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Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmds A des taux de reduction diff^rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est filmd A partir de I'angle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ci J( TRAVELS AND EXI'ERIENCES IN CANADA, THE RED RIVER TERRITORY, AND THE UNITED STATES, HV PETER O'LEARY. JOHN B. DAY, PRINTER AND PUBLISHER. " SAVOY 8TEAM PllK-SS," SAVOY STREET, STllAND. ],oxi)ON : '!;i:,ri;r, i,v joiln j5. day, "bAVov stlam I'kliS, HAVOV STKJ^KT, STllAND. i This Book IS, r.Y PERMISSIOX, DEDrCATKI) TO THE RIGHT HON. EARL DUFFERIN, K.l>., KX\[] Governor General OF the Dominion of Canada. IN UESPECTFUL RECOGNITION OF HIS HIGH QUA LIT IKS AS A PRUDENT, COURTEOUS, AND ENLIGHTENED STATESMAN. ( (■ 1 A- TREFACE. Tx giving this, luy first work, to the world, I would tiiko the opportunity of thauking the gcutlouiou connoctod with tho various iuiportant newspapers in Europe, and America who, during my travels in America, publislied my letters in their respective journals, and commented upon tlieir contents with much considerati(m and kindness. It is not unknown to them, and to a large number of their readers, that I have no pretension to the eihication of a scholar, although possibly, as far as knowledge of tho affixirs of my fellow -work men is concerned, I may have as practically useful an education as most men. To those <){ my readers Avho do not know me personally, I )nay briefly state, that my father was, at the time of my birth, a farm labourer in Ireland, and that when I was six years of age, he brought my UK^ther and myself, from Ireland to England, and settled with us a few miles from London, where he followed his old occupation. I was myself employed on a farm as a labourer until the 2()tli year of my age, when, j^rompted partly by a desire for novelty and change, and partly by a wish to secure more lucrative employment I came to London, where I obtained em- ployment as a. pavioui''s labourer, and I followed that business until I rose to the rank of street mason and paviour. The little learning I may have, has been what I have picked up in my leisure moments ; in other words, I am a self- taught man. I need scarcely state that 1 make no pre- M TRK!\V<'E. ti'iislons to oTiimmnticil iH'vf.'Ctioii or cK-miicc,' of stylo ; nil I liiivc cii(l(':i\()iirc«i hciv to do lias been to (\\i)r('s> lioiiu'jy and, as I Ixdiovc ihcIuI trutlis in laii-iiM<;v wliiuli, if not liiglily polished, is, I know, at least intrlliMihlc to tliosc for ^vlIos(' l)eni'tit this has lu'cii written. 1 am confident, therefore, that my work, if not found wanting in otlier respects, will receive, in spite of my roiinii an lit man in the ritiht place, fully understandiui^ ins duties and responsibilities, and ever ready and anxious to perform them with credit to himself and benefit to the Canadian people. Nothing can exceed the courtesy extended ])y him to all classes of the community; he has t-ver manifested an earnest desire to assuage injurious dissension.s, to unite clashing interests, ;ind to firmly consolidate the union of the various sections of the Canadian Confederation. I cannot refrain from n( ticing in this place thegencM'ous and patriotic conduct of Mr. James Mulligan, of 8t. James, Fort Gary, Manitoba, who, during my stay there, deposited £100 in the Merchant's Bank of the City of \Vinni[)eg, in the names of ^Ir. Boyle. Editor of the Irinlt Catmdkui, Toronto; ^Ir. M. P. Ryan, M.P., Montreal; and Mr. P. F. Johnson, Kanturk, Ireland, as trustees for the assistance of such Irish emigrants to Manitoba as may arrive in that province during the next two years. I tiiist that the example of ^Mr. Mulligan will be followed by others of my wealth}- countrymen in Canada and the 4 iMn:FA< E. vu niiltcil States. '1 licrc can ho no nunv Ix'iu ficciit act of cliarity tliaii (lie cxti'iisioii (>rlicl[> in tlic \un\r <»t" need to till' too often heli^K'ss and noarly ])»'nniU'ss cnii^iant. A vcrv little assistance at a ciitical nionicnt means often to einigiants the diticivnce between a life of j)ros])eiity and hai)piness, and ;i life nf abject paiiperisiu and misery. They arc alone and in a strani;e land, and lielp comin<^^ to them thei'e from the hand of a fellow countryman is doubly all my kind friends in Emope, Canada, and the Uniti'd States, for the hospitality and courtesy I have received at their hands, I ventme to issue this account of my experience and travels, trusting it will .meet Avith their approval and receive their sup})0)t. PETER O'LEARY. London. I i TRAVELS AND EXPERIENCES IN CANADA, THE RED MVER TERRITORY, AND THE UNITED STATES. CHAPTER I. WHY I WENT TO AMERICA. To get inforipation upon any matters reciuiring special attention lias been the ambition of men in all iv^^'h, and under all eireumstances ; to acquire knowledge of diliVirent races and of unknown countries trav(41ers have braved danger and death in a thousand forms ; and when we read of the exploits and achievements of the explorers of distant regions, we are struck with admiration at their courage, endurance and intelligence. Any man who has visited a far off land aiid on his return diffused the in- formation that he derived, has been a public benefactor, because, in a measure he contributed to the knowledge of the people. This is why I have written this book on Canada and the United States, giving an honest opinion from A workingman's standpoint on these countries at) fields of emigration for those of the toiling masses who purpose leaving the United Kingdom to seek new homes in other climes. Durincr the last thirty years over four millions left Ireland alone, most of them B i 2 T\'I1V i WENT TO AMERICA. going to the United States. Looking tli rough the emi- gration statistics of thiit country, I find that from 1847 to 1852 IRISH EMIGRATION nearly doubled that of any other country, the next being that of Germany ; while from England it was comparatively small. Of the emigrants engaged through the instru- mentality of the New York Labour Exchange in 18G8, 7,397 could not r(;ad or write ; the most of those emigrants were from the United Kingdom, as the Germans generally prefer to go West; their ignorance denotes the low status of the working-classes in Great Britain and Ireland, (tountries whicli, from time to time, have been loudly i^ro- claimed the most enlightened in the world. With un- bounded territories and unlimited resources this influx of hard-working men was of the greatest bene lit to the United States, and the result was that the Republii- rapidly rose in the scale of nations, although the govern- ment of that country has not acted right to those people who went to make a home under its liaij: — but more of that in anotlier chapter. England has more colonies and dependencies than any other country", and it is only natural that she would try to direct the current of emi- gration to their shores; the colonies themselves being very anxious to get settlers. St^'am navigation, the electric telegraph and penny newsp^jpers led to a diffusion of knowledge between diiiereiit countries and peoples, this materially assisted emigration, because such knowledge enlarged their views and expanded the ■• ideas; but it is only recently that the PLAN OF DELEGATING MEN from various organisations to report upon the prospects that await workingmen in the new countries has been thought of; this wa.s really a step in the right direction. During the last few years numbers of trade unions have been formed and found exceedingly beneficial to the toiling classes, because they taught self-reliance, unity and cohesion, and had a properly orgaiiised directing power. THE AGRICULTURAL LABOURERS* UNION is the lai?t, and perhaps tiie most important of these I ' I I ' >^- I 1 mi- ery ric of liis Igc t is '■ ; ; I t I WUY I WENT TO AMERICA. bodies, as it lias done more to call attention to the grievances under which the people laboured than any other of these organisations, and many men of position and wealth have given it their support on that account. Some two years ago the council at Leamington determined to send a couple of DELEGATES TO IRELAND, to endeavour to form a union in that country, as well as to report on the general condition of the labourers. My- self and Mr. Gardiner were selected for that purpose. Accordingly, we landed in Dublin in May, 1873, and durinof the summer we travelled throu«'h the counties of Limerick, Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, and Waterford ; numerous meetings were held, and a deal of information given to the public on the wretched condition of a class, the worst fed, the worst-clad and worst housed probably in Europe. The cabins or houses in wliich the labourers live are entirely unfit for human habitation, the walls made of mud or clay, about six feet high and often not so much ; the roof, of rotten thatch ; no windows, except one or two immoveable panes of glass fixed in the wall to admit light; the floor of earth, moist and unwholesome, no sanitnrv arrangements; no rooms or separate sleeping places for the different members of the family; no plastering or whitewash on the walls or roof, scarcely any furniture, except a few basins, a pot. and some stools ; the bed, a heap of straw in a corner, and the covering of the scantiest kind ; the above is no fancy description of AN HUSH peasant's home in the nineteenth ccnturv, their beino- 95,000 of such homes in Ireland. Tiieir food is also of a coi-responding nature, being either potatoes or Indian corn-meal, boiled into stir-about; — without milk, butter or sugar — and fre- quently not enough, even of that. In evidence of this fact I will quote a passage from a leading article of the " Flag of Ire kind" newspaper of the 2ord of August, 1878, which says, ''The condition of this class of our people is admittedly wretched, perhaps in no country is there to be found a more famished and forlorn human being than the farm labourer of Ireland, he is ill-paid, half-starved and B 2 WHY I WEN 7 TO AMERICA. miserably housed; his wages arc insufficient for the maintenance of a single individual in anything like com- fort, still less a whole family ; his children consequently are ragged and without shoes; in the coldest weather he is himself half- naked, and his wife shrinks from making her appearance before strangers; the bounden duties of religion are often neglected, because the family are in a state of semi-nudity and ashamed to be seen among their more favoured fellow - creatures ; he is entirely ignorant of any of Ihe world's comforts, his dwelling at once strikes the eye of the stranger with horror — nay, with doubt, as to whether it is the abode of human beings; — at most there are but two rooms, and frequently only one, in the miserable hut, and into tins apartment is huddled every living thing belong- ing to the weary toiler : the husband, the wife, the chil- dren, the pig, the cock and hens, and perhaps a donkey, or a goat, all dwell in the one solitary chamber. The extent to which this habit DEMOllALISES THE LABOUKER cannot be easily measured, the delicacies of better society cannot possibly be observed under such circumstances, and the moral sentiments are sure to be deprived of tliat tone which purifies man and elevates him above the brute." With a state of things like the above it is no wonder that the only AMBITION OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE is to leave the country, and this they are doing at an enormous rate. Altliougli the mission of myself and Mr. Gardiner did not end in a union like that at Leamington, still a great deal of good was done ; the newspapers took up the subject and discussed it in leading articles ; })rondnent men wrote numerous letters, each oivinij his own views; and a general feeling in favour of the unfortunate labourer was created, that 1 am glad to say has not yet died out. Pohtical economists are divided in their opinions about THE LAW OF SUJ'PLY AND DEMAND being applied to labour. Some asserting that the workr man haij a right to jjarticipate to ii reaaonable extent in i * >i WHY I WENT TO AMERICA. the wealth and prosperity of the country, others saying that the capitahst has a right to get cheap labour if he can, and certainly this was the reply of the farmers of England when the union applied for higher wages for its members. Acting on the maxim that " Method is the Soul of Business," tlie union determined to organise a large emigration, and thus lower the supply and increase the demand, and for this purpose the president, MR. JOSEPH ARCH visited Canada and the United States in the autumn of 1873. On his return a great many labourers went to the Dominion, wliere they were well received, and since then thousands of stalwart Englishmen have left their country, never to return ; indeed, it is only since the formation of the union that anything like a large emigration from England set in, but from Ireland it has been going on for at least thirty years. During the ten years, from 1845 to 1854, one million five hundred and twelve thousand one hundred Irish landed in the United States, all those people paying their own passages, or else friends in America doing so for them, there being then no emigra- tion clubs or societies as there are now in England. A few years ago, MR. JOHN FRANCIS MAGUIRE, M.P. for the City of Cork, travelled in Canada and the States, and on his return published his great work — " The Irish in America" — which went through several editions. This was the first time that the Irish in the United Kingdom had any information about their countrymen on the other side of the Atlantic. Although Mr. Maguire's book was beautifully written and its effect beneficial, it was not a book of general information for an emigrant ; Mr. Arch was the first to undertake that duty on behalf of the English labourers' union, and as example is stronger than precept, it was determined by some gentlemen in Ireland that a workingman should proceed to America to get as much information as possible for the emigrating classes. The mission was oflfered to me by the hon. secretary, MR. JOHNSON, OF KANTURK, WHY I WENT TO AMERICA. who has done more for the elevation of the farm labourers of Ireland than any living man, for whilst others were talking, he was acting, and energy is the key to success in any undertaking. I accepted the duty, on condition that I should be permitted to remain in America during the winter, so as to know as much as possible about the cold season ; I also at the same time determined to see work- ing-class life in all its aspects, and to travel as much as* possible through those sections of the country that are held forth in the United Kingdom as eligible places for the people to go to. Without egotism, 1 flatter myselt that I have seen as much of the country and inhabitants, in the same length of time, as any man that ever went out. I saw public life in hotels, and private life in the mansions of the wealthy and cultured, as well as in the homes of the poor man, anu in the log huts cf the settler. I have seen American civilisation in every phase, from the most refined in the large cities, to that of tiie Indian tribes inhabiting the region noith of Lake Superior, or the fertile plains of Manitoba. I have COLLi^CTED EVERY POSSIBLE INFORHIATIOX about the prospect awaiting the emigrant, and to do so I have travelled some thousands of miles, have endured some hardships and privations, and to place the knowledge I have of those matters in a readable form before the public is niy ambition. I do not want to write anything sen- sational or to draw upon imagination for subjects, my object is to tell a plain concise and unvarnished story of my expeiience and impressions, and to add to the in- telligence of the masses about that groat Western World which for generations to come will absorb into its bosom the surplus population of Europe. That there is ROOM FOR MILLIONS ON THE OTIIErw SIDE OF the Atlantic there cannot be a doubt, and every infor- mation bearing on our cousins across the ocean must bo interesting to a large section of the public, and to collect that information I visited Canada and the United States. CHAPTER 11. FKOM LONDON TO DERPvY. Having received credentials and letters of introduction to influential people in the Dominion, 1 determined to travel with as little encumbrance as possible, all my wardrobe and papers being packed in a small carpet bag and valise, so that I might be my own porter in case of emergency. I loft Euston Square Station for Dublin, on the morning of the 18th of May, 1874. Any one seeing from the railway carriage the grand mansions, lovely villas, fine parks, excellent farms, and beautiful lawns and gardens of the wealthy, could not well imagine how there could be POVERTY, WRETCHEDNESS, AND IGNORANCE in such a country, but that there is, no one can doubt, and if they do, let such a person visit one of the ''Allan" Line of Canadian steamships on her departure from Liverpool, where he will see the AGRICULTURAL LABOURER and his family, after years of unceasing toil, in a state of destitution, leaving his country, and in the majority of cases the passage being paid for him, as he has scarcely money enough to purchase the necessary clothing. The North - Western Railway between London and Holyhead passes through every class of scenery. Here a lovely valley, covered with splendid vegetation ; there a hill, crowned with a ruin of some feudal castle or ancient fortress ; now the train dashing over some river, im- mortalised by poet and historian. At length we reach Crewe, a wonder in itself, from the great number of trains 8 FROM LONDON TO DERllY. passing through it daily. Shortly after we cross into ISorth Wales, the scene is superbly grand ; the sea on our right, the Welsh mountains on our left; through tunnels and over the stupendous Britannia bridge, that spans the Menai Straits, which divide the ISLE OF ANGLESEY from the main land. This sacred island of the icient Druids looks comparatively poor, yet it is evident there is more equality among the people than in any part of England ; there >s a sameness and air of comfort about the houses, that is not to be seen in this co\mtry ; besides, there appears to be a bit of land attached to each dwelling, either to support a cow or to cultivate, as the owner thinks fit. We arrived in Holyhead at six o'clock in the evening, and had to wait there until twelve for the North \Vall boat. The town is built on the projection of a mountain, and appears to be more or less dependent on the port and railway for its business ; the houses are small, but all look neat arid clean. At bst we were on board of the boat, and at midnight were steaming out of the harbour ; the night was very cold and A DECK PASSAGE TO DUBLIN was anything but ])leasant. I am surprised that there has not been some legislation to regulate the passage between England and Ireland, as at present it is a disgrace. We have Acts of Parliament to protect steerage passengers on emigrant ships ; we have Acts of Parliament protecting the very poorest of the people in common lodging-houses; we have an Act of Parliament regulating the labour of women and children in factories, and we have an Act of Parliament to prevent poisoning by adulteration ; but an Act to compel the steamboat lines, between England and Ireland, to provide something like decent accommodation for steerage passengers is as necessary as any one of those measures, I have cnjssed th^^ Channel by four different routes, and their arrangements for steerage passengers are all wretched, in fact, inhuman ; women and children have to stow themselves awa,y on deck among cows and pigs, as best they can. There are no female stewards for the lUOM LONDON TO DEllRY. third class, and there is an indiscrimato mixing of the sexes ; son-sick women and half drunken drovers huddled together in any nook or corner where they can find room. Surely it is time this abominable state of things was done away with by the strong hand of the law. We made the passage in six hours. THE ENTRANCE TO DUBLIN BAY is magnificent, the Hill of Howtli on the right, the watering places of Bray and Kingstown on the left, and in the background the high ridge of the Wicklow mountains. The sun had just risen and reflected in the blue waters of the bay ; the da.rk brown mountains on both sides of the entrance, the villas and mansions of the gentry scattered here and there, made up a glorious scene, and one not easily forgotten. As we steamed up the Liffey we passed Poolbeg, the Pigeon-house fort, the historic shore of CLONTAllF, the famous battle-field on which the Irish King Bryan Boiroimhc defeated the Danes, on Good Friday, 1034. On that memorable day 14,000 Danes fell, as well as the two sons of the King of Denmark, Gurth and Sitric. The Irish army also suffered severely, having lost 8,000 men, besides the heroic old king and his son, Prince Murroagha, or Morgan O'Brien, it is recorded of the Prince that his Y\^ laughing and joking and determined only to see the bright side of everything. While recinvinu" tlie LicfCfasro and mails a clerk came round to take th(^ passengers names, so as to enable the company to check the list with the number of ti>kets issued; to this simple and necessary arrangement A CANTANKEROUS OLD GENTLEMAN objected, be v^ould not give his name to a clerk, no, not he, and a, dandified looking swell in holiday rig, and who evidently wanted to let some ladies on bt)ard know that he was somebody, followed the old nian's example. The clerk, in the performance of a necessary duty, had to submit to some sharp language from these men, who had apparently more money than brains ; if they had been poor probably they would have been put ashore, but as they were "gentlemen," deference was piiid to their wealth. The hawser was then unfastened, the captain (for even tug-boats will have captains) moved his hand in token to the hebusman, the boat gradually got cleai- of the wharf, full speed is put on, and we are rapidly gliding down LOUGH FOYLE to the mail steamship "Scandinavian," of the Allan line, lying off Moville, fourteen miles from Derry. The scenery TVAn\ DKHIIY TO QULDEC. 15 lo on l)()tli sI(l(>M of the loui^^li is very picturosquo althou^li sonuiwliat h.'irc of timber, th(^ ruins of castles, towers, ami abbeys (lot the surface of tlie country, showing that Irelauil must once liavc been a paradise; for architects and masons. 1 am not a lover of stupendous castles and baronial halls, because indir( 'tly they represent the enslavement of the multilud(^ to the will of the fevv. I could not help re- tlectino- that nearly all the ruins in Ireland were made by England's armies to secure the subjection of the country, and that having been elTected, the land is now handed over to ABSENTEE PROPRIETORS, who are worse mnsters than the feudal founders of the ruined casth^s, because the latter lived in the country and cared for its welfare, but the modern landlord docs neither; if landed proprietors remained on their estates in Ireland, such numbers of its peasantry would not abandon their Irish homes and ufo to forcii^n lands to find a home or a grave. After an hour's pleasant sailing we reach THE SHIP. What different mcclinnical contrivances the word "ship" covers: the Roman galley with double banks of rowers which brought Ciesar's army from France to England when he invaded it, the vessels in which the Danes sailed to their numerous conquests were small and most of them without decks. Alfred the Great excelled in ship-building, the result beimx that eacli time his licet encountered the Danish one the latter suffered a defeat. Richard the Second of England was three weeks wind bound in Pen)- broke harbour wlien about to cross the Channel to Ireland to lead his army against the hero Art McMurrough, and in Ljo4< it took the great French navigator Jacques Carti(^r two months to sail from St. Male to the straits of Belle Isle. IT those ancient mariners were to wake up now from their long sleep, how surprised they would be to see THE " SCANDINAVIAN " at anchor waiting for her tender to bring the mails, to place in a few days, the old world in communication with the new. 16 FHOM DEUllY TO QUEBEC. How splendid she looks as her outline stands out against the northern sky, how majestic is lier appearance and how powerful is the machinery necessary to propel the hug(i mass across the Atlantic to the Western World. At length we are alongside, passengers and mails are rapidly trans- ferred, and as soon as possible we are under weigh BOUND FOR Qri':BEC; on GUI' left is the village of Movillc, having a very nice ap- pearance from the deck of the vessel, white cottages on the hill side, and gentlemen's houses along the shore. We j^ass the immense ruins of Greencastle, one of the ancient strongholds of the O'Doherties, and close to it the coast- guard depot, signal station, and observatory. The wind blew a little fresh as we began to feel the great Atlantic swell. Gradually the coast line disappeared, and at nine o'clock we were out of sight of the EMERALD ISLE. The crew, from the captain to the cabin-boy, were as busy as lamplighters, putting things to rights, every one in his own department. I made it a point not to let anybody know my business, so that I could see how emigrants were treated. The purser went round and collected cabin ])as- sengers' ticket;;', and at supper each person had a place allotted at table to sit at during the voyages The " Scan- dinavian" is a screw steamer, 300 feet long and 40 feet wide, 0,000 tons burden, barque rigged, with a crew ol 120 men, commanded by Captain H. W. Smith and four officers. The crew may be divided as follows : — OlTi.'?er.s, engineers, stokers, sailors, cooks, and waiters, or as they are called, stewards, whose duty it was to wait at table in the saloon and keep cabin passengers' berths in order, of whom there were between seventy and eighty ; there were also 700 steerage, a few intermediate, and eighty-one chil- dren from Miss McPherson's Home in the Commercial Road, total souls on board 997. Tlie "Scandinavian" is one of the splendid fleet of the ALLAN LINE, twenty in number, sailing for the most part to r^anada. What capital must be invested, and what skill and enter- FROM DEKllY TO QUEBEC. 17 #■, if ji prise is shown in the buiUlin*;- and management of those stupendous ships, yet all the aiTangements appear liko clockwork, so evenly do they seem to work in every depart- ment ; whether it ho the distribution of tickets at tho conipany's numerous agencies, or whether it be tlie des- patcliing a vessel from the port on the appointed day and arriving in due time at her destination, there is something extraordinary in the perfection of th(5 whole aflair. THE DISCIPLINE <»r the ''Scandinavian" was everything that could be desired, the crew and passengers being prohibited as far as possible from intermingling. The nude steerage passen- gers slept in liammocks slung from the decks, the women and children in bunks alon^c the sides, the sinoie females having a place partitioned off away from the others; the childicn sent out by MISS JK.TIIKilSON were taken excellent care of, evory one trying to do them some litth; kindness ; tliey were under the charge of two young ladies and a gentleman, who paid every attention to their little childish fancies, Captain Smith himself setting the example. Those little creatures sung delightFull\ every morning and evening to iis appreciative an aiidienci; as ever listened, even to a prima donna at Covent Garden; they were well clad, and bore evidence of good care in i'\'ery way. THE STEER AG i: PASSENGERS consisted of nearly all the nationalities in Europe, but, or (H)urse, the majority were from the United Kingdom, a largo nund.)er beiriij Eniilish a^'ricultural labourers, members (.f the Union, wlio were emi2,Tatin<»: throuoh the lock-out iu the Eastern Counties, the Union assisting to pay their pass[ige. When I saw so many tint; stalwart workmen in a state of destitution, leaving the wealthiest country in the world because they could not o-ct sufficient remuneration for their labour to live d<3Cuntly, 1 could not help exclainr- ing with Shakespeare, there is " SOMETHING ROITEX IN THE STATE OF DENMARK." Being a working man, I lia 1 no difiiculty in making c I 18 VllOM DERIIY TO l>UEBEC. myself at home among them, aiul I was sorry to see that many wore illiterate, a strong evidence of the poverty of their early years ; the richly endowed and state-paid edu- cational csl.'iMishnients, religious and secular, had entirely neglected those poor slaves, for tliey were nothing else; tlie reader may raise a technical obj(}ction to this remark, and say that no man is bought or sold in England, but 1 reply, that if not sold they [ire starved and brutalised. The wau's of agricultural labourers being utterly inade- quate to provide even the common necessaries of life, the little comforts, decencies, and refining influences which c'o so far towards realisini>' here that hif]^her and better life which all sensible men desire to lead, are utterly beyond their reach. I have myself, when a boy, been scaring birds off the cornfields for sixteen hours a day, and seven days per week for the enounoiis sum of two shillings, and souKitinies a thrnshino- into the bargain if the farmer, my master felt in the humour, or rightly or wrongly thought that 1 had not done my duty. English labourers, moreover, are liable at any moment by a stroke of the pen of a magis- terial or county court ofiicial in whose appointment they have had no voice, to suffer the horrible degradation of imprisonment, possibly for months in a felon's cell, and to be spoled of their goods ; that palladium of liberty — trial by jury — liaving been carefully restricted by ill-advised ministers to the more favoured classes, and the most infamous criminals. The eagerness with which the agricultural labourers of England joined the Union does them honour, because it shows how^ anxious they are to improve their condition by moral co-opera- tion, which, by a few simple rules, gives protection to the weak, uniting the intelligent with the unintelh- gent, to the great benefit of the latter without injury to the fo-UT-r. The men of position and education who assist tjiem are public benefactors, because, in a measure, they have given a tone and a directing power to the greatest Tuovement that has arisen in England in modern times. Vv'iih so many people on board one w^ould expect a good deal of overcrowding, yet there seemed to be plenty of room, ar,d certainly everything was done for ventilation and ihe FROM DERRY TO QUEBEC. 1!) SANITARY COMFORTS of the poople. In the daytime all the able-bodied pas- sengers had to come on deck, if the weather was any way line, while the sailors washed and scrubbed the steerage. From Derry to Qiu^bec there Avas not a person laid up, neither was there a birth or a death. The Irish steerage passengers were somewhat different from the English, many of them being of the small farmer class, which MR. CLADSTONE'S LAND ACT was gradually pushing off the soil, giving them a little com- pensation for giving up possession, which enabled them to emigrate. Among the Irish were several young women going out for domestic service ; many of them having letters of introduction to Catholic clergymen in different parts of the Dominion ; they were robust and healthy, and no doubt will become mothers of a race of men who will yvt make Canada a powei* among the nations of the earth. Their appearance reminded me of Charles Kickham's exquisite j^oem of the where he says :- IRISH PEASANT GIRL, ' l)rave, brave Irish girls, We well may call you brave ; Sure the least of all your perils Is the Ocean's stormy wave. When you leave your quiet valley And cross the Atlantic foam, To hoard your hard won earnings For the helpless ones at home." I, THE FOOD IN THE STEERAGE was good and ample in supply, every one getting plenty without any stint whatever ; the only complaint I heard was that it was served a little rough, to some this was any- tliing but a grievance, but otliers, of course, would like more privacy, a thin^^ impossible amongst such a number of people. I asked a labourer from Northamptonshire, how he liked the treatment, and he replied in his broad dialect, — "Zii", I ha gotten more mefit for the laist six days than for six muutz befoar." There were two doctors on V)oard c 2 20 FROM DERRY TO QCEBEC. l)ut forturiritL-ly tbcy liad Init littlo to du; those afflicted with sea, sickness or juiytliiiig of tliat sort were soon put to rights ; hut oven of sea"^ sickness, there was but very Httle, as the weather was fine. THK SCOTCH seemed more pliilosophicaJ aiul jess ronvevsational than the otliers, the reason 1 couhl not tell, hut perhaps it is a national tiait of chaiacter, increased by the practical teaeli- ing thev receive ; their anihition was to get land of their own iri the new country, and certainly they had tlie appearance of niaking go(»d settlers; intelligent, robust andindustiinus. My impression of the THREE RACES OF ENGLISIT S1>EAF\INT! EMU I HANTS was that the English were the most industriously trained, with the h.-ast ambition io esca]»c from labour : th(^ Jrisli the most book learned, and with the least industrial training, and the Scotcii the most t'alcuhiting and practical; measuring everything from a utilitarian [)oint of view, perhaps or all tlie places in the worM the SAEOON OF AN OCEAN STEAMER is the best, to study every type of character; there is tlu; heavy swell, with lots of money, going on a pleasure tri}),, the stewards know him well and pay every attention to his wants, because he will gi\'e a liberal gratuity at the end of the voyage. There is our friend, the cantankerous old gentleman, who declares that every thing fronj stem to stern in the sliip is wrong: there is the dandy putting on airs to captivate a handsome young P]nglish lad}*, going on a tour through Canada, witli her father; the dandy doc^s not make nmch headway, as slie prefers the company of an unassuming young man, with spectacles on. There are shi'cwd men of business cfoing out to see what facilities the Dominion oilers for investment; they sit together and talk mysteriously about "capital,"" enterprise,'' "returns," "reasonable percentage," and all the other ternii* used in the money making vocabidary. There is a clergy- man of the Church of England nearly always reading, and very seldom conversing with any of his fellow passengers, yet he has a mild appearance that commands respect. FROM DERRY TO QUEBEC. 21 Then we have politicians of nearly all shades of opinion ; the Lil)cials and Conservatives being pretty evenly balanced ; the Republic was well represented by a young American lawyer, Avho was retui-ning from a tc/.*" in France. In support of his principl(>s, he said that W'abn- ington and his colh^noues had done more for human hberty than all the Kings of Europe, since Charlemagne. These controversies were very in^;tructive, as they showed the various points of political theories and forms of Govern- ment. No writer, and particularly an Irishman, has a riglit to forget the fair sex in a book like this, for un- doul)tedly it would be incomplete by so doing; all history, iis well as every day life shows the INFLUENCE UF WOMAN, whether in the convent or the school as a teacher, in the hospital as a nurse, at the domestic hearth as a mother, or the companiuu of man, to soothe and cherish his grosser nature when in trouble or affliction, or to share his happiness, as the cas(! may be. I am glad to say it was the latter on this occasion, as everyone was in good liealth and spirits. An ocean steamship is a capital place i'oY courting, both in steerage and cabin, and I have no doubt tliat intimacies formed while crossing the, Atlantic often end in marriage; on the other side. While lioiiourable and necessary attention was paid to women, I FROM DEIIUY TO QUEBEC. twelve days that I was on Loanl of his ship, I thought Captain Smith to })e almost a model officer; just such an one as we sometimes read of in stories and novels ; and I am certain that such a man is an acquisition to the Allan ser- vice ;temperatt'in his hahits, kind and courteous in his manner to the poorest woman in the steerage, as well as to the wealthiest lady in the saloon; attontivp to duty, at the same time commanding the res})ecu of his officers and crew, without pomposity or ostentation ; in a word, Captain Smith entirely won my respect and admiration, because I considered liim the right man in the right place, and just the best commander that could have been chosen for such a ship. The other officers, of course acted under him, \ni\ as tho old saying is, more or less appli- cable in all such cases — as with the master, so with the servants. Those gentlemen were civil when spoken to, and to a landsman, certainly their attention to duty ap- peared to he perfection itself, and particularly tlic doctors; although, fortunately tlu^y had not much to do. As wo approached Newfoundland, the temperature fell, because it was vet earlv in the season, and the ice had not all gone south. We saw A FEW [(•EBER(;S floating about in the open .sea, coming down from tluj Arctic regions, where by a force equal to an earthipiake the great ice fields are broken up in the spring, and those bergs are merely th(> pieces swinnning about. Those that get into the current running south come with it, the jjro- cess of dissolution gradually going on until they get into the gulf stream, wliere they finally melt. A boy may spend many years at school, and when a man read any mimber of books, but it is impossible for him to under- stand these natural phenomena or the magnitude of God's, wonderful works, except from personal observation. THE MATERIALIST may say that there is no God. and that matter, directs, organises and controls itself, yet inan is the most per- fect machine in the world, but everything done by Ins hand or brain is imperfect ; and whether the mind is dependent on his material budv or on the infinite FROM DERIIY TO QUEBEC. 23 ])ower ot an all wise Creator — which is far tlie most pro- h.'iblc — it is carried away in awe and wonJur at those stupendous realisations of A MYSTERIOUS CREATIVE POV/ER tliat he cannot understand, yet the furtlier we search I lie more evidence wo get of the Creator, thr(^iigh the harmony, unity and perfection seen in all his works «'verything serving a particular purpose, and acting in uuity with something else to consummate a particular end, or in other words, carrying out the exact purpose the Creator intended. An iceberg is a magnificent sight ; a something that cannot be described on paper, but if any one would imagine a lump of ice larger than the greatest building in the world, it would give an idea of the size ; they are luminous in appearance, and if the sunshine rests on them, they are even bright, almost to dazzling. There are scarcely ever any accidents througli them ; first, because thev can be seen at an immense dis- tance; secondly, because the temperature immediately lowers in their neighbourhood ; thirdly, because captains know exactly the region where they are likely to be met with, and use the necessary caution to keep clear; alto- uether there is not much to be feared from iceboras. On the fifth d^y out, it blew rather fresh, and the sea rolled up into great tumbling waves, but to any one not affected with giddiness it was a grand sight to stiind on the <|uarter-d(ick and see the ship's bow dipping, down, down, one would almost think t(^ the bottom, while in a second she would rise majestically over the next rollers ; the captain and an officer on the bridge giving orders by telegraph, both to the engineer and helmsman; three men looking out, two in the bow and one on the mast ; sailors pulling this and hauling that; the decks crowded with those who were going to clear the forest and plough the prairie ; the sails nearly all set to catch the wind blowing from the quarter ; a great black cloud of smoke arising from the funnel; the engines working up to full snx!ed; and the ship dashing through the water at the rate of fifteen knots an hour this was realiv a fine picture. On i ! ' H 1? 24 FROM DEKIIY TO QUEBEC. ilie tenth (lay wi' rcaclird Capo Race, Nowfounfllcand, on ■winch there is a .signal station and lighthouse; a iew miles I'urther on we wore in the midst of the celebrated NEWFOUNDLAND FISnERIES, hundreds of vessels on every hand heing engaged in the bii si?) ess, nearly all two-masted schooners ; those that we saw were principally French, from the French colony of ^t. Pierie, the men receive a bounty of six shillings for <^very quintal (equal to a hundredweight) they take ; they had the appearance of being fine healthy robust men and need be, fc^r their work is weary and laborious. There are a i^reat manv whales in the iijulf of St. Lawrence, and it was amusing to see tlu.'m blowing colunms of water into the air every time they came to the surface; I was surprised tliey did not upset some of th" tiny boat« in which the lishermen rowed about, but I suppose they are inoffensive if let alone. Our ship stood in towards the coast of Newfoundland, to a little place called Porte Basque, the captain desiring to send a telegram to Quebec to announce our arrival ; as we sailed up the gulf we passed several rocks, tlu^ homes of thousands of sea birds. < Vipe Ilozier on the CANADIAN MATN LAND came in view, and shortly after we saw signs of settle- ments; little wooden houses built in the "clefts of the rocks and ravines, the homes of the ''^Vench fishermen. In the evening the cnpt;iin gave permission to passengers to rem.-dn up to see the pilot come on board, about one in thv morjiing, at a place called Father- Point. This was really an exciting event; the vessel lay to, and a gun fired as a signal, the steam whistle was sounded, and a shower of rockiits were discharged to enable the pilot to know where we were, the night being very dark. At last he arrived, brniging a bundle of papers, which was a mosi acceptable present ; next morning we woko up to find ourselves fairly in the lUVKR ST. T-AWIIENCE, tlie beautiful island of Orleans on our right, and a fine if { FROM DERRY TO QUEBEC. 25 thickly popii]:ited country on onr left. The first thing that struck me wa« the absence of fine rs anxious to keep their children together, eluslort'd in i^roups hen.- and there arc men cxchanirinLT addresses and promisinn- (\ach other letters from time to time, yount» p(H)plo shaking hands and con- versiu!^ in low tones, in every cas(? vowin,L( friendship and som(\ no doubt, fervent love. The gancijway is made, oflicers are placed at the end of it to prevent overcrowding', nd nearly 1)00 passengers are landed in a, very short time wit) )ut aci;ident or confusion. The crowd on the wharf is very ordeily, far more so than a similar one woidd bo in Kngland or Ireland, no botluu' about "Carry your trunk, sir 'i " ''Tiiis way, sir !" oi- " Do you want a trap, sir ?" as at landing places in those cdUiitiies; the crowd was made up of three classes, the first cami* to meet friends, the second to get servants or workmen, the third to look on. The luggage and mails are rapidly put on shore, and after a few hours delay the vessel proceeds up the river to MONTREAL, a distance by water of about lIOO miles, wliere she is to discharge cargo. Thus ended our voyage of twelve days, during which time I narrowly watched the treatment of emigrants and I did not hear or see anything that could be complained oT. 1 VOULl) ADVISH STEKRAGE PASSENGERS not to bother ab(»ut bringing extra food or nourishment, unless a little jam for children, and those that like prepared milk whol betti ness, hold answ drill uten dep <;oii the so.'H Uegl bigu and Tiecc Viol( leav box »)WT1 of 1 Hde hon I-'IIOM DKUIIV TO QIJEIIKC. 27 L to licir icrs 110(1 \'m'>'l, and tlii' K'ss mixture one takes the Wetter in my opinion, intoxieaLin^* liijuors mrrease st-a-siek- ness, heeause they weaken tlie stoniaeli. A round tin potto hokl water and wash in, a ratlier (h'ep tin pkite that woukl answer cither for potatoes, soup, or ric(>, a tin sauee[)an t,o drink out of, a knife, a fork, and a spoon aro about all the utensils an emigrant re(piires, of course tlu» number would ilepend 0T» his family ; tiu; tin pot is the most useful thin^' he <;ould have, and it should be always bii^ enough to stow all the other articles into, a eoarsc^ towel or two and a piece of soap arr^ also necessary, and certainly n(t person should neglect wiushing once or twice a day. Evtny piece of luggage should be marked with the owner's name and where he is going to, and all things not absolutely necessary on the voyage should bo put away in the hold of tho ship; the emigrant should see to this before leaving home, by packing the clothes, etc., wanted in a box with a lock and key, this he should take under his own charge. 1 would advise passengers to take care of their money and not to be free in giving their con- Hdence to strangers, although perhaps there is as much honesty in the steerage of . an emigrant ship as in any other place in the world among the same number of people ; still discretion is always necessary. Of the cabin passen- oors, I will onlv sav that everything: is done to make them «,'omfortable, whether in the sumptuous fitting up of the saloon, in the arrangement of the berths, or in the civility and attention of the waiters, the ease and pleasure of the passengiTS is their entire study, and in fine weather a voyage across the Atlantic is as pleasing an (excursion as could be taken; there is ample op[)ortunity to study human character, to improve the mind and expand the ideas by contact with different people and different cir- cumstances, and the ever changing picture of God's work laises the immortal part of our existence — the soul — to a eompreliension of His omnipotence and our total de- l»endence on His will. II 1 1 cm, SS run* all CHAPTER IV. THE CITY OF QHEBKO AND TfTE RECEPTION OF EM 1( J RANTS. KvKiiv Allan boat with passcii'^crs (ditorinc; tlu^ St. Lawrence, must tt'k;i;i'apli tioni Father I'ehit tu warn tht' aut!u)ritios to niake luia^ssarv preparations. The list of rahiu passengers is published in tlio C-anadian papers in the issue following the receipt of the telegram, so that the inhabitants may make sure of meeting their friends at the landing or railway station, as the ease may be. The number of emigrants is alst) sent so that the officers of emigration can prepare for their reception. The St. jjawrence at Quebec, is about jl mile wide and very deep, enabling vessels to come u[) any hour of the tide. Point Levis, wh(!re all passengers are landed, is on the right bank of the river, the city being on the left, it is the terminus of the Grand Truidv Railway, and trains run iu connection with all passenger boat The station at Point Levis, is very diiferent from a station in the United Kingdom, as it is entirely made of wood, the only iron oi- stone being the nails, and a few buttresses, attached to it are the Government offices and RECEPTION HOUSES FOR EMIGRANTS, of which t/'^re are throe, one for the province of Ontario, or as it wa,s formerly known Upper Canada; one for the province of Q)utibec or Lower Canada, and one for the l)ominion or General Government. As soon as a ship geta alongside, the officials direct the emigrants to the recep- tion houses to await the landing of their luuixasfe. Of course cabin passengers wnl go to an hotel, several being close to the wharf From Quebec a great many take through tickets for the Central Northern and Western States of the American Union, as the Grand Trunk line j)le are nes' win thei in the nili TIIK (ITV OF QUEHKC, l/rc. 29 St. : of ill J it of Y\\T\H to Dt'lroit, Stiiti' (>( Mli'liin^jin, niirl tlinn conncrts \\'\\]i all tlic lJiiiiir sleeves, and the word (.