIMONIALS. 129 take a geological survey of Canada, I have great pleasure in saying that I consider him to be eminently qualified to execute the task. " I beg to state that I recommend Mr. Logan not merely from my acquaintance with his works in general, but also from a knowledge of certain very skilful labours in the South Wales coal-field, which drew from me a strong expression of my sense of their value in an account of the map of the Silurian region. " I would add that, having chiefly studied the older rocks, including the carboniferous deposits, Mr. Logan is admirably prepared to develop the structure of the sub-soil of Canada, which consists in a great measure of such strata ; and I venture to assure Lord Stanley that if his Lordship should approve of the suggestion of Sir Charles Bagot, he will render essential service to that important colony, and materially advance geolo- gical inquiry.-! have,&c., ., ^^^^ j_ Murchison." "CAMBninoE, 5th. April, 1842. "Sir, — I take the earliest opportunity of replying to your letter of March 31st., containing a copy of a despatch from Sir Charles Bagot on the subject of a geolo- gical survey of Canada. Of Mr. Logan I personally know very little ; but I know his character, and something of his labours. He is an excellent field-geologist, as he has proved by his admirable map and sections in South Wales ; and he has extended his observations into the coal-fields of the United States, having, as I am informed, read an excellent paper on the coal-fields of Pennsylvania. I had not, however, the good fortune 9 It W 130 TESTIMONIALS. [l842, to be present when this paper was lately read at a meeting of the Geological Society. I have no hesitation in recommending Mr. Logan, and I have no doubt that, if appointed to the Survey of Canada, he will enter on the labour with unbounded zeal and with very great skill.--I have, &c, ••A.Sedgwick." 'Oxford, 2nd. April, 1842. "Sm, — My absence from Oxford has prevented me from receiving until this day your letter of the 31st. March, asking my opinion as to the qualifications of Mr. WE. Logan for undertaking a geological survey of Canada. •' I beg in reply to state that I was recently on the point of writing to Sir Charles Bagot for the purpose of recommending him as pre-eminently qualified for this service, but I withheld my application, because I con- sidered that his services might with still greater advantage to this country, be applied to a survey of Nova Scotia, where there is a large and very valuable coal-field belonging to the Crown, with which he is better acquainted than any man living, and respecting which, and also the coal-field of Pennsylvania, he read a most valuable paper ten days ago, before the Geologi- cal Society of London. " About a fortnight ago I wrote a letter to Sir Robert Peel, requesting his attention to the expediency of employing Mr. Logan to make a geological survey ol Nova Scotia. Should Sir Robert have forwarded this letter to Lord Stanley, I beg to refer to it in evidence of my opinion of Mr Logan, and his high qualifications, I' I 1842.] Q UALIFICA TIONS. 131 as the most skilful geological surveyor of a coal-field 1 have ever known. " Mr. De la Beche has adopted in toto for his geological survey of the Ordnance Map of Wales the work he found completed by Mr. Logan as to that part of the South Wales coal-field which is near Swansea, and I will procure from Mr. De la Beche to-morrow a statement of his opinion as to Mr. Logan's work done in Glamorgan- shire, which I will take the liberty of submitting to you.-I have, &c., .. ^ Buckland." On the 22nd. of June while Sir Charles Bagot was on a visit to Montreal, he was waited on by a deputation from the Natural History Society, who pre- sented him with an address requesting him to become the Society's patron. After His Excellency's reply to the address, he entered into conversation with the members of the deputation, and took occasion to remark that "he had recently been called upon to appoint a geologist for the Province. The selection he had made —that of Mr. Logan — he was sure would give as much gratification to the Society as it had to himself Previous to his appointment of Mr. Logan, he had considered it proper to refer to England for an account of his qualifications, and the result was that a mass of testimonials was sent out . . . affording ample testi- mony that to no one could the important office be more appropriately entrusted than to that gentleman." Sir Charles Bagot also communicated to one of the members of the deputation the following letter with reference to Mr. Logan, which had been addressed by I li i •,,, 132 GOOD WORDS, [1842. the learned geologist, Dr. Buckland, to the Bishop of Oxford : — "Christ Cuorch, 23rrf. April, 1842. " My Dear Lord, — 1 have recently sent to Sir Robert Peel and Lord Stanley two official certificates, stating my opinion of the high qualifications of Mr. Wm. Edmond Logan, F. G-.S., to execute a geological survey of Canada. I am further anxious, and feel it a duty I owe to the public service, to submit, through your Lordship, to Sir Charles Bagot, a few points relating to this gentle- man, which I could not mention in a public document. " His talents as an accurate