^anadian Customs i»n their collars; they ]ji,>rfornied their duty courteously and without swagger, then the chi'ckcr came round and put a brass number ou each piece of luggage, giving a correspond- ing number to the owner, which made the company rc- s])onsil)le for the goods uhile the traveller had the duplicate in his possca'sion, it is a very ingenious plan, and the one adopted all over Ameiica. The emigrant for any port of the two Canadas will receive A FRi:i: KAILWAY TICKET, if for tbe province of Quebec from Mr. Thom, if for (Ontario from Mr. McLaren, or Mr. Shiel, late agent in Dublin. The tickets arc; countersigned by Mr. Stafford, the head or Dominion agent, those gentleman will also give every information, and all monies may l)e exchanged tor Canadian currency at bank iiites. What a curious crowd there is now getting ready to go up the country ; ou [': so THE CITY OF QUEBEC AND board tlie Scandinavian I could not sec the people to snch advantii<,a', but in the depot they can all^ be seen at once. The men with their hi'niHes on the right in tho corner, are En officers, and checked by the railway porters, the people all registered in the emigration offices, and railway tickets given to them, the signal is made by Mr. Stafford the head agent, and the train draws up to the platform, shortly after it is leavinix the station for the mvnt West, with a. cargo of human beings as ambitious, as hard working, and as determined to push their way in the world as could be met with anywhere at home or abroad. At the desire of some friends I remained for a few da3's in QUEBEC, during which time I visited the leading places of interest in and about the city. After the departure of the train I crossed the St. Lawrence, here a mile wide, on a steam ferry, from Point Levis to the town ; in mid stream the view is majestically grand, in front of us is the city, built on a shelving peninsula, one street rising above another something like Queenstown in Ireland only on a larger scale, the tin roofs glittering and sparkling in the sunshine like millions of diamonds ; on the height to our left is the citadel, erected on one of the strongest positions in th(^ world, both by nature and art, on each side of us are vessels waiting for cargo, jM'incipally timber, behind us is Point Levis with its huge railway depot, and the "Scan- dinavian " at anchor close to it, the ship-building yards, numerous business places and gentlemen's villas erected along the crest of the hill, the little river-steamers dodging in and out like things of life, and the magnificent ocean steamship " Dominion," of the Dominion line, proudly didin^( alonor with the tide down to the Atlantic on her homew^ard voyage, the whole to my imagination was the noblest picture I ever saw. Omnibuses are waiting at tlie pier to take passengers to the hotels. My friends took me to Henchy's, where I spent very comfortably my first niciht on the American continent. The River St. Law- rence was discovered by the great French navigator I Till: CITY OF QUEBCC AND JACQUES CARTIER, in 1534, having left St. Malo on the 20th of April of that year, with two small vessels, commissioned by Francis the First to prosecute discoveries in the New World, the ex- istence of which had been previously proved by the immortal Italian, Christopher Colinnbus. In the following year, 1535, Carticr made a second voyage, when he ascended the St. Lawrence to the rapids, nearly 200 miles above Quebec; on this occasion lie made a treaty with the Indians and wintered in the country, pitching his camp at the foot of a steep hillock to which he gave the name of MOU^T ROYAL in honour of his master, now the site of the beautifid city of Montreal. During that winter the introj)id Frenchman and his followers suffered terribly from the intensity of the cold, the want of supplies, the hostility of the Indians, and scurvy, but for this terrible disease he fortunately discovered a remedy in a decoction made from the barkol the white spruce tree. In 1541 he made a third voyage to the great river, to which he gave the name of the St. Lawrence becauso he entered it on that saint's day; after going up towards its source some dist:ince, he anchored his ships at the base of a huge clitf, to whicli he gave the name of Cape Diamevid and on which he erected a cross ; he iX'dve it tliis name because he found small crvstaline stones which lie tliought v^-ere diamuiids, and that look very much like them, at least, to those who do not know anything about geology ; they are simply felspar like that found in the county of Wickluw^, Ireland, and w^orn by the lovers of trinkets as Irish diamonds. The erectinof of the cross was the founding of Quebec, although anything like a permanent settlement was not made till 1(j08, under the bold, skilful, religious, and humane French Governor and pioneer, Samuel Champlain. He sailed up the St. Lawrence in 1()03, l)rinuinr ihe want of any other name received the general one of Indians. The world is indebted for u deal of its knowledge of science and geo- I: iiVriiJMi » I w; IMfr"* |J^^M*0> J*U 'ul he lilcs tbo p at of THE RFX'ErTION OE EMIGRANTS. 33 graphy to Jesuit missionary travellers : acknowleilging no head but their superior and God, men of highly culti- vated physical and mental powers, and taking by the rules of their order, each upon himself a particular duty, and keeping the performance of that duty continually before their minds. From their standpoint, devoting themselves entirely to the winning of souls to the glory of God, and going forth with this inspiration it is no wonder they have left their foot prints on the sands of time more than any other order of men we read of Cer- tainly they have been the explorers of America; for before ever the Mayflower sailed or those victims of religious intolerance, known as the Pilgrim Fathers, landed at Ply Aouth Ptock (called by some, the Yankee Blarney Stone), a vast portion of the North American Continent had been explored by the Jesuits, and missions founded bv those indefati^'able men amono: tiie Aborif-ines. In modern times, it is a sim-ular fact that only the most despotic and tyrannical of govern- ments are opposed to them. And since the day when Ignatius their founder, then a poor wounded soldier on the battle field of Pampcluna, made a vow to the Blessed Virgil), that if he recovered he would found an order dedicated to her dear vSon, our Lord Jesus, whose mission should be the ii^jreasing of knowledge and the general benefiting of mankind ; that illustrious order so founded in faith and tears, has illuminated the last three centuries with the light of its genius and charity. But in America its work was pre-eminently one of good ; the Jesuits have always stood up in the interest of freedom, and against the kings of Europe ; many of whom acknowledged no law human or divine, and whose cruelties and vices were as aross as those of the Pa^ran rulers of ancient Greece or Rome. The order was expelled from France, owing to its condemnation of Royal profligacy. THE HISTORY OF QUEREC from 1G08, till it was taken by the English, under General Wolf, in 1759 ; partook more or less of the character of all the American settlements of thai period ; almost con- tinual war with the Indians; dissensions among the D ! I \i 34 THE CITY OF QUEBEC AND colonists thcmselvos; all dejxnulent on the capricious wills of the nionarchs of England, France, and Spain, who w^ere too bu.Hy at home slaughtering their subjects in useles^s wars, to pay any attention to these people at the other side of the Atlantic, except giving them an occasional overdose of taxation, and at last causing them to revolt, as the thirteen united states did under Washington, and the Canadians under Papineau, Nelson, and Mackenzie, to whose memory a splendid monument is erected in the Catholic cemetery, at Montreal. After a day's rest I set out to see as much as possible of the city and its surround- ings ; the place I '3 a very old-fashioned appearance, many of the strec;ts being narrow, and the houses of the high gabled style, of the seventeenth century. THE CORPORATION is alive to the necessity of keeping pace with the age, and consequently it is making vast improvements in every direction. The footways nearly all made of planks arc rather narrow, and the carriageway is l,adly paved, although I was told there is an excellent granite quarry in the neighbourhood, from which stones could be had for paving purposes. New buildings are all made of lime- stone, of a splendid quality ; many of them are large, and are ornamental to the city. In formtT days the ramparts were famous for the number of guns in position and the strength of the works ; but now the citizens think they can turn these celebrated forts to a peaceful purpose, for while at Quebec, workmen were leveling and making the ramparts into walks and esplanades for the recreation of the citizens. The population is about G4,()0(), and like that of most other American or Canadian towns, made up of all the Da.tii)i)alities of Europe. On the shop fronts in a street niay be seen English, Irish, Scotch, German, and perhaps Jcn* ^ h names, and all united in making a one orderly, int< .i-cnt and energetic people; the police force being only !,'> men, or one to about every 1,400 of the inhabitant . 'Timber is the principle trade of the port, and sevei;! ylrini were Avaiting for cargo ; it is floated down the St ; i/rence in huge rafts, sometimes for nearly a thousand : m s. Much of the timber, or as it is called, Tin: llECEPTfON OF EMIGRANTS. 35 wills were Iselcss 'other donal fcvoli, I, and :io, U> tho I set fouiid- TPIE LUMBER TRADE is ill the hands of Irishmen both as employers and work- men, and I must confess tliat I was agreeably surprised to see so many O's and Mac's on the sign-boards along the waterside. The rate of wasj^es in this class of labour is good being from 2 to 3J^ dels, per day ; but of course some skill is required, just as there is in making a scaffold to a building, stoking in gas works, paving the streets, attend- inir a thrashincr machine, or other callinsfs that are not trades and yet require a certain amount of technical knowledge. Those men are very expert with the axe, as may be seen by the neat square finish of the timber sent to Europe which is effected with that implement. WAGES for an ordinary labourer are from 1 dol. 25 cents, to 1 dol. 70 cents, and for mechanics from 2 to 3 dels. A Canadian dollar maybe put down at four shillings of English money and a cent for a halfpenny, 100 cents being one dollar. Paper bears just the same value as gold; there are only two coins, cents the lowest and dollars the highest. The purchasing power of money is greater than in the United Kingdom, beef being only from 4d. to 8d., and mutton od. to 7d. per pound, bread about 7hd. per four pounds, })utter from lOd. to lod. and potatoes about 2s. per bushel. Clothes may be a trifle dearer, but very little, as Canada is rapidly becoming A CLOTH MANUFACTURING COUNTRY being already famous for the excellence of its tweeds ; even the working classes do not wear bad clothes. I have seen more ragged people in a large English or Irish town than I have from Quebec to Winnipeg. During the four days I remained in the former city I only saw TWO BEGGARS, and they were old women respectably clad, none of tlio crino^ing', half-famxished creatures with children hanfjins: to their skirts so frequent in the streets of London, and which the managers of the Charity Organization Society write so many learned essays about, spend such vast sums of money to tracetheir history, andif they have not been saints, send thera D 2 SG THE CITY OF QUEBEC AND 1 ^ prison, or finding tlieir cjiaractor good, in place of bread give them a stone in the shape of an indigestible tract; none of tl ese sad objects are to be seen in Quebec. There are a great many PUBLIC BUILDINCS AND INSTITUTIONS of one sort or another, such as the Provincial Parliament House, Lunatic Asylum, and General Hospital, a nun's hospital, and a ship as an Emigrant Hospital, a couple of asylums for orphans, and the Irish home for aged people dedicated to St. Bridget. Tliere is also a university, several schools and seminaries for the education of youth ; there is entire FREEDOM OF WOllSIIIP every one adoriiig God according to the dictates of con- science; seven-tenths of the population are Catholics, and most of the remainder belono- to the Church of England, there being but very few Dis.'.enters, by the old French law the temporalities of the ditl'erent parisli churches are vested in trustee:.' elected by the congregation : tlius, relieving the pastors of much anxiety and giving satisfac- tion to an enlightened people by placing the financial responsibility on an elected and representative body Avho have to render an account of their stewardship when their term of office is expired. On the third day of my stay I had the honour of being introtluced by Mr. Stafford to Kis Excellency LORD DUEFEPJN, the Governor-General, in the citadel. I was with him for nearly an hour, during v.hich he asked a number of ques- tions on diiieroDt subjects ; but particularly about the small farmers and agricultural labourers of Ireland, and how they were affected by Mr, Gladstone's Land Act, the conversation was free and easy, without stiffness or restraint, and certaiidy Lord Duflerin has the knack of making one at home in his presence ; he gave me a letter to Government ofiicials throughout the Dominion request- ing them to give any iacihties I might require in the prosecution of my mission. His Lordship left on my mind an impression that he is a man of wide views and of a vf-l I THE RECEPTION OF EMICRINTS. 87 •cad net; icre >riiltivatcd intellect witlioiit pomp or anbctation; wheu lent nil's of )ple th; I loaviug him the guard gave me A MIIITARY SALUTE 1)0 doubt thinking I was some great man, but it is only a (Confirmation of the old saying, " Show me your company and I can tell what you are," the sergeant saw me shake hands with the Governor, and ho felt it his duty to offer ino this mark of honour on that account. THE CITADFX OF QUEBEC is one of the strongest fortifications in the world ; its jruns sweeping the port and surrounding country in every • lirection, it is on the top of an immense cliff, about three hundred feet high, and on the perpendicular river front of this rock there is a larc^e board announcinij that Mnjor-General Montgomery, of the United States Army Avas killed on that spot while attempting to storm the place on the night of the 81st of December, 1775. I can understand a man beino- brave and devoted to a cause, but it must have been sheer madness for General Mont- gomery to try and climb up the face of a rock over three hundred feet high, and as upright as tlie gable end of a church; indeed the enemy would be fools not to shoot him. A little way from its base an old house Avas pointed out to me, from one of the rooms of Avhich the fatal shot was fired. Close to the citadel are the PLAINS OF ABRAHAM, Avhere the decl-ive battle between Wolf and Montcalm »vas fought, on the 13th of September, 1759 ; both the heroic leaders being killed on that memorable day ; a monument to their memory is erected on the field ; early in the action the gallant Wolf Avas struck by a ball in the Avrist Avhile leading the 28th Hegiment, concealing his injury, and still pressing forAvard, he received another shot, mortally Avounding him in the chest; he Avas imme- diately carried to the rear and laid on the ground, where he expired, during a brief interval of consciousness, he had the satisfaction to know that his troops were \4ctorious, 38 THE CITY OF QUEBEC AND hearing a great noise, lie asked what it meant, and was told it was Mie enemy Hying; he exclaimed, thank God they rnn, his last words heing an order to one of his officers to mnrcli some troops to the river to cut oft' the French retreat, and then laying back he said, I die iu peace. COUNT MONTCALM ilied in the hospital on the following morning, fortified hy the Sacraments of the Catholic church ; his remains were enclosed in a rude coffin, and interred in the church- yard of the Ursulino Convent; his last public act was to send a letter to General Townsend, the successor of Well' asking mercy for the French prisoners. A few years ago, while repairiui;- the Ursuline Church, the grave of the hen ►• was accidentally opened ; his bones had gone to dust and returned to mother earth, with the exception of the skull, which was taken charge of by the authorities of th(^ Convent and preserved as a venerable relic in its Sanctuary. Four days after the battle of the Plains of Abraham, the city imd fortress of Quebec were surrendered to the British arms ; Tin: Ti'llUlS OF CAPITULATION embracing the following points: the Garrison to be awarded the honours of war (md to be conveyed to France in British ships, the property of soldiers and inhabitants to be inviolate, the French sick to be cared for and attended to by French doctors, the people to be governed by the civil law, and to have the free exercise of Catholic religion ; under this treaty liberty of conscience has been preserved to the people of Low^er Canada, from that day to tin:: ; on the 28rd of April, the foUowing year, the British forces, nnder General Murray, ^ , ere badly beaten by the French nnder De Louis, on the same battle field, the want of heavy cannon preventing him recapturing the city to which he laid siege ; but the British fleet entering the St. Lawrence, on the 15th of May, compelled him to retire in the utmost confusion to the great joy of the besieged. The word plain, applied to this famous field is ii misnomer, it being only a few acres of table land, where ■I. i Sl ](1 lis lit k1 IS l(^ THE RECEPTION OF EMIGRANTS. 39 there could not have been much munceuvring, as it is .surrounded by ravines, valleys, and steep clit't's, so that the fighting must liave been of hand to hand description; While I was in Quebec the "vveather was lovely, about 70 degrees in the sun. VEGETATION was not so forward as it would be in the United Kingdom, in the early ])art of June; but I was told it was exceed- ingly ra])id as the heat of the sun kept the land warm and moist by the gradual thawing of the frost, which penetrates a considerable distance into the ground ; although some thin .js were a little late, the markets were amply supplied with early fruit and garden stuff. Mr. Stafford, the Dominion emigration agent, invited me to accompany him to the celebrated FALLS OF MON'niORENCY, a few miles below the city ; hiring a peculiar looking two horse vehicle called a waggon, the lightest, the airiest, and the mo.st commodious carriage one could imagine, wo drove through splendid scenery; the city behind us, on the side of the hill, the sun playing on the bright roofs, and the citadel above it keeping watch and ward; the br-ad St. Lawrence, on our right, on its bosom numerous ships proudly sailing down with the tide; men, women, and children in the gardenlike iields on both sides of the road as busy as bees getting the land rc-ady for crops, they are all PEASANT PROPRIETORS, and whatever they grow is their own ; no landlord can say to a tenant " I will raise the rent 30 per cent., because the property is improving in value through your exertions ; still 1 must have the benefit as the law gives me power to do as 1 like with my ancestral estates, and if you do not pay it, out you go." How different in Canada, which until recently most of us thought was a country where bears wolves, mob law, and pistol rule prevailed. Yet on the banks of the St. Lawrence thousands of neat dwellino-.s are to be seen in all directions ; the homes of men who cultivate the land for themselves, and can sit beneath their own ^i 40 TIIK ( ITY OF QUEBEC AXD fiLjtrco wltlionfc fear of galo day or tlio land agent's frown ; so diifnrent from tho peasants in Iroljuid. At lon^Lh wo arrived at the falls, which are stupendously grand. THE MONTMORENCY RIVER, fjilling over a Icdjjje of perpendicular rock of slatey for- mation, 170 feet high, into a deep gloomy abyss; the sides of which are covered with brushwood to the water's edge, giving the places a sombre and somewhat melancholy appearance ; the clouds of spray rise from the great whirl- pool below, forming rainbows in the sunlight, which are reflected back on the face of the cascade in varied shades and tints, the one acting like a mirror to the other. After inspecting the falls from all ])oints I returned +o the city, pondering on the omnipotence of God as manifested in his works. Next day I went to see MR. LKSAOE, ^rinisler of Agriculture and Immigration, for the Province of Quebec; he is a tine dignified-looking man, more ready to converse in Frencli than English, no doubt the result of habit, ;i8 he speaks the latter tongue fluently and well, but with a strong foreign accent; he received me with marked courtesy, pres(Mited me with a book on European Emigration, written by hinjself, and re[uested that I would call on him ng;iin if I revisited the city, which I did in the middle of winter, an account of which the reader will tind in another chapter. Mr. Lesage is a close reasoner, evidently a man of sound common sense, and thoroughly understanding human nature ; he said that any number of emigrants coukl be absorbed into the population, particularly of the agricultural labourers and small farmer class, and that the Quebec government would be glad to give organised parties special facilities to go out. A great many servant girls could readily get situations at from 5 to 10 dollars per month, and in some cases more ; it is A CURIOUS FACT, that, although Quebec is the port where all emigrants land, there is as much demand for help there aa in any I othei nearl ticke THE IlKCEPTION OF KMKJUANTS. 41 ^ ^1 other pnvfc oC tlio Dominion ; tlio roason is bocausc tliey iioarly all •;<» west, the ({oveiurnoiit giving free railway tickets, liuw (lil'lcrent t'runi NEW YOlMv OR liOSTON, wliero omijrrants are a dniu;-, as the autlioritics do not assist tlicni and thoy are ^vitll<)^t means siiffieicnt togo up the country, and are thus compL'llcd against their will to reinain in the eastern seaboard cities, where there is but little chance for them to rise above the hardest manual labour; but we will deal with this subject further on. I received a gn^at deal of valuable; information from my visit, the minister offering me every facility in his power. THE MINERAL RESOURCES of the province; of Quebec are yet, comparatively speaking, undeveloped : the timber trade has liitlierto absorbed the attention of Canadian capitalists, because it was to a great extent a ready-money business, and they had almost a monopoly in it. Now that population is multiplying, <'apital created, the country opened up by railways, and above all, now that the people are satisHed with the Cou- .stitution and (Jovernmeut, and its endeavours to give confidence and stability to enterprise and industry ; public companies will be formed, and the; mineral wealth of the country will be developed with great advantage to this young and rising province. Iron has been discovered in practically inexhaustible quantities in different parts of the Dominion; the number of men employed in mining pursuits in the province of Quebec in 1871, v/as 1,204 ; but now there are double that n\nnber. On the north shore; of the St. Lawrence, bele)w the city of Quebec, a maixnetised sanel is founei i i almnelance, that even in the crude state yields 80 pe'r cent, of steel-making ore, and when purifieel yields 95 per cent. ; twenty men can purify ten tons per day. and it is prove;d be^yond a eloubt that steel can be made from it by one process. To bring this ore into market successful!}'', is merely a e^uestion of time and money; in the eastern townships, copper has been found in vast e][uantitics, but as yet it has not been very vill see her population ten millions; Iut industries expanded ; her mines di^veloped ; and land that is now forest or waste, covered with th<> homesteads of industrious peasant pro])i iotors. ' 1 1 ) ii % !ulo ars ics ow t)US 43 CIIAPTEll V. FROM QUEBEC TO MONTREAL. fp Thk distance between these two cities is about IT.'; milcs^ the road traversed being in tlie province of Quebec, or ius it was formerly called Lower Canada ; the tri}) can be made cither by water or rail, Montreal bein;^ the head of ocean navigation ; all the Liverpool steamships go up to that city, although passengers disembark at Point Levis. During the season some of those floating palaces called RIVEH BOATS ply on the St. Lawrence between Montreal and Quebec. A person that has not seen this class of vessel cannot form any idea of their size, accommodation, and comforts; in general appearance they very much resemble a grand stand on an English race course when crowded with people. There are two or three decks rising one over the other, each with its saloon and state rooms, verandas on the sides where the passengers can walk, lounge, sit, smoke, or chat, just as they please, and overhead the groat ponderous beam engine Avorking up and down ; as Charles Dickens Juippily described it, " an iron top sawyer." Stranger as I "Was, these boats were objects of wonder and surprise to me, as I had never seen anything like them in the Old Country. They have room for 400 cabin passengers and they leave Quebec and Montreal simultaneously ever\ day. The scenery of the river is very fine, there are several smart places on its banks, the tide going to a town called Three Rivers, 8G miles above Quebec; on this route the traveller will see THE FIRST OF THE AMERICAN LAKES, small it is true in comparison to others, but still very in- teresting. Formerlv it was too shallow for ocean steamers ' ' ' 11 44 FROM QUEDKC TO MONTREAL. 1 but at a great cost tlie Canadian government deepened a, channel through it enabling such heavy vessels as the Allan fleet to go right up to Montreal. Its average length is 31 miles and average width 7 miles, it is called Lake St. Peter because Jacques Cartier sailed through it on the 29th of June, St. Peter's day, ]o35, on which occasion he had to leave one of his ships behind as the lake was too shallow. How little he dreamed that three centuries after there would be immense iron ^■.llips navigating those wat' s, and that through the development of science and human progress, the very rocks in the bottom of the lake would be removed, and that those vessels would cross the great Atlantic in a fcAv days without either wind or sails, and that tlie Indian town of Hochelaga or as it was called by him — Mount Royal — would be a large and flo wishing city, but such is tlie fcict. Here I may remark that ALL THE GREAT LAKES and navigable waters of British North America are surveyed, buoys and charts laid down, and lighthouses built on all headlands, rocks, entrances to harbours, <&c., just as on the ocean coast line; the quantity of oil used in 1873 being 41,121 gallons showmg the importance of this branch of the public service. The government as well as private individuals are continually improving these great water highways with locks to ease the gradients, and (h'edgers to keep sufficient depth, with ship canals between the lakes and by the removal of rocks and other obstruc- tions. This makes me think that there will be a DIRECT WATER COMMUNICATION between Liverpool and the fertile region away to the foot of the Rocky Mountains, and that, too, at no very distant day. The other route from Quebec is by the GRAND TRUNK RAILWAY which runs on the south side of the St. Lawrence and nea.rly parallel with it ; it is the one always taken by emigrants and most of the steamship passengers coming to Quebec. An American railway is very different from 4in English one ; the carriages are better, and the permanent FROM QUEBEC TO i^IONTREAL. A. r> ■way not so good. There is a passage through the centre of ti train from end to end, and the guard or conductor as he is caUed in America, is always walking to and fro ; anything like a strongminded woman making a charge against an unfortunate man as sometimes occurs in England is simply impossibk'. The Licomotives arc larger than in the old country and there is a strong projection called a cow catcher on the front of each engine to clear the line of obstruc- tions. I never saw the usefulness of this invention tested, but judging from appearances I think it would thi-ow an animal on one side, no doubt to its great disgust at such rough treatment. The chimney has a nmshroom-looking top, something like a bushel basket, in which there is a wire screen to prevent sparks escaping, wood being cliiefly used for fuel ; yet many forest fires occur through sparks from these engines. The majority of the general public travel first class, except emigrants, who usually have a train to themselves and go right through fiom point to point in charge of a government agent. Tlie passenger carriaoes are about CO feet lonii', tirmlv constructed, and beautifully embellished, indeed sometimes extravagantly so. There is only room for two persons in each seat, which is reversible, enabling a party of four to sit together, two facinf? and two sittinjjj back to the eniiine ; on some rail- ways there are little tables screwed on the side of the carriage which can be lov/ered in between the seats when these parties are formed, enabling them to read, play cards, or ladies to sew. There are stoves, a heating apparatus, water closets, cl »ak rooms, and an ice water filter in each carriage ; there is a platform at each end from which a door opens into the carriage. This platform is reached by four or five steps something like a street tram car. In tlie United Kingdom THE OSCILLATION WHILE TRAVELLING is from side to side, in America it is up and down, because in the United Kingdom the springs are crosswise, in America they are lengthv.ise. There are sleeping cars attached to each train, the extra charge being 2 duls, per night. They are exceedingly convenient, especially for business men. because wliile travelling all night they can at the same I if 4G FROM QUEBEC TO MONTREAL. time also have their proper rest and be fit for duty on the followinii dav. There is a seller of uiek nacks, or as he is called A DEALER IN " NOTIONS " y British authors. I do not know why Americans or C*anadians liave produced so few poets or fiction writers of note, but this is certainly the case. Tak(! up a Canadian or Yankee journal, and if there is a tale it is sure to Ije a hash-up from some British novelist. It is true that the Anuiricans have developed a class of writers called humourists, but who I think might as appropriately be called dul lists, for I do not know any- thiiiir more dull or monotonous than wadingj throuiih a cohunn of such misspelt trash as emanates from the minds and pens of some of these gentlemen ; but as (JEORC^ K STEPHENSON, the inventor of railways said when asked by a committee of the House of Commons, what about a cow if it got in front of his locon.'^uvev "So much the worse for the coo," said the great engineer : the same may be said of Americans, or at least some of them, if they appreciate such twaddle as appears in their newspapers under the name of humour. So much the w^orse for their taste. Anyway, the selling of books in the train is a boon to the traveller on a long journey, as he can wile away thii time pleasantly, buried deep in the story of the sincere and mystei'ious love of some heroine for some wicked marquis. Going through one of the New England States from ]\lontreal to New York on the Vermont Central Railway, I was much amused by < le of those travelling merchants, for everybody who has anything to sell in the States is A MERCHANT. I had a few Canadian papers that I purchased on the previous day in Montreal, our merchant saw them on the seat, o,nd looking at me he guessed I had some newspapers me r FROM QUEBEC TO MONTREAL. 47 I did not want, and offered to trade with me for tliem. I did not understand his meaning at first, but at length replied that I would trade and awaited to be further en- lio-htoned on the transaction ; he said he could give five apples for the four newspapers which I accepted, and the next moment he was at the other end of the carriage crying "the latest Montreal papers five cents each;" it struck me as a corroboration of what I had read and heard of Yankee shrewdness and enterprise. On my journey from Quebec to Montreal we had to remain some time at an important station about midway, called RICHMOND JUNCTION, where the line branches off to the Eastern States. Perhaps of all the places that crowds are to be met with, there is none where a clearer estimate of human character can be had than at a railway station, and I must say that I was very agreeably disappointed in the impressions then and there created on the mind about the people present. Having conjured up a picture of my own in which revolvers and bovvie knives figured largel}^, I was glad to be deceived. Here was an orderly, courteous, and a well dressed assembly, every man with dignity and self-reliance in his appearance, without bumptiousness on the one side, or subserviency on tlie other, so fre(iuently to be met with in the United Kingdom, particularly in Ireland, where one would imagine the rich and the poor were not created by the same God, and where even RELIGION IS MADE SERVILE TO MONEY, branding the honest peasant with degradation, by stalling him oft' in the house of God, as though we all went to Heaven in castes, thus reversing the illustration given by . our dear Lord in the fourteenth chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, where He says : " And it came to pass, the beggar died, and was carried by angels to Abraham's bosom, and the rich man also died, and he was buried in hell." Cer- tainly in our day, if money can keep him out of it, he will not go there. To my idea, the pomp on the one hand, and the exclusiveness on the other, that I have seen, comes under Christ's severe rebuke, when He says: "And the I 7' ' Hi ) .1^' 4S FKOM QUEBEC TO MONTREAL. cares of the world, and the dcceitfulness of riches, and the lust after other things entering in, choke the word, and it is made fruitless." — Mark iv., 19th verse. WHILST WAITING FOR THE TRAIN, I conversed with several of the men, and I confess that I was fairly surprised to iind them so polite and well informed. Along the line a deal of the land is unculti- vated, yet I believe it is all taken up, the heavy timber has been cut off, and it is now covered with forests of small deal trees. In my opinion one of the evils of farming is TOO MUCH LAND, men nave only a given quantity of physical and mental power, and it is a great error to spread it over too much space, and particularly so for a Canadian farmer, because his season is limited, and he cannot always get sufficient help, yet he is generally ready to grasp more acres than he can properly handle; the result is that he runs it to poverty f(jr the want of skill or proper usage, remaining poor himself, and bringing but little produce to market. If he had less land and more industry and knowledge of his business, he wouM do better, both for himself and his country. But as this matter is beginning to be pretty well understood, no doubt ihe next few vears will see a vast improvement. These general remarks apply to the States just as nuRli as they do to Canada. We ap- proached MONTREAL early in the moriiing. The scene was splendid, the face of the comitry an emerald green, rather flat, and well watered by numerous streams emptying into the St. Lawrence which is stretching away on our right for miles; in front of us on the other side of the river is the city at the foot of a very picturesque hill, the one Jacques Cartier called Mount Roval, but which the Citizens now call the Mountain, and are about laying out for a public park. We cross the mighty monarch of north*^rn waters on the famous VICTORIA BRIDGE, the contract for the buildinc: of which was let to Messrs, , !■: »l FROM QUEBEC TO MONTREAL. 49 i Pcto, Brasscy, and Betts on the 3rd of March, 1853 for one million four hundred thousand pounds. The length of this extraordinary bridge is nearly two miles; it was designed by Robert Stephenson, who visited Canada on purpose. It has twenty-four arches, the piers and abutments being of cut limestone. The centre arch is 330 feet and the others 242 feet in span, and 60 feet above watermark. The weight, of the tube through which the train passes is about 8,000 tons, and of the stone for the piers 250,000 tons. Altogether it is one of the wonders of the world. The WOllKS OF THE GRAND TRUNK RAILWAY are at Point St. Charles, a suburb of Montreal, and although they are not so big as those of the English Greac Western at Swindon, or of the Great Northern at Don- caster, yet for a young country like Canada they are really wonderful ; but its resources are unlimited, and only require developing to make Canada rich and prosperous, and for that purpose railway communication is indis- pensable. This is so well understood by Canadian states- men that there are thousands of miles already open, and thousands more projected or in course of construction. The Grand Trunk line has about 1,500 miles in operation and a traveller landing in Quebec or Portland can be taken direct to Chicago without a change of carriage, except when passing the Detroit Paver at Detroit. The gauge of the Grand Trunk is 4 feet 9 inches. Steel rails are now laid for nearly its entire length, and in common with most American railways it is a single line, except near the large towns and at the stations where there are lay-bys or sidings for trains to pass each other. There is a very great ditference between travelling in the United Kingdom and travelling in Canada and the States. In the former everything is on the hard-and-fast principle ; in the latter on the free and easy. In the United Kingdom RAILWAY TICKETS can only be had at the pigeon-hole in the booking office ; in America they can be purchased at agencies in the various towns, and at any date to suit the buyer's con- venience. They may also be bought at the station before E I I It H 1 i J 50 FROM QUEBEC TO MOKTREAL. the clepaitnre of each train, or the traveller can pay his fare to the conductors, when seated in the carriage*. Those conductors hold very responsible positions, and I have been told stories of their rapid accumulation of wealth, which I did not wonder at. FREE PASSES are far more easily obtained than in Great Britain, and, like all other privilcs^es, I tliink it is more or less abused, as there are plenty who us*:; them that could well afford to pay. On the other hand, Canada and the United States are so vast, and a d(\al of both countries yet unexplored, the mineral and other resources being almost entirely unknown, and as most of the pioneers and investigators, scientific and otherwise, are comparatively poor men, it is well to assist them to make known to the speculating capitalist and the intending settler the fertility and eligi- bility for investment of those sections of the Continent. So tliat the pass sysfem is to a certain extent useful, and the only thing to be done is to guard it as much as pos- sible a^'ainst abuse. ArrENTIOX AND COURTESY is paid to strangers, at least in every part of Canada, and the United States, that I have been to, and all officials who have to do with the trav^elling public, show a dignity and self-reliance in their character that contrasts favourably with the same class of public servants in the Old Country. I do not make tliis remark to disparage the one or praise the other ; I am simply contrasting the customs of the Old and New Countries. In America there is no such th'ng as a porter lowering his manhood by putting his hand to his cap, and in some cases taking it off altogether, every time he speaks to a passenger in a first-class car- riage ; but at any railway station in the United Kingdom, it is to be seen every day. I do not say the man is any the worse for doing so, but it keeps his inferiority continually before his eyes and leads the person receiving the homage to believe it is due to him through his superior merits, when it is really on account of his money. We arrived in Moii< '-eal, about eight o'clock ; at the station there were a FROM QUEBEC TO JI0NTR::AL. number of omnibuses waiting to take customers to the various hotels. In England HOTELS TAKE THEIR NAMES from some animnl,such as the Lion, Red, Black, or White, — whether the king of the forest is of so many different colours, I am not sufficiently up in Natural History to say, but certoinly English publicans and hotel-keepers pay great respect to his ferocious majesty, — then there is the Bull and the Cow, and the Horse and the Bog, and the Tlam, and all other animals represented ; neither is the feathered tribe forgotten, for there is the Eagle, the Crow, the Raven, the Swan, the Cock, the Magpie, and the Pigeons, of which there are generally three. Why publicans in Canada and the States should entirely ignore this old English custom, I cannot say, but they certainly have entirely doue so as the HOTELS ARE CALLED HOUSES OR HALLS, for instance the St. Louis House, Quebec, the St. Lawrence Hall, and the Express House, and the Ottawa House, Montreal, the Russell House, Ottawa, the Mansion House and the Rossin House, Toronto, &c. Here as at all other places, I took charge of my own little luggage and carried it to the Express House, which was only across the road, from the station; after breakfast and a little fixing up I Avent for a walk round to see as much as possible of the town, and I must say that my tirst impression of the CANADIAN COMJIERCIAL METROPOLIS wasvery favourable and a longer acquaintance strengthened it. Although Jacques Cartier, the discoverer of Canada, sailed up the St. Lawrence, to the Indian village, of Hocheloga, now a suburb of ^lontreal, and wintered at the foot of the hill, to which he gave tlie name of Mount Royal, as detailed in a previous chapter ; practically speaking the City of Montreal, was founded by Champlain, in 1611, and like many other • Canadian towns, owes its origin to the fur trade. THE SKINS OF ANIMALS have been used in all ages and countries, for \iarious E 2 'I lij ,1' ■i f 52 FROM QUEBEC TO MONTREAL, purposes, the shields of some of the most renowned warriors of Greece and Rome, were made from the skins of wild boas+R, and it is recorded in history tliat when Ccesar invaded Britain, fifty years before the Christian era, he found the natives dressed in the skins of animals, and certainly every picture or painting- we see of the famous Queenof the Iceni, and herheroic Ancient Britons, bears out the assumption ; Irish history tells us that after the battle of Kinsale, and defoat of the noble and patriotic O'Sullivan- Beare, of Duuboy, he made his celebrated retreat to Leitrim, and having- arrived on the banks of the Shan. .on, he had to kill his horses for food and to make currachs, or boats of their skins to enable him to cross the river and continue his march. The discovery, or re-discovery of America, gave a great impetus in Europe, to fashion and luxury, the early voyagers took back with them such splendid specimens of fur that they sold almost for fabulous prices, and were only used at first in the decoration of the robes of Kings, Peers, Judges, &c., gradually the wealthy began to use them and the demand was soon greater than the supply; on his second voyage Jacques Cartier, look to France a great quantity that he got in exchange for hatchets, knives, beads, tish hooks, trinkets, &c., from the Indians. Other explorers did the same, so that the trade in peltries began to assume somewhat large proportions. In a report pre- sented by Champlain, to the King of France, he says that beaver, moose, cariboo, wolf, ermine, fox, and wild cat, were abundant. In 1002 a company was formed by a gentleman of Dieppe, named I)e Chates, under the patronage of Henry tike Fourth of France. The charter of the company was to deal in peltries, establish colonies and convert the Indians, but through the loss of its patron by assassination in ItilO, the company was broken up. CHAMPLAIN was the servant of this company, and knowing from his experience that the skin trade w^as a remunerative one, he built a fort and warehouse in 1611, on St. Helen's Island, in the St. Lawrence, the one to store his aoods in, the other to protect his people from the savages, and even from the English, who had at this early date an eye on tho FROM QUEBEC TO MONTH T.AL. 53 his ho nd, the ^en tho majestic northern river, and tho splendid country it tra- verses. Charlevoix says, that notwithstanding:^ the heroic efforts of this truly great man there were only two or three huts at Montreal ; but the reports sent to France on the fertihty of the country by the Jesuit missionaries, inspired large numbers to come out, and in 1G42 fifty able-bodied men arrived in Montreal, and on the following year their wives and families to the number of 200 joined them. The French Government made an enactment that able- bodied young men should get a certain amount of land, on condition of working three years in the Colony ; to get wives for those young men, orphan and peasant girls were ♦sent out at the public cost, and were under the care of the nuns of the Order of St. Ursula, until suitably married, and thus was founded the PEASANT PROPRIETARY OF LOWER CANADA giving the cultivator the ownership of the soil and the benefit of his industry, instead of having it let and sublet, as in the United Kino'dom, where one man will have more for his share of the produce of a county than all the other people who live in it. D'Arcy McGee, speaking of the early French settlers, said " No province of any ancient or modern power — not even Gaul, when it was a province of ancient Rome — has had nobler names interwoven with its local events. Under the French kinsjfs Canada was a theatre of action for men of first-rate reputation — men eminent for their energy, their fortitude, tiieir courage, and their accomplishments in all that constitutes and adorns civil and military life." After the surrender of Quebec to the English, in 1759, the French of Lower Canada, under Levis, made a stout resistance to the British advance along the line of the St. Lawrence, but 17,000 men arriving, under General Sir Geoffrey Amherst, Vau- dreuil, the French governor, surrendered the city and defences of Montreal to the conquerors, and thus ended the French regime, having existed 22-i 3'ears. In 177G Montreal was captured by the American General Mont- gomery, who afterwards fell at Quebec, as alluded to in another chapter. Through the successful revolution of the thirteen United States the aristocracy of England , in 54 FnOM QUEBEC 10 MONTREAL. were afraid to hkmLIIo too much with the Canadian colonists, or to place uuy luvivy biirtiieiis on thcni, except that a lot of sinecure ollic.is were created for the benefit of a favoured lew, and althou.i^h the people multiplied rapidly tliere was no representative Guvernnicnt, every- thing b(;ing managed by the Governor and his Council, twenty-two in number, and appointed by himself from among his own friends and admirers, the result was that in 1837 the people revolied under PAPINEAU, KELSON, AND MACKENZIE, and although this rebellion was suppressed, and, after the rebels laid down their arms, a good' deal of hanging was done, as usual in such cases, it would now take a deal to K'.ake Ca.iu'lians, English and French, believe that the rebellion did not do good, as it gave the country repre- sentative Governiufnit. The wise and far-seeing LORD DURHAM having been sent out in 1838 as Governor, he acted an honourable and merciful part, and, being censured by the British minister, he resigned after six months' duty. In his report to the Imperial Parliament he took the side of Canada, and condemned the family compact, and during the governorship of another enlightened statesman, Lord Sydenham, an act was passed in London on July the 21st, 1840, granting Responsible Government to the British provinces in North America. MONTREAL is the largest city in the Canadian Confederation, its^ population being about 140,000, principally French, English, Irish, Scotch, with a few Scandinavians and Jews, forming as enterprising and intelligent a community as any probably in the world. It is tlie distributing point of Canadian trade, as it is the port where lake or fresh water navigation ends and ocean navigation begins. There are four or five lines of steamships trading to Liverpool during the open season, and much of the commerce of the north-western States of the Union comes that wav, as well as all that of Ontario, and of the comparatively unde- veloped region lying round the Georgian Bay. Between 7Xv FROM QUEDEC TO MONTREAL. 65 I Montreal and Chicago there arc 1,2G0 miles of water- way, cunsistinf^ of lakes aiul canals, and carrying au immense lieet of sliip.s, suni<.^ of ineni of great tonnage, bringing ])roilnce and minerals from the far West, to be transhipped at Montreal into the ocean steamers for export to Europe. The quays and wharves are very large, and along the waterside there are extensive warehouses for storing goods, some of them fine buihlings indeed. The streets are somewhat irregular, and not so well laid out as they might be on account of the city being constructed almost piecemeal, and, although there are many noble erections, they do not show to advantage through being packed away in those narrow and winding turnings. Lime- stone is the principal building material, and a very good one it is, and as tho business people lapitlly get wealthy house building is iin excellent trade, the authorities and citizens being very anxious to embellish and beautify the city. THE STREETS ARE NOT WELL PAVED, and I think a vast improvement could be made in this direction, particularly in the footways and in the channels to carry oil' the water from the middle of the road. No doubt the frost and snow have a good deal to do with tho matter, and I may say that I noticed the same defect in every town that I have been to, both in Canada and the States — even the far-famed Broadway of New York is rough and uneven in comparison to a leading thoroughfare in London. Certainly Americans or Canadians do not excel in street makinij, notwithstanding:]^ that there is plenty of lime and granite in both countries, which only requires labour and skill to be utilised. Money spent on jDaving is not wasted, because it saves horseflesh and labour, prevents the accumulation of stagnant waters, and thus promotes the public health. The authorities of Montreal are well aware of these facts, but, as they justly say, everything cannot be done at once. There is a very efficient FIRE BRIGADE, paid by the corporation, and numbering sixty men. Electric fire bells and alarms are distributed all over the H ■J H 50 FROM QUKDEC TO MONTREAL. city, each rmnihorod .'uul liavincf a dilToront tone from the otlit'is, c'Uiiblin*; i\ui ihcuwn, either by u glance at the index in the station or liy the sound of each hell, to know ■what district or street there may he a fire in. The water is pnniiiL'd from the waterworks to a reservoir on the side of the mountain above the city, so that there is always Buftieient pressure on the mains to force it to the top of the hij^diest houses without an en<;ine. Fire is one of the scourges of Canada and of the States, a vast number of the houses being wood, and in summer the sun, and in ■winter artificial heat, renders them very intlammable. In some of the towns, side by side with s])lcndid stone or brick mansions ; may be seen the wooden shanty of the early settler, and FIRE, THE GREAT IMPROVER, sweeps away all those rude wooden structures and clears the ground for the really beautiful buildings that jg^enerally succeed them. Any one going straight from the United Kingdom to Montreal will be struck with the magnificent edifices he will sec on every hand, which must have cost immense sums to erect. The Catholic Cathedral of St. Sulpice is one of the largest on the Continent, and capable of seating 1(),()()0 people. Some idea of th(3 busi- ness done may be seen from the fact that there are nineteen banks in the city, besides a number of brokers and money changers, who are always busy. During my stay I visited several of the FACTORIES AND WORKSHOPS. The hours are sixty per week, or ten per day, which are far too many, particularly for women and children, many of the latter being very young. There is no act of Parlia- liement to regulate their hibour, and the sooner there is the better, as it would protect this class of weak and help- less operatives, and prevent unwholesome competition between unscrupulous employers, who, as a rule, do not hesitate to make money as fast as possible, and by any means that would not be considered dishonourable, although not moral or charitable to their dependents. Experience and common sense have clearly shown that ■i^ FROM QUEBEC TO MONTREAL. 57 legislation to somo oxtnit must rocrulnte labour in tho interest l)otli of enijjloycr and employed — the one to bo protect(!d, tlu; otlior to ho encouraged — and the time has arrived for (,\'uia(liaii politicians to consider the necessity of a Factory Act from a statesman Hke point of vi(;\v, because if the people are permitted to degenerate through overwork the state is sure to sutler in proportion. Tiiero are NO POOR-HATES OR WORKHOUSES in the Dominion, although, like all other countries, there is some (lestilutii>n,])articularly in winter, which is relieved by societies fouii(l(;d h)r that purpose. Those org.'inisa- tions have a national character, such as the St. Patrick's, for Irish Cathulics; the St. Jean Baptiste, for the French; the St. (Jeorge, for the Etiglish ; the St. Andrew's, for the Scotch ; and the Irish Protestant Benevolent Society, for Irish Protestants. These societies are established in all the large towns, and although they do a great deal of good, I am of opinion that the relief of the poor ought to be in some way under Government control. There is no need of the cumbersome machiiierv of the Enciflish Poor Law system, which takes more to pay officials than it does to relieve the destitute ; but there miglit be a law framed suited to the aG:e and to the circumstances of Canada. At present the poor are entirely dependent on charity, which I admit is freely given ; but it would be better if a man felt that he could command a little assistance in the hour of need, instead cf having to bow and scrape for it, as at present. A Catholic soliciting relief from a Protestant society is entirely out of place, and exactly the same with a Protestant asking aid from a Catholic society. In either case the applicant must be religious or hypocritical; if not he will get the cold shoulder from the managers, who are mostly clergymen, or their nominees, and are very seldom responsible to a committee or governing body. I am not finding fault with those societies, as they are doing a noblo work, but I think there ought to be A PROVINCIAL OR A FEDERAL PLAN FOR THE RELIEF OF THE POOR, with which, if thought advisable, those bodies might :' 'II 1 1 1 j'l |!i: i I up- 58 FllOM QUEBEC TO MONTREAL. co-opcrrtc; at present their action is too limited, too sectional, too arbitrary, and I might add too conservative. I had the lionoar of conversing with several prominent men on the subject, including the Hon. Mr. Mackenzie, the Prime Minister, and they rli, more or less, concurred in my views. There are a great many HOTELS AND SALOONS IN MONTREAL. To the latter the citizens are very much opposed, and althousfh hotels are useful, and as American and Canadian society is constituted they are even necessary, still their drink-sellinir license ouuht to be restricted, as well as that of their less important neigh])onis. I am very glad to say that drinking is not looked upon as the correct thing, and that drunkards, high and low, are generally treated with coTxcempt, and serve them right, for, if a man is so corrupt or diseased that for the sake of gratifying his appetite he will sink below the level of the beast, such a man cannot be a good citizen or a good Christian. As a rule the NATIVES ARE VERY TEMPERATE, but a large portion of the Europeans keep up their old drinking habits. I went tlu-ough the city prison, accom- panied by the Deputy Governor. There were 325 pri- soners, and full half of them suffering on account of OFFENCES COMMITTED WHEN UNDER THE INFLUENCE OP DRINK. I examined the prison books and found that several of the prisoners were from Ireland, and all confined for assaults and drunkenness, there being only one case of theft in the whole number ; a circumstance that really made me feel proud, cosmopolitan as I am. My companion told me that intoxicating liquors were the source of filling the prison with poor unfortunate creatures, who in most cases would be goud members of society, only for the baneful influence of the public-house, and he gave me his permission to make this fact known wherever I could. There are several temperance organisations, and a society formed to curtail the liquor traliic, something like the English Permissive Bill Association. Mr. Bernard Devlin, the Member o Parliament for Montreal Centre, was returned on the F 3S^ H. FROM QUEBEC TO MONTREAL. 5^ prohibition ticket, the city ha^ three members, one French, one English, and one Irish, the latter is pledged to support the temperance party, he is a liberal in politics, having defeated at the last election Mr. M. P. Ryan, who- represented the constituency for several years in the Con- servative interest, he is also a strong temperance advocate; both those gentlemen treated me with great kindness and courtesy, indeed, I may say the same of everybody that I met, and particularly of my own countrymen, one of them, MR. JAMES HOWLEY, offering me a cheque on his banker, if I wanted funds, and although I did not accept it, let me here return him my sincere thanks for his generosity and kindness. 1 am proud to say that THE IRISH IN MONTREAL hold a very good status, having a daily paper of their own, the only one I believe on the Continent. There are five dailies in the city, in the EnL,iish language, besides one or two in French, Tlie Herald, The Gazette, The Witness, The Star, and 21ie Sun (Irish), here is undoubted evi- dence of the intelligence of the people, for there is na more effective means of drawing out the faculties of the mind than by newspaper reading, every thought and in- stinct being operated on, and if there is any natural capacity, it is sure to be enlarged by perusing those daily budgets of CONCENTRATED WISDOM AND GENERAL KNOWLEDGE. There are two places for emigrants in Montreal, one a kind of station where the train stops on its way from Quebec to Toronto; the other a home for such emigrants as remain in the city, to stay at Government cost until they get employment ; the first is erected at a place called the TANNERIES, about a mile and a half from the town, it is a large shed fitted up in different compartments, such as couking-room, dining-room, and lavatories, where there is an ample supply of water, soap, and towels, for emigrants to wash and clean up, very much refreshing them after the journey from Quebec ; every emigrant train stops at this station !■ u- ti j n n 1 "i i 'i 1 V 1 ti CO FROM QUEBEC TO MONTREAL. for a couple of hours. Food of very good quality is supplied at 25 cents or one sliilling each person, such as are indigent getting meal tickets gratis from Mr. Daly, the Dominion Agent, or his assistant, Mr. Quinn ; on one occasion, when I visited the emigrant station, there -ere over 800 present, and I must say I was pleased with the general arrangements, as well as with the kindness and courtesy of the officials; there were over 100 of MISS rye's children. accompanied hy that lady herself; they were of all sizes, from the little toddles of four years, to the girl of sixteen, budding into womanhood, as well as stiff plump lads of nine or ten; the older girls combed and washed the younger ones, and each other, then they had dinner, con- sisting of bread, beef, potatoes, and tea without any stint or measuring of quantity, all getting enough. MISS RYE, herself, seemed to be a woman full of energy and determin- ation, just such a woman as would command respect by her presence, above middle age, tall and of a dignified appearance, with a sharp intelligent countenance, very active and businesslike in her movements ; I certainly thought she was the right woman to carry on the work she was enffaufed in. Such of the emi^jfrants as are to remain in Montreal, are taken charge of by Mr. Ibbetson, city emi- gration agent, and taken to THE HOME, where they are very well treated. In this establishment there are about thirty beds, clean and comfortable, besides lavatories, washhouses, kitchens, &c. There is also an ■office where employers come to get such help as they require. I went over the house twice, and I certainly was well pleased with what I saw, and I thought the agent one of the most attentive men to duty that could be found. Some of the emigrants that I met who had passed through the home spoke of him with gratitude and respect. There is no other public servant so closely watched as an emigration agent. His office is open for people to engage workmen, therefore he is bound to be 4^ FROM QUEBEC TO MONTREAL. 61 id d y )r courteous and civil to all, and if not he would soon lose his situation; and, as far as I saw or heard, every agent in the Dominion was courting public approval, a guarantee that they try to do their duty. Around the city there are some very nice places, more or less like the suburbs of all large towns. A good deal of the land in the neighbour- hood of Montreal belongs to religious and charitable institutions, and many political economists say it is not producing as much as if owned by more active and enter- prising people — a charge in which there may be some truth, but with the encrg}'-, perseverance, and businesslike qualities of the inhabitants it is impossible for MONOPOLIES to exist, or large blocks of land to be shut up from public use for any length of time, or by any person or number of persons. It is true that there may be some of the feudalism of the sixteenth century still in existence in Lower Canada, and which might have been necessary when established, but it is now wholly opposed to the progressive spirit of the present day; therefore, everything in the shape of st;indstillism and inutility must give way before the goaheadism and common sense of this thinking and reading age. A century ago only a few were educated, and they used their faculties for self-aggrandisement at the expense of the ignorant and illiterate mass of the people — a thing impossible to happen now in Canada, because everybody is more or less educated. The laws of the Old Countries were founded on ignorance and the sword, those of Canada on justice, c(i[uality, and matured judgment. I am happy to bear witness to the prosperity and advancement of ivluntrcal, so favourably situated both for inland and ocean connnoi-ce in the centre of a iine asiri- cultural country, the Grand Trunk line, like a great artery, connecting it with all parts of Canada and the United States. No wonder it has ariived at the proud position of the commercial metropolis of a young and rising nation. 02 II i: i ! I H CHAPTER VL MONTREAL TO OTTAWA. As this work is intended to diffuse information from a workingmau's standpoint aLout regions that are destined by providence to be prominent in tlie future hi.story of the workl I do not propose to fill its pages with irrelevant details of any sort. My object is to give as much useful knowledge as possible about a country until recently comparatively unknown in Europe, particularly to the emifa-atino: class. In the United Kin<]fdom, the increase of population and tlie centralisation of wealth is producing a state of :*,lfairs, Avliich statesmen must attend to sooner or later however long they may stave off the difficulty. The immense demonstrations frequently held by the labourers and miners of Great Britain, arc merely bubbles on the surfEicc that indicate a seotliincr and boilinof vortex below, and from the questions mooted and the debates they give rise to at those demonstrations, it is evident that the INDUSTRIAL CLASSES are far f i being satisfied, to this evil there are but two remedie. . change of law to abolish the remnants of the feudal & i-em, still in existence, such as an hereditary Legislative Chamber, which only represents mone3^ and which the voice of the people never reaches, and a State Church which a great nuuibi.'r of the taxpayers and wealth producers do not believe in ; and a furtlier modification of the land laws so as to gradually form a PEASANT PROPRIETARY at present 153 pei'sons own half of England ; 75 persons half of Scotland, Jind 35 persons half of Ireland, while in nearly every other European country the people own the .soil. France has six million peasant proprietors; Belgium, MOXTREAL TO OTTAWA. C3 a million and a quarter; Svritzcrlancl, three quarters of a million. In Enfjhind and Wales there are 27 or 28 Bishops with incomes ranging from £4,000 to £15,000 per annum ; there c,re 2,875 livings, which yield upwards of £500 a year while the farm labourers are working for an average wage of 12s. or 3 dolls, per week, and those of Ireland for about 7s. or 1 doll. 75 cents, an alteration of this state of things would be a sovereign remedy for the future difficulties of the vast British Empire, as the greatest •danger to any State is dissension within its own border. The clergyman who opened an evening school for adults in his parisjh, made a mistake so far as his influence on the mind of one of his par^ hioners was concerned, this parishioner was a farm labourer unable to read or write, the good clergyman said he would be educated to read his Bible if he went to the school ; the man went and made excellent progress, some time after, the reverend gentleman called at the labourer's cottage and enquired of the wife if John was yet able to road a ehajitor in the good book ; she replied with astonishment, " Lor, sir, he lias read it all through, and now he has taken to the newspapers ; " that remark is applicable to a large majority of the working- classes of the United Kingdom, as tlieyread the papers and digest what they read. The other remedy is emigration, net a good one, perhaps ; but it is the best of two evils, the one to remain at home to toil and delve from birth to death on a mere pittance, the other to go to a new country and thus bring the laboin- to a better market. I left Montreal, the commercial capital, by the Grand Trunk Railway for the village of LAciiiNE, en route for Ottawa, the political capital of the Dominion; Lachine is a village on the St. Lawrence, about a dozen miles from Montreal, where the Ottawa Navigation Company's splendid boats meet the trains to accommodate such passengers as prefer going to Ottawa by water. I was very fortunate inasmuch as I was accompanied by Mr. Howley, of Montreal, wdio kindly took upon himself to introduce me to the Prime Minister, the Hon. Alexander McKenzie. The distance from Montreal to Ottawa by water, is something like 100 ^ 1 'I i( Ci MONTnEAL TO OTTA^V^A: ' \\ Mr f ! miles, and by railway r-bout 170, i: lies north west from Montreal, due north from Prescott, and north east from Toronto. The boat left Lachine, about seven o'clock in the evening, of the IGth of June, and just as she was lierAving off A T1M13ER RAFT manned by Caiighnawaga Indians, entered the rapids of the St. Lawrence, tlii& was a terribly exciting affair, and I was told that the piloting of those stupendous floating piles of timber, through the surging and boiling foam of the rapids of St. Anns, was always entrusted to those Indians, a thrilling sensation passed through me as I stood on the dock and gazed on the scene, the raft consisting of several hundred baulks of timber gradually gliding into the dreadful vortex, a few white men who had brought the raft down the Ottawa river, for perhaps hundreds of miles grouped together in the centre ; the Indians with long oars in their hands, standing in the most advan- tageous positions to push it off from the rocks or guide it through the boiling surf; as they approached the rapids the chief stood at the stern, the men at their posts, but so motionless that they might be taken for statues, as the raft got into the eddy tne chief gave the word, and tho red men at once — descendants possibly of those that fought under Tecumseh, the noblest of their race — were stirred into life and activity ; they strain and tug at their oars and by their well directed exertions keep the raft clear of shoals and rocks, although going at a terrible pace. The pleasure seeking British public ought to take a trip on the St. Lawrence, and witness a scene like this it would be worth a lifetime spent on the Boulevards of Paris, or at the gaming tables of Baden Baden, and would cost less money. We sail by the pretty village of St. Anns, the scene of Tom Moore's celebrated Canadian boat soncr, no wonder that Ireland's bard was inspire'^ when passing that romantic looking spot which he immortalised by his muse, it is not necessary to describe the floating hotel called a boat, in wdiich I was making the trip, suffice it to say that she was like all other American river boats, fitted up in every way for comfort and pleasure ; as dusk set in she reached form steal had navi; cit Gi elevc I wa: the \ MONTREAL TO OTTAWA. C5 THE LAKE OF TWO MOUNTAINS formed by the sudclon widening of the Ottawa riv(T, and steaming through at full speed to the rapids, where we had to take the traiv. for a few miles to reach the navigrable waters at ':he other end, we embarked aijain at Grenville in another immense steamer, and it being now eleven o'clock, I went to bed, but at three in the morning I was up to see the river at sunrise ; just then we passed the village of PAPINEAUVILLE, the homo of the Father of Canadian Responsible Govern- ment, Louis Joseph Papineau, and where he ended his (lays, full of years and honour in 1871. The country on both banks is thinl}^ populated, but there is evidence of enterprise, industry and progress everywhere; rude wharfs at intervals, with stacks of sawn timber on them, waiting for exportation to the States, where it is nearly all sent. Rafts floating down from the north, going to Quebec, to be shipped for Europe, trains of barges towed by Kteamers every now and then passing, loaded with every kind of prejiared boards, from the numerous saw mills on both baid^s of the noble stream, little comfortable looking villages here and there with extensive tracts of cleared land around them, some of it in a high state of cultivation, shanties that gradually develop into farm houses, scattered about in the forest, which is rapidly succumbing to the strong arm and active brain of the settler. THE OTTAWA RIVER has an immense volume of water, and its average width may be put down at half a mile, from the city of Ottawa to its junction with the St. Lawrence, at the village of St. Ann's, above Montreal, from thence the united rivers flow grandly onward to the Atlantic, draining the north central section of the American Continent, and brinfjino: down the commerce of the Canadian provinces and the North Western States, which, as yet, are only in their infancy in comparison to what they will be in a few years, when enterprise and labour shall have developed the resources of those vast regions which are now only beginning to be F i u, 5? 'I )( GQ MONTREAL TO OTTAWA. * ''( n '^ I ^ [ ) known in tlio Jlcl Country. As wo steam alioad at great spocMl, tall c^-.' nnies on our rif^ht came in view, they belonged to the e..u.>'i.sive saw mills of the village of Hull, a suburb ol' the Metropolis, we round a bold headland and the numerous villas and gentlemen's houses indicate that wc are a})proaching the city; suddenly THE DOMINION PARLIAMENT BUILDING of coloss[d extent, ai\d appearing still more so through beinir erected < ;! a p-. ni;'cent site, breaks the line between us and the hor;// i Tne sight is grand in the extreme, the Rideau Fall T'! : ot high on our left, the Chaudiere Falls and Rapids, eonsiu( 'dby some travellers superior to Niagara itself, with the light handsome Avire suspension bri(h;e, tlirown across them, connecting the city with Hull, and the province of Ontario with the province of Quebec, in front of us. The stately, but peculiar looking boats that are gliding about in every direction, as though their captains were exercising them to prevent the engines rusting, and which afterwartls I learned wci-e tugboats engaged in the lumber trade, (there were hundreds of acres of huge stacks of sawn timber along ihv river bank.) The Parliament building on a rocky eminence, at the foot of which our steamer laid to at a neat pier, where omni- buses w(}re waiting to take passengers to the different hotels, made me think that the river approach to the city of Ottawa, was really magnificent. Together with Mr. Howley, and many others I went to THE RUSSELL HOUSE, one of the largest and best hotels in North America situated in the centre of the town, close to the Parliament House, in a prominent situation, h; ving a frontage to two leading streets, and being a fine massive building, it is quite an ornament to the rapidly rising Metropolis of the Canadian Confederation, if it would be possible to take a person from one of the stay-behind and old-fashioned hotels in tlu^ United Kingdom when asleep, and put him down in the Russell Housf when he awoke what a surprise it would be to him; in a xarge room in the front he would see comfortable arm chairs ranged round for visitors to sit in, reading, smoking, chatting, or perhaps manipulating ' i !h I. .J / i::i MONTREAL TO OTTAWA. 67 some scheme, or organising some cntca-prisc ; this room of an evening is the resort of most of the leading men in the city, and a stranger wanting to see any prominent man, has only to ask for him at the office, as he is snre to be lieard of there. The size of this grand hotel may bo surmised from the fact that the dining-room is over 70 feet long and 50 feet wide, the bed-rooms are connected with the office by electric signals, and the corridors with each other, by spacious staircases and hydraulic lifts, altogether the Kussell House, is a credit to Ottawa, as well as to its able manager and far seeing proprietor. On the banks of the Ottawa river, a few miles from the city, at a place cilied l'originale there are mineral springs which bid ft U. become the Canadian Saratoga, and as far as courtesy tc. sti augers and the general comfort of visitors com]' cd with cnergy and administrative ability is concerned, it is sufficient guarantee to say that they are owned by the same pro- j^rietoi as the Russell House. There are several other fine hotels in the city whore excellent accommodation may bo had, but my experience on both occasions that T 'sited the capital, was of the Russell House, and I mu stxy it was highly satisfactory ; indeed, I may say the same of nearly all the hotels I visited, both in Canada and the States. While T did some writing, my friend MR. HOWLEY saw the Prime Minister at his office in the Parlijvnent Buildings, and arranged for me to call on him at three o'clock. This piece of news put me into a nervous flutter, altliough I could not tell why, but I suppose it was through not being accustomed to meet great men face to face ; in the Old Countries it is difficult to wt an int(^"view with an ordinary Government official as there are a lot of useless, and I may add, humiliating ceremonies required ; but in Canada this sort of thing is abolished, men meet each other on the common ground of business and good conduct. I went for a walk with my friend to the Suspension Bridge over the Cliaudiere Falls, and leaning on the side, F '2 C8 JIONTllEAL TO OTTAWA. f ■ •' I : ill || MY IMK'KKT-IJOOK, in whicli woro sonic nnportiint docunionts, and a considcr- al)l(-' sum of money in Canadian pa])er dollars, dro})[)i}d out ot" my coat pocket into the whirlpool. Just at the moment a gentleman connected with one of the papers was passing by and took a note of the incident, and on the following morning an account of my loss appeared in the Ottaiva Times, to me the loss was irreparable in more ways than one, and I felt very much upset. Next day a man called at the Russell Houso, and en(|uired for Mr. O'Lcary, and the porter showed him up to my room. He was a Frenchman, and from his appearance I thought occupying a high posi- tion. He asked me if I had lost a pocket-book, and if 1 could describe it, which I did, and to my great joy ho handed it to me minus the cover, which had Ijeen won> off by the rocks in the rapids, but the indiarubber lining preserved the papers and money, my benefiictor was merely an employe of one of the Knnber yards, and he dis- covered the parcel while working on the river, three miles from where it tell in. The paragraph in the nciwspaper mentioned the owner, and this <:jood man at once came and restored it. I regret that I did not take his name, to publicly mention it in connection with this act of pure honesty. Mr. Howley went back to Montreal, by the return l)oat, so that I had to go alone to the Premier. I went to the Parliament Building, enquired of a man where T co\dd see Mr. McKenzie, he pointed out to me an ofHco, on (jne of the corridors ; I went to the door, expecting to be shown into some waiting room by a livery servant, (^r a beadle in uniform ; but to my surprise an old man in plain clothes, a coiuitryman of my own, requested my name, and turn- iui^; on his heel into the room announced it to the minister, who at once bid me come in, and the next moment I stood before the greatest representative of labour and perse- vering industry, perhaj^s in the world, the first minister of the Canadian Confederation, THE HONOURABLE ALEXANDER MCKENZIE, ■who by his integrity, force of character, and ability had risen from being an operative stonemason to that exalted position, in itself an excellent example of what a man may arrive at MONTREAL TO OTTAWA. (in of in a country wlicre merit is the only key to success. After conversation of a businesslike nature he offered to acconipivny mo through the buildinuf, an act of courtesy that I did not expect. We visited both the Legislative Chambers, which in my (tj)inion are better arranged and more commodious than the Parliament Houses at West- minster, then the picture gall(>ry, in which there are a great many portraits of distinguished Canadians and of all the speakers of Parliament, the present one being the Honourable Timothy Warren Angling, a native of Clona- kilty, in the South of Ireland, and wlio like millions of liis countrymen crossed the Atlantic to improve his position, and how well he has succeeded his portrait among those of thegreat men of the Dominion will testify. Passing through the gallery we visited the model room, committee rooms, library, etc., and finally Mr. McKenzie introduced me to Dr. Tache, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, and to Mr. Lowe, the Secretar}'^ of Immigration, with whom I spent some time and made arranuements to call af their patriotism, energy and love of country. OTTAWA is a city of about 35,000 inhabitants, and although (Jhamplain sailed up the Ottawa river, or as he called it, the Grand River, and predicted that a fiourishing town would arise where the city now stands, yet is of com- paratively modern growth. One of the first men that made anything like a settlement, here was an American named VVright, who established a saw mill in the year 1800. The very year in which Ireland lost her Legis- lative Independence, this American was planting the seed of the capital of a new nation, and well may the thinker exclaim with the prophet of old, " Oh Lord, how great are thy works, and unsearchable thy Avays." In 1827, the British Government sent a military commission to inspect Canjula, with a view of fortifying it at different points ; the commission reported on the desirability of connecting the Ottawa river with Lake Ontaiio, by a canal to form a triangle, of which the St. Lawrence is the base, the Ottawa river and the canal forming the two sides. The work was began in 1827, and cost nearly three million of dollars; the length being about 130 miles; one end of it is at Kingston, on Lake Ontario, and the other at the city of Ottawa. This canal is an extraordinary piece of engineering, as it is carried by means of locks over a ridge of country much higher in the middle than it is at either end ; the building of it attracted a large num- ber of workpeople to the locality, who soon made an im- portant settlement, which received the name of Bytown,from Colonel By, of the Royal Engineers, chief superintendent of the works. By the Queen's Proclamation in 1858, Ottawa was made the capital of the united provinces of British North America, called the Dominion of Canada, which includes Prince Edward's Island, Nova Scotia, New MONTUMAL TO OTTAW.V, l Brunswick, Quchcc, Otitinio, North Wost Torritory, tlio Districts of Aluoina, Miiiiit()l);i, SaskatclicwMii, IJritisli (*()luinl)ia, and Vaiicoiivor's Island ; Newfoundland not ycL liaving i(tin(!(l tlio (,'onfodcnition. All tlios(3 united pro- vinces send representatives to Ottawa, the seat of the Fed(^rul (joveinnient, each haviuLj a local governnieiit to manage its internal afi'airs. Thoso iikim:ksI':ntatives ark paid a thousand dollars, or a little over £200 each, every session lor their services, which enahles a poor man to entiir the house without comproiuising ids independence. In the Uniteil Kingdom, a man must be exceedingly wealthy to enter Parliament as the expenses are so heavy and as no remuneration is attached to the office ; some of the most practical, intelligent, and active ndnded men jirothus excluded. Until mend)ers of Parliament are p.-dd and responsible to their constituents, there will be no fair representation of the people in England. The aristocracy say it is not dignihed to accept public money for legisla- tive services; but, surely it would be more dignified to give a man a salary for his labour tlian give hundreds of thousands yearly to sinecurists, who are of no use what- ever to the people, some of whom receive more than would pay a dozen mem])ers very liberal salaries. In Ottawa THE HOUSE MEETS EARLY IN THE DAY, and does its business so that members can have their proper rest at night. In London they sit up till morning and sleep in the daytime ; in Ottawa, mend)ers must attem. to their duty or their salaries are stopped; in London some of the most important bills are passed when there arc not above fifty present. The diffen.'nce between the two systems lies in a nutshell; the one is the rcsidt of an artificial state of things, called society and piiviloge, the other of tbought, progress, and common isjnse, which ouabt to be the foundation of all legislatioii. The town of Hull, acrt)ss the river from Ottawa, is the LARGEST TIMBER STATION IN THE WORLD, nearly two hundred million feet being exported every ill V*' JIONTIIEAL TO OTTAWA. ii I \\ year; tlicR' is n iimtcli factory beloaging to Eddy & Co., the most cxtoijsive in America., giving employment to 1,000 liands; tlien^ are also latli mills, shingle mills, pail mills and other manufacturing industries, showing that there is no laric of enterprise, and that capital can find profitable investment. The city itself is well laid out, the streets, as in all American towns, being at right angles ; Hull is capitally supplied with GAS AND WATER, tlie laviuQ' of the mains for which must have cost an enormous sum, as they are bound to be a curtain depth below the surtacu to prevent freezing, and the trenches to lay them in h;ul to be excavated out of the solid rock, by cutting and blasting. There are five daily papers, a strikiuLT evidence of the iutelliijence and advancement of the peojJe. Some of THE CANADIAN PAPERS are real curiosities of literature, as thev lto in for what is called racy editing, not quite so much as in the States, but far more so than in the Old Country. It consists or strong personalities, and holding up to rirlicule the public and private faults of oflicials, and political opp^aionts, often using the lash unsparingly, which iuakc> public men very careful, and although it may not be in accordance with the strict rules of social eticpu'tte, it has a toiidency to prevent soiiK; of the ;d)uscs that exist amonij the wealthv classes in the United Kingdom. For instance, old men with (JUEY ]1A1R AND WAXED MOUSTACHr.S, riffoctinir youth and \ i^-our, escorting" vvunof mistresses, a sight daily to be seen m Hyde Park, wuuld be justly held iij) lo scorn in Canada. People do not like the (•x|tosur(' of lilt ir misdeeds and failinjf-^. the publishing of wliicli nfien srils t'le paper, which perhaps is the editor's )ti-inci|);d ohjeet ; but i!;e practice anyway has a salutary < lfcct(»ii ex il-iloers. S(»nie people say Uiat a iiiAn's private jifo lias nothing t>> kV'^ wiih his public CAreer. ou; I think the ,s(M»ih r ihis idea i> abelislied the l,*:-r. : n. \\\\\\\ uiile oUieis It ^w net w::v in: i;; hue .'ome of our re\ va\ ad theolo^'.-ns w:. > r T J. L'"'w can ^-Ir I: JL MONTREAL TO OTTAV^A. 73 poverty aiid cliarlty, yet ,i^ot rich themselves as fast as tliey can, and scarcely ever forgive what they consider to l)(; an injury. There are a great many CIIL'iUIIES AND CIIAPKLS of various d(^nominations, the catliolic eatlicchal hr-ing a very fine edifice Early on a Sunday morning I atiendf;d service in this church, and I noticed then; was not a badly dressed person in the vast congregation. If tlnre is a phice in the world where an ill-clad Irishni.'tn is to be rnet with it is at the catholic church e.'irly on Sund;iy morningf, and although I atti'iided at scvfTal including those at Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, King.-^ton, Toronto, Ouclph, »St. Catherines, tS:c., I firndy h(;liev(; I was my.-,elf' the worst dressed of any person J saw ; in fact. I ;iri) ofopinion the people dress too much, hut that is a fault, in the j'ight D D1S.SIPATI0N BEING THE ONLY BARRIER to a man rising. I do not tldnk that the working class drink more, or even as much, as the well-to-do people, but what they do drink, relatively speaking, is more injurious to tiiem, becau- ■ they are pM.r^r i: exceedingly popular with all sections of the I'jopxi , as he conforms in all things to the progressive ideas Chi institutions of the country, and whether visiting a cojiVi'T ^ehool, a Suiiilay school, a young men's college, or ; 1 MONTREAL TO OTTAWvV. / / nddressing the grey beards of a town, ho has the tact iind good sense to speak the right word in the right phice. Close to Rideau Hall are THE RIDEAU FALLS, about 70 feet high ; they are formed by the Rideau River falling over a cliff into the Ottawa River. To the lover of the beautiful in nature the scene is very fine. Canadians are proud of the inetropohs of their country, and justly so, for when we consider that in 1827 there were only a few shanties on the ground where it now stands, and that since then it has grown into a beautiful city, with all the ele- ments of refinement and civilisation, we must acknowdedge there is something marvellous in its rise and progress ■,: ^he die ^as a or 'i! ;a CHAPTER VII. OTTAWA TO NIAGARA. a or ^^ 1: 1 Having spent a -week in tlic capital, and in tliat time seen something of its people, I felt it my duty to push on further. Somehody said that the tide of empire follows the setting sun, a piece of pliilosophy about wliicli I cannot give an opinion ; but I do know there is room for millions yet unborn on tlic vast and fertile plains of the great west. When at homo and following my employment, a desire to see some of the unsettled portiou of America arose in my mind through reading books of travel and adventure, and that ambition was now in a fair way of being gratified. I had arranged with the government and with my friends to go to the Red River settlement in +he province of Manitoba, and my departure from Ottawa was the com- mencement of a journey of from 1,500 to '2,000 miles. Tlio road from Ottawa to Toronto runs across a large portion of the province of Ontario formeriy called Upper Canada and sometimes Western Ca.nada, by rail a distance of 280 miles. I left C ttawa at 10.20 on the morning of the 28rd of June by the Ottawa and Prescott Railway for Prescott Junction, where the connection is made with the main artery of the Canadian railway system, THE GRAND TRUNK, which nms parallel with the St. Lawrence from Quebec to Montreal on the south side where it ci'osses the river on the great Victoria Bridge, and thence runs along the north side to Toronto, the three Lireat termini ot this extraordinary line being Quebec in Lower Canada, Poitland in the State of Maine, and Detroit in the State of Michigan. Toronto from Montreal lies 883 miles nearly aUu; west on the north shore of Lake Ontario, the nearest to the Atlantic of the great lakes, or rather, fresh water seas. IS. OTTAWA TO NIAGARA. 79 From Ottawa to Prescott is about GO miles south tlirouirh a country yet only purtly cleared, although there are six or seven stations, or about one in every ten miles. The gauge of this line is lour feet eight inches and a half, and the carriages and rolling stock in general arc in excellent order. Evidence of recent settlement and rapid clearance can be seen from the carriage windows in every direction, showing that the axe, the SAW -MILL, AND THE PLOUCJII are pre-eminrntly implements of civilisation. The one to cut down the trees, the ether to saw them up for useful purposes or for export, the third to turn up the virgin soil for cultivation ; and nowhere is their uscFulness to be seen more than on this line of railway. Felling timber is a very different affair in Canada from what it is in the old. countries, as it is done with an axe, while in the United Kimi:dom it is done with a cross-cut saw. In Canada a man will stand before a tree swinging hi* oxe alternately from each shoulder, which requin-s son: practice as v/ell as strength to become an cxpeit at. The tn.'O is struck about three feet from the ground, consecpiently there is a high stmnp left standing that takes several years to rot. In the (Tnited Kino-dom a man will clear round with a spade and trim off tlie upper roots to get as much timber as possible, the tree being cut close to the ground by two men with a cross-cut saw. In Canada timber is not thought much of, the principal object being to clear the land, a matter in v.hicli I think there is a great mistake, as the attention of the people ought to be directed to the good cultivation and improvement of what is already cleared, rather tlian to the useless destruction of valuable timber, as there is a deal of BAD FAllMING, to which the sooner a remedy is applied the better, either by legislative f?nactments or the establishment of seliools to teach something of scientific agriculture. One of the evils is too much land, a farmer not having sufficient capital to work it properly, another is the practice of cropping the ground withuut manuring it; this system must exhaust the best soil in the course of time, but to I « t yl ■i 80 OTTAWA TO NIAGARA. " i I 31 \):, this ni.iny CaiKulian f;M-nioi's seem very indifTerent. No dou'ot tlicsc errors will remedy themselves as the country gets settled, because stock raisim;- will becomo more profitabli! and land more valuable, thus inducing the, farmer to pay greater attention to his business, as he will bo able to net more from a small well cultivated farm than from an extensive one badly cared for. Another draw- back is THE WTNTi::! the face of tlie country being covered with snow for at least three months. During those three months the farmer is comparatively inactive, as far as ploughing and breaking the soil is concerned, although nature makes up for it in rapidity of vegetation ; still those three months are a creat loss to the auriculturist. One of his difficulties had hitherto been the want of help, but emigration is now supplying that defect ; yet for years to come there will be room for the hardworking surphis population of Europe. A llECENTLY OCCUPIED TIMBEll FARM is a curious sight to the European traveller. There is the cottage of the settler generally made of boards from the nearest saw mill, and in the event of not having boards, of logs of small pine timber. It does not recpiire much professi .>ual skill to descril)e its architectural featiu'es, Ibr anyone can tell that it belongs to the primitive order and is of the very earliest style ; notwithstanding their rustic appearance, these dwellings are comfortable and far more healthy than some of the homes of the poor in the larfje towns and manufacturinsf districts of England. The settler will live in this class of house for a few years until he has made some money, then erect a better structure, either of stone, brick, or timber, according to taste or locality, as each of these materials is extensively used in building, and it is a usual thing to see the original shanty close to the nice house that the farmer new lives in. The story of the prisoner who was accused of stealing a gun, and declared his innocence by saying that he had iiad that gun since it was a pistol, is exemplified all over Ontario; the settler having lived in the shanty until it grew into the farmhouse through his energy and industry. Around the d L'lling there are a few acres of cl tl ti is cq bl sei fi)| is lal OTTAWA TO NIAGARA. 81 cleared land in a timber fence of rude make ; on its margin the tree stumps are standing like soldiers at drill, the timber having been carried away or burned, then boliind is the thick bush on which the man and iiis family arc continually making war, and before whose well-directed blows it is r..i^idly giving way, the one question that a settler who takes up a free grant has to consider is the first winter, for when he can manage to raise one crop he is over many of his difficulties, but no agriculturist or farm labourer from the United Kingdom, should ^o on land without at least a twelve-months' experience in the country ; it is curious to see a nice field of wheat, potatoes, or other crops, with tree stumps standing all over it, a kind of intermediate state between the primeval forest and modern progress, they decay and rot in ten or twelve years, then they are easily drawn out of the ground and burned, or otherwise got rid of. On the PRESCOTT AND OTTAWA RAILWAY settling, clearing, cultivating, and house building is rapidly going on and in a few years no doubt this will be a very fine country as its resoiu-ees become developed ; at the stations it was pleasant to see the people that were waiting for the train, all respectably clad, and a great many wear- ing jewellery, which Canadians and Americans seem almost childishly fond of. During my stay at the Russell House, Ottawa, I noticed on one or two occasions a lady with two little girls, sitting at dinner, the children, for such they were, had a number of rings on their fingers; I thought it was absurd that these little creatures, the eldest not above ten years, should be jewelled and starched to attract attention, for it could not be for anything else, but anyhow it seemed to me to be in bad taste, and a useless and needless display of wealth. This case is an illustration oi what I have seen, both in Canada and the States, THE WEARING OF JEWELLERY, OR MOCK JEWELLERY, being the fashion among all classes of the people, and I don't know but th.::it the custom is good, although liable to abuse, inasmuch as it has a certain amoujat of refining influence that leads up to social equality. In England, a G 82 OTTAWA TO NIAGARA. 'U, 1 1 < >i workinqman wili wear moleskin or rordinoy, and the farm labonrer the lonu^ s.Mock frock, and through tho perpetual teaching ot" holli religion and politics ai'(^ almost led to believe that tliey are destined by providences to a low station, and are bound to wear a garb to mark the rank they occupy in the community. In many parts of Eng- land, it was the custom for th(> sipiire or other great gun in the p;uish to give the labourers once a year a long smock frock marked witli designs, before and behind, something like a map, intended to show everything from a projected railway to a footpath. The labouror's wife some- times receivcnl a poculi;ir looking cotton gown, and a coal scuttle bonnet, and on tlie following Sunday, the recipients had to go to church to sliow their new clot lies. The parson selected an appropriate l;ext, and from it [)reached a dis- course the purport of which was the goodness of the donors, and the duty of the lower orders to bo submissive to their superiors. In Ireland, the poor labouring man was called A SPALPEEN OR CAUBOUG — terms in the Irish language, signifying low grade — and as such he was almost bound to put his hand to his hat to everybody who had a good coat on, from the town crier to the under agent; and how the mass of the Irish people kept alive the sjiirit of manly independence, which they develop in America, is to me a puzzle. I am glad to say, that both in l:^ngland and Ireland, slavisli subserviency is gradually dying out, and men are beginning to understand that it is, fulfilment of duty to God and man, and the elevation of our luiture by the cultivation of our minds, that dignify our manhood, and not the giving or taking of a contemptible adulation that tends to degradation instead of manly bearing and national honour; so that in rny opinion, a little personal pride assists a people to rise in the social scale. We arrived at PRESCOTT about one o'clock, dinner Avas ready at the station for all who wished to partake of it at 50 cents, or 2s. each, getting what they call in America, a square meal, that is plenty of almost anylhing you wish, including tea, or coffee, a cup i ii,i. OTTAWA TO NIA(JAIIA. 