mineral surveyor are of a very high order, and are known to the scientific world by his description of portions of the great coal-fields of Glamorganshire and Pennsylvania, illustrated by most accurate and valuable maps and sections, constructed by himself, which he has laid before the Geological Society of London. Moreover, he is not only enthusias- tically devoted to and highly qualified for field-work in geology, but he is also a man of modest and gentlemanly demeanour, and of high principle, and good conduct and right feeling, wdth w^hom it is pleasing to have intercourse, and in whom it is quite safe for persons in authority to place confidence. " Believe me, my dear Lord, very faithfully and truly y°^^^' "William Buckland." Logan's appointment haA'ing been confirmed, he ■3 arrived the in Canada late in the month of August, and at once reported himself at Kingston, the seat of Government. Here he spent several weeks awaiting 1842.] instru the m his bi "Raw storm to atte should grounc to settl ingly 1 region, spread paid tc collecte country from K a geolo, Provinci topograj for the the gen( geology whateve In th( Greneral'f to fulfil ] winter. * liawson nor-General t Mr. Wil and was bu several years 1842.] PRELIMINARY WORK. 133 instructions, and at the eame time " culling facts from the members and casting about for maps." Writing to his brother James, on the 10th. of September, he says: " Rawson^ informed me on Saturday that the political storm which had been blowing rendered it impossible to attend to my affairs. I told him that in that case I should make an excursion, and give time for the ground-swell, which might continue a few days longer, to settle into quiet water." An excursion was accord- ingly made to Marmora, to see the iron mines of that region, and another to Brockville, "to ascertain the spread of the Silurian limestone." A visit was also paid to Dr. Wilson of Perth, a physician " who had collected a good deal of information with respect to the country in which he resided." Having finally escaped from Kingston, he spent several weeks in making a geological examination of different parts of the Province, and in adding to his knowledge of its topography. He also prepared a " Preliminary Report " for the Grovernment, giving a concise statement of the general views which lie liad then formed of the geology of the country. I^^or this work no charge whatever was made to the Government. In the month of December, with the Governor- General's permission, he returned to England, in order to fulfil professional and other engagements during the winter. His father had died at Clarkstone in 1841, f * Rawson W. Rawson, Esq., at that time Civil Secretary to the Gov«r- nor-General of Canada. t Mr. William Logan died either on the 14th. or 15th. of Junf, 1841, and was buried on the 19th., in Polmont Churchyard. His wife died several years before. ': il ' 134 FRIENDSHTP OF DE LA BECIIE. [1842, and no doubt there was much to be attended to in connection with the settlement of his affairs. Before his death he had signified his willingness to have Clarkstone remain in the possession of the family ; but the members were now so scattered that this was found impracti(?able, and the estate was sold. Sir Henry de la Beche was for years one of Logan's warmest friends, and did all in his power to encourage and assist him in his geological work. Just before Logan's departure for Canada he sent him the following letter : — "Llandovery, 31s<. July, 1842. " My Dear Logan, — Herewith I send two letters to Kawson, The one open is nothing but the usual sort of affair, to be presented by yourself; the other, sealed, is the right thing, and you must take care to have it sent to him by post, or otherwise, as you may think right, before the other is presented, so that he may knov/ all about matters before he sees you. Mind this. If you send the sealed note by post, pray i^ay the post thereof " In my note in answer to yours, and sent to Swansea, I said the best and safest way would be to leave the maps and sections^* with Mr. Trenham lleeks (our Secretary at the Museum of Economic Greology), to be kept with other Ordnance matters he has in charge for me. " Now, my dear Logan, as I want to do you every justice, had you not better give me some account of the coal-beds themselves, which I can quote as yours, or at Referring to Logan's maps and sections of the Glamorganshire coal- field. 1842.] A HERCULEAN TASK. 135 any rate let me have the information which I can give as from you. Suum cuique is a motto that I like, and you must have the full credit for what you have done. "Now, mind you, if you think I can be of any use to you in the Canadian Survey, don't scruple to say so, as I am fully in earnest, and no mistake. There may be odds and ends of things which can be usefully done by us, and so you must consider us as a kind of colleagues, all working for the same end, and that the cause of truth " But not to get prosy, mind and use me when you like in this survey, and the more you do so the more I shall like it.