83 gun of wliich is nearly alwnys taken. Prcscott Junction is in the centre of a very line country on tin; Grand Trunk llailwiiy, a mile fn^ni the town of Prescott, 11 "J from Montreal, and "2'11 from Toronto. Close to this place are the celebrated Thousand Islands, tlie scenery of whieli is unsurpassed, and which may be seen to ndvantaf,^e by a steamboat trip on the 8t. Lawivnce, between Montreal, Kini^ston, and Toronto. A somewhat sharp engagement was fought at Piesrott, between the Uritish troo{)s and the Canadian patriots in LS.jS; the troops capturing some prisoners, who, as usual in such cases, were dtdy hung as soon as possible at Kingston. From Prescott, a deal of the timbiT prepared in the Ottawa Saw ]\lills, and brought down l)y the Ottawa and Prescott Railway, is taken acnjss the St. Lawrence to Ogdensluug, where it is sent on by rail to all parts of the United States. The Grand Trunk from this point to Toronto traverses a fine rich country, being the oldest settled portioxi of Ontario. There are numerous towns and villaiies alou'^the line where different manufacturing industries are carried on ; and there are several CHEESE FACTOllIES where that article of food is made, the milk being sent from a number of farms, Avhich plan the peo])le find more re- muaerative than making it themselves at their homes ; to co-operative enterprises of this nature the local govern- ments give pecuniary assistance, either direct or through different societies, and the municipality in which the works are established generally grants a subsidy. The importance of the cheese trade may be seen from the fact, tliat nearly £0 million pounds are annually exported to Ertgland. I was very much struck with the number of cattle grazing in the fields, or running about in the plantation-like woods, where there was plenty of excellent feed. People in the Old Countries are apt to a.«?sociate the whole of America with HEPIILES, and venomous creatures, but the idea is wrong, as there are scarcely any of a dangerous kind north of tlui forty- ninth parallel, which includes the v/hole of Canada. There is a little snake c;dled the garter snake, from G •:: IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) p w. Va 1.0 I.I It 1^ 12.2 2.0 1.8 |L25 1.4 1.6 ^ 6" — ► %^ & w ^ //, >^ ■^ 7/4 mJ" / / ^^ (^ y ^y. m /A Photographic Sciences Corporation mM % ,\ 1^ S '^^ \ \ ^'b V c^ 73 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 6^ WJs ► 84 OTTAWA TO NIAGARA. f t\ ..] L u 2 feet G iiichos to 3 feet long, but it is liarmless, although I coatt'ss 1 woula not like to make free with it* in the more southern parts of Ontario, there are a few rattle snakes, but only a very few, and these scarcely ever do any harm ; fortunately as an Irishman, I know but very little about snakes, as there are none of any kind in Ireland, which in itself is a curious fact in Natiu^al History ; I was told that the rattle snake is becoming extinct in the hog raising states of the Union, as that animal will destroy it, as a cat would a mouse, but anyway there is no need to dread reptiles in Canada, as there are scarcely any of a dangerous kind, and those large droves of cattle that I saw scampering through the woods are an evidence of the fact. As towns multiply and manufacturens- increase, stock raising must become a profitable business ; as hitherto in comparison with the Old Countries meat has been remarkably cheap, and seeing the great and in- creasing demand for it in England, a CANADIAN MEAT AND PRODUCE COMPANY has been formed to export it to that country ; the onodu.'i operdndi being as follows : travellers are sent about the country to purchase cattle wherever they can find them reasonable in price, and send them on by rail to the com- pany's depot at Sherbrook, a rising place in the eastern township of Quebec, there to be slaughtered and packed in air-tight cases, and forwarded to Liverpool, where there is a ready market for ten times more than the com- pany can send as the meat is good, and they can afford to undersell the English butchers, which must in no small degree be a boon to the public, particularly as the opera- tions are on an extensive sale. The municipalities of Sherbrook, and the surrounding places gave the company a liandsome bonus — a usual thing in Canada. Sherbrook is a fine town on the Montreal and Portland section of the Grand Trunk, the slaughter-house and factory adjoins the lino and is connected with it by a siding, thus giving railway comnmnication to all parts of America. Tho works, about 350 feet long, 120 feet wide, and high in proportion, are fitted up with very expensive machinery. Tinning and jxifting is one part of the business, and is OTTAWA TO NIAGARA. 85 carried on by what the manager told me was an entirely new process, which does not reduce the streugth of the meat or destroy its flavour, a great benefit to the con- .sumer, as it preserves its freslniess. During my visit to the works of the Canadian Meat and Produce Com- pan}', there were SO cattle per week killed ; and when the buildings are completed there will be 300 per week. I mention this matter to show that rearing stock is likely to be a remunerative branch of agriculture before long, through English competition and an increased home consumption. As the train dashes on tliere are some splendid views to be had of the St. Lawrence, with the steam boats and ships trading between the different ports on its banks. ORCHARDS AND FRUIT are a good deal cultivated, which gives the face of the country a nice appearance, as a comfortable farm-house with well stocked orchards around forms a very pretty picture, and there are a great many such pictures between Prescott and Toronto. There is also a considerable extent -of hop ground, but judging from a look at the plantations, I don't think the}^ are at all equal to those of Kent, Sussex, or Hereford. The ground was not trenched, which is so necessary in HOP FARMING, and the poles were onl}'- two in a hill, while in England, there would be three, and sometimes four, and they were only 12 or 14 feet long, showing that the bine was not very strong or the crop heavy. In England the poles would be 16 or 18 feet, and then the bine would often be curled and interwoven together at the top of the pole. I think by improved and scientific cultivation, hop growing in Canada would be remunerative, as the plant seems indigenous to the country, and is to be met with almost everywhere in the woods, The province of MANITOBA is, in my opinion, particularly suitable for its cultivation, the soil being heavy and wonderfully fertile, and there is always during the season, an amount of humidity \nd warmth in it, through the frost which penetrates deep into I HO OTTAWA TO >.'IAGA11A. I ! 1 . tho frround rocclving tlie beat of the sun causing a thaw, that keeps the soil damp, tlms promoting an extraordinarily rapid vegetation. On the boundary line between the States and British America, a])out 70 miles South of Fort Garry, in the woods of the Peml)ina Alountains, at the latter end of August, I found four different samples of hops growing in the greatest profusion; with the burr as well developed as any that I have seen in the English hop districts, the grape and golden species in particular were very prolific, and surely where they grow in the wild stato in such plenty they would do much better by skilful cultivation ; what their merits were as compared with English hops, I had no opportunity of knowing, but I am very nmcli niistrken if Manitoba, would not grow them very abundantly. There are a great many towns and villages betwec>n Prescott and Toront^D, and nearly all having old country names, such as Kingston, a town of 1:^,()0() inhabitants and a smart port on Lake Ontario; and the starting point of the Rideau Canal, which connects it with Ottawa l)y water. Then there are Whitby, Lans- downe, Nmvcastle, Shannonville, Lynn, and other places bearing names that indicate their origin. After about ten hours travellinLi' we reached TORONTO, where I took up ni} quarters at the Mansion House Hotel. Next day I went out to see the city, and was much sur- prised at its fine position, well laid out streets, grand churches, splendid shops, excellent public buildings, and massive warehouses ; I have been to a iiood manv towns CI? I, at home and abroad, but never saw a place where the people displayed more activity and determination to advance than in this city, the capital of Ontario, and the third largest city in the Dominion; it has a population of about (io,000, and is situate on the north shore of Lake Ontario. Toronto is one oH the principle centres of the Canadian Railway system, which connects it with all parts <.)f America, and is conseuuentiv the seat of a very exten- sive trade, and also the largest Canadian port on the Great Lakes, Any one who has not seen those vast inland waters cannot understand the magnitude and impovtauce of their OTTAWA TO NIAGAllA. 87 shipping and commercial interests but tliey arc really stupendous, increasing every year, and the situation of Toronto is well adapted for an extensive import and export business, both by water and rail. The site where the city now stands, was, in 179o, a trackless forest ; and the Government of that day surveyed the place with the view of fortifying the north shore of Lake Ontario; and altliough the Franco-Irish French Governor De Tracy inflicted summary chastisement on the Iioquois Indians, who, in l(jG5, massacred a number of settlers on the south shore of the lake somewhere in the neighbourhood of Niagara; yet the difficulty of reaching tlic north shore precluded any attempt at settlement there for several years after this exploit of Governor De Tracy ; when peace w^as declared with America in 1782, a large number of AMERICAN LOYALISTS crossed into British territory to make it their home ; the young republic was glad to get rid of those people because during the war they were the enemies of in- dependence, and it was feared that they might create dissensions in the councils of the infant nation. The British were delighted to receive them as they would be stanch bulwarks against the further advance of the American Republicans, and for that reason in every way encouraged them to come to Canada. The new location on the north shore of Lake Ontario being ver}'' eligible, a large number settled there and called the place Little York, and it is on record that the Upper Canada Govern- ment of the time made a law excluding the American schoolmasters from coming among those people from fear of their Republican tendencies. In 171)1), the seat of Government was removed from Niagara to Toronto, and that same year a recommendation was made to the authorities that Toronto, should be the seat of a uni- versity. This was carried out in 1842, and is now one of the finest buildings on the continent. The form of the city is nearly a semi-circle, at the head of a lovely bay on a gravelly soil, with a gradual elevation from the water's edge. There are a great many wharves, stores, and fac- tories of different kinds along the shore, and opposite the city in the lake theie is a low lying iskuid, on wdiich ' 88 OTTAWA TO NIAGARA. > li there are a couple of liglithouses, waterworks, and other municipal and public buildings. The streets are as far as possible laid out at right angles, in this respect differing entirely from Montreal and Quebec. Some of the build- ings are really beautiful and do honour to the citizens, and, indeed, to the people of Canada in general ; and among them I may mention ST. MICHAEL'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL, built in the Gothic order of architecture, with modifications to suit the climate, and constructed of white bricks with stone facings. The length of the building is a little over 200 feet, the width about 40 feet, and the spire is 250 feet high, elegant in design and having a very fine effect. The foundation of this magnificent ciiurch was laid in 1845, and it was opened in 1847. In 1870, Toronto was made into an Archdiocese by the Pope, THE MOST REVEREND JOSEPH LYNCH being appointed to the see. This great prelate is a native of county Monaghan, Ireland, a country that has, perhaps, given to the world more distinguished ecclesiastics, catholic and protestant, than any other in Europe. Dr. Lynch studied for several years in his native country, and finishing his education in Paris, he returned to Ireland to be ordained, shortly after to leave her shores to follow the weary and laborious life of a missionary priest in the Southern States of the American Union ; but the swamp fever and other miasmatic diseases peculiar to the climate made an inroad on his constitution, and on the recommen- dation of his superior he Wi*s sent to the northern and more healthy climate of Buffalo. In 1859 he was con- secrated Bishop of Toronto, and Archbishop, as before stated, in 1870. It is no flattery to say that Monsignor Lynch is beloved by his own flock and highly respected by those outside his fold. He is a patriotic Irishman, openly advocating self government for his native land on the plan of the federated provinces of British North America ; which will endear his name to Irishmen throughout the world ; for love of the old land is instinctive in the Irish breast wherever the race has settled ; and I was delighted to OTTAWA TO NIAGARA. 89 find, not alone in this eminent churchman, but in thousands of others in Canada, that THE LOVE OF IRELAND was as strong as on the day when they left her shores, in most cases as emigrants; indeed, the same may be said of the English and Scotch although, perhaps, they may not be quite so enthusiastic as the Irish ; still, there is that deep fervent love of their countries which developes itself in many ways, yet they are not any the worse Canadians, as can be seen by their magnificent institutions, liberal laws, general education, prosperous country, and well ordered community. The Catholic, the Protestant, the Irishman, the Englishman, the Scotchman, the Welshman, yes, and the Frenchman and German uniting to make one great whole : a thriving, industrious, and a happy people ; how different from the state of things founded by conquest and upheld by FEUDALISM in the United Kingdom ; for the Norman conqueror dictated the English code of law with the point of his sword on the battle field of Hastings, aad then and there guaranteed by those laws to his greedy followers large tracts of the conquered country. How beneficial they have been to the toiling masses in England since then, let the Dorsetshire labourers reply. That the worst portions of those laws are still in operation there cannot be a doubt ; an established church and a privileged class of hereditary legislators, many of whom never take the least interest in the general welfare of the state, yet are endowed with power to obstruct any measure that emanates from the representatives of the people, are some of the results. Primogeniture and entail which prevent the land coming into the hands of the cultivators who are now merely tenants at will, and the game laws which I consider, are a disgrace, as they give to a few an ex- clusive privilege of gratifying their cruel instincts by the wanton and wholesale slaughter (the battue for example) of poor, half tame, dumb, defenceless creatures, many of whom often go away wounded to die a lingering death from starvation and gangrene ; yet the laws are framed to I I f)0 OTTAWA TO NIAGAR.V. fit il 11 % ^ If prrpctiiato tins fiendisli practice called sport. A iiiM,i]^istrate who will infict a line on a cock-fi;^hter, or on Lill Sykes for ])C'ating his donkey, and yet will hiniseli" torture poor little innocent creatures, is in my opinion thi; very essence of a hypocrite ; hut it is the law and not the man that must be amended. In Enoland reverend ^^ ntlemen stand in the pulpit to teach charity and virtue, but I venture to say there is neither in those law administering;- divines who, when seated on the bench with well tilled pockets and cognisant that the larder at home is in pretty good order, sentc^nce severely some unfortunate peasant who (in most cases through sheer want) has killed a wild animal called "game." Some people may say this is a fancy jjicture, but in reply let me give my authority. MR. r. A. TAYLOIl, M.P. for Leicester, on the 27th of April, 1SG9, declared in his place in the House of Commor.s, that there were between nine a - ' ten thousand convictions every year under the game- s, many of the magistrates being clergymen. The great political economist Jeremy Bentham, said, " I sow corn, and partridges eat it, if I defend it against them I am sent to jail, lest a great man who is above sowing corn should want partridges to kill. In the present day the law gives a policeman power to search a man on the high road, or he can be chased by dogs as the negroes were in the Southern States in the worst days of slavery. According to Professor Lconi Levi, there are two million acres of land devoted to wild animals in Scotland, to the great detriment of the people. When perusing the life of JOHN STUART MILL, I was impressed with his benevolence, by reading that the small park surrounding his villa at Cannes, was an asylum for the wounded birds and game that flocked to it from the country around, those creatures knew, either through long habit, instinct, or some sort of reasoning among them- selves, that when inside his boundaries they were safe * Avhat a lesson this teaches to some of his censors, many of them game preservers, who inflicted torture and took life m OTTAWA TO NIAGARA. 91 ato Ives ICO lat md to nes ets )od in al for sport; one woihI more by way of warnini^ to those who would preserve the noble institutions of THE FEUDAL SYSTEM. B min^ miners That system which sets English and Irish workmen at eacli others throats, so that through their dissensions a few may rule. That system which, according to Mr. Macdonald — the workingman M.P. for Stafford, in a speech made by him at ,diam, on the 'H>t]\ of May, 1875 — under which, the of Enjnrhind were bouuht and sold with the mines they worked, down to the beginning of the nineteenth century, and the whole family, father, mother, and young- children, male and female, worked in the mine, and in the same speech he boldly asserted it was not the aristocracy, the bisliops, or the clergy of any denomination that emanci- pated them, nay, but it was the poor miners themselves, by their grov/ing intelligence. That system which has utilised nearly every fundamental law in the interest of a class, and as far as possible prevented the workingman being educated ; but as soon as the people receive the right.s- of citizenship it is doomed, and in its stead, we will have intelligence, progress, more social ecjuality, and less caste legislation, as all sections of the community will be brouij^ht closer toc^ether, and as this is sure to occur when the masses receive the franchise, I would seriously warn the hereditary sinecurists, and legislators, to do all they can to prevent it, and I have no doubt they will take my advice, as self-preservation is the first law of nature,. and in all ages, classes, and individuals, have as far as possible tried to benefit themselves, the power of the injured multitude being the only true check on human avarice. THE PROTESTANT CATHEDRAL IN TORONTO is another fine edifice, also in the Gothic order, and like the Roman Catholic Cathedral, the style is heavy to suit the climate, the building being 200 feet long by 175 v.-ide, ajid the spire 280 feet high, altogether it is a magnificent structure; there are, between twenty and thirty different places of Protestant worship in the city, and five or six Catholic, to which religion, about one-fourth of the inhabi-- I 92 OTTAWA TO NIAGARA. i . I] ;! I E ' tants belong. There are a j:^rcat many other fine hnildings, sucli as the Masonic Hall, the La Salle Institute presided over by the Christian Brothers, St. Michael's College for the education of Catholic youth, the St. Lawrence Hall, Trinity College for Protestant young men, the Mechanics Institute, and the Provincial Exhibition Building. The Parliament Hou.se is a very impre tending affair, being a long low red brick erection; but from what I saw of it I thought it very well arranged, particularly the Chamber itself, each member sat in an arm chair at a desk in which th'ere was a drawer for his papers ; and there were three or four little boys on the floor to carry messages, such as letters, bills, telegrams, &c., thus saving the necessity of members running about themselves. THE CONSTITUTION of the Dominion, is as near perfection as it can well be, as it embraces the leading features of local self-Govern- ment, so far as is consistent with oider and official re- sponsibility. There is a Federal, or general Parliament, the seat of which is at Ottawa, consisting of two Chambers, Commons, and Senators, the latter appointed for life only, and not hereditary as in England ; then each of the provinces has its own Parliament, consisting of one Chamber elected by the people, for the management of provincial affairs. Every county has its County Council, which has power to levy taxes for roads, bridges, and other improvements, within its own jurisdiction, each TOWNSHIP has its Board, which also has certain powers, such as granting bonuses to public companies, making local roads, assisting education, &c. A township comprises six miles each way, or thirty-six square miles, every corporate borough or city is governed by its municipal authorities, who have the control of police, fire department, sanitary arrangements, &c., all those bodies, except the SENATE, are representative, and even the latter is composed of men selected for their ability and knowledge of public affairs. This plan gives confidence to the people, and educates them OTTAWA TO NIAGARA. 1)3 «iagara river early in the day, and in company witli a government agent I at once proceeded to Miss Rye's home. THE TOWN OF NIAGARA, in a great measure resembles alarge village in England, only that the footpaths are made of deals, and that the railway for some miles, is on the tui'n])ike road : Avhat a shindy there would be in England or Ireland, if the train ran up the street of a town ; but that is exactly the case in Niagara, and no one takes the least notice. On the opposite side of the river is Fort Niagara, manned by United States troops. A place that is frecpiently mentioned in the history of the War of Independence, and also in that of 1812. r^Jiagara is twelve miles from the Falls, and was at one time the capital of Ontario ; in 1813 it was burned by the Americans, under General M'Clure, when retreating from the north, but it rapidly grew up again to its present dimensions ; its population being at present 2,GG0. The situation is very healthy, and during tlie Slimmer it is the resort of a givat many strangers. Miss Rye's place, is about a couple of miles from the villag*', across a very line common, on which at the time of my visit there were tliree thousand CANADIAN VOLUNTEERS under canvas. These troops are a kind of compromise between Enii'lish militia and volunteers, beino- men of a better social position than the one, and not so good as the ctJi&r. 1'hey certainly are stalwart and wiry looking fellows, and T'onL®- ':^ the regiments were in excellent trim ; particularly an Artilk^'v one whi; h showed to great ad- vantage. The troo])s are called out in the summer of OITAWA TO NIAGARA. 99 412 age jvcl r each year, to drill for about a month, as the Canadian Government keeps no standing army, except a few men in Quebec and Fort Garry, and there are no British troops, with the exception of a half regiment at HaUfax. What a lesson is here taught to despots, who govern their .subjects by the strength of their armies, and thus con- vert men into human butchers. Ireland takes 14,000 military police, and between 20,000 and 30,000 regulars to keep five millions of people in subjection, and we are gravely told, it is to protect society ; yet, I venture to say, that if Ireland were governed on the same enlightened principles as Canada, the country would not require these hordes of military mercenaries; for the Irish are naturally a law loving and law abiding people. A -soldier of the rank and file in the European armies, is a mere macliine without a mind or reasoning powers of his own, he is taught two duties — and two only — namely, to kill his fellowmen and pay almost divine honours to the chief engineers who work the machine. How differently jire things managed in Canada, where over four millions of people are kept in order without a regular soldier from Quebec to Fort Garry, except a handful of stately old fellows at Ottawa, called the Governor General's Guards, who, perhaps, are as useful in amusing the citizens as in any other capacity ; yet, Canada is a country of law and order, as much as any other, and more so than some where armies are kept to prevent the people getting justice, or, in other words a good Government. MISS rye's western home, as it is called, is a good deal like an English farmer's house. It was formerly a small prison, which she pur- chased and had re-built to suit her purpose, and certainly now it has none of the appearance of its former use. I rang the bell which was answered by a lady, who, I understood, was a kind of junior to Miss Rye, and who received me Avitli courtesy. I presented my card and requested to see the proprietoress who came after a delay of half an hour. I put a inmiber of questions to her which she answered readily; she said the children were well treated while under her care ; that she always could get more of H 2 I in 5 i ! 'i i 10^> OTTAWA TO NIAGARA. > ii \l\ \: \l[. r t \ 1 I? U, ; 5: . |! ! i:' them in England, than she coukl bring awti}^; thtit there was not one sick in tlie home and tluit as a rule in afterlife the children did well ; orphans had to be certificated by a masfistrate before she would take them, but she could take children from parents or other guardians without a macristrate's consent. The children then in the home were those that I had previously seen in Montreal, and they certainly had improved very much since they had been in the homo ; everything in the place was as clean as a new- pin, the sleeping rooms were large and airy, with nice straw^ beds for the children to sleep in ; I saw thein at supper, which consisted of less than a pint of milk with bread, and altogether they appeared very comfortable. Miss Rye said she would not let a Catholic or Jew have one of the children, either for service or to adopt, as she was doing ENTIRELY PROTESTANT WORK. She showed me a pile of applications for children, from different parts of Canada and the States, a great many of which she said she would reject; and she reserves to her- self the right to bring away a child, whenever she thinks lit up to a given number of years. The impression on my mind was that she meant well, and was actuated by pure philanthropy ; but that the work was almost too much for anyone person, and that it ought to be more or less under GOVERNMENT CONTROL; but I am firmly of opinion that those children will do better in Canada than in England, because they will grow with the country, whereas in England they would only be the dregs of society ; Miss Rye told me to go about and examine them for myself, wdiich I did, and asked several their names to know if any of them were of Catholic parents, because, if there were Irish names among them it would have been to me a sure sign ; but I did not discover one Irish child amongst those I questioned ; I believe Miss Rye's project to be a good one, only it requires carrying out under control of both the English and Canadian Govern- ments, for to think that all these little creatures will do well is folly to expect. Neither would they if brought up by their parents in comfortable homes. According to THE REPORT OF THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE FOR 1873 ^^ 4' i OTTAWA TO NIAGARA. 101 la le In r c- h <- • c o Miss Macpliorson took out 3f)(), ]\Iiss Rye, 2'M, and the Reverend Father Nugent, ot" Liverpool, 41, besides several lots from different schools and Industrial homes, and since then the movement has taken mu-^H larger proportions, so that I think Government ought to take it up, and have it manaf^ed under a short Act of Parliament. On the follow- ing day I went to NIAGARA FALLS, and the s|)lendour of that sight will never fade from my memory, it is something that cannot be described by voice or pen, and that m\ist be seen, to b(3 fairly realised. The trip from Niagara to the Falls, is through a lovely country, a good deal like Herefordshire ; hills, dales, meadows, orchards, and pretty farm houses go to make up the scene. As the train winds round a liill there is a tine view of the monument to the memory of SIR ISAAC BROCK — who fell in a sanguinary battle fought on this spot, called Queenstown, on the 13th of October, 1812 — its height is 185 feet, and it is surmounted by a Corinthian capital, on which stands a statue of the gallant general. We passed through one or two pretty villages, and at last reached the Clifton House Station, on the Canadian side, about three quarters of a mile from the Falls. Truly they are one of those wonders of the world which have been so often, and so well written about, by men of different minds, that it is unnecessary for me even to attempt a description — novelists, poets, painters, historians, philosophers, states- men, and princes have lent their aid to make known this cataract of cataracts, the goal and the pride of all American travellers — Charles Dickens has given us in the language that he was so great a master of, his emotions at the first sight of this thundering flood that makes the earth tremble for some distance. The view from the Suspension Bridge, is awe-inspiring and carries the mind to the presence of the Creator by the grandeur and sublimity of his works. The Falls are divided by Goat Island, forming what is called the American and the Canadian Falls. The first is about 900 feet wide, the latter 2,000, their height being 160, and it is computed that one hundred million.^ k i " I 102 n OTTAWA TO NIAGARA. I . •' li tons of water pass over tlicm every liour. Geulogists «ay that THEY ARE RECEDING at the rate of one foot per year, and that it has taken nearly forty tliousand years for them to come from Queenston heights, 7 miles lower down, to their present location ; that the}^ have receded during the memory of man there cannot he the least douht. There are two stratas, the top one a rather hard shaly limestone, the bottom one a soft kind of mudstone which the continual spray and whirl of the mighty waters is excavating into holes and caverns. The top being much harder does not wear so quickly, and consecpently forms a ledge or over- hanging rock that occasionally breaks off in great boulde)"s, hundreds of which are laying about in the chasm below. A mass of rock fell in 1818, which chroniclers say shook the country like an earthquake. The distance between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, is 30 miles, and the Falls are 12 miles from the latter, and 24 from the former, and it is said when they reach lake Erie, to which they are now travelling at the rate of a foot a year, that the Great Lakes, with the exception of Ontario, will run dry, a con- sumation that all lovers of the human race must deplore, as it will make the greater portion of the American Conti- nent sterile for Avant of humidity like the desert of Sahara, in Africa, which is supposed to be the dried up bed of an inland sea or lake. But other geologists say that this is impossible, as the soft mudstone that the cascade is now wearing away will run to the surface before it reaches Lake Erie, and in support of this theory they point out that when the Falls were at Queenston, 7 miles lower down the river which they say was :3C,(;00 years ago, liiey were twice their present height. No doubt they are right, as the cliffs, there on both sides of the river are exceedingly lofty. So that in their opinion the Falk will be entirely lost through the running out of the soft strata and the dip of the country, but it wall take 11,000 years, so we need have no fear for ages to come ; but whether those sages are right or not, there is no doubt that Niagara, is one of the grandest works of the Great Architect. There are many fine examples of mechanical OTTAWA TO MACJAUA. lo:] engineering and arcliitcctunil skill around, but in my opinion they detract from the natural grandeur of the Falls. Yet those works themselves are worth a pilgrimage to see; on the Canadian side there are one or two large hotels, a number of iren-Iemens huuses, and an extensive museum belongi[)g to a MR. JiARNET, a native of \Volverhanj])toa, who went out to Canada as an emigrant, fifty years ago, and devoted the greatest portion of that time to the forming of this extra- ordinary collection ; I hatl a long conversation with him on different subjects, and certainly I was delighted and instructed by his affability and great intelligence. He told me he was A CHIEF OF THE SIX NATION INDIANS, a rank I did not then understand, but which I afterwards learned was conferred on him bv a council of their wise men, because of the care he took of Indian bones that were dug up when excavating for the foundation of a house in the neighbourhood. The six nations are the remnants of six tribes that formerly inhal)ited the southern sliore of Lake Ontario, and were hostile to each other, but eventually united and settled on a land reservation inider Government patronage, and are now the most progressive and civilised of all British Indians. Mr. Barnet certainly placed me in a somewhat embarrassing position by intro- ducing me to three young women who, he said, were his sisters, but in reality wore only young Indian "s(piaws," and, as they were the iirst I had ever seen, I must say I was puzzled. They were walking in the splendid garden attached to tlie museum, and dressed up in a somewhat jaunty style, and in many colours — a good deal like fortune-telling gipsy women on the Derby day at Epsom, or some of the London cockney girls when out for an ex- cursion. I shook hands, and said a few complimentary nothings, but the look on their faces was as stoical as if the}' had been taking lessons from the antiquarian himself to prepare them as objects for his museum. The old gentle- man saw my difficulty, and manfully came to my assist- ance ; iie spoke to them aside, which at once brought r i 1 ' ! li. 104 OTTAWA TO NIAGARA. U i| k ' ^ w \^l tj.. them down from their pedestal of haughtiness, and, although they did not speak good English, they seemed pleased that they were taken notice of. On the American side there is a smart town, several very large hotels, and everything set off as well as possible by cultivation and art. Canada and the States are connected by a wire rope suspension bridge 1,280 feet long, and 256 feet high, and from this bridge the l)est view of the falls is to be had ; but what pleased me the most was the absence of those Avaifs and strays that are to be met with at places of resort in the United Kingdom. Ttiere certainly are cab- men at Niagara, but they seem comparatively independent, for if you want the carriage you pay for it, and tliat ends the contract; no bowing or scraping, as in Ireland. I did not see a single beggar. How different in this respect from Brighton, Tunbridge Wells, Cheltenham, or Kil- larney ! I left by train for the town of Niagara, where I arrived in time for the boat to Toronto, and remained there two or three days longer to make more inquiries about the cordition of the people. THE RATE OF WAGES for town labourers was about IJ dels., or 6s. of English money. In some cases it was 1 dol. 75 cents, and at that season of the year there was no difficulty about getting employment. There was a great demand for farm hands and servant girls at a rather high rate of wages, men getting from 18 to 25 dels, per month and board, which in general is good. This would be for the season of about seven months, those engaging for the year round getting from 16 to 22 dols. ; girls, by the year, from 7 to 13 dols. per month, with board. SOBRIETY is the one thing essential to success, and unless a man keeps from whiskey he is almost sure to go to the dogs. I don't say to be a teetotaller, although that would be better still, but I do say the further the emigrant keeps from drink the better. The temperance movement is very strong in Toronto, there being several societies, both Catholic and Protestant, and all working zealously to further the object for which they are established. OTTAWA TO NIAGAHA. 105 F(JOD -was in comparison to the "United Kinsrdom very cheap, as the following quotations, taken from the Irish Caiiadvni, of Deceml)er 15th, 1874, will show: — In Guelph Market flour per lOOlbs. was 3 dols., or about l^d. English per pound; eggs, per dozen, 12 to 13 cents, or about 7d. English ; butter, per pound, 21 to 25 cents, or about Is. English ; dressed hogs, per hundnxl weight, 7 dols., or about £1 lis. English; l)eef, per hundredweight, 4 to 7 dols., or from IGs. to £1 lis. English; chickens, per pair, from 40 to 50 cents, or from 1' Sd. to 2s. English, The reader will see that I have given the English equiva- lent of Canadian prices, and that they are taken from a newspaper report, and in the middle of winter. There are more working people purchase their goods wholesale than retail, as there are greater facilities for so doing than in the Old Country. THE RENT FOR A WORKMAN'S HOUSE, varies according to locality, but of course in the larger towns it is more than in the smaller ones ; in Toronto it is from 4 to 7 dols. per month ; but a very large number own their own houses, a thing not nearly so difficult as in England or Ireland. 'J'here are no lodgers taken in private houses, all of that class go to boarding houses, a work- ingman paying from 3 dols. 50 cents to 4 dols. 50 cents per week for bed and board ; but of course a married man in his own home can do cheaper. In Canada CLOTHES are about 20 per cent, dearer than in the Old Country, but are much cheaper than in the States, in fact, I may say that nearly everything is dearer there than in Canada. That there is OCCASIONALLY SOME DESTITUTION in Toronto and other Canadian towns, there cannot be a doubt, but in nine cases out of every ten it is through drink, and without hesitation I assert that a labourer can get on better than he can ever expect to do in any of the Old Countries ; but of course he must put up with some difficulties and wdth circumstances different from what he I I I i. lOG I t ti t i li % .. . I OTTAWA TO NIACIAUA. / lias boon aocustc^mcd to at lioiiio, For mniiy yonrs to cnmo Ontario, will rinpiirc; cinii^nation, for tliat, wnd tliat unly ill level her forest> wuj level her torests ana open lier mines wlucli are as yel in their infancy, THE OIL WKLLS alone beini^ almost an inexhaustible source of wealth to a young country, in IN70, the hjuniskillen Oil Company, at their wells in Petrol ia, 51 miles northwest of Lon(l(^n, employed 5,825 men, and 750 horses, and since then other wells have been opened in the locality. Tli(i t(jtal mnid)er of men engaged in mining o])evations in 1871, being (),4I)5, and82() horses. Ontario i)ossesst's almost all the most useful minerals except coal, but that is found in abundance in Nova Scotia and in Manitoba, and when the Oanada Pacific Kailwav is built it will be brouiilit throutih from both places without difficulty. I am drawing ^0 TIIEORETICAT. OR FAK-FETCllEI) PICTUUE, but something that will be realised within the next twenty years, that is if there is no check of a political or warlike nature, which 1 trust there will not be, as at present there is no sign of such a calamity, but if PJngland and the United States quarrelled Canada would be debatable ground, as the American forces could easily cross the frontier and estab- lish themselves on the line of the St. Lawrence, virtually cuttinsf the Dominion in two. But as we live in an am(,' |)I)lv yol 107 Ito a nfic age CHAPTER Vlir. FROM TORONTO TO WINNIPEG BY THE DAWSON ROUTE. What an extent of country there is between the two points indicated at the head of this cliapter, eniljracisio- nearly every natural feature that we arc ac(|uainted with : land cultivated in the most scientific way; towns with all the fashions and civilisation of modern times; settlements just springing into existence, where the hardy workman is battlinfj with the difiiculties of the surroundinics ; forests that have never been trodden by the foot of the white man, and in which the terrible fire king holds sway, millions of acres of those woods being annually burned to satiate his destroying will ; great inland fresh water seas, on which there are storms and tempests, just as on the; Atlantic and Pacific oceans; a large number of lakes, many of which have not yet been survey^d, or their shores explored; rivers that in their windinos and turnino-.s throuirh vallevs of alluvial soil, form those lakes in making tlieir way to the Atlantic by the St. Lawrence, and to Hudson's Bay by the Nelson; rocks and boulders of various strata and formations, awe-inspiring through their magnitude, and majestically beautiful in their lugged grandeur, bearing minerals, the development of which will yet make the region important; birds, flowers, insects, and animals with which the European traveller is entirely unacquainted; forest, swamp, and lagoon that give to the air on the American highlands the necessary humidity to produce vegetation and sustain Imman and animal life ; the red man sullenly but quietl}' retreating north, and gradually becoming exterminated, which is no doubt his inevitable fate ; the white race advancing and marking their pro- gress by the erection of saw mills, the opening of mines. I|i 108 I'llOM ToUONTr) TO WINNIPEQ. 'iH» I w ' *l i :U i tlio strni^litcriini^ Jind (loopeiiiiii,'' of rivers, the buildirif^ of «tearril)()ats on the (liitcrcut waterways, the (lanmiiiig of shallow lakes, the siirvcyiug of roads, telej^raph, and rail- \vay lines, and tlie estahlishin^' of churehes, chapels, and schools in diftercnt ])arts. This is only an imperfect pictiin> of what tnay he seen between the ca[)ital of Ontario and thiit of Manitoba. On Monday, the Gth of July, 1 was sent for })y MU. CUMJU:ilLANI), MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE NOHTIIKUN llAILWAV, jind presented with a free pass on tliat line to Colling- wood, on the shores of tlie Georgian Bay, 100 miles from Toronto. For some distance from the City the country looked very tine, with substantial farmhouses either of wood or brick ; but no immense castles or mansions, where the wealth would be centralised, as in Great Britain and Ireland. I noticed some good crops of wheat, barley, peas, and potatoes ; but which woulil be much better if the land had a little more manure. As we went north the country iippeared to have been more re .ently settled. We passed through a village of nice farmhouses, with a large saw mill in its vicinity, for to a great extent SAW MILLS IN CANADA form industrial centres, just as much as monasteries and castles did in the feudal ages, and to a far better purpose, for the tendency is to raise the man and make liim a re- sponsible citizen, with rights and duties, and without obstacles to prevent him rising in the social scale, or to the highest position in the State. Whereas in the middle ages his rank in society was marked by his dress, and it was penal for him to rise from his caste or leave the locality except by the special favour of the king; and if a villein or villa2fer, he was bought and sold with the estate. On all sides are to be seen EVIDENCES OF PROGRESS AND CULTIVATION. The log house in the corner of a wood, surrounded by a little piece of cleared land, planted with potatoes, cabbages, or other useful vegetables, the owner probably an emigrant working at a neighbouring farm or saw mill. The plan adopted in many parts of Canada to make a home for a > a FROM TORONTO TO WINNIl'KCJ. I0i> linj,' of |ing of rail- niul krfcct till of lith of )lliiig- Js from Jiintry her of wlicre in iuid r, peas, e laud ountry passed ^e saw les and urpose, n a rc- *^ithout 3, or to middle and it ve the and if th the d by a )bages, ligrant 3 plan for a now settler is not at all a scHisli ht in adding^ to the general melee. Soon the gardens and plants in front of the houses were saturated, the dust laid and the culverts and gullies washed out. The captain gave another thundeiing command, steam is blown off, the fire raked out, the hose rolled up, and all is over ; the affair being made up oi three parts — namely, usefulness, amusement, and ridiculous pomposity. CoUingwood is a powerful example of what may be done in a few j-ears by persever- ance and industry, as there are four large steamers trading to the port, one of winch leaves on every Tuesday and Friday; 1 paid 17h dels., or about £3 lOs. English, for a first-class passage to Prince Arthur's Landing, on the north shore of Lake Superior, a distance of 800 miles. The boat in which I embarked was of immense size and one of the quickest alioat ; she was called THE CHK'ORA. I asked one of the officers if she was the famous blockade runner of that name, and he said yes, and gave her history as follows as I was ciuious to know how she came on 112 FROM TORONTO TO WINNIPEG. ! i ''i 111 1 1 ! If ' m IP lii' j II '1 the Lake Superior trade : — Slic was built at Birkenliead,to run the southern blockade, which she did several times, both at Wilmington and Charlestown ; after the surrender of Lee at Richmond, she was brought roimd to Halifax, and sold at public auction to Messrs. McDonnell & Co., of Collingwood, and she was brought on l)y way of the St. Law- rence, and the Welland canal to Lake Superior, where she was lengthened ami refitted with cabins, deck saloons, and state rooms ; when under full steam she would make 17 knots an hour; her machinery and propelling apparatus being very powerful. We were a day and a night crossing the Georgian Bay, to a wretched little place called KILLARNEY. Why so named I cannot tell, as it bore no resem- blance to its famous namesake in Ireland. Our vessel laid to for a couple of hours, during which I went ashore; the village consists entirely of half-breeds, with the exception of one Irish family named Lowe, wdio in- deed must have ciueer taste to settle in such a locality ; I had a conversation with a very intelligent balf-breed, he said the place was exceedingly poor, and that they could not support a school, which he very much deplored. The population lived mostly by fishing and cultivating small plots of land at the foot of the bald granite hills that sur- round the village. I met a gentleman named Manly, on the wharf, whose acquaintance I formed while in Ottawa. He came on here with a patent from the Government to explore the surrounding region for minerals, and he told, me he had discovered A VEIN OF MAGNETIC IRON ORE, 20 feet thick, and practically inexhaustive, and when I ex- pressed a doubt about mining operations paying in so remote a quarter of the world ; he said of that there was no fear, as iron would be in great demand in a short time on account of the Canada Pacific, or ocean to ocean, railway. As the steamer's gong was sounding I had to get on board as quickly as possible, and warmly shaking both hands with my half-breed, and engineering friends, I took my farewell of Killarney. As we steamed up Spanish River, which connects Lake Huron, with the Georgian Bay, the scenery was magnificent ; I noticed that for some dis- , m I, to )th of liid of IW- like Itus FROM TORONTO TO WINNIPEG. 