^ Wishing you all health and happiness, believe me ever yours, ., jj_ r^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ,, The survey upon which Logan had embarked in Canada was characterized ))y Sedgwick as a " Herculean task." No one, however, understood the difficulties better than did Logan himself. At the same time he was full of enthusiasm and had no hesitation in under- taking the work, lie saw in Canada a most tempting field for original research, and felt, no doubt, that the greater the difficulties the grander would be the con- quests. The spirit with which he began the work * In a letter written from Swansea to his brother James, in March, 1842, Logan says : " De la Beche has informed me that if I get the Canada Survey he will assist me in all difficulties, with all the scientific force of the Geological Survey of this country, either in the way of chemical analysis or the determination of new fossils ; and that he will arrange so that a certain (juuntity of specimens may come here free of expense by every packet, and be returned, after examination, in the same way." 136 LETTER TO DE LA BECIIE. [l843 is shown in thn following Homi-ofiicial letter to Jir Henry I)e la Be(;he : — « London, 2Uh. April, 1843. "My Dkar Sir, — You are aware that I have been appointed by the Provincial (lovornment of Canada to make a j^oological survey of that colony. The extent and nature of the territory will render the task a most laborious one ; but I am fully prepared to spare no exertion of which I am capable, to render the work, when it IS completed, satisfactory to those who have instituted the examination, and creditable to myself I am especially anxious to bring the investigation to a conclusion in as short a time as a due regard to geolo- gical truth and the applications of the science will permit ; and in considering a systematic plan of opera- tions to be adopted for the attainment of so important an object, I naturally feel desirous of bringing to my aid the experience of one who, from the position he has occupied for many years past as Director of the Ordnance Geological Survey of Grreat Britain, is more fitted than any other person to advise me on all practical points, whether with reo-ard to the work to be done in the field or to the general machinery of the Survey. And it appears to me that not only your advice as to a plan of operations, but your positive assistance in the work of the Canadian Survey, might be made available, and this with advantage to the investigation which you yourself conduct in Britain. " No one knows better than yourself how difficult it would be for one person to work with effect in all the branches of so extensive a subject. To carry out the 1813.] LETTER TO LE LA BECIIE. 137 lield-worK with vigou;, lo reduce all the sections with the requisite degree of accuracy and map the geogra- phical distribution of (lie rocks, to collect minerals and fossils, and to analyze the one, and by laborious and ext(!nsive comparisons to determine the geological age of the other, is (|uite imimssiblc without a proj^er division of labour. But it is in the i)al!eontological department of the invi'stigations that it seems to me the British aiid ( 'anadian Surveys might be made mutu- ally serviceable. In Canada, all the expensive means of paliEontological comparison have yet to be brought together. There is no arranged collection of fossils, and no such thing as a geological library to refer to. " The correct determination of fossils in the country is, therefore, at present, quite out of the question. Now, in the British Survey, the examination of organic remains is made the work of a distinct department, and has been confided to an able naturalist, whose great acquirements and extensive means of reference, if brought to bear on Canadian fossils, would not only ensure accuracy and save time, but benefit his own generalization on Britain, by widening the sphere of his comparison. 'Many interesting facts connected with the geogra- phical distribution of particular fossil genera and species might thus be ascertained, the confusion arising from a want of unity in nomenclature be avoided, and Canada become the measure of a correct geological comparison between the continents of Europe and America. " From the fact that the Survey has been urged by the Legislature of the country, it is natural to infer that a 138 ANXUAL REPOHTS. [l843 great desire is felt by the enlightened part of the Canadian community to be made acquainted with the leading geological features of the Province ; but the main object of the investigation is, no doubt, to determine the mineral riches of the colony, and it is not unlikely that a wish may be felt by its inhabitants to know the result or the probabilities of the survey long before it can possibly bo completed. To meet such a desire in those States of the American Union in which geological surveys have been undertaken, resort has been had to a system of annual reports. The example thus given may by some be considered to afford the best mode of making known the progress of the work ; but the system appears to me objectionable for many reasons, and as the consideration of it has no doubt come before you among the various subjects connected with the Survey of Britain, I should be obliged if you would give me the expression of your opinion regard- ing it." In answer to this communication, De la Beche, tne very next day, addressed the following letter to Logan, which will be read with interest by many connected with treological Surveys at the present time :— " London, 2Uh. April, 1843. "My Dear Sir, — In reply to your communication of the 24th., I have no hesitation in stating my firm belief that important benefits would arise, as regards the effective progress of your labours in Canada, saving both time and expenditure, if some arrangements could be made by which a kind of union could be elTectod between the Geological Surveys of Canada and of Clreat 1843.J LETTER FROM DE LA BECHE. 139 Britain; an object which, judging from the tenor of your letter, you seem desirous to promote. " Placed, as you will be, in Canada, unassisted by easy access to the opinions and co-operating labours of those scientific men whose different researches are so essential to the right understanding of the results obtained from the geological surveys of large areas, it seems to me quite necessary for the full development of your labours that some plan should be adopted, by which, while you investigate in the field the geological structure of the country, the great groundwork of all, you should receive the assistance of the ablest men our country can produce in the important accessory branches of know- ledge — in fact, that the results of your labours should be such as to do credit to the Government under whose auspices the survey is conducted. " Without a proper division of labour, and the power to avail ourselves of the co-operating researches i{ the most competent men in the accessory branches of knowledge above noted, with the facility of consulting valuable museums and libraries, the advance of the Geological Survey of Great Britain would never have been su(*h as it now is. And it forcibly strikes me that if the Government could so arrange that you might avail yourself of the sources of information which we have organized, not only would time and money be saved, but the importance also of your investigations would be increased, inasmuch as the subjects of Cana- dian and British geology might be treated together, under the same system, with mutual benefit to both and to the progress of science. it 140 ANNUAL RBPORTS UNSATISFACTORY. [i843. " How useless, or rather worse than useless, would it be for you to incur the heavy expense of figuring organic remains common to Canada and the British Islands, while in connection with the Geological Survey of Great Britain we are, under the authority of the Treasury, preparing a fit and proper national work on fossils. Even if for any report you required such figures, could it not be readily arranged that we furnish impressions of the plates to you ? Besides, it is most important for the right progress of this depart- ment of science that as much as possible the same kinds of fossils from different parts of the British possessions should be examined, described, and figured by the most competent naturalists. " With respect to the publication of annual reports of geological surveys, they can scarcely be but very unsa- tisfactory documents, and for the most part very undigested records of real progress. How is it possible to come to accurate conclusions before all the facts to be considered are known ? Concise reports to Govern- ment, in general terms, of the progress made are essential, showing that the time has been properly occupied. Such statements are made annually by the Ordnance Geological Survey, when the yearly estimates are under consideration; but such docu- ments are very different from published statements containing views that in the end may not be sus- tained. Neither in France nor in other European States where geological surveys connected with their Gov- ernments have been or are in progress, have such reports been given to the public, though separate ALEXANDER 3IURRAY, 141 memoirs on well-aseertained points have sometimes ajipeared. " Crude annual reports may even be detrimental to the true progress of science, as it may readily happen that an author, having once committed himself to a hasty view or opinion, may feel grsat reluctance to withdraw it, and thus somewhat distort additional facts that militate against it ; so that the clear conclusions to be drawn from the facts eventually obtained are not by any means so apparent as they should be. " Let me, in conclusion, assure you that any aid that we may fortunately be able to aiford on our Survey to yours in Canada is entirely at your service, and that we shall consider it a duty, as well as pleasu^-e, to assist in any way that may be considered useful. — Very faithfully y^^^^' " H. T. De la Beche." The question of a geological assistant had been dis- cussed by Logan when in Kingston in 18-42, and on the strength of De l*' Beche's recommendation, he was subsequently authorized to secure the services of Mr. Alexander Murray, a young man who had originally been educated at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth, and had served for some years in the Navy ; but who, at the time of which we write, was devoting himself to geology, and working enthusiastically as a volunteer on the Ordnance Survey under De la Beche. From 1837 to 1841 he had lived in Canada, and had