113 tance on one side of the river the granite was red, like that of Peterhead, in Scotkmd, and on tlie othei white, like that of Dalkeith, in the county of Wicklov,', Irelaod. It was the second case of the sort I had seen, the other being on the river Lee, between Cork and Gaugane Bari-a, on one side grey limestone, on the othei red marble. We saw two or three settlements aloDcy f^ratliuilly increased in size. Steaming up the bny, wliich is about thirty miles wide, the siL,d»t was truly grand : huge; capes and proniontaries eoveretl witli small thnhcr projecting into the harbour and forming land-locked basins and coves of various sizes and very pictures(|ue ; the Hudson's Bay Com))any's post of Fort William to our left at the mouth of the Kamanisti([ua River, where there is a good harbour for schooners and small vessels the bar being too shallow for large ships. ALL THE DEPOTS OF THE HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY, — and there are a great many scattered through thi« immense region — are called forts, as they are generally surrounded with stockades, some of them having towers at the angh's for small cannon, which a few years ag(j were necessary to protect them from hostile Indians. There are also stores, dwelling houses, and other necessary build- ings, so that to the untutored mind of the savage they appeared formi(hible positions; and, no doubt, he had reason to think so, as he was often rutldessly shot down if he did not comply with the company's rule and law, and this like all other absolutisms was more or less tyrannical, its object being to share as large dividends as possible Approaching PRINCE ARTHUR'S LANDING, the scene is lovely; with the pretty little town laying alont; the beach and the emerald t\' to Chicago immediately to form a company to work tla; ndne ; another had discovered rock where there was gold in great plenty, but ho was an employe who had Ihh'U sunt north to explore by some American capital- ists. IndeeJ, the siniiular thin<^ was that most of those men were Americans and doing American work, althougb on Biitish territory. The general impression was that the region was ricb in the more precious minerals, and tha.t tiie development of them would return a lair per centage on the capital employed. Since my visit, works in connection with the (Canada Pacitic Railway have been commenced ; and as the line will traverse rucfo-ed and unex- plored districts, no doubt geologists and miners will keep their eyes open to the cha. ces that await them, which I think will be pretty good. This being the beginning of the road t(^ Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba, a distance of 550 miles; I went to the otHce of :\IESSRS. CARPENTER AN^ CO., contractors for the route, to make arrangements for the journey which we were to begin on the Monday morning, — as we arrived on the Saturday, the trip from Toronto had taken just a week, — I fortunately met Mr. Thompson, one of the firm, who was all attention and courtesy to for i v;j;o (jro, i\'ay. I)er, lay, cx- )oiit . or put h'lUm TOUONTO TO VVINNIl'KU. 12:; everybody "wlio rociuirrd his services. I paid 10 dols., tlio ^ovenmient coiitraet price. Mr. 'riioiupsou gave me a ])rico list of tlie articles I slioidd !)•; liiveiy to want on the trip; I took this to a hir^e shop kept hy a eoiiiitryniau of my own and askt^l liini the c)iari:fe of each speeitic tiiini;- to prevent ovcreharj^c, but he; (h'siicMl me to let him make iipaboxand tin n charge for the wholiMnbulk. Icon.sented, and wonderful to relates thcic wii-s oidy difterence of a few cents between his price ;ind Mr. Thomj>^on's list. Amoni^ the articles were oO lbs, of biscuits, a boiled ham, .^omii prcjparcd soup, a little tea and sm;ar, a small tin [)ot for cookinj^^ a tin can for drink in;.^ out of, and a tin plate, a large blaid\et. and sundry othcn thinL,% the whole costing^ 13 dols., or X2 1 3s. of English money. On the SUNDAY MOUNIXO I got up to go to mass, but as the priest liad not arrive(t from a mission station some distance off there was no service, there being then no resident Catholic clergy- man, but that community was erecting a chapel and Presbytery of their own. There are two otiier very nice churches, one Episcopalian Protestant, and the other Methodist, which were very well attended. As I could, not go to a Catholic place of worslii|), I went for a walk through the forest towardsFort William ; and to my conster- nation I suddenly came on a i)arty of Indians howling and goKtici'lating around some object in the road; not being ac(piainted with the aborigines I felt ratlier nervous, but thinking the best thing was to put on a bold face and see what was the matter, I went into the crowtl, and to my surprise saw one of their number very (b'uuk ; and thc" others trying to get him along. Shortly after AN OLD JESUIT MlSSIONAllY PIUKST came on the scene accompanied by an Indian who had been sent by the party to bring him from the mission at Fort William. When he saw what was the matter, he got a good sized supple stick and thrashed the poor Indian till he got up and ran away, to the evident delight of his friends. There was no doubt of liis having applied a thorough remedy as I saw Mr. Indian half an hour after 1. f I if I fi 124 FROM TORONTO TO WINNIPEG. 1, »;: • :i |i 1 1 :'. t; iT.l 4 i i f \i \ :'i !» walking about apparently as sober as a judge. Unfor- tunately the missionary and myself were unable to converse, as he only spoke French, and I did not understand that languaire. Here let me remark, that of all the excursions that could be taken, none would excel A TRIP FROM LIVERPOOL TO QUEBEC, and from there by the Grand Trunk, or the St. Lawrence to Toronto, about 500 miles, then to Collingwood, 100 miles, and then by steamer over the lakes for 1,000 miles. It would be comparatively cheap, beneficial to the body, r"^tifying to the mind, pleasing to the fancy, and instruc- tive to the understanding, and would be remembered with pleasure for ever after ; I am certain that if it were only better known, thousands would avail themselves of the facilities offered by the various steamboat and railway companies to perform so grand a tour. We started at six o'clock on the Monday morning in three-horse vans for LAKE SHEBANDON, 45 miles from Prince Arthur's Landing, the entire journey laying through a forest that was very much burned, mosquitoes and horse flies along the swamps had every- thing their own way ; these annoying pests are all over Canada and the States, but they are not seen in large towns, and not much in cultivated or settled country. Smoke is their great enemy, and to drive them away people camping out or dwelling where they are numerous will ma,ke what is oalled A SMUDGE, which is simply a big smoke made from any green plants, wormwood being the best ; anyway, the mosquitoes are a great ann^^vance, especially to strangers. Arriving on the shore of the lake we stopped in a log house put up by Oovernment for passengers. There were eleven of us together ; and in the evening when we were all sitting round the camp fire in the corner of the forest it reminded me of a hopping season in Kent or Sussex. It was curious, indeed comic, to see every man wrapped up in a blanket lying on the floor of the house to sleep, and I must say that my fellow voyagers were all in the greatest good humour. Ifor- rse, that ions eto iles, It riic- ered vere s of way J lilX FROM TORONTO TO WINNIPEG. 125 The country round the lake was like that which we had come throuf^h, forest and rock, with fertile alluvial deposits here and there, which no doubt will be settled upon before many years. After an early breakfast we embarked in a kind of deck barge called A scow, towed by a little tug to cross the lake a distance of 22 miles ; the voyage was exceedingly romantic and pleasant ; there were a great many islands in the lake, all rock. About half-past nine we arrived at a strip of land called a portage, dividing two lakes. This portage was onl}'- a few hundred yards wide when we reached lake Casiboy^ which we crossed in another boat, towed by another tiny tug. The length of this lake is 10 miles, and like the first was studded with rocky islands. On the next portage we had dinner ; the width of this portage being a mile and a half Our luggage was sent over to the shores of LAC DE MILLE LAC, or the lake of a thousand lakes, 28 miles long ; and it well deserved its distinctive appellation, as it really was one of the prettiest sheets of water I oversaw, not even excepting Killarney. The lengths here given are no criterion of the size of these lakes, as they arc merely the mileage on the portion of them that we crossed. I could not help wonder- ing at the scarcity of birds and animals, as everything was as silent as the grave ; not a sound to disturb the solitude except the puffing of the little tug and our merry and buoyant conversation or loud laugh at some comic incident, of one of which I was the hero ; on the shore of the lake while waiting for the tug to get up steam, I took oif my boots to wash my feet, and for that purpose I went some distance away from where the others were sitting; I tucked up my trousers and perched myself on the stump of a tree with my feet dangling in the water. I was only there a few seconds when something near me made A MOST UNEARTHLY NOISE, this for an instant almost paralysed me, visions of hippopotamuses, crocodiles, alligators, boa constrictors, and other animals floated before my eyes, so getting out 4 126 FROM TORONTO TO WINNIPEG. of the water I ran for rny very life. My fellow travellers wondered what was the matter when tliey saw me <'()me tearinir alons: without shoes or stockin^j^s ; and tlioucfht it was an Indian in pursuit of mo. One of them got his rifle ready in case it should be required. I told my istory about the dreadful noise, and AN AMERICAN OF THE PARTY •guessed it was a bull fro2f, and that I was tarnation careen to be frightened as though I had seen a spirit. At this sarcasm I mustered courage, got a long stick, and went back to recover my boots, wlien I saw the cause of my stampede on a stone close to where I had been sitting, and ])oldly approaching, I put my stick underneath him and ^gave his frogship a dive^ which he evidently did not relish, as he came up croaking louder than ever. The incident caused some smart joking at my expense, because of the great courage I displayed in my encounter with this jimphibious monster. After a very pleasant voyage we reached EEARILE PORTAGE, only a quarter of a mile wide, and crossing it to Bearile Lake, nine miles over. This voyage was very rough, as a great storm had sprung up, and the tug and boats had the greatest difficulty to Aveather it out ; landing at Breuil Portage, half a mile in width, where we remained for the night. Lake de Mille Lac, is one of the North Eastern Avatersheds of the American Continent, 824* feet higher than Lake Superior, and about 110 miles from it. The water south of Lake de Mille Lac runs into Lake Superior, b}'^ the Kamanistiqua River, discharging at Fort William and north of it by a series of lakes and rivers into Lake Winnipeg, the great receptacle (-)f the waters emptying into Hudson's Bay. Next morning we went over the portage to Windigastican Lake, 18 miles long. On the shore of *his lake was A CURIO CS INDIAN GRAVE, if such a mode of disposing of the dead could be called a grave. The body was bound up in birch bark which the Indians make use of for many purposes, and then it was r FllOM TORONTO TO WINNIPEG. 127 i m^\ leen his eiit my and and not The HUSO this we hooped around with some t(^ug]i strips of wood nnd placed on a rude pkitform about five feet from tlie ground ; and at the liead there was a pole stuck in the earth witli n white ilag on it. Here, in the middle of this North American forest, was a striking evidence of the attention paid to the dead, at least by some of the savages who inhabited it, and I would as soon desecrate a grave in a Christian churchyard as disturb this last resting place of the red man on the shores of this lonely lake where iovinu" hands had laid him. I wonder if there are any other people who dispose of their dead in this way ; the investigation of such a question Avculd be very inter- I'Sting and I would respectfully recommend it to the consideration of the London Anthropological Society. The trip on W^INDIGASTICAN was exceedingly stormy, and an accident occurred that might have been dangerous if women or children had been in the boat ; for we struck a tree, the force of the Avind driving us all out of the proper channel. At last we arrived a-t French portage ; and here there were a large number of Indians of the Chiiopewa tribe poor Avild miserable creatures, almost in a state of nudity, and as to cleaning their bodies, I don't think they ever trouble themselves about it. French portage is a mile and a quarter wide, to Lat^e Keagasiki, 21 miles in length. Here we had also a stormy voyage, as the water was very rough from the previous niglit. We crossed in two hours to Pine portage, only a half mile wide, and crossed Pine Lake, two miles wide, to Delaware portage, where we encamped for the night. There were a large number of wigwams here of C^hippewas and A LEADING CHIEF NAMED BLACKSTONE who invited several of us to his wio'wam, where he showed us his iiniform, consistiuGf of a soldier's coat of about the time of George the Fourth, an old pair of cavalry trousers, and some sort of cocked hat, and wishing to impress us with his importance, he showed us some letters that had been Avritten or given to him by the white man, but which he did not let us read ; he a\ anted to end the interview by 'it 128 FROM TORONTO TO WINNIPEG. ., „ J selling one of his wives for 100 dols. One of onr party pretended to be eager to make the purchase and kept lowering the price; until he at last consented to take 50dols. When we thought the joke had gone far enough, and to get out of the difficulty we had to violently advise the wife- buyer not to spend his money for the present. But Ave made good friends with the chief and his people by giving them a lot of surplus food. One of our party played the violin pretty well, and never was the truth of the poetical remark which says that MUSIC SOOTHES THE SAVAGE BREAST, made more manifest than on this 'occasion, for the dusky dauixhters of the forest in the hif^jhest sjlee c^athered round the musician, wondering at the sweet sounds he was pro- ducing, and it was curious to watch their different emotions: one would twirl her fingers to the different notes which she seemed to comprehend ; another would be listening with all the seriousness possible ; a third would move her feet instinctively as if she understood dancing; and a fourth would smile and seem pleased with the melody. Those women were well proportioned and active, and with a little care some ot them would have been far from bad- looking. Certainly the women appeared, relatively speak- ing, better looking than the men ; who were tall and lanky, without much muscle or strength ; whereas, the women were stout, active, and strong. THE WIGWAM is a wretched tenement, worse than the hut of the English gipsy, a race that the Indians resemble very much, perhaps more than any other we know of. Morality does not seem to be at a very high standard among them, but, probably, it is better than it would be with others under the same circumstances. Contact with the white man degenerates and demoralises them, for they adopt all his vices but none of hio virtues. Having remained on this portage one night and part of a day, we crossed Sturgeon Lake, 20 miles wide. The passage was a beautiful one to MALINE PORTAGE, where there were several more wigwams. The scenery :. ; ♦ FROM TORONTO TO WINNIPEG. 120 )arty kept I dols. to get wi fe- int Ave Mayed )f the liere was very grand : tlic rocks tlirown ahoiit in the greatest confusion ; the magnificent sheet of water stretch- ing out before ns as far as the eye coukl reach, with the Indians in their bark canoes engaged in fishing ; the wigwams here and there among the trees with their wihl and savage-looking inmates standin<>- round ; the dense woods in every direction, with the various tints jind colours of the foliage; and above all the rich 2,'lo win ij' sunset made up a scene that would gladden the heart of a Royal Academician. Next morning we resumed our journey, going down the Maline river in boats ami PASSIN(i THROUGH THE RAPIDS, wliich caused a terrible sensation, the most dexterous activity being requisite to keep the boat from striking one of the submerged rocks in the boiling vortex, we had a mile of this class of boating, when we were taken in tow by a tug for ten miles more, there being but very little diversity in the scenery : rock, wood, and water, all the way, with an occasional wigwam. After a pleasant run we arrived at ISLAND PORTAGE, only 100 yards across. There were a great many Indians on this portage ; many of them in a nude state. What a field is here offered for the geologist and the botanist, the rocks being hurled into a thousand shapes and the flowers and herbs ever varying both in size and colour, on all these portages there are excellent springs of pure Avater, and that of the lakes is also good, excepting Rain}* Lake, which has a green colour, owing to some plant growmg in it. We started in the evening to cross STURGEON LAKE, a distance of 20 miles, it is called by this name from the quantity of sturgeon found in it, but all these lakes are teeming with fish of one sort or another, and some of it very large. The passage was a lovely one, the evening sun making the water look like one vast sheet of glass. The forest hereabout was a good deal burned, thousands of acres of timber are destroyed annually by those sweep- ing calamities K ^ ISO FROM TORONTO TO WINNIPEH. is; '•' w m the: fprest fires. But in a sliort time saplii'gs grow agaiu ou ground that the fire passed over; bui. never of the same species of timber as that destroyed; ibr instance, if a birch forest has been burned it is succeeded by tir or Larch. After a very agreeable run we landed on Nequiquion portage, th<,' largest of all the portages we travelled over, the length pbeing four miles. Some of the road was very rough, and j more of it through swamp, but everywhere along the route traces of SIR GARNET WOLSELEY's EXPEDITION to the Red River in 18G9, were to be met with, block houses in ruins that were built by the expedition a« com- missariat stores, trees laying rotting that were cut down to make the road, for to Sir Garnet Wolseley and his expedition that work must be attributed, altiiough the practicability of the route was known to Indians, and to some of the voyagers and hunters in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company, and it was surveyed by MR. DAWSON, a civil enmneer in the service of the Canadian Govern- ment some time before ; but forbuildinir brid^jes, clearing'- the bush, removing boulders and rocks, in ftict building the road, the honour is alone due to Sir Garnet, and those who served under him, assisted by Mr. Dawson, and other engineers and explorers ; without a doubt it was a gigantic undcTtaking as the number of lakes and portages men- tioned in this chapter will testify, everywhere are mementoes of those warrior road-makers to be seen. We crossed the swamps on a wooden road, called a " corduroy," the making of which must have been an extraordinary work, the reader will understand the magnitude of the task from the fact that there are a great many miles of these marshes, and that A CORDUROY ROAD is a framework of trees laid on the marsh, there are first the supports running lengthAvays and parallel to each other about 15 or IG feet apart, and crossways on them are laid trees, side by side, tlie whole is then covered with I I that ?s of has very the 3ngth and Iroute block corn- down d his h the tnd to of the rovern- learing iiildinijf 1 those i other igantic ? men- lentocs sed the nakino- o I reader he fact 2S, and ire first ;o eacli a them sd with FROM TORONTO TO WINNIPEG. 131 ♦larth where it was possible to get it; in some of the .swamps the trees had to be brought a long distance, which of itself must have been stupendous labour, altogether the carrying out of so vast a project refiects the highest credit on the perseverance and energy of those ongaged. After a tramp of four miles over the portage, our goods having been sent in a van, we embarked in a large boat, as usual towed by a miniature tug, to cross Lake Nemecan, 25 miles wide, if we had been on a pleasure trip we could not have had a finer passage, as all the elements united to make the face of nature look lovely : wood, water, sky, and sun blending in beautif" 1 harmony. This lake is on the boundary line as the left shore is A PART OF THE STATE OF MI^ESOTA, and it is not an unusual thing for depredating Indians to oome across from Ameiican to British Territory, where they mix up with others of the same tribe , thus escaping <;hastisement. Arriving at ten o'clock at night at Kettle Falls portage, about a quarter of a mile wide, where a large steamer was ready to take us over Rainy Lake, we slept on board wrapped in our blankets and laying anywhere on deck. There were a great many Indians at this portage, numbers of them coming down to the ship's side to gaze on us. During the night they kicked up AN AWFUL SHINDY, a usual thing when they are gambling, which, like the other races of mankind they are very fond of, often betting everything they are possessed of in the world, even their wives, whom however, they repurchase or win over again as soon as possible. On this night they kept beating an Indian drum, simply a hoop with a skin drawn tight over it, played upon with a piece of stick. The music or noise being one continual monotonous tapping without the least attempt at variations or notes of any sort. Sometimes it was accompanied by singing, but so low and squealing that it was painful to hear, althougi.' the voice was good if used properly. While this most discordant concert was going on the curs that were hanging about the encampment kept up a perpetual howling, as we were K 2 132 FROM TORONTO TO WINNIPEO, ■if 'I' 111 tired, we should liavc slept soundly, although our bed was only the hard boards, but for this terrible din that broke our rest. Early in the inor' ing wc prepared for the voyage, and as I desired to see as much as possible of THE SOCIAL HABITS OF THE ABORIGINES, I went through the camp accompanied by the captain who was on friendly terms with them all ; what I saw no pen could describe, and certainly I shall not even attempt it ; but I may say, that 1 thought as a race they were sunk down deep in savage abomination, and further acquaintance with them confirmed this opinion ; one thing is certain, they will not accept the white man's religion, his science, his law, or his civiHsation, and those so-called civilised Indian settlements are merely big nurseries sup- ported by Government, or religious societies. The clergy- man, whether Catholic or Protestant, is always a white man, and the Indian is only good as far as the personal influence of that clergyman is concerned ; MY FIXED IMPRESSION is that the enormous sums of money spent in uselessly trying to convert those crafty SDvages could ,be applied to a far more godlike purpose at home ; for having seen the wretched poverty in the East-End of London, where there are thousands wasting their lives in un- healthy employments, and equally unhealthy homes, the miserable condition of the Irish peasant in his own country, and the little that is done for either. I cannot refrain from expressing my regret that vast sums gathered from the sweat and toil of those very people, should bo spent on a visionary object. In the morning we began our voyage over RAINY LAKE, a distance of 43 miles, the navigation was difficult there being a great many islands and some shifting sands. '.iJarly in the afternoon we arrived at the landing place, again to re-embark in large bark canoes manned by Indians, in which we rode tlic rapids of the Rainy River to Fort Francis, an important post of the Hudson's Bay Company. As it was Saturday evening we arranged to remain over Tit was rokc italn saw iveii |tlic}- 't!icr lliirm his FROM TORONTO TO WINNIPEG. 133 Sunday, and took steps to make ourselves as conifoitablo as possible. The American civiliser, the saw mill, had ah'oady reached this station and had done some good work as there were several frame buildings in course of construction. When the Canada Pacific Railway touches b\)rt Francis, it will be a very important place as there is good land, good water, good air, plenty of timber, and a noble river 74 miles long connecting Rainy Lake and Lake of the Woods, the one 45 miles, the other 40 miles, making in all 150 miles of waterway, which by a little civil enoineerinc:^, miofht be ntilised for larije steamers. There are at FORT FRANCIS, from fifteen to twenty whites, several half breeds, and a large number of Indians. Civilisation can here be seen in its different stages of progress ; the painted savage wrapped in his blanket, dwelling in a wigwam, and living by hunting or fishing; the half-breed, hal^ savage, half civilised, wearing a peculiar dress, to mark him to a certain extent as a dependent of the company, residing in a small log house, cultivating just enough to live upon, and still retaining a strong inclination for the precarious life of the hunter; there is the white man with liis books, machinery, large well built house, and fine clothes ; then there was , but they were nW w^itlunit :song; the sweet melody of thc^ linnet, the clear ringing note of the thrush, or the bold clarion-like tone of the bhukbird is nevcsr heai-d iii those wilds; the only bird that attempts singing is the whip-poor-will, and his song is a melancholy cadence of two notes only. Till-: GKOLOOY of a large portion of these 95 miles is wonderful, for within a short space may bo seen two or three different sorts of rocks, limestone, sandstone, and granite, boulders of the latter were scattered about in all directions, and each with a smooth surface and round ; among them 1 counted at least a dozen different granites, some red like that of Leicestersliire, Mull of Ross, or Pcti>rhead, some tine blue like that of Ouernsey, some black and hard, like that of North Wales, some a dark white like that of Aberdeen, some a pure white like that of the county of Wicklow, some coarse and })orous like that of Devonshire, and some a beautiful green like that of the cijunty of Oalway. Evidently those boulders must have been brought there either by water or ice, and from very distant parts as the surrounding strata was not the same stone, and whether creation is the work of six days as we understand it from J\londay to Sunday, and everything being completed within that period, or whether it is the work of different epoclis or cycles of yeais, or whether it is progressive and still is going on, I will not say, but in those north-western wilds tlie bor>k of nature is laid open, and it only requires the brain power, or in other words a divine inspiration to read it, for the man that benefits mankind by revealing God's work, or developing science, and reading to the world the great lesson that nature teaches, is truly ii:spired. On the third day fr-lucky 3t with he city d each ^ants of >f carts ;uch as 36 carts >rsel of is own. rain by to the rveying I to be y they undred le busi- lat the iy and would ter able y there natives is the lout it. lousand not last jB. is as lalf way tic and 3ach, its yet it is only a mere dot on the map. ' Many theories have been advanced as to the cause of the EXTRAORDINARY RICHNESS OF THE SOIL, for perhaps in that respect it has no parallel, except the valley of the Nile ; it is a black loam, resting on a white clay subsoil, the thickness being from one to four feet, or an average of two, and there cannot be a doubt of its being a vegetable deposit; but how a cha/ige so extraordinary from other vegetable debris came about, it is difficult to tell because there are neither roots nor fibre of any sort as in the fens of Lincolnshire, the bogs of Ireland, or the swamps and morasses of America, underneatb the surface it is soft and pulverised, but rain will mnke it into a sticky substance like what builders know as clay mortar, although it will absorb water, and soon get dry when the surfsice becomes hard and would almost take a polish, its fertility can be understood when I say that potatoes planted in the latter end of May, are dug in the middle of August, and that the municipal authorities of Winnipeg, have passed an act to prevent citizens THROWING STABLE MANURE INTO THE RIVER because it is of no use to the farmers as the soil is almost too rich as it is. The farming of the half-breeds, also of some of the whites is wretched, merely scratching the earth, putting in the seed, and letting it grow just as it likes, yet they have capital crops of wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, beetroot, &c. Sometimes a piece of land will bear one class of crop for a number of years without any apparent difference in the produce, and if the grasshopper would keep away in future, Manitoba would be a farmers' paradise —but THE GRASSHOPPERS are a terrible scourge and one that cannot by any known means he got rid of; in shape they are not like the grass- hopper of the British isles being much smaller, more hardy and covered with scales, and when on the wing they can fly a great distance. The following paragraph from the letter of a correspondent of the Montreal Witness, will give an idea of the quantity there may be in a district. 144- WINNIPEG TO ST. PAUi.. m; i -I ■■ 4 i'^ii i I": 5 and the terrible destruction tliey make. " Tiie houses and fences were black with millions of these insects; we could not even see the bark of the trees because of the myriads of wings, and the labour of many hands was a blank before us; we sat in silence, feeling we were in the presence of a power that could bar the raging sea with little grains of sand, and send an army of insects to bring to naught the boasted work of man." The native reoion of these pests is not known as they are found nearly all over the western and north western states and territories, Manitoba being as far north as they can go, because they cannot fly over the great lakes and in attempting to do so are drowned. Wherever a swarm settles in the summer they deposit their eggs, these are hatched in the early part of the following suunuer; when the young grasshoppers eat nearly every green thing within reach, causing a sense of insecurity among the people in the sections that suffer from their ravages. It is right, however, to say that Manitoba has onl}^ been visited by them three times in 85 years. SOME NATURALISTS SAY they are generated in the gorges and canons of the Rocky Mountains, others say they come from the great deserts on the borders of Mexico, and more are of opinion that they are not natives of any particular region, but that in season they will lay their eggs anywhere, and in the following year when the young ones are able to fly they Avill go with the wind to another district, and in turn leave eggs for another year, &c., they appear to me to be able to live in any country where there would be an average of 60 degrees of heat during the summer. Although they devour the most succulent and nutritious plants and vegetables first, yet they can thrive on any green thing. It is to be hoped they will not turn their attention to the eastern states, nor by any means be brought across the Atlantic. THE PLAIN OF MANITOBA is supposed to have been the bed of an inland antediluvian sea or lake which dried off either by the absorption of the atmosphere, or drainage through Lake Winnipeg into ' ises and re could myriads V before )reseiice e grains naught. Df these all over :ntories, use they to do so suinmei he early shoppers r a sense Eit suffer say that limes in of the ;he great opinion ;ion, but . and in le to fly :1 in turn me to be L be an summer, lutritious my green attention ht across ediluvian on of the [peg into WINNIPEG TO ST. PAUL. 145 Hudson's Bay ; Lake Winnipeg being the receptacle for all the waters from the high land on the cast of Lake de Mille Lac, from the watershed of Minesota on the south, where the Red River takes its rise, and from the base of the Rocky Mountains, by the two Saskatchcwans, and their tributaries on the west, it is 2G4 miles long and 35 broad, having an area of 9,000 square miles, and is the lowest and the centre of a large number of othtsr lakes that are connected with it by navigable streams, bringing down the water to it, which it discharges into Hudson's Bay, by the Nelson River. Manitoba has a gradual fall towards J ds.e Winnipeg, which gives it a good natural draina^' ^nd prevents any very large swamps or morasses occurring, and even the few now existing will be dried up as soon as population and public works increase. These lakes and rivers swarm with fish, large and small, and all of good (juality; wild fowl, prairie chicken, partridges^ ducks, geese, wild pigeons, &c., are likewise in great abundance ; these soiu'ces of food are a great acquisition to the settler. There are for two miles on each side of the Red River A LARGE NUMBER OF HALF-BREEDS on what is called the Settlement Belt, they are the des- cendants of the servants of the Hudson's Bay Company, who intermarried witli the Indian women, and are a mild inoffensive people, more inclined to hunting, fishing, fur trading, &c,, than industrial pursuits. Before the Cana- dian Government extended its rule over the province, those people were all more or less dependent on the Hudson's Bay Company, but since the Confederation they have become more self-reliant and energetic, many of them are rapidly getting wealthy and take aii active part in the duty and responsibihty of citizenship; their social habits are very primitive and simple, altliough some are pretty well educated, particularly the women who were taught in the nuns' schools, a number of which have been in the province for many years. Some of those women are very handsome, combining the delicacy and grace of the whites, with the dignity and keen perception of the Indians. Several white men, including some of the lead- ing citizens, are married to half-breeds, but no half-breed ;1J ''J I 146 WINNIPEG TO ST. PAUL. i I |l i r I men arc inarricd to wliite women; yet most of the next generations of Manitobaus will liave India?) bl(jod in their veins. Like their fellow subjects in other parts of the Empire, they are fond of excitement, such as hunting, whiskey drinking, and going to balls and parties, and while staying in Winnipeg, it was my good-fortune to bo present at onu of those DANCING ENTERTAINMENTS, and now looking back after a lapse of some months, I think it was the most comic and amusing affair of the sort I was ever present at. I have been to a navvy' ■ concert where it wound up with a fight all round; in Ireland, I have been at a "pattern" hold on the side of the road with a fiddler or piper sitting on the ditch, and the people for miles round gathered there and dancing away forvery life ; 1 have been to balls in the West End of London, where professed virtue would be arm-in-arm with pro- fessed vice, assumed modesty, and barefaced prostitution comniingling ; I liave seen a revel of gipsies in Kent, during the hopping season, and at Epsom on the even- ing of a Derby Day ; I was present at a Pow-wow of Indians, that finished with a war dance, where tlie palm was given to the savage who made the most grotesoue antics; yet I never saw anything to equal A llED RIVER BALL, for it is indeed a jovial affair. The one that I attended was given by the hotel proprietor where I lodged, his object being to make money, tliere was not much preparation in the room where it w^as held, a couple of coal oil lamps hanofinf^ on a column, a few benches ransfed alonsf th(; sides, and a kind of temporary platform atone end for the orchestra, wdiich consisted of a giant with a fiddle. About half-past eight the guests began to assemble, soldiers and half-breed girls being in the majority, the soldiers were of all sizes from the lobsterlike five foot nothing, to thc^ manly six fo(^t t^^o. [The standing Army of Canada is only about 1,000 men, the service only three years, and the pay good, yet there is a difficulty in getting recruits, because the country is prosperous and men are not starved to become food for powder as in the United Kingdom.] WINNIPEG TO ST. PAUL, 147 lie next ill their of the lunting, es, and e to bo Dnths, 1 ' of the navv)'' ■ und; in ie of the and the ig away London, itli pro- stitution n Kent, 10 even- Indians, as given tics; yet attended is object ration in 1 lamps ono: the I for the About liers and ers wero to the aiiada is ars, and recruits, t starved ingdom.] n I Each of those warriors announced Ids (Mitranco to the ball-roo»n with a good roinid oath to make him appear more terri])lo than he was, there were no white women to take part in the dancing, or indeed present at all (hiring the entertainment, exc(!pt the mistress, her daughter, and a lady staying at the hotel, wlio was just recovering from an attack of fever, and as I did not care about dancing, I was made use of to look after this interesting invaUd. She was very mucli i)leas(3d with the proceedings and told mo of the many liops and fandangoes she had taken part in. To prevent intrusion she sat in anotlicr room divided from the ball-room by a board partition, tlirough which I had to bore a hole with an augur for her to see. The female instinct for scandal and contempt of each other was in full play, as these two or three wliite women would not dance alouGf wdth their lialf- breed sisters, altliou^li as good-looking, and as well conducted as themselves; but they would criticise them, and they seemed to take a pleasure in giving vent to a jealous spleen presuming on their own superiority of race and pretended elegant culture. Everything being ready the hddler struck up a merry tune, and for a while matters went on AS HAPPY AS A MARRIAGE BELL, but this state of things was not destined to last as the gentlemen were freely partaking of wliiskey, wliich very much upset their ecpiilibrium, and one of them laying «lown gloriously drunk in a corner, the others determined to give him an Indian wake, they put a couple of coal oil lamps at his head, piled a lot of chairs and stools on ti-e top of him, then sat around him and made a kind of oroning noise intended for lament at liisloss; tlie joke went on for sometime, at last the supposed dead man jumped to his feet and knocked down one of the mourners, the others quickly getting out of the way, the lamps that were to liiiht him to the bounds of another world were upset or broken, the oil burning on the floor made the ladies run in all directions, after some exertion and any amount of shouting order was restored, but not for long; although there were not many Irishmen present, every- L 2 148 WINNIPEG TO ST. PAUL. *t^ ¥ I: I' i ■■ ^ ■ i \\ -' 1 iif! :^i r III i' '' W li! Wly seemed anxious for tlic tail of liis coat ic' be trodden upon. The gigantic tiddler was the tirst to show SYMPTOMS OF COMBATlViCNlJSS. As he went aronnd sciuking whom he miglit devour, a young Englishman getting in his way was pitched aside by him lik<^ an angry bull ; tliis stiin.'d up the i'o of the BrlLon, and \iv boldl" deiiianded satisfaction, the:i tliuir partisans began to ini.erf(jre and tho engagement became general. Tho representative of the Hag that braved a thousand years was shunted into a corner, and the arms of his musical antagonist were going like the sails of a whid- mill, but with more fury than effect, although he was suffocating the Englishman with his weight and rapidity of motion. The noise ^vas something deafening, the girls squalling, the gn^ater portion of the men swearing and getting ready for further action ; ki.mps, stools, and chairs, cracking; the landlord here, there, and cv(^rywhere,, shoutinjx order, and bawlinix out that this kind of work was contrary to the rules, for which p ece of in- formation h'^ was fre({uently told to go to tho regions where the Old Boy with the tail and cloveu feet holds sway. At last PEACE WAS DECLARED, but the pugilistic fiddler was not to be deterred from making a night of it, although it was visible his eyes were the worse for wear, and his nose out of shape, through the telling operation lie underwent in the corner. During the time the melee was going on, dancing did not cease, as another musician took the place of the one that was ho7'8-(le-coiuhat, but on hostilities breaking out a second time the platform was stormed and the new musician with it, everybody was now in real earnest, the programme being to STRIKE A HEAD WHEREVER VISIBLE, ifc did not matter a rap who was the owner ; the light by this time was supplied by a couple of tallow candles, the lamps being all smashed. The girls were standing on the bench.s rormd the room as they could not get out ; theii' bronzed faces oiled with perspiration, the yellow light of WlNNirEG TO ST. PAUL. Uf? ro JdeJi ^o'lr, a J iisklo of the I thoir :)ecaino aved a inns of L vviiid- je was apidity le girls i<^ and chairs, ,^ where,, iud of of in- regions t holds 1 from cs were igh the ing the ase, as at was second an with •ramme ight by les, the on the ; their ight of the flickering tallow candles making them look like the fig\ire heads of ships after receiving a fresh coat of varnish. By this time the police had arrived, bnt instead of making peace they freely entered the lists of the combatants, and A JUD(}E's son from CANADA, that kept a barber's shop in Wimiipeg, was knocked over by a big Irish policeman who entered heart and soul into the spree. Civilians, foldiers, and policemen, were now indiscriminately slashing away at each other without atten- tion to rank or party; but at last supper was announced by the landlord, and this, for a while, threw OIL ON THE TROUBLED WATERS until the irrepressible fiddler flung a plate with force and precision at the head of a cavalryman for taking his girl away; the light was suddenl}'- extinguished, and then com- menced the scene so graphically described by the author of "Lanagan's Ball,'' eating, drinking, courting, kissing, roaring, fighting, all going on together. All this time my hands were full, I had great difficulty in getting out of the supper room through the surging mass to take my good- looking invalid out of harm's way, particularly as I had kept out of the sport and knew that some of the gentle- men envied me ; I felt I had better not try to indulge my curiosity further as I had no desire to shine in anyway. After supper they adjourned again to the ball-room, and kept up the fun to the small hours of the morning. Anyone not pleased with such an entertainment must be more difficult to anmse than a quaker, or an old maid ; for here was jigging, waltzing, reeling, schottisching, and all other sorts of capering, and a man who would fail to make himself pleasing to the half-breeds would be either very modest, very shy, or a very ugly fellow, for they are the kindest and most loving women I have ever seen, and it required neither ceremony, dress, nor etic^uette, to enter the ball, no scissor tail coats, long shank pants, patent leather boots, lavender coloured gloves, and frizzled hair as at the swell balls in the Old Countries, where some of the dandies that attend p y as little as possible to their credi- tors, and often indeed hire their rig at an old clothes il ■ ' ' ! 1'' : P iii , •f ■ 150 WINNIPEG TO ST. PAUL sliop kept by some Israelite who is always ready to make money out ut' an imlxlicviiiL;' <;(;ntile. Your Old Country ball is a little world of (.'Xpensive and .silly atlectatioi), with nothing natural, only the desire to excel in ])omposity. The Rod River Ball was too natural, each person acting ac- cording to the inclination of the mind ; in the Old Country things are too artificial, everyone trying to wear .'is much gloss as possihle. So nuich for a half-breed fandango, or Red River Rail. The cpiestion is often risked, WHO AND WHAT AUK THE INDIANS? Are th(!y the descendants of a more civilised race ? has America l)een always their coimtry, or did they originally comefrom some other ? do they bear any relationship to more civilised races in the east, or arc thev a distinct race ? do their warlike, social, or religious customs, correspond with those of any other people? were the different tribes now iu North America, who make; Heree war on each other, formerly one great family, or does each tribe represent a distinct nation of the same people ? All these questions and many moie have l)een ndsed, but never satisfactorily answered. The ruins of palaces, and towns, as well as the sepulchral mounds found in ditferent parts of North and South America, Avould be an answer in the affirmative to the first (|uestion; on the other hand, there is the instinctive dcsiie for a wandering life, and the great objection to settled or industrial pursuits pointing to their unfitness to dwell in cities, or submit to a general law as peojile of town life must do. The hieroglyphics on their pi])es, bead work, and canoes, indicate an eastern origin, and their form of government, the people appointing the chief, polygamy, and general traits of character would tend to show there was some connection with more- civilised races; for instance, with THE JAPANESE, OR OTHER MONGOLIANS. Their universal belief in Manitou, or the spirit of Destiny, subject to the great spirit of the world ; their extraordinary freemasomy or spiritualism, a something that the white- man does not understand but which he puts down under I WINNIPEO TO ST. PAUL. 151 ! tho general name of superstition, sliow the same power of moral rcsistaiici', and tlu; firmness of l)i'li(jf in tliuir own principles, that clianict«jriso other Payan ])i'(»pl(\s, and causes them to reject the doctrines of C-hristianity. This applies to the Mongolian race, whether Chineso, Ihirniesc, Japanese, Sianu'se, or any other "Ese," and of which, somo writers say, the I idians are a hranch. Their contempt for luxury, their love of liberty, and tluur roving disposi- tion, would identify tliem with the Romaney or Gipsy race. Thi^y all liave the same physical appearance only altered by local circumstances, such for instance as living in the forest and on the plains. Those of the forest being milder and less warlike than those of the plains, because they live more on fruit, and less on flesh; the laidc black hair, the beardless face, the obli(iue eyes, the high cheek bones, and the ponderous jaw point to a connnon origin ; but their diversity of language, each tribe having one not understood by the others. The holding of women in higher estimation by one tribe than by others; their inveterate hatred and continual wars show that it must have been a long time ago when they were one family, and to sum up the whole of these and other theories advanced by Avriters and travellers; the Indians are a singular and mysterious race. Probably the study of ancient history in the old monuments of American civilisa- tion, a civilisation that might have flourished bef(jre tho flood, or perhaps Avas in the height of its splendour when Alexander led his conquering Greeks to the banks of tho Indus, or further travel and researcli in eastern countries might throw a light or clear up the mystery that surrounds them ; of late years there have been so many learned and energetic men sent to different quarters of the world to collect and analyse the early history of the human race, and how well they have succeeded is known to the merest school boy : I think the investigation of the antiquities of America would be as interestin^c a work as anv that have been carried out either by Government, the learned societies, or private individuals. THE EVERYDAY LIFE OF THE INDIANS is at best only a prolongation of misery ; their habits arc •■' , I i'. Il 11 i i' ! s i t I. 'hi III I :. 