served as a volunteer during the rebellion there. His first personal intercourse with Mr. Logan was in London during the winter of 1841-42 ; but in the succeeding spring he ^i 1 142 BEMimSCENCES. went to Swansea, and accompanied him m many of his geological excursions in the surrounding country. Keferring to this time, Mr. Murray afterwards wrote : — " Even at that early period, when every comfort of life was easily accessible, 1 observed his utter indifference to self-indulgence of any kind, or even such ordinary comforts as most people would be inclined to call indispensable necessities. After an early and very simple breakfast, he would buckle on his instruments, grasp his hammer, and with map in hand, march off to the field, in which ho would toil on without cessation, without thinking for a moment of food or rest, until the shades of evening gave warning that it was time to retrace his steps towards home, or to seek some temporary dwelling." Mr. Murray (now a C. M. Gr.) was connected with the Geological Survey of Canada for many years, but was afterwards appointed Director of the Survey of New- foundland, a position which he still holds. Throughout he has been a zealous and daring explorer, and to the last Sir William regarded him with feelings of the warmest friendship. CHAPTER IX. GASPE EXPLORATIONS, 1843. IN the spring of 1843, Logan again crossed the Atlantic, to enter systematically upon his new duties in Canada. In his journal, he pathetically refers to the fact of his being sea-sick for the first time, although it was his eighth voyage. Reaching Halifax on the 30th. of May, he determined to journey overland through Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, to his desti- nation in Gaspe, visiting on the way that wonderful display of the coal-measures at the South Joggins, on the Bay of Fundy, a knowledge of which he felt might bo of service to him in studying the geological formations of Canada. At the South Joggins he spent several weeks, and it was at this time that he executed his great section of the coal-measures, which, as has been truly said, is " a remarkable monument of his industry and powers of observation." It gives details of nearly the whole formation of the region, or 14,5*70 feet, including seventy-six beds of coal and ninety distinct Stigmaria underclays. Nowhere else in the world is 144 TMJ£ JOG GINS SECTION. [1843. there so magnificent, cr so instructive an exposure of the coal-measures as that of the Joggins. Imagine a thickness of three miles of strata, tilted up so that almost every successive bed is brought to view ! What a history is there contained ! This great series c amusement. They are tinged with their writer's quiet humour, and serve to show how little escaped his notice, even in the way of the most trivial things and circumstances. John Basque's summer residence, for example, is described with as minute detail as if it wero a profoundly interesting geological phenomenon : — ''Sunday, IQth. July. — Basque's wigwam is about fourteen feet square. The sides and ends are constructed of unplaincd boards, placed edgewise on one another for about three feet up, and kept together by stakes on each side at the corners. There is a space left for the door in one of the ends. Upon these boards peeled pino poles are placed in a sloping position for rafters. They rise up to the height of about eight feet in the centre, where they are supported by two poles that run from end to end. On the rafters is laid a quantity of spruco bark, making a roof. The bark lies across the pole lengthwise, and one piece overlaps another, tile- fashion, while sticks and boards, with one end on the ground, are made to rest upon the bark to keep it in its place. One gable end is constructed in the same manner, but the other is made of boards, one end of which rests on the horizontal boards of the walls. A piece of coarse canvas, with several holes in it, hung on pegs, constitutes a curtain for the door — a very con- venient one for dogs and cats to make their exits and entrances by. But a board placed edgewise for a lintel debars the pigs from the same privileges. " In the centre of the floor is placed a cracked stove, about three feet long, two wide, and two high, from which rises a pipe passing through the roof left open 150 A SUMMER liiaSTDENCR [lS43 for the purpose, n,nd for the sake of light. The stove rests oil throe iron legs, and one a compound of stone and wood. Around the stove is left a space of about two feet, and l)etween this and the wooden walls, on all sides Imt that of the door, is a space covered with a carpet of llr boughs, confined at the outer edge by three polos stapled with willow down to the earth. This carpet is about four feet wide, and forms a sitting place by day, and a sleeping place by night. In one corner is an unplained board for a dresser, its ends supported by means of the same material. Pails and tubs occupy the space below, cups and dishes that above. Three or four trunks occupy the corners. "Two dogs, two cats, two Indians (Basque and his brother), two squaws, two children, two strangers (Stevens and myself), occupied this apartment last night, with a rousing fire in the stove in the middle of July. I crept into my blanket sack, without disposses- sing myself of my nether integuments ; yet I did not find it uncomfortably warm. This is Basque's summer residence, and it has not been thought necessary to stop the chinks. The night air, therefore, comes in on all sides, and towards morning, even in July, the air is a little cool about three or four o'clock. . . . " "We had a severe thunderstorm in the morning, and another, still more severe, in the afternoon. Two or three claps put me in mind of the Montreal thunder, when I was at school. The landscape from the door while the storm was gathering was beautiful beyond description. The dark clouds spread over the distant mountains, giving them as deep a blue as ever Robson 1843.] PORCUPINE VERSUS PIG. 151 put on paper. In the middle distance was the expanse of the river, with its pine-wood margin ; while a low, sandy beach with a couple of canoes turned over, Basque's wigwam and a few lir trees near it, with stumps and logs and knotted roots, formed a pi} '.■ \\ ■y(|| i f I I I: 'll 00 ^ 1843.] LITTLE GASP£. 153 remained behind to camp at the neck of the peninsula, while I proceeded down about three miles to Cape James, and returned by the shore as I had gone. The tide was flowing on my return, and I had to wade round the projecting capos, wetting myself to a point considerably above my knees. Twice 1 scaled the cliff. I was in a nice state when I got to the tent, but made myself very comfortable by changing even to my ilannels. . . . " Thursday^ 20th. July. — To-day we have come round to Little Gaspe, w^hich is a regular fishing-station. Fishing-stages and drjdng-houses occupy a high, pebbly beach, which, on the upper part, is dotted with stacks of dried codfish, covered with birch-bark, weighted to keep it down. In the bay is a whaling schooner at anchor, and fishing-boats in numbers keep it ill countenance. On the k ft a long limestone point projects aw^ay to the south-east, and completely shields the bay by its height on that side. On the right is a projecting horn of sandstone, and DoagJas and the Highlands are seen beyond. "Our tent is pitched on the beach, and there is iiotliing between as and the pebbles beneath ' ^ a few fir-tree boughs, \Ve are where fishermen most ao con- gregate. Already we have had several levees, :\nd I i'oar we shall find them rather troublesome. Our pisca- tory friends have, however, given us some macki rel for supper, and I ^ave bought three large lobsters for threepence, one of which is changing his colour in the pot, AVe are beginning to have rain, and I fear it is to be a wet night. . . . 154 CURIOSITY UNREWARDED. [l843. " Tuesday, 25o determine its age. " As Stevens and I were hammering away, one of the fish rmen came along to the rock, evidently with the intention of being a looker-on at our operations, and making his remarks upon our work. I was not desirous of being troubled, so I resolved to get rid of him without delay. When he came up to the place he stopped his walk, and I stopped my hammering, and sat on the specimens I was disengaging. ' You are working away,' said he. ' You are not' said I. ' I think we shall have more wind,' said he. ' I do not pay much attention to the wind,' said I. So he stood and said nothing for a little while, and I sat and looked at him. He then continued on his walk, as if he had come that way ou other business. But before he had proceeded thirty yards, he was brought up by the cliff' and the tide, and being obliged to return the way he had come, looked as if conscious I must know he had come our way through mere curiosity. All these fishermen fancy that I must be getting something worth much money, considering the pains I take. Nothing less than a silver mine answers their notions. One of the fishermen has sent me a piece of halibut for breakfast to-morrow. The 1843.] MISTAKEN FOn INDIANS. 165 northern lights are very bright, indicating, as Basque says, a change of weather. . . . " Friday y 28i! '■ *<, " Thirsday, \Olh. August. — At Little Gaspe again. "We have had rather a ])usy day. We were up at four, and had breakfast as soon as possible. Then my three boxes were carried to one of the fish-sheds near, to bo forwarded to St. George's Cove for the steamer. . . . The morning was calm, and as I was desirous of returning to Gaspe for the purpose of continuing my examination towards the Bay Chaleur, I determined to take advantage of it to get round Ship Head again. This I instructed John to do with all despatch, while I should walk to Cape Rosier, and then return again across the mountain to Little Gaspe. ... As I came by the place which we had made our home for three nights, and saw the poles sticking there without the canvas, and on the pebbles still spread the fir-tree branches on which I had slept, and my back-log still there, but ^ moking no more, a little of that merriment which is experienced on visiting scenes of former enjoyment came over me. 