11! lis !J .! i 152 WINNIPEG TO ST. PAUL. dirty, their morality low, and scrofulous diseases are making dreadful havoc among them. Although the Indians of British America ar3 all friendly, those of the Western States are often on the war-path, and it is not safe for white men to be among thom without being well armed. An Indian is not brave in the same serine that civilised people understand the term, yet they will meet death with an indifference that the wdiite man would not ; but a number of them would feel it their duty to assist to kill one man, and then hold a jubilee over the deed; and they would track their victim until they found an oppor- tunity to despatch him without danger to themselves. They inflict the most terrible torturo on their prisoners, whether of their own race, or the white man, but fortu- nately it is very seldom that the latter falls into their hands, as the American Government hav« small bodies of troops in every part of the Indian country to protect the whites, and punish the savages, if they transgress, and the Canadian authorities have light cavalry, called mounted police, to afford protection to all parties, and also to prevent the sale of whiskey in the North- West, A PROCLAMATION OF THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL being in full force against it. This proclamation bears date the 30th of May, 1874, and the first paragraph reads as follows : — " Whereas the importation or manufacture in the North - West Territories of spirits, spirituous liquors, wines, fermented or compound liquors, and in- toxicating dri ik of every kind, is by law, absolutely pro- hibited, and whereas it has been represented to us that in breach of the law, and to the great detriment of our subjects in said tx'^rritories, and more es^^ecially our Indian subject 5, and to the injury of trade ; spirits, spirituous liquors, wines, fermented or compound liquors, and intoxicating drink, have been, and are introduced into the said territories ; we have thought it expedient to call the attention of our said subjects, and of such people as may come into the said territories, to the provisions of the law in that behalf Know ye that by the advice of the Privy Council of Canada, we do proclaim and publish by this our proclamation, for the benefit and information of all i WINNIPEG TO ST. PAUL. 153 parties concerned, the following extracts from the laws of the Parliament of Canada, now in force in the North-West — namely, an Act to amend, an Act to further restrain the importation or manufacture of intoxicating liquors, into, or in the North-West Territories, and be it enacted, that spirits, strong waters, wines, and intoxicating liquors of any kinds be prevented from being manufactured or imported in any part of the North-West Territories." Thus, the proclamation runs on, specifying the penalties incurred imder the different clauses, the substance of which is, that the drink Avhen found should be destroyed, and that the vendors, or manufacturers, be subject to a fine of 200 dels., or six months' imprisonment. My opinion is that THIS LAW IS AN EXCEEDINGLY GOOD ONE, it prevents rowdyism, trouble with Indians, and benefits the people in many ways. With that, I may add, my experience of a couple of months, during which I led a very active life in the open air, travelling o-^er the prairies on foot, &c. I slept a great many nights under the broad canopy of heaven, with only a blanket for covering, yet I never was in more robust health in my life, and as far as in- toxicating drink is concerned this is direct evidence that it is not required, for I had none of it ; nay, I believe that it is positively injurious as I saw several instances of its ill •effects, and it would be awful work if the Indians could get it freely. THE CLIMATE OF THE NORTH-WEST is very healthy, some of the diseases of the Old Countries are almost unknown, particularly consumption and other chest complaints, the air being so very light and dry. A dull leaden sky is never seen in summer, and there is a bright •sunshine in winter, an intense frost at night, with clear shining days, the air of both summer and winter being very bracing. The heat of summer is not so much felt as the same heat would be in the United Kingdom, as the atmosphere is not sultry nor dense, and therefore not so oppressive ; neither is the intense cold of winter felt as much as in a country where the air is humid. Manitoba forms the north central basin of the American Continent, ( # ': i:. I * Hi ■t' fill >isf Hi i I f ?; 1 i hi 1:^ 154 WINNIPEG TO ST. PAUL. and for that reason is sheltered from storms to which phiceson a higher altitude are subject; from the beginning of September to the latter end of November, is what is called THE INDIAN WINTER, the finest season of the year ; when the weather is rcally beautiful, the heat being moderated by a nice bracing wind. Winter sets in very suddenly, about the 20th of November,, when tlie Red River navigation is closed, from thence to the first week in A})ril ; the frost keeps everything locked in its cold embrace i'ov over four months, then it relaxes its hold, ploughing and other work go on, and as vegetation is wonderfully rapid fine crops are produced in two or three months. Wild fruit is abundant, especially grapes and cranberries. WAGES FOR SIX MONTHS OF THE YEAR arc very high, ]:)a.rticularly for builders, bricklayers and masons, they being in great demand. The mechanics of thc' United Kingdom, are under the impression that there is better brick and stonework in America than at home ; but that certainly is not the case as most of THE BRICKWORK IS OF A VERY INFERIOR DESCRIPTION. I have seen new brick buildings in every town and city that I have visited both in Canada and the States, that a London cleric oF the works would no more pass than he would fiy ; but then in London the bricklayer will stand on a scaffold in front of his work, in America he must do it from the inside, and however expert he may be, tlio work cannot be so good. For the present I WOULD NOT ADVISE A WORKINGMAN to go to Manitoba, to live by labour alone, but a man with a little capitfd, who would take up a land grant, and gradually improve it, and for a year or two work for wages whenever lie could, such a man would be sure to get on. For the next few years there will be a deal of public works, as the Government is alive to the necessity of consolidating the Dominion by improving the North- West. Land can be had by settling on it in homestead WINNIPEG TO ST. PAUL. 155 lots of IGO acres, oacli of tlioso lots is a quarter section, and eacli section is one s(]iuire mile, and thirty-six S([naro miles is one township ; the whole of Manitoba is sm-veyed into these different measurements. THE HUDSON'S ]JAY COMPANY has two lots out of every thirty-six, and a like (quantity is set by for educational purposes, but the Government lands being free are of course taken up first, this will make the other lands valuable, because roads must be made, mills built, schools and places of worship erected, shops opened, and a general improvement effected, and then the company will sell to the best bidder. A large number of RUSSIAN MENNONITES arrived during my stay in Winnipeg, in religion they are the followers of a Swiss named Mono, who had I believe originally been a Catholic priest. They do not differ much from some of the sects of Protestant Dissenters, only they will not become soldiers, and a former King of Prussia wanting tliem to join the army, they declined and emigrated en-riiasse to the shores of the sea of Azof, in southern Russia. The present Emperor of that country, a few years ago, issued an edict to make the whole male population subject to the conscription ; but the Menno- nites, to their honour refused to conform, and prepared to give up their homes and emigrate to America, rather than violate their principles, or forward the ambitious designs of an autocrat. It was impossible for them to sell their goods or houses as there were so many leaving the country, yet they did not hesitate, but boldly sacrificed the labour of years for the rights of conscience. They sent to America representatives to make arrangements with the authorities, and as agreed upon between the delegates and those that they negotiated with, over 8,000 arrived last summer of men, women, and children. They are SIMPLY GERMAN PEASANTS, both in language and appearance, having undergone very little change during their stay of one hundred years in in Russia. Modej'u fashions have not made progress. (:] ,1^ R ' \l \i' in' f, i i I' 15G WINNIPEG TO ST. PAUL. among them, as tlic little girl of a dozen years was dressed like the old woman of sixty, in the .style which was in vogue in Germany when their ancestors left it. As soon as they arrived in America they divided into two parties, one going to Manitoba, the other to Dacotah, in the United States, where there are already a great many Germa,ns settled, and from what I saw of them, in good circumstances. In Manitoba, land was I eserved for them, on which they immediately settled and being a frugal and industrious people, are likely to do well, under an enlightened government that does not force them to violate their religious belief; the land was given gratis and facilities were also afforded them to reach the locations, their co-religionists in America con- tributing many thousand dollars for that purpose, and the authorities likewise giving small loans repayable by easy instalments extending over a number of years. They were DELIGHTED WITH THE COUNTRY, and forthwith began plo^^ghing and getting ready for the spring, and also at once commenced putting up (in most cases) temporary houses that were to be rebuilt at the first opportunity. They laid out a considerable sum of money in Winnipeg, on cattle and agricultural imple- ments, and on the whole they seemed determined by their energy to make their new home prosperous and comfortable. We are told that religion is the great civiliser of the human r \ if so, Winnipeg ought to be the most civilised place ( che surface of the Globe. In a population of between ir and five thousand there are TWO CATHEDRALS, both of them large, one Catholic, and one Protestant another Catholic church, and five or six Dissenting places of worship ; besides several clergyman, and not less than three bishops, THE MOST REVEREND DR. TACHE, the Catholic Archbishop, of St. Boniface, is the Metro- politan of the North- West, and is considered to be one of the ablest and most enlightened men in the Territory. % 1 I years in the n their \.merica )ba, the ere are what I la, land settled ikely to oes not .nd was lem to ;a con- md the jy easy They for the 1 most at the mm of imple- ed by as and great to be e. In ire are estant places 3 than (Tetro- •ne of WINNIPEG TO ST. PAUL. 157 THE MOST REVEREND DR. MCCRAY, is the Protestant Bishop of Rupert's Land, and everyone that I conversed with, spoke highly of his activity, philan- throphy, and intelligence. THE MOST REVEREND DR. MCCLEAN, is the Protestant Bishop of the Saskatchewan, and cer- tainly his flock, at all events for some years, will not trouble him much, as he has scarcely any to govern. I believe there is not a clergyman in his Diocese, excepting perhaps two or three missionaries, who are knocking about among the Indians, and to a great extent they are forced to look after themselves, as hlo lordship spends more of his time in Winnipeg, than he docs on the Sas- katchewan, for which I cannot blame him, for nearly every person in the world, observes the eleventh command- ment, more or less, or in other words, LET EACH MAN TAKE CARE OF HIMSELF FIRST. Two or three years ago Dr. McClean visited England, and collected a great many thousand pounds for the new Diocese, in itself no doubt a very laudable work, but with due deference to all concerned, I think the money could be more charitably and humanely applied at home, because for every Indian conveiLed to any denomination of Chris- tianity, the disgracful home of a farm labourer in ENGLAND, IRELAND, OR SCOTLAND, could be improved, or a little charity might be extended to the inmates of the Bastiles, called workhouses. The (ndy missionaries that ever had much influence with the Indians are the Jesuits, and even they failed to convert them, as NEARLY EVERY TRIBE IN AMERICA IS STILL PAGAN. I know there are little communities here and there that are at least professed Christians, but there is no stability in them, and it is a mere matter cf chance whether they are Catholic or Protest^ant, as they are neither one nor the other from conviction, it is simply a question of mis sionary energy and money spending. Although me may not agree as to the benefit derived from any pa > i i !-H 158 WINNIPEG TO ST. PAUL. ticulai" work, yet we nre Lound to gh^e to cvcrycae the respect due to sincerity and honesty of purpose, and MISSIONARIES are entitled to it more than any other body of men. Putting aside their reports of Jiair breadtli escapes, hard Avork, numerous converts, and the extraordinary fervour of some holy savage, they make heavy sacrifices for the principles they teach and the religion they believe in. At all events Winnipeg has no right to complain as clergymen and prelates are, indeed, in a plentiful proportion to the inhabitants, there being only 14,000 in the whole province. On the IGth of November, I left Winnipeg, or Fort Garry (the latter being the Old Hudson's Bay Com- pany's post tlie city is sometimes called by the same name), for Moorehead in Dacotah, on the Rod River, 250 miles south of AVinnipeg, the journey was by a lumbering vehicle called A STAGE WA(JGON, drawn by four horses changed every 14 miles ; and as there were eleven passengeis I had to take a seat along with the driver on the dickey, a position that was anything but comfortable, particularly at night as it froze pretty hard. There are several posts of the Hudson's Bay Com^Dany along the route all doing a very large business. PEMBINA was the first station of importance, about 75 miles from Winnipeg, it is a place of about 1,000 inhabitants, with United States and Canadian Custom-houses, and as it is on the boundary line, there is also a body of American troops lying there for the protection of the frontiers. After supper and a change of horses we resumed our journey through DACOTAH, the soil was like that of Manitoba, rolling prairies with belts of timber at intervals, mostly oak, poplar, maple, and cotton wood; this region is very thinly populated, althousjh there is some very fine land. At the last census the population of Dacotah was 14,181, and its area 150,937 I WINNIPEG TO ST. PAUL. 15.9 tie the )f men. I'scapcs, rdinary Lcrifices believe >lain as portion I whole peg, or ^ Com- 3 same 3r, 250 il)eriii<'- s there g with ng but J hard. Qipany from with t is on K'Hcan n tiers, d our 1 with naple, dated, census p0,937 square miles, or about five times the size of Ireland. The United States tables of statistics divide the inhabitants as follows:— 248 English, 888 Irish, 57 French, 5G3 Germans, 1179 Norwegians, 115 Do.nes, and o80 Swedes, and the remainder made up of half-breeds, native born Americans, Canadians, &c. It might, indeed, be said that emigration to those fertile western wilds is an extension of the empire of civilisation ; I am astonished that THE UNITED STATES GOVERXMEMT do not encourage it by giving to the multitudes who arrive daily from European countries at New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, facilities to go West instead of leaving them to loaf about the great cities wlieni they can never rise abo^e poverty. I do not know anything about cbe internal statesmanship of the United States, but I believe it is A VERY SHORTSIGHTED POLTCY not to assist the poor, but strong and Avilling, European emigrant, to settle on the land. Our journey Avas entirely in the Red Ptiver valley, and the soil was still of the same general character, as that of Manitoba. Having stopped for refreshment and change of horses at different stations none of them worthy of special notice except GRAND FORKS where the Red Lake River, that drains the north-western portion of Minnesota, joins the Red River, at this place the Hudson's Bay Company has an immense saw mill and boat building yard ; during my visit two large steamers were on the stocks, intended for the trade on Lake Winnipeg and the Saskatchewan; at another station called GOOSE RIVER the company have an extensive flour mill, and at George- town they have a stupendous dairy and cattle farm, having five or six hundred head of cattle, to w l;ich the surround- ing prairies give excellent feed. Beyond Georgetown, night set in, and shortly after the guard told us we were FOLLOWED BY WOLVES, r I IGO WINNIPEG TO ST. PAUL. h Bi m %'■'. uii '!«! I i? If-ll I ■i m the pack being closo be\iiKl, rifles, pistols, knives, and every conceivable w • jon was got ready in case of emergency, the guard ,i applying those who had none of their own. The horses were kept at as brisk a trot as the broken nature of the ground would admit, and every three or four minutes a coujile of barrels were discharged at random into the pack as it was too dark to take aim, bur, we were certain that some of the brutes were struck, for at each shot they hung bo k, an^^ wi en they got bolder and closcx" than usual, the r . ivrd a regular volley which checked their ardour is,:>: *'le them howl fright- fully. Fortunately we had pltity o^ ammunition and several of our men being accustomed to wage war with all sorts of animals on the plains were crack shots with the rifle. To mc the incident was exciting as I sat on the outside of the vehicle banging away, fancying myself a lion slayer, or some other mighty hunter. A few miles from MOOllEHEAD they gave up the pursuit and I think they were wise for they must liave suffered terribly. We arrived at Moore- head at eleven o'clock, where we found the train on the Northern Pacific Railway waiting for us. Most of my fellow travellers left for St. Paul by the train, and others by stage for Minneapolis and Brickenridge. Having been two nights without sleep and sitting in one position on the outside of the vehicle the whole time, I was fairly ex- haustedj and to recruit a little I remained in Moorehead for the night. On the Northern Pacific there are only two passenger trains a day, so that I had to stay till the following evening ; the town is on the right bank of the Red River, and on the opposite side is another little pi ice called Fargo, tlie population of both making about 2,000. The only brick building was the school-house, all the others being frame ; even the stupendous bridge of the Northern Pacific crossing the Red River, is made of timber, and the railway company were building a very large hotel, also of wood ; where they expected the cur^' mers to come from to fill it, I could not understand ; but j. suppose they knew best and would not speculate if they did not see their way clear to realise a profit. Although I had not had much WINNIPEG TO ST. PAUL. IGl knives, . case of , none of ot as the 1(1 every iscliarged ake aim, e struck, ot bolder ar volley ^1 fright- tion and war with hots with I sat on • myself a liles from J wise for Lt Moore- in on the my fellow 3 by stage jeen two n on the fairly ex- [oorehead 1 are only by till the 3f the Red ice called )00. The lie others Northern r, and the dl, also of ome from hey knew their way had much experience of the States, I was struck with the restk\s.s- ness of the pe(Ji)lo, the little desire there seemed to be for work and their fondness for speculation and commerce. Steamboats, four in numb(;r, trade on the Red River, between Moorehead and Winnipeg, and on tlie 2()th of November navigation was still open, but it was expected to close innuediately. lu this faraway little town tho shops wer( fidl of goods and admirably arranged, so different from what oni? would see in the villages of tlie Old Countries, where everything looks so dingy. There is A tkl1'/;rafmi line from moorehead. to Fort Garry, which is an extraordinary piece of work considering the distance and the wild country it traverses After a ixood niij Ill's rest and a refresh in o* and instructive walk altouttlie neighbourl >od, the next evening 1 startvx?' by Northern Paciiic Railway, for the junction at Tlio p- son, 25 miles from Dulutli, on the west end of Lake Supenor, distant 11'M) miles from Moorhead, the carr* e^' and appointments being like those on the Grand Trunk, and other lines that I had travelled over. About 20 miles from Moorehead, we passed through a prairie fire, raffinfr on both sides of the line and travelling with the velocity of a racehorse. This was the second of those awful phenomena that I had seen, and the impression will for ever remain imprinted on my mind; for, indeed, they are truly terrible. The grant of land by Congress, to this railway is between tifiy and sixty million acres; three millions and lialf of it being in the State of Minnesota. For some distance after leaving Moorehead, the line is through prairie, then through a burned scrubby forest, and the last 100 miles may be called a portion of the great swamp where the St. Lawrence and the Mississippi take their rise : and certainly I would not select any of the land contiguous to the line for agricultural settlements; for I think it is very poor as far as I could judge by inspec- tion from a railway carriage. We crossed the Mississippi, on an immense wooden bridge to BRAINERD, where we stopped for an hour to breakfast. This place M i' *■'^^' i: s;1 ',\ ■ ' I ^T- .iJ ■ I !l I i \\ ', il!i 'it' i 162 WINNIPEG TO ST. PAUL. TCiy be called a town in .a forest, and is really very j^icturesc^ae, it {ippcars to be entirely dependent on the railway, . s lier(5 are most of tlie company's workshops ; also a large hospital for the em])loyes, and a reception house for settlers purchasing )-ail\vay lands. Starting again, the road being still through a swampy forest, we reached the junction where we changed to the St. Paul and Pacific, the through fare i'rom Moorehead to Chicago, being 2J) dol.s., or nearly £0 of English money. As a speculation the Northern Pacific Railway is at present a failure, for it must have cost millions of dcjllars to construct the ^ine, and there have not yet been any ade([uate returns ; and tens of millions more would be required to continue the line to Pu<^et Sound on the Pacific Coast. The entire lenofth when completed will be 1,800 miles ; such aline must be a great benefit to the American Government, as it opens uj) a vast region, and gives a value to the land, timber, and coal depo.sits, within an area, which is computed at l,iSO() miles long and 500 wide, which they would never T)0ssess but for the railway. It is, however, an unfortu- nate affair for the shareholders, .'.s they are not likely to get many dividends, at all events for some years. The lemijth of the section linished and now wMjrkino from Duluth, on Lake Superior, to Bismarck, in Missouri is 4.')0 miles, leaving 1,150 miles to build. We left Thompson by the St. Paul and Pacif.c for St. Paul, travelling for some miles through forest swamp ; but gradually the face of the country changed for the better, and to swamp suc- ceeded magnificent park-like land, natural meadows, small rollinoj hill.'; ; with lakes here and there, ffivino- a pleasant effect to the scene; the outlets of these lakes form- in' above it the river is blocked bv the Falls of :i r Ijl ■n 1G8 ST. PAUL TO CHICAGO. l!' t St. Anthony. The river liere is al)out lialf a mile wide and deep enough for tlic largest class of river steamers, two of which were moored at the jetty. The length of navigation on this famous water highway is over 2,000 miles. Goods shipped at New Orleans can go direct to St. PauL No wonder it is called the Father of Waters, as the length of its course, the country it drains, the immensity of its trade, and its climatic influence, makes it the most important river in the world. THE ]IAPID GROWTH OF AMERICAN CITIES is a puzzle to the stay-at-home people of the Old Coun- tries; hut in thn New World the problem is easily solved, as hundreds of thousands of emiejrants are annualllv landed and are bound to make homes. These new and risino- cities are niLrely the depots or marts of exchange placed at convenient points for the commerce developed by this large influx of industrious people. THE POPULATION OF IRELAND is rapidly decreasing, and in the large towns an air of decay seems to pervade everything; buildings are fast becoming dilapidated, not much attention being paid to their restoration. Canals that ought to be arteries carry- ing the commerce of the country to and fro, are unused and some of tliem are getting blocked up with water weeds and rubbish. Trade and enterprise is stagnant, and absentee landlords are taking away, in the shape of rent, the national capital, thus leaving the country poor, by drain- ing it of its very life blood. The caste system in society is carried to such a pitch, that it is absolutely painful to an intelligent working man, to be compelled to pay almost fetish worship, to a person no better than himself, except in ha^'ing a longer purse, a finer coat, and, in too many cases, a worse conscience. The discontent and misery of Ireland, the despotism of Germany, and the grinding oppression practised for many ages on the English farm labourers, (but to which they are now boldly objecting,) have made America what she is, in the short space of 100 years — A NATION OF 40,000,000 PEOPLE. The same influences, combined with the high states- manship of the Government, are now enriching the ST. PAUL TO CHICAGO. IGf) ride and two of I'igation Goods d. No ngth of ts trade, iportant I Coun- - solved, )' landed 1 rising D placed by this ). air of are fast paid to }S carry- unused jr weeds nt, and ent, the y drain- society inful to almost \ except many lisery of ^rinding 5h farm g.) have years — statcs- ng the Canadian Dominion, increasing its jiopulatioii, as well as giving it vigour and capacity by tlic infusion of new blood. These are thvj causes wliy American cities spring into existence with an energy and speed tliat surpasses anytliiiig we read of in the wonderfid stories of the Arabian Nights. The population of Ireland decreased nearly 4.000. 000 in thirty years, a matter not to ])e won- dered at, f(,>r between the 3Tars 7 840 and 1S70 nearly 2,500,000 went to America alone. It is computed that every healthy emigrant is wortli £200 pounds to tlie States. From this it is obvious wh}^ tlie Colonies are competing for them, for the countries they go to grow i"ieh aii-. t/rad-j^ lo be created for them by settlers from Europe ; bank^ ^\ ept abashed to promote those enter- prises, and then, Avhe^v 0113 does not pay, the other fails to meet its demands; m 'h.ng that never ought to occar in a ■i 3rienced id shall Itli the' WESTERN and the iirces of tling in m 1870, i^eut to- ed and two; iut . With state or IS, must 3 that is merican ;sion to citizen, hinking report) terial of greatest i makes :om the t up a nucleus develop- ing; for Over- money that do e years, e made, settlers e enter- fails to ir in a ST. PAUL TO CHICAGO. 171 country like America, if everything was carried on in an honest and consistent wav. But "rin*^s" for this, that, and the other, lead to JIKCKLKSS TRADINd, DISHONIOST SPECULATIONS, AND POLITICAL JOJJBERV. As however the institutions of the country are founded on justice and e([uity, and as there are no drones, or a privileged class, those abuses which from time to time creep into every system must give way to a healthier and better state of things, both in trade and politics. Hear what Americans themselves have to say on this matter. A Avriter in the JS^iW York International Revk'iu says : — " Let us honestlyadmit the truth and manfully apply the remedy ; the peril in our American life is dishonesty, this produces the lack of confi- dence which is at the foot of panics. Slavery involved us in flames of civil war, better it should have burned us to ashes than that we should survive to perish hereafter in corruption, the urn is less offensive than the putrescence of the grave. Our very existence is at stake, American life presents an anomalous spectacle. We are SOCIALLY PURE, BUT COMMERCIALLY DEPRAVED. Men who are upright in their neighbourhood, and ad- mirable in their home, will habitually, knowingly, and systematically do wrong in their business. Nay, even churches to draw crowds, and rent pews, and raise revenues, will not only resort to sensationalism it choir and pulpit, but make earth blush, and heaven wee over tricks that are degrading, demoralising, and insultii.g to all manliness and relici'ion. Nor is the maladv confin d only to men in distinguished positions, it aftects all classes in jur republic, the tainted streams on the summit cr- colate the whole mountain. Of all the sins of humanity, bribery is perhaps the meanest, most other crimes are possible to a single transgressor, here there must be two parties to the guilt, the man who gives and the man who takes, both are debased, there may be daring in robbery, jmd courage in nuu'der, the peculiarity of bribery is it - cowardice, it sneaks, it cringes, it hides, it winds, it twists, it wriggles, it skulks, *L is not a lion roaring, but a serpent lurking in the grass, to infuse its poison before crushing with its coils. A man when he abuses his office,. T 172 ST. PAUL TO CHICAGO. ' I ir I . h "warps his judgment and twists his conscience, and for money sells his soul by the act, and ever expects greater hire for himself, and he becomes like nitro-glycerine dan- gerous to liis purchaser. Now, it is A MORTIFYING FACT that nearly everything in our country has in someway, direct- ly, or indirectly, been controlled by bribes : mechanics, over- seers, builders, c()ntractors,architects,hav" been bribed; clerks, merchants, bankers, have been bribed; constables, jwlice- men, collectors, inspectors, weigliers, measurers, gangers, postmasters, have been bribed ; lawyers, doctors, chemists, analysts, surgeons, witnesses, have been bribed ; judges, juries, legislators, governors, have been bribed. We have sometimes fearod that it would be difficult to place a stone, or a timber, or a lock, or a screw, or a nail, in our house, that has not somewhere on its passage felt the stain of a bribe; it is a question whether the food tliat supports our lives, or the coffins which will convey us to the grave can wholly escape contamination. The consequence is, disturbed faith in each other, and some- times, a distrust of our country, and of our humanity, with a fear like a shadow, that on all modern European and American societies, is but the old doom of ancient Babylon and Rome. One faith alone saves from despair, that is sufficient, but not here to be dis'^ussed. Certain it is that panics OTO but eruptions of a '^isease on the body politic; €ur nation from the civil war Ixas been preparing for our recent commercial disasters, the timbers of the edihce of our public credit had been secretly decaying long before the weakened structure was threatened with its crash. Many underlying sands must be washed away to make the mountain fall." Without ixoin": as far as this American writer I think that OVER SPECULATION AND A NERVOUS? DESIRE TO MAKE MONEY is one of the evils of American life, and none feels this more than the workingman. The Irish Worldj an Ameiican journal of wide circulation, which is con- uucted with marked ability — on January 30th, 1875, in a leading article on a threatened reduction of wages iimong the Pensylvania miners, published the following md for [greater le daii- direct- !.s, over- 1; clerks, police- •Tai<^ers, icniists, judges, ^e have place a nail, ill me felt be food convey 1. The 1. some- ty, with san and 3abylou that is is that 3oli tic ; for our ilice of before crash, make nerican ST. PAUL TO CHICAGO. 17a IVIAKE le feels Worldj is con- S/o, in wages Dllowing appeal from the men to the employers: — ''Why ask a reduction in the wages of poor labourers to increase your wealth ; gentlemen be just, consider the poor families of your workmen, consider that you are rich and we arc poor, consider the future, consider eternity, and we are not afraid you will speak any moi-e about reducing the wages of y^nir lq,bourers." The same paper has the follow- ing comment upon the appeal. " It is a matter (b'^clt upon with peculiar satisfaction by the agents of the capitalists, and frequently expressed by them, that the men are too poor to strike, this is true, for men with hungry children looking to them for l)read must work for wliatever they can get, too poor to strike, expresses the situation in four words; tliis, however, does not justify tlie cutting down of wages, as a reduction of wages is only justifia))le in cases where the diminished profits, or embarrassed financial condition of the employer makes such a course imperative." I make these ([notations to show, that everything is not milk and honey in A.vh rica,. and as I said of C^anada, I say of the States, THE MOIJK KMKJRANTS SETTLE 0\ THE LAND, THE BETTIIII FOR THEMSELVES AND THE COUNTRY. UntravellcHl and inexperienced young people in the United Kingdom fancy that Nevv ^'ork is America, and that they have only to arrive there, and then they will get work and waixes in abundance ; but ncvei- was there a greater or a more fatal mistake, for New York and other eastern cities, are crowded with peo])le who are too poor to leave them, 70 per cent., at least, of whom, are natives of foreign countries, and more particularly of Ireland. This is a sad state of things but true, and the sooner it is recog- nised the better, Let it not be thought that I am against the stalwart young fellow in England, or Ireland, trying his luck by emigration ; at home he is bound down by trammels like a child at his mother's apron strings, and cannot rise above the position into which he was born, abroad the road to independence is open to him; for certainly there are no barriers placed in his way, although there may be keen competition and hard running, and if he does not possess energy, sobriety, and adaptability to circumstances, he will be handicapped in the race. THE POPULATION (JF ST. PAUL, IF 174 ST. PAUL TO CHICAGO. V^ (, 'i iv; is about 33,000, made up of every class and creed, the Catholic, the Protestant, the Jew, and the Gentile, are here side by side, the law giving each, equal rights and eqi.al duties. The Irish portion of the inhabitants are very comfortable, which may be attributed to three causes — namely, the comparatively small numbers of working men emigrants that arrive, as the distance is so far, and conse- quently there is less competition in the labour market. The rapidly growing wealth of the city and surrounding country, and the beneficial effects of the "•i:MPERANCE MOVEMIiNT, which I am glad to say is strong among the Irish of 8t. Paul. On the Sunday night, I attended one of their meetings and was delighted to see so many of my working- countrymen assembled in furtherance of the great cause of sobriety. They were all well dressed, and everyone seemed to be much interested in the proccedin^;s. FATHER 1 REE AND, the President, now Bishop of Nebraska, delivered an address on the evils of drink, and re([uested his flock to keep from it. I thought if other clergymen of every denomination did like him, a great amount of good would be done in the world. It may not be right to put any public movement entire: v under the control of the clergy, or hierarchy of any church, because it would be creating a little despotism that might be difficult to escape from, except by keeping altogether outside of it. But as the temperance movement is a broad question, affecting com- munities and individuals alike, the more broad and genera], the platform is, the better for all. If the clergy and laity co-operate each in their own sphere, to put down intemperance, without the one; exercising too much control i)r thwarting tiie efforts of the other; thousands of j^eople who are naturally good, but socially depraved, woidd be benefitted. Drunkenness makes a man a beast, sobriety makes liim a human being. The following story illustrative of this fact, and of loafer life in America, copied from the Detroit Free Press, will be read with interest : " WHAT AILED ' UGLY SAM ? ' for he had been missin:j^ from the P« anac for several days, and 'Cleveland Tom,' 'Port 1 '-on Bill,' 'Tall ST. PAUL TO CHICAGO. If*' ied, the tile, are ^bts and are very jauscs — ing men d consc- markct. ounding i\i of St. of tlieir Avorking at cause everyone crcd an Hock to f every d woul(] put any e clergy, creating pe from, : as the ug coni- ad and le clergy ut down control )f people 1, woidd heast, ug story \.nieri(;a, ad with ■several [],' 'Tall 'Chicago,' and the rest of the lads who were wont to get drunk with him, couldn't make out what had hap- pened. They hadn't heard tliat there ^»'as a warrant out for him, and never of his being sick for a day ; so his absence from the «)ld haunts puzzled them. Theie were in 'The Hob l-i The Wall' saloon yes- terday morning, nearly a dozen of the boys, drinking, smoking, and playing cards, when in walked Ugly Sam. There was a deep silence for a moment, as rhey look(x] at him ; Sam had on a new hat, a clean collar, and a white shirt, and bad been shaved clefoi, and they didn't know him. When they saw it was 'Ugly Sam,' 'Cave in that hat,' cried one. ' Yank that collar off,' shouted anothei-. 'Let's roll him on the floor,' screamed a third. There was something in his look and bearing wliicli made them hesitate. The whiskey red had almost faded fn»m his lace and he looked sober and dignitied, his features expressed disgust and contempt as be looked round the room, and then revealed j^ity, as Ins eyes fell upon the red noses and bloated faces of the crowd before him. ' Why what ails you Sam?' said ' Tall Chicago,' as they all stood there. ' I've •came down to bid you good-bye boys,' he replied, removing Ins hat and drawing a clean pocket handkerchief from bis pocket. ' What ! have you turned preachei" ? ' they shouted in chorus. ' Boys — you know 1 ca,n lick any two of you, but I ain't on the fight any more. I've draidv the last drop of whiskey which shall ever enter my mouth. I've .switched off. I've sii^ned the pledge. 1 am ooino- to be decent. ' Sam be you crazy,' said Port Huron Bill, coming nearer to him. ' I've come down here to tell v(ju al) about it,' answered Sam. ' Move the chair back a little and ffive me room. Ye all know I've been a rouob, and more too. I've been a drinker, a lighter, a gambler, a loafer. I can't look back and remen\ber when I've earned an honest dollar; the police have chased me around like a wolf. I've been in jail, and the poorhouse, and the papers said, ' Uoiv Sam was the terror of the Potomac' Ye all know this boys, but ve did not know that I bad an old mother.' (The faces of the crowd expressed am zement.) ' I never mentioned it to any of you. for I was j fleeting her, he went on/ she was a poor old b(jdy, living ^p there in the alley, and if the neighbours hadn't helped her to food and H; 17G ST. PAUL TO CHICAGO. l^ii ■1 1 .' sfii ! I; I t.l If ^ fuel she would have been dead long ago. I never helped her to a cent, I wanted all for myself; I didn't hco her for week^ 'ks, and I used to feel wli :s ana weeKs, ana i usoa to leel mean about it ; wuen a felljw goes bac^k on his old mother, he's a getting purty low 1 guess, and I knew it. Well, she is dead, and was bvu-ied yesterday, but she sent for me by Pete, and when I got in I saw it was all np with her.' ' Did she say anything ? ' asked one of the boys, as Sam iiesitated. ' Tliat's what ails me now ' ho went on ; ' when I went in she reached out her liantl to me,' and says she, ' Sam, I am going to die, and I know you want to see mo before I pass away.' I sat down feeling queci* like ; she did not go on saying as how I was a loafer, and a fighter, and neglected lier, but says she, 'Sam, you'll be all alone when 1 am gone ; I've tried to be a good mother to you ; I've prayed for you hundreds of niglits, and cried about you till my old heart was sore.' Some of the neighbours had dropped in, and the women were crying, and you know boys 1 felt tarna- tion weak ;' ho paused for a moment and then continued, " and the old woman said slie " would like to kiss me before death came," and that broke mc; right down. She kept hold of my hand and by-and-bye she whis^^ered ' Sam you are throwing your life away, you've got it in you to be a man if you'll make up your mind. I hate to die and feel that my only son may go to the gallows ; if I had your promise tliat you would turn over a new leaf and try and be good, it seems as if I could cHe easier; won't you promise me my son,' and I promised hv.v boys, and that's what ails me. She died holding my hand, and I promised to quit this low business and go to work ; I've come down to teU ye, and now you won't see me on the Potomac again; I've bought an axe and I am up in Canada to winter.' There was dead silence for a moment, then he said * Well boys, I'll shake liands all round, afore I go ; good bye " Pete," good bye " Jack," good bye " Jim ; " I hope ye won't fling any bricks at me, and I shan't fling any at ye; it's a dying promise ye see, and I'll keep it, if myright arm drop off.' The men looked reflectively at each other after he had passed out, aiul it was a long time before any one spoke, then 'Tall Chicago' flung his clay pipe into a corner and spoke ' I'll lick the man who says Ugly Sam's iiead isn't level;' 'so'll I' repeated the others." How WIXNIPKG TO ST. I'AUr, 177 • helped her for t ; when ig purty ,s buried got ill I thing ? ' t's what :;he(l out to die, rvay.* I xying as ler, but \e ; I've for you id licart in, and t tarna- utinued, e before le kept )am you to be a md feel ad your try and n't you 1 that's remised le down ^otomac nada to tlien he ro ; good hope ye y at ye ; :^ht arm h other ore any e into a y Sam's How- many tliousaud.s are there that this .simple story comes home to ; GOOD MEN IlUINEl) BY DKINK, is the nif)ral it points. The Secretary and President of the Society at St. Paul, requested me to remain till the Tuesday night, for another meeting of th«^ young men, and if I was pleased with the Hrst I was doubly so with the second. The large hall was crowded to excess, and Father Ireland delivered a stirring ad(h"ess; several other s})eeches were made on matters of interest to the meeting, the intellig(!nce, the energy, and the appear- ance of those young men, indicated good training and angered well for tlie future of St. Paul. The Secretary told me that very few of the working classes pai 7 /S« Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WES .'MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 Vi \ m Til i' "1, I ;N I . . i 1 » • ijii i« tr 178 WINNIPEG TO ST. PAUL. TH^J WAGES FOR A LABOURING MAN were from 1 dol. 25 cents in greenbacks, or about four sliillings and sevenpence English, to 1 dol. 75 cents in greenbacks, or about six shillings and six- pence English. A gi'eenback is a paper dollar, nomi- nally of the same value as a goldi, dollar, but in reality about four2)ence half-penny, or fivepence less ; if a man took a numl^er of greenback dollars, say twenty, to a bank, he would only get about eighteen in gold. In Canada the paper dollar and the gold dollar are of the same value, just as a five pound note, and five sovereigns are in England, and the man in the States working for 2 dols. per day, nominally eight shillings, does not receive more than seven shillings and threepence. This depreciation of paper currency is owing to the great expense incurred during the civil war which caused an enormous national debt, and which the United States Government, much to its honour, is rapidly paying off. Panics and big swindles have also had something to do with it, because they created a mistrust and prevented the investment of capital in healthy enterprises. The rent for a working- man's house is from six to nine dollars per month ; board and lodging for single men about four dollars per week ; beef was seven cents per pound; pork, mutton, and venison about five cents; clothes about thirty per 'lent. dearer than in London, or Dublin, and about fifteen per cent, dearer than in Montreal ; the working hours were sixty per week, and work was brisk. I asked MR. DALEY, SECRETARY OF' THE CATHOLIC TEMPERANCE SOCIETY, * who accompanied me through the city and suburbs, Avh ether there was any destitution, among those able to work, and he said none. Any one sick, and widows, orphans, or old people, received assistance froni the city council ; besides the St. Vincent De Paul Society, the St. Patrick Societ}^, the Protestant Benevolent Society, the German Aid Society, and other bodies, gave donations to those entitled to them by the rules of the organisations. The impression left on my mind was, that the working- classes in this north-western town had to toil hard, but that WINNIPEG TO ST. I'AUL. 17J) '! about iol. 75 id six- nomi- reality a man r, to a \d. In of the ^ereigns :ing for receive Bciation ncurred Qational nnch to ;windles Lse they fient of orking- board week ; venison dearer cent. e sixty ir ERANCE uburbs, se able widows, 10 ni the ty, the ety, the tions to isations. working jut that 01 they were well off in comparison to those in some of the other big cities, or in the United Kingdom. By industry, and talents, judiciously directed, a man in a few years might leave labour behind, because the wealth, tlie enter- prise, and the population will grow, andtliereisno elbowiing of one another out of the way, as there is ample room for all. I left St. Paul, by the West Wisconsin Railway, being- accompanied to the stations by a number of friends ; amongst others, by the brother of an old acquaintance, Mr. Fitzgerald, of Brighton, England, the Secretaries of the Irish Emigrant Aid Society and of the Father Matthew Temperance Society ; after several shake hands I started for Chicago, the capital of Illinois, and Metropolis of the Western States, and one of the finest cities on the Con- tinent. The scenery along the line was very fine, as we dashed on through a capitally farmed country, very much resembling Berkshire, in England, plain open land, well fenced and cultivated, farm houseshere and there with teams at work in the fields. The railway curved and detoured to avoid a lake or a hill ; the wooded bluffs of the Mis- sissippi, on our right, and numerous streams meandering through marshes and meadows bringing their tribute to that mighty river; stacks of Indian corn stalks were in the fields waiting for cartage. We crossed on a trestle bridge, over the River La Croix, one of the feeders of the Mississippi, and about half a mile wide; on the opposite bank is Hudson City, a very picturesque place of about (),()0() inhabitants. The bridge was of singular construction, something in the shape of a reaping hook, the reason being that the valley along which the ti-ain came is not directly opposite the town, so, to run into it, they made this curious bridge. I thought it looked dangerous, particularly as it seemed a very temporary affair, both in build and materials. Leaving Hudson City, the route is still through a beautiful country, the land rolling, with good drainage, to the Mississippi; we passed through a forest swamp of excellent pine, but tire had swept over a large portion of it. After emerging froni tliis forest swamp we crossed the River Menamee, another tributary of the Mississippi, about as wide .is the Thames at Greenwich. A few miles further on we crossed tlio N '2 li I mm I fT^- f 180 WINNIPEG TO ST. PAUL. ■ii 'li'SN ■' i I' il 1. H ! !'■ I ' •' .1! 