'The companions of my excursions,' said I, 'where are they?' I expected the echo to answer, ' Where are they ?' But the pleasures of memory did not come sufficiently strong, while the smell of stinking fish came too strong, and the echo, like a true Irish echo, only seemed to say, 'Gone to Little Gaspe.' So I started to join them. A very romantic walk I had over the pass called the Portage, of which I had already finished a sketch from memory. . , . " I reached Little Gaspe about two o'clock, where I found my canoe and companions, and a kettleful of pea soup. ... On our arrival here [Gaspe], we found that a great frigate had come into the port lately, and as we 1843.] PETROLEUM SPRINGS, 159 sailed past, we looked very small I fear, proud as we felt of our exploits of the day. It is not often that a canoe has come from Cape Rosier to Gaspe in the few hours mine has, doubling a great and usually stormy cape like thut of Ship Head, and making good her way over rough water for thirty miles. ... I have taken lodgings with Mr. Paddy, as he is called, though his name is McCannah, and have given John ])ermissioii to go to sec his family. . . . "■Friday, l\th. August. — I feel myself much refreshed by my sleep of last night. It is certainly a great comfort to get rid of all ligatures when one goes to bed, and to have soft feathers below one, instead of hard pebbles — even though one be a geologist. . . . I am off on an excursion up the south-west arm of the river to a spring said to be of coal tar, which all the people here consider a sure indication of coal. It may be x>etroleum, but I do not expect to find coal with it. "Here we are, camped in the woods on the south- west arm, and to-morrow we visit the Silver Brook, on which the tar spring is. We have dined on three trout, which John speared as we came along. To-night Ave are to go out trout-spearing by torch-light, to provide our breakfast for to-morrow morning. John has prepared birch-bark flambeaux, which consist of strips of the bark, to the number of a dozen, about two foot long and four inches wide, and tied uj) by strings of cedar root. The flambeau is split up into small strips at one extremity, for the purpose of easy ignition. "We are only waiting for the dark 160 BIRCH- BARK. [l843. Hii, iWili'i "I do not know what we should do in the woods without birch-bark. It is certainly one of the most useful things an Indian can boast of. He makes his canoe of it. He uses it for rooting his house. He makes ♦ " '^ vessels to carry his maple sugar and his gum, and twisting it as a chemist does his filter, he makes a cup of it, and it serves him for (irockery. Then it is a most inflammable thing, and burns like pitch. He lights his fire by means of it, and catches his fish by its assistance. He doos not write on it, because he cannot ; but ii inal < s a capital substi- tute for paper, under either the pencil or the pen, and to save paper I have been using it for my rough calculations. . . " Friday, \Wi. August. — ... It is 12 o'clock at night, and I am fagged. I have just put into ink my observa- tions of the day, which has required four hours ; and before that I had been hard at work measuring, and noting, and cracking stones for specimens, from six o'clock in the morning. I have had a blow on the head from a great stone weighing half a hundredweight, which fell upon me. fortunately from no great height. It has bruised my temporal muscle on the left side, and I can masticate only with great difficulty. John brought us soup about four in the afternoon. If he had brought anything that required the use of the jaws, I must have gone without dinner. I have had a tumble, too, on a slippery stone, striking my elbow ; and I put my foot between two stones and pinched my instep , so that I am all bruises, and my limbe are as stijff" as sticks. I'll go to bed. ii :fi i84n.] WO RM-T RACKS. ICl " Sunday, 20fh. Auii^u.sL — Wc got our specimons ol iuiiielids yesterday. It rained a little during tho iiiorii- iiig, but bocamo lino in tho artornoon, and was very i-alni all day — a bcautil'ul canoo day. I'Ik; canoe, how- ever, was too narrow a vessel lor one of the spiM-iniens, which measured live feet one way and lour feet eiglit the other. We were obliged to borrow a Hat from the lishermen to get it home to our tent. It weighs about three hundredweight. It would have been a pity to break it up, as the full eifect of the worm-tracks cannot SUPPOSKI) WOUM-TllACKS KKO.M (iA.SPK HANDSTONE. AlxMit oiHvtwi'irtli iiiitural kIzo. be appreciated from a small specimen. I also got some fossil shells from the same bed as the annelids; only two sjiecies, however, and ])y no means very distinct. I begin to think these are not true coal-measures, not- withstanding that I have seen a small seam of coal, tw^o inches thick. The plants are not Carboniferous. . . . The rain is coming down harder and harder. The wind IS beginning to blow, the sea to break heavily on the shore, and our tent to leak, I have been lying in the tent conducting the drox)s which soak 11 1^2 EAIN DROPS. [1343 throniili tho canvas down lo ilio odgn^ or bottom of the sheet. When tlie rain isoaks ihronij-h it rnns clown the inside of the canvas a little way, until it meets a dry place. This produces an impediment to the current; a large drop immediately collects, and down it falls. To a disinterested person il would l)e very amusing, no douht, to witness the inconvenience caused by these drops. While you write one of them will probably fall just at the point of your pen, take all the ink out of it, and spread it on the paper ; or one will fall on what you have just written, and send the letters <>t the ali)habet swhnming in all dinn'tions, drowning a word or two ; or one will fall on a clean part of the page, forming a lake, at the margin of which the pen must stop until the lake is drained or dessicated. If any of them fall on your clothes, you do not lind it out until, l)y dint of repetition, the drop has supplied water enough to get through coat, &<;., and meets with the first impediment to its progress in your skin. You then discoA'er that capillary attraction has made a morass of a considerable space around the centre of supply, and if the spot happens to be one not conveniently exposed to the fire, your science is considerably perplexed to find a remedy for the evil. . . . " Saturday, 2nd. September. — . . . We have got to Perce, and have taken up our quarters at Mr. Moriarty's. Perce is f[uite a town, and there is very picturesque scenery about it. I must remain here two or three days, ^^ Sunday, 'Srd. September. — . . . The town of Perce, as it may be called, is situated ou a point of land, which 1843.] ISTJ': PERCKE. 163 jutw pivtty far out iiilo Iho (iulfof {St. Lawrem-e It is 8Urroiiii- tlicm, so lliat you may enjoy tlio sct'iu'ry. '^I'lic liousos arc separated into two "Toups l)y a rocky point d Pierre L'I]gle, took it into his head to dance upon a projecting piece of rock, \\'hich gave way luider his feet, and dashed him to atoms on the beach. This was about six years ago. Up to that time Mr. Moriarty had always cut hay on the top ; but the magistrates have now interdicted anyone from going up "On the north side of Perce Point are the rocks which I surveyed while occupying the corner of the boach in MalT)ay, and one of which shows a perpendi- cular face of QQiS feet. . . . On the outside of the sjilit rock there is an island about a mile in diameter, called Bonaventure. The side next the mainland is pretty well occux>ied by fishermen's houses and iishing-stages. It has a moderate slope, and a pebbly beach ; but the ^, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1^118 |Z5 ■tt liii |22 H^ 11.25 i 1.4 1.6 iV i«'es, I viiiderstand, are some of them 500 feet in height, and the water is many i'athonis deep at their base, rendering it quite impossible to walk along. I shall, therefore, have to go round the island in a canoe. " Tuesday, bth. September. — After breakfast this morn- ing, I had again to put my barometer in order. The mercury had leaked a good deal. After doing so, I set out with kStevens and a son of Mr. Moriarty's to ascend Mount Anne. There is a grand view from the summit, and the island of Miscou, on the other side of the Baio des Chaleurs, is visible on the horizon. Perce and its shores appear to be quite at our feet, and the split rock looks of no height at all. The mountain has a per- pendicular face to the southward, and looks over the shore which extends between White Head and Cai)o d'Espoir. " The day was warm and the sun shone out brightly. I collected materials to determine the height of a con- siderable number of points on the ascent. The whole of the hill is composed of the unconformable conglo- merate. We returned from our excursion in time to enable me to continue my measurements along shore» and the tide being at the lowest point of ebb when I cam«i to the point of Mont Joli, I had an opportunity of walking over dryshod to the split rock, and getting a few fossils there. Its periiendicular face, 300 feet high, looks very grand when one stands at the base. " Wednesday, Gth. September. — The day being line, I took advantage of it to make the tour of Bonaventuro Island, which lies opposite to Perce, and is distant I 1843.] TiOf^AVENTUnn J fit AND. 105 )l o o- to of h, about a couple of miles. Mr. Moriarty lent mo his whale-boat for the purpose, and in addition to Stevens and Basque, I had two other m(Mi in the l)oat, one an old I'ellow of the name of Fournier, who was well acquainted with every part of the island. " We had a sail for our boat; but the wnnd was not fair for making the island. So the oars were used. As we approached the island, Fournier pointed out to me a huge block which had fallen from the clilF, to which the name of la cruche is given. Another is called /a pierre carrce ; another, le mouton. These are on the Jiorth-w^est side of the island, and the cliiTs are there bold, being about 300 feet high. Having made the island, the wind favoured us a little, and we ran down the west side, which is rather low, though rocky. The same may be said of the south side, the cliffs not being more than fifty feet. But as we came to the eastern side, the boldness rose to grandeur, and there are several places where the perpendicular height can- not be much short of 600 feet. In these cliffs are two ledges, which are distinguished by the names of the South Gannet Ledge and the North Grannet Ledge, from the circumstance of their being the resort of myriads of these birds, which build their nests in the crevices of the rocks. The ledges were actually whitened by them, and having no less than three guns and a rifle with uSj w^e loaded to procure some of the gannets as specimens. A thousan