'it Chippewa, to the town of Eau-Claire, romantically situated on its bank^ ; this river also discharges into the Mississippi. On again we went to Madison, the capital of WISCONSIN, where there is a bridge (on the lake formed by the Madison River) at least a mile and half long, and entirely made of timber. The population of the State of Wis- consin, is 1,054,670, and the area in square miles is 53,670 ; in the year 1873, 14,122 emigrants made Wisconsin their home, principally Irish and Germans. The foreign born population in the State according to returns in ] 872, was as follows :— EngHsh, 28,194 ; Irish, 48,479 ; French, 2,704; GeTman, 162,314; Norwegians, 40,046; Danes, 5,212; Swedes, 2,799. Thus, it will be seen that the Germans outnumber by nearly three to one any other nationality, the Irish being the next, so that the English race is fast losing ground in those Western States and Territories. Wisconsin, is a grain producing state, the soil being very rich and fertile. After leaving Madison, dusk began to set in, and travelling all night I had no opportunity of seeing the country. The distance between St. Paul and Chicago, is 400 miles, we took 24 hours on the trip, making nearly an average speed of 20 miles an hour ; as we approached CHICAGO, the country becomes flat, evidently cultivated prairie ; on every side there are rows of houses, mansions, villas, in- stitutions, factories, and churches, interpersed with lawns, paddocks, and fields, showing that the Metropolis of the West is extending, and that at its present rate of progress it will soon surpass New York itself in opulence and splendour. Passing over one or two drawbridges, the train gently glided to the platform, and here Ave were in one of the most famous cities in the world, the greatness of wlich, the English statesman, Richard Cobden, pre- dicted in one of his bursts of eloquence on the Com Laws, when he said, *'' Our young men know all about Greece, Rome, and Babylon, but they do not know anything of Chicago, a city that is destined to give food to half the world ;" but since his time it has grown into prominence on account of its great fire and rapid re-construction. lantically into the capital of d by the d entirely e of Wis- is 53,670 ; •nsin their eign born ] 872, was ich, 2,704; es, 5,212; Germans lationality, ace is fast Uerritories. being very . began to ortimity of Paul and the trip, n hour ; as prairie; on , villas, in- ^vith lawns, polis of the of progress ulence and )ridges, the we were in le greatness obden, pre- Com Laws, •out Greece, anything of to half the prominence action. 181 CHAPTER XL FROM CHICAGO TO NEW YORK VIA M ONTREAL, IN WINTER. Chicago is the capital of the State of Illinois. It is situate in a rather swampy plain on the north-west shore of Lake Michigan, its population in about forty-five years has risen from a couple of hundred to nearly half a million, an increase not equalled by that of any other city on the surface of the globe. Here the elements that go to build up the United States can be studied to great advantagCj from the Heathen Chinee to the New Englander going West to trade and make money. Here the great race is going on for wealth, everyone seeming anxious to come in a winner. The first thing that strikes a visitor is the bustle of the people in the streets ; everybody in a hurry as though the world depended on the rapidity of the motion of each individual. In the United Kingdom when, an order is given to have anything done quickly, it is by a " now look sharp." In America it is " now then hurry up," and certainly those words express the nervous activity of the citizens of this extraordinary town, considering it is THE LARGEST INLAND PORT IN AMERICA, AND THE GREAT DEPOT OF THE NORTH-WEST. There were not many men hanging about the corners of the streets, everybody seemed to be employed in some way or another, although perhaps not all in the most useful or respectable occupations, many being " sports- men," i,e., professional gamblers, I was told there was a great deal of destitution and want of employment among the working classes, arising from three main causes. First, the great influx of men after the fire. Second, the de- pression in the money market. And third, drink. Every- body has heard of I i 1 ( l! I i! tii if i ^ 182 CHICAGO TO NP:W YORK. THE GREAT FIRE of Chicago, the most destructives in modern times, causing a loss, estimated at 20(),000,()()() dols,, destruying the homes of tens of thousands of people, extending over an area of 4 or 5 miles, and sacrificing nearly 200 lives. Tliere are two or three stories about THE ORIGIN of this conflagration ; one is that wliifst a man was milk- ing a cow by the light of an oil lamp, the cow upset the lamp which ignited some straw, thence the lire spread to the wooden pavement of the city. A second report is that a party of drunken men set on fire a stable, where they had taken refuge after being turned out of a low drinking saloon ; a large number of which, found still in existence notwithstanding so many were destroyed in the fire. A third report is that it was the work of an organised gang of incendiaries who hoped in the general confusion to be able to plunder at pleasure. The Commissioners report on the subject does not attribute it to any cause, it merely says that the fire began in a stable in the north- east quarter of the city at nine o'clock on Sunday, October 8th, 1871. The fire destroyed 2,170 lamps, and travelled over G5 acres an hour, consuming 23roperty to the amount of 125,000 dols. per minute, the whole area over which the fire swept was about 1,090 acres, and it burned up 120 miles of wooden footways. When the telegraph flashed the account of this great calamity to Europe, the public mind was stirred to its utmost depth, subscriptions were set on foot for the sufferers and a large sum was collected, which effected much good at the time, and indeed saved many lives. The utmost consternation pre- vailed, and men asked each other in a melancholy way, if Chicago would again arise from its ashes ; this was only four years ago, and now Chicago is ONE OF THE FINEST CITIES IN THE WORLD, the fire was merely a renovator, a renewer, a scavenger, and a beautifier, for the new portion of the city is some- thing superb. The warehouses, the hotels, and public buildings, are stupendous; the Grand Pacific House has »!; , causing ,'iiig the : over an :()0 lives. ^as milk- ipset the pvead to rt is that ere they drinking existence fire. A ied gang on to be rs report cause, it e north- October travelled amount er which rned up elegraph 'ope, the criptions sum was me, and ion pre- y way, if kvas only 3avenger, is some- 1 public ouse has CHICAGO TO NEW YORK. 183 nearly a thousand windows, and a half that number of rooms ; the Potter House, the Treemont House, and other establishments are equally large. These magnificent buildings are nearly all made of stone, which I was told was brought from some celebrated quarries in Ohio; but wherever it came from it is a very fine building material ; the new footways are made of the same stone which is also laid down in huge landings, some that I measured being 14 feet long, 10 feet wide, and a foot thick. I was surprised to see large buildings carried up without any scaffold, trestles being used off the floors, and the heavy material hoisted by derricks from the inside, and placed in position by travellers and small steam cranes, which is the plan followed in all parts of America that I have been to ; I cannot say whether it is better than having a scaffold to the front as in the Old Countries. Most of the streets are paved with wood, simply deal, cut into square blocks, and grouted in with small gravel and lime, like ordinary stone paving. THE HARBOUR islarge and commodious, docks and wharves being made just like a port on the sea coast. Doubtless some of my readers may smile at the words harbour, port, docks, and wharves, being used in reference to atown 1,261 miles by water from Montreal, the nearest seaport at the head of ocean naviga- tion, which itself is over 200 miles from the Atlantic ; but they will not be surprised when they read that LAKE MICHIGAN is 345 miles long, with an average breadth of 80 miles, and a coast line of nearly 700 miles, and a general depth of 1,000 feet, that this lake has an area of 22,400 square miles, and that its elevation is 578 feet above the level of the sea and that it is joined to the other great lakes by navigable channels and canals. The united area of the five largest lakes — namely, Huron, Michigan, Superior, Erie, and Ontario, being 84,100 square miles, all being connected with the Atlantic by the St. Lawrence. At present only OCEAN GOING VESSELS drawing not more than 12 feet of water, can come up to 1 H H It r ij u ^M, I ■ I m ' ! ■( !i -it . \ '■ i hi 184 CHICAGO TO NEW YORK. Chicago; but when the St. Lawrence Locks above Montreal, and the Welland Canal are improved, ships of almost any size and tonnage will be able to sail from the Atlantic to Chicago. THE ST. LAWRENCE > D OTHER CANALS give Canada the entire control of Lake Navigation, which must be a great source of wealth to the Dominion, but they are used by the citizens of the United States, under the stipulations of various treaties. Some of the lake vessels which I saw in Chicago, were as large as ocean going ships, and larger than coasters trading between port and port in the United Kingdom, the only difference was in their rigging, which was a little lighter, but standing on one of the bridges and looking down the line of shipping lying in the river, a stronger could scarcely see any differ- ence between Chicago, and an ocean port. The river is not a large one, but as the bottom is clay there is no difficulty in increasing its uepth by the use of steam dredgers. Those who imagine that the Thames Tunnel, is the only one of the kind in the world, are much mistaken, as THE CHICAGO RIVER IS TUNNELLED for streets to go underneath, so that there is no breakage in thoroughfares running east and west. Some of these streets are of an immense width and perfectly straight, being at right angles to each other, making the houses into square blocks as in most American towns. Clark Street, Madison Street, Lake Street, Wabash Avenue, and other streets are large, spacious, and well laid out, and certainly the Town Council and architects are keeping uniformity of design in their arrangements and plans ; a good deal of the south and west suburbs, are frame houses where most of the working and middle classes live. These dwellings are neat and ornamental, and are like gilded cages very pretty to look at; there can however be little doubt but that fire will make a clear sweep of them some day, and then they will be succeeded by such magnificent structures as are now erected on the site of those des- troyed in the last fire. The Chicago Fire Brigade is very strong and efficient. In Chicago there are a great many CHICAGO TO NEW YORK. 185 above ships of rom the I, whicli ion, but 3, under he lake m going >ort and was in iing on hipping f differ- T is not ifficulty redgors. he only IS reakage )f these traight, houses Clark ue, and ut, and keeping ilans; a houses These gilded ie doubt [le day, nificent )se des- is very b many societies of one sort or another, and more particularly Irish, such as the Clan-na-Gacl, the Irish Benevolent Friends, the Hibernian Society, the Irish Emigrant Aid Society, the Knights of St. Patrick, the Catholic Young Men's Association, the Catholic Temperance Union, the Father Matthew Society, the Irish Protestant Benevolent Society, THE IRISH LITERARY SOCIETY, Jind several others. I was present at a meeting of the latter society, there were about 300 members in attendance, the business of the evening wns a discussion on the relative merits of the poets and soldiers of Ireland, with special refer- ence to their influence in supporting the cause of Irish nationality, after a long and interesting debate in which much erudition and knowledge of Irish History were shown, a vote was taken, the audience declaring for the poets. To show THE POSITION OF THE IRISH in this distant city, I may mention that I counted in the Directory, 504 Murphys, 413 O'Briens, 494 Ryans, 224 O'Connors, and so on, with all other Irish names. Of course this is the result of the iniquitous Irish land system, and the consequent great exodus from Ireland, during the last thirty years, of the bone and sinew of its popula- tion ; leaving their own country in ship loads to escape famine and oppression. Irishmen, by their intelligence, fortitude, and hard toil have materially assisted in found- ing and enlarging this extraordinary city in another hemisphere. A characteristic feature of the Irish race is its individuality, which it has maintained in every part of the w^orld where any of its members have settled, as can be seen in Chicago, Montreal, New York, or London, where Irish societies bear names indicative of the nationality of their members, and attention is more directed to Ireland and to her public men than even to the country where those expatriated people are resident. In the coal pits of Staffordshire, in the woollen mills of Yorkshire, in the iron furnaces of Durham or South Wales, ;l ; , ' f] pi- 1 ' 18G CHICAGO TO NEW YORK, >1 'i •M r i' |i : IRISHMEN are doinj^ tlio most labourious Avork ; in London, Ctirdift', Bristol, Liverpool, in fact all over England, they arc fol- lowing every uccupation from which a living can be got ; they suit themselves to the customs, the habits, and the usages of the people, among whom they settle, although those customs are in many cases very different from what they may have been used to in their own country. Even inEn<:cl«'^nd there is a marked difference in the social habits of the working classes of the north and south, yet Irish peasants crossing the channel to any part of Great Britain, will adapt themselves to the circumstance that surround them without losing their national individuality ; so also in America, whether as ci^mfortable farmers in Canada, or merchants, traders, or labourers in its cities, there is the same instinctive love of Ireland and interest in its welfare. Cross the St. Lawrence into the United States, it is there again to be seen, only in a more demonstrative form, whether in the coal fields of Pennsylvania, on the western prairies, or in the great cities, it is all the same; there is an indestructible individuality in the Irish race at home and abroad. THE RATE OF WAGES for town labourers in Chicago was from 1 dol. 25 cents to 2 dels, per day, or from about five to seven shillings English. Food and fuel being cheap, but clothes and house room dear ; I was told that there was some destitu- tion among the w^orking class through improvident habits, and slackness of employment. There is NO WORKHOUSE or general poor-rate, but the Town Council is a Board of Relief, to assist those in want. Chicago is the flour, grain, and pork dep6t of the West, being well situated for the lake trade and export to Europe, by its water connection with the St. Lawrence, and having from fifteen to twenty different railways, placing it in com munication with every quarter of the continent. On an average there are about 3,000,000 pigs per annum dead and alive sold in the Chicago Market, which is as many as there are in the CHICAGO TO NEW YORK. 187 Cardiff, are fol- 1)0 got ; Lind the Ithough iin what . Even d habits et Irish Britain > urround so also Canada, there is t in its I States, Lstrative , on the e same; L race at cents to ijhillings lies and. destitu- t habits. Joard of r,^ grain, for the inection ' twenty :h every 'e about in the in the United Kingdom altogether, for by a return to the House of Commons in 1873, tliere were only 2,500,259 pigs in the United Kingdom, and the number has not increased much since. The estimated value of the Chicago HOG TRADE is about 34,000,000 dok, or between £0,000,000 and £7,0()0,0()(), and the estimated value of its cattle trade is about 42,000,000 of dels, over £S,000,000 ; Cincinnati and St. Louis have nearly as extensive a trade as Chicago in perk. American bacon is largely consumed in England, under the name of mild Wiltshire, or excellent Plamp- shire. There are thousands in England wlio sit down to a nice breakfast of eggs and bacon, who would be incre- dulous, if tliey were told that the bacon they were eating came not from Yorkshire, Wiltshire, or Westphalia, but from America ; for most English people suppose that America produces nothing m this line but salt pork. However, more hams come from America than from West- phalia and Yorkshire twice oven THE CORN TRADE of Chicago is also very large; the annual export being nearly ninety millions of bushels. This enormous quantity of grain is brought by railway and canal from the Western, the Northern, and Central States, either for export to Europe, or distribution to the manufacturing districts of New England. The storeage room in the warehouses of Chicago, is about 13,000,000 bushels ; the machinery for loading or unloading the grain is also remarkable ; attached' to each of the large warehouses is an apparatus called an " elevator," which carries the corn to the top of a high tower, where the grain is emptied on screens that winnow it of dust and mould in its passage to the shoot which dis- charges it into the ship. An elevator is an endless strap, of gigantic size, worked by steam power with buckets attached like a dredger, or thrashing machine. It is not at all an unusual thing to see a barge on one side of the elevator, and the vessel on the other, with a continuous stream of corn between the two crafts, while the grain is aired, winnowed, and measured in the transit, and it is i II ]88 CHICACO TO NKW YORK. ri. ;l i 'n '!U^ t, I- 1 s\irprisin<^ with what case a cargo of several thousand bushels is shipped by this process. Chicago is strongly infected with the modern mania for PUBLIC PARKS as it has seven or eight of those lungs, the whole making between 23,000 Jind 24,000 acres — no mean playground for the citiz(>ns to recreate in. Illinois, of wliich Chicago is the capital, is one of the finest States in the Union, having an area of 55,4'10 square miles and a population of 2,750,000. Farming is carried on to a great extent, THE SOIL being very fertile and generally yielding excellent crops. It is the same class of dark deep loam that I had seen in Dacotah and Minnesota; not so deep or black as that of Manitoba, but more friable through the greater quantity of sand mixed in it. The forests are extensive, comprising oak, ash, maple, elm, and satin wood, but a very little of Illinois now belongs to the public domain, although land can be had in most parts of it cheap, even in the neigh- bourhood of Chicago. There are large COAL FIELDS in this state, and mining operations'are actively carried on, lead, copper, and iron, being found in great quantities ; and as soon as the American financial difficulties get rectified, and capitalists resume their usual enterprise, those mines will be worked on a large scale. The foreign born popula- tion of Illinois is nearly 500,000, and may be divided as follows :— Germans, 203,758; Irish, 120,169; English, 53,871; Swedes, 29,979; Norwegians, 11,880; French, 10,911; Danes, 3,711. By these figures it will be seen that nearly all the nations of Europe, are represented in the population, the Germans and Irish taking leading places. The natives^of all the countries of Germany, as well as of Holland and Belgium, go under the general name of " Germans " in some states, and " Dutchmen " in others ; why, I cannot tell, but suppose it is because they iire so much alike. When we consider 500,000 of foreign born people in a population of less than 3,000,000, it is not difficult to see the cause of the rise and growth . CUICACIO TO NKW YORK. 18» )usan(l rongly laki un- round liicago Union, ilution xtent, crops, leen in ihat of lantity prising ttle of h land neigh- ied on, 3S ; and ctified, mines )opula- ded as Inglish, •"rench, e seen ted in eading my, as jeueral >> • en m e they 100 of )0,000, jrowth of Western states and cities. On the 28tli of Novemher, 1 left Chicago by the Michigan Central Railway for Detroit, en route for Toronto. From Chicago to l^etroit, the distance is 284 miles, a- d from Detroit to Toronto 231, making a total between Toronto and Chicago of .515 miles, for which I paid 14J dols. first-class faro, sleeping berths being 2 dols. a night extra. The road is through the centre of the State of Michigan, a part of Indiana and Illinois, and running for a long distance on the shore of Lake Micliigan, which appears only very little below the level of the surrounding country. There are numerous towns' and villages alon>^ the line, and farm houses are plentiful and comfortable looking, the land being well culti- vated ; although within three weeks of Christmas teams were in the fields ploughing and getting the ground ready for the spring crop. Indian corn is extensively grown in this section, and much of the stalk was still in stooks awaiting cartage to the stack or farm yard, to be used for fuel for which it is very good. On the Indian corn stubble fields there were immense pumpkins lying about, the largest I ever saw, an evidence of the fertility of the soil. THE STATE OF MICHIGAN has an area of 56,451 square miles, and a population of nearly 1,250,000 which the census returns of the United States divided as follows: — Germans, 04,043; Irish, 40,347 ; English, 35,051; French, 3,121; Swedes, 2,406; Nor- wegians, 1,516; Danes, 1,354; making 145,038 foreign born. Here again we find the Germans take the lead in point of numbers, and the Irish next, the English also being com- paratively strong. The avowed destination of 14,138 out of the 266,818 emigrants landed at Castle Gardens in 1873, was Michigan. In the northern part of the state, there are very large forests from which a good deal of the timber for the rapidly rising towns and manufacturing districts is drawn, the supply being almost exhaustless. Should the United States be engaged in war with a foreign power, and such a povrer should succeed in blockading the sea,board ports, it would not inconvenience her much, because she has within her borders everything required to sustain her population and carry on a war for years * h I f ii \ m^ ;■ f-J lii :.M I <\ i i it ^?' : ;1| I? : H Ti 111. 190 CHICAGO TO NEW YORK. she has 170,000 miles of railways connecting all the largo towns and centres of population. She has an unlimited supply of iron, salt, and timber, her lakes, rivers, and canals, are immeasurable and in the event of a war would be invaluable in carrying surplus produce wherever it might be required, her food producing capacity, is the greatest in the world, in tlie West wheat, in the centre Indian corn, in the South rice and sugar. Her soil is fertile, yielding in abundance all requisite food supplies, and above all she has a hardy, enterprising, courageous, and educated population, and has room for fifty times a larger one ; she has no distant colonies to protect, and on that account could concentrate all her strength upon any threatened point of her frontier, so that in my humble opinion, she is THE STRONGEST POWER IN THE WORLD. Although the standing army is small, there are militia and volunteer organisations in every town and district, giving the citizens a military training. But let us hope the day is far distant, wlien she will have to draw the sword, either to protect her shores from a foreign foe, or to perpetuate and keep intact, that Union, which has done so much for the human race. Some say there will be a breach sooner or later between the East and West, as one is the Custom-house of the other, and charges too high a tariff. But] I think this is a narrow view of the subject, because it is only recently that the great railway systems have been completed, which in the course of a short time, must cheapen the carriage of goods ; and as the mines get opened up and manufacturing industries established in the interior, the country will be Jess dependent on foreign merchandise ; thus the western " Grangers " will have home markets for their produce, and the eastern manufacturer for his goods, this must lead to a mutual good under- standing because it will make the interest of every section of the country identical. The great danger of the West is from China, rather than from the manufacturers, for CHINESE EMIGRATION on a large seale, is calculated seriously to weaken the United States, by discouraging the immigration of large imited s, and would 3ver it is the centre soil is ipplies, igeous, mes a and on on any lumble militia istrict, i Ijope sword, or to one so be a IS one igh a ibject, 'Stems time, es get ed in )reign home )turer nder- ;ction est is I the a of CHICAGO TO NEW YORK. 101 European labourers to its territories. Chinese emigra- tion is not of a character calculated to enrich or enoble a country. The Chinaman never intends to become a citizen, he in his heart despises the citizens of the United States as Outer Barbarians, and will not brincf his wife and children with him to be contaminated by their (to his thoughts) uncivilised and savage ways ; he will not even leave his corpse to enrich the American soil ; the bodies of Chinamen are therefore carefully shipped back to their celestial land. He does not however hesitate to bring to this land of Outer Barbarians, the filthiest vices of the filthiest people in the world. With his " Choice Souchong " — muck that a Chinese scavenger would not con- descend to swill ; he brings cargoes of the most degraded women, who pollute the social atmosphere of the Pacific seaboard cities, with their hateful presence. Wherever he goes throughout the States, he reduces the rate of wages to starvation level. How indeed can European labourers contend on equal terms in the labour market, with men who are accustomed to regard rat soup as one of the highest delicacies ? I do not wish to give vent to any illiberal sentiments, or to prevent these members of the great human family, from emigrating to any country they please, but I do think, that if any regcird is to be had, to the position of the United States, as a great military power, Chinese emigration to America requires regulation. Capitalists may make a few millions out of the cheap labour of the Heathen Chinee ; but when the time comes for the sword to decide, who shall have the future control of that wealth, and of the Government of the United States, the contest will be decided, not by the country possessing most capitalists, and " Chinamen," but by the country possessing the largest number of properly trained men of European extraction. " Fortified towus, well-stored arsenals and armouries," said Lord Chancellor Bacon, "Goodly races of horse, chariots of war, elephants, ordnance, artillery, and the like, are uothmg more than a sheep in a lion's skin, unless the nation itself be from its origin and temper, stout [and warlike. The sinews of war are not jnoney, if the sinews of men's arms be wanting as they are in a soft and effeminate nation ; for Solon said well to i i. ii ; f 1 i mi \m '3 .,; ■ 192 CHICAGO TO NEW YORK. Croesus (when in ostentation he showed him his gold). ' Sir, if any other come that hath better iron than you, he will be master of all this gold.' " At half-past nine o'clock p.m. we arrived at DETROIT, and immediately crossed the Detroit River about a mile wide, on a huge ferry boat, like a small Great Eastern, to Windsor, Ontario. The town of Detroit, is one of the oldest in the United States, having been settled by French colonists from Lower Canada, in the year 1701; some of the most sanguinary battles of the war between the English and French, were fought in its neighbourhood. The present population is about 93,000, a large portion being Germans and Irish. There are nine banks and a great many fine public buildings, eight Catholic Churches, seven Episcopalian Protestant Churches, six Baptist Chapels, eight German Lutheran Churches, five Methodist Chapels, and two Jewish Synagogues, besides a number of other places of worship. There are also six daily papers, and a large number of weeklies. WINDSOR, on the opposite side of the river, is in the province of Ontario, Canadian Territory, on the extreme end of the Ontaria^ Peninsula. The town is well built and in a nourishing condition, the population being about 4,000, a large proportion of whom are engaged in the lumber trade. In replying to an address presented to the Governor General by the people of Windsor last summer, when LORD DUFFERIN, in the course of a tour of inspection visited that town. The Governor General said " You tell me that you inhabit a portion of the Dominion, which is in some respects isolated, shut off from the remainder of our territories ; I should imagine, that if it is in any way distinguished from the rest of Canada, it is by the peculiar beauty of its situation, by the advantages of its climate, and by the enviable facilities it tnjoys, from its proximity to so magnificent a river, be that as it may, whatever be the isolation of your geographical position, it is quite evident CHICAGO TO NEW YORK. 193 is gold) you, he 3 o'clock a mile stern, to of the ^ French some of een the ourhood. portion :s and a Churches, Baptist [ethodist umber of Y papers, »vince of d of the nd in a Lit 4,000, 3 lumber Governor ^hen at town. lI inhabit respects tories; I hed from ity of its I by the ;y to so : be the ; evident from what you have said, and from what I see around me that you are united with the rest of your fellow subjects in your love of freedom ; in your devotion to the interests of your country ; in the pride which you so justly feel, in the institutions under which you live, and in the satisfac- tion which you express with regard to that magnificent destiny which is common to you all." I laid on the floor of the station at Windsor, till four o'clock in the morning wrapped up in my blanket, for I carried that useful covering with me in all my trn veiling, as it often served the twofold purpose of bed and bedclothes, and on this night, instead of going to an hotel for a few hours, I made use of my portmanteau for a pillow, folded my blanket around me and laid on the floor soon to fall into a sound sleep ; from which I was awakened at four o'clock by the clatter of a bell, and the guard shouting " All aboard 1" instead of " Take your seats !" as in England ; a quantity of snow had fallen during the night which pre- vented my seeing anything of the country ; but this Peninsula or sknt of the province of Ontario, through which I travelled and which divides Lake Erie from Lake Huron, is considered THE GARDEN OF CANADA, it is traversed by the two great Canadian railway systems the Grand Trunk and the Great Western, both of which have termini at Windsor. Arriving in Toronto, at one o'clock I went to my old quarters at the Mansion House Hotel, where I met numerous friends who were glad to see me. Among them MR. CHRISTOPHER SHIEL, just arrived from Dublin where he was Ontario emigra- tion agent. After a day or two's rest I went in company with Mr. Shiel to visit some of the towns in the western portion of the province, the first we stopped at was Guelph, where I had been before in the middle of the summer ; we called on MR. FAHEY, the editor of one of the two daily papers published there and this gentleman answered every question and gave us all the information in his power. There was no destitution o h i 1 1'^'"' 4: 1^ r 1:1 lb i:: ■ f !'; 194 CHICAGO TO NEW YORK. whatever in the town or neighbourhood, as none of the societies or Town Council had been appUed to for relief. The people were all well clad in warm clothing, which was necessary as the weather was cold. From Guelph we went to London, where we had the honour of an interview with DR. WALSH, THE CATHOLIC BISHOP, who is a native of Kilkenny, Ireland ; his Lordship received us courteously and gave us much valuable information ; he said that there was no destitution, although tliere was a slackness in the manufacturing industries, tlirough the financial depression in the States; that in the early part of the summer ; he would have no objection to take charge of a number of agricultural labourers, and assist them in getting employment, and that nt any season of the year he could place cut young women in situations, ds female servants were always wanted. Around LONDON the country is excellently cultivated and the farms well laid out, on this head I will again refer to a speech of Lord Dufferin s in reply to an address from the citizens during his progress on the tour alluded to. He said " Of course we are all aware, that agriculture is the mainstay of Canada's prosperity, experience has taught us, that agri- culture is best supplemented by the existence of manu- factures, which on the one hand supply the farmer with those materials, necessary for the transaction of his lousiness, while on the other hand they constitute a market for his surplus products. During the course of the last few days, I have passed through tracts of the most beautiful country, possessing soil as fertile as any that it has ever been my good fortune to observe, the magnificent regularity and vast area of the fields have made a great impression upon my mind, accustomed as I am to the small, and I regret to say, more or less imperfectly cultivated districts of the Old Countries, and I feel that I am paying you no unmean- ing or unjustifiable compliment, when I say that there are many English and Irish farmers who might take a lesson from your system of agriculture." The population of London is about 19,000, of which 1,000 are blacks; there is a ii u CHICAGO TO NEW YORK. 1})5 of the relief. icli was Iph we terview •eceived Illation ; ere was \ig\i the ^ part of large of hem in year he female veil laid of Lord 1 during f course istay of lat agri- f nianu- ith those business, t for his rV days, I country, )een my ^rity and Lon upon I regret bs of the Luimean- there are a lesson f London lere is a arailway waggon factory employing nearly 100 men, several oil refineries giving work to a large number of liaiuls, a cooperage, and a rather 'Extensive tannery, five l)auks, and a good many societies established for different purposes. We called on THE LOCAL IMMIGRATION AGENT, and he said there was no difficulty in finding employment for all the emigrants that came to his agency during the summer, and those who had arrived in the past season were all comfortably settled. We wjnt from London to Hamil- ton, a town situated on the far end of Lake Ontario. The scenery around it in summer niust be very fine, a chain of disconnected and wood-covered hills behind, and the sparkling lake in front, with the town nestling along the curving end of the bay. HAMILTON is the seat of some large manufactures, among them the works of the Great Western Railway of Canada, a sewing machine manufactory, a stove factory, a woollen mill for making tweeds, an agricultural implement manufactory, besides several other industries. The population is about 28,000, and of all European nationalities, about six or 6even hundred being coloured people, mostly waiters or barbers, for tln-oughout Canada and the States, barbering is generally done by negroes, the whiteman thinking it below his dignity to follow that business. There are three daily papers, four Episcopalian Protestant Churches, three Catholic, four Presbyterian, six Methodist, one Lutheran (German), and one Jewish Synagogue; some of those edifices being large' and commodious, particidarly the Catholic Cathedral, dedicated to St. Mary. I was told that town employment was slack, and that there was some staunation in manufactures, entirolv on ac- count of the financial crisis in the neighbouring re- public, but that there was no actual destitution, although the Town Council and philanthropic societies had taken steps to assist the working classes during the winter in case of need. There was a good deal of snow on the ground and the atmosphere was cold, but very dry, which prevented the cold being felt as much as if it had been o 2 :k ! ,1 J'; 11 I . -, t 1 P Ih •t ; '\ i !!• l\ i ^ !i 19(> CHICAGO TO NEW YORK. damp ; and it is extraordinary how soon a little active exercise will create a warm glow, even -when the glass is very low, because the heat produced is not attracted from the body by humidity, the atmosphere being very light. After spending a day in Hamilton we went to ST. Catherine's, on the Welland Canal, situated on a plateau, 120 feet higher than Lake Ontario. It is a kind of a Canadian, Killarney and Tunbridge Wells combined, as there are woods, lakes, and sulphur springs, and enthusiastic admirers have called it the Saratago of Canada. The population is about 17,0(){) with two daily Papers, five Banks, two Pi'otestant Churches, two Baptist Chai^els, two Presbyterian Chapels, and one Roman Catholic Church (ver}'- large) ; several schools, and branches of the four great organisations, the St. George's, St. Patrick's, St. Andrew's, and Irish Protestant Benevolent Society, and also a branch of the Brotherhood of St. Vincent De Paul, is established there. THE WELLAND CANAL, on which the town is built, is the most important of the Canadian Canal systems as it connects the navigation of Lake Erie with Lake Ontario, which in the Erie River (the natural channel) is entirely prevented by Niagara Falls. The canal is 27 miles long, with a lock on every mile and constructed for vessels of five hundred tons, but some vessels that go through are a great deal in excess of that figure. The Canadian Government is now buildino' a ship canal of much larger capacity, and on more improved engineering principles, as the present one is totally inade- quate for the rajjidly increasing trade on the lakes. During my visit to St. Catherine's, there were a thousand men on the works, the greater portion of them excavators, leceiving wages of one dollar and r. quarter per day, and in a few instances a dollar and a half, masons from two to three dollars per day, but tliere were not many mechanics on the job as a good deal of the cutting was through rock, and brickwork or masonry was not required except at the locks. I heard there was no difficulty in getting men CHICAGO TO NEW YORK. 197 xercise rv low, e body After 10 feet iiadian, 31*6 are Lisiastic The rs, five elvS, two Church he four ;k's, St. ty, and )e Paul. fc of the ation of e River Niagara )ry mile ut some of that ildiug a Liproved Y inade- lakes. lousand avators, % and in . two to 'chanics ^h rock, :cept at Lig men as any number could be had from Buffalo, Albany, New York, and other towns in the States, wlu^ro the money panic had caused the suspension of public works, and thrown thousands of hands out of employment. Before leaving St. Catherine's T had the honour, in company with Mr. Shiel, to visit THE VERY REVEREND ARCHDEACON MULLIGAN, the Catholic clergyman of the town; I was very well pleased with my visit, for I found in the Archdeacon a man of great practical intelligence, with a thorough knowledge of the working classes, both in America and Europe. He said that both himself and the Protestant clergymen were endeavouring to keep the men on the public works from drink, and that in a great measure their combined efforts had been successful, as there were over 300 of the Catholic workmen in one society, and that before the temperance movement was introduced among them, the scenes in the town on pay days were frightful ; but that now a large number of the men were putting money in bank, and had erected a hall on the works for meetings and concerts to be held in. The Archdeacon informed us that there were only tliree people receiving assistance from the Town Council, and that they were helpless old women, St. Catherine's and its vicinity being •otherwise free from pauperism. After taking leave of the good Archdeacon, we went for a walk, although the day Avas intensely cold, and the snow was deep ; it was not, however, damp, but dry, something like flour; every person we met was well clad and fully prepared to stand the most severe \\inter, great woollen gloves on their hands, comforters round their necks, and overshoes out- side their boots ; I wore just the same winter clothing that I would in England or Ireland, and did not feel the least inconvenience from the cold. Next day we returned to Toronto, by the Great Western Railway, having been just a M^eek on the trip. The face of the country was covered with snow to about a depth of six inches, entirely preventing us seeing the quality of the land, but judging from the appearance of the houses and villages along the line, the district must be in a prosperous state. Navigation on the !( - Hi, il' ! f-j '^ i :.^ 1:1 198 CHICAGO TO NEW YORK. great lakes and rivers was just closing, and ships were being laid up for the winter; many of the men employed going to the timber forests or lumber mills, and others who had saved plenty of money during the summer to live in comfort imtil navigation opened in April. In Toronto tliere was some poverty, mostly among the very improvi- dent, and considering it is the largest emigration depot in the Dominion, I was surprised there was not more destitution, as many arrive late in the season. The plan generally adopted by the working classes, is to purchase a barrel or two of flour, and a quantity of beef and pork in the autumn, which can be done much cheaper than when winter sets in, the meat being preserved fresh by freezing it. This is the general practice all through the country as there is very little outdoor feed for stock in winter, and farmers get their animals in condition before the entire severity of the weather begins, when they either kill and take the meat to market themselves, or sell to a butcher. Frost will preserve meat for any length of time, the last piece being just as good as the first, but it must not be refrozen, that is thawed and frozen again because it makes it flabby and flavourless. Nearly all working and middle class people get in a store of provisions for winter while things are cheap ; doing away with that dependence on casual employ- ment and parish relief so frequent with a large portion of the working classes of the Old Countries. During my stay in Toronto, THE LOCAL PARLIAMENT was sitting and I could not help admiring the straight- forward and business-like way in which the work of Legis- lation was carried on, every member attending to his duty and giving as much attention to his work as he would to> any private speculation or trade he might be engaged in. THE WINTER WAGES FOR LABOURERS in Toronto was from four to five shillings per day, and although the weather was cold there was a good deal of work going on. On the 5th and Gth of December, a thaw set in and cleared the ground entirely of snow^, at which the people grumbled a good deal because they said as ii' uoing iig to had ve in )ronto provi- dupot more 2 plau laso a ork in when eezing 3uulry r, and entire id take Frost i piece frozen, flabby people igs are mploy- •tion of ly stay raight- ' Legis- is duty ould to- ed in. ly, and deal of a thaw ; which said as CHICAGO TO NEW YORK. 199 soon as the snow got fairly settled they could go on with their regular winter arrangements, but thaws made every- thing damp and unpleasant. THE CLIMATE OF ONTARIO, and particularly on the shores of the lake is the most genial in Canada, milder iu winter and not so warm in summer as other portions of the Dominion; fruit and vegetables of every kind growing in the greatest profusion and perfection, the Canadian apples being considered among the finest producoo in any country. From Toronto I went to Montreal by the Grand Trunk Railway, the country being covered with snow, the lakes and rivers frozen over, and the cattle all housed, great heaps of timber sawn into junks, about two feet long, were laying round the stations along the line, at private houses, and in convenient places for sale, that at the stations, was for the locomotives and offices, and that at the houses, for private use. As yet wood constitutes THE PRINCIPAL FUEL OF CANADA, and sells at from four and a half to seven dollars per cord. Those great heaps of fuel wood reminded me of the vast quantity of coal often seen around an English railway station in the mining districts, or the big turf stacks on an Irish bog or around well-to-do Irish farm houses. A good deal of this timber is cut by HORSE POWER MILLS, and if the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has any power in Canada, it ought to put the law in motion against this class of horsework, for this horse-power wood cutting mill, is a horse torturer, and the sooner it is abolished or improved, the better it will be for the poor brutes that have to work it. At the different stations where the train stopped I was much struck with THE GOOD WARM CLOTHING OF THE PEOPLE, the light summer articles were laid aside, and thick woollen material worn instead, of course well to do people were better off in this respect than the working class, however, they were well fitted up to follow their employment, I. I m 200 CHICAGO TO NEW YORK. rough warm clothes, long boots outside their trousers, hairy caps with earlets to cover the ears, woollea or leather gloves, stout jacket or overcoat, and a woollen comforter round the neck, as a rule constituting the dress of a Canadian workingman. Arriving in Montreal at ten o'clock, I put my luggage on my back and trudged my way to the Express Hotel, where I had stopped during my previous visit to the city. V "il $' I; ; I •I! r U 201 )user.s, leather iforter Is of a it ten fed my ingmy CHAPTER XII. FROM MONTREAL TO PHILADELPHIA IN WINTER. Having in previous chapters given an account of my travels in Canada during the summer months, I liave now to recount my winter experiences. A CanaiHan winter differs so mucli from a Canadian summer that it is difficult to realise the fact that one is still in the same country ; of course the mode of life of the people changes with the seasons, and it is most important, that the emigrant should acquaint himself with the customary precautions adopted hy the experienced inhabitants, to make life com- fortable and pleasant during the winter months. If, there- fore, at times I seem lo travel over the same track twice the above must be my excuse. From Montreal I went to Ottawa, where I remained for a few days, during which time there was AN ELECTION for the Provincial Parliament of Ontario. The contest ran pretty close, and there was considerable excitement and manifestation of party and other influences, but all carried on with the greatest good humour, the various candidates speaking from one platform and at the same meeting, although of totally opposite political views. EMPLOYMENT WAS PLENTIFUL in the town, as there was a good deal of public works going on. There did not seem to be much destitution, but the little there was, convinced me of the necessity of Govern- ment dealing with it by an Act for that purpose, instead of leaving it to be met by private societies that are not responsible to the public. I went through several streets in the working class quarters and the general appearance ' 'i ! I il r < 202 MONTIIKAL TO nriLADELPHIA. of the people and of tlioir homes was good. I also made iiKHiirics of clergymen, liead.s of temperance societies, and of otlu-Ts who were likely to know, and was told that real povi'rty was reduced to a minimum, orphans, widows, or destitute old people heing taken care of hy the ditterent societies, hut it does not matter how prosperous a place may bo, there alway.\ 'vill he some poor peo|)l(! who nmst he taken car*; of, either hy the Government or private charity, or, what is still better, a combination of both. Many of the emigrants that go to (.Vmada and tlu; States are totally unfit to leave home and tlo not make rapid lieadway in tlie new country; some of them are often very intelligent and capable of writing letters to a newspapt^r condemning everything Canadian or American ; some of these people might have left comfortable homes behind, and either through a (]unrr(;l with friends or a desire to see the world, have crossed the Atlantic, and fancy they are going to make a fortune, without exerting themselvcis ; but they make a great mistake, as in nine tises out of ten WORK ALONE IS THE STEPPING STONE TO PROSPERITY. Another class are those who go out in the early spring, get work in a town at good wages, spend most of it on. whiskey, do not make any preparation for winter, either b}^ purchasing stores in the autumn when things are cheap, or the warm clothing that is necessary for protection against cold weather; the result is that when the least difficulty comes on this class is pauperised ; then there are those who, through accident, illness, or late arrival in the country, are also badly off during the winter, but I am glad to say they form a very small percentage of the population, and, on the whole, the destitution in Canadian towns, bears no comparison to that in the towns of the United Kingdom during the severe season of the year. Having made a circular tour of about 40 miles around Ottawa and finding the same general state of things, I returned to Montreal to make preparation for a run through the Province of Quebec, and while in Montreal I went to several places of public resort to sec the people and note their winter appearance ; among the places that I went to were one or two election meetings in the open air, a Home Rule for fs, and lit real )WH, or ferent )c may list bo haritv, liny of [totally jvay in lli<:(ont nining people cither world. ) make lake a GKITV. spring, it on. blier b}^ cap, or igainst fficulty '■ those )untry% to say n, and, jars no iigdom lade a inding real to ice of ices of ►vinter re one lie for montiu:al to piiiladklphia. 203 Ireland meeting, Catholic nnd Protestant temperanco meetings, Catholic and Protestant chnrches, to see tln^ con- gregations, and to a large Iri.sh concert i)c'ld in the Town Hall, and, without ex/iggcaation, the ]>eopl(' present at those itherings were onlerly, healthy looking, and well dressed. J al S(» VISl ted THE COURT HOUSE AND (!AOL The gi'eatest portion of the charges were for crimes directly or indirectly arising out of drink ; one of the officials said to me " If there was no drink there would be but very little for us to d o. The i^aol, 1 thouiiht, was not sutH- ciently ventilated, and the accommodation for debtors and prisoners waiting for trial was bad. I was glad to find that th(! dreadful and barbarous silent system was not resorted to. Leaving Montreal, I went to the (Jity of Quebec, and the same general state of things prevailed there. Of course THE NA\'IGATION OF THE ST. LAWllENCE was closed, although the river was kept clear of ice between Point Levis and the town. The ferry boats being very powerfid and able to keep the floating cakes of ice from uniting, or new ice from forming, and although it was the latter end of January they were still crossing and recrossing several times a day. THE SNOW was about a foot thick on the ground and exceedingly light and dry, never falling in thick fltibby flakes as it does in the United Kingdom, and that which comes down in the beginning of winter scarcely ever thaws before spring. This snow is of the greatest benefit to the land in a climate like that of Canada, as it protects it from frost and supplies it with the natural salts, as rain does in the United King- dom. In winter there are very few birds either in Canada or the Northern States, as most of them migrate south for that season of the year, just as our own swallows, cuckoos,, nightingales, and other members of the feathered tribe go to warmer climates. THE HEALTH OF THE PEOPLE everywhere seemed to be good, and I did not hear of epi- 204 MONTREAL TO PHILADELPHIA. ir. ' MH H\ . ? 5 - ■I; i' I h.k |1 !,-,^' demies or prevalent diseases of any sort, and, considering that I had travelled some thousands of miles ; both in sum- mer and winter, in Canada and the States, this immunity from disease is an evidence of the healthiness of the country. After spending a few days in the city of Quebec I went for A TRIP THROUGH THE EASTERN TOWNSHIPS OF THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC, "where I was well pleased with the general condition of the people in the villages and towns through which I passed ; I was told that there was no destitution anywhere in the section, not even among those who had been in the country •only a short time. There are a great many COMFORTABLE FARM HOUSES, in this locality, which nature has so richly endowed Avith good land, fine timber, and magnificent scenery. House burning in winter is one of the dangers that Canadians and citizens of the States have to guard against, because a large number of dwellings are made of timber and are almost as easily ignited as a tinder box ; besides, they are heated by a stove or stoves according to the size of the building. This stove stands in the middle of the floor or floors of the rooms. There are generally speaking no fire places as in the Old Countries, the box stove being used for both heating and domestic purposes, the smoke is car- ried off by an iron pipe flue, and should this become over- heated it would set on fire any wood that might be near it, and, everything being so dry, in a few minutes the whole fabric would be destroyed. THE AMERICAN STOVE is far more economical for domestic use than a grate, as one fire will serve for several purposes at once. There are round openings in the top into which pots or kettles will fit, perhaps one with water in, a second with meat, a third with puddings, and a fourth with something else, and in the sides there may be baking or frying going on, and not more fuel consumed than there would be in an ordinary grate to boil one pot or kettle of water ; this is a consider- ation in this age of dear coals and expensive fuel. On the other hand, the stove standing on the floor of the room or kitchen, as the case may be, without any outlet from it rX ' V' ^^ jidering m sum- [munity of the [Quebec THE in of the passed ; \e in the country ^ed with House anadians because • and are they are :e of the e floor or ig no fire 3ing used ke is car- )me over- t be near the whole grate, as There are 3ttles will it, a third 30, and in 1, and not ordinary consider- uel. On the room et from it MONTREAL TO PHILADELPHIA. 205. excepting the iron flue, which only takes away the smoke, has a tendency to make the air of the room dry and hot, and to a certain extent impure, as the oxygen of the air, is consumed by contact with the hot iron mass of the stove, and fumes of sulphur are also generated by the heated iron, and there is no outlet for impure air to escape as there would be in an ordinary chimney. This hot air is bene- ficial to some people, and especially to those subject to pulmonary diseases, but to a healthy person it causes head- ache and lassitude. To remedy this defect there is usually a can of water boiling on a corner of the stove, the evapo- ration giving the necessary humidity to the air. Charles Dickens, in his American notes, entirely condemned the stove and everything connected with it, but with due deference to that great writer's opinion I think, Avith all its taults, it is a decided improvement on the Old Country fireplaces, particularly for poor people, or those who wish to economise fuel. The stove is the property of the tenant and constitutes a part of his furniture just as miicli as a clock or a chair, not as in the Old Countries, where the grate belongs to the landlord and is absolutely part and parcel of the house in which it stands. There are a great many varieties of these stoves and of different values, like any other piece of household goods, some being very ornamental and costly. A large quantity of MAPLE SUGAR is made in the eastern townships, and is an article of con- siderable value to the manufacturers or proprietors of a maple grove. The sugar made from the sap of the maple tree, is extracted by tapping in early spring, a tree yielding about a pailful of juice without injuring it. The process of manufacture is a very simple one, merely hanging a large pot over a slow fire and putting the sap into it to boil down to the necessary consistency to make cakes of brown sugar, in appearance like ginger bread, or a kind of treacle called syrup, which is extensively used at table ; some Canadians and Americans would consider a meal incomplete without this article, although, for my part, I did not like it. The maple tree is indigenous to Canada, growing almost anywhere, and as nearly all j f 20G MONTRFAL TO PHILADELPHIA. I '■( '«C * !''' il; 1^ countries aro typified by an animal, bird, or plant, as for instance, England with its lion and rose, Scotland with its three lions and thistle, Ireland with its wolf dog and sham- rock, Wales with its goat and leek, France with its eagle and lillies, the United States with its eagle and stars, each star signifying a state of the Union, Canada has adopted the industrious beaver, and the leaf of the maple tree, a quartering that is likely to occupy a place in the world as lofty and useful as some of the others, for although Canada is united to Great Britain she has an independent banner, but, of course, with the Union Jack quartered in it as being a part of the empire. From the eastern town- ships I went by the Grand Trunk, Vermont Central, and Hudson Valley railways to New York from Montreal, 450 miles. A great portion of the journey was through THE STATE OF VERMONT, one of the smallest States in the Union, being only 10,212 square miles, as against Texas, the largest, which is 274,356. The population of Vermont at the last census was 830,551, of which the foreign born was 16,027, divided as follows: — Irish, 14,080 ; English, 1,946 ; Germans, 870; French, 93; Danes, 21 ; Norwegians, 84 ; and Swedes 84. Here it will be seen that the Irish are far in excess of all the other nationalities, showing that they settle more in the east than THE GERMANS, whereas the latter are more for settling in communities and in the western states, and as a rule the Germans are better off, although of not so much political weight as the Irish, because the latter locate more in the cities, and towns, and consequently take a more active part in public questions. As the snow was thick on the ground I had no opportunity of seeing the face of the country, but there appeared to be a good deal of manufactures carried on in the towns along the line for I noticed several factories and mills for different purposes. I made frequent enquiries about the state of the labour market, and everyone told me it was in a very depressed state on account of the money panic. In ALBANY 'it!: If MONTREAL TO PHILADELPHIA. 207 ilant, as for nd with its ■ and sham- bh its eagle stars, each as adopted aple tree, a le world as r although idependent uartered in stern town- entral, and Montreal, } through inly 10,212 lis 274,356. as 330,551, 3 follows: — J'rench, 93 ; Here it of all the ore in the miniunities rmans are icjht as the cities, and t in public nd I had but there ried on in stories and enquiries yone told mt of the we had a stay of four or five hours, waiting for the train on the Hudson Valley Railway, to take us on to the Empire City. Albany is a place of about 100,000 inhabi- tants, beautifully situated on the banks of the Hudson River, with remarkably wide streets, terraces, and avenues. Even the dwellings of the working classes are situated in nice open spaces, most of them with little gardens before or behind. It is the capital of the state of New York, and is the seat of the State Legislature, which consists of two Chambers — namely, the House of Repre- sentatives, and the Senate, with THE GOVERNOR as principal executive officer or head magistrate within the boundaries of the state, he is also Commander in Chief of all State armaments, naval and military, and has the power to use those forces to carry out the law within his jurisdiction, but iie must not of his own accord order state forces to duty outside the state, as that is a matter entirely resting with the people's representatives and the Congress of the United States. His Council which is also elective has certain powers, hut subject to his veto; as for instance the pardoning of crimina's guilty of violat- ing state law, and in the event of the death of the Governor during his term of office the Deputy or Lieutenant Governor takes his place, as Andrew Johnson did that of President of the Republic, after the death of Abraham Lincoln. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA consists of thirty-seven States and twelve Territories, having a united area of 3,591,849 miles. The terri- tories will be gradually admitted to the dignity of states, but at present their affairs are administered by the Federal authorities as they have not sufficient popula- tion for self-government. The Congress of the United States, tnat is the House of Representatives, and the Senate together, is the highest power in the Republic, and THE PRESIDENT is the Executive Officer and Commander in Chief of the United States forces by land and sea, he has the power to compel the observance of the law and preservation of the r if? 'I * I Y'^ I I Pi' " i' ; ''Ml , l\. '- 210 MONTREAL TO PHILADELPHIA. II I: lli' . 11 b :• most populous in the Union, the number of inliabitants at the last census being, 4,3^2,751), of course including the city of New York ; the State area is 47,000 sc^uare miles. The statistical tables give the foreign born inhabitants as follows: — Irisli, 528,823; Germans, 310,902; EngUsh, including Scotch and Welsh, 110,071 ; French, 22,302 ; Danes, 1,701 ; Swedes, 5,520 ; Norwegians, 975. Hero again we may notice that the Irish exceed all the other foreign born settlers put together ; 95,953 of the 20(3,818 emigrants that landed at Castle Gardens, in the year 1873 settled in the State of New York, of the 200,818, 104,214 were Germans, and 68,012 Irish; showing that a greater number of Germans landed, but did not remain in the state, the majority going to the north-west to settle on land ; whereas most of the Irish and English, remain in the east, generally to live by wages, either as labourers, or mechanics, or as assistants, in different branches of trade. I attribute the choice of settlement by English speaking emigrants in the eastern states to three main causes — namely, want of education, poverty., and speaking the English langiiage; for instance, among the 11,703 English, Irish, and Scotch emigrants engaged at the labour office at Castle Gardens in 1869, there were 3,058 totally illiterate, and of 10,120 Germans, who passed thiough the same year, only 321 were unable to read and write, and when a man is entirely illiterate he is more or less dependent, and is almost bound to be the servant or workman of somebody else, and is glad to take the first employment that offers, generally remaining in one place as long as he can. The emigrant who lands without money is exceed- ingly glad to get any work, and almost any wages, because his need is urgent and he can neither go further or wait for select employment. On this subject I quote from the REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF EMIGRATION for the State of New York for 1873 :— " Offices of the Com- missioners of Emigration, Castle Gardens,New York,Novem- ber 1873. — Circular addressed to various companies. — The Commissioners of Emigration direct me to inform you that there are now several hundred able-bodied men and ■women applying for employment at the Labour Bureau of this department, most of whom would be willing to go MONTREAL TO PHILADELPHIA. 211 ,ants at the city The follows : eluding 1,701 ; ve may jn born ligrants 1 in the ennans, liber of ate, the land ; in the irers, or )f trade, peaking faiises — \g the English, >ur office » totally :)ugh the indwhen pendent, km an of )loyment •ng as he exceed- , because • or wait from the TION :he Com- :,Novom- lcs.— The you that nen and : Bureau mg to go to work at v^ y low wages. Thc^re are also n number at the refuge at Ward's Island, who are at present su])ported by tliis commission, because they are unai)le to find work, II you desire to employ any of these persons, iuffjrmation will be furnished, and assistance rendered by applying at this office. — I am your obedient servant, E. D. Webster, 'Gcincral Superintendent." The above note is sufficient evidence that there is nearly ALWAYS A NUMBER OF DESTITUTE EMICIRANTS ready to take employment almost at any wages, in and around New York. Knowledore of the Endish Ian- guage makes the eihigrant of greater value to the Yankee employer, who is as ready to invest his capital to advantage, as the poor labourer is to get employment ; so that to a certain extent the Germans, and other non- English-speaking people, are forced to " communise " and colonise, which in the end is very much to their benefit. I saw as much destitution in the streets of New York as I have seen in London, Liverpool,Cork, or Dublin, and no wonder for thousands arrive at New York and and are unable to leave ; and this is where the Federal Government is neg- lecting its duty to the emigrant, for it has not made A (iENERAL EMIGRATION LAW, whereby the labour would be distributed to points wdiere it is most in request; Congress has passed some Acts to protect emigrants at sea, but as soon as they are landed the control and assistance of the Federal Government ceases and State law comes into operation. Castle Gardens is entirely a State affair, and a fine institution it is as far as it goes, but its power is not sufficiently extensive for such a vast country as the United States, or for pro- perly directing so large a business as immigration. Besides to a certain degree it luis had a tendency to keep emi- irrants in New York and its neio'libourhood, instead of dispersing them, as would be the case under a general law, when Boston, Philadelphia, and other places would become ports of debarkation, as well as New York. MR. KAPP one of the Commissioners of Emigration, writing in opposition to a Federal law, says, " In the first instance, ihe institutions for the jirotection of Ihe emigrant, P 2 212 MONTREAL TO PHTLADELPHIA. •1 ' u 'li; 1 1 1 I 11, 1 Vi ri ' (. .11 t;' t'j !i 'i' " J 'I would liave to be; largely exteiHlod, and instead of one place like Castle Gardens, a dozen -would be required besides the eastern, the southern, and western ports, the large inland cities like Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and St. Paul, would have to be provided witli the same proportionate facilities as New York ; thus, the General Government would be oblig^jd to sustain, ten establishni(^nts, while the income from the commutation tax would remain the same. At a low estimate the Government would have to pay at least one million of dollars per year out of its coffers for this purpose." And again this writer says " There is antjther weighty objection to the transfer of the control of immigration to the General Government, the proper care of the emigrant requires a staff of efficient officers, having well trained employes acting under them. Experience has shown that even the best organised minds recpiire months and years to master this task." THE FIRST OF THESE ARGUMENTS is devoid of any broad statesmanlike view^s; for in the lirst place the commutation tax, according to himself (page 153 of his book), j-eaches nearly three quarters of a million an- nually, and again, on page 144, he says, " each emigrant possesses property to the value of 150 dols., thus adding to the wealth of the nation 3roper discharge of their duties ; we have seen about 11 MONTREAL TO PHILADKLPHIA. 213 of one e(^iiiied its, the , Louis, ed witli hus, tllG [liii, ten lutation late tlie [Uion of " And l)jecti()n to the migrant trained )wn that nd years the first page 153 [Uion an- eniigrant idding to " and on ital value ^e figures to some t of the made a 5. well say y train, a ' at'Castle America ; says, " It e Federal g security sen about ten or twelve different collectors of the New York Custom House since 1847, and in all probabiUty each new Admi- nistration would have paid off a part of its poHtical liabilities by appointments to offices in connection with immigration." According^ to this mode of reasoning it is ONLY A FKW STATK oFFirFALS TH.VT CAN UK HONKST, but then he proves his point l)y saying that it costs 1,()()(),()()0 dols. in bril)es, theft, and embezzlement, to collect 3,t()0,()()() dels, of revenue; surely this is a sad state of affairs, when one of the Emigration Commissioners in a book, issued in 1870 under the sanction of tlie Board of which he is a member, makes an accusation like this against the officials of the Republic; but whether lie is right or wrong in the assertion, his object is to prevent the United States Government taking the immigrant under its own charge. Let those who have any misgiving as to the efficiency of a general laAV, or the benefit to the nation, as well as to the poor innnigrant himself, by such legislation look at the ACTION OF THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT in giving a free railway ticket to the immigrant to nearly any part of the Dominion, and certainly that government loses nothing by so doing, for labour is diffused, and the resources of the country are more r'^pidly developed. On Monday, February 17th, I visited Castle Gardens, and was leceived by Colonel Coonan (the chief clerk), with courtesy and attention. The place is admirably adapted for its purpose, situated at the south- east corner of the city close to the water side, having its own wharf for landing immigrants and their luggage. The main building is circular like the Rotunda, Dublin, or the Albert Hall, London, larger than one and not so large as the other. Every emigrant coming to the port of New York must land at this depot; the shipowners paying IJ dol. for each, which, of course, the passenger must pay in his fare. This head tax makes CASTLE GARDENS and all the institutions dependent on it self-supporting ; aiid tliis, to New York, must be a considerable source of wealth ; particvdarly as those emigrants spend a large amount of money before leaving the city. The name, age, occupation, nationality, and avowed destination 214 MONTREAL TO PHII.ADKLPHIA. III!: ii. -' 1 ■ !i 1 t ■ ; 1 J : / ' .11 i ' i: ■J; ?! ^1) h i of eucli eniigrant is iiiscitt'd in ii book rogisttT, wliiclr is presLTvcd; all wlio are sick are sent to thu Emigiaiit Hospital on Ward's Island, and the destitute to the House of Refuge ; and tliere are always a great nund)er at both places ; in 1872 there were 7,852 patients treated, of whom 850 died. The whole nund)er cared for by the Emi- gration Commissioners, both in their hospital and refuge, in 1873, was 12,942, of whom 335 were insane and sent to the asylum, when certified by the proj)er authorities. Emi- grants landing at Castle Gardens late in the evening, are permitted to remain there i'or that night, but as there are no beds, or accommodation for sleejiing ; the people have to squat on the floor or sit on the stools. Letters are taken charge of, and clerks are in attendance to send t(.'legranis or letters for those that don't understand doinix it them- selves. All monies are chaaiged at par — and here, let me observe, that it would be better for emigrants to transact their financial business in the depot than to go to money changers in the city. The luggage is taken charge of and an acknowledgment given for each parcel, which makes the authorities responsibk^ for its safety. Two or three BOAEDING-HOUSE KI^EPERS are allowed by the Commissioners to look out f(jr custom among the emigrants, but they must not charge above a certain tariff, about one dollar per day, at which rate a little money soon melts away. The importance of this emigrant boarding-house business, is to be seen in the streets around Castle Gardens, as they are to be met with at every turning, with llaring sign boards over their doors in all European languages, except Irish, but that omission is made up by such names as, the Sham- rock Boarding-House, The Harp of Erin Boarding-House, The Daniel O'Connell Boarding-House, and many otliers that arc equally patriotic. These liigh-soundingnames how- ever, afford no criterion of the honesty of the proprietors, although there are men as respectable in this business as in any other ; perhaps the stringent laws of the Commis- sioners have had a tendency to make them so. There is A LABOUR OFFICE at Castle Gardens where employers can obtain workmen^ MONTREAL TO PHILADELPHIA. 215 wliiclr iiL;iaut to tilt' iihor at itcd, of ic P'iiiii- t'ugi*, in t to thu Emi- lug, lire I ere aiv liave to taken leijranis t theni- , let nie trjin.sact 1 money e of and makes or three out for t charge ler day, y. The ess, is to they are 1 boards pt Irish, le Sham- ^-House, y otliers nes how- )prietors, siness as Commis- here is ,^orkmen, servants, Sec, which is of groat service to emigrants, especially females, ])nt it tends to keep down wa<;vs, for employers can nearly always mak(3 snre of getting hands in the event of a dispute with their employes, as thtsre are generally a large number of names On the books ; and this ])erhaps is otic of the reasons why some iniiuen- tial men are opposed to a general emigration law which would distribute the emigrants into the interior of the country, as well as land them at other Ports than New York. Ifthe'immigration is to be managed by a state law and eight-tenths of the emigrants are to come to New York, fis at present, the Commissioners ought to establish an immigrant's home where there would be cheapness, clean- liness, respectability, and protection to young females from the contamination of the low boarding-houses. From Castle Gardens I went to THE JllISH EMIGRANT SOCIETY'S OFFICES in Chambers Street, where I introduced myself to Mr. Byrne, the treasurer, to whom I presented letters and credentials from Ireland ; to show the hovd fide character of i.iy mission. I asked him certain questions about the objects of the society, the number relieved or benefited by its operations, the total sum received by the society from all sources, and the amount spent on Irish inmiigrants. He replied that the society was a private corporation established by an Act of the Legislature, in fact, that it was a banking house doing business on a large scale in selling bills of exchange on Irish banks, receiving monies from settlers at a distance to give to their friends on arrival, and other such transactions. He declined to answer any more questions, telling me that if I wanted further infor- mation I was to put the questions on paper, and that he would then submit them to the President. This marked reserve in a principal officer of a society that professes to be established for tlie well-being of the most numerous, and, perhaps, poorest class of immigrants landing in America, somewhat astonished me, and led me to think that the sooner cliques that will not let the light of publicity shine on their labours are done away with the better for the emigrant, as it appeared to me there arc M H !■ f I' i; h • -w 21C MONTREAL TO rHILADELIMIIA. TOO MANY lUUKSPONSIBLK IMloPLK now ready to inln'. care of liini if he lias dollars, but if he lias noTu* he may jJ^o to the wall. 1 sent six questions in writing" and waited three days for an answer, but did not )ut very little snow, but the frost was pntty severe. From New York I went tu IMIILADKM'IIIA by the Pcnnsylvanian Central Raihoad. On my anival I made my way to (Jermantown, (I miles from I he city to call on an old friend. I learned from him that there was not much destitution in IMiiladelphia or its neigh- Ijourhood, and that for eight months oi' the year labour was abundant, and wages good, and that for the other months ther(^ was a little slackness; In^ also said that, in his opinion, it was a better place for emigrants to come to than New York, as there were not so many com- petitors for work as in New York. Philadelphia, is one of the oldest, best situated, largest, and finest cities in America, and was founded by William Penn in 1()«S2 ; its present po])ulation being alxjut ToO.OOO. It is also the seat of very extensive manufactures, is the centre of a manufac- turing country, and of an extensive railway system, with a fine harbour on the Delawar River, and is in a more direct line to the south and we^t, than any othei of the eastern cities, the first-class railway fare from New York to Cliicago being 15 dels., and from Philadel|)hia 14 dols. The public buildings are magniticent, many of them b(;ing built of wliit(i marble as are also a large number of private houses. The CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION BUILDING erected in Fairmont Park to commemorate the first century of the birth of American freedom, is nearly 1,{)()0 feet long and 4G4 broad; its promoters have done everything to make it a success. Such a gigantic enterprise cannot fail to be of great advantage to Philadelphia, and particularly to the working class population, as it causes the circulation of a large amount of money. Most of the different nationali- ties that go to make up the United States have separate representations ; for the Irish (Jatholic Total Abstinence Union of America have erected a fountain at a cost of 5(),()()0 dollars ; the centre figure, being 15 feet high, and represent- ing Mo.ses striking the rock; on the corners stand four statues, 9 feet high, of distinguished Irishmen — namely Father Matthew, Archbishop Carroll, famous in the Revolution, ill nil 218 MONTREAL TO PHILADELPHIA* ■\\ ■I] :te 4*-' Ipii; il. t I: 1 ; H! ■ I J4 k H i: and his brother, Charles Carroll, of Carrolltown, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and John Barry, the father of the American Navy, historically known as " Saucy Jack Barry." The Negroes have an allegorical monument of Emancipation. The Scotch have a statue of the gieat Presbyterian preacher of the Revolution, the ftimous Dr. Witherspoon, the figure standing 12 feet high. The Germans commemorate their great Humboldt by a monument of the value of 14,000 dols. ; and the Italians have erected a statue to their still greater man, Christopher Columbus ; the Jews have erected a monument on which stands an heroic figure representing religious liberty ; and the Quakers, not forget- ful of their distinguished co-religionist and founder of the city, William Penn, have erected a monument to his memory. Of course there are other monuments and statues, but I mention these to show the friendly rivalry and enterprise that mark the character of the people. Having spent a couple of days walking through the city, I did not see any of that squalid poverty I saw in New York; even the labourers along the quays were better dressed, and, apparently, better fed. There is no place in Philadelphia like Castle Gardens for immigrants, but the American and Red Star Companies, which trade to Phila- delphia have a home of their own, where passengers are pro- tected, as far as possible from touts and runners, where money is changed, railway tickets sold, and other ac- commodation given. Both the Germans and the Irish have immigrant aid societies here, which I was told, Wc;re doing good w^ork; unfortunately I did not see the officers of either of these organisations, as it was late when I called,, but the Secretary of THE AMERICAN STEA:MSHIP COMPANY told me that their boats brought out a great many emi- grants fiom Ireland, on prepaid passages, through the society. I accompanied him by invitation on board of one of the boats that had just arrived from Liverpool and Queenstown, with several passengers although it was still the middle of winter. I questioned some of them, and they said that they had been well treated on the voyage, and ^n, one of and John listorically i have an jotch have 31- of the he figure )rate their of 14,000 their still ^e^vs have oic figure lot forijet- der of the ;nt to his lents and ily rivalry le people. the city, v^ in New re better place in ;s, but the to Phila- rs are pro- rs, where other ac- Irish have ;re doing s of either I called,, MONTREAL TO PHILADELPHIA. 219 lany enii- ugh the ard of one pool and > was still hem, and yage, and had not any fault to find cither with the officers or company ; and I believe this remark applies to all the steamslnp companies as they are closely looked after, both by an intelligent public, and the ditferunt Govern- ments. I would advise people going to Ponnsyhania, to go straight to Philadelphia rather than to New York, and thereby avoid the bother of ferry boats and railways^ besides extra expense, and I am strongly under the im- pression that it is a better place, because there is more room. The boats of the Red Star Line carry pontoon life rafts capable of holding forty persons each, and no doubt this line will be extensively patronised during the Centennial Exhibition. My visit to Philadelphia con- vinced me of the necessity of the United States Govern- ment, itself, dealing with immigration, instead of leaving it to each individual state, as emigrants would then be properly distributed through the country. On the occasion of my visit to Philadelphia, which was in the middle of February, 1875, there was no snow but the frost was very severe, and I really believe colder than if there had been snow with it. Leaving Philadelphia I again visited Montreal, and bidding farewell to friends who had been very kind to me during my pilgrimage I started for Port- land, in the State of Maine, by the Grand Trunk Railway, a distance of 270 miles, and arriving there, I embarked for home on board of the Polynesian, one of the fine boats of the Allan fleet. And now before we heave off from the wharf, let me say A FEW PARTING WORDS ; I would not advise a man to break up a comfortable home to go to America, unless he was sure of something better there than he already possessed at home, which is seldoni the case ; I would not advise a man on the wrong side of forty, to go out, unless he had a family to direct, the members of which as they would grow up might provide a home for him ; for a man at that time of life has some difficulty in adapting himself to circumstances that may be entirely new to him. I Avould not, at all events for the present, advise a mechanic, or a man who may be earning thirty shillings a week in Europe to emigrate, unless he has : I iiji I '' ..I' '^^1! i.' i Hil H *' i 1220 ]\10NTREAL TO rHILADELPHIA. •some other motive in view than getting his living by •daily labonr ; I would not advise young fellows who perhaps are pretty comfortable with their parents to go out unless they are willing to begin with hardwork and then rise above it by industry or force of character, and above all I would say (TO THE MAN WHO IS FOND OF HIS LIQUOR •stay at home, for you are not wanted in America. To farm labourers of England, Ireland, or Scotland, who are (loomed to perpetual toil ou a most miserable pittance with nothing to look forward to in old age, but the walls •of the workhouse prison, I say, by all means emigrate, for yonr children are almost sure to occupy a better place abroad than they could at home ; for in Canada and the United States, there are no all-powerful landlords dominating the Legislature and Government of the country, and clutching with greedy avidity, and without any right except that of a long supplanted military tenure, the results of the hard toil of the agriculturist. All that the cultivator produces is his own, and there is yet land enough, both in Canada and the United States, for tens of millions of the human race. I do not say, that there- fore, the United States, is at present a land Lowing with milk and honey, where "capons grow on trees, and roasted hares cry running out, ' p^^ay eat me if you please,' " or that THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES, however theoretically perfect, is yet practically so, far other- wise. There are many flaws in the system, and one that came especially under my notice is the prevalence of bribery and party " bumming." The efficiency and honesty of public officials is less regarded than tlieir political power ; influence is e^^erything in the United States. This is an evil of gradual growth, but none the less pernicious, par- ticularly in large cities ; for men in power are almost oound to screen their own party supporters, instead of •dealing out evenhanded justice to all. This state of things has a very demoralising eft'ect, for it has a tendency to relaxation of discipline in public bodies and officials; but I am glad to say there is a strong reaction against the MONTREAL TO PHILADELPHIA. 221 ving by ws who ts to go ork and iter, and R ica. To who are pittance ho walls ,a-ato, for c abroad } United ninating try, and ly right ure, the that the vet land for tens at there- mo with roasted ise, f >> or ar other- one that f bribery of public power ; is is an )us, par- aim ost stead of state of endency officials ; inst the system, and that thinkers and statesmen are alive to THE NECESSITY OF REFORMATION AND IMPROVEMENT ; in fact, freedom in the great Republic might bo comparea to a stream, which, while it irrigates and fertiUses the land through which it flows, yet still recpures directing and regulating in its course ; otherwise it overflows the land and becomes an evil instead of a good ; so it is with liberty in America; it requires watching, directing, regulating, and I niny say purging of occasional abuses, wliicii are sure to creep into any system of Government, however perfect, just as weeds crop up in every field, however welt cultivated. There are also many other matters which re([uire the serious attentioi' of those intending to settle in the United States. Many possess only very limited means, and have either to take up with labour in the cities, or a farm in the Far West. In the towiis, especially in the large sea- board towns the dwellings of tliis class are of a most miser- able description, being often devoid of all sanitary arrange- ments, and therefore very hotbeds of disease ; what pen can describe the unutterq,ble misery and degi-adation of the New York poor. And even in the Far West, although the frown or grasping hand of landlord need not be feared^ yet the farmer finds in THE GRi.AT RAILWAY CORPORATIONS who stand between him and his markets; enemies, if possible, even more grasping and unscrupulous. Often owing to the exorbitant charges of the railway "rings;" corn has been burn 3d by the farmer for fuel — a miserable use to putthe hard earned harvest to. Nothing but a great govern- ment scheme of railway control and possibly appropriation by compulsory purchase, can provide a cure for this evil. Again, there are great dangers to morals and leligions principles m America, which will not be found at home. Societies are tolerated in America, whose first principles are destructive of the family tie, and insulting to our manhood and to our Creator. In the great cities, the system of living in boarding-houses or hotels, destroys all home life ; and' throughout the United States, complaints are to be heard, of unfaithful wives, profligate husbands, r:! .(( i I I ■ i C)Oi) MONTREAL TO PHILADELPHIA. and insolent and disobedient cliildren. Wherever I went through the States I was confronted with the presence of ENORMOUS CONVICT BASTILLES, and I heard and read of the constant construction of new hells of this description ; this to my mind spoke forcibly, of something rotten in the state of Denmark. I always regard these edifices as unmistakeable signs of bad and stupid Government. For I deem the whole system of caging up human beings, like wild beasts, as a most cruel, and inhuman one ; and moreover experience has j^roved it, to be utterly futile, for the purpose of repressing crime. I do not hesitate to decl >re here, that the cost of main- taining these earthly hells, for one year, if applied by eitheran American or European Government in a judicious manner, to the assistance of the helpless and unhappy beings, who, from whatever cause, stand upon the border land of crime; either by settling them on farms, or instructing and setting them up in trades, would do more to stamp out crime, than ten years expenditure of the same capital on the heartless and stupid torture, of our unfortunate fellow creatures, in Chatham, Dartmoor, Sino- Sing, or any other European or American convict hell. While such ABODES OF HUMAN MISERY exist in the United States they are a standing reproach and accusation, against the perfection of its Government and institutions. Surely in this matter the citizens, of the threat Republic, ought to rise superior, to the stupid savagery of the Old World, and should have better sense, than to copy the most cruel, abominable, and costly, of the mistakes of European Governments. It will be seen that I have no wish to paint all American institutions with the colour of roses, but in spite of many spots on the sun of the Repubhcan system I have yet FAITH IN THE FUTURE OF THE UNITED STATES as a home for thousands of the toilers of Europe, but let those who go there, do so, with their eyes open to the real facts, and with no mist of glossing lies, and "spread- MONTREAL TO PHILADELPHIA. ;r I went 3senCG of >u of new forcibly, I always bad and ystem of ost cruel, ls proved ng crime, of main- Dplied by judicious unhappy ipon the on farms, 3s, would penditure £)rture, of Dartmoor, n convict reproach vernment ns, of the I savagery e, than to i mistakes at I have ;lie colour m of the TES )e, but let o the real " spread- eagleism " before tlieir eyes. Let those who go, once and for all, dismiss from their minds, the idea, that in the United States they will receive any help, guidance, or as- sistance, from a paternal Government ; let them bo pre- pared to depend upon their own unaided intelligence and resources, for success; and to face for a few years, a life of hard 'toil, and privation; let them avoid the drink shop, aud tlie dancing saloon, as they would the jaws of death itself; let the labourers go to the land, let them avoid the great cities, and determining to lead up- right, virtuous, and industrious lives ; they need have little fear for the futun?. And now a few words as to other matters. During my travels in Canada and the States I was brought in contact with men of ditferent nationalities and tongues ; but they all seemed to be under a process of OTadual unification. I seemed almost to see e'oinfj; on under my very eyes the process of welding these diverse elements into ONE GRAND UNITED HOMOGENEOUS RACE; my attention was especialbr attracted to this subject, because amongst many letters of encouragement from friends in England, and Ireland, who have interested themselves in the cause of the Irish agricultural labourers, I received some from Mr. Shackleton Hallett, of London ; in one of which he declared that in his opinion it would be for the well-being of the world, that nations should be grouped into confederations, each maintaining its own integrity, in- dependence, and self-government, but being united in one harmonious family, by means of an assembly of representa- tives, meeting as often as necessary, to consider matters of general interest. As yet, the nearest approach to this ar- rangement, is the Canadian Confederation, the United States of America, and, although not so impijrtant as either of the other two, the great Order of I oresters; and certaiidy those examples have worked admirably, each in its way. The United States has proclaimed the right of citizenship to .all within its borders of whatever creed or country; Canada has done the same, and since confederation, her four millions of people, have taken larger strides, and made more progress, than any other four millions of people, on r 'fr '-" 224 MONTREAL TO nilLADELPHIA. 11! ^^''U :IU 'I if : , i -li the surfaco oftlij globe. And as to the Foresters, wliereve-r they have estaMished a court, workiiigmeu have learned self-reliance ard independence of character, and here is strong evidenc^^ in favour of the project. England has more colonies than any other nation, tliey are growing- in wealth, tlieir population is increasing, and their power in the Empire is becoming felt, more and more. Most of them have local self-Governments, and many of tlieir leading men do not care about being trammelled by an inexperienced minister in the Mother Country. Their citizens all .speak the same language, and their institutions are founded on the some general j^rinciples ; therefore it cannot be disputed, but that some sort of a Confederation, would be to their mutual ailvantage. Indeed, THE UNITED STATES MIGHT ENTIIR THE CONFEDEKATIOX as there are principles that are connuon to all the English speaking countries of the world, One thing is certain, that if ever this broad and statesmanlike idea is realised, Ireland must occupy a higherplnce than she does at present ; for she must have a national individualitv, and self-2^overnment" united to the central system by the bonds of Confedera- tion. Whether the futiu-e Government of those realms be Monarchial or Republican, Ireland will not be content to remain a mere province of England, or what is ambiguously called, "an integral part of the Empire." By MR. SHACKLETON HALLETT's PLAX there would be no Imperial Parliament, but an English Parliament, a Canadian Parliament, an Irish Parliament, an Australian Parliament, and possibly a Scotch Parlia- ment, and then a congress of representatives from each of these countries, would meet at stated periods to regulate the Sfeneral business of the Confederation and would be assisted by a supreme executive and judicial body appointed for life^ or 'I term of years, by the voice of the people — as in the United States at present. The sj^read of education has made the working classes of England dissatisfied with centralisation, and the accumulation of wealth into the liands of a few. Class law, an effete land system, and English rule, in other words the " rule of the stranger," has ^i '' s, wherever ive learned ,nd here is igland has LiTOWniP- 111 ir power m !. Most of ly of their jlled by an ry. Their institutions therefore it ifederation, IDERATION the English certain, that sed. Ireland ;ent ; for she overnment^ Confedera- 2 realms be content to inbiguously an English Parliament, toll Parlia- L'om each of •egulate the I be assisted ited for life, — as in the tication has isfied with ;h into the ystem, and ■anger," has MONTREAL TO nilLADELPHIA. 225 made the Irishman in Irelnnd, discontented, rebellious, and unenterprising ; while in any other country he becomes a prominent man and an excellent citizen; the grow- ing wealth and free institutions of the colonies are an evidence of THE BENEFIT OF SELF-GOVERNMENT, and of what the class that is disfranchised in the United Kingdom can do when they have a voice in making the laws that govern- them. It is the labouring classes that have built up the colonies, nay, indeed, it w." criminals that laid the foundation of some of them, anu their insti- tutions and laws, are bettor tlian those made, by greater criminals, on the battle field of Hastings, and from whom our nobility are so proud to trace their descent. Th<3 United States also have unlimited territories, o^r^at natural resources, and a population made up, in a great part, of the working classes of Europe or their innnediate descendants, and A CONFEDERATION FOUNDED ON EQUITY, directed by common sense, and giving to each of the contracting j)arties, entire control over their own affairs and form of Government, would, as far as human foresight could do it, combine clashing elements and prevent san- guinary and, sometimes, useless strife. For all bodies and systems have in themselves the seeds of decay which only require developing to cause utter annihilation ; so it is with the great British Empire unless the well-being of the whole is considered, before that of any part of it, and the Irish race are conciliated by giving to Ireland self- government, on a broad and liberal basis; the elements of destruction, or, at all events, of perpetual commotion, will be always at liand ; for Ireland will not be satisfied to lose her nationhood; and the Irish race its individuality, or to be exploited for all eternity in the interests of a handful of English and Scotch landlords. While travelling through Maine I had not much time to see what benefit the people derived from their PROHIBITORY LIQUOR LAW, and, therefore, I will not say much about it ; but I do know Q 220 MOXTltKAL lO PHTLADKI.l'HIA. 1! i. that I walkt'd about the city of Portland for several hours and did not sec any one \ui(lerthe intiueuce of intoxicatinif (h'ink. At last, the captain standing on the bridge of the huge steainer, gave the order " Let go that rope." Slowly and majestically we glide out into the great Atlantic, the order is given again from the bridge, all speed ; sail is set, and the engines working up to their full power ; we cross, in ten days, from the New to the Old World. And, now, bidding farewell to my readers, I will conclude in the words of an old poet, wdio, addressing his first essay in literature, wrote " Be bold my book, nor be ahashcd, nor fear The learned critic, or the brow severe, But to the scornful say, * All here is good * If but well read, or ill read, understood.' " THE END. Loudoc : PrinteJ by John B. Oat. 3. Savoy Street, Strocd. v'cral hours iituxicatiiig bridge of :hat rojjc." the great briage, all their full o the Old dors, I will ressing his ear » » ii 1. ALLAN" ROYAL MAIL LINE. SHORTEST OCEAN PASSAGE TO CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES. 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